Himalayan Thick-Skin Basement Deformation of the Ladakh Batholith, Leh-Ladakh Region, NW India

Michael G Petterson is currently Professor of Geology, School of Science, and Pro Vice Chancellor / Dean of the Faculty of Health and Environmental Science, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. Michael first researched into aspects of the Himalayan geology for his PhD at the Department of Geology, University of Leicester, UK, researching the geology, petrology, geochemistry, age, and structure of the Kohistan batholith, and Arc, North Pakistan. This work, together with collaborations with other Himalayan researchers, led to numerous publications, perhaps most importantly defining the structure and deformation, lithological character, and age span of the Kohistan-Ladakh batholith, developing the idea of different magmatic stages, tectonic environments, and magmatic source regions. Subsequently, working with the British Geological Survey, Professor Petterson researched and published geological aspects of the Kohistan and Afghanistan regions of the Himalayas, with a focus upon crustal terrane accretion (in Afghanistan) and the palaeo-eruptive and tectonic environment of Kohistan-Ladakh volcanic sequences. Michael has also published two comprehensive review papers on aspects of the Kohistan-Ladakh batholith and related volcanic units. Professor Petterson often accompanies his field excursions with his trusty guitar, jamming with locals, and organising singing get togethers: one memorable evening was around an outdoor open fire along with twenty fellow troubadours, and his partner, Lanka Nanayakarra, at 10pm on an extremely cold minus twenty degrees Centigrade evening, by the banks of the mighty River Indus in Ladakh. Adventures such as this inform Michael's songwriting with his band 'Strata' and related blues-rock-acoustic groups.

Michael G Petterson目前是紐西蘭奧克蘭科技大學（Auckland University of Technology）科學學院的地質學教授，同時也是健康與環境科學學院的副校長/院長。他在英國萊斯特大學（University of Leicester）地質學系攻讀博士學位期間，研究了喜馬拉雅地質的各個方面，包括巴基斯坦北部的科希斯坦岩體和弧狀地區的地質、岩石學、地球化學、年代和結構。這項研究與其他喜馬拉雅地區的研究人員合作，產生了許多重要的出版物，最重要的是定義了科希斯坦-拉達克岩體的結構和變形、岩性特徵和年代範圍，並發展了不同的岩漿階段、構造環境和岩漿來源區的概念。隨後，Petterson教授與英國地質調查局合作，研究並發表了喜馬拉雅地區的科希斯坦和阿富汗地質方面的論文，重點關注阿富汗的地殼地塊聚合和科希斯坦-拉達克火山序列的古火山爆發和構造環境。Petterson教授還發表了兩篇關於科希斯坦-拉達克岩體和相關火山單元的綜述論文。Petterson教授經常在野外考察中帶著他可靠的吉他，與當地人一起演奏音樂，組織歌唱聚會。其中一個令人難忘的晚上是在拉達克的印度河岸邊，溫度極低的晚上十點左右，在戶外的明火旁，與其他二十位吟遊詩人和他的伴侶Lanka Nanayakarra一起度過的。這樣的冒險經歷豐富了Michael與他的樂團'Strata'和相關的藍調搖滾和民謠樂團的創作。