Structural Geology podcasts

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

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.

Jiří Žák reconstructs the Cadomian and Variscan mountain-building episodes preserved in central European geology. He connects continental movements and supercontinent assembly with surviving metamorphic and volcanic rocks, granites and deformation structures. Field studies and zircon geochronology help recover the history of heavily eroded mountain belts.

Cees Van Staal traces the Paleozoic tectonic events that built the Appalachians and their connections with the Caledonian mountains. He distinguishes that ancient assembly from the origins of today’s landscape, which also reflects Atlantic rifting, associated magmatism and much later glaciation.

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.