Wissenschaftliche Interessen:

My expertise lies in geodynamics where I use a diverse set of modelling tools to integrate observations from structural geology, geophysical imaging, plate tectonics, and rheology in order to elucidate the processes that shape mantle, crust, and surface of our planet. The backbone of my work is the development and geodynamic application of numerical, analytical, and plate-tectonic modelling approaches. I use these techniques to investigate the dynamics of rifting and continental breakup across the scales, from the localisation of faults and shear zones to lithospheric necking, rift topography evolution and interaction with mantle convection and large-scale plate tectonics. However, I also strive to transcend conventional discipline boundaries by investigating links between lithosphere dynamics, natural hazards, plate tectonics, and climate.

For more info on my most recent work see theCRYSTALS project homepage.

Karriere:

Since 06/2016: Helmholtz Young Investigators Group Leader (GFZ Potsdam)

06/2013 - 05/2016: Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (2013-2015: EarthByte Group, Sydney, Australia 2015-2016: Geodynamic Modelling Section, GFZ Potsdam)

10/2009 - 05/2013: PostDoc, Geodynamic Modelling Section, GFZ Potsdam

04/2007 - 06/2007: Visiting scientist, Hydrodynamic Modelling Group, Texas A&M University, USA.

02/2006 - 09/2009: PhD candidate, Geodynamic Modelling Section, GFZ Potsdam

10/1999 - 01/2006: Diploma student of Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin (2002-2003: Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France)

Projekte:

Auszeichnungen:

2016: Australia-Germany Joint Research Cooperation Grant (German Academic Exchange Service - DAAD)

2015: Helmholtz Young Investigators Grant (Helmholtz Association)

2013: Marie Curie Grant (European Research Executive Agency)

2013: GFZ PostDoc Award (Annual PostDoc Price at GFZ Potsdam).

2010: DGG Young Scientist Poster Award (Poster Price of the Annual Meeting of the German Geophysical Society)

Selected Publications (click here for full list):

Brune, S., Willliams, S. E., & Müller, R. D. (2018). Oblique rifting: the rule, not the exception. Solid Earth Discussions, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-2018-63 (Link to Discussion Paper).

Brune, S., (2018), Forces within continental and oceanic rifts: Numerical modeling elucidates the impact of asthenospheric flow on surface stress, Geology, v. 46, p. 191–192, doi: 10.1130/focus022018.1 (Link to Paper).

Brune, S., Williams, S.E., and Müller, R.D. (2017): Potential links between continental rifting, CO₂ degassing and climate change through time, Nature Geoscience, doi: 10.1038/s41561-017-0003-6 (Link to Paper).

Micallef, A., S. F. L. Watt, C. Berndt, M. Urlaub, S. Brune, I. Klaucke, C. Böttner, J. Karstens, and J. Elger (2017): An 1888 volcanic collapse becomes a benchmark for tsunami models, Eos, 98 (Link to Paper).

Brune, S., Corti, G., and Ranalli, G. (2017): Controls of inherited lithospheric heterogeneity on rift linkage: Numerical and analogue models of interaction between the Kenyan and Ethiopian rifts across the Turkana depression: Tectonics, p. 2017TC004739, doi: 10.1002/2017TC004739. (More Info, Animations, and Downloads)

Yuan, X., Heit, B., Brune, S., Steinberger, B., Geissler W.H., Jokat, W., Weber, M. (2017): Seismic structure of the lithosphere beneath NW Namibia: Impact of the Tristan da Cunha mantle plume. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 18(1), 125-141, doi: 10.1002/2016GC006645. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S., Heine, C., Clift, P.D., Pérez-Gussinyé, M. (2017) Rifted margin architecture and crustal rheology: Reviewing Iberia-Newfoundland, central South Atlantic, and South China Sea. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 79, 257-281, doi: 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2016.10.018. (More Info, Animations, and Downloads)

Brune, S., Williams, S.E., Butterworth, N.P., Müller, R.D. (2016): Abrupt plate accelerations shape rifted continental margins. Nature, 536 (7615), 201–204, doi:10.1038/nature18319. (More Info, Animations, and Downloads)

Cyprych, D., Brune, S., Piazolo, S., Quinteros, J. (2016): Strain localization in polycrystalline material with second phase particles: Numerical modeling with application to ice mixtures. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, doi:10.1002/2016GC006471. (Link to Paper)

Díaz-Azpiroz, M., Brune, S., Leever, K.A., Fernández, C., and Czeck, D.M. (2016): Tectonics of oblique plate boundary systems. Tectonophysics, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2016.07.028. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S. (2016): Rifts and rifted margins: A review of geodynamic processes and natural hazards. AGU Monograph "Plate Boundaries and Natural Hazards", Eds. Duarte, J & Schellart, W. (Link to Paper)

