Carolina Raquel Lithgow-Bertelloni
Born
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic[1]
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Scientific career
ThesisThe history and dynamics of plate motions (1994)

Carolina Raquel Lithgow-Bertelloni is a geophysicist known for her research on the role of subsurface processes in shaping the Earth. She was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2021.

Education and career

Lithgow-Bertelloni has a B.Sc. from the University of Puerto Rico (1987) and earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1994.[1] Following her Ph.D., Lithgow-Bertelloni held positions at Universität Göttingen, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Institution of Washington before becoming an assistant professor at the University of Michigan in 1997, where she remained until 2011. She subsequently held multiple positions at University College London, Roma Tre University, and Carnegie Institute of Washington. In 2018, Lithgow-Bertelloni became the Louis B. and Martha B. Slichter Endowed Chair in Geosciences at the University of California, Los Angeles.[1]

Research

The research done by Lithgow-Bertelloni combines planetary science and geophysics. She is particularly interested in how processes below the surface, e.g., in the mantle, drive processes occurring on Earth's surface. Her research includes investigations into the movement of tectonic plates,[2] particularly in the geological past.[3][4] She has examined processes that contribute to variability in plate motion including mineralogy in the subsurface[5][6] and chemical heterogeneity in the mantle.[7] Her research has contributed to our understanding of the early history of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain[8] and the role of changes in viscosity in establishing a boundary in the mantle at one megameter below the Earth's surface.[9][10] Lithgow-Bertelloni has also described the movement of oceanic plates, potentially distinct from the movement of land masses, over geologic time.[11][12]

Selected publications

Awards and honors

Personal life

Lithgow-Bertelloni's sister, Anna M. Lithgow-Bertelloni, is also a scientist and works on natural products from marine organisms, one of which may aid in fighting against SARS-CoV-2.[16]

Lithgow-Bertelloni resides in Santa Monica, California.

References

  1. ^ a b c "CV_CLB" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-02. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina; Silver, Paul G. (1998). "Dynamic topography, plate driving forces and the African superswell". Nature. 395 (6699): 269–272. Bibcode:1998Natur.395..269L. doi:10.1038/26212. ISSN 0028-0836. S2CID 4414115.
  3. ^ Lithgow-Bertelloni, C.; Richards, Mark A.; Ricard, Yanick; O'Connell, Richard J.; Engebretson, Dave C. (1993). "Toroidal-poloidal partitioning of plate motions since 120 MA". Geophysical Research Letters. 20 (5): 375–378. Bibcode:1993GeoRL..20..375L. doi:10.1029/93GL00168. ISSN 1944-8007.
  4. ^ Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina; Richards, Mark A. (1998). "The dynamics of Cenozoic and Mesozoic plate motions". Reviews of Geophysics. 36 (1): 27–78. Bibcode:1998RvGeo..36...27L. doi:10.1029/97RG02282. ISSN 1944-9208. S2CID 53644159.
  5. ^ Stixrude, Lars; Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina (2005). "Mineralogy and elasticity of the oceanic upper mantle: Origin of the low-velocity zone". Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth. 110 (B3). Bibcode:2005JGRB..110.3204S. doi:10.1029/2004JB002965. hdl:2027.42/94924. ISSN 2156-2202.
  6. ^ Conrad, Clinton P.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina (4 October 2002). "How Mantle Slabs Drive Plate Tectonics". Science. 298 (5591): 207–209. Bibcode:2002Sci...298..207C. doi:10.1126/science.1074161. PMID 12364804. S2CID 36766442.
  7. ^ Stixrude, Lars; Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina (30 May 2012). "Geophysics of Chemical Heterogeneity in the Mantle". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 40 (1): 569–595. Bibcode:2012AREPS..40..569S. doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.36.031207.124244. ISSN 0084-6597.
  8. ^ Wei, Songqiao Shawn; Shearer, Peter M.; Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina; Stixrude, Lars; Tian, Dongdong (20 November 2020). "Oceanic plateau of the Hawaiian mantle plume head subducted to the uppermost lower mantle". Science. 370 (6519): 983–987. Bibcode:2020Sci...370..983W. doi:10.1126/science.abd0312. PMID 33214281. S2CID 227059993.
  9. ^ Rudolph, Maxwell L.; Lekić, Vedran; Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina (2015-12-11). "Viscosity jump in Earth's mid-mantle". Science. 350 (6266): 1349–1352. Bibcode:2015Sci...350.1349R. doi:10.1126/science.aad1929. PMID 26659053. S2CID 1448877.
  10. ^ "First explanations for boundary within Earth's mantle: Observed physical transition hundreds of miles below Earth's surface". ScienceDaily. December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  11. ^ Joel, L. (September 6, 2019). "Tinkering with Tectonics". Eos. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  12. ^ Crameri, Fabio; Conrad, Clinton P.; Montési, Laurent; Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina R. (2019-06-05). "The dynamic life of an oceanic plate". Tectonophysics. Linking Plate Tectonics and Volcanism to Deep Earth Dynamics – a tribute to Trond H. Torsvik. 760: 107–135. Bibcode:2019Tectp.760..107C. doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2018.03.016. hdl:10852/72186. ISSN 0040-1951. S2CID 134285715.
  13. ^ "Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  14. ^ "Francis Birch Lecture | AGU". www.agu.org. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  15. ^ "2021 Class of AGU Fellows Announced". Eos. 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  16. ^ Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina (2021-05-25). "Possible SARS-CoV-2 Drug: DDB". KGB Lab. Retrieved 2021-10-02.

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