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Paul MannSenior Research ScientistPh.D., State University of New York at Albany, 1983 Telephone: 512-471-0452
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My longterm research interest focuses on the tectonics of late Cenozoic deformation plate boundary zones. For these studies I prefer to use a variety of tools including: field observations and mapping, remote sensing, and geophysical data including single- and multi-channel seismic data, seismic refraction, sidescan and multibeam, magnetics and gravity, GPS-based geodesy, and fault trenching.
For me, a "final product" is tie to all these various data types into a completely consistent regional tectonic interpretation. For examples, of these types of regional studies, please refer to the GSA Special papers that I have either edited or co-edited: GSA Special Papers 262 (1991), 295 (1995), 326 (1999), 385 (2005), 428 (2007), as well as Caribbean Basins (Elsevier, 1999), Tectonophysics Special Issue on the Solomon Islands (v. 389, 2005), and the AAPG Bulletin Special Issue on the Maracaibo Basin, western Venezuela (v. 90, 2006).
Over the past 25 years I have worked either onland or at sea in the following tectonic environments. Most of this work has been done collaboratively with BS, MS, PhD, or post-doctoral level researchers at the University of Texas at Austin.
Subduction and collisional boundaries: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Sumatra, Hjort trench, Kamchatka, Puerto Rico trench
Strike-slip plate boundaries: northern and southern Caribbean, Alpine fault, Maquarie ridge, Owen Stanley fault zone of Papua New Guinea (Dickson Cunningham and I have recently edited Geological Society of London special volume: "Tectonics of Strike-slip Restraining and Releasing Bends"; in that volume is a review paper by me that outlines my understanding of the many strike-slip plate boundaries around the world).
Passive margins: Northeast South America, Ivory Coast, West Africa
Source of data: The source of data for these studies varies from original field data collected at outcrops, original geophysical data collected during NSF-supported marine surveys, and data provided by the oil industry. In recent years, more of my time has been spent with subsurface data either collected as part of NSF-funded surveys on academic research vessels or using geophysical and well data provided by the oil industry. However, ideas by students for outcrop-based studies to solve tectonic problems of regional significance are always welcome.
Student opportunities: I am always looking for self-motivated and hard working students who are both interested in the field of tectonics and willing to go the extra mile and include "one more data set" in their thesis or dissertation study. This type of training is valuable both to those wanting to go to careers in the oil industry and also for those interested in academic research and teaching (cf. list of graduated students).
For master's students, I expect a high degree of professionalism and maturity during an intensive two-year commitment to their science that will include field-related travel, reporting of results at a minimum of one national or international meeting, and at least one published paper resulting from their thesis. This paper needs to be submitted by the time of their graduation date.
For PhD students, I expect a longer five year committment that will culminate with them leaving here as a globally-recognized expert on their study topic. Their path will include extensive field work (either at land or sea or both), frequent presentations at meetings, and a minimum of three published papers resulting from their study. These papers need to be accepted by the time of their graduation date.
A list of students I have worked with who have won awards for presentations at national and international meetings can be found here.
My current interests include the on- and offshore geology of Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad, the geology and tectonics of eastern Papua New Guinea, the tectonic evolution of the Central America volcanic arc, the tectonics of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico trench and the tectonics and deep structure of southeastern Alaska.
If you are a prospective undergraduate or graduate student or postdoctoral researcher with interests, specialized skills or previous experience in an area not mentioned above, please contact me or plan a one or two day visit to our "shop" at the Institute for Geophysics to discuss how you might develop your topic into a UT thesis or dissertation study.
Post-doctoral opportunities: I am also looking for post-docs to hire for our industry consortium that is focused on a regional synthesis of the Caribbean and southern Gulf of Mexico (cf. web page at http://www.ig.utexas.edu/research/projects/cbth/). Since this project mainly deals with subsurface data (seismic, wells) and regional geology/tectonics, expertise in both areas is required. The duration of the post-doctoral position is two years. My expectations for post-docs include that they are completely self-motivated and are able to devise their own research program within the confines of our data and mandate from the industry sponsors. Their work is expected to satisfy both the goals of the project but also be publishable in leading journals.
