Structural Geology and Tectonics
Research in the Structural Geology and Tectonics group focuses on the rapidly deforming zones that define Earth’s tectonic plate boundaries and generate many of the planet’s geohazards.
We are interested in the rates and directions in which faults and shear zones move; their geometries, widths and mechanical behaviours at depth; and the processes that shape them over geologic time.
Our research has broad implications:
- Over human timescales, for example, quantifying fault slip rates in active tectonic environments is critical to assessing seismic risk to human life and property.
- Observations of the deep roots of faults provide clues as to how they are loaded from below and how they might interact with each other during decadal- to thousand-year seismic cycles.
- Over million-year timescales, understanding the mechanical properties and geometries of shear zones helps us to constrain the forces that govern Earth’s most prominent topography: e.g. its mountain belts, continental and oceanic rift zones, and oceanic basins and trenches.
To address these topics, we employ a range of tools and techniques that include field observations, analytical measurements, laboratory experiments, and numerical models. We frequently forge collaborations and synthesize datasets that cross disciplines, including structural geology, petrology and geochemistry, experimental rock mechanics, surface processes, seismology, and geodynamics.
The Structural Geology and Tectonics group is led by Whitney Behr and is part of the Geological Institute at ETH Zurich.
Contact
Head of Geological Institute
Professur Strukturgeol u.Tektonik
Sonneggstrasse 5
8092
Zürich
Switzerland
