National Central University > College of Earth Sciences > Graduate Institute of Applied Geology > Active Tectonics Research Laboratory
About our lab
Our lab studies active deformation, earthquakes, and the active geological structures that cause them. We combine geodetic techniques, tectonic geomorphology, paleoseismology, Quaternary dating methods, and structural geology.
This work supports the assessment of seismic and fault-displacement hazards, and it addresses fundamental questions about how active faults behave and how tectonic provinces evolve, particularly fold-and-thrust belts.
We also pursue related topics in collaboration with other researchers in Taiwan and worldwide, including erosion rates and processes, river and hillslope morphometry, fault rocks, mud volcanoes, geoarchaeology, rock properties, analogue modeling and so on.
Our approach
Active deformation unfolds over many timescales, and we study it across all of them.
- Recent deformation (seconds - individual earthquakes- to decades): Geodetic measurements of ground displacement across the earthquake cycle show how faults accumulate and release strain.
- Deformation over millennia: Deformed Holocene sediments and landforms record repeated earthquakes. Tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology let us locate active structures, determine their kinematics (slip sense and slip rate), and constrain when large earthquakes occurred over past centuries to millennia.
- Deformation over millions of years: Geological mapping and structural geology (including cross-section construction), combined with geophysical datasets, constrain the geometry of active faults and folds at depth and reveal how the region has evolved over the past million years or so.
=> Implication for seismic and fault-displacement hazards:
Fault location, geometry, slip sense and rate, are key input information that researchers or engineers will need to evaluate seismic hazard in the coming decades (calculation of probabilistic seismic hazard (PSHA) maps), and to simulate ground motion and coseismic surface displacement for infrastructure design.
Training and skills
Graduate students in our lab take a dedicated 3-credit course in active tectonics and carry out a research project using the approaches above, and most likely focusing on active deformation or structures in Taiwan.
Technical skills typically gained include:
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS), on computers and tablets
- Analysis of topographic data (DEMs)
- Acquisition and processing of UAV (drone) data
- Field observation of landscapes, Quaternary sediments, sedimentary units, and tectonic structures
- Construction of cross-section and experience with structural geology software (e.g., MOVE Suite)
- Programming and data analysis (e.g., Matlab)
Through their project, students will also develop analytical and critical thinking, teamwork, scientific communication, and daily English communication.
Career paths
Our Master's graduates are prepared for roles in geoscience consulting companies and government agencies working on engineering geology, GIS, resource exploration, and natural hazards. Others go on to doctoral studies in Earth Sciences.
Interested in joining us?
Contact us with your CV and a short statement of interest, or to request a meeting for further discussion.