Did you know that our geophysical engineer found herself immersed at a depth of nearly 1200 metres in the Sea of Marmara, in a pocket submarine? This is one of the incredible experiences of Dr. Tiphaine Zitter, who has been leading our geophysics department since 2019.
Tiphaine Zitter is a passionate scientist who has dedicated her studies and career to geophysics. Just before obtaining her DEA in earth sciences, with a specialisation in lithospheric dynamics, from the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University (Paris VI), she took part in an oceanographic campaign in the eastern Mediterranean and in the Nile delta – an opportunity for her to meet her future thesis director. She then completed her thesis at the Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam, Netherlands) on submarine mud volcanoes in the eastern Mediterranean. After obtaining her PhD in 2004, she moved to the CEREGE in Aix-en-Provence (European Research Centre for Environmental Geosciences), where she carried out fundamental research for the CNRS and the Collège de France until 2012. Her scientific activity was then abundant: in addition to being a researcher, she was also a teaching assistant to Xavier Le Pichon, holder of the Chair of Geodynamics at the Collège de France, between 2004 and 2006. She also took part in several campaigns in the Marmara Sea and Burma, in particular the MarNaut campaign conducted by CNRS/INSU and Ifremer.
But Tiphaine’s adventures don’t stop there: in 2012, she created her own geophysical consultancy, ATGEO, with a colleague from CEREGE. For four years, she carried out terrestrial missions for a variety of clients: hydrogeologists, archaeologists, construction professionals, etc. Her activity covers all subsoil issues (geological risk, environmental risk, particularly after an oil accident, archaeological investigations, etc.). She continued her work on a freelance basis just before joining Geomines.
As head of our geophysics department, Tiphaine analyses and processes the data collected by our operators, for both maritime and land environments. By applying marine geophysics to pyrotechnical analysis (using magnetometric, bathymetric, side-scan sonar and sediment sounder tools), and by relying on magnetic measurements and the use of geo-radar in the context of our land-based sites, she enables us to carry out complete and accurate diagnoses for our clients.
Tiphaine’s talent is invaluable to our company, as her scientific contribution allows us to strengthen our expertise outside the core business of the divers (increased scientific precision, interpretation of the geophysical signature, discrimination of anomalies, and reliable diagnostics).
Thanks to these skills, Geomines is in phase with the major dynamics of the demining and UXO and mine clearance market in both land and maritime environments.