Institute-74

Information

Type

Organization

Type

https://marineinfo.org/ns/institutes/types#Scientific

Name

Renard Centre of Marine Geology

Name

Renard Centre of Marine Geology@en

Acronym

UGent-RCMG

Parent institute

Universiteit Gent; Vakgroep Geologie

Address

Krijgslaan 281 (S8), 9000 Gent, Belgium

Contact numbers

Telephone: +32-(0)9-264 45 94

Location

latitude: 51.0266590
longitude: 3.7139150

Description @en

The Renard Centre of Marine Geology (RCMG), founded in 1986, performs research in the field of marine and lacustrine geology. The group acquired international recognition by studying clay tectonics of the North Sea (1991) and by the discovery of cold-water coral mounds ('Belgica mounds') in the Porcupine Seabight (Ireland) in 1997, which were drilled into during the IODP Expedition 307 in 2005. RCMG carries out research in numerous seas (Black Sea, Atlantic margin, Antarctic margin, Mediterranean Sea, etc.), participates in several international research projects and collaborates with renowned foreign marine research groups such as Ifremer, NOC Southampton, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (Marum) Bremen and Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). The current marine research topics of RCMG are:

geological processes of passive continental margins (palaeoceanography with an emphasis on sedimentation or erosive processes, slope stability studies, etc.);
methane hydrates (occurrences and stabilisation conditions), cold seeps and mud volcanos (processes of seepage, methane fluxes and budgets);
cold-water coral mounds: the study of environmental forcing on deep-water coral habitats and mounds, with respect to deep-water circulation;
mapping of marine habitats: integrated method of marine mapping - multibeam, side-scan sonar imaging and acoustic characterisation of the seabed. The development of habitat models based on geophysical and hydrographical data;
applied marine research: sediment and morphodynamics, sustainable management of natural resources, marine geohazards (submarine landslides) and palaeoseismology (palaeotsunamis) and marine geoarchaeology.

Description @nl

Het in 1986 opgerichte Renard Centre of Marine Geology (RCMG) verricht onderzoek op het gebied van mariene en lacustriene geologie. De groep kreeg internationale erkenning door de studie van de kleitektoniek van de Noordzee (1991) en door de ontdekking van koudwaterkoraalheuvels ('Belgica mounds') in de Porcupine Seabight (Ierland) in 1997, die in 2005 werden aangeboord tijdens de IODP Expeditie 307. RCMG verricht onderzoek in talrijke zeeën (Zwarte Zee, Atlantische rand, Antarctische rand, Middellandse Zee, etc.), neemt deel aan diverse internationale onderzoeksprojecten en werkt samen met gerenommeerde buitenlandse mariene onderzoeksgroepen zoals Ifremer, NOC Southampton, Center for Marine Environmental Sciences (Marum) Bremen en het Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee (NIOZ). De huidige mariene onderzoeksthema's van RCMG zijn:

geologische processen ter hoogte van passieve continentale randen (paleoceanografie met nadruk op sedimentatie of erosieve processen, studies naar hellingstabiliteit, etc.);
methaanhydraten (voorkomen en stabilisatievoorwaarden), cold seeps en moddervulkanen (processen van kwel, methaanfluxen en -budgetten);
koudwaterkoraalheuvels: studie van de milieuforcering van koudwaterkoraalhabitats en -heuvels, met betrekking tot de diepwatercirculatie;
kartering van mariene habitats: geïntegreerde methode voor mariene kartering - multibeam, side-scan sonarbeeldvorming en akoestische karakterisering van de zeebodem. Ontwikkeling van habitatmodellen op basis van geofysische en hydrografische gegevens;
toegepast marien onderzoek: sediment- en morfodynamica, duurzaam beheer van natuurlijke hulpbronnen, mariene geohazards (onderzeese aardverschuivingen) en paleoseismologie (paleotsunami's) en mariene geoarcheologie.

Expertise

Acoustics; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 117; Bathymetry; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 807; Continental margins; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 1830; Deep sea reefs; Drilling; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 2500; Gas hydrates; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 3553; Geology; defined term set: MOG Topics; term code: 181499; Geophysics; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 3661; Geophysics; defined term set: MOG Topics; term code: 181500; Marine geology; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 5005; Seafloor mapping; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 7306; Sediment dynamics; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 7368; Sediment mechanics/dynamics; defined term set: MOG Topics; term code: 181521; Sediment transport; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 7391; Seismic exploration; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 7427; Seismic reflection; defined term set: ASFA Thesaurus List; term code: 7436
geographic terms: ANE, Belgium, Belgian Continental Shelf (BCS); ANE, Belgium, East Coast, Paardenmarkt; ANE, Cadiz Gulf; ANE, Celtic Sea; ANE, Porcupine Abyssal Plain; Antarctica

Institute record of Renard Centre of Marine Geology

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