Veranstaltungsort:
Universitätsbibliothek, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, EG - Großer Hörsaal
Winklerstraße 3, 09599 Freiberg
Eintritt frei
Der Vortrag findet in englischer Sprache statt!

Prof. Dr. Sebastian Tappe (Professor of Economic Geology & Petrology, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg)

Donnerstag 04.06.2026 19:30

The Geodynamic Evolution of Svalbard: Driver of Europe's Climate?
The transition from continental rifting to spreading in a newly formed ocean basin is a key process in the plate-tectonic cycle, but among the least understood. At present, such a transition occurs offshore Svalbard, where the rifted margin of the Eurasian tectonic plate (exposed in NW Svalbard) splits from the North American plate, with Lena Trough in the Arctic Ocean presenting a submerged continental rift that is transitioning to seafloor spreading. Opening of this so-called Atlantic-Arctic gateway during the past 15 million years has profound effects on Europe’s climate because it controls the freshwater flux out of the Arctic Ocean and, thus, thermohaline water circulation in oceans globally. The global ocean is among the most important climate drivers.
This presentation will take you on a journey through the geodynamic evolution of Svalbard, with focus on active tectonism and volcanism during the Late Cenozoic. The aim is to merge geological impressions in the form of maps plus photos and my ongoing research of the impact of global tectonics on climate patterns, using the European High Arctic as an example.

Das „Freiberger Kolloquium“ ist eine Vortragsreihe des Sächsischen Landesamtes für Umwelt, Landwirtschaft und Geologie, des Sächsischen Staatsarchivs/Bergarchivs Freiberg, des Sächsischen Oberbergamtes, der TU Bergakademie Freiberg, der terra mineralia und des Geokompetenzzentrums Freiberg e.V.