Thesis Title

A Study on Homogenites and Other Event Beds from Perched Basins Offshore Southwestern Taiwan: Lithofacies Analysis and Recurrence Interval Reconstruction

Background

I initially entered the field of Geology driven by a deep fascination with Paleontology, particularly Vertebrate Paleontology. However, as I progressed through my Integrated Master’s program, my academic interests evolved, drawing me toward Sedimentology and Geochemistry. This shift ultimately shaped my MSc dissertation work, which focused on sedimentary geochemistry of shales from the Neoproterozoic Bhima Basin in the Eastern Dharwar Craton of southern India. My work was centered on provenance analysis and the reconstruction of paleoclimatic signals.

Building on this foundation, I pursued my PhD at Academia Sinica–NCU, where I specialized in marine sedimentology with an emphasis on event beds from offshore southwestern Taiwan. As part of the EAGER 2018 (Extreme events Archived in GEological Records) program, I participated in the Marion Dufresne II research cruise, an experience that significantly broadened my exposure to detailed core descriptions, seismic data interpretation, marine coring, shipboard science, and collaborative field operations.

Following my doctoral studies, I transitioned into my current role as a Postdoctoral Researcher, continuing to investigate event beds preserved in marine cores from offshore southwestern Taiwan and perform a detailed facies reconstruction.

Research Interests

Marine sedimentology, Turbidite paleoseismology, Paleoclimate and paleoceanography, Stratigraphy, Isotope geochemistry, Analytical chemistry.

Publications

Lowemark, L., Pillutla, R. K., Lin, A. T., Yeh, J.-C., Ratzov, G., Babonneau, N., Hsu, S.-K., Su, C.-C., Lallemand, S., & Tseng, W.-L. (2026). Late Quaternary occurrences of Zoophycos in a high sedimentation rate setting on the continental margin off southwestern Taiwan: Implications for trace maker ecology. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 690, 113681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113681

Pillutla, R. K., Lin, A. T.-S., Yeh, J.-C., Ratzov, G., Babonneau, N., Hsu, S.-K., Su, C.-C., Lallemand, S., Lowemark, L. (2025). Origin and deposition of deepwater homogenites from a sedimentological perspective: Examples from offshore SW Taiwan. Sedimentary Geology 106854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2025.106854.

Das, P., Lin, A. T.-S., Chen, M.-P. P., Miramontes, E., Liu, C.-S., Huang, N.-W., Kung, J., Hsu, S.-K., Pillutla, R. K., Nayak, K. (2021). Deep-sea submarine erosion by the Kuroshio Current in the Manila accretionary prism, offshore Southern Taiwan. Tectonophysics, 807, 228813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228813.

Nayak, K., Lin, A. T.-S., Huang, K.-F., Liu, Z., Babonneau, N., Ratzov, G., Pillutla, R. K., Das, P., Hsu, S.-K. (2021). Clay-mineral distribution in recent deep-sea sediments around Taiwan: Implications for sediment dispersal processes. Tectonophysics, 814, 228974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228974.

Yin, J. J., Li, H. C., Rao, Z. G., Shen, C. C., Mii, H. S., Pillutla, R. K., Hu, H. M., Li, Y. X., Feng, X. (2017). Variations of monsoonal rain and vegetation during the past millennium in Tiangui Mountain, North China reflected by stalagmite δ18O and δ13C records from Zhenzhu Cave. Quaternary International, 447, 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2017.06.039.

Conferences/Workshops (2020 onwards)

22nd International Sedimentological Congress, January 2026, Wellington, New Zealand

EGU General Assembly 2025, April 2025, Vienna, Austria

EGU General Assembly 2023, April 2023, Vienna, Austria

EAGER 2023 Workshop, March 2023, Taipei, Taiwan

ICFS 2021- International Conference on Fluvial Sedimentology, July 2021, Italy (Online participation)

35th IAS Meeting of Sedimentology, June 2021, Prague, Czech Republic (Online presentation)

EAGER 2020 Workshop, February 2020, Taipei, Taiwan