Nicholas Rawlinson

Seismic imaging of the Earth’s interior, volcano seismology and earthquake hazard, with applications in Iceland and southeast Asia.

 

Research Area

My primary research areas are seismic imaging and computational seismology, although in recent years I have also focused on volcano seismology and earthquake hazard studies. Much of my research career has been spent developing and applying seismic tomography codes, many of which are widely used by the seismic imaging community. Outside of method development, I regularly undertake fieldwork campaigns to deploy seismic arrays in regions of particular interest, including Indonesia and Iceland. Such datasets accommodate a wide range of investigations, from understanding structures and processes that underpin modern day plate tectonics, such as subduction zones, to melt migration in the crust and the architecture of volcanic rift zones. I am also keen on multi-disciplinary studies that, for example, incorporate results from geodesy and petrology. This has been shown to be especially important for illuminating the magmatic plumbing system below the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, which has produced a series of spectacular eruptions over the last three years.

Graduate students in my group come from physics, applied mathematics, computer sciences and/or Earth sciences backgrounds, which reflects the diversity of my interests. Many are involved in fieldwork in southeast Asia and Iceland, where I have strong links with academia and government organisations.

 

Project Interests

I am keen to co-develop projects on a wide range of research topics that include, but are not limited to (1) Melt migration in the Icelandic crust: This would use miroseismicity to investigate how melt from depth reaches the surface; (2) Volcano tomography in Iceland: This would involve using local earthquakes and ambient noise to image volcanic regions; (3) Seismic imaging of active plate margins in southeast Asia: This would use local and regional earthquake datasets to image subduction and collision zones; (4) Geothermal exploration in Indonesia: This would involve seismic node deployments in prospective geothermal regions in Sumatra.