Thijs Vandenbroucke

Thijs Vandenbroucke is a palaeontologist and stratigrapher at the Department of Geology.

My group investigates why, when and how environments & climates changed in tandem with the evolution of Life on Earth, from ancient times to the Anthropocene.

Our work in the US and Canada focuses on its fantastic deep time rock record. Together with colleagues Poul Emsbo (US Geological Survey), Pat McLaughlin (Illinois Geological Survey), and many others, we have been using this archive to develop a causative scenario that explains some of the biggest mass-extinctions in the history of Life on Earth.

Interestingly, this model also enables us to predict where to find critical metal resources, including rare earth element (REE)-enriched phosphorite packages.

Our first assessment of the endowment of some of these REE-ores in the US dwarfs that of currently mined REE resources. Follow us on instagram: @palaeo_UGent