Cynthia Ebinger

Current research aims to understand the partitioning of strain between faulting and magmatic processes within continental and oceanic rift zones, over time scales of hours to millennia. A primary aim of collaborative earthquake monitoring, geodetic, structural, and petrological studies in East Africa and the Galapagos Archipelago is to understand the rise and storage of magma through the crust above hot spots and within rift zones. These studies involve seismic imaging of magma movement and storage in the crust, fault kinematic studies, and integration with geodetic data. Our multi-disciplinary team uses these data to develop predictive models of volcano-tectonic crises to mitigate natural hazards.

A second theme is the longer-term evolution of continental rift zones from initiation to continental rupture. The superposition of tectonic and magmatic processes over multiple deformation episodes creates broad uplifts and basins that may accumulate thick sedimentary sequences; the rise and storage of magma permanently alters the plate. Passive and controlled source seismic experiments, satellite remote sensing, structural, and geodetic studies probe the plate structure, constraining predictive thermo-mechanical models.