Paul Mason

Prof. Paul Mason is a Professor of Petrology and Director of Education in the Department of Earth Sciences at Utrecht University. His research focuses on Archean-Paleoproterozoic Earth systems, greenstone belt geology, and the co-evolution of early life with environmental conditions. He leads projects like the CLIMET initiative investigating Arctic lake methane cycling and the BASE project probing early terrestrial environments in the Barberton Greenstone Belt.

• Education Programs: Involved in the Earth Sciences and Earth Structure & Dynamics programs.
• Teaching: Courses include Advanced Petrology, Mineralogy & Petrology, and Geochemical Evolution of the Earth.

Research Interests: Mason explores ancient environments through stable isotope geochemistry, microanalytical techniques, and field studies in key regions like South Africa and the Guiana Shield. His work bridges petrology, geochemistry, and geobiology to understand crustal evolution and early Earth processes.

Funding & Collaborations: Principal investigator on NWO-funded CLIMET project. Collaborates internationally on projects like BASE and studies of Anatolian magmatism.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Petrology research group and participates in interdisciplinary teams studying Arctic lakes and Precambrian iron formations.