About

Thorsten Becker is a professor at the UT Institute for Geophysics with research interests in geodynamics, seismology, and fault systems. His work focuses on understanding the physical processes that drive Earth's internal dynamics, including fault mechanics and seismic activity. As a key member of the geophysics community at UTIG, he contributes to advancing knowledge in these areas through research and collaboration.

Research topics

• Geophysics
• Geology
• Computer Science
• Seismology
• Earth science
• Geochemistry
• Composite material
• Paleontology
• Materials science
• Library science
• Art history
• Archaeology
• History

Selected publications

• Model Input files for: "Pacific double-subduction drives Gulf of California rifting"

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-10

  datasetOpen access

  This directory contains all the input files and data files to run the 3-D global models in Gianni et al (2026, in preparation). We used ASPECT version 2.6.0-pre, which is stored inside "aspect-v2.6.0.tar", to run all the models. More details could be seen in file README below.

  PublisherDOI

• Model Input files for: "Pacific double-subduction drives Gulf of California rifting"

  Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-04-10

  datasetOpen access

  This directory contains all the input files and data files to run the 3-D global models in Gianni et al (2026, in preparation). We used ASPECT version 2.6.0-pre, which is stored inside "aspect-v2.6.0.tar", to run all the models. More details could be seen in file README below.

  PublisherDOI

• Layered Seismic Anisotropy and Tectonics of the Anatolian Plate

  Geophysical Research Letters · 2026-04-22

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Anatolian tectonics are associated with slab retreat in the west and gravitational potential energy and continental collision in the east, leading to westward motion of Anatolia relative to Eurasia, partially accommodated on the North and East Anatolian transform faults. We construct a three‐layer, azimuthal seismic anisotropy model using new Rayleigh wave measurements and compare results against geodetic strain‐rates and new receiver function analysis for the crust, as well as new and existing shear wave splitting for the mantle to link surface and deep dynamics. In the crust, anisotropy is primarily controlled by recent tectonics, especially along major fault zones. In the lithospheric mantle, anisotropy reflects ongoing tectonic deformation in western Anatolia, whereas eastern Anatolia mainly preserves prior deformation signatures. In the asthenosphere, anisotropy reflects mantle convection, including the effects of Hellenic slab retreat. Our model provides new constraints on lithospheric deformation and geodynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean.

  PublisherDOI

• Continental rifts and mantle convection

  Earth-Science Reviews · 2025-08-06 · 8 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• 3D Lithospheric-scale thermal model of central and southern California

  2025-03-14

  preprintOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The relationship between the long-term strength of the lithosphere and seismic hazard has remained a fundamental, yet open question in geosciences. The lithosphere's long-term rheology controls its deformation patterns, playing a crucial role in understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of seismicity in a given region. One of the primary factors influencing the rheological state of the lithosphere is its thermal regime, which is strongly affected by the heterogeneous properties of both the crust and the lithospheric mantle, as well as by the three-dimensional interactions between deeper and shallower domains.To explore how long-term off-fault rheology influences the spatial distribution of seismicity, we leverage extensive geophysical data from Central and Southern California, a region where the San Andreas Fault represents a significant seismic hazard. Previous thermal models of the area have not converged on a consistent thermal structure for the lithosphere, resulting in uncertainties in the rheological models based on them.Our 3D thermal model is built using a data-integrative approach that incorporates recent tomographic models and a detailed, heterogeneous crustal architecture drawn from prior community efforts. Furthermore, our model fits the general pattern of observed surface heat flow in the region.  The lower boundary condition in our 3D model -temperature at 70 km depth - is based on an integrated geophysical – petrological inversion within a self-consistent thermodynamic formalism of Rayleigh and Love surface-wave dispersion curves (0.5 x 0.5 degree lateral resolution), supplemented by other geophysical data and models: satellite data, surface heat flow and average temperature, topography, Moho depth, P-wave seismic crustal velocities, and sedimentary thickness.Notably, our model is consistent with major regional tectonic features, such as the fossil Monterey microplate slab, which is responsible for the well-known high-velocity Isabella Anomaly. We discuss the implications of this anomaly, focusing on the dehydration of the slab and its potential role in seismogenesis, especially in the creeping section of the San Andreas Fault near Parkfield.

