Overview and mission

The Geophysics area is a team of researchers whose mission is to provide a fundamental new understanding of Earth’s internal composition, dynamics, evolution, and the physical mechanism of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. The researchers within the Geophysics area use a range of methods, such as observational and theoretical seismology, with associated tools integrated with geodynamical modelling, including geophysical inverse theory and mathematical geophysics, numerical modelling, signal processing, and interferometry.

Seismology is concerned with two main themes: 1) understanding the origin and physical characteristics of natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes and their detection together with man-made events such as nuclear explosions, and 2), understanding the structure and dynamic processes of the Earth and other planets through their illumination by the seismic and correlation wavefields generated from natural and man-made sources. Seismology makes it possible to comprehend the subsurface architecture of the crust and understand the location and origin of various ore bodies and reservoirs, but also to understand what our planet is made of and help to constrain its evolution over time and its present-day dynamics. Complementing seismology, geodynamics focuses upon the dynamics of Earth’s interior and its surface expression. It is a field that ties together wide-ranging observational constraints, from geology, geophysics, and geochemistry, to quantitatively understand Earth’s thermochemical structure, dynamics, and evolution, from its “engine”– the core, to mantle convection and plate tectonics, which operates at its surface. The complexity of the Earth means that innovation is required to understand its structure and evolution. We use mathematical geophysics in seismology and geodynamics to robustly pose and solve data-centric questions that underpin a wide range of research areas in RSES.

We have substantial expertise and access to the Australian facilities in solid Earth geophysics. The research and teaching often provide a unique Southern Hemisphere perspective on questions of global relevance. The Geophysics area research broadly addresses fundamental questions about the formation, evolution and present structure of the Earth and more specifically, the Australian region, which is often used as a natural laboratory to apply newly developed techniques and demonstrate new concepts. The Geophysics area also operates Warramunga Seismic and Infrasonic Facility on behalf of UN-CTBTO, which is at the forefront of the world’s nuclear non-proliferation efforts.