Clift, P., Brune, S., Quinteros, J. (2015): Climate changes control offshore crustal structure at South China Sea continental margin.Earth and Planetary Science Letters 420, 66-72, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.03.032. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S. (2014): Evolution of stress and fault patterns in oblique rift systems: 3D numerical lithospheric-scale experiments from rift to breakup. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 15:8, 3392–3415, doi:10.1002/2014GC005446. (Link to Paper)

Koopmann, H.; Brune, S.; Franke, D.; Breuer, S.(2014): Linking rift propagation barriers to excess magmatism at volcanic rifted margins. Geology, 42, 1071-1074, doi:10.1130/G36085. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S.; Heine, C.; Perez-Gussinye, M.; Sobolev, S. V.(2014): Rift migration explains continental margin asymmetry and crustal hyper-extension. Nature Communications. 5:4014. doi:10.1038/ncomms5014. (Link to Paper)

Heine, C.; Brune, S.: Oblique rifting of the Equatorial Atlantic(2014): Why there is no Saharan Atlantic Ocean. Geology, 42, 211-214, doi:10.1130/G35082.1. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S.; Autin, J.: The rift to break-up evolution of the Gulf of Aden(2013): Insights from 3D numerical lithospheric-scale modelling. Tectonophysics 607, 65–79. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2013.06.029. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S.;Popov, A. A.; Sobolev, S. V.(2013): Quantifying the thermo-mechanical impact of plume arrival on continental break-up. Tectonophysics 604, 51–59. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2013.02.009. (Link to Paper)

Brune, S.; Popov, A. A.; Sobolev, S. V.(2012): Modeling suggests that oblique extension facilitates rifting and continental break-up. Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, B08402, doi:10.1029/2011JB008860. (Link to Paper)

Selected Media Pieces:

12/2017: Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) - Degassing from Continental Rifts Controls Earth’s Thermostat

11/2017: Newsweek.com - When Earth's supercontinent Pangaea was torn apart 130 million years ago, the planet warmed up 

11/2017: Bild der Wissenschaft - Wenn Kontinente brechen, wird`s warm

11/2017: Cosmos - Continent break-up fuelled early climate change

12/2016: EARTH Magazine - Why tectonic plates lurch forward when they break

07/2016: Spektrum der Wissenschaft - Kontinente zerreißen wie Brotteig  

03/2014: Yahoo.com - Tectonic Puzzle: Why West Africa Didn't Follow South America

03/2014: Spiegel Online - Die unmögliche Nase Südamerikas

03/2014: International Science Times - How Africa's Shape Was Determined By Competing Tectonic-Plate Movements

03/2014: Süddeutsche Zeitung - Die Welt, die niemals war

03/2014: Nature World News - Sahara Desert Could Have Been an Ocean.

Invited Conference Presentations:

12/2017: Brune, S. "Thermomechanical Controls on the Success and Failure of Continental Rift Systems" AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco

08/2017: Brune, S., S. Williams, G. Corti, R.D. Müller, G. Ranalli "Continental Rifting: From Plate Boundary Processes to Global Geodynamics" Invited Keynote, NetherMod - the XV International Workshop on Numerical Modelling of Mantle and Lithosphere Dynamics, Putten, Netherlands

04/2017: Brune, S., S. Williams, N. Butterworth, R.D. Müller "Abrupt plate acceleration during rifted margin formation: Cause and effect" EGU General Assembly, Vienna

12/2016: Brune, S. "Abrupt plate acceleration through oblique rifting: Geodynamic aspects of Gulf of California evolution." AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco

05/2016: Brune, S.: "Dynamics of Active Rifts and Rifted Margins: Insights from Numerical Experiments." 78th EAGE Conference, Vienna, Austria

03/2016: Brune, S. "Numerical Modelling of Rift Dynamics: Linking Observations on Fault, Basin and Global Scale." Invited Keynote. RIFTS III Conference at the Geological Society of London

04/2015: Brune, S. "Crustal Rheology and Rifted Margin Architecture: Comparing Iberia-Newfoundland, Central South Atlantic, and South China Sea." EGU General Assembly, Vienna

06/2010: Brune, S. "Landslide generated tsunamis and methods for early warning." CBC Workshop on Tsunami Modelling, Oslo

Scientific Services:

since 2018: Associate Editor, Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth  

2017: Convener, "Continental Rifts and Passive Margins: Geology, Geophysics, Geodynamics", AGU Fall Meeting

2016: Co-Convener, "Origin, architecture, and dynamics of extensional basins", AGU Fall Meeting

2016: Co-Convener, “Rifted basins and margins: architecture and evolution“, 35th IGC, Capetown

2016: Guest Editor for Tectonophysics Special Volume “Tectonics of Oblique Plate Boundary Systems”

2015: Convener, “Rifts and Passive Margins: Tectonics, Dynamics, Processes“, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco

2015: Co-Convener, “Plate tectonics and plate boundary deformation: Observations and models on global, regional and basin scales”, GeoBerlin

2014: Convener, “Oblique Deformation: The 3D Challenge“, AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco

2012: Co-Convener, “ Plate kinematics, mantle convection, paleogeography and sea level“, EGU General Assembly, Vienna