Geodesy

D. Sarah Stamps

D. Sarah Stamps is an associate professor of geophysics in the Virginia Tech Department of Geosciences specializing in geodesy and tectonophysics. She and her research group members produce and use GNSS positioning data to observe how the Earth’s surface moves. They also use computational modeling to elucidate the physical processes driving the Earth’s surface motions. The data analysis and computational modeling aspects of her research program have applications in volcanic, seismic, and coastal hazards, as well as the plate tectonic theory. Her study areas include Tanzania, Uganda, Madagascar, Malawi, China, the East African Rift System, and the Chesapeake Bay, USA. She graduated from Purdue University with her PhD in 2013 and did her postdoctoral studies at MIT and the University of California Los Angeles. She has been awarded numerous awards from the US government, including the National Science Foundation CAREER award and the National Science Foundation EarthCube award for Outstanding Service and Leadership.

Geodesists on Tour: GNSS measurements in East Africa

D. Sarah Stamps and edited by Rebekka Steffen March 23, 2022

Installation of site UGN6 at the Queen’s Pavilion (Uganda). Photo Credit: D. Sarah Stamps.

Africa hosts the world’s most extensive subaerial rift system on Earth known as the East African Rift System (EARS). It stretches over 5000 km from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden intersection in the north to the Southwest Indian Spreading Ridge south of South Africa. East-West, the EARS spans the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo across to eastern Madagascar over 3000 km. The ...[Read More]