Rock and Ice Mechanics Lab

Research in the Rock and Ice Mechanics Lab encompasses many aspects of ice and rock deformation, with applications on Earth and throughout the solar system. We work on a variety of funded projects, collaborating with researchers around the University, including Peter Kelemen, Jonny Kingslake, Meredith Nettles, Alissa Park, and Marc Spiegelman. Using lab experiments, we work to understand the physics of faulting, exploring the properties of rocks and ice from the micro scale of defects and asperities up to the macro scale of fault heating and rupture. This research informs our understanding of earthquake dynamics, and sheds light on anomalous heat production found in icy faults on earth and in the outer solar system. Follow us on Twitter.

Rock & Ice Mechanics Lab Research News

A comparison between the experiment’s original material (left), which was mostly olivine, and the products after reaction with CO2 — mainly of rhombic magnesite crystals and small blobs of silica. Source: Presentation by Catalina Sanchez-Roa

Reactions That Store Carbon Underground Can Cause Cracking. That’s Good News.

The console that the Rock Mechanics team uses to adjust the Triaxial Deformation Apparatus.

Tools of the Trade: A Machine That Squeezes Rocks to Mimic Earthquakes

Christine McCarthy in the Rock Mechanics Lab

Christine McCarthy: A Cheerleader for the Physics of Ice

Heather Savage’s team sampled all along the Muddy Mountain thrust in Nevada and made some surprising discoveries. Credit: Heather Savage

Creating Earthquake Heat Maps: Temperature Spikes Leave Clues in the Rock

Research engineer Ted Koczynski explains how rock surfaces put pressure on a block of ice from each side as the ice is pushed downward in the new cryogenic deformation apparatus. Depending on the configuration, sensors throughout the device can measure friction, viscosity and anelasticity. Credit: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Crushing Ice to Learn About Glaciers & Icy Moons

Testing how rocks behave under stress in the Rock Mechanics Lab at Lamont. Credit: A.J. Wilhelm

Top Seismology Award Goes to Pioneer in Rock Mechanics: Christopher Scholz

Viewing Melting Glaciers, Via Microscope and Moving Images

Tools of the Trade: Machines that Squeeze and Tickle Rock and Ice

In the Rock & Ice Mechanics Lab, we use various laboratory instruments to study the physical properties of materials that are important to Earth and planetary science. We study natural rocks and ice, with facilities for coring, sawing, and grinding of experimental samples. We have an adjacent machine shop, a central facility for more detailed jobs, and a cold room for ice sample preparation and storage. Learn more about the custom machines that we use for our research.

Rock & Ice Mechanics Lab Principal Investigators

Ben Holtzman, Research Professor

Ben offers his expertise on all things melt and microstructure-related. His research resides at the intersection of rock physics, seismology, and geodynamics.

Christine McCarthy, Associate Research Professor

Christine studies how material behavior (flow, fracture, friction) at various spatial and temporal scales influence microstructure, and vice versa. She is currently measuring effects of tidal forcing on both glacier flow rates and frictional heating of icy satellites.

Folarin (Fola) Kolawole, Assistant Professor

Folarin integrates field observations, geophysics, and geomechanics to study the brittle deformation of the Earth's crust. He is currently investigating how strain is localized during the early stages of continental extension as well as basement structures that influence anthropogenically induced earthquakes and natural intraplate earthquakes.

Rock & Ice Mechanics Lab Research Staff

Jacob Tielke, Lab Manager, Associate Research Scientist

Jacob studies the feedbacks between deformation processes and the transport/reaction kinetics in Earth and planetary bodies. He is currently gearing up the lab for carbon mineralization experiments as a form of CO2 mitigation, including installation of a wide array of AE sensors.

Ted Koczynski, Research Engineer

As a longtime lab technician, Ted keeps everything running smoothly and is spearheading the rehabilitation of old machinery and the design and fabrication of new capabilities, like gas mixing, L-block friction experiments and many more.

Vishaal Singh, Postdoctoral Scientist

Vishaal studies ices in our solar system, including ice shell composition, surface age, and evolution. Under two NASA COLDTech grants, he is currently evaluating communication tethers at cryogenic and seismically hostile conditions for ocean world exploration.

