Department of Geology and Geophysics
Research Fields
 Formation, motion and recycling of Earth's crust (the rock cycle)Over the course of Earth's history, the crust has been repeatedly formed, deformed, deconstructed (weathered and eroded), and renewed by physical and chemical processes. Observations at many scales, together with physical and chemical analyses, allow us to understand these processes. Research within the department in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, and structural geology is leading to new discoveries about how physical and chemical processes affect the Earth's crust. Concepts of plate tectonics - the paradigm that the outermost portion of the Earth is separated by giant fracture systems into stiff mobile plates - provide a unifying framework for our research. GG Researchers of this Field:Janet M. Becker | Michael G. Bevis | Benjamin A. Brooks | Clint Conrad | Patricia A. Cooper | Frederick K. Duennebier | Robert A. Dunn | Sarah A. Fagents | Gerard J. Fryer | Patricia Fryer | Michael O. Garcia | Lucia Gurioli | Julia Eve Hammer | Eric Hellebrand | Richard N. Hey | Garrett Ito | Kevin Johnson | Loren W. Kroenke | John Mahoney | Stephen J. Martel | Fernando Martinez | Floyd McCoy | Li-Chung Ming | Ralph M. Moberly | Gregory F. Moore | Douglas G. Pyle | Scott K. Rowland | Ken H. Rubin | Shiv K. Sharma | Sarah B. Sherman | John M. Sinton | Brian Taylor | Donald M. Thomas | Iris Van der Zander | Paul Wessel | Roy H. Wilkens | Cecily Wolfe | |