Earthquakes are among the most costly and deadly of the natural disasters, and pose great scientific challenges. Several decades of research has led to a better understanding of the different scales involved in earthquakes, such as the micro-mechanics of fault gouge and crust fracture, the overall behavior of laboratory samples and the large scale deformation involved in crust failure. However, the key question of the interconnection between these scales remains unresolved.

The aim of this project is to use an innovative approach, combining advanced numerical simulation research, novel continuum micro-mechanical theory, and statistical mechanics, towards a better understanding of earthquake nucleation and an improvement of the constitutive relation used to model interacting multi-fault systems. The applicants will be involved in the development of a Virtual Laboratory, which is based on the simulation of interacting rigid body objects representing the fault zone.

The research program will involve an active collaboration with the Micromechanics of Granular Media group of the University of Melbourne. The project is particularly suited for students with background in physics and applied mathematics and strong computational programming skills.

You will be supervised by Professor Hans Muhlhaus (Theoretical/Computational Geophysicist) and Dr. Fernando Alonso-Marroquin (Computational Physicist). For further information please contact Fernando Alonso-Marroquin.