Theses and Dissertations Collection

The oceanic lithosphere comprises over half of the Earth’s surface. In this dissertation, I explore rheologic characteristics and dynamic evolution of the lithosphere through a series of investigations of mid-oceanic ridge transform faults, fracture zones, and hotspot island chains. I use geophysical observations from satellite- and ship-based collections to measure structure, deformation, and melt fluxes as well as constrain dynamic numerical simulations of long-term lithosphere movements. From these observations and models, I characterize the heterogeneous strength of the lithosphere across length scales and interpret dynamic behavior in rising thermal plumes from the Earth’s mantle.