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Professor of Geophysics and, by courtesy, of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Simon Klemperer

Professor of Geophysics and, by courtesy, of Earth and Planetary Sciences
I lead the "Crustal" research group within the Department of Geophysics. We study structure, tectonics, deformation, growth and composition of the continental lithosphere, largely using active and passive seismology. Our emphasis is the creative combination of the full range of geologic and geophysical data, existing or of our own collection, analyzed often using relatively standard techniques, rather than striving to create entirely new methodologies - though in the last few years we have significantly improved the VDSS (SsPmp) method, and have created the Sn/Lg method to test whether continental earthquakes are have hypocenters aboove or below the Moho. For 25 years I have studied Tibet and the Himalaya, including the INDEPTH reflection/refraction transect across the Plateau, analysis of broadband campaign data from India, Nepal and China, and most recently geochemical and isotopic studies of geothermal fluids to tackle the questions that seismology can’t reach. I helped institute, and have continued to be faculty director of, the SE3 Summer Undergraduate Research program that places and mentors >20 Stanford frosh/sophomores in SE3 research opportunities each year, and until recently was Director of Undergraduate Studies in Geophysics.

Education

Ph.D., Cornell University, Geophysics (1985)
M.A., Cambridge University (1984)
B.A., Cambridge University, Mineralogy and Petrology (1980)