Events

Gateway to Graduate Studies in Sciences (G2S2)

DeFord Lecture | Don Fisher

What Do Observations of Exhumed Tectonic Plate Boundaries Tell Us About Subduction Zone Earthquakes? by Don Fisher, professor in the Department of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University

Abstract: Field and microstructural observations from exhumed examples of the subduction plate interface are incorporated into a model for the slip behavior of active subduction zones.  The observations of natural examples lead to a pressure solution flow law, which is combined with a dislocation creep flow law for quartz-phyllosilicate mixtures and incorporated into a numerical model that depicts interseismic creep, seismicity, and fluid flow, including the fluid flow transients that occur during earthquakes. This model (MEFISTO- a Mineralization, Earthquake, and Fluid flow Integrated SimulatOr) includes:1) an earthquake simulator with temperature-dependent increases in cohesion, 2) a fluid flow model coupled to the earthquake simulator through the link between increasing strength (contact area) and permeability, with both low strength and ambient permeability restored by ruptures of the plate interface, and 3) interseismic creep that responds to variations in stress that could drive acceleration in strain rate toward the later part of the seismic cycle.  The fluid moves down a pressure gradient driven by fluid production from metamorphic reactions within and downdip of the seismogenic zone.  An increase in average shear stress with increasing lithostatic stress along the interface emerges during simulations, with a very low effective coefficient of friction (~0.07), consistent with the shear stress estimates based on heat flow in the forearc.  Pressure solution, which is capable of producing measurable strain in mudstones at the updip end of the seismogenic zone (100-150˚C), increases downdip to a point along the interface where the strain rate is capable of accommodating the plate rate.  Model results are used to evaluate how coupled seismic slip and fluid flow relate to earthquake size distributions, aftershocks, precipitation associated with veins, fluid pressure transients, slip deficits during the interseismic period, and fault-restrengthening in the aftermath of earthquakes.

Geoscience Energy Networking Night

Join the KBH Energy Center and the Jackson School of Geosciences for our Geoscience Networking Night. This is a unique opportunity for students to engage with companies and professionals across the energy sector. This networking reception will take place in the Texas Science & Natural History Museum right here on campus! We encourage students from all programs and backgrounds to attend and learn more about the energy industry as a whole!

Register here: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b1s9qQdBNGw6kRg

Gateway to Graduate Studies in Sciences (G2S2)

UTIG Seminar Series: Sophie Nowicki, University of Buffalo

NOTE: This seminar is hosted jointly with the Bureau of Economic Geology and will be held at 3pm. The seminar will be followed by a reception in the first floor UTIG lobby at 4pm.

Speaker: Sophie Nowicki, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University at Buffalo

Host: Ginny Catania

Title: Rising seas: a known future, yet deeply uncertain…

Abstract: Antarctica and Greenland—Earth’s two largest remaining ice sheets—have been undergoing complex changes in mass since the first satellite observations and are major contributors to current sea level rise. While it is certain that these ice sheets will continue to lose mass, how they will evolve in response to ongoing and future climate change remains one of the most uncertain aspects of global sea level projections over human timescales and beyond.

This uncertainty has driven significant advances in interdisciplinary research. Ice sheet projections are no longer just a problem for glaciologists; understanding how the atmosphere and ocean will change in a warming world is now equally essential. This presentation will highlight recent progress in modeling and projections of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, underscoring the value of international collaboration. It will also explore the challenges facing community modeling and observational efforts, while emphasizing the insights gained through these intercomparison projects—and the opportunities they offer for the future.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series - Joint Session with UTIG

Polar & Climate; Ice sheet modeling in global climate models

presented by

Dr. Sophie Nowicki
University of Buffalo

BEG and UTIG Joint Seminar – reception to follow.

Hot Science - Cool Talks: Birds are Smarter!

