Sebastian Georg Wolf
Position
Researcher
Affiliation
Research groups
Short info
Research
I am a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Bergen (Norway) in the Geodynamics and Basin Studies group. I鈥檓 generally excited by any geoscientific problem that is governed by interesting, unpredictable, and dynamic relationships. The tectonic-climate coupling on Earth is such a problem, that combines different fields of geosciences and different processes acting in different domains and on different timescales. My main research interest is to understand and specifically quantify this exciting coupling that exists between tectonics, surface processes, and climate, and how it shapes our Earth. To achieve this goal, I use and develop computational tools that combine the physics of tectonics and climate-driven surface processes.
My background is in geodynamics, specifically the dynamics of ocean-continent subduction and continent-continent collision. From these 鈥渄eep鈥 processes I gradually moved spatially upwards to include fluvial surface processes, to investigate the exciting interaction between tectonics and fluvial erosion. Most recently, I also started working with the dynamics of glaciers and glacial erosion, which provides one of the missing links to quantify the tectonic-climate coupling on Earth.
Outreach
Invited presentations and keynotes at major international conferences
- TSK 2024, Freiburg, Keynote Presentation: 鈥淨uantifying the interaction between surface processes and tectonics during mountain building: the Beaumont number鈥
- GEOMOD 2023, Paris, Keynote Presentation: 鈥淭ectonics or Surface Processes: The Beaumont number of mountain belts on Earth鈥
- European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Invited Presentation: 鈥淗ow high do mountains grow - quantifying growth and decay of topography in collisional orogens鈥
- American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2022, Chicago, Invited Presentation: 鈥淗ow high do mountains grow - quantifying growth and decay of topography in collisional orogens鈥
Teaching
Lecturer at the University of Bergen
- Geodynamics and Basin Modeling (GEOV254), 2022
Teaching assistant/smaller teaching roles at LMU & TU Munich, Germany, and the University of Bergen in the following courses:
- Pyrenean Field course
- Geodynamics and Basin modelling
- Introduction to Structural Geology
- Introduction to Endogenous Geology and Plate Tectonics
- Introduction to Technical mechanics for Geologists
Publications
Articles in preparation
- Wolf, S.G., Braun, J., Huismans, R. S. 鈥淧eriodic climatic variations during collisional orogenesis 鈥 insights from coupled tectonic-surface-process models鈥, in prep. for JGR Solid Earth, presented at EGU 2024
- Wolf, S.G., Huismans, R. S., May, D. A. "Subduction polarity and inherited weaknesses determine three-dimensional mountain belt architecture", in prep. for Nature Communications, anticipated presentation at EGU 2025
- Theunissen, T., Huismans, R. S., Rouby, D., Wolf, S. G., May, D. A. "Inheritance controls highly oblique segmented rifted passive margin formation", in prep. for Science Advances, presented at EGU 2024 and AGU 2023
Articles under review
- Wolf, S. G., Huismans, R. S., Braun, J. 鈥淭ectonics and Surface Processes during orogenesis 鈥 the Beaumont number: I. Exploring the parameter space鈥, JGR Solid Earth, under review
- Wolf, S. G., Huismans, R. S., Braun, J. 鈥淭ectonics and Surface Processes during orogenesis 鈥 the Beaumont number: II. Application to orogens on Earth鈥, JGR Solid Earth, under review
- Erd艖s, Z., Huismans, R. S., Wolf, S. G., Faccenna, C. 鈥淭errane accretion explains thin and hot ocean-continent back-arcs鈥, Science Advances, under review
Peer-reviewed research articles
Continent-continent collision:
- Yuan, X. , Li, Y. Q., Brune, S., Li, L., Pons, M., Wolf, S. G. (2024) 鈥淐oordination between deformation, orographic precipitation, and erosion during orogenic growth鈥, Nature Communications, 15, 10362
- Wolf, S. G. and Huismans, R. S. and Braun, J. and Yuan, X. (2022). 鈥淭opographic Evolution of Mountain Belts Controlled by Rheology and Surface Process Efficiency鈥, Nature, 606, 516-521
- Wolf, S. G. and Huismans, R. S. and Mu帽oz, J.-A. and Curry, M. E. and van der Beek, P. (2021). 鈥淕rowth of Collisional Orogens From Small and Cold to Large and Hot 鈥 Inferences From Geodynamic Models鈥. JGR Solid Earth, 126
Ocean-continent subduction:
- Erd艖s, Z., Huismans, R. S., Faccenna, C., Wolf, S. G. (2021). 鈥淭he role of subduction interface and upper plate strength on back-arc extension: application to Mediterranean back-arc basins鈥, Tectonics, 40
- Wolf, S. G. and Huismans, R. S. (2019). 鈥淢ountain Building or Backarc Extension in Ocean-Continent Subduction Systems: A Function of Backarc Lithospheric Strength and Absolute Plate Velocities鈥. JGR Solid Earth, 124, 7, p.7461-7482.
Continental rifting:
- Wolf, L. and Huismans, R. S. and Wolf, S. G., and Rouby, D. and May, D. A. (2022). 鈥淓volution of rift architecture and fault linkage during continental rifting: Investigating the effects of tectonics and surface processes using lithosphere-scale 3D coupled numerical models鈥. JGR Solid Earth, 127
- Wolf, L., Huismans, R. S., Rouby, D., Gawthorpe, R. L., Wolf, S. G. (2022) 鈥淟inks Between Faulting, Topography, and Sediment Production During Continental Rifting: Insights From Coupled Surface Process, Thermomechanical Modeling鈥. JGR Solid Earth, 127, 3
Himalayan landscape evolution:
- Yuan, X.P., Jiao, R., Liu-Zeng, J., Dupont-Nivet, G., Wolf, S. G., Shen, X. (2023) "Downstream propagation of fluvial erosion in Eastern Tibet". Earth and Planetary Science Letters , 605, 118017
- Yuan, X., Huppert, K., Braun, J., Shen, X., Liu-Zeng, J., Guerit, L., Wolf, S. G., Zhang, J., Jolivet, M. (2022). 鈥淧ropagating uplift controls on high-elevation, low-relief landscape formation in Southeast Tibetan Plateau鈥. Geology, v. 50
Dynamics of the Pyrenees:
- Curry, M. E., van der Beek, P., Huismans, R. S., Wolf, S. G., Fillon, C., Mu帽oz, J.-A. (2021). 鈥淪patio-temporal patterns of Pyrenean exhumation revealed by inverse thermo-kinematic modeling of a large thermochronologic dataset鈥. Geology, v. 49
- Curry, M. E., van der Beek, P., Huismans, R. S., Wolf, S. G., Mu帽oz, J.-A. (2019). 鈥淓volving paleotopography and lithospheric flexure of the Pyrenean Orogen from 3D flexural modeling and basin analysis鈥, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 515, p.26-37.