The Tectonics and Structural Geology group at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz is part of the Institute of Geosciences.
The group’s major scientific interests are
- Rheology of faults and shear zones in the crust and mantle lithosphere
- SW Pacific tectonics
- Resilience to geological hazards, and resource sustainability
- Big data management and analysis
- International research and exchange projects on climate change and earth resources within the europe-wide network FORTHEM
Methods we commonly employ in our research include
- Microstructural and textural analysis based on optical and electron microscope datasets (EBSD, EPMA, TEM), and synchrotron analyses
- Image analysis, particularly of 3D datasets (e.g. computed tomography, photogrammetry)
- Scientific drilling
- Field mapping and sampling
- Computational simulations
- Experimental rock deformation
Most Recent Publications
Angelakis, A. N., Baba, A., Valipour, M., et al. (2024). Water Dams: From Ancient to Present Times and into the Future. Water, 16(13), 1889-1889. DOI
Mansouri, H., Toy, V., Klimm, K., et al. (2024). Quantifying the influence of the type and arrangement of conductive phases on the electrical properties of rocks using impedance spectroscopy . In Copernicus GmbH. DOI
Tholen, S., Toy, V., Hawemann, F., Mansouri, H. (2024). Resisting the unknown: Enhancing resistivity imaging of the crust through a multidisciplinary approach from µ- to km-scale at the DIVE DT-1B drill site. In Copernicus GmbH. DOI
A Closer Look
Research in New Zealand: Have a look at the diverse lithology, accompany the team taking Alpine Fault samples and examining the slip zone between the Pacific and the Australian Plate – and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Videos:
New Zealand's Diverse Lithology
![100 % committed to science](https://www.geosciences.uni-mainz.de/files/2021/03/100PercentCommittedToScience-150x150.jpg)
![Mike is pointing at an important geological contact. Above it are altered green cataclasites, which originated as sediments on the Pacific ocean floor over 100 million years ago, and have been buried to depths of 35km then uplifted. Beneath it are grey gravels that were deposited near Earth’s surface in the last glacial period only 17 thousand years ago. This contact is the Alpine Fault, the boundary between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates in New Zealand’s South Island. The green rocks slide over the gravels about 8m during huge earthquakes every 300 years or so.](https://www.geosciences.uni-mainz.de/files/2021/03/SlipZone-150x150.jpg)
![la dolce vita](https://www.geosciences.uni-mainz.de/files/2021/03/Fireplace-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.geosciences.uni-mainz.de/files/2021/03/coast-150x150.jpg)
![](https://www.geosciences.uni-mainz.de/files/2021/03/3-camping-van-150x150.jpeg)
![](https://www.geosciences.uni-mainz.de/files/2021/03/Sunset-150x150.jpg)