Research Programs
 

Earth Science research at Rice spans a wide range of research topics, which fall broadly under two principal research themes: Solid Earth Dynamics (SED) and Earth Systems Science (ESS), along with several highly interdisciplinary programs.
 


Solid Earth Dynamics (SED)

Rice Solid Earth research focuses on understanding the structure, kinematics, dynamics and evolution of the solid Earth, and in particular, relationships among driving mechanisms (e.g., convection within the Earth's outer core and mantle), and responses manifest in the lithosphere (e.g., geochemical differentiation, volcanism, plate tectonic motions, lithospheric deformation, mountain building, and true polar wander).
 

Earth Systems Science (ESS)

Rice ESS research focuses on interactions that take place near the Earth's surface with components of the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere. Research focuses on the exchange of mass during such interactions over a wide range of time scales (e.g., seasonal to millennial), throughout the past, present, and future, with emphasis on how they impact the rock record, the climate, and biological evolution.
 

Major Research Topics Include:

 

Each of these topics is summarized below, along with a list of associated faculty:

 

Seismology (ESD):

Dugan, Levander, Niu, Sawyer, Symes, Zelt, Danbom (adjunct).

Seismic imaging is a cornerstone of modern Earth science, providing images of the subsurface that are used to constrain geological, geochemical, and geodynamic theories for the origin and evolution of the planet. The Rice Seismology group works on imaging and interpreting heterogeneities in Earth's interior at various scales to better understand fundamental chemical and physical processes within the planet. We focus on imaging the fine seismic structures near the surface, the sedimentary basins, plate boundary zones, mountain belts and continental margins, and the boundary layers associated with Earth's mantle convection systems, the lithosphere, the mantle transition zone, the core-mantle boundary layer, and the structure of the inner and outer core. Rice seismologists currently have controlled and natural source seismic field programs in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

  • - Reflection seismology: Levander, Sawyer, Dugan, Danbom (adjunct).
  • - Refraction seismology: Levander, Zelt, Sawyer.
  • - Global seismology: Levander, Niu.
  • - Seismic imaging methodology: Symes, Zelt.

 

Structural Geology, Tectonics, and Paleomagnetism (ESD):

Gordon, Morgan, Sawyer, Avé Lallemant (emeritus).

The processes that govern the formation and deformation of Earth's crust are investigated through a combination of terrestrial and marine field studies, geodesy, seismic data acquisition and interpretation, as well as physical and numerical modeling. Research topics include the formation and evolution of oceanic lithosphere and crust and the corresponding record of plate motions and apparent polar wander, the coupled processes responsible for deformation of the crust and upper mantle during rifting and plate convergence, and the deformation structures that result. This group maintains a wide range of seismic processing, numerical modeling, and data visualization tools.

  • - Structural Geology: Morgan, Avé Lallemant (emeritus).
  • - Marine and Global Tectonics: Gordon, Morgan, Sawyer.
  • - Tectonophysics and Paleomagnetism: Gordon.

 

Geodynamics (ESD):

Dasgupta, Gonnermann, Gordon, Lee, Lenardic, Morgan, Sawyer.

Dynamic processes within the solid Earth control the formation and evolution of the Earth's crust and mantle. Research topics addressed by the global geodynamics group include the formation and structure of the continents, the influence of the asthenosphere on mantle convection, mantle dynamics, volcanic degassing and its effects on long term climate evolution, the generation and maintenance of plate tectonics, lithospheric deformation, plateau formation, true polar wander, and the role of volatiles in Earth's geologic evolution. Our research employs a combination of theory, numerical simulations, laboratory experiments, and data analysis to address issues related to the physical workings and thermal/chemical evolution of our planet.

  • - Lithosphere Geodynamics: Gordon, Morgan, Sawyer.
  • - Global Geodynamics: Dasgupta, Gonnermann, Lee, Lenardic.
  • - Magma Dynamics: Gonnermann.

 

High-Temperature Geochemistry (ESD):

Dasgupta, Lee.

High temperature research areas at Rice include experimental petrology, mantle geochemistry, volcanology, cosmochemistry, isotope geochemistry, and igneous and metamorphic petrology. Faculty research includes magma genesis processes beneath oceanic islands and mid-ocean ridges, volcanism and volatile-cycling in subduction zones, the process of core formation and early Earth differentiation, continent formation, and planetary differentiation. The department houses various mass spectrometric facilities, an infrared spectrometer, a laser ablation system, and other bulk and micro-analytical instruments, as well as experimental devices to simulate high pressure and high temperature conditions relevant for the Earth's deep crust to upper mantle.

  • - Experimental Petrology: Dasgupta.
  • - Isotope and Trace Element Geochemistry: Dasgupta, Lee.
  • - Mantle Geochemistry: Dasgupta, Lee.
  • - Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology: Dasgupta, Lee.

 

Volcanic Processes (ESD):

Gonnermann, Lee, Morgan, McGovern (adjunct).

