Professor Dr. Christine Thomas

Professur für Geophysik (Prof. Thomas)
Professor Dr. Christine Thomas

Corrensstr. 24, room 310
48149 Münster

T: +49 251 83 33591

  • Research Focus

    • Global Seismology, Array Seismology, Processes und structures inside the Earth from crust to core, lowermost mantle and D" region, anisotropy in mantle and core, mititgation of wind turbine generated noise, prediction of the wavefield for gravitational wave detection, ice-dynamics and icequakes in polar regions (Antarctica, Greenland).

  • CV

    Academic Education

    PhD (Univ. Göttingen)
    Undergraduate studies (Univ. Marburg (Pre-Diploma), Univ. Erlangen-Nürnberg (Diploma))

    Positions

    adjunct Professor, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, DK
    Professor
    Lecturer/Senior Lecturer (Univ. Liverpool)
    Postdoc (Univ. Leeds)
    visiting scientist, Univ. Cambridge and British Antarctic survey, UK

  • Projects

    • Understanding the influence of deep seismic mantle structures at the core-mantle boundary on intense magnetic flux regions ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/25-1
    • Investigation of the influence of mantle structures on Earth's core observations ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/16-3
    • ErUM-Wave – Verbundprojekt 05D2022 - ErUM-Wave: Antizipation 3-dimensionaler Wellenfelder, Teilprojekt 1 ( – )
      Participation in BMBF-Joint Project: Federal Ministry of Education and Research | Project Number: 05D23PM1
    • LASSIE – Lower Mantle Seismic structures investigated with unusual seismic phases ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/24-1
    • Deep Earth Rotational Seismology ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: AB 887/1-1
    • Physical properties of deep subducted lithosphere ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/11-3
    • HYPO-TZ - Generation and assessment of hypothetical seismic mantle transition zone structures ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/21-1
    • 3G-GWD: Third Generation Gravitational Wave Telescope. Subproject 6 ( – )
      Participation in BMBF-Joint Project: Federal Ministry of Education and Research | Project Number: 05A20PM3
    • SPP 2017 - Subproject: UNIBRA / DSEBRA - the German seismological contribution to AlpArray ( – )
      Subproject in DFG-Joint Project Hosted outside the University of Münster: DFG - Priority Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/15-1
    • Investigation of the influence of mantle structures on Earth's core observations ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/16-1
    • MISS – Minderung der Störwirkung von Windenergieanlagen auf seismologischen Stationen ( – )
      EU-Project Hosted outside the University of Münster: EC - European Regional Development Fund | Project Number: EFRE-0801044/KEE-2-002E
    • Investigation of the anisotropy of the mantle transition zone using PP and SS precursors ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/10-2
    • Phase transitions, Microstructures and their seismic signals from the Earth's mantle ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/18-1; SA 2585/3-1
    • CREEP – Complex RhEologies in Earth dynamics and industrial Processes ( – )
      EU-Project Hosted outside the University of Münster: EC H2020 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Innovative Training Network | Project Number: 642029
    • Physical properties of deep subducted lithosphere ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/11-1
    • Investigation of the anisotropy of the mantle transition zone using PP and SS precursors ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/10-1
    • Array study of the Reunion hotspot region from the mantle transition zone to the core-mantle boundary ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/9-1
    • RHUM-RUM – RHUM-RUM (Reunion Hotspot and Upper Mantle & Reunions Unterer Mantel): Seismological imaging of a mantle plume under La Reunion, western Indian Ocean) ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH1530/7-1
    • Investigation of Island uplift of the Azores Island region ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/6
    • Deep seismic structures beneath India and South Atlantic ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/5-1
    • High-resolution investigation of upper mantle discontinuities ( – )
      Individual Granted Project: DFG - Individual Grants Programme | Project Number: 574345
    • SAMPLE – SPP 1375 - Subproject: Seismic heterogeneities beneath the Atlantic and Africa - thermal or chemical? ( – )
      Subproject in DFG-Joint Project Hosted outside the University of Münster: DFG - Priority Programme | Project Number: TH 1530/3-1
    • DAAD Austauschprogramm: PPP Frankreich - PROCOPE ( – )
      Participation in other joint Project: German Academic Exchange Service | Project Number: 50088873

