Peter Molnar
Ph.D. Columbia University, 1970
Professor, Geological Sciences
E-mail: molnar@cires.colorado.edu
Office: ESCI 462C
Phone: 303-492-4936
Web: Molnar Research Group
Research Interests
Large-scale deformation of continents, crustal and mantle geodynamics, climate change (especially over geological time scales), mechanisms of erosion, interactions among geodynamics, climate change, and geomorphology
Current Research Projects
Dynamics of flow beneath continents, using numerical experiments and geophysical observations; Kinematic and dynamics of deformation in Asia, New Zealand, and the Andes; Influence of the opening of the Indonesian Seaway on tropical oceanography and meteorology, and on the onset of the ice ages in particular; Influence of the growth of the Tibetan Plateau on the Asian Monsoon; Mechanisms by which climate change affects erosion ratesSelected Publications
Garzione, C. N., P. Molnar, J. C. Libarkin, and B. J. MacFadden (2006), Rapid Late Miocene rise of the Bolivian Altiplano: Evidence for removal of mantle lithosphere, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett, 241, 543-556.
Jaupart, C., P. Molnar, and E. Cottrell (2007), Instability of a chemically dense layer heated from below and overlain by a deep less viscous fluid, J. Fluid Mech., 572, 433-469.
Molnar, P. (2008), Closing of the Central American Seaway and the Ice Age: A critical review, Paleoceanography, 23, PA2201, doi:10.1029/2007PA001574.
Molnar, P., and J. M. Stock (2009), Slowing of India's convergence with Eurasia since 20 Ma and its implications for Tibetan mantle dynamics, Tectonics, 28, TC3001, doi:10.1029/2008TC002271.
Molnar, P., R. S. Anderson, and S. P. Anderson (2007), Tectonics, fracturing of rock, and erosion, J. Geophys. Res., 112, F03014, doi:10.1029/2005JF000433.
Professor Molnar is a CIRES Teaching Faculty.
