The mantles of terrestrial planets consist of rock, which can be partially molten in small regions. Melt is originally produced along grain boundaries, forms channels and may or may not be extracted from the mantle. Understanding how melt flow is organized on different scales and how it interacts with tectonics are crucial problems for geodynamics and planetary evolution.

The aims of this project are to

• develop a model of melt flow in a deformable matrix,
• apply the model to different tectonic regimes and find parameterisations for melt extraction.

The ideal candidate will have

• knowledge of computational programming,
• strong mathematical or physics skills,
• some background or interest in Geophysics.

You will be supervised by Professor Hans Muhlhaus (mathematical engineering) and Dr. Klaus Gottschaldt (computational geodynamics). For further information please contact Klaus Gottschaldt.