Tectonics and Structural Geology

Minds over Methods: Block modeling of Anatolia

Mehmet Köküm July 12, 2017

Main tectonic features of Turkey (Anatolian Plate). Original source: Wikipedia

How can we use GPS velocities to learn more about present-day plate motions and regional deformation? In this edition of Minds over Methods, one of our own blogmasters Mehmet Köküm shares his former work with you! For his master thesis at Indiana University, he used block modeling to better understand the plate motion and slip rates of Anatolia and surrounding plates. Using block modeling t ...[Read More]

Features from the field: Folding

Mehmet Köküm June 19, 2017

The folds of the rocks (Apoplystra/Greece). Photo credit: © by G. Shuttleworth via geologyin

Folding is one of the most common geologic phenomena in the world. I should start with defining the term ‘deformation’ in order to understand the folding process better. In geology, deformation is an alteration of the size or shape of rocks. Deformation is caused by stress, the scientific term for force applied to a certain area. Stresses on rocks can stem from various sources, such as ...[Read More]

Teaching in the 21st century – a PICO session

Anne Pluymakers and Hans de Bresser May 31, 2017

Credit: Anne Pluymakers

With the progress in the digital world there are more and more e-tools available for research and teaching. What are smart ways to make use of new techniques in teaching? For inspiration and learning, Hans de Bresser, Janos Urai and Neil Mancktelow convened a PICO session at the EGU 2017 General Assembly to showcase present-day e-learning opportunities to improve the efficiency and quality of teac ...[Read More]

Folding and Fracturing of Rocks – 50 years of research since the seminal textbook of JG. Ramsay

Clare Bond May 9, 2017

Janos Urai from RWTH University of Aachen presenting geo-art to John Ramsay. Credit: Susanne Buiter

John G. Ramsay1 wrote his seminal textbook on the folding and fracturing of rocks in 1957, almost 20 years before I was born (and I don’t count myself as young!). So why did I co-convene a session at EGU in 2017 to celebrate the book? Because the book, in many ways, expresses the legacy that John has given to structural geology. He followed it with a series of books of the same ilk – Ramsay ...[Read More]

You’re an early career scientist and you want to go somewhere… but where?

Anne Pluymakers April 20, 2017

The Austria Vienna Centre. (Credit: Copernicus/EGU)

Only a few more days and the General Assembly of the EGU 2017 will start! Five exciting days with science and the opportunity to meet your colleagues and collaborators, both the old and the new. Earlier this week the outgoing TS President Susanne Buiter and the incoming TS President Claudio Rosenberg posted a blog with TS highlights, but what are the must-see for the Early Career Scientists? This ...[Read More]

Highlights at EGU 2017 from the division for Tectonics and Structural Geology

Susanne Buiter and Claudio Rosenberg April 18, 2017

Susanne Buiter (outgoing TS president, Geological Survey of Norway) and Claudio Rosenberg (incoming TS president, UPMC France) It is with great pleasure that we write this blog welcoming everyone to EGU’s upcoming General Assembly in Vienna, and especially to the many events organised by our division for Tectonics and Structural Geology! We are highlighting some of the week’s many events below, th ...[Read More]

Features from the field: Strike Slip Faults Classification

Mehmet Köküm April 17, 2017

A strike slip faults is a fault on which most of the movement is parallel to the fault strike (Bates and Jackson, 1987). The term ‘wrench fault’ is also popularized in some researchers. Sylvester (1988) suggest not using wrench fault term for defining strike slip fault as general term because wrench fault was defined by Anderson (1905) as deep seated, regional and vertical faults. Many major strik ...[Read More]

Minds over Methods: Reconstruction of salt tectonic features

Michael Warsitzka April 12, 2017

credit: Michael Warsitzka

What is the influence of salt tectonics on the evolution of sedimentary basins and how can we reconstruct such salt features? Michael Warsitzka, PhD student at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, explains which complementary methods he uses to better understand salt structures and their relation to sedimentary basins. Enjoy! Reconstruction of salt tectonic features from analogue mode ...[Read More]

Minds over Methods: Sensing Earth’s gravity from space

Anita Saraswati February 8, 2017

GOCE in space orbit. (Source: ESA)

How can we learn more about the Earth’s interior by going into space? This edition of Minds over Methods discusses using satellite data to study the Earth’s lithospere. Anita Thea Saraswati, PhD student at the University of Montpellier, explains how information on the gravity of the Earth is obtained by satellites and how she uses this information to get to know more about the lithospe ...[Read More]

Features from the field: Growth Faults

Mehmet Köküm January 30, 2017

Displacement rate along the fault is not same.

Growth faults are syndepositional or syn-sedimentary extensional faults. Growth faults develop when sediments are being deposited, are key elements in understanding deformation processes. Indeed, successively deposited sedimentary layers are involved in the different stages of the growth of the structure and produce a record of the deformation history. Their fault plane dips mostly toward the basi ...[Read More]