 Dr Robin Shail
Senior Lecturer in Geology
Contact details
Email: R.K.Shail@ex.ac.uk
Tel: 01326 371826
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
1990-1993, Camborne School of Mines
1993- present, University of Exeter
ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS
BA (Hons) Geology, University of Oxford, 1986
PhD Geology, University of Keele, 1992
MEMBERSHIP
The Ussher Society (Chairman 2008-10) - www.ussher.org.uk
Geoscience in South-West England
American Geophysical Union
RESEARCH
Variscan tectonics
The primary focus of my research is the tectonics of the European Variscides (a late Palaeozoic mountain belt) and, in particular, its expression in SW England. The Variscides represent the final stages of plate reorganisation during the formation of the supercontinent of Pangea and have exerted a fundamental control on the Upper Palaeozoic geology and natural resources of Europe. The lithospheric architecture developed during this episode has substantially influenced the post-Variscan geological evolution. The Variscan massif of SW England forms the western continuation, across the Bray Fault, of the classically-defined Rhenohercynian and Saxothuringian zones of mainland Europe. It forms a superb natural laboratory for evaluating tectonic processes, in part because of high quality coastal exposures, and provides evidence for:
- Continental rifting and the formation of a complex northern passive margin and small ocean basin (Lizard) during the Devonian.
- Convergence, active margin processes and continental collision (late Devonian-Carboniferous) during which the SW England (Rhenohercynian) passive margin lower plate was progressively inverted (strongly influenced by the architecture of the passive margin); the suture with the upper (Saxothuringian) plate is located a short distance offshore in the western English Channel.
- Latest Carboniferous - Early Permian post-orogenic extension and substantial thinning of moderately overthickened lithosphere that in part, contributed to the generation of vast volumes of granite as well as the fracture networks that governed the development of a giant W-Sn-Cu orefield. Reactivation of the collisional suture and other thrust faults influenced the early stages of post-Variscan sedimentary basin development.
Research projects being undertaken within the above framework are investigating:
- Syn-rift stratigraphy, sedimentology, provenance and tectonics of the distal passive margin represented by the Looe Basin and parautochthonous northern segment of the Gramscatho Basin (in collaboration with Dr Louise Hollick and Dr Brian Leveridge of BGS).
- Syn-convergence stratigraphy, sedimentology, provenance and tectonics of the Gramscatho Basin (in collaboration with Dr Brian Leveridge of BGS).
- The tectonics of Variscan low-grade regional metamorphism and metamorphic fluid generation within the Gramscatho Basin (in collaboration with Dr Jamie Wilkinson of Imperial College).
- The role of latest Carboniferous-Early Permian (post-Variscan) lithospheric extension in controlling: (i) generation and emplacement of the SW England batholith, (ii) magmatic-hydrothermal W-Sn-Cu-Zn-Pb mineralization, (iii) anomalous zones of re-orientated primary and secondary structures by reactivation of rift and convergence-related fault networks (in collaboration with Dr Brian Leveridge of BGS), and (iv) development of Permian sedimentary basins.
I'm also contributing to related Geological Conservation Review (GCR) volumes (these provide a public record of the features of interest and importance at localities notified, or being considered for notification, as `Sites of Special Scientific Interest'):
- British Marine Devonian Stratigraphy (Leveridge et al. in press)
- Variscan to Alpine Structures in Britain (Anderson et al. in preparation)
Coastal landsliding in Cornwall
Geodiversity and Geoconservation
Applied Mineralogy
Research projects (2001 to date)
David Roche Geo Consulting 2006, GeoValue: Valuing Geodiversity for the Community (AKRV 3570)
David Roche Geo Consulting 2004, GeoValue: Valuing Geodiversity for Conservation (AKRV 2987)
British Geological Survey 2003 , Lithogeochemistry in a mine waste contaminated region (AKRV 2696)
European Social Fund, 2001-2004, Lithogeochemistry in a mine waste contaminated region (ADQB 0248 - joint with Professor Scott)
European Social Fund, PhD studentship 2001-2004, Coastal landsliding in Cornwall: occurrences, mechanisms and implications for coastal zone management (ADQB 0245)
Link to further research projects
Publications (2001 to date) - earlier
Journals
Shail, R.K. and Leveridge, B.E. 2009. The Rhenohercynian passive margin of SW England: development, inversion and extensional reactivation. Comptes Rendus Geoscience, 341, 140-155. doi:10.1016/j.crte.2008.11.002
Hollick, L.M., Shail, R.K. and Leveridge, B.E. 2006. Devonian rift-related sedimentation and Variscan tectonics – new data on the Looe and Gramscatho basins from the resurvey of the Newquay District. Geoscience in south-west England, 11, 191-198. [PDF]
LeBoutillier, N.G., Shail, R.K. and Jewson, C. 2003. Monazite in polymetallic chlorite-(tourmaline)-quartz-(fluorite)-cassiterite-sulphide lodes and its potential for constraining the chronology of magmatic hydrothermal mineralisation in Cornwall. Geoscience in south-west England, 10, 403-409. [PDF]
Scott, P.W., Reid, K.S., Shail, R.K. and Scrivener, R.C. 2003. Baseline geochemistry of Devonian low-grade metasedimentary rocks in Cornwall: preliminary data and environmental significance. Geoscience in south-west England, 10, 424-429. [PDF]
Kratinova, Z., Schulmann, K., Hrouda, F. and Shail, R.K. 2003. The role of regional tectonics and magma flow coupling versus magmatic processes in generating contrasting magmatic fabrics within the Land’s End Granite, Cornwall. Geoscience in south-west England, 10, 442-448. [PDF]
Shail, R.K., Stuart, F.M., Wilkinson, J.J. and Boyce, A.J. 2003. The role of post-Variscan extensional tectonics and mantle melting in the generation of the Lower Permian granites and the giant W-As-Sn-Cu-Zn-Pb orefield of SW England (extended abstract). Applied Earth Science (Transactions of the Institutions of Mining and Metallurgy: Section B), 112, 127-129.