What can birds teach us about intelligence? They may have “bird brains,” but they can solve problems, use tools, and even share culture. In the next Hot Science – Cool Talks, Dr. Carlos Botero explores how intelligence evolves and how bird brain scans are helping scientists understand it better. With surprising examples of clever bird behavior, this talk will change how you see our feathered friends forever.

UTIG Seminar Series: Meredith Kelly, Dartmouth College

Speaker: Meredith Kelly, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Dartmouth College

Host: Nathan Bangs

Title: Tropical high-altitude climate conditions during and after the last glacial maximum

Abstract: The tropics are the “heat engine” of the planet and currently influence some of the largest natural climate variations through the El Niño-Southern Oscillation.  While changes in tropical climate can have globally cascading effects, the role of the tropics in past climate changes, such as Quaternary glacial-interglacial cycles, is not well understood.  A particularly important knowledge gap is the timing and magnitude of past temperature changes in tropical terrestrial regions, where few data exist relative to higher latitude locations.  I will present reconstructions of temperature during and after the last glacial maximum (LGM; ~26-19 ka), based on past glacial extents in the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, Chirripó National Park in Costa Rica, and the Páramo del Sol in Colombia.  At these sites, my research group has constrained the timing of past glacial extents using surficial mapping and ¹⁰Be surface exposure dating, and inferred past climate conditions using glacial modeling and analyses of lake sediment cores.  The results show a consistent pattern of ~7-9°C of cooling relative to preindustrial time at high elevations across the tropics.  While this magnitude of cooling is larger than that inferred from tropical sea-surface temperature proxies, the records can be reconciled by assuming a steepening of the lapse rate during, consistent with prior work in the Rwenzori Mountains using lake sediments.  Together, these data suggest that the lapse rate was steeper during the LGM, indicating a drier tropical atmosphere.  Post-LGM glacier recession in the tropics occurred prior to the rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases, suggesting an alternative mechanism for tropical warming at the end of the last glacial period, possibly related to atmospheric moisture.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Approaches to writing manuscripts and a short overview of ranking of publications

presented In Person by

Dr. Robert Loucks, Dr. Bill Ambrose, Dr. Peter Eichhubl

UTIG Seminar Series: Xian Wu, UT Dallas

Speaker: Xian Wu, Assistant Professor, Department of Sustainable Earth Systems Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas

Host: Yuko Okumura

Title: Tropical Pacific decadal prediction: the role of volcanic forcing and ocean initialization

Abstract: Decadal climate predictions for the next 1 to 10 years provide critical information for climate adaptation and resilience planning, bridging the gap between well-established seasonal forecasts and centennial projections. As an initial condition–boundary condition problem, decadal predictions rely on both oceanic initial states and external radiative forcings. However, decadal prediction skill remains very low in the tropical Pacific, where ocean-atmosphere processes act as powerful drivers of global climate variations. Here, I will address whether this low prediction skill in the tropical Pacific arises from forecast system deficiencies or intrinsic limits of climate predictability. I will show that the tropical Pacific decadal prediction skill is unexpectedly degraded by the inclusion of historical volcanic aerosol forcing in the prediction system, due to poor model fidelity in simulating volcanic responses. In contrast, the no-volcano prediction system exhibits high skill, arising from the initial-condition memory associated with oceanic Rossby wave adjustment in the tropical Pacific. Furthermore, I will demonstrate the influence of other ocean basins on tropical Pacific decadal prediction through regional ocean initialization experiments. These findings improve our understanding of prediction system behavior in the tropical Pacific, which is crucial for advancing Earth system predictions.

Bureau of Economic Geology Seminar Series

Sediment-hosted metal deposits in rift basins, geodynamic modeling

presented on Zoom by

Dr. Anne Glerum
GFZ, Helmgoltz Centre for Geosciences
Germany

Fall break / Thanksgiving

Fall break / Thanksgiving

Fall break / Thanksgiving

Fall break / Thanksgiving

Fall break / Thanksgiving

Fall break / Thanksgiving