How Large Earthquakes Change Our Dynamically Deforming Planet

This project examines very slow motions inside the Earth that cause stress to build-up in the crust and eventually result in catastrophic earthquakes. The internal flow is a result of the Earth slowly cooling but it also occurs in response to the melting of polar ice caps and there is a sudden change after every major earthquake which we do not yet fully understand. This project aims to deliver advanced computer models connecting the changing shape of the Earth to the recurring cycle of large earthquakes around the globe.The Australian continent is surrounded by ocean trenches where great earthquakes frequently occur and a better understanding of the surface response to global geological activity is important for creating better models of how groundwater flows beneath the land surface, determining the scale of sea-level changes along the Australian coastline, and estimating risk to low-