Earthquake geology and mechanics, mid-ocean ridge and ophiolite dynamics, geo-archaeology, sea-level change and glaciation.

Research Students 

Erez Hassul (PhD Student)

Eshly Aizenshtat (PhD Student)

Shaked Engelberg (PhD Student)

Oksana Piatibratov (PhD Student)

Nuphar Gedulter (PhD Student)

Noga Rozen (MSc Student)

Anna Visloboko (MSc Student)

Contact Information 

 

Amotz Agnon | Room 216 South | 972-2-65-84743 | amotz@mail.huji.ac.il

 

The research group focuses on the relationship between processes occurring at the earthquake source, ground vibrations, and the damage they cause, as well as analyzing ground noise from various sources. The group covers diverse research directions, including developing methods for assessing earthquake damage and early warning, understanding parameters controlling the earthquake source and magnitude, and using spatial seismic noise to understand subsurface structure and geology. The research utilizes earthquake data recorded through seismometers, accelerometers, and optical fibers using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS). Optical fibers allow for extremely high-resolution ground vibration measurements in time and space, enabling a deeper understanding of seismic waves, earthquake sources, and the subsurface structure through which these waves pass.

The group collaborates with external companies such as Prisma Photonics and Mekorot Water Company to perform earthquake measurements using various optical fibers deployed in Israel. Additionally, some research is conducted in collaboration with researchers from other universities and the Geological Survey of Israel.

The work in the group involves seismic data analysis in time and space, developing various mathematical models and adapting them to observations, and field data collection.

Research Methods

• Analyzing seismic data, time and space series, and extracting significant parameters from the data.

• Developing theoretical, empirical, and statistical models.

• Developing algorithms for real-time seismic data analysis as part of earthquake warning system development.

• Analyzing seismic noise through correlations and inversion methods to develop models describing subsurface structure.

• Big data analysis using computer clusters

Research Students

Shahar Ben Zeev (Post-doc) 

Matty Sharon (PhD Student) 

Gil Noy (MSc Student) 

Linoy Greenberg  (MSc Student) 

Avinoam Hershler  (MSc Student) 

Contact Information

Itzhak Lior | itzhak.lior@mail.huji.ac.il | Room 14 South 

 

Research Interests:

My group studies coupled physical and chemical processes, that control deformation and evolution of rocks and soils. Most of our studies involve fluid flow in porous media coupled with chemical and mechanical deformation of the matrix. We focus on how relatively small-scale processes (at the pore, grain, or asperity scale) control basic large-scale geological phenomena. Some of the physical processes we study pertain to rapid, often catastrophic, deformation: soil-liquefaction, the physics of friction, and the physics of dry and fluid-induced landslides and earthquakes. Other processes we study occur on geological time scales: coupled brittle - ductile deformation, gas migration through sediments, the creation of pockmarks on the ocean floor, and karst-cave formation. I work at the boundary between physics and geology, using mainly theoretical and numerical tools. To study grain-fluid systems, we have written a unique coupled granular-fluid code. I also use network and other numerical models. 

Ongoing projects:

1. Karst cave formation by cooling of hydrothermal flows.

2. Earthquake physics – with and without fluids. 

3. Seismically-induced soil liquefaction. 

4. Dynamic earthquake triggering. 

5. Ductile-brittle coupling: Fault formation due to lower crustal flow. 

Research Methods

Our work is usually constrained by observations: to understand the physics of a system of interest and I collaborate also with field geologists and experimentalists who provide an empirical foundation to the theoretical work.

 

Research Studants 

Pritom Sarma (PhD. Studant)

Rawi Dawood (PhD. Studant)

Daniel Caspi (PhD. Studant)

Contact Information

Einat Aharonov | Room 311 South | 972-2-65-84670 | einatah@mail.huji.ac.il