Presentation
Located on the UFR Sciences of Nantes and Angers, the Laboratory of Planetology and Geosciences is a Mixed Research Unit multi-site that currently depends on three supervisory bodies that are the CNRS and the Universities of Nantes and Angers and associates geological research professors from the University of Le Mans and La Rochelle. Its activities are divided into four research themes: Coastal and Marine Systems, Earth, and Planets and Moons. This structuring in themes rather than teams aims to decompartmentalize activities and promote exchanges, each researcher can devote the appropriate time to one or more of the four themes.
The LPG is a major international actor in the field of space and foraminiferal studies. Our objects of study extend over a very broad spectrum, from the Earth to the solid bodies of the solar system and to exoplanets, or from the scale of foraminifera to that of the global ocean circulation. Our research focuses on the quantitative description and understanding of these objects in their entirety, from their description, their functioning, their present and past evolution, and their interactions. They cover a very broad disciplinary spectrum. Thus, research in planetology is part of past (e.g. Cassini probe in the Saturn system), current (e.g. Curiosity rover on Mars, InSight mission), and long term (Europa Clipper and JUICE missions towards the Jupiter system) international space missions. They call upon skills in imaging, modeling, geophysics, geochemistry, experimentation, etc... The research of the theme « Coastal and Marine Systems » is approached under the prime of bio-indicators, to monitor the dynamics and functioning of current or fossil coastal environments. Finally, the structure and dynamics of the globe on the one hand, and fluid/rock/life interactions on the other hand, are at the heart of the problems of theme « Earth », which is also based on a comparative planetology approach.
These activities are based on various platforms of observations, analyses and experiments, at all scales, from space observations (remote sensing, magnetism) to geochemical analyses, through field observations (seismology, geology, missions at sea), experiments on samples (high-pressure ice synthesis, lithopreparation, foraminifera cultures, sediment core studies, soil remediation) and numerical modeling (structure and dynamics of terrestrial and planetary interiors, theoretical seismology, dynamo modeling).
Several activities are associated with observational tasks on a regional, national, or international scales. These activities are conducted within the "Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers Nantes Atlantique" (OSUNA). They are concerned with seismology (within the national network of broadband seismometers RLBP and the RESIF project), planetary exploration (Cassini, InSight), coastline evolution and soil decontamination. Some of these observational activities are already labelled by the French national agencies, others will be labelled in the near future.
