UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN
GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
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> Home > Research > Tectonics, Structural Geology and Geomorphology
Research in tectonics, structural geology, and geomorphology at the University of Michigan involves five faculty members, two research
scientists, several post-doctoral fellows, and nearly a dozen graduate students. Active research projects span the globe — from the Tibetan Plateau,
to the Bolivian Andes, to eastern Africa and central Asia — and the geologic time scale, from the Precambrian to the Holocene. Field work is an integral
aspect of the research of all of the groups, in conjunction with a variety of analytical and computational tools, many of which are available within the
department. Follow the links for individual faculty members below to learn more about the exciting research in tectonics, structural geology, and geomorphology
taking place at the University of Michigan!
Marin Clark
| Assistant Professor |
PhD 2003, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Marin Clark's broad interests are in geomorphology, plate tectonics, and
geodynamics. Her research focuses on how topography and erosion relate
to deformation of the continental lithosphere.
Todd Ehlers
| Assistant Professor and Edman Faculty Fellow |
PhD 2001, University of Utah |
Todd Ehlers and his research group investigate the interactions between climate, tectonic, and surface processes in active mountain belts. His research uses an integration of
different techniques including: numerical modeling of atmospheric, erosional, and lithospheric processes, thermochronology, cosmogenic isotopes, and field work. Active
research areas for his group include the Himalaya and Andes Mountains, Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Sierra Nevada of California, Spanish Pyrenees, and the Swiss Alps.
Nathan Niemi
| Assistant Professor |
PhD 2002, California Institute of Technology |
Nathan Niemi's current research interests are in the fields of tectonics and field geology, with an emphasis on
active intra-continental tectonic systems. He employs a wide range of techniques in the study of neotectonic deformation, including field mapping,
thermochronology, cosmogenic nuclide dating, and GPS geodesy. He has active research projects in the Basin and Range province of the
western United States, the Transverse Ranges of California, and the Greater Caucasus in Azerbaijan.
Ben van der Pluijm
| Professor |
PhD 1984, University of New Brunswick |
The research interests of Ben's structure group range from crustal architecture, to the evolution of foreland mountain belts, to outcrop-scale brittle and ductile faults, to microstructural elements of rocks. The group typically consists
of a mix of undergraduates, MSc and PhD students, and PDFs. Using a wide range of approaches that include geothermochronology, X-ray analysis, magnetic anisotropy, (electron) microscopy and geochemical techniques,
the processes and geologic evolution of structural features at various scales are analyzed. Projects are typically field-oriented, but include a significant modern laboratory component. Current and recent field areas of the group are in North America,
Spain, New Zealand, Brazil and Uganda. Collaboration with other faculty at UM is actively encouraged, as are research partnerships with colleagues elsewhere.
Rob Van der Voo
| Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Geological Sciences |
PhD 1969, University of Utrecht |
Rob Van der Voo uses paleomagnetic techniques and analyses as tools to resolve tectonic problems. His particular areas of interest include
pre-Mesozoic paleomagnetism and plate tectonics; tectonics of the Caribbean and Mediterranean areas, Hercynian Europe and central Asia;
rock magnetism and electron microscopy of sediments and ocean-floor basalts; Neogene magnetostratigraphy and environmental conditions of northeast
Tibet; Structure and tectonics of orogenic belts; Oroclinal bending; General geodynamics as related to mantle tomography and paleogeography.
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| Eastern Cordillera, northern Bolivia |
| Ben van der Pluijm examining surface cracks |
| Cambrian section in Greenland |
| Mud flows from a mud volcano, Azerbaijan |
| El Capitan, Yosemite National Park |
| Measuring stream discharge during a Camp Davis field course |
| Sampling by helicopter in the Coast Mountains, British Columbia |
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