The fields of Quaternary geomorphology, geochronology, tectonics, and surface processes are of major
importance in Earth science studies. Some of the goals of this research are to understand and
quantify rates of processes that control the shape of the Earth's surface at temporal scales varying
from present active processes to the accumulative affect of millions of years and spatial scales
varying from the single slope to the global scale mountain fronts. The research involves the
application of several techniques to understand and quantify geomorphic processes and to relate
them to climatic and tectonic environments. The research aims to link surface processes to the
dynamics of the underlying crust, in order to shed light on the complex relation between internal
and external forces that shape the face of our planet ace processes.
A cornerstone of the research is the use of cosmogenic isotope techniques. This technique has been and
is currently used by Dr. Ari Matmon to date landscapes, determine erosion rates, and detect the
nature and rate of surface processes in many tectonic, climatic and geographic settings such as
the Dead Sea rift, Israel, the Great Smoky Mountains, TN, USA, southern San Andreas fault,
CA, USA, Denali fault, AK, USA, the Namib Desert, Namibia, and the Atacama Desert, Chile.
Ongoing projects include:
1. Denali fault slip rates and Holocene-late Pleistocene kinematics of Central Alaska.
2. Isotopic insights into smoothening of abandoned fan surfaces, southern California.
3. Landscape development in an hyper arid sandstone environment along the margins of the Dead
Sea fault: implications from dated rock falls.
4. Landscape development and drainage system dynamics in the Atacama Desert, Chile.
Future projects include:
1. Landscape development and long-term evolution of drainage system along the
margins of an active rift: the Negev Desert, Israel. A scientific research proposal
has been submitted to the Israel Science Foundation.
2. Cosmogenic Ages of Prehistoric Sites using a Two Isotope Burial Dating
Method Calibrated by Magnetostratigraphy. A scientific research proposal has
been submitted to the Israel Science Foundation.
3. The morphologic, geologic and climatic critical conditions for rock falls: implication for
paleoseismic record and seismic hazard in northern Israel. A scientific research proposal has
been submitted to the Israel Ministry of Infrastructure.