The Deformation & Structures team studies geological phenomena spanning all temporal scales, from seconds to millions of years.
We use space-based geodesy and seismology to monitor the steady build-up of stresses that generate large earthquakes, seismic and aseismic slip events at tectonic plate boundaries, and slow, transient deformation in continental interiors. We complement these observational approaches by laboratory investigations of brittle rupture processes in near-surface to high-pressure conditions, as well as mechanical and numerical modeling of deformation on and around complex fault systems.
The team further investigates how deformation accumulates over geological time to shape major structures such as mobile belts, rifted margins and mid-ocean ridges. To this end, we leverage multi-disciplinary approaches, from structural geology (on land and at the seafloor, with the use of innovative submersible technology) to seismic imaging, large-scale plate kinematics and geodynamic modeling. Lithosphere rheology is a unifying theme among most of the team’s activities, as we all seek to understand how tectonic plates — and the underlying asthenosphere — deform from grain to macro-scale, and respond to a variety of forcings, whether geological (e.g., mineral transformations, magmatism, fluid circulation…) or climate-related (e.g., hydrological loading of faults, surface processes…).