LeBoutillier, N.G., Camm, G.S., Shail, R.K., Bromley, A.V., Jewson, C. and Hoppe, N. 2002. Tourmaline-quartz-cassiterite mineralization of the Land’s End Granite at Nanjizal, west Cornwall. Geoscience in south-west England, 10, 312-318. [PDF]
Crisp, G., Pirrie, D., Shail, R.K. and Sabin, R.C. 2001. The Godrevy dog; early canine or lost pet? Geoscience in south-west England, 10, 172-176. [PDF]
Books
Leveridge, B.E., Whittaker, A. and Shail, R.K. In press. British Marine Devonian Stratigraphy, Geological Conservation Review Series, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough. ISBN 1 86107 500 6
including GCR Site descriptions:
Shail, R.K. In press. Baulk Head - Gunwalloe Church Cove. In British Marine Devonian Stratigraphy (B.E. Leveridge, A. Whittaker and R.K. Shail), Geological Conservation Review Series, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.
Shail, R.K. In press. Little Dennis - Gillian Harbour - Nare Head - Porthallow. In British Marine Devonian Stratigraphy (B.E. Leveridge, A. Whittaker and R.K. Shail), Geological Conservation Review Series, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.
Shail, R.K. In press. Mullion Island. In British Marine Devonian Stratigraphy (B.E. Leveridge, A. Whittaker and R.K. Shail), Geological Conservation Review Series, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.
Shail, R.K. In press. Poldhu Cove - Polurrian Cove. In British Marine Devonian Stratigraphy (B.E. Leveridge, A. Whittaker and R.K. Shail), Geological Conservation Review Series, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.
Reports
Scott, P.W., Shail, R.K., Roche, D.P. and Nicholas, C. 2007. The Geodiversity Profile Handbook. David Roche Geo Consulting, Exeter, UK. 60pp. PDF (8.6 MB)
Scott, P.W., Nicholas, C., Turner, H., Roche, D.P. and Shail, R.K. 2007. Access and safety at geological sites: a manual for landowners, quarry operators and the geological visitor. David Roche Geo Consulting, Exeter, UK. 52pp. PDF (1.6 MB)
Macadam, J. and Shail, R. 2002. Abandoned pits and quarries: a resource for research, education, leisure and tourism. In: Spalding, A., Hartgroves, S., Macadam, J and Owens, D. (eds) The conservation value of abandoned pits and quarries in Cornwall. Cornwall County Council, Truro, 71-80 (ISBN: 1 903798 00 0). PDF (1.4 MB)
Link to pre-2001 publications
TEACHING
Modules currently taught
Year 1
CSM 1252 / CSM 1285 Geology / Intoduction to Geology (ML) (1990-91 to present)
CSM 1286 Geological Field Techniques (1990-91 to present)
Year 2
CSM 2293 Structural Geology (ML) (1991-92 to present)
CSM 2298 Geological Field Techniques 2 (1991-92 to present)
Year 3
CSM 3151 Exploration Techniques (2008-09 to present)
CSM 3341 Geology Research Project (1992-3 to present)
CSM 3373 Geothermal Energy (2007-08 to present)
CSM 3379 Summer Vacation Project (ML) (1992-3 to present)
MSc
CSM M110 Techniques in Mining Geology
Modules previously taught
GEO 1402 Introduction to Earth Systems Science (2004-05; 2006-07)
CSM 1281 Stratigraphy, Palaeontology and Maps (1999-2000 to 2005-06)
CSM 2117 Applied Structural Geology (1991-92 to 1999-2000)
CSM 2300 Geotechnics (2000-01 to 2005-06)
CSM 2312 Metamorphic Petrology / Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (1996-97 to 2006-07)
CSM 3389 Petroleum Geoscience / Petroleum Geology (1992-93 to 2006-07)
Click on module code to see module descriptions.
(ML) = Module Leader
ADMINISTRATION
- CSM Marketing, recruitment and schools liaison co-ordinator (1996 - present); CSM Undergraduate Scholarships Committeee (2004 - present); Cornwall Campus Marketing and Recruitment Group (2004 - 2007); Cornwall Marketing Group (2002 - 2004); Science and Engineering Group (1998-2002).
- CSM Undergraduate Admissions Tutor (2004 - present)
- Programme Director for Undergraduate Geology programmes / Member of CSM Learning and Teaching Committee (1996-2002; 2007-08)
- CSM Web co-ordinator (1997 - present); CSM Web Editor (2004 - 2008)
- CSM Library Liaison Officer / representative on the Cornwall Campus Library User Group (2004 - present)
- CSM Academic Misconduct Officer (2008 - present)
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