- B526 Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 584551
- michelle.harris@plymouth.ac.uk

Profiles
Dr Michelle Harris
Associate Professor in Earth Sciences
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Biography
Biography
Associate Professor in Earth Sciences
Lead of Centre for Research in Earth Sciences (CRES)
Marine Institute Strategy Board Member
Qualifications
Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Geochemistry (2011) University of Southampton, "The accretion of lower oceanic crust"M.Geol. in Geological Sciences (International) (2006) University of Leeds
Previous Roles:
Teaching Fellow (2014-2015) University of Southampton, Ocean and Earth Science
Post Doctoral Researcher (2011-2014) University of Southampton, Ocean and Earth Science. NERC funded project "Ocean basement calcium carbonate veins as recorders of past ocean chemistry and the global carbon cycle"
Awards:
2013 Deans Prize for Early Career Researchers, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton
2008 InterRidge Student Fellowship
Professional membership
American Geophysical Union
European Association of Geochemistry
Key publications
(2017) 'Hydrothermal cooling of the ocean crust: Insights from ODP Hole 1256D' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 462, 110-121 , DOI Open access
(2015) 'Channelling of hydrothermal fluids during the accretion and evolution of the upper oceanic crust: Sr isotope evidence from ODP Hole 1256D' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 416, 56-66 , DOI Open access
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
GEOL1008 Sustainable Geoscience
GEOL1009 Earth Materials and Resources
GEOL1010 Climate, Tectonics and Hazards
GEOL1011 Life and Death of an Ocean
GEOL 2011 Petrology and Volcanology
GEOL 2006 Geological Fieldwork
GEOL 3001 Geological Mapping Research Project and Professional Skills
GEOL 3007 Igneous and Volcanic Processes
GEOL3015 Energy Transition Geoscience
GEOL 5004 MGeol Project
MAR 514 Marine Science
Research
Research
Research interests
Research Interests:
Geochemistry techniques:
- Whole rock and mineral trace elements by ICP-MS
- Whole rock major elements by XRF
- Isotope geochemistry (Sr, O)
- Laser-ablation U/Pb geochronology
- Electron microprobe
Research Cruises:
IODP Expedition 393 South Atlantic Age Transect II, Lead Metamorphic Petrologist
IODP Expedition 357 Atlantis Massif Seafloor Processes: Serpentinization and Life, Metamorphic Petrologist
IODP Expedition 335 Superfast Spreading Rate Crust 4, Metamorphic Petrologist
IODP Expedition 327 Juan de Fuca Ridge Flank Hydrogeology, Petrologist (Group Leader)
JC21 Hess Deep Rift
JC7 Mid Atlantic Ridge 13N Oceanic Core Complexes
Research Projects:
ICDP Oman Drilling Project:
- I have been involved in establishing the onsite core protocols and was onsite in Oman for a total of 6 weeks during Phase 1 drilling operations.
- I had multiple roles during the core characterisation program for Phase 1 cores that took place onboard DV Chikyu July-September 2017.
- Co-chief scientist Hole GT3A Sheeted/dike gabbro transition
- Alteration team leader Holes GT1A Hydrothermal fault zones in layered gabbros and Hole GT2A foliated-layered gabbro transition
- Staff Scientist Hole BT1B Listvenite-Basal Thrust.
