dr. Dr. Vincent Strak

Vincent Strak is a tectonophysicist/geodynamicist who studies how the Earth's crust, lithosphere and asthenosphere evolve in response to the forces that drive and resist motion and deformation. His research aims to provide a better understanding of the dynamics of geological processes. Using time-evolving laboratory and numerical modelling and tectonic reconstructions, Vincent attempts to quantify natural variables such as deformation, topography, velocities and stresses in order to determine how they relate to the driving and resistive forces and to help predict their past and future evolution in nature, as well as their impact on processes occurring at the Earth's surface.

Vincent currently works with Wouter P. Schellart, who is funded by a Vici grant from the Dutch National Science foundation (NWO), to investigate the origin and evolution of the largest mountain belts on Earth, the Andes and the Himalaya-Tibet-East Asia system.

Vincent helps Wouter develop and run the Kuenen-Escher Geodynamics Laboratory (KEG Lab), which is a modelling facility in which crustal and mantle-scale geodynamic processes are simulated in analogue experiments at small spatial and short temporal scales.

Main topics of research:

- Link between subduction, induced mantle flow and intraplate volcanism.

- Link between subduction, induced mantle flow and overriding plate deformation and topography.

- Link between the dynamics of subduction zones and the megathrust earthquake cycle.

- Interactions between crustal deformation and surface processes, landscape evolution.

- Morpho-structural evolution and strain partitioning along faults.

- Characteristics of the strike-slip earthquake cycle from laboratory modelling.

- Strain induced by indentation tectonics and subduction processes in Asia.

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