GD
Geodynamics

edited by Zhibin Lei

Hi, I'm Lei. I use numerical modelling methods to gain understanding of plate weakening processes, e.g., subduction zones, continental breakup, continental marginal magmatism etc. I am enthusiastic in investigating the interaction between lithosphere and mantle flow underneath. Geoscience nourishes my global view, which drives me with a strong curiosity to explore and understand the different cultures, histories and especially the food!! You can find more about me at https://zhibinlei.github.io/, Twitter @Lei_geodynamics and reach me via email (leiz2@cardiff.ac.uk).

Geo-movie: Fire of Love (2022), a love story of Katia, Maurice and volcanoes

Geo-movie: Fire of Love (2022), a love story of Katia, Maurice and volcanoes

Geo-movies are often Sci-Fi movies, which usually borrow disastrous concepts from earth science, and turn them into the end of the world while crystallizing humanity along with it. “Fire of Love”, on the other hand, is a 2022 documentary movie that explores the lives, relationship and careers of legendary volcanologists Katia Krafft and Maurice Krafft. The movie is directed by Sara Dosa, and most ...[Read More]

Multiengine-driving Tethyan evolution

Multiengine-driving Tethyan evolution

The highest mountain range in the Alps in the Western Europe, the towering peaks of the Himalayas in Asia, and ~1/3 world crude oil production in the middle east – what brings these remarkable nature gift together? The answer is Tethyan orogenic belt, which spans across the entire Eurasian continent. This week, we are privileged to have Prof. Zhong-Hai Li from the University of Chinese Academy of ...[Read More]

Dual inward dipping subduction: A Christmas Cracker Model

Dual inward dipping subduction: A Christmas Cracker Model

A recent research finds that dual inward dipping subduction framework, after considering thermal dependent deformation mechanisms, can pull apart the middle overriding plate (Lei and Davies, 2023), just like pulling Christmas crackers from both ends! Dual inward dipping subduction (DIDS) occurs when the overriding plate is decoupled with two subducting slabs dipping towards each other. DIDS is fou ...[Read More]

How has the Gibraltar slab influenced the Alboran domain deformation?

How has the Gibraltar slab influenced the Alboran domain deformation?

Figure 1. Topography of the Gibraltar Arc region. The shaded area indicates the position of positive seismic velocity anomaly supposedly representing the position of the slab at 270 km depth from seismic tomography (Amaru, 2007). The purple line shows the position of the modelled cross-section for the model shown in this blog. Blue dots indicate the regional intermediate seismicity (between 40 km ...[Read More]