George Hilley

About

George Hilley is a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. in Geology from Arizona State University in 2001 and his B.S. in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University in 1996. His research focuses on Earth and planetary sciences, with a particular emphasis on tectonic geomorphology. He is associated with the Stanford Tectonic Geomorphology Laboratory (STGL) and is involved in teaching and mentoring within the department. His academic background and professional role highlight his expertise in geology and earth sciences, contributing to the university's research and educational missions.

Research topics

• Geology
• Seismology
• Geomorphology
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Geography
• Geophysics
• Physical geography
• Remote sensing
• Cartography

Selected publications

• Bridging earthquakes and mountain building in the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA

  Science Advances · 2022 · 19 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Be-based erosion rates, and interseismic surface velocities. This approach reconciles these disparate records of mountain-building processes, allowing us to explicitly bridge decadal measures of deformation with that produced by millions of years of plate motion.

  PublisherDOI

• A Curvature‐Based Method for Measuring Valley Width Applied to Glacial and Fluvial Landscapes

  Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface · 2020 · 16 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Valleys produced by glaciers are morphologically distinct from those created by rivers, but these differences are surprisingly difficult to automatically detect using digital topographic data. This contribution tests whether glacial and fluvial valleys can be discriminated using scaling between watershed area and valley width. We present a method for estimating valley width at each point in digital topographic data by determining the cross‐valley scale at which normalized principal curv…

  DOI

• The Pamir Frontal Thrust Fault: Holocene Full‐Segment Ruptures and Implications for Complex Segment Interactions in a Continental Collision Zone

  Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth · 2021 · 13 citations

  Abstract The Pamir Frontal Thrust (PFT) of the Trans‐Alai Range in Central Asia is the principal active fault of the intracontinental convergence zone between the Pamir and Tien Shan. Its northward propagation is reflected by frequent seismic activity and ongoing crustal shortening. Recent and historic earthquakes exhibit complex rupture patterns within and across seismotectonic segments bounding the Trans Alai, challenging our understanding of fault interaction and seismogenic potential. We pro…

  PublisherDOI

• Climatic and lithological controls on the structure and thickness of granitic weathering zones

  Earth and Planetary Science Letters · 2022-11-08 · 9 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Crustal block-controlled contrasts in deformation, uplift, and exhumation in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, imaged through apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology and 3-D geological modeling

  Geological Society of America Bulletin · 2023-11-17 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Deformation along strike-slip plate margins often accumulates within structurally partitioned and rheologically heterogeneous crustal blocks within the plate boundary. In these cases, contrasts in the physical properties and state of juxtaposed crustal blocks may play an important role in accommodation of deformation. Near the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA, the Pacific–North American plate-bounding San Andreas fault bisects the Santa Cruz Mountains (SCM), which host numerous d…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Bridging Earthquakes and Earth Structure along the Northern San Andreas Fault

  NSF · $544k · 2011–2018

• Collaborative Research: Coupled Biogeochemistry and Geomorphology in Three Tropical Forest Ecosystems

  NSF · $145k · 2009–2014

Frequent coauthors

• Jennifer L. Lewicki

  40 shared

• Roland Bürgmann

  University of California, Berkeley

  39 shared

• Manfred R. Strecker

  University of Potsdam

  35 shared

• R. Sare

  Stanford University

  23 shared

• Seulgi Moon

  22 shared

• A. T. Steelquist

  Stanford University

  20 shared

• Eitan Shelef

  20 shared

• A. Ferretti

  Tre Altamira (Spain)

  19 shared

Similar researchers at Stanford University

• Wendy Maoh-81
• Stephan Grahamh-71
• Martin Groveh-68