Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES)

Rock Mechanics Laboratory

The work of the Rock Mechanics Laboratory focuses on how rocks deform, under what conditions of pressure and temperature, and how the physics of the process generate signals such as seismicity that be used to better understand our natural world. Earthquakes, whether small or large, are a ubiquitous method for monitoring rock deformational processes across a wide scale, from deep megathrust earthquakes such as the great Tohuku earthquake of 2011 (Japan), to volcano-tectonic earthquakes that commonly precede eruptions, to small, localised, tremors associated with mining, fluid injection, and geothermal activity.

By understanding the physics behind these processes, the research of the Rock Mechanics Laboratory seeks to better link seismic and elastic wave velocity data to the pressure conditions and failure characteristics of the rock mass. To achieve this, we use the latest technology in high pressure rock deformation machines, equipped with systems for controlling stress, strain, temperature and fluid flow, and instrumented with advanced Acoustic Emission recording technology – the laboratory analogue of a natural earthquake. As well as cross-group research within the school, in particular with colleagues in CAG and Crustal Evolution, we collaborate widely with other groups within and outside the UK. Strong links exist, for instance, with the Rock Deformation Laboratory of ETH Zurich where I was previously based: (http://www.rockdeformation.ethz.ch/)

Our group comprises four full time academic staff (Philip Benson (director), Nick Koor, Carmen Solana and Derek Rust), a dedicated laboratory technician and engineer (Emily Butcher), and two research (PhD) students. The laboratory has recently benefitted from a major refit thanks to significant investment by the University of Portsmouth, as well as grant funding from the European Union (FP7).