My research investigates how tectonics, erosion and climate interact to shape mountain landscapes and influence seismic hazard.

I use Quaternary thermochronometry, particularly trapped-charge methods including luminescence (OSL and IRSL) and electron spin resonance (ESR), to quantify recent shallow cooling and exhumation in active mountain belts. I combine these approaches with geomorphology, landscape-evolution and thermo-kinematic modelling to investigate the relationships between fault activity, surface processes and mountain building.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, I focus on the Southern Alps and Alpine Fault, investigating how tectonic uplift, glacial erosion and fault segmentation have controlled the evolution of the mountain range. My research spans timescales from earthquake cycles to long-term orogenesis, with a particular interest in the feedbacks between tectonic deformation and surface processes in active mountain belts.

Active tectonics
Tectonic exhumation
Quaternary thermochronometry
Landscape evolution
Climate–tectonic interactions

Current projects:

Tectonics, erosion and the evolution of the Southern Alps
Key question: Does spatial variation in Quaternary exhumation across the Alpine Fault–Main Divide reflect tectonic uplift, asymmetric glacial erosion, or their interaction?

Spatial variation in Alpine Fault activity and its landscape response
Key question: Is Alpine Fault segmentation expressed in the Quaternary exhumational and geomorphic architecture of the Southern Alps?

DoctorChloé Bouscary

TEACHING & SUPERVISION