Rocks and Metal—Parallel Solid Phase Plasticity Mechanisms and Non-Equilbrium Microstructures During Intense Shear Deformation

All around us, things are constantly plastically deforming, whether it be at nanoscale atomic level in metallic alloys to the km-scale during geological flow in the lithosphere. We will present cross-cutting theories on the nature of intense pressure and shear-driven structural evolution in metals and geological materials. Novel solid-phase material deformation methods and in-situ beamline studies will reveal metallic deformation pathways that will be directly compared to the current earth science literature on ductile deformation and far-from-equilibrium microstructural evolution in rocks. The finding forecast the ability to use laboratory-scale tools and simulant materials to extend our understanding of how the world has moved underneath us and how it may deform in other parts of the universe.