Chair in Tectonics
- About
-
- Email Address
- rob.butler@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273452
- Office Address
Meston Building
- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
My passion is the investigation of earth processes as recorded in rocks, landscapes and images of the subsurface. I focus on the structure of rock formations and what this tells us of tectonics - earth movements. These can in turn inform understanding of how major earth features such as mountain ranges are formed. But it also has societal importance - in understanding the structure of the near subsurface - sites for the geo-storage of CO2 and nuclear waste.
I joined the University of Aberdeen as a "Sixth Century" professor of tectonics in 2008. Prior to this I have held research positions at Durham University (1984-87) and the Open University (1987-88), and a lectureship (OU, 1989-90; before moving to the University of Leeds in 1991, where I spent most of my career. During this time I have served as secretary (1988-90) and chair (1995-6) of the UK's Tectonic Studies Group. More recently I have served on committees on the Geological Society of London, as an elected member of Council (2010-2014), on the External Relations Committee (UK National Committee for Geology; 2010-2015) and as chair of the Geoconservation Committee (2013-2015). I am currently a trustee of the Scottish Geology Trust leading the bid to bring the International Geological Congress to Scotland in 2028!
As a tectonic geologist, I think it is important to draw on the full diversity of earth science. My best-known research is on the structural geology of thrust systems, mountain belts and their associated sedimentary basins. However, I have also worked extensively on the geological record and tectono-stratigraphy of the Messinian "Salinity Crisis" in the central Mediterranean and on the structural geology of deep-water sediments and slopes, together with the tectonic controls on their routing.
My publication list is available via ResearchGate.
I run an open-access resource sharing teaching materials in geology - along with films of stunning field locations - on this YouTube channel:
External Memberships
Fellow of Geological Society of London, CGeol.
Member of the Italian Geological Society
Prizes and Awards
President's Award, Geological Society, 1986.
Wollaston Fund, Geological Society, 1995
Inaugrual Dewey medallist, Geological Society, 2018.
- Research
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Research Overview
My research broadly falls into the study of structural geology and tectonics, generally integrating with other subdisciplines in the Earth Sciences. My chief drive is to understand localization of deformation - on various scales: within poorly consolidatetd sediments to establish how gravity flows couple with their substrates, through to establishing the patterns of large-scale deformation within continental lithosphere. Much of this research focusses on the structure and tectonics of sedimentary basins and continental margins. I have geographic interests, chiefly in quantifying the tectonic evolution of the central Mediterranean region through the Neogene - especially using the stratigraphic record to establish structural continuity, the rates and timing of deformation.
My key current research falls under the Fold-Thrust Research Group - an industry partnership that reinvigorates understanding of structural evolution in the outer parts of mountain belts to aid exploration and production of their oil and gas resources.
A secondary theme is concerned with using early syn-orogenic successions to unravel pre-orogenic structural geometry and early tectonic evolution of mountain belts.
Much of my early research has been concerned with the kinematic evolution of thrust belts and thrust-type mountain ranges, the role of inherited structures/stratigraphy in influencing structural evolution. I have worked extensively on exhumation processes in mountain belts, from various parts of the Tethyan-Mediterranean-Alpine system and Himalayas. I have also worked in rift and transform settings, at all crustal levels.
For the past 20 years I have focussed on integrating the stratigraphic record with structural geology, increasingly using the exceptional seismic imagery coming from deepwater continental margins. Increasingly it will be from appropriately calibrated geophysical data - detecting deformation patterns in situ - that advances will come in tectonics and structural geology.
I am a passionate advocate for intelligent geoconservation and the promotion of geological heritage, especially in Scotland. The region contains world class examples, not only of compressional structures formed at various crustal depths (including the Moine thrust Belt) but also stunning arrays of basin-forming fault systems and tectono-magmatic structures. I was heavily involved in the Geological Society's projects on 100 Great Geosites and Plate Tectonic Stories .
Current Research
Structural evolution of foreland thrust belts (Fold-Thrust Research Group)
Structural inheritrance in orogenic belts
The structural geology of submarine slopes, especially the development of gravitationally driven deformation structures.
Messinian basins - interactions between stratigraphic and deformation processes.
Uncertainty and interpretation in structural geology, especially of geophysical datasets.
Turbidite depositional systems as tectonic tracers.
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Instructor on L3 courses: Structural Geology & Tectonics (GL3027) and "Map interpretation and Cross section construction" (part of GL3206); Interpretation of seismic reflection data (GP 3501)
MSc Sustainable Energy Geoscience- structural geology and basin tectonics.
