School of Earth and Sustainability
Virtual Visit Request info Apply
MENUMENU
  • Degrees & Programs
    • Undergraduate
      • Environmental and Sustainability Studies BA
      • Environmental and Sustainability Studies BS
      • Environmental Sciences BS
      • Earth Science BSED
      • Geology BS
      • Minors
        • Environmental Sustainability Minor
        • Environmental Sciences Minor
        • Geology Minor
    • Graduate
      • Environmental Sciences and Policy MS
      • Geology MS
      • Climate Science and Solutions MS
      • Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability PhD
      • Conservation Ecology graduate certificate
      • Greenhouse Gas Accounting graduate certificate
  • People
    • Faculty & Staff
      • Faculty Profiles
      • Administrative Staff
      • Research Staff
      • Affiliates & Emeritus Faculty
      • Directory
    • Students
      • Master’s Students in Environmental Science & Policy
      • Master’s Students in Geology
      • Master’s Students in Climate Science & Solutions
      • PhD Students in Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability
    • Alumni
      • Alumni – CSS
      • Alumni – Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
      • Alumni – Geology
  • Research
    • Research Themes
      • Ecology & Conservation
      • Environment & Society
      • Environmental Chemistry
      • Past & Present Climate Change
      • Sedimentary Geology & Geomorphology
      • Tectonics & Earth’s Interior
      • Water Management, Policy & Science
  • Resources
    • Professional Development
      • Career Services
      • Undergraduate Research
      • ENV Internship or Research
      • Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
    • Academics & Support
      • Diversity and Inclusion
      • Undergraduate Student Resources
      • Graduate Student Resources
      • Undergraduate Advising
      • International Opportunities
    • Financing
      • Financial Aid
      • Scholarships and Awards
  • Give
  • About
    • Seminars
    • News
    • Events
  • NAU
  • School of Earth and Sustainability
  • Tectonics & Earth’s Interior

School of Earth & Sustainability

Email:
SES.Admin​@nau.edu
Call:
928-523-9333

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.

Who we are

  • Faculty and research staff Tab Open

  • Research laboratories Tab Closed

  • Collaborators Tab Closed

Faculty and research staff Accordion Open

  • James Gaherty – earthquake seismology, geodynamics
  • Ryan Porter – geophysics, seismology, tectonics
  • Christine Regalla – structural geology, active tectonics, tectonic geomorphology
  • James Sample – tectonics, geochemistry, geoscience education
  • Donna Shillington – geophysics, seismology, tectonics
  • Michael Smith – sedimentary geology, geochronology, paleogeography
  • Casey Tierney – geochemistry, volcanology
  • Mary Reid – igneous petrology, isotope geochemistry (Emeritus)
  • Michael Ort – volcanology, crustal petrology (Emeritus)
  • Nancy Riggs – volcanology, tectonics (Emeritus)

Research laboratories Accordion Closed

  • SEM lab
  • ICP – Mass Spectrometer

Collaborators Accordion Closed

At NAU
  • Astronomy and Planetary Science
Outside NAU
  • USGS Astrogeology Science Center (ASC)
  • USGS Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center (GMEGSC)
  • Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS)
  • Northern Arizona Planetary Science Association (NAPSA)

nau students study volcanoes in SES programs

For students

  • Degree programs Tab Open

  • Graduate-level courses Tab Closed

Degree programs Accordion Open

  • Undergraduate students interested in studying tectonics typically pursue Bachelor’s of Science (BS) degrees in Geology. Emphasis areas in Applied Geology and Geophysics are also available within the major.
  • At the Master’s level students interested in tectonics pursue the thesis-based Geology Master’s of Science (MS) degree. In addition to thesis work this degree provides students with a broad geologic background ideal for a wide variety of careers in the Geosciences.
  • The Earth Systems emphasis in the Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability PhD program is an innovative and flexible interdisciplinary program that integrates several sub disciplines to address outstanding questions in tectonics.

Graduate-level courses Accordion Closed

  • GLG 516 Petrologic Phase Equilibria
  • GLG 542 Advanced Structural Geology
  • GLG 561 Regional Tectonics
  • GLG 565 Introduction to Solid Earth Geophysics
  • GLG 570 Geochemistry
  • GLG 612 Igneous Petrology
  • GLG 615 Metamorphic Petrology
  • GLG 617 Isotope Geology
  • GLG 625 Siliciclastic Petrology
  • GLG 627 Depositional Systems
  • GLG 629 Evolution of Sedimentary Basins
  • EES 698 – 1-2 seminar classes on specific tectonics topics are typically offered each year

School of Earth & Sustainability
Location
Room A108 Building 11
Ashurst
624 S Knoles Dr
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Contact Form
Email
SES.Admin@nau.edu
Phone
928-523-9333
Fax
928-523-7423
Social Media
Visit us on Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Youtube