My research focuses on understanding the kinematics and strain along plate boundaries. Using structural geological techniques to analyze strain at all scales, I investigate the tectonic evolution of collisional plate boundaries and associated transpressional deformation zones.
The Caribbean-North America plate boundary has had a complex tectonic evolution since its formation in the Pacific Basin. It has evolved from an orthogonal subduction zone into a transpressional oblique subduction zone, with the accretion of terranes into the North American Plate and formation of pull-apart basins in left-stepping transform boundaries. I have conducted research in the Puerto Rico region to determine the different tectonic events from the Cretaceous to the present on the Northeastern margin of the Caribbean Plate.
Also, I am interested in the effects of pre-existing fabrics on the initial stages of continental rifting. The East African Rift is an exceptional place to study the processes that form continental rifts. I have teamed up with geophysical collaborators to investigate the role of pre-existing structures in the formation of new faults in the rift.
The study of strain and stress in a plate boundary zone is of great importance to the discipline of geology because of its implications for a better understanding of plate interactions, strain localization, crustal strength, and tectonic evolution. These variables have a fundamental impact on the fields of seismic hazards and economic geology. I am also interested in research in the North American Mid-Continent region because it contains unexpected seismicity, and ancient rifts, subduction complexes, and intracratonic shear zones.
