Dr. Trygve Prestgard
Biography
Project
What is the flux of extraterrestrial material to Earth composed of and did it change with time?
Research summary
The Earth is exposed to large abundances of interplanetary material, mostly in the form of sub-millimetric particles. A subset of these particles reach the surface as micrometeorites (MMs). MMs are thought to predominantly reflect material ejected from small bodies in the Asteroid Belt (e.g. through impact events) that eventually spiraled towards the Inner Solar System. Consequently, understanding the flux of MMs over time can provide insight into the Solar System's collisional history. Although MMs were traditionally assumed to be too fragile to withstand long-term weathering processes, fossil MMs have been recovered in sediments dating back hundreds of millions of years. My Post-doctorate position here at VUB is focused on extracting fossil MMs from sediments (covering the Paleocene) and to deduce their flux over time. This information will be compared to known asteroid breakup events and Earth impact craters, as well as extinction events and past temperature anomalies (to see whether a link may exist). My previous work (as a PhD student) centered around carbonaceous chondrites, some of which may share genetic links with certain types of MMs.
Education:
- - PhD in Earth and Space sciences, Université Grenoble Apes, France, 2023
- - MSc in Earth sciences, Université Grenoble Apes, France, 2019
- - BSc in Earth sciences, Université Grenoble Apes, France, 2017
Location
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Brussels
Belgium