Geophysics

Geomechanics and Geofluids

UT GeoMechanics and GeoFluids is a state-of-the-art rock and sediment mechanics lab focused on the rheology, deformation and hydrogeology of Earth materials.

The lab addresses fundamental research questions that underpin geohazards, Earth resources, and the carbon cycle, through learning about our planet’s crust and the processes that shape its surface and climate.

The lab includes facilities for pressure core experimentation and geotechnical analysis.

• Contact Peter Flemings and Demian Saffer for details.

Mineral & Rock Physics

The Rock Deformation Lab has a number of capabilities including Bevo-Q that measures the attenuation of seismic waves in liquids, a WIGED apparatus, an NER AutoLab 1500, an ultrasonic facility, a pycnometer, a low-pressure permeameter, and other capabilities.

• Contact Nicola Tisato for details.

Paleomagnetism

The Paleomagnetic Laboratory helps research the magnetic field of ancient rocks.

Equipment includes an automatic handler system created at California Institute of Technology and adapted for current research needs. Scientists and students can keep up with changes to our system by keeping in touch with the other 6 similar systems in the world and RAPID Consortium.

• Contact John Kappelman for details.

Portable Field Equipment

Geophysical equipment–often portable field equipment–includes a number of items: gravimeters (including a GWR superconducting gravimeter), seismometers, magnetometers, and a vibroseis seismic source. The latter is managed through the NSF facility in Civil Engineering, creates low and high frequency 3-axis shaking.

• Contact Kyle Spikes for details.

Seismic Data Interpretation

[Content coming soon]

• Contact Stephen Grand for details.

Additional research in geophysics is carried out at UTIG