Finding Fault: Researching the Earth's Movement

RESEARCH!

University of Wyoming geology professor Barbara John is collaborating with an international team of geological experts to find answers.

"We’re investigating how this planet works and how the different components interact with each other. We use part of that knowledge to try to help address some of the really big challenges facing our planet today, with seven billion people-plus needing energy, water resources, food and the knowledge of how to live with and understand natural disasters.” - UW geology professor Barbara John

UW's John works with international colleagues to learn about Earth's movement

When the Earth moves, the victims of earthquakes and tsunamis want to know why.

University of Wyoming geology professor Barbara John is collaborating with an international team of geological experts to find answers—even if it means conducting research on the ocean floor or on mountain tops.

The recipient of several National Science Foundation research grants, John has studied and taught structural geology and tectonics at UW since joining the Department of Geology and Geophysics in 1993. Her research focuses on the slow spreading of the Earth’s crust, which has led to some of the largest faults on the planet, including many under the ocean.

“We’re investigating how this planet works and how the different components interact with each other,” says John, who is partnering with colleagues at UW as well as scientists in Switzerland, Norway, Japan and France.

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