Volcanoes play a major role in continental and oceanic crustal evolution and provide a view into deep Earth geochemistry. Departmental research includes the study of physical porcesses associated with magma formation, migration, and eruption, the geochemical and petrological differentiation within volcanic systems, the internal composition, structure and evolution of volcanoes, and the distribution of volcanic stresses, deformation, and seismicity. Departmental faculty conduct field work in volcanic provinces of Hawaii, North America, Europe, and Africa, augmented by physical and numerical modeling, as well as geochemical and petrological analysis.

  • - Petrology & Geochemistry: Lee.
  • - Physical Volcanology: Gonnermann.
  • - Volcanotectonics: Morgan, McGovern (adjunct).

 

Planetary Science (ESD):

Dasgupta, Lee, Lenardic, Lüttge, Morgan, Mackwell (adjunct), McGovern (adjunct).

Research in planetary science at Rice spans the fields of geodynamics, volcanic processes, petrology, and geochemistry. Numerical modeling is used to characterize mantle convection and crustal evolution on other planets. Growth and deformation of Martian volcanoes is interpreted through image analysis, mechanical modeling, and flexural studies. The geochemistry of lunar and Martian meteorites provides insights into the origin and evolution of these planetary bodies. Laboratory experiments provide instights into the structure and chemistry of metallic cores in various planetary bodies and the process of core formation in terrestrial planets. The proximity of NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) and the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) ensures a lively exchange between JSC and LPI scientists and Rice faculty and students, enabling shared use of analytical facilities, joint research projects, and course offerings in planetary science. Rice and NASA scientists frequently co-advise graduate students, and many of our undergraduates perticipate in summer intern programs at the LPI. Our department is a member of the recently funded Center for Lunar Science Exploration, which is an integral piece of the National Lunar Science Institute.

  • - Planetary Dynamics & Mechanics: Lenardic, Mackwell (adjunct), McGovern (adjunct).
  • - Planetary Petrology & Geochemistry: Dasgupta, Gonnermann, Lee.
  • - Planetary Dynamics & Volcanology: Morgan, McGovern (adjunct).

 

Low-Temperature Geochemistry (ESS):

Dickens, Droxler, Lee, Lüttge, Masiello, Xiao (adjunct).

Low-temperature geochemical and geobiological processes govern near-surface Earth processes, including mineral precipitation, dissolution, and alteration, and chemical transfer in the environment. Low-temperature research areas at Rice include mineral dissolution kinetics, diagenesis and mineral alteration, chemical oceanography, soil biogeochemistry, and chemical weathering. The dynamics and kinetics of fluid/mineral and fluid/rock interactions are studied experimentally using Vertical Scanning Interferometry, Electron and Atomic Force Microscopy and modelling techniques like Monte Carlo and ab initio methods. Tools of modern analytical chemistry (nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, isotope geochemistry) are used to understand th Earth's carbon cycle, and to study the mechanisms and timescales of carbon movement between reservoirs. Other laboratory facilities are shared with high-temperature geochemistry research (above).

  • - Chemical Oceanography: Dickens, Droxler.
  • - Surface Chemistry / Biogeochemistry: Lüttge.
  • - Soil Biogeochemistry: Lee, Masiello.

 

Environmental Science (ESS):

Anderson, Dickens, Droxler, Dugan, Lee, Levander, Lüttge, Masiello, Morgan, Zelt.

Environmental science is a highly interdisciplinary field that addresses how humans interact with their environment. Faculty in the Department of Earth Science conduct research in a range of environmental areas, including carbon cycling, greenhouse gases, chemical and physical oceanography, coastal geology and sea-level change, coral reef evolution, geobiology and microbe-rock interactions, corrosion processes, water resources and contaminant transport, fate and transport of nanomaterials, slope stability, geophysical imaging, and geohazards. Field and laboratory studies on carbon in soil and rivers contribute to our understanding of mechanisms and timescales of carbon movement between reservoirs, motivated by interest in the fundamental functioning of the Earth system, and in carbon cycle changes driven by anthropogenic processes, with applications in greenhouse gas management. Investigations of slope stability, landslide mechanics, and geohazards are conducted in both marine and terrestrial settings, and through combined modeling and laboratory studies.

  • - Environmental Geochemistry: Dickens, Lee, Lüttge, Masiello.
  • - Environmental Geophysics: Levander, Zelt.
  • - Environmental Hazards: Anderson, Droxler, Dugan, Morgan.

 

Sedimentary Geology, Stratigraphy, and Surface Processes (ESS):

Anderson, Dickens, Droxler, Dugan, Abreu (adjunct), Harris (adjunct), Simo (adjunct).

Carbonate and clastic depositional systems, and sequence stratigraphic studies provide insights into the transfer and storage of sediments in marine environments, and the larger climatic processes that drive them. These processes can be used to investigate changes in sea-level through time, ice-volume storage, and glacial retreat rates over large time and space scales. Ongoing marine geological research offshore of Antarctica focuses on climate in the region during the Holocene, to gain a better understanding of the factors that regulate climate change and how these changes have influenced glaciers and ice sheets. Coastal studies, for example, along the Texas coast, focus on predicting the response of coastal environments to climate change and accelerated sea-level rise. Other studies look at shallow basin systems to understand how ancient systems formed and evolved. Research programs in carbonate and mixed clastic-carbonate systems currently focus on late Quaternary and Cenozoic evolution of the shelf edges, platform margins, slopes and adjacent basins in Maldives, the Great Barrier Reef, the Western Gulf of Mexico, and Gulf of Papua, and the Belize margin.

