GD
Geodynamics

Geodynamics

The quest of a numerical modelling hero

November 15, 2017
The quest of a numerical modelling hero
Let's kill the bugs dragons and save the code princess!
Credit: Wikimedia commons: Saint George and the Dragon by Paolo Uccello

Numerical modelling is not always a walk in the park. In fact, it resembles a heroic quest more often than not. In this month’s Wit & Wisdom post, Cedric Thieulot, assistant professor at the Mantle dynamics & theoretical geophysics group at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, tells the story of his heroic quest to save the princess from the dragon clear a code from bugs and shows ...[Read More]

One month to AGU!

November 8, 2017
One month to AGU!
Now is the time!
Credit:Pixabay

As the leaves are falling; the sun is going down before you leave the office; and the stores are stacking up on Christmas decorations, it’s time to face the facts: it’s almost AGU! It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but just in case. Don’t worry, there is still time to reread your abstract to see what you’re supposed to be presenting, figure out how to do that in the se ...[Read More]

The jelly sandwich lithosphere: elastic bread, the jelly, and gummy bears

November 1, 2017
The jelly sandwich lithosphere: elastic bread, the jelly, and gummy bears
Anyone else getting really hungry when doing geodynamics?
Credit: Max Pixel, Pixnio, and Max Pixel.

The Geodynamics 101 series serves to showcase the diversity of research topics and methods in the geodynamics community in an understandable manner. We welcome all researchers – PhD students to Professors – to introduce their area of expertise in a lighthearted, entertaining manner and touch upon some of the outstanding questions and problems related to their fields. This month Vojtěch Patočka fro ...[Read More]

Going with the toroidal mantle flow

October 25, 2017
Going with the toroidal mantle flow
Topography and bathymetry in the region of the northwestern Pacific. This area characterized by multiple subduction zones as indicated by a deep trench (darkest blue), such as that along Japan. Credit: NOAA

Subduction zones host one of the most complex and fascinating tectonic systems on the planet. Numerical models by Király and colleagues recently published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters reveal that the strength of the toroidal flow depends on the mantle viscosity and the magnitude of the slab pull force while the characteristic size of the toroidal cells mainly depends on the size of the c ...[Read More]