MS exam of Sigga
Today was the Master’s exam of Sigríður María Aðalsteinsdóttir (Sigga) at the University of Iceland. Sigga has been working with us on the IKKA project in Greenland since summer 2019, and her MS thesis is entitled ‘The Low-Temperature Weathering of the Grønnedal-Íka Carbonatite-Alkaline Silicate Igneous Complex in Southwest Greenland’. First part of obtaining the MS degree in Geology took place today with a one hour oral exam, with Bjarni Gautason from ÍSOR as the external examiner. Based on comments from the exam, she will then complete the thesis and hand it in by latest October 2021. Her supervisors have been me (Gabrielle Stockmann), Erik (University of Gothenburg), Enikő Bali and Andri Stefánson, both University of Iceland. We are very pleased with the work of Sigga! She is the first to succeed in modelling the processes taking place in Ikka Fjord and leading to the precipitation and formation of the ikaite columns. Now we finally have a model to support our theories of the mineral reactions taking place within the Grønnedal-Íka igneous complex. In addition, Sigga has found new flour-rich and REE minerals in the rock samples not seen or described before. We hope Sigga can present her interesting results at the Greenland Science Week in Nuuk in November 2021.