← Basic Sciences Division

Structural Geology & Tectonics Center

Combines structural-analysis data with plate-kinematics modeling — including seafloor spreading — to elucidate crustal-deformation mechanisms and plate-tectonic processes through simulation.

Mathematics Center Physics Center Chemistry Center Biology Center Atmospheric Sciences Center Stratigraphy & Sedimentology Center Structural Geology & Tectonics Center Petrology & Mineralogy Center Geochemistry Center Paleontology & Evolutionary Biology Center Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Center Hydrogeology & Soil Science Center Physical Oceanography Center Marine Geology & Geophysics Center Chemical Oceanography Center Marine Biology & Ecology Center

Research Fields 14

Nappe Tectonics & Alpine Structural Geology

🏔️ Nappe Tectonics & Alpine Structural Geology

Nappe tectonics is the study of large, far-travelled sheets of rock, nappes, translated te…

Fold Mechanics & Deformation Fabrics

📐 Fold Mechanics & Deformation Fabrics

Fold mechanics is the study of how rock layers bend and buckle under stress, and deformati…

Experimental Rock Deformation

🧲 Experimental Rock Deformation

Experimental rock deformation is the laboratory measurement of how rocks strain under cont…

Plate Tectonics Theory

🧩 Plate Tectonics Theory

Plate tectonics is the theory that the Earth's outer shell is divided into a dozen rigid l…

Orogenic Belt & Ophiolite Tectonics

⛰️ Orogenic Belt & Ophiolite Tectonics

Orogenic belt tectonics studies mountain belts, the linear zones where plates converge and…

Continental Rifting & Rift Valley Tectonics

🏜️ Continental Rifting & Rift Valley Tectonics

Continental rifting is the study of how continents stretch, thin, and break apart along ri…

Subduction Zone Tectonics

🌀 Subduction Zone Tectonics

Subduction zone tectonics is the study of convergent plate boundaries where oceanic lithos…

Marine Magnetic Anomalies & Transform Faults

🧭 Marine Magnetic Anomalies & Transform Faults

Marine magnetic anomaly mapping is the measurement and interpretation of the striped magne…

Rock Fracture & Joint Mechanics

⚡ Rock Fracture & Joint Mechanics

Rock fracture and joint mechanics is the study of how brittle rocks break: the initiation,…

Continental Margin & Basin Tectonics

🧱 Continental Margin & Basin Tectonics

Continental margin and basin tectonics is the application of plate theory to the sedimenta…

Isostasy & Gravity Tectonics

⚖️ Isostasy & Gravity Tectonics

Isostasy is the principle that the Earth's crust floats in gravitational equilibrium on th…

Mantle Structure Modeling

🔥 Mantle Structure Modeling

Mantle structure modeling is the inference of the Earth's interior properties, density, el…

Paleomagnetism & Continental Drift Evidence

🌐 Paleomagnetism & Continental Drift Evidence

Paleomagnetism as tectonic evidence is the use of remanent magnetization in rocks to recon…

Craton Stability & Mobile Belt Tectonics

🛡️ Craton Stability & Mobile Belt Tectonics

Craton stability and mobile belt tectonics is the study of the ancient, stable cores of co…