Who we Are
We are the John Lab, a research group hosted in the department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London. Our research approach blends machine learning and AI with cutting edge field and experimental methods in Earth and Planetary Sciences. We are part of the new I-X Initiative , an inter-departmental, interdisciplinary initiative to promote scientific machine learning and one of the main strategic initiative from Imperial College London. At the I-X, our lab leads the IX-Planets research theme.
In addition, our lab is associated with the Center for eXplainable Artifical Intelligence (XAI) and the Data Science Institute. And through Imperial College London we are affiliated with the Alan Turing Network.
Testimonials
Here what former members of the lab have to say about their time with us.
Tobias Kluge (Postdoc, 2012-2015)
Qi Adlan (PhD Student, 2019-2022)
Adhipa Herlambang (PhD Student, 2018-2021)
Niranjana Sundararajan (MSc Student, 2022)
Annabel Dale (PhD Student, 2011-2015)
Sarah Robinson (PhD Student, 2019-2022)
John MacDonald (Postdoc, 2013-2015)
Marta Marchegiano(Postdoc, 2019-2021)
research Highlights
We have two main research themes: Applied Artificial Intelligence for Earth and Space Sciences (we call it Earth-Centric AI) and Carbonate Research. You can also find about our publications and the software and data stemming from our research.
AI Research
Our group applies data-centric machine learning techniques to Earth and planetary sciences, leading to innovative approaches for analyzing and interpreting data in these fields.
Carbonate Research
Our research in carbonates focuses on the processes involved in their formation and alteration, and how these processes impact the geochemistry and stratigraphy of carbonate rocks.
Publications
Our group has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in a variety of fields, including clumped isotopes, carbonate diagenesis, climate change, stratigraphy, AI and machine learning.
Software and Data
Our research has led to the development of free software tools that have been widely used by researchers in our fields. These tools have made it easier to analyze and interpret data..
Spotlight on our Papers:
Time-capsule concretions: Unlocking burial diagenetic processes in the Mancos Shale using carbonate clumped isotopes
For clumped isotope analysis (Œî47), hydrocarbon and organic molecules present an important contaminant that cannot always be removed by CO2 purification through a Porapak‚ÄêQ trap. Low‚Äêtemperature oxygen plasma ashing (OPA) is a quick and easy approach for treatment; however, the…
Mental health in the field
Field work is an important and valued part of geoscience research, but can also serve as a source of stress. Careful planning can help support the mental health and wellness of participants at all career stages.
Regional trends in clay mineral fluxes to the Queensland margin and ties to middle Miocene global cooling
Three ODP sites located on the Marion Plateau, Northeast Australian margin, were investigated for clay mineral and bulk mineralogy changes through the early to middle Miocene. Kaolinite to smectite (K/S) ratios, as well as mass accumulation rates of clays, point…
Laboratory calibration of the calcium carbonate clumped isotope thermometer in the 25–250 C temperature range
Many fields of Earth sciences benefit from the knowledge of mineral formation temperatures. For example, carbonates are extensively used for reconstruction of the Earth’s past climatic variations by determining ocean, lake, and soil paleotemperatures. Furthermore, diagenetic minerals and their formation…
Influence of basement rocks on fluid evolution during multiphase deformation: the example of the Estamariu thrust in the Pyrenean Axial Zone
Calcite veins precipitated in the Estamariu thrust during two tectonic events are studied in order to (i) decipher the temporal and spatial relationships between deformation and fluid migration in a long-lived thrust and (ii) determine the influence of basement rocks…
Assessing and calibrating the ATR-FTIR approach as a carbonate rock characterization tool
ATR-FTIR (attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy can be used as a rapid and economical tool for qualitative identification of carbonates, calcium sulphates, oxides and silicates, as well as quantitatively estimating the concentration of minerals. Over 200 powdered samples…
Combining clumped isotope and trace element analysis to constrain potential kinetic effects in calcite
The field of clumped isotope paleothermometry is over a decade old, but the influence of precipitation rate on the fractionation of clumped isotopes between natural carbonates and their environmental solutions remains unclear. Here we apply two different proxies, carbonate clumped…
Geometry, spatial arrangement and origin of carbonate grain‐dominated, scour‐fill and event‐bed deposits: Late Jurassic Jubaila Formation and Arab‐D Member, Saudi Arabia
Outcrop analogues of the Late Jurassic lower Arab‐D reservoir zone in Saudi Arabia expose a succession of fining‐upward cycles deposited on a distal middle‐ramp to outer‐ramp setting. These cycles are interrupted by erosional scours that incise up to 1·8 m into…
Testing clumped isotopes as a reservoir characterization tool: a comparison with fluid inclusions in a dolomitized sedimentary carbonate reservoir buried to 2–4 km
Constraining basin thermal history is a key part of reservoir characterization in carbonate rocks. Conventional palaeothermometric approaches cannot always be used: fluid inclusions may be reset or not present, while δ18O palaeothermometry requires an assumption on the parent fluid composition.…
Stratigraphic evolution and karstification of a Cretaceous Mid‐Pacific atoll (Resolution Guyot) resolved from core‐log‐seismic integration and comparison with modern and …
Atolls are faithful recorders helping us understand eustatic variations, the evolution of carbonate production through time, and changes in magmatic hotspots activity. Several early Cretaceous Mid‐Pacific atolls were previously investigated through ocean drilling, but due to the low quality of…
Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic record on the North African margin (Malta)—coupling of weathering processes and mid Miocene climate
We investigated rock outcrops spanning the middle Miocene, global climate-cooling step on the Maltese Islands in order to reconstruct continental weathering rates and terrigenous fluxes, as well as to explore the coupling between these later, regional climate and carbonate accumulations.…
Reducing contamination parameters for clumped isotope analysis: The effect of lowering Porapak™ Q trap temperature to below–50 C
Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry examines the thermodynamic preference of 13C–18O bonds to form within the carbonate crystal lattice. The 13C18O16O isotopologue in analyte CO2 has a natural abundance of 44.4 ppm necessitating stringent purification procedures to remove contaminant molecules that may…