Planetary Tectonics & Geodynamics of Terrestrial Worlds
I study tectonic and geodynamic processes on Venus, Mars, and Ganymede through satellite-based geological mapping, analogue experiments, and numerical modelling — pursuing a comparative understanding of how rocky and icy worlds deform through time.
Systematic mapping of coronae morphology, radial and concentric fracture networks, and tessera terrain using Magellan SAR and altimetry — linking surface structural patterns to subsurface plume geometry and heat flux.
Characterising extensional rift zones, compressional fold-and-thrust belts (chasmata, ridge belts), and the interplay of horizontal stress fields — evaluating whether transient or episodic plate-tectonic episodes are recorded in the structural fabric.
Numerical and analogue models of plume–lithosphere interaction, heat-pipe and stagnant-lid regimes, and resurfacing mechanisms — constraining Venus's thermal history and the conditions under which a planet transitions between tectonic modes.
Mapping wrinkle ridge systems, lobate scarp geometries, and compressional fold-thrust belts using CTX, THEMIS, and HiRISE — measuring shortening magnitudes, fault dips, and cumulative strain to reconstruct the compressional stress history of Martian plains and highlands.
Modelling flexural loading from Tharsis and the resulting compressional stress field, together with global contraction from secular cooling — constraining elastic thickness, strain budgets, and the temporal sequence of compressional tectonics across Mars's geological history.
Numerical simulations of Martian mantle convection, lithospheric thickening, and thermal contraction — exploring why Mars evolved as a one-plate stagnant-lid planet and how interior cooling drove the compressional tectonic regime observed at the surface.
Mapping groove sets, cross-cutting relationships, and multi-ring impact basin structures using Galileo SSI and Voyager imagery — establishing structural chronology, basin rim geometry, and the influence of large impacts on the tectonic fabric of Ganymede's icy lithosphere.
Analysing normal fault kinematics in grooved terrain and the anomalous morphology of large craters in ice — central pits, domes, and multi-ring basins whose relaxed forms encode ice rheology and shell thickness at the time of impact.
Hypervelocity impact cratering simulations in icy targets using iSALE — modelling shock pressure, melt generation, and crater scaling in layered ice-over-ocean systems. Combined with ocean–ice geodynamic models to interpret the tectonic response to large basin-forming events on icy ocean worlds.
Approaches & Tools
Scaled laboratory experiments using silicone polymers, granular sand, and layered viscous materials to replicate tectonic and volcanic processes under controlled conditions. Quantifies fault geometry, strain localisation, and plume–lithosphere interaction kinematics.
Advanced Solver for Problems in Earth's ConvecTion — finite-element mantle convection code. Used for planetary interior simulations: thermochemical evolution, plume dynamics, and lithospheric thickening under single-lid regimes on Venus, Mars, and icy moons.
Lithosphere and Mantle Evolution Model — massively parallel staggered-grid finite-difference code for coupled geodynamic and geomechanical problems. Applied to lithospheric deformation, viscoelastoplastic fault systems, rifting, and compressional tectonic regimes.
Impact Simplified Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian hydrocode — simulates hypervelocity impact cratering, shock-wave propagation, melt generation, and crater scaling in planetary materials. Applied to multi-ring basin formation and impact-driven tectonic responses in icy and rocky targets.
Numerical Geodynamics
Code Development
Beyond running simulations, I contribute to the development, benchmarking, and extension of open-source geodynamics codes — implementing planetary rheology modules, new material models, and post-processing pipelines.
Planetary interior model contributions: non-Newtonian viscosity laws for stagnant-lid regimes, thermal boundary condition modules for Venus and Mars, and benchmarks for plume–lithosphere interaction under single-lid planetary conditions.
Ice-shell rheology modules for icy moon applications; cryogenic-temperature extensions of viscoelastoplastic constitutive laws; parallel scaling benchmarks for compressional tectonic setups; graben and thrust fault formation test cases.
Post-processing pipelines for impact melt volume, shock pressure mapping, and tectonic response analysis; equation-of-state tables for planetary silicates and ices; Python visualisation tools extending pySALEPlot for multi-layer icy target simulations.