  PublisherDOI

• Tectonic Reorganization of the Caribbean Plate System in the Paleogene Driven by Farallon Slab Anchoring

  2025-03-15

  preprintOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  The tectonic configuration of the Caribbean plate is defined by inward‐dipping double subduction at its boundaries with the North American and Cocos plates. This geometry resulted from a Paleogene plate reorganization, which involved the abandonment of an older subduction system, the Great Arc of the Caribbean (GAC), and conversion into a transform margin during Lesser Antilles (LA) arc formation. Previous models suggest that a collision between the GAC and the Bahamas platform along the North American passive margin caused this event. However, geological and geophysical constraints from the Greater Antilles do not show a large‐scale compressional episode that should correspond to such a collision. We propose an alternative model for the evolution of the region where lower mantle penetration of the Farallon slab promotes the onset of subduction at the LA. We integrate tectonic constraints with seismic tomography to analyze the timing and dynamics of the reorganization, showing that the onset of LA subduction corresponds to the timing of Farallon/Cocos slab penetration. With numerical subduction models, we explore whether slab penetration constitutes a dynamically feasible set of mechanisms to initiate subduction in the overriding plate. In our models, when the first slab (Farallon/Cocos) enters the lower mantle, compressive stresses increase at the eastern margin of the upper plate, and a second subduction zone (LA) is initiated. The resulting first‐order slab geometries, timings, and kinematics compare well with plate reconstructions. More generally, similar slab dynamics may provide a mechanism not only for the Caribbean reorganization but also for other tectonic episodes throughout the Americas.

  PublisherDOI

• Earthquake Rupture Dynamics From Graph Neural Networks

  Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth · 2025-12-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Earthquakes arise from tectonic loading of complex fault systems consisting of heterogeneous material parameters, geometry, rheology, and prestress. All of those are subject to uncertainties, and their interactions and sensitivities for the dynamic rupture problem are incompletely understood. Here, we apply Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to approximate the behavior learned from more computationally intensive, physics‐based (“high‐fidelity”) computations to build a GNN‐based simulator (GNS) for earthquake rupture dynamics. Given only a minimum input –the hypocenter location– our GNS can reproduce rate‐weakening friction governed dynamic rupture behavior, from nucleation to propagation and termination. Outside the training set, the GNS can generalize well to different hypocenter locations, fault sizes, and pre‐stress state levels while achieving a factor ∼20–40 per‐time‐step computational speedup. This may allow for more efficient estimates of the mapping from pre‐earthquake state, as might be inferred from geodesy, to expected rupture dynamics, for example. By extracting a coarse‐grained version of the underlying dynamics, the GNS provides new perspectives to explore the physics of rupture. Further development of GNS may enable new kinds of parameter space exploration and provide surrogates for Bayesian model inference, uncertainty quantification, and optimal experimental design.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Waveform Effects on Shear Wave Splitting Near Fault Zones

  Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth · 2025-08-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Shear wave splitting of teleseismic core phases such as SKS is commonly used to constrain mantle seismic anisotropy, a proxy for convective deformation. In plate boundaries, sharp lateral variations of splitting measurements near transform faults are often linked to deformation within a lithospheric shear zone below, but potential seismic waveform effects from heterogeneous structure on small scales may influence the interpretation. Here, we explore possible finite frequency effects on shear wave splitting near fault zones in a fully three‐dimensional anisotropic setting. We find that shear zones wider than 80 km, a scale set by the Fresnel zone, can be clearly detected, but narrower zones are less distinguishable. Near the edge of the shear zone, the combined effect of anisotropy and scattering generates false splitting measurements with large delay times and fast axis orientation approaching the back‐azimuth, a bias which can only be identified when records from different back‐azimuths are analyzed together. This substantiates that back‐azimuthal variations of splitting can arise not just from vertical layering but also lateral changes of anisotropic media. We also test the effects of shear zone edge geometry, epicentral distance, filtering frequency, crustal thickness, and sediment cover. Our study delineates the ability of shear wave splitting to resolve and investigate fault zones, and emphasizes the importance of good azimuthal coverage to correctly interpret observed anisotropy. Based on revisiting previous shear wave splitting and lithospheric deformation studies, we infer that many crustal fault zones are underlain by lithospheric shear zones at least 20 km wide.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Thank You to Our 2024 Reviewers

