In the heart of the Andes, graduate student Milagros (Mili) Gutierrez Seia is exploring an unexplained bend in the overall trend of the mountain range. Was it driven by cryptic changes in plate tectonics? Or is climate, which shifts dramatically at this point in the Andes, responsible for driving the evolution of the deforming mountains?
Gutierrez Seia is answering this question by trekking across these rugged, highly inaccessible peaks to create a geological map and collect rock samples. These samples record how rocks have been driven to the surface over the last 10’s of millions of years as the Andes have deformed and uplifted.
Now this research can go even farther with the granting of an institutional license agreement to U of T by PE Limited (Petex), an international company and industry leader that develops software tools for petroleum engineering and structural geology. The agreement is for 10 licenses of MOVE software, with a value equivalent to £1,928,384.01 (Pounds Sterling). This powerful, versatile software is the most complete structural modelling and analysis toolkit available for both industry and academia, providing a platform for combining many different data types, including geologic maps and cross-sections, to create 3-dimensional models. Geoscientists use the software to test and validate their models.
For her research in the Andes, access to MOVE software will allow Gutierrez Seia to combine her geological mapping and rock sample data to create cross sections through the Earth’s crust that will show how the mountain range evolved over millions of years. She will essentially be able to unfold the rocks and move them back to when they were flat 40- to 50-million years ago, answering critical questions about whether the timing and style of changes in rock deformation are linked to known changes in climate or tectonics.
Learn more about Gutierrez Seia’s exciting research here! Learn more about Gutierrez Seia’s exciting research here!