John Hopper:
Rupturing Continental Lithosphere

How and why continents breakup apart to form new ocean basins is the cornerstone of John Hopper's research.  He uses seismic imaging methods and numerical modeling to understand the crustal and lithospheric structure of different tectonic settings to better understand the dynamic processes associated with how different regions evolve.  He has studied rift processes in the North Atlantic around Greenland and Iceland, Newfoundland and Iberia, as well as NW Australia. Most recently, he has become involved in projects to unravel the tectonic history of Arctic Ocean basins.

Dr. Hopper is an Assistant Professor of Geology and Geophysics at Texas A&M University.

Donna Shillington:
Rupturing Continental Lithosphere

Donna Shillington examines the processes associated with continental rupture and initial seafloor spreading using seismic reflection and refraction data in combination with other geophysical/geological data and quantitative techniques, such as subsidence analysis. She has studied these processes at extensional systems such as the Newfoundland-Iberia conjugate margins and the Black Sea. She is also interested in magmatic processes in island arcs and in characterizing variations in pore-pressure and pore-fluid content in sediments.

Donna is a Doherty Associate Research Scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Greg Hirth:
The Seismogenic Zone

Greg Hirth investigates the processes that control the rheological behavior of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle. He studies problems ranging from brittle deformation of the shallow lithosphere to viscous flow of the asthenosphere. While emphasizing an experimental approach, he also collaborates with field geologists and geophysicists to explore the implications of rheological data for the mechanical behavior of the Earth, and to constrain the strengths and limitations of laboratory measurements.

Greg is an Associate Professor at Brown University.

Tim Dixon:
The Seismogenic Zone

Tim Dixon uses space geodetic techniques such as GPS and InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) to study motion and deformation of Earth's surface due to faulting, earthquakes, volcanic activity and coastal subsidence.

Tim is Professor of Marine Geology and Geophysics at the University of Miami.

David Mohrig:
Source to Sink

My research group focuses on the application of sedimentary deposits and transport processes to unraveling the evolutions of submarine and terrestrial landscapes. We study the behavior of topography generated at the interface between a granular material and a fluid from very short to very long time and space scales, with particular emphasis on processes controlling channel formation, both on land and in the deep ocean. Research methods used by my group include carefully designed laboratory and natural experiments on sediment-transporting flows, field studies of modern and ancient sediment-dispersal systems, theoretical modeling of evolving granular-bed topography, and the remote sensing of subsurface sedimentary deposits (interpretation and visualization of seismic data).

David is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at University of Texas at Austin.

Patricia Wiberg:
Source to Sink

Patricia Wiberg's research focuses on the role of sediment bed properties in controlling sediment transport and morphologic evolution, primarily in shallow marine environments.  Her work spans a range of temporal and spatial scales from the motion of individual sediment grains to the evolution of continental margin morphology.  A particular interest is the potential for preservation of flood and storm event beds in the longer-term stratigraphic record. 

Dr. Wiberg is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia.

Simon Klemperer:
The Subduction Factory

Simon uses seismic methods to image lithospheric structure, and to understand the growth, composition and tectonic evolution of continental crust. His research emphasises acquisition of new datasets to explore "natural laboratories": key regions of earth that exemplify important active proceses. A key "Subduction Factory" experiment within the MARGINS initiative has been to measure the crustal volumes and compositions created above the intra-oceanic Mariana subduction zone. Other recent foci of Klemperer's research in continental tectonics have been Tibet and the Himalaya, the East African Rift, and the Basin-and-Range province of western North America.

Simon is Professor of Geophysics, and by courtesy of Geological and Environmental Sciences, at Stanford University.

Peter Kelemen:
The Subduction Factory

In subduction research, Kelemen focuses on the origin of continental crust, including genesis of primitive andesites, foundering of dense lower crust, thermal structure of subduction zones, intermediate depth earthquakes, cratonic upper mantle, and ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks. Initially specializing in “extreme terrain mineral exploration”, Kelemen also studies mid-ocean ridge melt transport and crust formation, and carbon sequestration via peridotite weathering. He has worked in India, Pakistan, Greenland, Peru, Alaska, B.C., Oman, the Bering Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the continental US.

Peter is Arthur D. Storke Professor at Columbia University, Associate Research Scientist at the American Museum of Natural History, and Adjunct Scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

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