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BROWN, KEVIN

Professor

Degrees:

• B.S., University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• Ph.D., University of Durham, England

Research Interests:

• Rock mechanics laboratory experiments, high-speed friction and direct shear experiments, physical properties.
• Theoretical developments in earthquake physics relating changes in fault rheology during the earthquake cycle and the onset of unstable slip (origins of slow and fast earthquakes etc.).
• Long-term ocean observatory developments. Combining offshore geodetics and physical oceanography to facilitate enhanced integrated cross-disciplinary marine science.
• Marine hydrological/geochemical instrumentation development to study the interactions between hydrology/gas hydrates/active tectonic and aqueous geochemical variations.

Courses Recently Taught:

• SIO 106: Introduction to Hydrogeology
• SIO 162: Structural Geology
• SIO 239: Special Topics in Geophysics
• SIO162: Structural Geology
• SIO256L: Structural Geology

Mentoring:

• Coppelli, Rodrigo (Undergrad; 2002-2004)
• Morton, Vincent (Undergrad; 2002-2007)
• LaBonte, Alison (Graduate; 2001-2007)
• Weinberger, Jill (Graduate; 1999-2005)
• Elliott, Donald (Undergrad; 1997-1999)
• Tryon, Michael (Graduate; 1995-2002)
• Fitts, Tina (Graduate; 1991-1997)

Brown, K. M. and G. K. Westbrook, 1987. The tectonic fabric of the Barbados Ridge accretionary complex. Marine and Petrol. Geol. 4: 71-81.

Mascle, A. et al., 1987. Preliminary results of ODP Leg 110 drilling through the Barbados Ridge accretionary complex. Comptes Rendus de l'Acad. Sci., Serie 2, Sci. de la Terre, vol. 305, p. 1441-1444.Leg 110 Shipboard Party, 1987. Expulsion of fluids from depth along subduction-zone decollement horizon. Nature 326: 786-78. Beck, C. et al., 1988. Anatomy and physiology of an accretionary prism: preliminary results ODP Leg 110 across Barbados ridge complex Bull. Soc. Géologique de France, 8th Ser., vol. 4, p. 129-140. Brown, K. M. and G. K. Westbrook, 1988. Mud diapirism and subcretion in the Barbados Ridge Accretionary Complex: The role of fluids in accretionary processes. Tectonics 7: 613-640.

Barber, T. and K. M. Brown, 1988. Shale diapirism, An adequate mechanism for the formation of melanges in accretionary complexes. Geology Today, May-June, p. 89-94.

Behrmann, J. H., K. M. Brown, J. C. Moore, A. Mascle, E. Taylor and Shipboard Party, 1988. Evolution of structure and fabrics in the Barbados Accretionary Prism: Insights from Leg 110 of the Ocean Drilling Program., J. Struct. Geol. 10: 577-591. Brown, K. M., A. Mascle and J. H. Behrmann, 1990. Mechanisms of accretion and subsequent thickening in the Barbados Ridge Accretionary complex: Balanced cross sections across the wedge toe. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 110: 209-227.

Brown, K. M. and J. Behrmann, 1990. Genesis and evolution of small-scale structures in the toe of the Barbados Ridge Accretionary Wedge. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 110: 229-243.

Brown, K. M., 1990. The nature and hydrogeologic significance of mud diapers and diatremes for accretionary systems. Jour. Geophys. Res. 95: 8969-8982.

Beck, B., A. Mascle, K. M. Brown, T. Rossi and Y. Chevalier, 1990. The tertiary deformation belt of South eastern Caribbean. An introduction to the regional and local setting of ODP 10: Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 110: 1988-1989.

Moore, J. C., K. M. Brown, F. Horath, G. Cochrane, M. MacKay and G. Moore, 1991. Plumbing accretionary prisms: Effects of permeability variations. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 335: 275-288.

