Plate tectonics is the guiding paradigm of the Earth Sciences and thus involves numerous researchers in marine geology and geophysics and the HMRG group described elsewhere.
HIGP research includes studies of plate motions, plate boundaries, and hotspots.
Our mid-ocean ridge research includes investigations of seafloor spreading centers ranging from the fastest to slowest, using remote sensing techniques on scales ranging from meters to hundreds of kilometers. Our continental rifting research includes studies of the Red Sea and Gulf of California, as well as the breakup of Papua New Guinea in the Woodlark Basin. Mid-Ocean Ridge Studies. Together with many students and colleagues, Richard Hey has developed the propagating rift hypothesis into an accepted part of plate tectonic theory and showed that along-ridge oceanic microplates develop by a combination of rift propagation and independent plate rotation. Our current research includes hydrothermal and structural investigations along Earth's fastest seafloor spreading center, the 28 -32 S East Pacific Rise.