Department of the GeoPhysical Sciences

Geophysical Science News

• University of Chicago geoscientist Sunyoung Park shows seismic wave simulations from a new technique that uses 3D metal printers to better understand earthquake shaking

  May 19, 2022

  Beneath our feet, the ground is made up of different layers laid down over eons. These might range from soft clay to brittle shale. Each react differently during an earthquake—for example, more flexible layers can absorb some movement, while others amplify it. The depth and intensity of a quake as well as the surrounding geography can play a role, too, causing waves to ricochet. All of these factors combine to make predicting earthquake damage extremely difficult.

  Scientists can use computers to try to model what happens, but it’s imperfect. “Simulating all of this is really hard to do, not only because it’s computationally intensive, but we don’t know enough about the physics at small scales—that is, down to the level of a mile across or less,” Park explained. “For example, if there are aquifers filled with water or magma chambers, how do those affect waves? We don’t know very well.”

  Here's a chance to learn more about it from Sunyoung 'Sunny' Park

  Here

  and here

• Prof. Noboru Nakamura of UChicago Geophysical Sciences and first author Emily Neal of UChicago College discovered that a cyclone spawned an ‘anticyclone’ which created a Pacific Northwest heat wave

  May 18, 2022

  Last summer, a deadly wave of heat struck the Pacific Northwest, causing temperatures to soar more than 30 degrees Fahrenheit above normal and killing more than a thousand people. 

  A new study has uncovered the sequence of events that precipitated the disaster, providing information that could further our understanding of heat formation on the North American continent. A cyclon spawned an “anticyclone,” which combined to produce and then trap heat near the surface of the region.

• Megan Mansfield awarded International Astronomical Union PhD Prize

  May 17, 2022

  2021 PhD graduate Megan Mansfield (now NASA Sagan Fellow at the University of Arizona) has been awarded the International Astronomical Union PhD Prize. Mansfield's thesis was on “Revealing the Atmospheres of Highly Irradiated Exoplanets: From Ultra-Hot Jupiters to Venus Analogues.” Mansfield's advisors at UChicago were Geophysical Sciences Associate Professor Edwin Kite and Astronomy and Astrophysics Professor Jacob Bean. Congratulations, Megan!

• Hold on to your hat and learn more about UChicago meteorologist Ted Fujita and the Fujita Scale (the internationally accepted standard for measuring tornado severity)

  May 12, 2022

  Tornadoes have been seen on every continent, but due to its geography the mainland U.S. typically records more tornadoes per year than anywhere else in the world. Before the mid-twentieth century, our understanding of how they worked, why they formed, and how to predict them, was very limited. They can be devastating, but they strike with relative infrequency and without much warning—all of which makes them difficult to study.

  Prof. Tetsuya "Ted" Fujita's goal was to create categories that could separate weak tornadoes from strong ones. The F Scale also met a need to rate both historical and future tornadoes according to the same standards.

  Get blown over with more info on "Mr.Tornado" and the Enhanced Fujita Scale right here!