Bernstein-Taylor, B. L., K. M. Brown, E. A. Silver and K. S. Kirchoff-Stein, 1992. Basement slivers within the New Britain Accretionary wedge: Implications for the emplacement of some ophiolitic slivers. Tectonics 11: 753-765.

Brown, K. M. and D. Orange, 1993. Structural aspects of diapiric mélange emplacement: The Duck Creek Diapir. J. Structural Geol. 15: 831-847.

Brown, K. M. and A. Moore, 1993. Comment on "Anisotropic permeability and tortuosity in deformed wet sediments" by J. Arch and A. Maltman. J. Geophys. Res. 98: 17859-17864. Brown, K. M., B. Bekins, B. Clennell, D. Dewhurst and G. K. Westbrook,1994. Heterogeneous hydrofracture development and accretionary fault dynamics. Geology 22: 259-262.

Brown, K. M., 1994. Fluids in deforming sediments, In Geological Deformation of Sediments, ed. A. Maltman, Chapman and Hall, London, pp. 205-259.

Brown, K. M., B. Bekins, B. Clennell, D. Dewhurst, G. K. Westbrook,1994. Reply: Focused flow along faults: A case for heterogeneousregional hydrofracture development and its influence on aseismic fault dynamics. Geology (November): 1053-1054.

Behrmann, J. H., S. D. Lewis, S. C. Cande and ODP Leg 141 Scientific Party, 1994. Tectonics and geology of spreading ridge subduction at the Chile Triple Junction: A synthesis of results from Leg 141 of the Ocean Drilling Program. Geol. Rundsch, 83: 832-852.

Brown, K. M., 1995. Data Report: Hydraulic conductivity measurements on discrete samples collected from Leg 141, Site 863. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results: 141, 401-407.

Brown, K. M. and N. L. Bangs, 1995. Thermal regime of the Chile Triple Junction: Constraints provided by downhole temperature measurements and distribution of gas hydrate. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 141: 259-275. Brown, K. M., N. Bangs, K. Marsaglia et al., 1995. A summary of ODP Leg 141 hydrogeologic, geochemical, and thermal results. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 141: 363-372.

Bangs, N. L. and K. M. Brown, 1995. Regional heat flow in the vicinity of the Chile Triple Junction constrained by the depth of bottom-simulating reflection. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 141: 253-259. Brown, K. M., 1995. The variation of the hydraulic conductivity structure of an overpressured thrust zone with effective stress. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 146: 281-289.

Brown, K. M., N. L. Bangs, P. N. Froelich and K. A. Kvenvolden, 1996. The nature, distribution, and origin of gas hydrate in the Chile Triple Junction region. Earth and Planetary Sci. Letters 139: 471-483.

Dewhurst, D. N., K. M. Brown, M. B. Clennell and G. K. Westbrook, 1996. A comparison of the fabric and permeability anisotropy of consolidated and sheared silty clay. Engineering Geology 42: 253-267.

Dewhurst, D. N., M. B. Clennell, K. M. Brown and G. K. Westbrook, 1996. Fabric and hydraulic conductivity of sheared clays. Géotechnique 46: 761-768.

Brown, K. M. and B. Ransom, 1996. Porosity corrections for smectite-rich sediments: Impact on studies of compaction, fluid generation, and tectonic history. Geology 24: 843-846.

Fitts, T. G. and K. M. Brown, 1999. Stress-induced smectitie dehydration: ramifications for patterns of freshening and fluid expulsion in the N. Barbados accretionary wedge. Earth and Planetary Sci. Letters 172: 179-197.

Tryon, M. D., K. M. Brown, M. E. Torres, A. M. Trehu, J. McManus and R. W. Collier, 1999. Measurements of transience and downward fluid flow near episodic methane gas vents, Hydrate Ridge, Cascadia, 1999. Geology 27: 1075-1078.

