School of Earth Sciences

Dr. Bob Cliff 

Geochronology and Isotope Geochemistry 

Room: 8/11e 
Telephone: +44-113-233-5223 
Email: B.Cliff@earth.leeds.ac.uk

R.A. Cliff

CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS

Isotopic dating of metamorphism and deformation

  • Using separated minerals with high closure temperature from microstructurally simple rocks to date metamorphic crystallization and deformation episodes (e.g. Inger et al. 1996, Freeman et al. 1997, Wheeler et al. 2001).
  • Dating microstructurally complex rocks by Rb-Sr using sub-millimetre samples to access isotopically equilibrated domains (Meffan-Main & Cliff 2004, Cliff et al. 2003)
  • Evaluation of the applicability of Rb-Sr dating of hornblende for dating deformation in deep crustal shear-zones. Hornblende is most commonly dated by the 40Ar-39Ar method but in shear zones cutting through older rocks this method often fails because of incorporation of excess argon (Cliff et al. 1998)This project was supported by a NERC research grant from 2001-2005.
  • High precision Pb isotope measurements  using a 202Pb-205Pb double spike (Todt et al. 1996) and their application to U-Pb dating of young metamorphic minerals
  • Utilising the above methods to investigate the thermal and tectonic history of young mountain belts, in particular the Alps (Reddy et al. 1999, Meffan-Main et al.2004).

 

U-Pb dating of Quaternary and late Tertiary carbonates

  • Dating speleothems to gain quantitative data on ages of cave development and the records ther preserve of  hominid occupation, climate change and rates of landscape evolution back beyond the range of U-series disequilibrium methods (Richards et al. 1998, Cliff & Richards 2000).
  • Further development of this work has been funded by a NERC research grant "Application of U-Pb isotope systematics in spelothems to dating of pre-0.5Ma hominid evolution and environmental change" (2001-2005). (Walker et al. 2004, Cliff et al. 2005). Work on the hominid fossil “Little Foot” was recently published in Science (Walker et al. 2006)

 

 

Chlorine isotope geochemistry

  • Halogens provide important information about the sources of natural waters and variations in stable chlorine isotope abundance offer a significant addition to this information. Chlorine isotopic composition can be determined on the small amounts of chlorine that can be extracted from fluid inclusions (Banks et al. 2000, Rosenbaum et al. 2000,). Recent work has combined chlorine and strontium isotopes on fluid inclusions to throw new light on the origin of iron oxide-copper-gold ore deposits.

 

Strontium isotope tracer studies

  • Nile sediment and aeolian dust are the major components of fine grained sediment in the Eastern Mediterranean and they have distinct Sr isotopic signatures which can be used to trace and quantify variations in these two sources over the past 10000 years. (Krom et al. 1999 a & b,)   Detailed profiles of the Sr isotopic composition of sediments in the Nile delta provide an important proxy record of climate change in NE Africa (Krom et al. 2002, Stanley et al. 2003); this work is continuing in a PhD studentship.      
  • In a project led by Paul Wignall the marine Sr isotope record across major Palaeozoic mass extinctions is being investigated in a PhD studentship which will integrate this with stable isotope profiles for the same periods.
  • As part of Andrew McCaig’s investigation of fluid-rock interaction in extensional fault zones on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge we are investigating the penetration of the Sr isotope signature of seawater into the oceanic crust (McCaig et al. 2005)

Geochronology Lab Homepage


SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Cliff,R.A., Yardley,B.W.D. & Bussy,F., 1996, U-Pb and Rb-Sr geochronology of magmatism and metamorphism in the Dalradian of Connemara, W.Ireland. J.Geological Society, 153, 109-120

Inger, S., Ramsbotham, W.R., Cliff, R.A. & Rex, D.C., 1996, Metamorphic evolution of the Sesia Lanzo Zone, Western Alps: time constraints from multi-system geochronology. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology, 126, 152-168. Back

Todt,W., Cliff,R.A., Hanser,A & Hofmann,A.W., 1996, Evaluation of a 202Pb-205Pb double spike for high precision lead isotope analysis. in Earth Processes: Reading the isotopic code. A.Basu & S.R.Hart (eds), Geophysical Monograph 95, American Geophysical Union, 429-437.Back

