PhD Students

Sedimentology, Stable Isotope Geochemistry, Carbon cycle, Marine Geology

I am currently working on deep marine sediments to understand what impact climate changes (especially through Eocene) had on ocean floor sedimentation. My other interest is to tie up these deep ocean sedimentary dynamics with changes in deposition pattern in shallow marine setting in times of extreme warmth, like PETM and early Eocene Hyperthermals.

seismology, near-surface geophysics

Maximum likelihood framework time-domain full-waveform inversion
Variable grid traveltime and waveform inversion

Experimental Petrology, Geochemistry, Igneous processes, sulfur in subduction zone

I am interested in Earth's deep sulfur cycle, the fate of sulfur at subduction zones and deep mantle processes that constrain the stability and mobility of sulfur and it's phases in our planet.

Seismology, Geophysical inverse problems

Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy

The broad aim of my scientific research is exploring sediment transport processes and channel dynamics in rivers and deltas by coupling field observations and measurements with existing theories in geomorphology.

carbon cycle, carbonates, calcite solubility, brines, graphite, eclogite, high P-T experiments

I use high pressure experiments to study how carbon is moving around and where it eventually ends up within our planet.

volcanology, geophysics

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-furtney-62a49263

Experimental Petrology, Geochemistry, Planetary Sciences

Physical Volcanology, Multiphase Flow, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Fluid Flow in Porous Media

seismology, machine learning

Clumped isotopes of O2
Ocean science
Primary production
O2/Ar

Project1:
Kinetic isotope effects for O2 air-water gas transfer and implications for estimating marine gross oxygen productivity and clumped isotope signature during gas transfer.
Measured the first time triple oxygen kinetic fractionation factors and kinetic fractionation signals for clumped O2 like 36O2 and 35O2. We tried to apply the factors to calibrate the kinetic effects happened on the surface ocean in order to better estimate the GOP (Gross oxygen production) of the surface ocean.
Project2: The potential impact of bubble injection of air to the estimate of net oxygen production (NOP) in the surface ocean

sediment transport, geomorphology, stratigraphy, bedforms

Coastal Geology, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Paleotempestology.

Glacial geology, marine geology, sedimentology, stratigraphy

My research is motivated by the need for an understanding of complex ice-ocean interactions that influence ice sheet stability. Using detailed sedimentology coupled with high-resolution bathymetric data, I define paleo-environments that are critical in determining timing, rates, style, and processes involved in past ice sheet retreat. My work is centered on Antarctic glacial margins, primarily in the Ross Sea and Marguerite Bay.

Experimental petrology ; Igneous processes ; Continental lithospheric mantle; Mid Lithospheric Discontinuity; Cratons ; Amphibole ; Phlogopite

Metasomatic processes in the continental lithospheric mantle and their role in physical and chemical properties beneath continents.

Seismic data interpretation, attribute analysis, structural geology, seismic reflection data processing, hyper-extension

I currently focus on the Galicia-Newfoundland conjugate margins and how the extension factor (β) is related to narrow and wide rifting modes, and oceanic core complexes.

Coupled surface/interior processes of planets within and external to our solar system. Numerical and physical modeling of convective processes -- planetary to magma chamber scale -- occurring in planetary bodies.

geophysics, modeling

Geophysics, Mantle dynamics

seismology, geophysics

I am developing new parallel computational algorithms for full-waveform inversion and normal-mode problems.

pyrogenic organic carbon, atmospheric chemistry, biosphere-atmosphere-climate interactions

Stable isotope geochemistry, chemical oceanography, biogeochemistry, geomicrobiology.

I am interested in developing novel clumped isotope tracers to help understand biogeochemical cycling in the past and the present. I aim to apply stable isotope techniques to better characterize microbial processes in the surface and deep ocean.

petrophysics, compaction trends, pore structure evolution, Lattice-Boltzmann, fracture propogation

My research focus lies in understanding petrophysical responses of shale and pore-structure evolution upon fluid injection and expansion.

Plate Tectonics, Geodynamics, Tectonophysics.

Plate velocities relative to global hotspot reference frame;
Hotspot motion from surface observation of hotspot track trends;
Pattern of seismic anisotropy and relationship with absolute plate motion.

Structural Geology; Reservoir Characterization; Well logging; Discrete Element Method; Geomechanics

Numerical Simulations of Forearc Deformation and Stress Switching

Tectonics, Tectonophysics, Paleomagnetism

1. Investigated the Cocos-Nazca-Pacific Plate circuit non-closure from latest bathymetry dataset. Identified the new Malpelo and Coiba plate from Nazca plate separated by diffuse plate boundary.

2. Conducted structural modeling of North America and South America plate, and Qaidam Basin, by fluid mechanics methods. Applied thin viscous sheet models to diffuse plate boundaries of both oceanic crust and continental crust, estimated the strain rate and investigated deformation in this region.

3. Investigated oblique spreading of mid-ocean ridges by comparing the strikes with directions determined from best-fitting angular velocity. Built geodynamic models to analyze plume effects and the stress and strain field of the oceanic lithosphere.