Computational Geodynamics

At Caltech's Seismological Laboratory, a wide range of research in computational geodynamics is carried out under the direction of Professor Michael Gurnis. The primary goal of the current work is to provide a basis for the sound interpretation of seismological observations made on local, regional, and global scales. Ultimately, we hope to fully understand how plate tectonics works, how plate tectonics and deep mantle flow are related, how and why mantle convection evolves over long time periods, and how continental geology is related to mantle dynamics. A primary, but not exclusive, activity for researchers within this area is the development of sophisticated numerical models of tectonic processes which are then related to geological and geophysical observations.

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