Ph.D. supervision:
Ms Marta Grabowska "Deciphering the signal of fluid/rock reaction in the lower oceanic crust: The Oman ophiolite analogue"
Dr Jennifer Rutter "Characterising low temperature alteration and oxidation of the upper oceanic crust", University of Southampton, completed 2015
Dr Louise Koornneef "The sheeted dyke-gabbro transition zone: the key to unravelling the paleomagnetic record of the Oman ophiolite" Plymouth University
Publications
Publications
Key publications
(2017) 'Hydrothermal cooling of the ocean crust: Insights from ODP Hole 1256D' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 462, 110-121 , DOI Open access
(2015) 'Channelling of hydrothermal fluids during the accretion and evolution of the upper oceanic crust: Sr isotope evidence from ODP Hole 1256D' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 416, 56-66 , DOI Open access
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
(2022) 'Geochemistry of serpentinized and multiphase altered Atlantis Massif peridotites (IODP Expedition 357): Petrogenesis and discrimination of melt-rock vs. fluid-rock processes' Chemical Geology 594, 120681-120681 , DOI
(2022) 'Listvenite Formation During Mass Transfer into the Leading Edge of the Mantle Wedge: Initial Results from Oman Drilling Project Hole BT1B' Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 127, (2) , DOI
(2022) 'Deep Sourced Fluids for Peridotite Carbonation in the Shallow Mantle Wedge of a Fossil Subduction Zone: Sr and C Isotope Profiles of OmanDP Hole BT1B' Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 127, (1) , DOI
(2021) 'Geochemical Profiles Across the Listvenite‐Metamorphic Transition in the Basal Megathrust of the Semail Ophiolite: Results From Drilling at OmanDP Hole BT1B' Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 126, (12) , DOI
(2021) 'Characterizing Hydration of the Ocean Crust Using Shortwave Infrared Microimaging Spectroscopy of ICDP Oman Drilling Project Cores' Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth , DOI Open access
(2021) 'Hydrothermal Alteration of the Ocean Crust and Patterns in Mineralization with Depth as Measured by Micro‐Imaging Infrared Spectroscopy' Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth , DOI Open access
(2021) 'Workshop report: Exploring deep oceanic crust off Hawai‘i' Scientific Drilling , DOI Open access
(2018) 'Magmatism, serpentinization and life: Insights through drilling the Atlantis Massif (IODP Expedition 357)' Lithos 323, 137-155 , DOI Open access
(2018) 'Alteration Heterogeneities in Peridotites Exhumed on the Southern Wall of the Atlantis Massif (IODP Expedition 357)' Journal of Petrology 59, (7) 1329-1358 , DOI
(2017) 'Hydrothermal cooling of the ocean crust: Insights from ODP Hole 1256D' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 462, 110-121 , DOI Open access
(2016) 'Hydrothermal contributions to global biogeochemical cycles: Insights from
the Macquarie Island ophiolite' Lithos 264, 329-347 , DOI Open access
(2016) 'Sulphide mineral evolution and metal mobility during alteration of the oceanic crust: Insights from ODP Hole 1256D' Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 193, 132-159 , DOI Open access
(2015) 'Mobility of Au and related elements during the hydrothermal alteration of the oceanic crust: implications for the sources of metals in VMS deposits' Mineralium Deposita 51, (2) 179-200 , DOI
(2015) 'Channelling of hydrothermal fluids during the accretion and evolution of the upper oceanic crust: Sr isotope evidence from ODP Hole 1256D' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 416, 56-66 , DOI Open access
(2012) 'Downhole variation of lithium and oxygen isotopic compositions of oceanic crust at East Pacific Rise, ODP Site 1256' Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 13, (10) n/a-n/a , DOI
(2012) 'IODP expedition 327 and Atlantis expedition at 18-07: Observatories and experiments on the eastern Flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge' Scientific Drilling (13) 4-11 , DOI
(2012) 'Hydrothermal circulation and the dike-gabbro transition in the detachment mode of slow seafloor spreading' Geology 40, (4) 367-370 , DOI
(2010) 'Subsurface structure of a submarine hydrothermal system in ocean crust formed at the East Pacific Rise, ODP/IODP Site 1256' Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 11, (10) n/a-n/a , DOI
(2009) 'Life cycle of oceanic core complexes' Earth and Planetary Science Letters 287, (3-4) 333-344 , DOI
Conference Papers
(2018) 'In situ carbon mineralization in ultramafic rocks: Natural processes and possible engineered methods' Elsevier BV 92-102 , DOI
(2015) 'Mobility of Au and Related Elements during the Hydrothermal Alteration of the Oceanic Crust: Implications for the Sources of Metals in VMS Deposits' 2075-2078