Marco Ligi is presently Research Director at the Institute of Marine Sciences, National Research Council (CNR) in Bologna.

Scientific interests:

Geophysics of basic processes at oceanic transform and accretionary plate boundaries. Multichannel seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation. Multibeam acquisition and data processing. Inversion and modelling of gravity data along Mid Ocean Ridges. Numerical cartography and geo-marine database management. Structure, composition and temporal evolution of Mid Ocean Ridges. Mantle flow modelling. Thermal structure and composition of the oceanic mantle. Mantle’s Hot, Cold and Wet Spots. Igneous and tectonic processes during the transition from continental to oceanic rifts. Distribution and origin of water and volatiles in the Earth’s mantle. Seawater/mantle geochemical exchange along mid-ocean ridges.

Experience:

Led several marine geology expeditions in the Mediterranean Sea (Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas), Northern Red Sea, Central Atlantic (Azores region), Equatorial Atlantic (Vema, St. Paul and Romanche fracture zones), South Atlantic (Bouvet Triple Junction) and Indian Ocean (Andrew Bain Fracture Zone). Served in several committees and panels. Thought courses and supervised graduate students at the Universities of Rome, Bari, Modena and Bologna.