Using dynamic models to understand continental deformation

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• Alex Copley (University of Cambridge)
• Thursday 22 November 2012, 11:30-12:30
• Open Plan Area, BP Institute, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Catherine Pearson.

The Earth’s oceans are underlain by large, rigid, tectonic plates, which only deform along narrow zones at their boundaries. In contrast, many areas of the continents undergo pervasive deformation over regions thousands of kilometres wide. The characteristics of earthquakes, and estimates of surface motion made using highly-accurate GPS receivers, tell us about the active deformation in these wide deformation belts. However, a quantitative physical understanding of the deformation has remained elusive. I will describe a series of dynamic models that have shed new light on the factors that control the characteristics of continental deformation, and specifically focus on what controls the sizes, shapes, and evolution through time of large mountain ranges such as the Tibetan Plateau.

This talk is part of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF) series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All Talks (aka the CURE list)
• Cambridge Energy Seminars
• Department of Earth Sciences seminars
• Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF)
• NanoDTC Energy Materials Talks
• Open Plan Area, BP Institute, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ
• history
• ps635

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