Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
My main research interests are (isotope) geochemistry, planetary sciences and geochronology.
One of my current research topics is the geological evolution of Eastern Antarctica. About 98 % of Antarctica is covered by a thick ice sheet, which makes it difficult to access bedrocks and study its geology. Therefore, I am analysing rocks collected from Antarctic moraines. More specifically, I am using U-Pb zircon ages. Zircon is one of the most important minerals for radiometric dating due to its resistance to thermal disturbance and weathering. Combing the U-Pb ages with the geochemistry, texture and petrology of the collected rocks will lead to a better understanding of the hidden bedrocks beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet.
Another research topic is the impact and magmatic history of the Moon. I am investigating lunar impact breccias sampled during the Apollo missions. I analyse their texture and chemical variations, identify microstructures in zircon and phosphates, obtain precise U-Pb ages and investigate diffusion of Pb and U. The combination of these methods will help to link U-Pb ages to real events (i.e. magmatic or impact related) and to get a better understanding of the early impact history of the Moon.
The techniques I use involve SEM, CL-imaging, EBSD, XRF, LA-ICP-MS and SIMS.
Education/Academic qualification
Geology, PhD
Mar 2014 → Nov 2018
Geosciences, MSc
Feb 2009 → Jun 2012
Geosciences, BSc
Oct 2005 → Dec 2008
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Projects
- 1 Active
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FWOTM1055: IMPACT – Identification of Microstructures in Phosphate grains of Apollo 14 breccias and Correlation To precise U-Pb ages.
31/08/23 → 31/08/26
Project: Fundamental
Research output
- 175 Citations
- 6 h-index
- 6 Article
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U‐Pb SIMS ages of Apollo 14 zircon: Identifying distinct magmatic episodes
Thiessen, F., Nemchin, A. A., Snape, J. F. & Whitehouse, M. J., Aug 2019, In: Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 54, 8, p. 1720-1736 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
8 Citations (Scopus) -
Apollo 12 breccia 12013: Impact-induced partial Pb loss in zircon and its implications for lunar geochronology
Thiessen, F. K., Nemchin, A. A., Snape, J. F., Belliucci, J. J. & Whitehouse, M. J., Apr 2018, In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 230, p. 94-111 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
30 Citations (Scopus) -
Impact history of the Apollo 17 landing site revealed by U-Pb SIMS ages
Thiessen, F. K., Nemchin, A. A., Snape, J. F., Whitehouse, M. J. & Bellucci, J. J., Apr 2017, In: Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 52, 4, p. 584-611 28 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
24 Citations (Scopus) -
Origin and transportation history of lunar breccia 14311
Merle, R. E., Nemchin, A. A., Whitehouse, M. J., Pidgeon, R. T., Grange, M. L., Snape, J. F. & Thiessen, F., May 2017, In: Meteoritics and Planetary Science. 52, 5, p. 842-858 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access16 Citations (Scopus) -
Phosphate ages in Apollo 14 breccias: Resolving multiple impact events with high precision U-Pb SIMS analyses
Snape, J. F., Nemchin, A. A., Grange, M. L., Bellucci, J. J., Thiessen, F. & Whitehouse, M. J., 1 Feb 2016, In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 174, p. 13-29 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
69 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
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Geology (Journal)
Fiona Karen Thiessen (Peer reviewer)
Feb 2021Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Publication peer-review
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Magmatic events recorded in Apollo 14 zircon
Fiona Karen Thiessen (Speaker)
21 Mar 2019Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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Apollo 12 breccia 12013: A study of partial Pb loss in zircon
Fiona Karen Thiessen (Speaker)
3 May 2017Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference
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47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Fiona Karen Thiessen (Participant)
Mar 2016Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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Comparing U-Pb SIMS Ages of Ca-Phosphates in Apollo 12, 14, and 17 Breccias
Fiona Karen Thiessen (Speaker)
20 Mar 2015Activity: Talk or presentation › Talk or presentation at a conference