Department Member, Geography (physical)
University of London, Birkbeck College, Earth and Planetary Science (Thermochronometry Laboratory)
Chartered Geologist, Professional Hydrogeologist, FGS, FRGS
Collaborations with: 1) Makerere University, Dept. of Geology; 2) Nairobi University, Dept. of Geology; 3) Uganda Dept. of Geological Survey and Mines; and, 4) Uganda Directorate of Water Resource Management
Thesis Title: Palaeozoic Glaciers to Neogene River Reversal - The 300Ma History of the Katonga Valley in South West Uganda and Its Hydrogeological Implications
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Groundwater and climate in Africa: Richard Taylor
Thermochronology and tectonic geomorphology: Andrew Carter Sedimentology and Earth surface processes: Charlie Bristow |
About
2007 to present - University College London, doctoral researcher
The initial objective of my doctoral research was to assess hydrogeological characteristics of relict-valley sediments in south west Uganda. I reinterpreted existing pumping test data to reveal the moderate groundwater resource potential of silty sandy lacustrine deposits in the eastern Katonga Valley. However, the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and outcrop logging showed that potentially high yielding gravels only appear to survive as terraces above the water table.
My discovery of Permo-Carboniferous indurated glaciogenic strata within the valley raised some fundamental questions about the role of geological history in the long-term landscape evolution of the Katonga Valley. Consequently, I further explored the geology of the region and collected samples for apatite fission track (AFT) analyses. My interpretation shows that the western Katonga Valley has rediscovered the course of a late Palaeozoic valley in the Proterozoic basement once covered by Gondwana-age sediments that were likely over 1km thick in the early Mesozoic. The AFT results rule out preservation of land-surfaces older than the late Cretaceous-Cenozoic.
The buried valley profile constructed from the DEM, ERT, Lake Victoria bathymetry and seismic reflection surveys provides evidence of pre and post river reversal erosion consistent with the tectonic geomorphological setting which includes isostatic rift flank uplift and lithospeheric flexure of the East African Plateau. My research demonstrates the importance of incorporating recent developments in diverse aspects of geoscience into our conceptual landscape evolution models in order to understand, and therefore predict, the distribution of shallow alluvial and regolith aquifers.
2001 to 2007: Senior hydrogeologist, Golder Associates, Vancouver, BC - Contaminated sites investigations, oil sands development, mine water control and supply
1997 to 2001: Senior hydrogeologist, Golder Associates, Nottingham, UK - Radioactive waste repository investigations, nuclear power station decommissioning, aquifer storage and recovery
1991 to 1997: Hydrogeologist, Golder Associates, Nottingham, UK - Mainly radioactive waste repository investigations, also landfill and dam site hydrogeological investigation
1990 to 1991: Engineering geologist, Golder Associates, Swansea, UK - Geotechnical investigations and slope stability analysis
1989 to 1990: MSc Engineering Geology, University of Leeds
1985 to 1989: BSc (1st) Geology & Geography, University of St Andrews
Contact Information
| Address: | Department of Geography |
