Chenaillet Ophiolite, Montgenèvre, French Alps
Tom Reershemius, University of Oxford

The area I chose to work on for my undergraduate mapping project was the Chenaillet Ophiolite in the Cottian Alps, situated close to the French-Italian border. This is regarded as one of the most spectacular and best-preserved slices of Tethyan oceanic crust found anywhere in the Alps, and it’s easy to see why (see photo). I undertook to map the precise boundaries of the lithologies in the ophiolite and the rocks in the area around it, and from it deduce how this feature was formed.

Doing fieldwork in the Alpine summer has obvious perks and challenges. The beautiful scenery and near-perfect conditions (almost) let us forget the physical challenges we faced daily in mapping a mountainous area with peak elevation of 2650m. Over the six weeks we spent in Montgenèvre, I climbed the equivalent of Mt Everest 1.3 times. Despite the few hardships, mapping was one of the best experiences of my degree and has definitely made me a better geologist. I am very grateful to PESGB for contributing to the cost of my fieldwork. This funding is incredibly helpful in providing financial flexibility to students and allowing them to pursue their academic interests in the field, wherever that may be.