The highest peak in the Andes (Cerro Aconcagua, 7000 m elevation) seen above the clouds at sunrise from 100 km offshore.
My research interests include the development and application of seismic modeling and inversion techniques in the study of the lithosphere, sedimentary basins, and shallow targets. Study areas in North America, Europe and South America encompass most types of continental plate tectonic settings: shields (Grenville Province), platforms (Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, Mackenzie Delta, northwest Poland), young orogenic belts (southern Canadian Cordillera), passive margins (Iberia margin), active/recent extension (Basin and Range, Faeroe Basin in the northeast Atlantic), and convergent margins (central Chile).
I develop models of the seismic properties of the subsurface in two- and three-dimensions using artificial sources, and receiver arrays that are a few hundred meters to a few hundred kilometers long, both on land and at sea. In most cases this involves the interpretation of wide-angle seismic refraction/reflection data for P-wave velocity structure. I interpret these models along with existing information which may include surface geology, well data, and results from seismic reflection, earthquake, magnetotelluric, gravity, magnetic, and geothermal studies.
To suit a particular set of data or geologic target, I develop forward and inverse seismic modeling techniques. Most recently I am working on a new 3D simultaneous seismic refraction and reflection tomography algorithm to determine 3D velocity and interface structure. I am also involved in acquiring land and marine seismic data with colleagues at other academic institutions and in government and industry. Finally, I also study methodological apsects of traveltime tomography and inversion, such as:
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