Research

Dr. Hsui's research interests focus on the dynamics of geological processes and the thermal evolution of planetary interiors.  His investigations include simulations of mantle convection and its relationship to plate tectonics; thermal mechanical effects of plate subduction and their implications to island arc magma generation and the occurrence of deep seismicities; as well as the evolution of trench curvatures and mountain belts.  In addition to the Earth, he is also interested in the thermal evolution of planetary objects.  Some of his studies also have industrial applications such as using the attenuation of borehole tube wave to estimate formation permeability; thermal subsidence history of sedimentary basins to predict petroleum maturation potential; and the thermal effects in groundwater flows.  His current interests focus on the dynamics of thermal-chemical systems with crystallization to study igneous body formation and the growth of the inner core.  He is also interested in studying the difference in geological histories between Venus and the Earth, and thermal evolution as well as thermal structure of Europa, a Galilean satellite of the Jovian system.  Some representative publications in these areas are listed below.  For more details, please visit the Geodynamics Homepage (a text version).

Selected Publications

Hsui, A. T., and D. N. Riahi, Some remarks about buoyancy and mantle convection within planetary interiors, submitted to Phys. Earth and Planet. Int., 2001.

Hsui, A. T., and D. N. Riahi, Onset of thermal-chemical convection with crystallization and its geological implications, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., Vol. 2, Paper number 2000GC000075, April 3, 2001. (http://gcubed.magnet.fsu.edu/)

Riahi, D. N., and A. T. Hsui, Finite amplitude thermal convection with variable gravity, Int. J. Math. and Math. Sci., 25 (3), 153-165, 2001. (http://ijmms.hindawi.com/volume-25)

Hsui, A. T., W. S. Yang and J. R. Baumgardner, A preliminary study of the effects of some flow parameters in the generation of poloidal and toroidal energies within a 3-D spherical thermal-convective system with variable viscosity, Pure and Applied Geophysics, 145, No. 3/4, 487-503, 1995.

Hsui, A. T., K. A. Rust and G. D. Klein, A fractal analysis of Quaternary, Cenozoic-Mesozoic, and late Pennsylvanian sea level changes, J. Geophys. Res., 98, B12, 21963-21967, 1993.

Larson, T. H. and A. T. Hsui, An analytic study of a two-layer transient thermal conduction problem as applied to soil temperature survey, Geophysics, 57, No. 2, 306-312, 1992.

Hsui, A. T., X. Tang and M. N. Toksöz, On the dip angle of subducting plates, Tectonophysics, 179, 163-175, 1990.

Hsui, A. T., Application of fluid mechanic principles to the study of geological processes at trench-arc-back arc systems, Pure and Applied Geophys., 128, 661-681, 1988.

Sawyer, D. S., A. T. Hsui and M. N. Toksöz, Extension subsidence and thermal evolution of the Los Angeles Basin -- A two dimensional model, Tectonophysics, 133, 15-32, 1987.

Heidlauf, D. T., A. T. Hsui and G. deV. Klein, Tectonic subsidence analysis of the Illinois Basin, J. of Geology, 94, 779-794, 1986.

Hsui, A. T. and M. N. Toksöz, Application of an acoustic model to determine in-situ permeability of a borehole, J. of the Acoustical Soc. of Am., 79(6), 2055-2059, 1986.

Hsui, A. T. and S. Youngquist, A dynamic model of the curvature of the Mariana Trench, Nature, 318, No. 6045, 455-457, 1985.

Hsui, A. T., B. D. Marsh and M. N. Toksöz, On melting of the subducted oceanic crust, Tectonophysics, 99, 207-221, 1983.

Thurber, C. H., A. T. Hsui and M. N. Toksöz, Thermal evolution of Ganymede and Callisto: effects of solid state convection and constraints from Voyager imagery, Proc. 11th Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf., 1957-1977, 1980.

Toksöz, M. N. and A. T. Hsui, Thermal history and evolution of Mars, Icarus, 34, 537-647, 1978.

Turcotte, D. L., A. T. Hsui, K. E. Torrance and G. Schubert, Influence of viscous dissipation on Bernard convection, J. Fluid Mech., 64, 369-374, 1974.

Turcotte, D. L., K. E. Torrance and A. T. Hsui, Convection in the Earth's Mantle, Methods of Computational Physics, 13, Academic Press, NY, 431-454, 1972.

Hsui, A. T., D. L. Turcotte and K. E. Torrance, Finite amplitude thermal convection within a self-gravitating fluid sphere, Geophys. Fluid Dyn., 3, 35-44, 1972.

Teaching

Dr. Hsui has been actively involved in the application of technology to enhance student learning for over a decade.  He received a NeXT at Illinois award in 1994 to develop computing-based instructional materials for geology and geophysics.  More recently, he has also implemented synchronous and asynchronous technologies to facilitate active and collaborative learning in his classes.  You may visit the following class websites for an illustration of his effort in this area.

Geology of the Planets
Introduction to Geophysics
Geophysical Methods for Geology, Engineering, and Environmental Sciences

last revised March 1, 2004