Ph.D. student Melissa Anderson splits her time between her home institution at the University of Ottawa in Canada and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, as part of an international initiative in marine minerals research. Her research focuses on evaluating the geological processes responsible for metal accumulation in backarc basins of the western Pacific through geological mapping of the seafloor at different scales. She also investigates the mineralogy and geochemistry of hydrothermal alteration associated with actively forming seafloor massive sulfide deposits in order to better understand fluid pathways, water-rock interactions, and the origin of metallic elements.
Melissa received her B.Sc. (Hon.) in Geology from Brandon University, and her M.Sc. in Geology from the University of New Brunswick, both in Canada, and has spent several summers working in remote camps in northern Canada exploring for ore deposits. The Hydrothermal Hunt at Mariana will be her second research cruise, and she is excited to contribute to the research of the science team and discover new vent sites.
Cruises:
