Department of Geology and Geophysics
GEOPHYSICS and TECTONICS
Research Activities
Plate Tectonics and Plate Evolution: Studies of rift propagation and plate break-up; initiation and evolution of continental margins and back-arc basins; relative and absolute motion of plates; thermo-mechanical properties of oceanic lithosphere; mid-ocean ridge dynamics.
Seismology: Theory and analysis of seismic waves from active and passive sources; ocean-bottom geophysical instrumentation (HUGO); surface wave studies of the crust and upper oceanic mantle, multichannel seismic imaging of subduction zones, accretionary prisms, and submarine volcano flanks.
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics: Mantle flow and mantle plume-plate interaction; upper mantle melting and magma transport; ocean/shore dynamics and nonlinear waves.
Rock Fracture Mechanics: Coupled field, theoretical, and laboratory analyses of the mechanics of fault growth, rock fracture, dike propagation, landslides, and crustal deformation; these topics are relevant to plate tectonics, structural geology, and engineering geology