numerical modelling

Simulating the Deep Earth with MAGEMin: A Toolkit for Thermodynamic Modeling in Geodynamics

Editorial Team 4, Nicolas Riel and edited by Nuno Rodrigues July 23, 2025

Understanding how rocks melt, deform, and evolve within Earth’s interior is a central challenge in geoscience. These processes span a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and are governed by complex interactions between temperature, pressure, composition, and phase stability. Capturing this complexity in numerical models requires integrating mineral thermodynamics directly into geodynamic mod ...[Read More]

What drives the extensional deformation in the central Apennines (Italy)?

Maaike Fonteijn and edited by Alexis Gauthier June 18, 2025

The central Mediterranean is a geodynamically complex region shaped by the interaction of multiple active subduction zones. In Italy, the central Apennines display a distinctive pattern of surface deformation that is proposed to be linked to a slab break-off beneath the area. In this week’s blog post, Maaike, a PhD student at ISTerre in Grenoble, France, explores the key processes driving surface ...[Read More]

How numerical modeling helps decipher the dynamics and evolution of Venus

Diogo Lourenço, Cédric Gillmann and edited by Nuno Rodrigues January 22, 2025

Earth’s sister, Venus, is a planet whose evolution is drastically different from our own. Unravelling the hidden mysteries behind the divergent evolution of these two planets could hold the key to understanding what makes a planet habitable. Using numerical modelling, Diogo Lourenço and Cédric Gillmann unveil the dynamics of Venus while linking them to observations. In today’s blog pos ...[Read More]

A New Look at the Rheology of Deep Subduction Zones

Ana Lorena Abila and edited by Betti Hegyi November 27, 2024

Field photos of shear zones from Syros Island, Greece. Photo credit: Ana Lorena Abila

Subduction zones are dynamic regions where intense geological processes like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the recycling of oceanic crust are constantly at play. A key factor that influences the behavior of these zones is *interface rheology*—the strength and viscosity of the boundary (the interface) between the subducting and overriding plates. Understanding this interface is crucial for i ...[Read More]