Dr. W. Ashley Griffith

Title: Assistant Professor
Department: Department of Geology and Environmental Science
Office: CRH 62
Phone: 330 972 7632
Fax: 330 972 7611
Email: wag8@uakron.edu
Website: http://www.uakron.edu/geology/research/structural-geology-geomechanics.dot
Curriculum Vitae: Download in PDF format

Research Accomplishments

My research focuses on structural geology and geomechanics, with an emphasis on the behavior of fractures in the earth’s crust.  The importance (both academic and practical) of fractures in the earth's crust cannot be overstated. Among other things, fractures in rock dominate subsurface fluid flow, control  earthquake hazards, and exert a huge influence on ground control problems in mining applications.

I combine observations along natural faults and fractures from field mapping, remote sensing, and microscopy with quantitative analytical and numerical models, and with laboratory experiments to learn how these fractures behave on a range of spatial and temporal scales, from single earthquakes on individual faults to the interaction and evolution of entire fault systems.   Examples of recent and active areas of research include the influence of fault geometry on frictional processes during earthquakes, the formation of damage zone fractures during earthquake propagation and slip, the influence of natural fractures on rock stiffness, and the impact of topography and subsurface fractures on roof stability in underground coal and limestone mines.

Publications

1. Griffith, W.A., T.M. Mitchell, J. Renner, and G. Di Toro, 2012, Coseismic damage and softening of fault rocks at seismogenic depths, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, accepted
2. Niemeijer, A., G. Di Toro, W.A. Griffith, and A. Bistacchi, S.A.F. Smith, and S. Nielsen, 2012,  Inferring earthquake mechanics using an integrated field and laboratory approach, Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 39, p. 2-36. (pdf)
3. Ngo, D., Y. Huang, A. J. Rosakis, W.A. Griffith, and D.D. Pollard, 2012, Off-fault tensile cracks: A link between geological fault observations, lab experiments and dynamic rupture models, Journal of Geophysical Research, 117, B01307, doi:10.1029/2011JB008577. (pdf)
4. Bistacchi, A., W.A. Griffith, S. Nielsen, S.A.F. Smith, G. Di Toro, and R. Jones, 2011, Surface roughness of ancient seismic faults: a combined LIDAR and high resolution photogrammetric analysis of fault trace profiles, Pure and Applied Geophysics, doi: 10.1007/s00024-011-0301-7. (pdf)
5. Griffith, W.A., S. Nielsen, and G. Di Toro, S. E. A. Smith, 2010, Rough faults, distributed weakening, and off-fault deformation, Journal of Geophysical Research, 115, B08409, doi:10.1029/2009JB006925. (pdf)
6. Nielsen, S., G. Di Toro, W.A. Griffith, 2010, Friction and roughness of a melting rock surface, Geophysics Journal International, 182: 299–310. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04607.x (pdf)
7. Griffith, W.A., G. Di Toro, G. Pennacchioni, D.D. Pollard, and S. Nielsen, 2009. Static stress drop associated with brittle slip events on exhumed faults, Journal of Geophysical Research, 114, B02402, doi: 10.1029/2008JB005879. (pdf)
8. Griffith, W.A., A.J. Rosakis, D.D. Pollard, and C.-W. Ko, 2009. Dynamic rupture experiments elucidate tensile crack development during propagating earthquake ruptures, Geology, 37, 795–798, doi: 10.1130/G30064A.1. (pdf)
9. Griffith, W.A., P.F. Sanz, and D.D. Pollard, 2009. Influence of outcrop scale fractures on the effective stiffness of fault damage zone rocks, for Pure and Applied Geophysics,Special Issue on “Mechanics, Structure, and Evolution of Fault Zones”, p. 1-33, doi: 10.1007/s00024-009-0519-9. (pdf)
10. Griffith, W.A., G. Di Toro, G. Pennacchioni, and D.D. Pollard, 2008. Thin pseudotachylytes in faults of the Mt. Abbot Quadrangle, Sierra Nevada: Physical constraints for seismic slip, Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 30, pp. 1186-1194. (pdf)
11. Griffith, W.A. and M.L. Cooke, 2005. How sensitive are fault slip rates in the Los Angeles Basin to tectonic boundary conditions? Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 95, pp. 1263-1275. (pdf)
12. Griffith, W.A. and M.L. Cooke, 2004. Mechanical validation of the three-dimensional intersection geometry between the Puente Hills blind-thrust system and the Whittier fault, Los Angeles, California, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 94 pp. 493-505. (pdf)

Manuscripts in Review/in Preparation

• W.A. Griffith, K.M. Cione, and J. B. Becker, Calculation of 3D topographic stress perturbations using the Displacement Discontinuity Method: Applications to Roof Stability Forecasting in Underground Mines, in preparation

Education

Ph.D., Geological and Environmental Science, Stanford University, 2008
M.S., Geosciences, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, 2003
B.S., Geology, The College of William and Mary, 1999

Courses

• Structural Geology (3370:350)
• Advanced Structural Geology (3370:450/550)
• Special Topics: Rock Fracture Mechanics (3370:498/598)
• Introductory Physical Geology (3370:101)
• Geology and Environmental Science Service Learning (3370:452/552)
• Field Camp II (3370:454/554)