Ernest Henry Rutter

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Ernest Henry Rutter (born January 1946 in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, UK) is a British geologist and geophysicist. He is known for his research on structural geology and the physics of natural rock deformation. [1]

Contents

Education and career

Rutter received a bachelor's degree in 1967 and a doctorate in 1970 from Imperial College London [2] (which until 2007 was part of the University of London). His doctoral thesis is entitled An experimental study of the factors affecting the rheological properties of rock in simulated geological environments. [3] While still a graduate student, he was put in charge of developing Imperial College London's Rock Deformation Laboratory, where he worked closely with the mechanical technician Robert Holloway. Since 1989, Rutter is a professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of Manchester, [2] where he is now professor emeritus. [4] He founded the University of Manchester's Rock Deformation Laboratory, [2] which has an established an outstanding international reputation. [5] At the laboratory, he and his colleagues designed and built novel experimental apparatus. [1] He is an expert on tectonics (part of structural geology), rock deformations, earthquakes, and landslides. As a geological expert, he has appeared on British television — for instance, he gave scientific background on the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. He is the author or co-author of over 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications. [2]

Near the beginning of his career, Rutter did important research on chemical influence of pore water on rock deformations (including pressure-dependent solubility). In this context he investigated the rheology of limestones such as Carrara Marble and Solnhofen Limestone. [6] [7] In field studies with Kate H. Brodie, he investigated the Ivrea zone in Europe's Southern Alps; [8] the investigations led to important insights into shear zones in the lower part of the Earth's crust and the influence of easily deformable components such as mica and clay on the mechanical complexity of fault zones. [1] His field studies with Daniel R. Faulkner in the Cordilleras Béticas identified enormous pore water pressure variability in clay-bearing fault gouges. [9] Such pore water pressure variability significantly influences variations of mechanical stress in earthquakes and resolves puzzling discrepancies between seismic measurements of naturally occurring earthquakes and laboratory experiments involving rock friction. Rutter's research on the microstructures formed during various deformation processes in the laboratory compared to microstructures observed in the field was also important in studies of 2 important topics in structural geology: (1) the rheology of partially melted rock and (2) hydro-mechanical coupling between metamorphism and mechanical deformation of rock. [1]

Rutter received from the Geological Society of London in 1994 the Wollaston Fund [10] and in 1999 the Lyell Medal. [11] In 2011 the European Geosciences Union awarded him the Louis Néel Medal. [1] In 2004 he was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. [12]

Selected publications

as editor

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Structural geology</span> Science of the description and interpretation of deformation in the Earths crust

Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation (strain) in the rocks, and ultimately, to understand the stress field that resulted in the observed strain and geometries. This understanding of the dynamics of the stress field can be linked to important events in the geologic past; a common goal is to understand the structural evolution of a particular area with respect to regionally widespread patterns of rock deformation due to plate tectonics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metamorphism</span> Change of minerals in pre-existing rocks without melting into liquid magma

Metamorphism is the transformation of existing rock to rock with a different mineral composition or texture. Metamorphism takes place at temperatures in excess of 150 °C (300 °F), and often also at elevated pressure or in the presence of chemically active fluids, but the rock remains mostly solid during the transformation. Metamorphism is distinct from weathering or diagenesis, which are changes that take place at or just beneath Earth's surface.

Tectonophysics, a branch of geophysics, is the study of the physical processes that underlie tectonic deformation. This includes measurement or calculation of the stress- and strain fields on Earth’s surface and the rheologies of the crust, mantle, lithosphere and asthenosphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fold (geology)</span> Stack of originally planar surfaces

In structural geology, a fold is a stack of originally planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, that are bent or curved ("folded") during permanent deformation. Folds in rocks vary in size from microscopic crinkles to mountain-sized folds. They occur as single isolated folds or in periodic sets. Synsedimentary folds are those formed during sedimentary deposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nappe</span> A large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved a considerable distance above a thrust fault

In geology, a nappe or thrust sheet is a large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved more than 2 km (1.2 mi) or 5 km (3.1 mi) above a thrust fault from its original position. Nappes form in compressional tectonic settings like continental collision zones or on the overriding plate in active subduction zones. Nappes form when a mass of rock is forced over another rock mass, typically on a low angle fault plane. The resulting structure may include large-scale recumbent folds, shearing along the fault plane, imbricate thrust stacks, fensters and klippes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mylonite</span> Metamorphic rock

Mylonite is a fine-grained, compact metamorphic rock produced by dynamic recrystallization of the constituent minerals resulting in a reduction of the grain size of the rock. Mylonites can have many different mineralogical compositions; it is a classification based on the textural appearance of the rock.

