Peter A. Rona Professor Structure and development of continental margins and ocean basins

Email:
Phone: 732-932-6555 x. 241

Education: Ph.D., Yale University

Research Interests:
Seafloor hydrothermal systems; ocean ridge processes; geology of Atlantic continental margins; genesis of seafloor mineral and energy resources.

The research program on seafloor hydrothermal systems emphasizes the tectonic and magmatic controls of hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean ridges and back-arc spreading centers; heat transfer (conductive and convective) in the systems; processes of mineralization; and dynamics of the plumes that discharge from the hydrothermal systems involving the development and application of innovative sonar techniques to image the plumes. We are carrying out this work on seafloor hydrothermal systems and ocean ridges using surface ships and deep-diving research submersibles in collaboration with other leading national and international groups.

We are developing a joint research program between the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences and the Department of Geological Sciences at Rutgers to determine processes involved in the transfer of natural and anthropogenic materials between the continent and the deep ocean basin. The focus of this program is the continental margin of New Jersey where the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences is installing a series of Long Term Observatories (LEO's) on the seafloor to observe and monitor seafloor and water column processes.