  • Publications

    • , and . . “On the Importance of Using Directional Information in the Search for Lower Mantle Reflectors.” The Seismic Record, № 3 (2): 96–104. doi: 10.1785/ 0320220038.
    • , , and . “Geodynamic predictions of seismic structure and discontinuity topography of the mantle transition zone.” Geophysical Journal International, № 234 (1): 355–378. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggac478.
    • , , , and . “Studying inner core and lower mantle structure with a combination of PKP and converted SKP and PKS waves.” Geophysical Journal International, № 235 (3): 2078–2093. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggad357.
    • , , , , and . “The seismic attenuation signature of collisional orogens and sedimentary basins within the Carpathian Orogen.” Global and Planetary Change, № 223 doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2023.104093.
    • , and . “Mapping the edge of subducted slabs in the lower mantle beneath India.” Geophysical Journal International, № 2022
    • , and . “Generation of reflections and PKP precursors from a scattering layer in D".” Geophysical Research Letters, № 2022
    • , , and . “Detection and modelling of strong topography of mid-mantle structures beneath the North Atlantic.” Geophysical Journal International, № 2022
    • , , and . . “Reduction of wind-turbine-generated seismic noise with structural measures.” Wind Energy Science, № 2022/7: 1227–1239. doi: 10.5194/wes-7-1227-2022.
    • , , , et al. . “Textures induced by the coesite-stishovite transition and implications for the visibility of the X-discontinuity.” Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, № 23 (10): e2022GC010544. doi: 10.1029/2022GC010544.
    • , , , , and . “Kinetic effects on the 660-km-phase transition in mantle upstreams and seismological implications.” Geophysical Journal International, № 231 (2): 877–893. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggac196.
    • , , , et al. . “UNIBRA/DSEBRA: The German Seismological Broadband Array and Its Contribution to AlpArray—Deployment and Performance.” Seismological Research Letters, № 93 (4): 2077–2095. doi: 10.1785/0220210287.
    • , , , et al. . “Modeling of seismic anisotropy observations reveals plausible lowermost mantle flow directions beneath Siberia.” Geochemistry, Geohysics, Geosystems, № 2021
    • , , , , and . “Sensor Validation and Diagnostic Potential of Smartwatches in Movement Disorders.” Sensors, № 2021 doi: 10.3390/s21093139.
    • , , , and . “Mapping Lithological Boundaries in Mines with Array Seismology and In-situ AE monitoring.” Geophysical Journal International, № 220: 59–70.
    • , , , , and . “Location and Characteristics of the X-Discontinuity beneath SW Morocco and the adjacent shelf area using P-wave Receiver Functions.” Geophysical Journal International, № 2020 doi: 10.1093/gji/ggaa379.
    • , , , and . “The signal of outermost-core stratification in body-wave and normal-mode data.” Geophysical Journal International, № 223
    • , , , and . . “Location and characteristics of the X-discontinuity beneath SW Morocco and the adjacent shelf area using P-wave receiver functions.” Geophysical Journal International, № 223 (3) doi: 10.1093/gji/ggaa379.
    • , and . Seismic and mineral physics constraints on the D" layer,
    • , and . “Small-scale scattering heterogeneities in the lowermost mantle from a global analysis of PKP precursors.” Journal of Geophysical Research, № 125
    • , , , , and . “Dehydration Melting Below the Undersaturated Transition Zone.” Gcubed, № 21
    • , , and . “New constraints on D” beneath the North Atlantic region from P and S travel times and amplitudes.” Geophysical Journal International, № 216: 1132–1144.
    • , , and . “Localized ultra-low velocity zones at the eastern boundary of Pacific LLSVP.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, № 507: 40–49.
    • , , , , and . “Investigating the cause for polarity reversals of PP precursors beneath the Atlantic.” Physics of teh Earth and Planetary Interior, № 286: 1132–1144.
    • , , , , and . . “Constraining lowermost mantle anisotropy with body waves: A synthetic modeling study.” Geophysical Journal International, № 2017: 766–783.
    • , , and . “Constraining D" anisotropy with reflections and splitting.” Journal of Geophysical Research, № 2019
    • , , , , and . “An investigation of seismic anisotropy in the lowermost mantle beneath Iceland.” Geophysical Journal International, № 219: S152–S166.