  • - Sequence Stratigraphy: Anderson, Droxler, Abreu (adjunct), Harris (adjunct), Simo (adjunct)
  • - Carbonate Systems & Coral Reefs: Dickens, Droxler.
  • - Antarctic Studies: Anderson.
  • - Coastal Processes: Anderson, Dugan.
  • - Slope Processes: Droxler, Dugan.

 

Global Change (ESS):

Anderson, Dickens, Droxler, Masiello.

Past responses of the Earth system to climatic and environmental changes are recorded at millennial, century, decadal, annual and seasonal time scales in marine, lake and terrestrial sediments, soil deposits, corals, tree rings and ice cores. These geological records provide an unique framework to understand the Earth surface dynamics in terms of environments and climatic changes and to assess to what extent recent natural and anthropogenic perturbations will impact those natural variations. Our research addresses both modern and paleoenvironmental questions through field programs and laboratory research at local-to-global scales. Ongoing projects focus on warm climates of the Paleogene and Cretaceous, intervals of dramatic climate change in Earth's history, and ice sheet stability and climate change in glaciated regions of West Antarctica and southern South America. Droxler's carbonate research includes coral reef and carbonate platform studies in tropical latitudes. Masillo's carbon cycle research includes foci in land-use change, carbon sequestration and basic controls of carbon fluxes within the earth system.

  • - Paleoclimatology/Paleoceanography: Anderson, Dickens, Droxler.
  • - Sea Level Change: Anderson, Dickens, Droxler.
  • - Carbon Cycle: Dickens, Masiello.

 

Geomechanics, Porous Media, and Hydrology (ESD, ESS):

Dickens, Dugan, Gonnermann, Morgan, Olgaard (adjunct).

Many fundamental research questions in the Earth sciences relate to the mechanical properties and behavior of Earth materials, and the origin, migration and storage of fluids and melts in the subsurface. Departmental research includes the collection of seismic data to image fluid migration and storage, and ocean drilling activites to obtain sediments and pore fluids for geochemical and geomechanical characterization. Laboratory studies provide high quality analysis of chemical cycling, fluid flow properties of sediments, and strength studies, with direct applications to hydrocarbon systems, unconventional energy resources such as gas hydrates, and to freshwater resources. These field and laboratory programs provide inputs and calibration for numerical models that simulate fluid-sediment and magma-rock interactions over geologic and human timescales. Discrete numerical simulations offer key insights into the mechanical behavior or rocks, sediments, and grains. Applications include slope stability, fault and earthquake mechanisms, rock failure, and migration and accumulation of magmas and magmatic fluids.

  • - Soil / Sediment Mechanics: Dugan, Morgan.
  • - Hydrogeology: Dugan.
  • - Gas Hydrates: Dickens, Dugan.
  • - Flow through Porous Media: Dickens, Dugan, Gonnermann.

 

Energy Resources (ESD, ESS):

Anderson, Dickens, Droxler, Dugan, Levander, Lüttge, Masiello, Morgan, Sawyer, Symes, and Zelt. Abreu (adjunct), Bissada (adjunct), Danbom (adjunct), Dravis (adjunct), Harris (adjunct), Jones (adjunct), Olgaard (adjunct), Reise (adjunct), Tari (adjunct), Bally (emeritus), Talwani (emeritus), and Vail (emeritus).

The Earth Science Department has a long tradition of energy-related research. More than half of the faculty members have research interests relevant to the energy industry, and a number have industrially sponsored research programs. The department also includes a large number of energy industry professionals serving as adjunct faculty members who take an active role in teaching and student research advising. Energy research at Rice encompasses a number of themes, including carbonate and clastic depositional systems, sequence stratigraphy, structural geology, tectonics, and geodynamics of petroleum producing regions, geochemical aspects of petroleum formation and production, and seismic imaging of hydrocarbon reservoirs. An industrially sponsored consortium managed by Symes, the Rice Inversion Project (TRIP), is developing advanced seismic reflection imaging and waveform inversion methods designed to extract estimates of rock mechanical properties form seismic reflection data.

  • - Carbon Sequestration: Masiello.
  • - Hydrate Geochemistry and Geomechanics: Dickens, Dugan.
  • - Low-Temperature Geochemistry: Lüttge, Masiello.
  • - Potential Field Methods: Zelt, Talawani (emeritus).
  • - Seismic imaging & Methodology: Levander, Symes, Zelt, Danbom (adjunct).
  • - Sequence Stratigraphy: Anderson, Droxler, Vail (emeritus), Abreu (adjunct), Harris (adjunct), Simo (adjunct).
  • - Structural & Stratigraphic Architecture: Anderson, Droxler, Dugan, Morgan, Sawyer, Bally (emeritus).