Hi Mark and Kim,
If you’re reading wedge papers, I would also recommend the more modern ones that show that you can actually use wedge mechanics in a quantitative way in the real world, going from observed wedge geometry to crustal strength and detachment friction relatively unambiguously. In particular there is the remarkable work of Nadia Cubas on the great Tahoku-Oki Japan and Maule Chile earthquakes (2013 GRL; 2013 EPSL) and also see my 2007 Geology paper.
One of the problems of the original wedge papers was that the theory was written in terms of a large number of unobservable rock-mechanics parameters whose crustal-scale meaning is ambiguous. As a result, the impact of wedge mechanics was almost entirely qualitative, both for the real world and for analog or numerical models. We had good reasons for the original formulations, but this approach was ultimatly unfortunate because wedge mechanics fundamentally invoves very simple relationships between geometry and critical stress.
John
On Apr 11, 2015, at 4:21 PM, Mark Brandon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Kim,
> I would recommend the Princeton wedge papers. There are about 10 of them, with authors Dan Davis, Tony Dahlen, John Suppe, and others. The 1984 JGR paper by Dahlen, "Noncohesive Critical Coulomb Wedges: An Exact Solution” is a great paper for someone that is interested in math and orogen-scale tectonics. The solution that Dahlen provides is very clever, and a good example of finding an exact solution to problems that appear rather complicated at first. Better yet, the solution provides a lot of conceptual insight about how thrust belts and subduction wedges evolve with time. That paper provides a nice lead into Dahlen and Barr, 1989, which solves for the velocity field within a wedge. The other papers provide additional developments that can be taken on given suitable time and interest. If your student enjoys the thinking about big tectonic problems, then I am certain that he/she will enjoy seeing how well the math fits in this particular research topic on wedges.
> Best,
> Mark Brandon
>
>
>> On Apr 10, 2015, at 2:49 PM, Hannula, Kim <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> I’ve got an undergrad who loves math, and is interested in putting together an independent study involving readingreading a set of papers dealing with big-scale tectonic/geodynamic modeling. If you had such a student, what papers would you suggest to her?
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>> (She’s also doing a research-based senior thesis, so I’m not looking for an undergrad research project – just a potential reading list that she could choose from.)
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>> Thanks,
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>> Kim
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>>
>>
>> Kim Hannula
>>
>> Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences
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>> Professor of Geoscience
>>
>> Berndt 301
>>
>> Fort Lewis College
>>
>> Durango, CO 81301
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>> 970-247-7463
>>
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
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