Prof. Thomasina Ball

Prof. Thomasina Ball

University of Warwick, Mathematics Institute

Modelling mountain building: Creases in thin layers of viscoplastic fluid

Wrinkles or creases in the surface of a material are indicative of compression. For example, on Earth, mountain ranges formed by plate tectonics exhibit regularly spaced folds on the surface. In this talk, I will discuss some of the theoretical and experimental approaches we have taken to describe the process of mountain building by modelling it as a viscoplastic fluid (a material with both solid-like and fluid-like properties).