From Slow to Fast Rock Deformation and Back

In Earth and planetary materials, deformation processes can be very fast, for example during an earthquake or a meteoritic impact, or very slow, for example when considering convection in the mantle or plate tectonics. Transient behaviors also are observed making a comprehensive description of rheological couplings between scales a great challenge in Earth sciences. The 2016 Rock Deformation Gordon Conference will present cutting-edge research on the various time and spatial scales involved in the deformation of rocks in the Earth and in the solar system. The Conference will feature topics ranging from atomic to planet scales, such as rock rheology in the ductile and brittle regimes, earthquake mechanics, interface dynamics, frictional behavior, mantle dynamics, and flow in porous media. Geoengineering applications to geohazards and the sustainable exploitation of underground georesources will be also considered. Invited speakers represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including rock physics, geology, geophysics, mechanics, physics, and civil engineering. The conference will bring together a collection of junior and senior investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Some presenters from the Gordon Research Seminar, held immediately before the Conference, will be selected for short talks. The collegial and open atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons, evenings and during the meals, provides an avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm together and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.