Cross-disciplinary research centers bring GPS faculty and students with diverse areas of expertise together for an in-depth exploration of areas of overlapping interests and to develop powerful ideas and solutions for moving society forward.
The Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization
The Bruce Murray Laboratory for Planetary Visualization is a new facility within the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology. The goal of the lab is to develop and implement state-of-the-art image processing, visualization and data integration techniques. The Murray Lab is actively engaged in terrestrial data visualization projects, including production and rendering of ultra-high-resolution gravity models, topographic models, and cm-scale drone imaging and topographic modeling of field sites.
Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution (3CPE)
The 3CPE is an interdisciplinary center which merges the fields of astronomy, geology, and biology to answer questions about the origin and evolution of planetary systems and their biospheres.
The Center for Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards (GMG)
The Center for Geomechanics and Mitigation of Geohazards (GMG) at Caltech is a joint collaboration between GPS and EAS Divisions. GMG is conducting research to advance the understanding of how geomaterials fail in the presence of fluids. The center will develop physics-based methods to mitigate the hazard associated with such activities, as well as with natural earthquakes and landslides. More than fifteen Caltech professorial faculty are participating in the Center, covering all the relevant disciplines - geophysics, geology, mechanical and civil engineering, and information sciences.
Climate Modeling Alliance (CliMA)
We know that climate change is poised to reshape our world, but we lack clear enough predictions about precisely how. At CliMA, our mission is to provide the accurate and actionable scientific information needed to face the coming changes—to mitigate what is avoidable, and to adapt to what is not. We want to provide the predictions necessary to plan resilient infrastructure, adapt supply chains, devise efficient climate change mitigation policies, and assess the risks of climate-related hazards to vulnerable communities.
We are a coalition of scientists, engineers, and applied mathematicians from Caltech, MIT, the Naval Postgraduate School, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We are building a new Earth system model that leverages recent advances in the computational and data sciences to learn directly from a wealth of Earth observations from space and the ground. Our model will harness more data than ever before, providing a new level of accuracy to predictions of droughts, heat waves, and rainfall extremes.
The Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science
The Linde Center brings together scientists and engineers representing a broad range of research perspectives in order to address the complex issue of global climate change. Studies initiated at the Linde Center draw upon principles in chemistry, engineering, geology, environmental science, and other fields, and have led and will lead to a comprehensive understanding of the global environment—including the impact human activities have on it.
Seismological Laboratory
The Seismological Laboratory—informally known as the Seismo Lab—is a modern geophysical observatory that emphasizes the acquisition, analysis, and modeling of data pertaining to the structure and dynamics of the earth as well as other planetary bodies. These data originate from many sources, including regional and global seismic networks, in-house analytic facilities (for example, the diamond-anvil cell laboratory), oceanic research cruises, remote sensing (via GPS, interferometric radar, Landsat, etc.), and geologic field mapping.
Current Seismo Lab research incorporates all aspects of geophysics and earthquake geology, including, but not limited to, regional crustal structure; the physics of earthquakes; the structure, chemistry, and convective flow of the earth's interior; oceanic and continental tectonics; and lithospheric deformation.
Community Seismic Network (CSN)
- Provide maps of maximum shaking immediately following a major earthquake to help direct first responders.
- Monitor health and safety of structures.
- Create zonation maps of populated areas.
Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN)
The SCSN is the southern California portion of the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN). The CISN is the region of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) that represents the entire state of California. Under various names, the Southern California Seismic Network (or SCSN) has been monitoring earthquakes in Southern California since the 1920s.