Topic: deformation

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.

Harry Bhadeshia examines how atomic arrangements in metals change under deformation, magnetic or electric fields, heating, cooling and extreme events. These transformations can damage a material or create useful properties. Understanding the mechanism is therefore central to designing metallic materials. The lecture contrasts coordinated atomic motion, which can visibly alter shape and strengthen or toughen a metal, with disordered motion and mixtures of both behaviours when atoms differ in size. It explains how researchers isolate and study these processes and use that knowledge to design ma