    • , , , , and . . “Investigating the seismic structure and visibility of dynamic plume models with seismic array methods.” Geophysical Journal International, № 2019: S167-S194.
    • , , , et al. . “Kinetics and detectability of the bridgmanite to post-perovskite transformation in the Earth's D" layer.” Nature Communications, № 10 doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13482-x.
    • , , , , and . “Resolution Improvement and Reconstruction of Global Seismic Data using fk-Methods.” Geophysical Journal International, № 212: 1288–1301.
    • , , , , and . “Constraints on the structure of the crust and lithosphere beneath the Azores Islands from teleseismic receiver functions.” Geophysical Journal International, № 213: 824–835.
    • , and . “Out-of-Plane Seismic Reflections Beneath the Pacific and Their Geophysical Implications.” Journal of Geophysical Research, № 123: 2286–2302.
    • , , and . “The asymmetric seismic moment tensor in micropolar media.” Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, № 108: 1160–1170.
    • , , , , and . “Irregular Transition Layer Beneath the Earth's Inner Core Boundary from Observations of Antipodal PKIKP and PKIIKP Waves.” Gcubed, № 19 doi: 10.1029/2018GC007562.
    • , , and . . “Using SP precursor waves to detect upper mantle discontinuities.” Geophys. Journal International, № 215: 1914-1929.
    • , , and . “SeisTomoPy: Fast visualization, comparison and calculations in global tomographic models.” Seismological Reasearch Letters, № 300 doi: 10.1785/0220170142.
    • , , and . “Effect of observed micropolar motions on wave propagation in deep Earth minerals.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, № 276: 215–225. doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2017.04.006.
    • , , , and . “Detecting seismic anisotropy above the 410 km discontinuity using reflection coefficients of underside reflections.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, № 274 (null): 170–183. doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2017.12.001.
    • , , and . . “Out-of-Plane Seismic Reflections Beneath the Pacific and Their Geophysical Implications.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, № 123 (3): 2286–2302. doi: 10.1002/2017JB014728.
    • , , , et al. . “The AlpArray Seismic Network - a large-scale European experiment to image the Alpine orogeny.” Surveys in Geophysics, № 39: 1–25.
    • , , , , and . “Seismic scattering and absorption mapping from intermediate-depth earthquakes reveals complex tectonic interactions acting in the Vrancea region and surroundings (Romania).” Tectonophysics, № null (null): 129–142. doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2017.04.013.
    • , , , et al. . “Emergence and evolution of Santa Maria Island (azores)- The conundrum of uplifted islands revisited.” Geological Society of America Bulletin, № 129 (null): 372–391. doi: 10.1130/B31538.1.
    • , , , and . “A hot midmantle anomaly in the area of the Indian Ocean Geoid Low.” Geophysical Research Letters, № 44 (13): 6702–6711. doi: 10.1002/2017GL073440.
    • , , , , and . “Compositional layering within the large low shear-wave velocity provinces in the lower mantle.” Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, № 17 (12): 5056–5077. doi: 10.1002/2016GC006605.
    • , , , , and . “Seismic scattering and absorption mapping of debris flows, feeding paths, and tectonic units at Mount St. Helens volcano.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, № 442 (null): 21–31. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.02.026.
    • , , and . “On the frequency dependence and spatial coherence of PKP precursor amplitudes.” Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth, № 121 (3): 1873–1889. doi: 10.1002/2015JB012768.
    • , , , and . “Investigation of core-mantle boundary topography and lowermost mantle with P4KP waves.” Geophysical Journal International, № 204 (2): 1060–1071. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggv496.
    • , and . “Detecting lower-mantle slabs beneath Asia and the Aleutians.” Geophysical Journal International, № 205 (3): 1512–1524. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggw098.
    • , and . . “Detecting Lower-Mantle Slabs beneath Asia and the Aleutians.” Geophysical Journal International, № 205 (3): 1512–1524. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggw098.
