Rob Govers  Associate Professor of Geophysics

Mail address	Visiting address
Department of Earth Sciences	Room 248 (2nd floor)
Faculty of Geosciences	Vening Meinesz Building A
Utrecht University	Princetonlaan 8A
P.O. Box 80.115	University campus "De Uithof"
3508 TCUtrecht	Utrecht
The Netherlands	The Netherlands
phone: (..) (0)30-2 534 985 fax: (..) (0)30-2 535 030  r.govers AT uu DOT nl

My main research interests are the geodynamics of plate boundaries, lithosphere scale deformation processes and the expressions of these processes in geophysical and geological data. I am particularly interested in the geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean region, and in the role of solid earth processes in the Messinian salinity crisis. I also study the geodynamics of the Caribbean region. I develop, and scientifically use, numerical modeling tools, in particular for the solution of partial differential equations (GTECTON, GFLEX).

Here is a recent Curriculum Vitae, here are my publication records on ORCID and Metis, and here is a citation list by Google Scholar.

Current research themes:

• Evolution of forces and stresses within the Eurasia plate. Rob Govers, Renato Guitierez, Marius Wouters, Rinus Wortel, Karin Warners-Ruckstuhl. We combine plate tectonic reconstructions combined with physical models of the forces that drive and resists plate motion to predict stress, slip on major faults, and strain and verti cal axis rotations for selected Cenozoic time slices. We include mantle convective tractions, tractions deriving from interactions with neighbouring plates, and intraplate forces deriving from gravitational potential energy. The predictions are confronted with a wide range of observation types to discriminate between realistic and unrealistic models.
• The geodetic signature of the earthquake cycle at subduction zones. Rob Govers, Celine Marsman, Mario D´Acquisto. Earthquake cycle models specific for subduction margins that capture both the short and long term mechanical evolution and related geodetic observations. Do take a look at our educational movie
• Cenozoic evolution and geodynamics of Anatolia. Rob Govers, Andreas Fichtner, Ali Ozbakir, Jeroen Bartol, Rinus Wortel, Combine inferences from full-waveform tomography with published field observations and reconstructions to constrain the present-day and Cenozoic evolution of the crust and upper mantle of Anatolia.
• Mechanics of active STEPs, and their expressions in active tectonics -- applications to the Central Mediterranean and the south Caribbean. Rob Govers, Nicolai Nijholt, Taco Broerse, Ernst Willingshofer, What are the controls on the propagation and strain localisation along STEPs and STEP faults (sensu Govers and Wortel, 2005; Baes et al., 2011)?

1. Lithosfeer Dynamica (Second year BSc course, Govers, block 3, 2024)
2. Introduction to Natural Hazards (2nd/3rd year BSc course, Govers, Sanders, GEO2-4211, block 3, 2024)

MSc/PhD courses:

1. Tectonophysics next: block 2, 2023-24)
2. Hazards and Risk Assessment, block 3, 2024.
3. Modelling Crust and Lithosphere Deformation, next: block 1, 2024.
   

Last modified: November 26, 2023