M.Sc. Estefany Villanueva-Garcia

Research Interests 

My research focuses on the analysis of sediment provenance and transport dynamics in active margin settings, integrating multidisciplinary approaches such as: 

• Marine sedimentology and source-to-sink processes 
• Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and trace element analysis 
• Mineralogical composition and grain size distribution and textural analysis of sediments 
• Integration of GIS, remote sensing, and bathymetric data for sediment transport modeling  

Academic Background 

2025 – present PhD Student, Heidelberg University, Germany 
2024 – present Scientific Associate, Kiel University, Germany 
2023 – 2024 M.Sc. in Earth Sciences, Universidad del Norte, Colombia 
2016 – 2020 B.Sc. in Geology, Universidad del Norte, Colombia (summa cum laude) 

Doctoral Project 

My doctoral research, entitled Source-to-Sink Sedimentary Processes Along the Active Margin of the Colombian Caribbean Coast: A Geochronology and Sedimentary Provenance Study, investigates sedimentary connectivity and provenance along the active margin of the northern Colombian Caribbean. The study focuses on two distinct deep-marine systems—the Magdalena Submarine Delta and La Aguja Submarine Canyon—and combines detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, trace element geochemistry, XRD-based mineralogical composition, and grain size distribution to reconstruct sediment routing pathways. Samples were collected during the MSM112 expedition aboard the German vessel Maria S. Merian, spanning depths from 48 to 3838 meters. The resulting data contribute to evaluating the tectonic and geomorphological controls on sediment distribution across the continental margin and enhance our understanding of sediment dynamics in convergent margin settings. 

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Yamirka Rojas-Agramonte 
Co-supervisor: Prof. Dr. Christian Winter (Kiel University) 

Publications 

• Restrepo, J. C., Ospino, O., Torregroza-Espinosa, A. C., Ospino, S., Villanueva, E., Molano-Mendoza, J. C., Consuegra, C., Agrawal, Y., & Mikkelsen, O. (2024). Variability of suspended sediment properties in the saline front of the highly stratified Magdalena River estuary, Colombia. Journal of Marine Systems, 241, 103894. 
    
• Villanueva-García, E., Parra León, N., Parodi Jaramillo, J., & Restrepo López, J. C. (2023). Sedimentological and morphological characterization of the Bay of Cartagena (2000–2020). CIOH Scientific Bulletin, 41(1).