    • , and . . “D" observations in the Pacific from PLUME Ocean Bottom Seismometer recordings.” Geophysical Journal International, № 200: 851–862. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggu441.
    • , , , , and . “On the difficulties of detecting PP precursors.” Geophysical Journal International, № 201 (3): 1666–1681. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggv105.
    • , , , and . “Topography of upper mantle seismic discontinuities beneath the North Atlantic: The Azores, Canary and Cape Verde plumes.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, № 409 (null): 193–202. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2014.10.052.
    • , , and . “Seismic detection of post-perovskite inside the earth.” in The Earth's Heterogeneous Mantle: A Geophysical, Geodynamical, and Geochemical Perspective, Vol. null , edited by Springer. Basel: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-15627-9_13.
    • , , , and . “Probing the core-mantle boundary beneath Europe and Western Eurasia: A detailed study using PcP.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, № 246 (null): 9–24. doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2015.06.007.
    • , , and . “PKP precursors: Implications for global scatterers.” Geophysical Research Letters, № 42 (10): 3829–3838. doi: 10.1002/2015GL063869.
    • , , , and . “Imaging the D″ reflector with noise correlations.” Geophysical Research Letters, № 42 (1): 60–65. doi: 10.1002/2014GL062198.
    • , , , and . “Imaging Canary Island hotspot material beneath the lithosphere of Morocco and southern Spain.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, № 431 (null): 186–194. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.09.026.
    • , , , , and . . “Attenuation and scattering tomography of the deep plumbing system of Mount St. Helens.” Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth, № 119: 8223–8238. doi: 10.1002/2014JB011372.
    • , , and . “Multi-scale reasonable attenuation tomography analysis (MuRAT): An imaging algorithm designed for volcanic regions.” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, № 277: 35. doi: 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2014.03.009.
    • , , , , and . “Mantle transition zone structure beneath India and Western China from migration of PP and SS precursors.” Geophysical Journal International, № 197 (1): 413. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt511.
    • , , , , and . “Multiple-frequency tomography of the upper mantle beneath the African/Iberian collision zone.” Geophysical Journal International, № 198 (3): 1473. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggu214.
    • , , , , and . “Crustal and upper-mantle structure beneath the western Atlas Mountains in SW Morocco derived from receiver functions.” Geophysical Journal International, № 198 (3): 1485. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggu216.
    • , , and . . “Influence of station topography and Moho depth on the mislocation vectors for the Kyrgyz Broadband Seismic Network (KNET).” Geophysical Journal International, № 193 (2): 949–959. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt014.
    • , and . “The origin of D" reflections: A systematic study of seismic array data sets.” Geophysical Journal International, № 194 (2): 1091–1118. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt152.
    • , , , , and . “Seismic energy envelopes in volcanic media: In need of boundary conditions.” Geophysical Journal International, № 195 (2): 1102–1119. doi: 10.1093/gji/ggt273.
    • , , , and . . “Scattered P′ P′ waves observed at short distances.” Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, № 101 (6): 2843–2854. doi: 10.1785/0120110157.
    • , and . . “Subducted lithosphere beneath the Kuriles from migration of PP precursors.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2011.09.002.
    • , , , and . . “Anisotropy as cause for polarity reversals of D′ reflections.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, № 307 (3-4): 369–376. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2011.05.011.
    • , and . . “High resolution CMB imaging from migration of short-period core reflected phases.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, № 183 (1-2): 143–150. doi: 10.1016/j.pepi.2010.04.005.
