Areas of Interest
The areas of interest listed below are active fields of faculty and graduate research in the department. For each, a brief description and the required undergraduate preparation are listed. Students with backgrounds other than these may be accepted in a field if their records and recommendations are strong, but advancement to candidacy may be delayed. A complete statement of the courses and other work in each field necessary for the MS or to prepare for the PhD comprehensive examination will be given to the entering student.
The department can provide additional information on research opportunities and financial aid in each of the areas of interest. Many research efforts in the department involve participation in extensive fieldwork and oceanographic expeditions. Graduate students are encouraged to participate in these opportunities as a part of their career training.
Geophysics and Tectonics (GT). Studies in geophysics and tectonics at UH Mānoa are interdisciplinary and include experimental and theoretical developments, field-based observations, and computer simulations. Together, they provide students with a background that combines both geology and geophysics for technical and professional work at industrial, governmental, and academic institutions. Subtopics in GT include: (a) Plate Tectonics-rift propagation and plate break-up; initiation and evolution of continental margins and back-arc basins; relative and absolute motion of plates; thermo-mechanical properties of oceanic lithosphere; mantle convection and the driving forces of plate tectonics; and hot spot and intraplate volcanism; (b) Seismology-theory and analysis of seismic waves from active and passive sources; ocean-bottom geophysical instrumentation; multichannel seismic imaging of subduction zones, accretionary prisms, and submarine volcano flanks; (c) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics- mantle convection and plume-plate interaction; ocean/shore dynamics and nonlinear waves; (d) Rock Fracture Mechanics- field, theoretical, and laboratory analyses of the mechanics of fault growth, rock fracture, dike propagation, landslides, and crustal deformation; these topics are relevant to plate tectonics, structural geology, and engineering geology.
Entrance may be through majors in Earth Sciences (i.e., geophysics, geology), mathematics, physics, or engineering. Students need a background in Earth Science (which can be obtained in graduate school) together with supporting mathematics and physics.
Marine and Environmental Geology (MEG). The Marine and Environmental Geology (MEG) program is focused on the dynamic physical, biological, and chemical interactions that characterize Earth’s surface terrestrial and marine environments and also the history of these interactions over the course of geologic time. Researchers work on problems ranging from those of pure scientific curiosity about global phenomena to seeking solutions to practical environmental problems. Faculty and students of the MEG group work throughout the Hawaiian Islands and travel to field sites all over the world to study processes and interactions between water, atmosphere, submarine groundwater discharge, sediments, and living organisms and their tissues. Research also extends backward through deep time, integrating the biological and physical aspects of Earth history through the study of rocks and fossils. Instruction is designed to provide students with hands-on exposure to the most exciting, contemporary issues in environmental science, particularly on topics where the fields of geology and oceanography overlap with other environmental sciences. Laboratories use the newest biogeochemical technologies and instrumentation in order to assess the health and integrity of coastal system environments, to reconstruct past climates and life forms, to characterize the movement of precious water resources, and to understand the chemical cycling of both organic and inorganic components of the ocean. MEG research topics have important implications and benefits for the sustainability of fresh water resources and reserves, agriculture, coastal and marine ecosystems, fisheries, Hawaiʻi’s beaches and economy, and other topics of immediate societal concern.
The MEG program is multidisciplinary with cooperating faculty and courses from several other departments including civil engineering, geography, oceanography, and soil sciences among others. The diverse research and teaching interests of the faculty make it possible to tailor graduate degree work to fit the needs and desires of the student. Requirements for admission typically include an undergraduate major in geology or one of the other natural sciences, along with basic courses in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Students often study a combination of geology, geophysics, oceanography, biology, civil engineering, and/or geochemistry, as appropriate for his or her optimum intellectual development.
Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology (VGP). UH Mānoa is uniquely situated to study all major aspects of volcanic systems. Hawaiʻi lies over a highly active, intensely studied tectonic hot spot and has the two most active volcanoes in the U.S. These volcanoes are natural laboratories of Hawaiian eruptions and intraplate volcanism; older eroded volcanic systems on other islands provide windows into deeper parts of volcanic structures. Collectively, the VGP group has field programs that are global in scope. Group members have active projects in Chile, the Cook-Austral islands, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, California, the Cascades, and Alaska. Lab-based collaborations are carried out with colleagues in Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Great Britain.
The group also studies submarine volcanoes with research vessels at UH Mānoa and other institutions, and participates in remote monitoring of volcanoes on Earth and other planets using ground-based and space-borne observatories. VGP faculty operate modern analytical laboratories that provide data on the chemical composition and physical properties of rocks and minerals. In addition, VGP teaches courses in volcanology, petrology, geochemistry, mineralogy, field methods, remote sensing, GIS, Hawaiian geology, natural hazards, and introductory geology.
Specialized topics that members of the group study include (a) physical processes of erupting volcanoes; active volcanism at submarine volcanoes; degassing, and fragmentation of magma in conduits; the eruption and emplacement of lavas; magma ascent; volatile degassing and crystallization in magma storage zones and transport networks; environmental impact and social consequences of eruptions; and igneous processes on extraterrestrial bodies; (b) geometry and dynamics of mantle flow; melt generation and magma chamber processes at submarine volcanoes from petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic variations at mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basin spreading centers; geochronology of submarine volcanism; and volcano interactions with the submarine environment; (c) geochemical and isotopic tracing of mantle composition and evolution; geochemical cycling; geosphere-hydrosphere exchanges; (d) petrologic, geochemical, isotopic, and geologic evolution of Hawaiian and other oceanic islands and seamounts; petrologic and seismic monitoring of magmatic systems at active Hawaiian volcanoes; (e) satellite monitoring of volcanic hazards and eruption clouds; and remote-sensing observation of extraterrestrial volcanoes. Most graduate students enter with a degree in geology or geochemistry. Students need a background in geology (which can be obtained in graduate school) together with supporting mathematics and physics.
Planetary Geoscience and Remote Sensing. This program relies heavily on cooperating graduate faculty based in the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), as well as faculty members based in our departments. It studies the geology and composition of objects (planets, asteroids, moons, and meteorites) in the Solar System to understand their origin and evolution. Faculty members are on the science teams of multiple planetary missions. The program involves research in planetary and terrestrial geology, cosmochemistry, volcanology, planetary astronomy, and scientific instrumentation. Current research areas include: (a) research on extraterrestrial materials from asteroids, the Moon, and Mars as records of processes in the solar nebula; alteration processes; the effects of shock; igneous processes; and planetary crustal compositions and evolution; (b) remote sensing and petrology of the moon, Mars, and Mercury to understand planetary formation, differentiation, and weathering of planetary crusts, volcanic processes, and the mode of formation of impact craters; (c) terrestrial remote sensing using spacecraft, aircraft, and ground observations to study the flux of magma through volcanic systems, eruption precursors, forest fires worldwide and more; (d) developing instruments for use in studying global and regional problems in Earth and planetary science, such as hyperspectral thermal infrared imagers for use in lithologic mapping, the analysis of temperature anomalies, the flux of sulfur dioxide from volcanoes, an infrasonics array for a global monitoring system for the detection of atmospheric disturbances, and lidar systems for the measurement of atmospheric aerosols and rock compositions.
Typically, an undergraduate major in geology, astronomy, chemistry, physics, or engineering, accompanied by basic courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics, provides a sufficient background for entrance. The student should be prepared to commence or continue course work in whatever combination of geology, geophysics, geochemistry, planetary science, spectroscopy, radar science, or remote sensing is appropriate for optimum development in the field and to satisfy requirements in the Department of Earth Sciences.
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