GD
Geodynamics

edited by Michaël Pons

Michaël Pons is a postdoc at GFZ. He is working on the modeling of subduction processes associated with the formation of the Andes, as well as global-scale modeling. His research interests range from mantle and lithosphere dynamics to surface processes.

Building the Earth in a sandbox

and January 7, 2026
Fentale Volcano

  Building the Earth in a sandbox   The Main Ethiopian Rift stretches for hundreds of kilometers through Ethiopia, a massive fracture where Africa is slowly tearing apart to birth a new ocean. However, the processes driving this continental breakup remain hidden deep beneath layers of volcanic rock and millions of years of geological history. Today, in a laboratory in the heart of the be ...[Read More]

Cratons: building blocks of continents and their economic importance

, and December 17, 2025
Cratons: building blocks of continents and their economic importance
A map showing how mineral deposits are often concentrated along the edges of the thick lithosphere. The coloured boxes represent distribution of large igneous intrusions, which contains Ni-Cu-PGE deposits and the circles represent distribution of carbonatites which might contain REEs (Lithosphere thickness data from Priestley et al, 2024, Carbonatite locations from Liu et al., 2022, large igneous intrusion locations from Smith and Maier, 2021)

The 4.5 billion years of geologic evolution has shaped the tectonic processes in Earth we see today. Over the span of time, Earth has changed from being a magma ocean to a tectonically active planet, by transitioning through different tectonic regimes.  A silent witness of this journey have been cratons which have survived for billions of years. Therefore cratons preserve clues of past tectonic pr ...[Read More]

Applying for a PhD in Geoscience: To do or not to do

and August 27, 2025
Applying for a PhD in Geoscience: To do or not to do
"To do or not to do a PhD?", image generated by AI

Fresh out of your bachelor’s degree, or more commonly these days, your master’s degree, it can be tempting to pursue your PhD as quickly as possible. While there are compelling reasons to dive straight in, rushing into a PhD might not be your best choice.   To be or not to be a researcher? Before you start firing off applications, take a step back. Forget any expectations you had ...[Read More]