Through the processes of accretion, differentiation, and plate tectonics, the Earth formed a core, mantle and crust. For over 4 billion years, it has erupted lava, grown continents, recycled oceanic plates back into the mantle, and consequently built up internal structures that can be imaged using seismology. By analyzing massive datasets of ground vibration recordings gathered by programs such as EarthScope, I work to image the structures and elucidate the processes in the deep Earth. I do so by developing and applying techniques capable of quantifying uncertainty in inferences about our planet’s deep interior. This information enables the quantitative testing of hypotheses regarding processes responsible for break-up of continents, creation of oceanic islands, and the pattern of circulation in the Earth’s interior.
Awards and Achievements
- NSF CAREER award
- Charles F. Richter Early Career Award (Seismological Society of America)