GD
Geodynamics

edited by Rajani Shrestha

Rajani Shrestha is a Ph.D. student in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at Caltech. She is interested in both earthquake seismology and global seismology for earth structure and dynamics. She completed her MS from the University of Delaware where she investigated the deformational signals observed along the eastern North American margin using seismic anisotropy. You can reach Rajani via e-mail.

Modeling the Early Earth: Idealization and its Aims II

and July 24, 2024
Modeling the Early Earth: Idealization and its Aims II
An artist’s impression of the early Archean Earth, with minimal landmasses and a global ocean. Image credit: Alec Brenner.

This week we have the second part of Junjie Dong’s insightful blog on modeling the early Earth. Following the discussion (“Modeling the Early Earth: Idealization and its Aims I”) about the major early Earth questions and challenges in modeling early Earth, Junjie now explores  the imprtance of modeling as a scientific endeavor. He presents how one could more effectively model the ...[Read More]

Modeling the Early Earth: Idealization and its Aims I

and July 10, 2024
Modeling the Early Earth: Idealization and its Aims I
An artist’s impression of the early Archean Earth, with minimal landmasses and a global ocean. Image credit: Alec Brenner.

The question of how we came to be is closely tied with how the Earth became what it now is. What was the early Earth like? How did it evolve to become a habitable world? Given a fragmentary rock record, how can we investigate the early Earth and its evolution? Dr. Junjie Dong from Caltech writes about modeling the early Earth in a two-part blog.  For the first part, he introduces the approach to e ...[Read More]

Revisiting Sagarmatha: Reflections on Fieldwork in the Eastern Nepal Himalaya

and March 20, 2024
Revisiting Sagarmatha: Reflections on Fieldwork in the Eastern Nepal Himalaya
Tshering Lama Sherpa (author) and Dr. Pete DeCelles (University of Arizona), mapping and contemplating Himalayan geology at Kala Patthar, with Pumori (7161m) in the background. (Credit: Author)

“The mountains are calling.” This week, we are embarking on an adventure to the highest mountain in the world – Sagarmatha (also known as Mt. Everest). We will join Tshering Lama Sherpa, from the University of Arizona, as she unveils the exciting world of geological fieldwork amidst the majestic Himalayas in her post.  In October of 2023, I set out on my fourth geological fieldwo ...[Read More]

Exploration of Deep Earthquakes and Planetary Interiors

and December 6, 2023
Cross-sectional view showing location of deep earthquakes
Deep earthquakes inside the Earth (Image credit: Ayako Tsuchiyama)

Most earthquakes on Earth start in the shallow, brittle part of the planet. However, there are several regions where earthquakes happen deep in the mantle. Where are these regions? Why do these earthquakes get so deep? In this week’s blog post, Ayako Tsuchiyama from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) takes us on a journey into the mysterious world of deep earthquakes.  Growing u ...[Read More]