  AGU Advances · 2025-03-08

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The editorial team of AGU Advances is grateful for the excellent contributions of our peer reviewers. We rely on their expertise to ensure that the manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo a rigorous, fair, and timely review. Remarkably, during 2024, the journal benefitted from the dedication from 273 reviewers, contributing a total of 338 reviews. These reviewers represented 24 countries. These reviewers provided insights of tremendous and generous value, and they assisted our authors in strengthening the rigor, quality, and presentation of their scholarship. Peer reviewing provides a natural way to engage in continuous learning and professional development. The majority of our reviewers are geoscientists, although we also have interdisciplinary contributions as the scope of Advances covers the extended domain of geosciences, intersecting with economics, communication and computational science, and the social sciences at large. Authors benefit greatly from reviewers' comments and suggestions: already more than 10 years ago, a study reported that most authors (90%) believe that peer review improved the last paper they published (Mulligan et al., 2013, https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.22798 ). Although the research and publishing arena is rapidly changing, peer review is considered the optimal standard for evaluating and selecting quality scientific manuscripts for publication, and therefore is highly deserving of our appreciation. We thank all of our peer reviewers for their selfless service and dedication to the scientific community. Your continuing support to the authors and editorial team of AGU Advances is deeply appreciated.

  PublisherDOI

• Earthquake rupture dynamics from Graph Neural Networks

  2025-05-18

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Earthquakes arise from tectonic loading of complex fault systems consisting of heterogeneous material parameters, geometry, rheology, and prestress. All of those are subject to uncertainties, and their interactions and sensitivities for the nonlinear dynamic rupture problem are incompletely understood. Here, we apply Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to approximate rupture dynamics learned from more computationally intensive, high-fidelity, physics-based computations. We build a new GNN-based simulator (GNS) for earthquake rupture dynamics. Given only a minimum input –the hypocenter location– our GNS can reproduce rate weakening friction dynamic rupture behavior in 2-D, from nucleation to propagation and termination. Outside the training set, the GNS can generalize hypocenter locations, fault geometries, and pre-stress state, while achieving at least order of magnitude computational speedup. This performance should allow for more efficient estimates of the mapping from pre-earthquake state, as might be inferred from geodesy, to expected rupture dynamics, for example. More broadly, the GNS may enable new kinds of parameter space exploration and provide surrogates for Bayesian model inference, uncertainty quantification, and optimal experimental design. More generally, by extracting a coarse-grained version of the underlying dynamics, the GNS provides new perspectives to explore the physics of rupture.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Toward an integrated modeling framework for physics-based estimates of megathrust rupture potential

  NSF · $1.9M · 2021–2026

• Collaborative Research: Thermochemical Models of Mantle Dynamics and Plate Motions

  NSF · $89k · 2009–2012

• Collaborative Research: Vertical signatures of lithospheric deformation in the western US

  NSF · $358k · 2021–2026

• Estimating global subduction mass transport

  NSF · $86k · 2016–2017

• CAREER: Using Upper Mantle Circulation Models to Evaluate the Role of the Asthenosphere: Tectosphere Contrast and Subduction Dynamics for Global Plate Tectonics

  NSF · $511k · 2007–2013

Frequent coauthors

• Claudio Faccenna

  Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

  136 shared

• Lapo Boschi

  60 shared

• Meghan S. Miller

  Australian National University

  46 shared

• Adam Holt

  University of Miami

  42 shared

• Boris Kaus

  Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

  31 shared

• Laurent Jolivet

  Université de Lille

  31 shared

• Clinton P. Conrad

  30 shared

• Lukas Fuchs

  Universität Ulm

  29 shared

Education

• PhD, Earth Sciences

  Harvard University

  2002

• M.Sc., Physics

  J.W.Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt

  1997

Awards & honors

• European Distinguished Geoscientist Medal