Tathagata 'Ted' Dasgupta	Ph.D. Candidate Advisor: Scott Samson
	Department of Earth Sciences 204 Heroy Geology Laboratory Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 13244-1070 USA Office: 212 Heroy Geology Laboratory Department: 315.443.2672 Fax: 315.443.3363 Email: tdasgupt@syr.edu Office Hours 2007 Fall Semester: By appointment

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RESEARCH INTERESTS

• • Radiogenic isotope geochemistry
  • Trace element geochemistry
  • Techniques of geochemistry

 

My dissertation in Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India involved chemo-stratigraphic and paleo-magnetic study of alkaline dykes within the Deccan Traps near Nasik, India. Both chemical signatures and palaeo-magnetic evidence showed that some of the dykes can be chemically correlated to the oldest formation in the Deccan Trap Group, namely the Jawhar formation of the Kalsubai subgroup.

 

For my doctoral research I am working with granites from south central Appalachian. The Carolina Terrane in the southern Appalachian is host to a large number of granitic intrusions. Three of these intrusions, the Cloud’s Creek Granite, Newburry granite and Lake Murray granite gneiss, were previously thought to be Alleghanian in age. U-Pb analysis of zircon from these granites, however, yield Silurian/Devonian ages. These granites are chemically significantly distinct from the vast majority of granites of proven Alleghanian age. These Silurian/Devonian granites have higher ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios than values typical of the majority of Alleghanian granites. In addition to their less steep REE patterns these older granites also differ significantly in their trace element composition from Alleghanian granites. There are other undated granites intruding into Carolina Terrane, many of which have also been assumed to be Alleghanian, that are chemically and isotopically more similar to the known Silurian-Devonian intrusions and thus may also predate the Alleghanian event by ~ 100 Ma.  Regardless of age, the chemical disparity suggests that these granites may have been derived from different source materials.  The juxtaposition of geochemically distinct granites could be explained if the “atypical Alleghanian” plutons were formed solely by partial melting of Carolina Terrane crust prior to the accretion of Carolina to the Laurentian margin.  Melting during or post accretion may have involved components of native Laurentian crust (i.e. Grenville basement) in addition to terrane curst, thus providing different source characteristics. Demonstration of consistently older ages for the ‘atypical’ granites would support this view. Thus the petrogenetic details of Alleghanian versus potentially ‘pre-Alleghanian’ granites might hold clues to the enigmatic accretionary history of the Carolina Terrane.

EDUCATION:

PhD candidate: Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse NY. 2003 to present (http://earthsciences.syr.edu/)

M.Sc.: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. 2003 (http://www.geos.iitb.ac.in/)

B.Sc.: Presidency College, Kolkata, West Bengal India. 2001 (http://education.vsnl.com/presidency/)

TEACHING EXPERIENCES:

August 2007 to present: Teaching assistant for GOL 101 (Dynamic Earth), GOL 105 (Earth Science)

May 2007 to July 2007: Instructor for GOL 101 (Introduction to Geology)

January 2007 to May 2007: Teaching assistant for GOL 101 (Dynamic Earth)

August 2006 to December 2006: Teaching Assistant for GOL 101 (Dynamic Earth)

May 2006 to July 2006: Instructor for GOL 101 (Introduction to Geology)

January 2006 to May 2006: Teaching Assistant for GOL 105 (Earth Science)

August 2005 to December 2005: Teaching Assistant for GOL 105 (Earth Sciences)

July 2005 to August 2005: Teaching Assistant for GOL 102 (History of Life)

January 2005 to May 2005: Teaching Assistant for GOL 105 (Earth Sciences)

August 2004 to December 2004: Teaching Assistant for GOL 101 (Dynamic Earth)

August 2003 to July 2004: Research Assistant at Radiogenic Isotope Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, Syracuse University, NY

RESEARCH SKILLS

I have 4 years of experience of working in a clean lab where I have done extensive ion-exchange chemistry for REE as well as U-Pb analysis. Besides I have experience in running the following instruments.

• Micromass SECTOR 54: Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer

• JEOL JXA 8600 Superprobe: Scanning Electron Microscope/Microprobe

• Thermo ARL 8410 Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer

• Philips PW 1729 X-ray Diffraction Spectrometer

FIELD PHOTOS

Decan Traps	Decan Traps Basalt
South Central Appalachians	Smoky Mountains
Clean Lab	Furnace
Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer	SEM images of Zircons
Apatite grains for Sr isotopic work	Nd isotope work
Age correlation Diagram	White Water Rafting in northern NY

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

• Geological Society of America: Student member
• American Institute of Professional Geologists: Student member

• Recipient of NEGSA travel grant: 2007
• 1^st class 2^nd in B.Sc from University of Calcutta

PUBLICATIONS:

Dasgupta, T., & Samson, S.D., 2007, Geochemistry of Silurian-Devonian and “atypical Alleghanian” granites in the Carolina terrane, southern Appalachians: Implications for sources and terrane accretionary history, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 39, No. 1, p. 87.

Dasgupta, T., & Sil, P., (1999).Chamoli Earthquake, Bhuvidya, v. 52, p. 59-63.

OTHER INTERESTS

• Hiking
• Photography (www.tathagata.zoomshare.com)

modified 10/18/07 MMC