GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Charles Babendreier is an M.S. student who uses seismic reflection techniques to understand processes at plate boundaries. Prior to the start of his graduate studies, Charles graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in geophysics and a minor in mathematics, where he developed his affinity for geophysical data acquisition and kindled his interest in the power of subsurface imaging.
At the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, he is utilizing state-of-the-art seismic reflection data acquired along the Cascadian Subduction Zone to image, map, and characterize a group of massive submarine landslides off the coast of southern Oregon. The deposits that Charles is studying may contain insights into the tectonic history of the southern Cascadian margin – specifically in the context of paleoseismicity associated with megathrust ruptures on the plate interface which hosts Juan de Fuca and North American plates. Furthermore, Charles’s work seeks to address the tsunamigenic potential these submarine landslides possessed, which will be important in assessing nearby coastal communities for associated geohazards.
INTERESTS
Subduction zones, submarine mass-wasting events, coastal geohazards, marine geophysics
SUPERVISOR
EDUCATION
BS in Geophysics w/ minor in Mathematics, Texas A&M University