Robert Leslie Gawthorpe

Position

Professor

Affiliation

Research groups

Research

Rob Gawthorpe joined the department in July 2010 as Professor of Petroleum Geoscience.  He was previously Professor of Sedimentology and Tectonics, where he established and was head of the Basin Studies and Petroleum Geoscience Group at the University of Manchester.

Rob's research is wide-ranging, integrating geomorphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy and tectonics to study tectonically-active landscapes and sedimentary basin evolution.  One of his major research areas is sedimentation and tectonics in rift basins, including the role of fault growth and linkage in controlling rift topography and syn-rift stratigraphy.  His research also tackles sequence stratigraphic concepts, for example, controls on the 3D variability of basin margin sequences and the role of sea-level rise and fall in early diagenetic modification (cementation and leaching).  These research areas utilize both outcrop and subsurface data and are important for reservoir characterization and the development of exploration concepts.

At UiB he has established a 3D seismic and digital outcrop laboratory that has a suite of research workstations configured for interpreting large 3D seismic surveys and digital outcrop datasets.  The laboratory is house in two rooms on the 2nd floor of Realfagbygget and is used by masters, PhDs and postdoctoral researchers.

Rob’s current research includes the Research Council of Norway funded SynRift Systems project, and a range of subsurface- and outcrop-based projects investigating the links between tectonics, landscape and sedimentation.  He was appointed VISTA Professor in January 2018.

Publications

RECENT PUBLICATIONS - for a full list of publication see CV

ELLIOTT, G.M., JACKSON, C. A-L., GAWTHORPE, R.L., WILSON, P., SHARP, I.R. AND MICHELSEN, L. 2021. Tectono-stratigraphic development of a salt-influenced rift margin; Halten Terrace, offshore Mid-Norway. Basin Research,  DOI: 10.1111/bre.12603

WRONA, T., PAN, I., BELL, R.E., GAWTHORPE, R.L., FOSSEN, H. AND BRUNE, S.  2021.  3D seismic interpretation with deep learning: A brief introduction.  The Leading Edge, 40, https://doi.org/10.1190/tle40070524.1

MASIERO, I., BURGESS, P., HOLLIS, C., MANIFOLD, L., GAWTHORPE, R.L., LECOMTE, I., MARSHALL, J. AND ROTEVATN, A. 2021.  Syn-rift carbonate platforms in space and time: testing and refining conceptual models using stratigraphic and seismic numerical forward modelling.  In: Hendry, J., Burgess, P., Hunt, D., Janson, X. and Zampetti, V. (eds) Seismic Characterization of Carbonate Platforms and Reservoirs, Geological Society of London, Special Publication509, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP509-2019-217.

AMEZCUA, N., GAWTHORPE, R.L, AND MARSHALL, J. 2021.  Lacustrine carbonate lithofacies characterization, paleontological content and depositional processes in the Mayrán Basin System.  Journal of South American Earth Sciences, 111, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103451.

NYBERG, B., HELLAND-HANSEN, W., TILLMANS, F., GAWTHORPE, R.L., SANSBAKKEN, P. 2021.  Assessing First-order BQART Estimates for Ancient Source-to-Sink Mass Budget Calculations.  Basin Research 33, DOI10.1111/bre.12563.

TILLMANS, F., GAWTHORPE, R.L, JACKSON, C.A.L. AND ROTEVATN, A. 2021.  Syn-rift sediment gravity flow deposition on a Late Jurassic fault-terraced slope, northern North Sea.  Basin Research 33, DOI10.1111/bre.12538.

KRISTENSEN, T., ROTEVATN, A., MARVIK, M., HENSTRA, G.A., GAWTHORPE, R.L., RAVNÅS, R. 2020. Quantitative analysis of fault-and-fold growth in a transtensional basin: the Sørvestsnaget Basin, Western Barents Sea.  In: Chiarella, D., Archer, S. G., Howell, J. A., Jackson, C. A.-L., Kombrink, H. & Patruno, S. (eds) Cross-Border Themes in Petroleum Geology II: Atlantic Margin and Barents Sea.  Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 495, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP495-2020-123

FAZLIKHANI, H., AAGOTNES, S.S., REFVEM, M.A., HAMILTON-WRIGH, J., BELL, R.E., FOSSEN, H., GAWTHORPE, R.L., JACKSON, C.A-L. AND ROTEVATN, A. 2020.  Strain migration during multiphase extension, Stord Basin, northern North Sea rift.  Basin Research, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12522.

