Michael MANGA
Faculty

Michael MANGA
Geological processes involving fluids, including problems in physical volcanology, geodynamics, hydrogeology, and geomorphology.
1990 B.S. (Geophysics) McGill
1992 S.M. (Engineering Sciences) Harvard
1994 Ph.D.(Earth and Planetary Sciences) Harvard University
I study geological processes involving fluids, including problems in physical volcanology, geodynamics, hydrogeology, and geomorphology. Though the range of topics may appear diverse, the common theme is an attempt to develop a better quantitative understanding of physical processes operating in the Earth. Depending on the nature of the problem, I have used some combination of theoretical, numerical and experimental approaches. Because we are trying to understand natural systems, integrating observations and field data (both of active processes and recorded in the geologic record) with theoretical and model results is also an essential component of my research. Often the fluid mechanics that we need to understand has not yet been studied. Consequently, my research typically involves new contributions in applied mechanics. Recent contributions include studies of convection, the properties and dynamics of suspensions, flow and transport in porous materials, percolation theory, and high pressure mineral physics. This work is currently funded by the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund, the Sloan Foundation, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.
Link to my research page (courses, publications, photos): http://www.seismo.berkeley.edu/~manga/rsch.html