KU CRUSTAL DEFORMATION

Welcome to the KU Crustal Deformation group led by Dr. Noel M. Bartlow. Dr. Bartlow’s research interests include using geodetic data to study slow slip events (also called slow earthquakes), data inversion, fault locking behavior in subduction zones, and seafloor geodesy.

Our group uses the University of Kansas Center for Research Computing, https://crc.ku.edu/.

Dr. Bartlow also engages in education and advocacy work. She believes in the importance of work-life balance and supporting students' mental health as well as their academic development.

Research Interests

Geodesy and Inverse Theory

Dr. Bartlow uses data from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), which includes the Global Positioning System (GPS), as well as strainmeters and other data, to monitor how the surface of the earth moves in response to tectonic processes. She then uses mathematics from inverse theory to fit models to these data and interpret the underlying physical processes.

Slow Slip Events

Dr. Bartlow is interested in the relationships between slow slip events (a.k.a. slow earthquakes), which are not damaging, and regular "fast" earthquakes which cause damage. She is especially interested in the relationship between slow slip in subduction zones and megathrust earthquakes, which are the most destructive earthquakes in the world.

Seafloor Geodesy

A variety of new techniques are now available for studying small tectonic motions of the seafloor. Dr. Bartlow uses these measurements to study the behavior of subduction zones in the offshore regions that generate destructive megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis.

Education, Outreach, and Advocacy

Courses taught:

Structural Geology (KU, University of Missouri)
Inverse Theory (KU)
Geology 101: The Way the Earth Works (KU)
Earthquakes in Your Backyard (UC Berkeley)
Physical Geology (University of Missouri)
Crustal Deformation (University of Missouri)

Media and Advocacy:

Skype a Scientist live, November 2022 Watch on YouTube
Research featured in Temblor Earthquake News
Speaker for the Mid-Missouri March for Science rally, 2017
Quoted in articles from Science and National Geographic about seafloor geodesy and slow slip and by The Washington Post about advocacy for women in STEM.
Interviewed by Paul Pepper for a local central Missouri radio show, video here.
Blog post for the Union of Concerned Scientists advocating for earthquake hazards research funding in Cascadia
Public outreach events at the KU Natural History museum (2022) and the St. Louis Science center (2016 & 2017)

Contact

Noel M. Bartlow
Assistant Professor
University of Kansas Department of Geology

Email nbartlow (at) ku.edu

https://geo.ku.edu/bartlow-noel