Timing Earth's Terrestrial Early Life Origins

A fundamental question in our understanding of how life appeared and transformed on this planet regards when critical sedimentary sections that record biotic changes in Earth's history were deposited. I am interested in understanding the precise timing of land colonization from aquatic to terrestrial environments by early organisms (plants and arthropods) and their radiation throughout the early Paleozoic. We are also interested in comprehending the potential driving mechanisms influencing the transition of life from aquatic to terrestrial environments. This project consists of studying rocks and formations across the United Kingdom recognized for their significant early life fossils from the early Paleozoic dated using relative dating (biostratigraphy) and partial imprecise radiometric dating. Our goal is to use high resolution zircon geochronology to obtain accurate dates for these early organisms and time their transition from water to land. Geochemical data will be utilized to investigate the driving mechanisms influencing the transition of life from aquatic to terrestrial environments.