Luc André has developed a multi-faceted career. Professor at ULB (1989-2020), he successively taught field geology, geological mapping, structural geology, and stable isotope geochemistry applied to environmental issues. At the MRAC, he has been active in geochemistry and biogeochemistry, primarily through developments of new isotopic (e.g., Si and Mg isotopes) and trace element proxies, with 170 scientific papers published mostly in international journals. He has been visiting professor at the “Ecole Normal Supérieure” (Paris, France) and at the Macquarie University (Sidney, Australia) and served as Belgian delegate (2008-2013) to the Expert Group of the Science, Information Society and Space Programs from the AU-EU partnership. He was appointed member (1989-2006) and chairman (2007-2014) of the IRSIA-FRIA “Earth Sciences” panel and member (2006-2010) of both CNRS “planète et Univers” and INSU Scientific councils.
His major themes in the field of environmental biogeochemistry were devoted to (1) the linked cycles of C and Si with particular emphasis on limnology (Tanganyika, Kivu and Baïkal Lakes), oceanography (Atlantic, Pacific and Southern oceans) and soil-plant-water runoff aspects (especially in Congo, Amazon and Schelde Basins); (2) biomonitoring of climatic and environmental changes using the shells of bivalves, echinoderms and sponges; (3) the roles of climate and human land-use in Holocene environmental changes.
His perspectives in the field of geochemistry concern: (a) the origin of alkaline magmatic rocks associated to rift systems in Africa (Virunga, Rungwe, Libya, Cape Verde Islands) and Siberia; (b) the Eoarchean Silicon cycle; (c) the origin of the Trondhjemite-Tonalite-Granodiorite (TTG) suite and its role in the continental growth; (d) the magmatism associated to the Caledonian orogeny; (e) the source of archeological objects.
Key publications
Cardinal D., Dehairs F., Cattaldo T. & André L. (2001). Geochemistry of suspended particles in the Subantarctic and polar Frontal Zones south of Australia: constraints on export and advection processes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106, 31637-31656.
Platz Th., Foley S. & André L. (2004) Low-pressure fractionation of the Nyiragongo volcanic rocks, Virunga Province, D. R. Congo. Jour. of Volc. and geothermal Research., 136,269-295
Lorrain A., Gillikin D.P., Paulet Y.-M., Chauvaud L., Navez J., Le Mercier A. & André L. (2005). Strong kinetic effects on Sr/Ca ratios in the calcitic bivalve Pecten maximus. Geology, 33,965-968.
André L., Cardinal D., Alleman L. & Moorbath S. (2006). Silicon isotopes in ~3.8 Ga West Greenland rocks as clues to the Eoarchaean supracrustal Si cycle. Earth and Planetary Sci. Lett., 2006, 245,162-173.
Delvigne C., Opfergelt S., Cardinal D., Delvaux B., & André L. (2009) Distinct silicon and germanium pathways in the soil-plant system: evidence from banana and horsetails, J. Geophys. Res. Biogeochemistry, 2009, 114, G02013 doi:10.1029/2008JG000899
Bayon G., Schefuß E., Dupont, L., Borges, A.V., Dennielou, B., Lambert, T., Mollenhauer, G., Monin, L., Ponzevera, E. Skonieczny, C. & André, L. (2019) The roles of climate and human land-use in the late Holocene rainforest crisis of Central Africa. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 505, 30-41.
André L., Abraham K., Hofmann A., Monin, L. Kleinhanns I, & Foley S.F. (2019) Early continental crust generated by reworking of basalts variably silicified by seawater. Nat. Geosci., 12, 769-773.