Geodynamics podcasts

Torgeir Andersen explains how continental rocks in western Norway were dragged roughly 100 kilometres into the mantle during the collision of Baltica and Laurentia, and then returned to the surface. Coesite inclusions provide evidence of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism. The conversation examines subduction, slab break-off, exhumation and whether isolated diamond-bearing rocks record local overpressure rather than greater burial depth.

Hosted by Oliver Strimpel

This Nature Podcast explores how anonymized banking records can reveal patterns of financial abuse and inform support for victim-survivors. A second segment examines how opposing forces within Earth’s core can change the planet’s rotation and the length of a day. Research highlights cover Mercury’s contraction and cognitive resilience in predicting Alzheimer’s dementia.

Brian Wernicke explains lithospheric extension and the origins of the Basin and Range Province. The discussion explores how geologists reconstruct large-scale stretching of the crust and what these observations reveal about deformation and continental evolution.

Hosted by Oliver Strimpel

Bernhard Steinberger examines whether volcanic hotspots provide a fixed reference frame for plate motion. The discussion combines paleomagnetic records, island-chain ages and mantle-flow models, showing how plumes can drift with mantle circulation. Contrasting the Hawaiian and Louisville tracks helps distinguish hotspot motion from changes in plate direction and illustrates the limits of treating hotspots as stationary.

Hosted by Oliver Strimpel

Alec Brenner explains how palaeomagnetic measurements reveal independent motion of the East Pilbara and Kaapvaal cratons about 3.5 billion years ago. The evidence moves the detection of relative plate motion much earlier and constrains models of early Earth tectonics. It rules out a permanently stagnant surface without establishing that modern plate tectonics already operated, and also informs questions about the core and atmosphere.

Keith Klepeis explains how magma travels from deep crustal sources into the upper crust and crystallizes into plutons. Observations from southern Fiordland in New Zealand reveal the resulting structures and constrain their origin and evolution. The discussion links magma transport with the three-dimensional organization of intrusive rocks.

Claudio Faccenna explores why subduction zones retreat, advance, move sideways or reverse direction over geological time. The discussion examines interactions between descending slabs and their surroundings, including neighbouring subduction systems. Mediterranean examples illustrate how convergent margins evolve over tens of millions of years.

Renée Tamblyn examines when and how thick, silica-rich continents emerged from Earth’s early magma-ocean state. The discussion compares gradual growth with episodic formation and explores the role of water released from hydrated minerals in oceanic lithosphere. It also considers hydrogen production by early geological processes and its possible relevance to life.

Folarin Kolawole explains how continental lithosphere breaks apart, from distributed normal faulting to localized extension and eventual ocean-basin formation. Field observations, seismic imaging and rock mechanics help reveal the early stages of rifting. Examples connect active rifts with passive continental margins left by earlier breakup.

Mike Hudec describes the origins and mechanical behaviour of salt deposits within the crust. He explains how deformation of these weak rocks produces distinctive structures and changes the evolution of surrounding formations. The discussion also considers the role of salt tectonics in creating hydrocarbon reservoirs.