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Explore how chemical gradients act as hidden drivers in soft Earth materials through this 44-minute conference talk from the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. Discover the intersection between geophysics and soft matter physics as the speaker examines Earth materials like soil, mud, ice, and rocks that exist in a fuzzy state between solid and fluid depending on timescales. Learn about observed soft Earth behaviors including glassy dynamics, strain localization, memory encoding in microstructure, active matter, and complex yielding that mirror familiar themes in soft matter physics. Understand how the unique mixtures, excitations, geometries, and scales associated with soft Earth problems present novel challenges requiring new theoretical and experimental approaches. Gain insights into how frontiers in geophysics are also frontiers in soft matter physics and how combining these fields may lead to advances in both disciplines. Examine problems related to landslides, earthquakes, erosion, glaciers, and novel transport phenomena of earth materials through the lens of chemical gradient effects.
