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Field Tectonics Research Group
Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space sciences | University of California, Los Angeles |
We study the movement and transformation of matter in the lithosphere: the outermost shell of our planet. By analyzing traces of ancient environments and the architecture of the crust, we seek to reconstruct a history of how the lithosphere has deformed over geologic time.
A current focus is investigating the surface response to deep lithosphere removal: including from the perspective of sedimentation, deformation, exhumation & uplift, magmatism, and geomorphology. To what extent can the surface geologic record help us understand one of the last frontiers in tectonics: dynamics at the base of the continental lithosphere? Our research interests lie broadly in the field of continental and Cordilleran tectonics. We work on areas from blueschists in accretionary complexes to glacial erosion associated with the birth of the planet's largest ice sheet 34 million years ago, to detrital geochronology in the Pamir plateau. We are also interested in the application of novel analytical capabilities (e.g. in-situ analyses using beta decay systems) to traditional geologic problems. Some of our projects seek to advance our ability to interpret imprecise data sets from chronometers with complex systematics (e.g. apatite U-Th/He thermochronology). We also work with geodynamic modeling to the extent that it provides useful first-order “back-of-the-envelope” answers relevant to tectonic interpretations. |
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Recent News
July 2026: We are recruiting 1-2 PhD students starting Fall 2027 for my new NSF CAREER Award on dynamic rebound basins. Please feel free reach out if you are an interested graduate student or potential post-doc. See more information here.
May 2026: Postdoc Jordan Wang's newest paper on Cedros Island geology was selected as the Editor's highlight at Eos.org (<2% of all AGU papers!)
April 2026: Check out our newest paper on the arrival of the Colorado River in the Bidahochi Basin on the Colorado Plateau: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz6826
July 2026: We are recruiting 1-2 PhD students starting Fall 2027 for my new NSF CAREER Award on dynamic rebound basins. Please feel free reach out if you are an interested graduate student or potential post-doc. See more information here.
May 2026: Postdoc Jordan Wang's newest paper on Cedros Island geology was selected as the Editor's highlight at Eos.org (<2% of all AGU papers!)
April 2026: Check out our newest paper on the arrival of the Colorado River in the Bidahochi Basin on the Colorado Plateau: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz6826
