Scientific Cursus and Main Collaborations
My initial training is in engineering and I got involved in earth sciences in 1987. During my Ph-D (1988-1991), I was advised by Paul Tapponnier at IPGP, I have mainly developed techniques in morphotectonics and explored the possibility to describe continental deformation from fault investigations with applications to the India-Asia collision zone. In the early days I greatly benefitted from interactions with Gilles Peltzer, Yves Gaudemer, Bertand Meyer. I have participated in many field investigations mostly funded by CNRS/INSU.
After receiving my PhD I accepted a position at the Laboratoire de Détection et de Géophysique at CEA (now DASE). Since then I have further investigated the relationship between crustal strain and seismicity, interacting with PhD students (Jérôme Lavé, Rémi Michel, Benoit Lorne, Yann Klinger), Post-Docs (Jean-Bernard De Chabalier, Rodolphe Cattin, Stéphane Dominguez, Laurence Audin), colleagues from my lab (Frédéric Perrier, Mireille Flouzat , Marc Nicolas, Antoine Schlupp, Sylvie Bottard) and collaborators from abroad (M.R. Pandey) or from other institutions (Genia Burov). We have contributed to several methods to determine strain on different time scales from a geomorphic approach (with Jérôme Lavé, Yann Klinger) or using satellite imagery (with Rémi Michel).
From 1994 to 1999, I have contributed to the elaboration of a program on earthquake precursors with Frédéric Perrier. This program, funded by CEA, was intended to explore the physical basis of some earthquake precursors, especially those related with fluid flow driven by crustal deformation (PhD: Benoit Lorne, Michael Trique).
My favorite field case example has been in the Himalaya of Nepal where I have been involved in a fructuous and friendly collaboration with M.R. Pandey and his colleagues at the Nepal Seismic Center of the Department of Mines and Geology ( Kathmandu ). The program on the Himalaya was conducted as part of a long-standing collaboration between the Department of Mines and Geology and DASE, and has involved many French colleagues from different institutions, (CNRS, IPG Strasbourg …). It has benefited from support from CEA/DASE, CNRS/INSU (IDYL program), and the French embassy in Kathmandu. The main focus of the program was Himalayan seismotectonics. With G. Burov and R. Cattin, we have developed some mechanical models of the seismic cycle and investigated mountain building mechanics and the role of surface processes .
More recently, I have collaborated with Laurent Bollinger, Olivier Beyssac, Mark Harrisson, Bruno Goffé and Liz Catlos, to document the kinematics of crustal deformation and the thermal structure of the orogen from an approach combining structural geology, thermommetry and thermochronology.
Following the Chichi earthquake in 1999, I have started some investigations
in
I have also carried on seismotectonic studies in other areas (with Yann Klinger on the Dead Sea Fault in particular) that were generally more intended toward methodological developments. It was funded from the CEA and the CNRS (IDYL-HIM).