WRONA, T., FOSSEN, H., LECOMTE, I., HAUG EIDE, C., GAWTHORPE, R.L., 2020. Seismic expression of shear zones: Insights from 2-D Point-Spread-Function-based convolution modelling.  Journal of Structural Geology, 140.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104121.

WIEST, J.D., WRONA, T., BAUCK M.S., FOSSEN, H., GAWTHORPE, R.L., OSMUNDSEN, P.T. AND FALEIDE, J.I. 2020.  From Caledonian Collapse to North Sea Rift: The Extended History of a Metamorphic Core Complex.  Tectonics, 39, e2020TC006178. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020TC006178

MUNOZ-BARRERA, J.M., ROTEVATN, A., GAWTHORPE, R.L., HENSTRA, G.A. AND KRISTENSEN, T.B. 2020. The role of structural inheritance in the development of high-displacement crustal faults in the necking domain of rifted margins: The Klakk Fault Complex, Frøya High, offshore mid-Norway.  Journal of Structural Geology, 140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104163

HOWLETT, D.M., GAWTHORPE, R.L., GE, Z.Y., ROTEVATN, A. AND JACKSON, C.A.L. 2020. Turbidites, topography and tectonics: Evolution of submarine channel-lobe systems in the salt-influenced Kwanza Basin, offshore Angola. Basin Research, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12506.

CLARINGBOULD, J.S., BELL, R.E., JACKSON, C.A.L., GAWTHORPE, R.L. AND ODINSEN, T. 2020. Pre-breakup Extension in the Northern North Sea Defined by Complex Strain Partitioning and Heterogeneous Extension Rates. Tectonics, 39, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019tc005924.

GE, Z.Y., GAWTHORPE, R.L., ZIJERVELD, L. AND OLUBOYO, A.P. 2020.  Spatial and temporal variations in minibasin geometry and evolution in salt tectonic provinces: Lower Congo Basin, offshore Angola. Basin Research, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12486.

JACKSON, C.A.L., WHIPP, P.S., GAWTHORPE, R.L. AND LEWIS, M.M. 2020. Structure and kinematics of an extensional growth fold, Hadahid Fault System, Suez Rift, Egypt. Solid Earth, 11, 1027-1051, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-11-1027-2020.

CHEN, H.H., WOOD, L.J. AND GAWTHORPE, R.L. 2020.  Sediment dispersal and redistributive processes in axial and transverse deep-time source-to-sink systems of marine rift basins: Dampier Sub-basin, Northwest Shelf, Australia. Basin Research, https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12462.

WATKINS, S.E., WHITTAKER, A.C., BELL, R.E., BROOKE, S.A.S., GANTI, V., GAWTHORPE, R.L., MCNEILL, L.C. AND NIXON, C.W. 2020.  Straight from the source's mouth: controls on field-constrained sediment export across the entire active Corinth Rift, central Greece.  Basin Research. DOI: 10.1111/bre.12444.

GEURTS, A.H., WHITTAKER, A.C., GAWTHORPE, R.L. AND COWIE, P.A. 2020.  Transient landscape and stratigraphic responses to drainage integration In the actively extending central Italian Apennines. Geomorphology. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.107013.

Projects

Year

Funder - Project

2021-

NFR (KPI), A Renaissance of Central North Sea Salt Tectonics - ZechTec (326965)

2020-

NFR (KPI), Rift and rifted margin deep-water depositional systems - DeepRift (308805)

2020-

Akademia agreement, Rift-passive margin formation along the Brazilian margin: linking Santos and Campos margin segments (co-investigator with Huismans)

2020-

Akademia agreement, High-displacement normal fault evolution (co-investigator with Huismans)