Earth and Planetary Surface Processes
Dunes

Research

Our research is anchored in the dialogue between Earth geology and planetary science. On the one hand, we use mechanistic models of geological processes that were derived from terrestrial investigations to decipher paleo- and modern environments on Earth and other planets from their rocks and landscapes. On the other hand, extraterrestrial landscapes and rocks can in turn teach us about geological processes at large, and sometimes, about the Earth. Earth was a very different planet before the advent of macroscopic life, and studying ancient Earth is, in many respects, akin to planetary science.

We tackle a broad range of questions – all centered around developing and applying models of sedimentary and other geomorphic processes to better understand paleoenvironments on Earth and other planetary bodies. Example topics we have worked on in recent years include:

  •  Mechanics of bedform formation and evolution in fluvial and eolian environments, with implications for interpretations of sedimentary records on Earth, Mars, and Titan;
  • Formation, dynamics, and deposits of meandering rivers in unvegetated landscapes, with implications for our understanding of continental environments on pre-Silurian Earth and the surface of early Mars;
  • Development of new quantitative tools to decipher the sedimentary records of the Precambrian Earth and early Mars;
  • Applications of machine learning to the characterization of geomorphic and sedimentary features from microscopic- to global-scale image datasets on the Earth, Moon, and Mars;
  • Erosion of bedrock canyons by groundwater and overland flows, with applications to paleohydraulic reconstructions on Earth and Mars;
  • Exploration of the modern Martian eolian environment using orbiter- and rover-based instrumentation;
  • New spectroscopic techniques to constrain the mineral composition of planetary surfaces, with applications to a broad range of planetary bodies including the Moon, Mars, and Ceres.

Studying paleoenvironments and sedimentary processes is inherently a multidisciplinary endeavor. As a result, the tools we employ are varied – from field work, lab analyses, remote sensing and in situ robotic mission data analysis to conceptual, experimental, and numerical modeling.

For more specific details about our past and ongoing work, please visit our Publications page.