Marine Geology and Geophysics
Faculty
The COAS Marine Geology and Geophysics program emphasizes five themes: crust and mantle processes, active tectonics, paleoceanography and paleoclimatolory, biogeochemical processes, and coastal processes. COAS researchers also work closely with researchers in OSU Geosciences.
Crust and Mantle Processes
Research focuses on the interplay of magmatic and tectonic processes along the global mid-ocean ridge system, volcanic and tectonic history of oceanic hotspots, tectonic evolution of ocean basins, and the dynamics of the Earth's mantle. This research involves a substantial geochemical component that is supported by several laboratories.
Gas Hydrates
EarthScope National Office
EmScope
40Ar/39Ar Geochronology
HiCLIMB
Moment-Tensors
Active Tectonics
Research focuses on the study of active submarine faults in convergent and strike-slip settings, which leads to models that provide understanding of how deformation interacts with subduction. COAS is active in the emerging field of marine paleoseismology, which deciphers the earthquake history of large-fault systems from the geologic record to better understand earthquake and tsunami hazards.
Gorda Escarpment
Cascadia Subduction Zone Structure - SHIPS
Cascadia Subduction Earthquakes and Tsunami
Southern California Borderland Tectonics
Gorda Plate Tectonics
Sumatra Great Earthquakes
Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology
Research emphasizes the ice ages as a natural laboratory for understanding climate change. Recent projects include factors causing changes in global ocean circulation and the global carbon cycle, documenting the role oceans play in long-term climate changes, the role that unstable tropical climates play in triggering global climate effects, and analyzing patterns of large-scale climate change.
Biogeochemical Processes
Research focuses on understanding the implications of ocean fluxes and the influence of microorganisms on the Earth's geological and geochemical systems. Scientists are also involved in the search for life in extreme environments.
Coastal Processes
Research includes the fluid dynamics of near-shore waves and currents, sediment transport driven by those flows, and the morphologies created by these systems. The Coastal Imaging Laboratory supports a broad array of digital imaging tools to monitor coastal variations in locations that span the globe and include real-time observing systems based on radar and satellite measurements.
Links
| 