Rob has a host of open educational videos on a wide range of geology on THE SHEAR ZONE - his YouTube channel with images and exercises on his eponymous website
Non-course Teaching Responsibilities
Rob delivers training courses for PhD students in the GeoNetZero centre of doctoral training
- Publications
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Page 1 of 2 Results 1 to 50 of 95
Ramps first – interpreting thrust nucleation in multilayers
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 185, 105190Contributions to Journals: ArticlesInfluence of subtle inherited basement structures on thin-skinned thrust systems: The Caledonian Thrust Front in Lapland (CaTFLap)
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 184, 105156Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe first mapping of the Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland: the progress of Peach, Horne and colleagues (1883–1936)
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, vol. 541, no. 1, pp. SP541-2022-299Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAn introduction to geological mapping of our world and others
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, vol. 541, no. 1, pp. 1-17Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMapping faults in 3D seismic data: why the method matters
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 177, 104976Contributions to Journals: ArticlesContinent-Ocean Transition or Boundary?: Crowd-sourced seismic interpretations of the East-India Passive Margin
Tectonics, vol. 42, no. 8, e2022TC007624Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTraining the creation, visualisation and interpretation of fault maps for the subsurface – using tectonic geomorphology
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, vol. 541, no. 1, pp. SP541-2022-353Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP541-2022-353
Editorial: Source or sink? Erosional and depositional signatures of tectonic activity in deep-sea sedimentary systems
Frontiers in Earth Science, vol. 10, 1042473Contributions to Journals: EditorialsUntangling the Annot sand fairway: structure and stratigraphy of the Eastern Champsaur Basin (Eocene-Oligocene), French Alps
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 177, no. 6, pp. 1197-1209Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDeep-water sand-fairway mapping as a tool for tectonic restoration: decoding Miocene central Mediterranean palaeogeography using the Numidian turbidites of southern Italy
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 177, no. 4, pp. 766-783Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHutton’s Arse: 3 billion years of extraordinary geology in Scotland’s Northern Highlands (second edition) by Malcolm Rider and Peter Harrison, Dunedin Academic Press, Edinburgh (2019), x+226 pp., Pbk., ISBN: 9781780460406. £19.99
Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, vol. 131, no. 2, pp. 227-228Contributions to Journals: Reviews of Books, Films and ArticlesHenry Cadell’s Experimental Researches in Mountain Building: their lessons for interpreting thrust systems and fold-thrust structures
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 490, pp. 9-31Contributions to Journals: ArticlesFrom hot to cold - The temperature dependence on rock deformation processes: An introduction
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 132, 103977Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThrust systems and contractional tectonics
Regional Geology and Tectonics: Principles of Geologic Analysis Volume 1: Principles of Geologic Analysis. Elsevier, pp. 149-167, 19 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64134-2.00008-0
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Fold and thrust belts: structural style, evolution and exploration – an introduction
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 490, pp. 1-8Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRaman Spectroscopy: an effective thermal marker in low temperature carbonaceous fold-thrust belts
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 490, pp. 135-151Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP490-2019-27
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15536/1/RamanLowTemp_Muirhead_AAM_and_Bornes_Table.pdf
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15536/8/Figure1_Muirhead.jpg
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- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15536/5/figure7_1_.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Discussion on ‘A reassessment of the proposed ‘Lairg impact structure’ and its potential implications for the deep structure of northern Scotland’ Journal of the Geological Society, London, 176, 817-829
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 177, pp. 443-446Contributions to Journals: Comments and DebatesSyn-kinematic strata influence the structural evolution of emergent fold-thrust belts
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 490, pp. 57-78Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSyn-kinematic sedimentary systems as constraints on the structural response of thrust belts: re-examining the structural style of the Maghrebian thrust belt of Eastern Sicily
Italian Journal of Geosciences, vol. 138, no. 3, pp. 371-389Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPooled subsidence records from numerous wells reveal variations in pre-break-up rifting along the proximal domains of the Iberia-Newfoundland continental margins
Geological Magazine, vol. 156, no. 8, pp. 1323-1333Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756818000651
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12293/1/Spooner_et_al_accepted.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] https://abdn.pure.elsevier.com/en/en/researchoutput/pooled-subsidence-records-from-numerous-wells-reveal-variations-in-prebreakup-rifting-along-the-proximal-domains-of-the-iberianewfoundland-continental-margins(98b46ed4-fd68-42f9-bbac-32c12aff061c).html
Fold-thrust structures: where have all the buckles gone?
