Profile of Emily E. Brodsky

Abstract

To study the interplay of mechanical stress and strain in faults, seismologist Emily Brodsky looks for earthquakes with a known trigger, such as a volcano or injection of underground wastewater. These triggers help explain how a fault breaks. Brodsky examines the other parts of the equation by taking the temperature of faults. Brodsky also carries out lab experiments. For example, her acoustical studies have offered insights into the forces at play when fast-moving sand particles behave more like a gas than like a solid. Insights from both approaches inform her Inaugural Article, which suggests that earthquakes not only relieve stress along a fault but also redistribute it.