Freeman,S.R., Inger,S., Butler,R.W.H. & Cliff, R.A., 1997, Dating deformation using Rb-Sr in white micas: greenschist facies deformation ages for the Entrelor Shear Zone, Italian Alps. Tectonics, 16, 57-76.Back

Rowe, P.J., Richards, D.A., Atkinson, T.C., Bottrell, S.H. & Cliff, R.A., 1997, Geochemistry and radiometric dating of a middle Pleistocene peat. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta, 61, 4201-4211

Cliff, R.A., Barnicoat, A.C. & Inger, S., 1998, Early Tertiary eclogite-facies metamorphism in the Monviso Ophiolite. .Journal Metamorphic Geology, 16, 447-455 Back

Cliff, R.A., Rex, D.C. & Guise, P.G., 1998, Geochronological studies of Proterozoic crustal evolution in the northern Outer Hebrides, Precambrian Research, 91, 401-418

Freeman, S R; Butler, R W H; Cliff, R A; Inger, S; Barnicoat, A C, 1998, Deformation migration in an orogen-scale shear zone array: an example from the Basal Briançonnais Thrust, internal Franco-Italian Alps. Geological Magazine, 135, 349-367

Freeman, S R; Butler, R W H; Cliff, R A; Rex, D C, 1998, Direct dating of mylonite evolution: a multi-disciplinary geochronological study from the Moine Thrust Zone, NW Scotland. Journal of the Geological Society, London 155, 745-758.

Richards,D.A., Bottrell,S.H., Cliff, R.A., Rowe, P.J. & Ströhle,K-D., 1998, U-Pb dating of a Quaternary-aged speleothem. Geochimica Cosmochmica Acta, 62, 3683-3688.  Back

Reddy, S,.M., Wheeler, J. & Cliff, R.A., 1999, The geometry and timing of orogenic extension: an example from the Western Italian Alps. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 17, 573-590 Back

Krom, M.D., Michard, A., Cliff, R.A. & Ströhle, K-D., 1999, Sources of sediment to the Ionian Sea and the western Levantine basin of the Eastern Mediterranean during S-1 sapropel time. Marine Geology 160, 45-61  Back

Krom.M.D., Cliff, R.A., Eijsink, L.M., Herut, S. & Chester, R., 1999, The characterisation of Saharan dusts and Nile particulate matter in surface sediments from the Levantine basin using Sr isotopes. Marine Geology, 155, 319-330 Back

Banks, D.A., Green, R, Cliff, R.A. & Yardley, B.W.D., 2000, Chlorine isotopes in fluid inclusions: Determination of the origins of salinity in magmatic fluids. Geochimica Cosmochmica Acta, 64, 1785-1789   Back

Rosenbaum, J.M., Cliff, R.A. & Coleman, M.L., 2000, Chlorine stable isotopes: a comparison of dual inlet and thermal ionisation mass spectrometric measurements. Analytical Chemistry, 72, 2261-2264 Back

Wheeler, J., Reddy S.M. & Cliff, R.A., 2001, Linkage between internal zone extension and shortening in more external units in the NW Alps. Journal of the Geological Society, London, 158, 439-443 Back

 

Krom, Michael D; Stanley, Jean-Daniel; Cliff, Robert A; Woodward, Jamie C, 2002, Nile River sediment fluctuations over the past 7000 yr and their key role in sapropel development. Geology, 30, 71-74 Back

 

S. M. Reddy, J. Wheeler, R. W. H. Butler, R. A. Cliff, S. Freeman, S. Inger, C. Pickles and S. P. Kelley, 2003, Kinematic reworking and exhumation within the convergent Alpine Orogen.

Tectonophysics, 365, 77-102 Back

 

Fisher, Q.J., Cliff R. A. & Dodson M.H., 2003, U-Pb systematics of an Upper Carboniferous black shale from South Yorkshire, UK. Chemical Geology,194, 331-347

 

Stanley, J-D., Krom, M.D., Cliff, R.A. and Woodward, J.C., 2003, Nile Flow failure at the end of the Old Kingdom: Strontium isotopic and Petrologic evidence. Geoarcheology, 18, 395-402 Back

 

