Tectonics & Earth’s Interior

NAU students in SES study the Earth from the inside out

Tectonics is the broad study of how the Earth’s internal and surface processes control its evolution and structure. Studying these processes is fundamental for understanding volcanism, faulting, mountain building, natural hazards, and the location of resources within the Earth. Further, tectonic processes have feedbacks with the biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere that are important for life on Earth and its evolution.

The importance of knowledge about earth

In studying tectonics, students in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University develop a better understanding of the formation of the Earth, how landscapes have evolved through time, and our sense of place within the Earth and its history.

Because of this broad reach of Tectonics, it is a critical area of study for most careers in the geosciences. It is especially relevant for jobs in the energy and mining industries, engineering geology, education, working for many government agencies, and ecotourism.

The School of Earth and Sustainability research into tectonics addresses scientific questions including:

• How do plate boundary processes impact deformation at the margins of continents and within their interiors? How do these systems evolve through time?
• How do processes within the deep crust and mantle drive uplift, deformation, and volcanism observed at the Earth’s surface?
• How do surface processes control and effect larger tectonic processes? How do surface and deeper processes interact?
• What processes are controlling the tectonic evolution of the American Cordillera, specifically the Southwestern US and Northwestern Mexico? How and when did the landscape of the Southwest develop?

To address these questions, we draw on expertise in fields including basin analysis, geochronology, geochemistry, petrology, geophysics, stratigraphy, volcanology, and structural geology. Our faculty, staff, and students leverage this expertise to answer cutting edge geologic problems both locally and around the world in regions such as the western Pacific, Anatolia, South America, and North America, and Africa.

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