Research Approach

The geologic record preserved at Earth's surface provides critical insights into the crustal, surface, tectonic, and other systems operating throughout our planet. Our research projects are grounded in field-based techniques including structural mapping, basin analysis, and balanced cross section construction. While not every project requires fieldwork, many of us get out into the field as much as possible to collect samples, make observations, take measurements, and learn from the landscape around us.

In the UTK Tectonics group, we use a variety of lab-based analyses (including geo-/thermochronology, stable isotope, and other data) to provide a quantitative framework for reconstructing geologic histories and linking deep Earth, crustal, climate, and other systems.

Numerical models allow us to examine deep-Earth, crustal, and climate systems and make predictions for how those processes manifest at the Earth’s surface. We use kinematic, flexural, and thermal history models to pose hypotheses and – by evaluating the model results alongside analytical data and field observations – validate our interpretations of crustal deformation or thermal evolution using the geologic record.