The "Crustal Geophysics" research group studies the tectonics and geodynamics of the lithosphere, typically focussing on continental lithosphere that is currently or recently deforming and evolving. We use controlled-source reflection and refraction seismology on land and at sea, and a wide range of passive seismological analyses (shear-wave splitting, receiver-function analysis, surface-wave inversion) as necessary to address the chosen problems. Recent and ongoing areas of investigation are the Himalaya-Tibet orogen, the East Africa Rift, the western margin of the Basin-&-Range Province, and the Mariana arc-backarc system.
Professor Klemperer aims to recruit (typically) one new PhD student a year into the group, who will enjoy the mix of exotic fieldwork and intensive computer analysis, and who will combine geological insight with geophysical ability. We often have undergraduates working with us on research projects, including fieldwork, and occasionally post-docs. Closely co-operating faculty are Jesse Lawrence, Norm Sleep, George Thompson, and consulting professors Walter Mooney and David Scholl.
The Crustal Group on the rocks: checking out the Genoa fault scarp at the transition
from the Sierra Nevada to the Basin-&-Range