Oxford Centre for Tectonic and Metallogenic Studies (OCTAMS)

OCTAMS and the petroleum and minerals industries...

VISION - The benefits of linking studies in tectonics and metallogeny are widely appreciated, but seldom applied. At a time of burgeoning demand for raw materials and increasing need for the responsible and sustainable utilization of natural resources, there is need to invest in understanding the links between global tectonics and metallogeny.

OCTAMS is a new research focus in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford that will explore the relationships between the pattern of global tectonics and the nature and distribution of the Earth’s mineral and energy resources. It will present the results of this work in conventional and digital formats in such a way that the synergies derived from the two disciplines will be of direct benefit to research and teaching at the University and to exploration in the minerals and energy sectors.

  • OCTAMS will be driven by earth scientists at Oxford University, and, where relevant, specialist collaborators from world-class institutes elsewhere in the world.
  • OCTAMS hopes to interact closely with industrial partners from both the minerals and energy sectors. It intends to focus on problems that are of direct interest and relevance to industry and will report the results at colloquia designed to bring industrial partners to Oxford on a regular basis.
  • OCTAMS will initially focus its research in Central and Southeast Asia as well as the Middle East. The nature and distribution of both metal and petroleum resources will be examined in the context of Phanerozoic crustal evolution and the tectonics of Tethyan closure in this part of the world.
  • OCTAMS will provide opportunities for both undergraduate training and postgraduate research in which carefully selected students will receive support and sponsorship from industry, and work on projects linked to the research needs of industry. The closer links that are forged between Oxford and its industrial partners as a result of this initiative will also provide the latter with improved exposure to the undergraduate student body and provide opportunities for recruitment and human resource development initiatives.

For details concerning OCTAMS initiatives, or undergraduate/postgraduate training and research opportunities at Oxford University, contact :-
Mike Searle or Laurence Robb
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Oxford
Parks Road
Oxford, OX1 3PR
UK.

Tel: +44 (0)1865 272022 / 272058
email: mikes@earth.ox.ac.uk
laurencr@earth.ox.ac.uk

Download the OCTAMS PDF