Tracing the Early Evolution of Earth

What set Earth apart from its planetary neighbors? The answer lies in its earliest chapters. We delve into the planet's formative tectonic and crustal evolution: When did plate tectonics begin? How did the first continents form? What drove their rise above sea level? These fundamental events not only shaped Earth's surface they made life possible. We undertake field geology, petrology, geochemistry, & tectonic modeling to uncover the processes that built the foundations of the only known habitable planet.

Decoding the Timescales of Orogenic Processes

How long did Earth's mountain-building events called orogenesis last? Were these events continuous or episodic? Our research unravels the time evolution of orogens by examining how rapidly rocks were buried, heated, cooled, and exhumed. By combining diffusion chronometry, metamorphic petrology, and geodynamic studies, we reconstruct P-T time paths to uncover the tempo of mountain building capturing the dynamic heartbeat of Earth's continents and deep interior.