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 487, pp. 21-44Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP487.7
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13724/1/Buckles_resubmit.pdf
- [ONLINE] http://sp.lyellcollection.org/lookup/doi/10.1144/SP487.7
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Fold-related deformation bands in a weakly buried sandstone reservoir analogue: a multi-disciplinary case study from the Numidian (Miocene) of Sicily (Italy)
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 118, pp. 150-164Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2018.10.005
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13150/1/Gambino_et_al_accepted.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Geikie's field researches and their geological controversies
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 480, pp. 149-178Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP480.5
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12175/1/GSLSpecPub17_190_R1.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Tectonic evolution of the Himalayan syntaxes: the view from Nanga Parbat
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 483, pp. 215-254Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP483.5
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12808/1/Butler_syntaxes_final_accepted.pdf
- [ONLINE] https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Publications/Lyell-Collection/Using-the-Lyell-Collection/Copyright-Permissions-and-Terms-of-Use/Copyright-Policy-and-Terms-of-Use-for-Authors
The competition between rates of deformation and solidification in syn-kinematic granitic intrusions: Resolving the pegmatite paradox
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 117, pp. 1-13Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEntrained sand generates fault plane reflections on a deep-water thrust zone
Geology, vol. 46, no. 12, pp. 1039-1042Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/G45277.1
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13180/1/Geology_Totake_et_al_2018.pdf
Interpreting structural geometry in fold-thrust belts: Why style matters
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 114, pp. 251-273Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTracking sand-fairways through a deformed turbidite system: the Numidian (Miocene) of Central Sicily, Italy
Basin Research, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 480-501Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAnalyzing structural variations along strike in a deep-water thrust belt
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 108, pp. 213-229Contributions to Journals: ArticlesImplications of heterogeneous fracture distribution on reservoir quality; an analogue from the Torridon Group sandstone, Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 108, pp. 180-197Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2017.06.002
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/8869/3/Implications_of_heterogeneous_fracture_distribution_on_reservoir_quality_an_analogue_from_the_Torridon_Group_sandstone_Moine_Thrust_Belt_NW_Scotland.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Basement-cover tectonics, structural inheritance, and deformation migration in the outer parts of orogenic belts: A view from the western Alps
Linkages and Feedbacks in Orogenic Systems. Law, R. D., Thigpen, J. R., Merschat, A. J., Stowell, H. H. (eds.). Geological Society of America, pp. 55-74, 20 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters (Peer-Reviewed)- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/2017.1213(03)
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/11073/1/RWHB_GSAHatcher.pdf
Platform-basin transitions and their role in Alpine-style collision systems: a comparative approach
Swiss Journal of Geosciences, vol. 110, no. 2, pp. 535-546Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLiDAR, UAV or compass-clinometer? Accuracy, coverage and the effects on structural models
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 98, pp. 67-82Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe importance of structural model availability on seismic interpretation
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 97, pp. 161-171Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUsing laterally compatible cross sections to infer fault growth and linkage models in foreland thrust belts
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 96, pp. 102-117Contributions to Journals: ArticlesGeochronological challenges posed by continuously developing tectonometamorphic systems: insights from Rb–Sr mica ages from the Cycladic Blueschist Belt, Syros (Greece)
Journal of Metamorphic Geology, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 197-211Contributions to Journals: ArticlesImpact of seismic image quality on fault interpretation uncertainty
GSA Today, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 4-10Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStructural validation as an input into seismic depth conversion to decrease assigned structural uncertainty
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 95, pp. 32-47Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2016.12.007
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/9761/1/SG_D_16_00079_accepted.pdf
The Numidian of Sicily revisited: a thrust-influenced confined turbidite system
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 78, pp. 291-311Contributions to Journals: ArticlesExploring the seismic expression of fault zones in 3D seismic volumes
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 89, pp. 54-73Contributions to Journals: ArticlesInterpreting syndepositional sediment remobilization and deformation beneath submarine gravity flows: a kinematic boundary layer approach
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 173, no. 1, pp. 46-58Contributions to Journals: ArticlesInversion structures in a foreland domain: Seismic examples from the Italian Adriatic Sea
Interpretation, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. SAA161-SAA176Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1190/INT-2015-0013.1
Destructive sampling ethics
Nature Geoscience, vol. 8, no. 11, pp. 817-818Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2572
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Influence of structural position on fracture networks in the Torridon Group, Achnashellach fold and thrust belt, NW Scotland
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 74, pp. 64-80Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0191814115000589/1-s2.0-S0191814115000589-main.pdf?_tid=bc3550b2-d13f-11e4-a26b-00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1427103419_46f7f236a5beda75ba4fa8e9eb0907f0
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2015.03.001
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4360/1/Watkins_butler_bond_healy2015_JSG.pdf
Appraisal of fracture sampling methods and a new workflow to characterise heterogeneous fracturing at outcrop
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 72, pp. 67-82Contributions to Journals: ArticlesImaging thrust and fault zones using 3D seismic image processing techniques
Rendiconti Online Societa Geologica Italiana, vol. 22, pp. 112-114Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStratigraphic variations control deformation patterns in evaporite basins: Messinian examples, onshore and offshore Sicily (Italy)
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 172, no. 1, pp. 113– 124Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2014-024
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/4272/1/2015ButleretalMessinian.pdf
Identifying multiple detachment horizons and an evolving thrust history through cross-section restoration and appraisal in the Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 66, pp. 1-10Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDecent exposure
Geoscientist, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 16-19Contributions to Journals: ArticlesArea balancing as a test of models for the deep structure of mountain belts, with specific reference to the Alps
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 52, pp. 2-16Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2013.03.009