What I'd like to know...
Research
What I'd like to know...
Why it matters...
Tools for learning...
How and why plate tectonics succeeded on Earth, but failed on other planets?
How do faults link and evolve over time and space, and how does this evolution relate to the strain environment in which they develop?
How is deformation represented in flood basalts vs. other rock types?
Plate tectonics and intelligent life are the most fundamental features that separate our planet from others in the solar system. It's important to understand how this process got started, so that we can understand how it shaped our planet early on. Like other planets, some of the first rocks on the surface of our world were basalts. These rocks can effusively flow from the planet when stress conditions are right. The faults and folds that deform these rocks form mountains and help us understand how Earth has changed over time.
I learn about these processes using:
- Fieldwork, collecting structural
measurements and rock descriptions
- Structural Analysis
- Fault Model Development
- GIS Mapping
- Planetary Imagery Development
From Crane and Klimczak (2017)
Studying cross cutting relationships of craters and faults on Mercury allowed us to develop a strain timeline for this planet.
Cross-section Analysis in the Yakima Fold and Thrust Belt is leading to a new model of subsurface fault and fold geometry.