Kinematics and Dynamics
of the Lithosphere

[Stony Brook Geophysics] [Department of Geosciences] [SUNY at Stony Brook] [Links]

The main efforts of this research lab are devoted to the understanding of the kinematics and dynamics of crustal deformation in (diffuse) plate boundary zones. The kinematics teach us about the dynamics, and vice versa.

Kinematic studies are aimed at obtaining velocity and strain rate tensor field estimates within areas of deformation, inferred from Quaternary fault slip rates, earthquake moment tensors, and geodetic data. Special focus is on how and where plate motions are accommodated within areas of diffuse deformation, the relationship between long-term and short-term deformation rates, and the interpretation of the results in terms of seismic hazard.

Dynamic studies are aimed at the investigation of the driving forces of crustal deformation in the western United States and Asia. The absolute contributions to the regional stress field of plate interactions and gravitational potential energy differences are estimated.

The Kinematics of Crustal Deformation

We are currently working on several different projects:

  1. Kinematics of Central and Southeast Asia
    Prof. Bill Holt & Corné Kreemer

  2. Deformation in Pakistan
    Prof. Dan Davis & Saad Haq & Prof. Bill Holt

  3. A Global Strain Rate Map
    Prof. Bill Holt & Corné Kreemer
    Check out the Strain Rate Map Archive managed on the UNAVCO website

  4. Strain Accumulation in California
    Prof. Bill Holt  & Bingming Shen-Tu

  5. A New No-Net-Rotation Model
    Prof. Bill Holt  & Corné Kreemer

Past studies performed in this lab were aimed at understanding deformation in New Zealand, Indian Ocean, Japan, and the Explorer plate region (off-shore Vancouver Island).

 

If you would like to see movies of large-scale deformation that we have created in this lab, please go here . There are examples of Asia, California, New Zealand, and Pakistan.

 

A nice overview of the current work on crustal deformation in this lab can also be found on the UNAVCO website.

 

NEW !! Download programs and instructions to determine velocity and strain rate estimates within zones of deformation.

The Dynamics of the Lithosphere & Plate Boundary Zones

  1. The Dynamics of Central and Southeast Asia
    Prof. Bill Holt  & Lucy Flesch

  2. The Dynamics of the Western United States
    Prof. Bill Holt  & Lucy Flesch

  3. Understanding the 1998 Antarctic Plate Earthquake
    Prof. Bill Holt  & Corné Kreemer

  4. Shear Wave Splitting versus Surface Strain
    Prof. Bill Holt

Relevant Recent Publications - Clickable titles are available as pdf files.

 

  1. Kreemer, C., W.E. Holt,and A.J. Haines, The global moment rate distribution within plate boundary zones, in Plate Boundary Zones ,AGU Monograph, eds. S. Stein and J.T. Freymueller, 2002.
  2. Kreemer, C., and W.E. Holt, A No-Net-Rotation model of present-day surface motions, Geophysical Research Letters, 2001.
  3. Flesch, L.M., W.E. Holt, and A.J. Haines, Dynamics of the India-Eurasia collision zone, Journal of Geophysical Research, 106, 16,435-16,460, 2001.
  4. Kreemer, C., J. Haines, W.E. Holt, G. Blewitt, and D. Lavallée, On the determination of a global strain rate model , Earth Planets and Space, 52, 765-770, 2000.
  5. Holt, W.E., N. Chamot-Rooke, X. Le Pichon, A.J. Haines, B. Shen-Tu, and J. Ren, Velocity field in Asia inferred from Quaternary fault slip rates and Global Positioning System observations, Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 19,185-19,209, 2000.
  6. Kreemer, C., and W.E. Holt, What caused the March 25, 1998 Antarctic plate earthquake?: inferences from regional stress and strain rate fields, Geophysical Research Letters, 27 , 2297-2300, 2000.
  7. Bernard, M.B., B. Shen-Tu, W.E. Holt, and D.M. Davis, Kinematics of active deformation in the Sulaiman Lobe and Range, Pakistan, Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 13,253-13,279, 2000.
  8. Flesch, L.M., W.E. Holt, A.J. Haines, and B. Shen-Tu, Dynamics of the Pacific-North American plate boundary zone in the western United States, Science, 287, 834-836, 2000.
  9. Kreemer, C., W.E. Holt, S. Goes, and R. Govers, Active deformation in deformation in eastern Indonesia and the Philippines from GPS and seismicity data, Journal of Geophysical Research, 105, 663-680, 2000.
  10. Holt, W.E., Correlated crust and mantle strain fields in Tibet, Geology, 28, 67-70. 2000.
  11. Shen-Tu, B., W.E. Holt, and A.J. Haines, Deformation kinematics of the western United States determined from Quaternary fault slip rates and geodetic data, Journal of Geophysical Research, 104, 28,927-28,955, 1999.
  12. Shen-Tu, B., W.E. Holt, and A.J. Haines, Contemporary kinematics in the Western United States determined from earthquake moment tensors, very long baseline interferometry, and GPS observations, Journal of Geophysical Research, 103, 18,087-18,117, 1998.
  13. Kreemer, C., R. Govers, K. P. Furlong, and W. E. Holt, Plate boundary deformation between the Pacific and North America in the Explorer region, Tectononophysics, 293, 225-238, 1998.
  14. Haq, S.S.B., and D.M. Davis, Oblique convergence and the lobate mountain belts of western Pakistan, Geology, 25, 23-26, 1997.
  15. Silver, P.G., and W.E. Holt, The Mantle Flow Field Beneath Weatern North America, Science, 295, 1054-1057, 2002.

 

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[Stony Brook Geophysics] [Department of Geosciences] [SUNY at Stony Brook] [Links]