A cataclastic rock is a type of fault rock that has been wholly or partly formed by the progressive fracturing and comminution of existing rocks, a process known as cataclasis. Cataclasis involves the granulation, crushing, or milling of the original rock, then rigid-body rotation and translation of mineral grains or aggregates before lithification. Cataclastic rocks are associated with fault zones and impact event breccias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pseudotachylyte</span> Glassy, or very fine-grained, rock type

Pseudotachylyte is an extremely fine-grained to glassy, dark, cohesive rock occurring as veins that form through frictional melting and subsequent quenching during earthquakes, large-scale landslides, and impacts events. Chemical composition of pseudotachylyte generally reflects the local bulk chemistry, though may skew to slightly more mafic compositions due to the preferential incorporation of hydrous and ferro-magnesian minerals into the melt phase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cataclasite</span> Rock found at geological faults

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pressure solution</span> Rock deformation mechanism involving minerals dissolution under mechanical stress

In structural geology and diagenesis, pressure solution or pressure dissolution is a deformation mechanism that involves the dissolution of minerals at grain-to-grain contacts into an aqueous pore fluid in areas of relatively high stress and either deposition in regions of relatively low stress within the same rock or their complete removal from the rock within the fluid. It is an example of diffusive mass transfer.

In geology, a deformation mechanism is a process occurring at a microscopic scale that is responsible for changes in a material's internal structure, shape and volume. The process involves planar discontinuity and/or displacement of atoms from their original position within a crystal lattice structure. These small changes are preserved in various microstructures of materials such as rocks, metals and plastics, and can be studied in depth using optical or digital microscopy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fault gouge</span> Crushed rock found near faults

Fault gouge is a type of fault rock best defined by its grain size. It is found as incohesive fault rock, with less than 30% clasts >2mm in diameter. Fault gouge forms in near-surface fault zones with brittle deformation mechanisms. There are several properties of fault gouge that influence its strength including composition, water content, thickness, temperature, and the strain rate conditions of the fault.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eclogitization</span> The tectonic process in which the dense, high-pressure, metamorphic rock, eclogite, is formed

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analogue modelling (geology)</span>

Analogue modelling is a laboratory experimental method using uncomplicated physical models with certain simple scales of time and length to model geological scenarios and simulate geodynamic evolutions.

In structural geology, strain partitioning is the distribution of the total strain experienced on a rock, area, or region, in terms of different strain intensity and strain type. This process is observed on a range of scales spanning from the grain – crystal scale to the plate – lithospheric scale, and occurs in both the brittle and plastic deformation regimes. The manner and intensity by which strain is distributed are controlled by a number of factors listed below.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ernest Henry Rutter, Louis Néel Medal, 2011". European Geosciences Union.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Faulkner, D. R.; Mariani, E.; Mecklenburgh, J.; Covey-Crump, S. (2015). "E. H. Rutter: A biography". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 409 (1): 19–29. Bibcode:2015GSLSP.409...19F. doi:10.1144/SP409.13. S2CID   130965590.
  3. ↑ Rutter, Ernest Henry (1970). An experimental study of the factors affecting the rheological properties of rocks simulated geological environment (PDF) (Ph.D). abstract of thesis
  4. ↑ "Ernest Rutter, Professor Emeritus, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester".
  5. ↑ "Rock Deformation Laboratory, Manchester University". Brit Rock, UK Rock Deformation Network (britrock.org).
  6. ↑ Rutter, Ernest H. (1974). "The influence of temperature, strain rate and interstitial water in the experimental deformation of calcite rocks". Tectonophysics. 22 (3–4): 311–334. Bibcode:1974Tectp..22..311R. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(74)90089-4.
  7. ↑ Rutter, E.H. (1972). "The effects of strain-rate changes on the strength and ductility of Solenhofen limestone at low temperatures and confining pressures". International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences & Geomechanics Abstracts. 9 (2): 183–189. Bibcode:1972IJRMA...9..183R. doi:10.1016/0148-9062(72)90020-4.
  8. ↑ Brodie, K.H.; Rutter, E.H. (1987). "Deep crustal extensional faulting in the Ivrea Zone of Northern Italy". Tectonophysics. 140 (2–4): 193–212. Bibcode:1987Tectp.140..193B. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(87)90229-0.
  9. ↑ Faulkner, D. R.; Rutter, E. H. (1998). "The gas permeability of clay-bearing fault gouge at 20°C". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 147 (1): 147–156. Bibcode:1998GSLSP.147..147F. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1998.147.01.10. S2CID   128910781.
  10. ↑ "The Geological Society of London - Wollaston Fund".
  11. ↑ "The Geological Society of London - Lyell Medal".
  12. ↑ "Fellows Search". American Geophysical Union (agu.org).
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