Simon Peacock
Professor
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
The University of British Columbia
Canada
Biography
B.S., M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1981) Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles (1985) B.S., M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1981) Ph.D., University of California at Los Angeles (1985)
Research Interest
Dr. Peacock's research focuses on understanding the thermal, petrologic, and seismological structure of subduction zones — places on Earth where tectonic plates dive into the Earth's mantle triggering great earthquakes and explosive volcanism. His research integrates numerical heat-transfer models with petrologic models constrained by experiments and natural mineral assemblages in order to gain insight into processes operating at 20 to 700 kilometers depth in the Earth. The resulting integrated thermal-petrologic models are tested against seismological observations of modern subduction zones. In addition to subduction zone studies, Peacock and his students have conducted research on the thermal evolution of the crust during extension, the distribution of light elements in high-pressure metamorphic rocks, the exhumation and preservation of ultra-high pressure metamorphic rocks, and the origin of eclogite-facies rocks in Antarctica.