Hatsuki Yamauchi, Associate Research Scientist

Hatsuki is an expert on the properties that control seismic attenuation, including grain size, temperature, and partial melt (including pre-melt). Her work at Lamont is to additionally look at the effect of strain-induced dislocation structure and density on attenuation, using ice as an analog to upper mantle rock.

Rasheed Ajala, Postdoctoral Fellow

Rasheed’s primary research area is Computational Seismology. He is interested in utilizing and developing seismic imaging techniques to understand the Earth’s crustal structure and evolution and improve seismic hazard assessment. His current study areas include Southern California, Indo-Burma, East and South Africa, and Madagascar.

Abhishek Prakash, Postdoctoral Scientist

Abhishek’s interests are in high pressure experimentation and microstructures. He will be leading our Sloan-funded efforts on carbon mineralization as a way of removing and safely storing atmospheric CO2.

Maheenuz Zaman, Graduate Student

Mahi is studying the influence of partial melt (ice + ammonia) on friction and stability of faults on icy satellites like Enceladus. In particular, he is exploring frictional heating as a potential pathway for surface oxidants, which may shed light on habitability of these worlds.

Charlotte Bate, Graduate Student

Charlotte is interested in geomaterial deformation and how it controls broader earth and planetary systems – particularly icy systems. She is currently working to characterize fault mechanics on icy moons.

Shradha Ravi Kumar, Bridge to PhD Scholar

Shradha is interested in using experimental techniques to study the interior structures of icy moons. She is characterizing physical properties of binary ice-salt systems that may be found on Europa and/or Enceladus.

Srihari (Hari) Balaji, ME Graduate Student

Hari is interested in the surface and subsurface conditions of icy worlds. He will be helping us get cryovolcanism experiments up and running.

Cameron Grant, Undergraduate

Cameron is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Earth Sciences. He is currently researching fault scaling relationships in regions of incipient continental rifting.

Brooklyn Jade Wright, Undergraduate

Brooklyn is interested in Earth Science. She will be exploring new and novel methods of fabricating ice for our cryogenic projects.

Research Alumni

Rob Skarbek has moved on to a position at PSI but continues to work closely with us on firn densification and modeling of icy moon tectonics.: Catalina Sanchez-Roa worked on carbon mineralization and is now working with the Boston Consulting Group on Climate Change and Sustainability.
Seth Saltiel was a postdoctoral fellow working on glacial sliding using ice friction and acoustic emissions techniques. He is now at Cornell University. was a postdoctoral fellow working on glacial sliding using ice friction and acoustic emissions techniques. He is now at Cornell University.: Kris Houdyshell worked on firn densification and is now a graduate student at University of Oregon.
Michael Nielson completed his senior thesis on the microstructural evolution of ice samples and stayed on to design and fabricate several of the low temperature technologies. He continues to provide advice and guidance to the lab.: Sarah Lambart split her time between rock mechanics and geochemistry as a postdoc to study reaction-driven cracking and permeability changes during carbonation of peridotite.
Genevieve Coffey used biomarkers as indicators for coseismic slip along faults since biomarkers can record changes in temperature and thereby constrain frictional heating. She is currently an Earthquake geologist at GNS Science in New Zealand.: Ben Robinson worked both on ice fabrication (as an undergraduate) and then on reaction-driven cracking.
Kristina Okamoto performed triaxial experiments to understand fault roughness and earthquake nucleation. She’s finishing up her PhD at USCS.: Nicholas van der Elst, NSF-EAR Postdoc fellow, used observational seismology and laboratory friction experiments to learn about earthquakes and fault mechanics and now works for the USGS.
Heather Savage used experiments and field work to study many aspects of earthquake and fault mechanics including induced seismicity and fault heating. She is now a faculty member at U.C. Santa Cruz.: Caitlin Dieck Locke, Columbia undergrad (2013) and research assistant, now Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory graduate student, conducted a research project on induced seismicity in the regions around wastewater injection locations.
Hannah Rabinowitz studied coseismic shearheating as a way of understanding the energy release of earthquakes. She is now a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program.: Rachel Sheppard, Columbia undergrad (2013) and research assistant, examined shear heating on faults by extracting organic molecules from sedimentary fault rock and analyzing it in a mass spectrometer.
Armando Domingos did his senior thesis on partial melt microstructures applicable to icy satellites and earned his MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley.: Mandy Duda, German University of Bochum Postdoc, visited the lab to run cyclic loading experiments under confining pressure using the triaxial apparatus.