Polymer Gels to Probe Failure Processes in Geomaterials

Explore how polymer gels serve as experimental models to understand failure mechanisms in geological materials through this 45-minute conference talk. Discover the innovative research approach that uses soft matter physics principles to investigate complex behaviors in Earth materials such as soil, mud, ice, and rocks. Learn about the fuzzy state between solid and fluid that characterizes these geomaterials and how their behavior depends on different timescales. Examine how familiar soft matter phenomena like glassy dynamics, strain localization, memory encoding in microstructure, active matter, and complex yielding manifest in geological contexts. Understand the novel challenges presented by the unique mixtures, excitations, geometries, and scales associated with Earth materials problems. Gain insights into how combining geophysics and soft matter physics can lead to advances in both fields, particularly in understanding processes related to landslides, earthquakes, erosion, glaciers, and exotic transport phenomena. This presentation is part of a broader conference initiative that brings together researchers to address open questions and encourage new collaborations between geophysics and soft matter physics communities.