Currently Funded Research Projects
BOLIVAR: Crust mantle Interactions During Continental Growth and High Pressure Rock Exhumation at an Oblique Arc Continent Collision Zone: SE Caribbean Margin
NSF - Continental Dynamics.
Co-PI: Gail Christeson
UT MS grad students supported: Trevor Aitken (MS, 2005), David Gorney (MS, 2005), and Margaret Kroehler (MS, in progress).
Caribbean basins, tectonics, and hydrocarbons (CBTH), Phase 1
Consortium of eleven US and foreign oil companies.
UT undergraduate students supported: Joey Breeland, Bjorn Schey, Chase Hudson, Will King, Jeff Storm
Post-doctoral researchers supported by CBTH and JSG: Alejandro Escalona (2003-2005), Hamed El-Mowafy (2006-2007), Xiangyang Xie (2007-2009), Xiangyun Jiang (2007-2009).
MS student supported by CBTH: Emilio Garciacaro (MS, 2006), David Soto (MS, 2007), Eleine Vence (MS in progress).
MS student supported by PDVSA: David Contreras (MS in progress).
MS and PhD level graduate students currently sought for this study.
NicLakes: Distinguishing Tectonic Mechanisms of Extension and Forearc Translation Near the Central American Volcanic Arc by High-Resolution Seismic Profiling in Lakes Nicaragua and Managua
NSF MARGINS and Jackson School of Geosciences funded project.
Co-PI: Kirk McIntosh
Post-doctoral researcher supported by NSF and JSG: Sabine Wulf (2006-2008).
UT MS student supported: Justin Funk (MS, 2007)
Assessing site stability at Caracas Bay, Curacao
Algemeen Pensioenfonds van de Nederlandse Antillen
Co-PI: Matt Hornbach
Post-doctoral researcher supported by grant and JSG: Sabine Wulf (2007-2008).
UT undergraduate students supported: Rebecca Boon (2007-2008)
Collaborative research: An integrated tectonic study of the Jamaica strike-slip restraining bend and Gonave microplate using GPS, geomorphologic, seismic, and gravity data
NSF - Structure and Tectonics
Co-PIs: Chuck DeMets, Basil Tikoff (Univ of Wisconsin)
UT undergraduate student supported: Will King (2007-2008)
Collaborative research: How if rifting exhuming the youngest high-pressure and ultrahigh pressure (HP/UHP) rocks on Earth?
NSF - Continental Dynamics
Co-PI: Brian Horton
UT PhD student supported: Ryan Coppersmith (in progress)
Other areas of current research interest:
- Active continental extension of eastern Papua New Guinea
- Tectonics, sedimentation, and petroleum geology of northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Suriname, Guyana, and offshore basins)
- Tectonics, sedimentation, and petroleum geology of Central America, the northern Caribbean and the southern Gulf of Mexico
- Tertiary tectonics and sedimentation in the Bohai basin, China
- Restraining and releasing bends in active and ancient strike-slip zones
- High-resolution seismic surveys of active faults and submarine slides in the circum-Caribbean area
- Tectonic setting and database of the world's giant oil fields
Short courses offered through AAPG or by special arrangement:
1) Jurassic-Recent subsurface geology, paleogeography, and regional tectonics of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region (with A. Escalona and W. Galloway, 3 days).
http://www.aapg.org/education/fec/details.cfm?ID=83
2) Overview of the subsurface petroleum geology of northern South America: From mature onland supergiants to offshore frontiers (with A. Escalona, 2 days).
3) Giant oil and gas fields: Global inventories, tectonic settings, stratigraphic framework, and predictive parameters (with M. Horn, 2 days).
Paul's UTIG Contributions (Publications)
Some of Paul's field guides are available on-line.