Geologist : Peter Polivka

Introducing Geologist Peter Polivka!

Interdisciplinary researcher looking to combine methods used in engineering to quantify geologic processes while examining the validity of assumptions made in engineering models. Currently focusing on geophysics and tectonics but also including geologic mapping, GIS, and groundwater.

Education:

University of Washington (2005 - 2010)

• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geology

  • • Undergrad Research: Previous studies have impacted material with steel spheres and measured the crater volumes or capture water droplets in flour and assumed the resulting dough balls capture original droplet volume. This work released droplets of controlled volume from sufficient height to reach terminal velocity into pulverized basalt and flour, to measure droplet volume to crater volume and link to all previous studies.

This work was done under the supervision of Dr. Sanjoy Som, as part of his dissertation and used in the publication: Som et at; Air Density 2.7 billion years ago to less than twice modern levels by fossil raindrop imprints; Nature 484 (7394) 359-362

University of Washington (2011 - 2013)

• Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Civil Engineering, Geotechnical

  • • Thesis Title: Tectonics of the Georgia Basin, northwest Washington State, USA, and southwest British Columbia, Canada

It had been generally accepted that deformation ceased at the Devil's Mountain fault against a Canadian backstop; recent geodetic observations and identification of the Sandy Point and Birch Bay faults. This work provided the first subsurface images of these faults while doubling the fault length. Other seismic profiles identified faults proximal to the 1997 Gabriola Island earthquake and identified a new fold-and-thrust belt in southwest British Columbia. This work supports extending strain rates over a larger area potentially decreasing the seismic hazard of Seattle while increasing that of Vancouver, BC.