Lithosphere and Surface Processes (LSP) integrates geological processes across scales, from microscopic to global, and from fractions of a second to the age of the Earth. Tectonic processes shape the Earth’s surface through interactions among the deep interior, the lithosphere, the hydro-atmosphere, and the biosphere. This broad field at Yale encompasses:
- Studies of the Earth’s long-term sedimentary record, offering insights into past paleo-environments.
- Modern and ancient orogen studies, linking plate tectonics to climate, erosion, and tectonic geomorphology.
- Research on crustal-scale fluid flow associated with metamorphic and igneous processes.
- Accretion, deformation, and exhumation studies in convergent orogens, providing insights into crustal and upper-mantle processes within subduction zones and collisional mountain belts.
- Research on the Earth’s interior, tying mantle convection to plate tectonics via theoretical, experimental, and seismological techniques.
LSP at Yale is a global endeavor, with recent projects on all seven continents. We employ field work, laboratory data collection, experimental studies, and theoretical considerations to solve problems that are interdisciplinary by nature. Our in-house departmental facilities include a trace element facility with a multi-collector ICP-MS, an electron microprobe, environmental SEM, paleomagnetic laboratory, high-pressure mineral physics laboratory, and broadband seismometer pool. We routinely collaborate with geochronologists to provide the time dimension in our tectonic studies.