Cliff, R.A. & Meffan-Main, S., 2003, Evidence from Rb-Sr microsampling geochronology for the timing of Alpine deformation in the Sonnblick Dome, South-east Tauern Window, Austria. In Vance,D., Muller, W. & Villa, I. (eds) Geochronology: Linking the Isotopic Record with Petrology and Textures. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 220, 159-172. Back

 

S. Meffan-Main,  A. C. Barnicoat,  R. A. Cliff,  B. Lombardo & R. Compagnoni, 2004, A Tertiary age for Alpine high pressure metamorphism in the Gran Paradiso massif, Western Alps: a Rb-Sr microsampling study. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 22, 267-281. Back

 
 

RECENT CONFERENCE CONTRIBUTIONS

Cliff, R.A., Oberli, F., Meier, M. & Droop, G.T.R, 1998, Achieving geological precision in metamorphic geochronology: a Th-Pb age for the syn-metamorphic formation of the Mallnitzermulde synform, Tauern Window, from individual allanite porphyroblasts. Mineralogical Magazine, 62A, 337-338 Back

Cliff, R.A., Guise, P.G., Rex, D.C. & de Jong, K., 1998, Comparison of  Rb-Sr and 40Ar-39Ar geochronology of hornblende from the Precambrian of the Kola Peninsula, Russia using microsampling techniques. GAC-MAC, Québec 1998 Back

Cliff, R.A. & Droop, G.T.R, 1998, Growth of syn-tectonic allanite porphyroblasts in a pelitic schist from the SE Tauern Window, Austria. Metamorphic Studies Group meeting "Accessory minerals in metamorphism" Back

Hallam, G.E., Cliff, R.A., Fisher, Q.J., Cook, R. & Macaulay, C.I., 1998, Influence of fluid flow on Rotliegendes Sandstone diagenesis - microstructural and isotopic evidence from the Bell Field, Southern North Sea. Mineral Diagenesis and Reservoir Quality - the way forward, Cambridge, March 1998

Meffan-Main S, Palacz Z & Cliff B, 1999, Intercrystalline 3-Dimensional Isotopic Profiling of Minerals: A New era for Geochronology?  J.Conf.Abs., 4/1

de Jong K, Timmerman M, Guise P, Cliff B, Balagansky V, Daly S & Rex D, 1999, The Paleoproterozoic Lapland Kola Orogen (Russia): Late-Stage Thermal Resetting and the Existence of Tectonic Phases, Shown by 40Ar/39Ar Mineral Ages. J.Conf.Abs., 4/1

Cliff, R.A.& Richards, D.A., 2000, U-Pb isotopic dating of young carbonate cave deposits. In J.D.Woodead, J.M.Hergt, W.P Noble, eds. Beyond 2000: New Frontiers in Isotope Geoscience, Lorne, 31-32 Back


Robert A Cliff  & Christoph Spoetl  2001, U-Pb dating of speleothems from the Spannagel Cave, Austria. Journal of Conference Abstracts, 6, 601

 

R.A.Cliff, 2001, U-Pb dating of speleothems. In Eleventh Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference, Abstract #3350,  LPI Contribution No.1088, Lunar and Planetary Science Institute, Houston (CD-ROM)

 

Walker, J., Cliff, R.A., Partridge, T.C. and Latham, A.G., 2004, Research into U-Pb dating of "Little Foot". Geoscience Africa, 2004 Back

 

R.A.Cliff, M. Meyer & C. Spötl, 2005, Extending the dated continental climate record: U-Pb ages on speleothems from high-Alpine caves. EGU 2005 Vienna Back

 

Jurgen Foeken, Cristina Persano, Fin Stuart, Marlies ter Voorde and Bob Cliff, 2005, Does warping of isotherms underneath topography occur?  Apatite (U-Th)/He results from the 20km long Malta tunnel (Tauern Window, Austria). EGU 2005 Vienna

 

M Chiaradia, D Konopelko, R Seltmann & R Cliff, 2005, Lead sources in ore deposits and magmatic rocks of the Tien Shan and Chinese Altay.  SGA Beijing

 

Andrew McCaig, Bob Cliff, Tony Fallick, B.Ronald Frost, Javier Escartin & Chris McLeod, 2005, Extreme isotopic and chemical alteration in an extensional detachment fault, 15°45’N, mid Atlantic ridge: a reaction zone for Rainbow-type vent fluids? EGU 2005 Vienna. Back