    • , , and . . “Is the spin transition in Fe2+-bearing perovskite visible in seismology?” Geophysical Research Letters, № 37
    • , , and . . “P- and S-wave reflectors in D ' beneath southeast Asia.” Geophysical Journal International, № 179 (2): 1080–1092. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04328.x.
    • , and . . “Improving Seismic Resolution Through Array Processing Techniques.” Surveys in Geophysics, № 30 (4-5): 271–299. doi: 10.1007/s10712-009-9070-6.
    • , , and . . “Probing two low-velocity regions with PKP b-caustic amplitudes and scattering.” Geophysical Journal International, № 178 (1): 503–512. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04189.x.
    • , and . . “Mantle transition zone structure along a profile in the SW Pacific: thermal and compositional variations.” Geophysical Journal International, № 176 (1): 113–125. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03934.x.
    • , , , , , and . . “Seismic evidence for a sharp lithospheric base persisting to the lowermost mantle beneath the Caribbean.” Geophysical Journal International, № 174 (3): 1019–1028. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2008.03880.x.
    • . “Array Signal Processing.” in Handbook of Signal Processing, edited by Havelock, D., Kuwano, S. Vorländer and M.. Düsseldorf: Springer VDI Verlag.
    • , , and . . “Slowness-backazimuth weighted migration: A new array approach to a high-resolution image.” Geophysical Journal International, № 169 (3): 1201–1209. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03379.x.
    • , , , and . . “New insights into the P- and S-wave velocity structure of the D '' discontinuity beneath the Cocos plate.” Geophysical Journal International, № 169 (2): 631–645. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2007.03350.x.
    • , , and . . “D '' anisotropy beneath Southeast Asia.” Geophysical Research Letters, № 34 (4)
    • , and . . “Investigating D '' structure beneath the North Atlantic.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, № 151 (1-2): 115–127.
    • , , and . . “A doubling of the post-perovskite phase boundary and structure of the Earth's lowermost mantle.” Nature, № 434 (7035): 882–886. doi: 10.1038/nature03472.
    • , , and . . “Lower-mantle seismic discontinuities and the thermal morphology of subducted slabs.” Earth and Planetary Science Letters, № 225 (1-2): 105–113. doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2004.05.038.
    • , , and . . “High-resolution imaging of lowermost mantle structure under the Cocos plate.” Journal of Geophysical Research, № 109 (B8)
    • , , and . . “Motion of the Scotia Sea plates.” Geophysical Journal International, № 155 (3): 789–804. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2003.02069.x.
    • , and . . “Array seismology: Methods and applications.” Reviews of Geophysics, № 40 (3)
    • , , and . . “Investigating the heterogeneity of the D '' region beneath the northern Pacific using a seismic array.” Journal of Geophysical Research, № 107 (B11)
    • , , and . . “The lowermost mantle beneath northern Asia - I. Multi-azimuth studies of a D '' heterogeneity.” Geophysical Journal International, № 151 (1): 279–295. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-246X.2002.01759.x.
    • , and . . “The lowermost mantle beneath northern Asia - II. Evidence for lower-mantle anisotropy.” Geophysical Journal International, № 151 (1): 296–308. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-246X.2002.01760.x.
    • , , , and . . “Acoustic simulation of P-wave propagation in a heterogeneous spherical earth: numerical method and application to precursor waves to PKPdf.” Geophysical Journal International, № 141 (2): 307–320. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-246x.2000.00079.x.
    • , , , and . . “Small scatterers in the lower mantle observed at German broadband arrays.” Journal of Geophysical Research, № 104 (B7): 15073–15088. doi: 10.1029/1999JB900128.
    • , and . . “P velocity heterogeneities in the lower mantle determined with the German Regional Seismic Network: Improvement of previous models and results of 2D modelling.” Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, № 101 (1-2): 105–117. doi: 10.1016/S0031-9201(96)03245-1.
    • , , , and . . “The structure of the lowermost mantle as determined from using seismic arrays.” in Seismic Modelling of the Earth's structure, edited by E. Boschi, G. Ekström and A Morelli. N/A: Selbstverlag / Eigenverlag.