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Tectonics & Earth's Interior

Study of Earth's internal and surface processes, plate boundaries, crustal processes, and landscape evolution to understand plate boundary processes and tectonic evolution of the American Cordillera.

Geophysical fieldwork among the cinder cones of the San Francisco volcanic field

Research Focus

Study of Earth’s internal and surface processes, plate boundaries, crustal processes, and landscape evolution. Our research addresses plate boundary processes, crustal and mantle dynamics, interaction between surface and deeper processes, and tectonic evolution of the American Cordillera.

Research Questions

  • What are the processes at plate boundaries?
  • How do crustal and mantle dynamics work?
  • How do surface and deeper processes interact?
  • What is the tectonic evolution of the American Cordillera?

Research Areas

  • Plate boundary processes
  • Crustal dynamics
  • Mantle dynamics
  • Surface-interior process interactions
  • American Cordillera evolution
  • Structural geology
  • Earthquake seismology
  • Geophysical imaging

Methods and Techniques

  • Seismological analysis
  • Geophysical surveys
  • Structural field mapping
  • Geodynamic modeling
  • Geochronology
  • Petrological analysis
  • Remote sensing

Applications

Research applications include:

  • Earthquake hazard assessment
  • Natural resource exploration
  • Geotechnical site characterization
  • Understanding regional geology
  • Tectonic hazard evaluation

Student Training

Students gain experience in:

  • Field mapping techniques
  • Geophysical data analysis
  • Laboratory instrumentation
  • Numerical modeling
  • Structural analysis
  • Scientific communication

Regional Focus

Special emphasis on:

  • American Cordillera
  • Western United States tectonics
  • Plate boundary zones
  • Active tectonic regions

Collaborators

At NAU:

  • Astronomy and Planetary Science

Outside NAU:

  • USGS Astrogeology Science Center
  • USGS Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
  • Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology
  • Northern Arizona Planetary Science Association

For Students

Students can pursue degrees in:

  • Undergraduate: BS in Geology
  • Master’s: Geology MS (thesis-based)
  • PhD: Earth Sciences & Environmental Sustainability with Earth Systems emphasis

Contact Information

Email: SES.Admin@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-9333
Location: Room A108, Ashurst Building, NAU, Flagstaff, AZ

Who we are

Recent publications

A high-resolution record of early rift development and tectonic, sedimentary and environmental conditions in an active rift basin: IODP MSP drilling in the Corinth Rift, Greece …

Lisa Clare McNeill, D. J. Shillington, Jeanine L. Ash, Gareth D.O. Carter, Richard Collier, Aleksandra Cvetkoska, Paula Diz, Mai-Linh Doan, Jez Everest, N. Fabregas, Eugenia Fatourou, Mary Ford, Robert L. Gawthorpe, Gino De Gelder, Maria Geraga, Jack Gillespie, Sophie Green, Romain Hemelsdaël, Emilio Herrero-Bervera, M. Ismaiel, Liliane Janikian, Cari L. Johnson, Aikaterini Kafetzidou, Όλγα Κουκουσιούρα, Katerina Kouli, Erwan Le Ber, Shunli Li, Marco Maffione, Carol Mahoney, M.L. Machlus, Fabienne Marret, Ilaria Mazzini, Georgios Michas, C. Miller, Casey W. Nixon, Sabire Asli Oflaz, Abah P. Omale, Kostas Panagiotopoulos, Roberta Parisi, Sofia Pechlivanidou, Marcie Purkey Phillips, Simone Sauer, Joana Seguin, Spyros Sergiou, Natalia V. Zakharova

Marine Geology · 2026 · 2 citations

Faculty Donna Shillington

From the full publication database, updated weekly.

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