University of Wisconsin-Madison

Post-Doc, Geoscience

Thesis Title: Kruckenberg, Seth C. (2009), The dynamics of migmatite domes in extending orogens, Ph.D. Thesis, 401 pp., University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

About

The majority of my research focuses on understanding the dynamic interactions between partial melting and strain localization at various levels of the lithosphere (deep crust, upper mantle). My research is heavily rooted in field observation and, in addition to structural methods, I utilize rock magnetism, textural analysis (EBSD), geochronology, and metamorphic petrology to address tectonic problems.

I am currently a Post-Doctoral Research Associate working with Dr. Basil Tikoff in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My current research concerns evaluating the relationships between deformation, melt segregation, and the formation of melt pathways in naturally deformed upper mantle sections in order to understand mantle rheology and the processes that give rise to dynamic strain localization in peridotites. My colleagues and I are currently pursuing these research interests through field-based investigations in two ultramafic massifs: the Red Hills Ultramafic Massif (Dun Mountain Ophiolite Belt, New Zealand) and the Twin Sisters Ultramafic Complex (Washington State, USA).

Additionally, I continue to work on exhumed deep crustal migmatite terrains in order to understand processes of high-temperature metamorphism and crustal anatexis, the partitioning of deformation between rheologically distinct lithospheric layers, the dynamics of gneiss/migmatite dome formation, and the flow of orogenic crust.

More information about my research interests and activities can be found in the pages of this website. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like additional information about any aspect of previous, current, or upcoming projects.

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