Clennell, M. B., D. N. Dewhurst, K. M. Brown and G. K. Westbrook, 1999. Permeability anistropy of consolidated clays In Muds and Mudstones: Physical and Fluid Flow Properties (eds. A. Aplin, A. Fleet, and J. Macquaker), Geological Society, London, Special Publications 158: 79-96. Tryon, M. D., K. M. Brown, A. Sauter, L. M. Dorman, 2001. A new benthic aqueous flux meter for very low to moderate discharge rates, Deep Sea Research I, 48: 2121-2146.

Tryon, M. and K. M. Brown, 2001. Complex flow patterns through Hydrate Ridge and their impact on seep biota, Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (14): 2863-2866.

Brown, K. M., D. M. Saffer and B. A. Bekins, 2001. Smectite diagenesis, porewater freshening, and fluid flow at the toe of the Nankai wedge.Earth and Planetary Sci. Ltrs. 194: 97-109.

Tryon, M.D., K.M. Brown and M.E. Torres, Fluid and chemical fluxes in and out of sediments hosting methane hydrate deposits on Hydrate Ridge, OR: II. Hydrological processes, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 201, 541-557, 2002. Torres, M.E., J. McManus, D.E. Hammond, M. de Angelis, K.U. Heeschen,S. Colbert, M.D. Tryon, K.M. Brown and E. Suess, Fluid and chemical fluxes in and out of sediments hosting methane hydrate deposits on Hydrate Ridge, OR. I: Hydrologicalprovinces, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 201, 525-540, 2002.

Spinelli, G.A., Fisher, A.T. Wheat,. C. G. Tryon, M. D Brown, K.M. and. Flegal. Groundwater seepage into Northern San Fancisco Bay determined by pore water chemistry and seepage meters: implications of dissolved metal budgets. Water Resources Research, 38, in press, 19 pp. Brown, K.M., A. Kopf, M.B. Underwood, and J.L. Weinberger, Compositional and fluid pressure controls on the state of stress on the Nankai subduction thrust: A weak plate boundary, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 214, 589-603, 2003.

Kopf, A; Brown, K M, Friction experiments on saturated sediments and their implications for the stress state of the Nankai and Barbados subduction thrust Marine Geology, vol.202, no.3-4, pp.193-210, 30 Nov 2003.

Levin, L.A., Ziebis, W., Mendoza, G.F., Growney, V.A., Mahn, C., Gieskes, J.M., Tryon, M.D., Brown, K.M., and Rathburn, A.E., Macrofauna at northern California methane seeps: Landscape- and small-scale distributions in relation to sulfide concentration and fluid flow. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 265:123-139, 2003.

Tryon, Michael D; Brown, Kevin M Fluid and chemical cycling at Bush Hill; implications for gas- and hydrate-rich environments, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems – G (super 3),vol.5, no.12, 7 pp., 08 Dec 2004. Weinberger, J.L., K.M. Brown, and P.E. Long, Painting a picture of gas hydrate distribution with thermal images, Geophysical Research Letters, 32, 2005.

Brown K. M, Michael D. Tryon, Heather R. DeShon, LeRoy M. Dorman, and Susan Y. Schwartz, Correlated Transient Fluid Pulsing and Seismic Tremor in the Costa Rica Subduction Zone, Earth and planetary Science Letters, 189-203, 2005.

Weinberger, J.L., Brown, K.M., Fracture Networks and Hydrate Distributionat Hydrate Ridge, Oregon., Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 245,123-136, 2006.

LaBonte, A. L., K. M. Brown, and M. D. Tryon, Monitoring periodic and episodic flow events at Monterey Bay seeps using a new optical flow meter, J. Geophys. Res., 112, B02105, doi:10.1029/2006JB004410, 2007. 14 pp.

Alison L. LaBonte, Kevin M. Brown, Yuri Fialko, Hydrologic detection and finite element modeling of a slow-slip event in the Costa Rica prism toe. J. Geosphys Res., in review. 2008.