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Frank Zwaan

@geozwaan.bsky.social

260 followers 53 following 46 posts

Enthusiastic structural geologist & tectonic modeller, currently doing numerical simulation of mantle exhumation and natural hydrogen (H2) generation at @unil.bsky.social (Switzerland).

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Reposted by Frank Zwaan

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · 16d

🚨 Interested in rift tectonics and/or the East African Rift System? ⚒️ 🌍

Join us on Tuesday 7 Oct (12:30 CEST) for an EPOS virtual coffee break chat about some cool new research on the development of the Main Ethiopian Rift 😃

More info below, at: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

🌍☕ 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬? We’re excited to invite… | European Plate Observing System

🌍☕ 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬? We’re excited to invite you to a 15-minute virtual coffee break with Frank Zwaan of the Université de La...

www.linkedin.com

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · 16d

🚨 Interested in rift tectonics and/or the East African Rift System? ⚒️ 🌍

Join us on Tuesday 7 Oct (12:30 CEST) for an EPOS virtual coffee break chat about some cool new research on the development of the Main Ethiopian Rift 😃

More info below, at: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

🌍☕ 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬? We’re excited to invite… | European Plate Observing System

🌍☕ 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬? We’re excited to invite you to a 15-minute virtual coffee break with Frank Zwaan of the Université de La...

www.linkedin.com

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

This work was funded by a @gfz.bsky.social Discovery Fellowship, a @fgse-unil.bsky.social Equality grant, @dfg.de support, the chinascholarship programme, and @epos-es.bsky.social.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

Thanks also to Frank Neumann, Thomas Ziegenhagen, Uwe Lemgo and Kirsten Elger for technical support, Laetitia Le Pourhiet and @anungsamsu.bsky.social for valuable reviews, Janine Kavanagh and @gduclaux.bsky.social for managing the review process, and @moh-geo.bsky.social for technical editing.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

A big thank you to my co-authors Ameha Atnafu Muluneh, Jun Liu, Ehsan Kosari, Matthias Rosenau, Giacomo Corti and Federico Sani.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

This strain reorientation concept may be of interest to the interpretation of (the history of) tectonic deformation in other rift systems with such lineaments.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

Based on analogue tectonic experiments, we propose that local strain reorientation (made possible by the oblique orientation of the Main Ethiopian Rift itself) can enable the deformation along these lineaments that is observed in nature.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

The question is how lineaments that are highly oblique to the Main Ethiopian Rift are still able to localize deformation, despite being oriented rather unfavorably with respect to regional plate motion directions (they should not be active!?).

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 22

🚨 New paper alert! ⚒️

Are you interested in rift tectonics and the East African Rift?

Check out how lineaments that are highly oblique to the Main Ethiopian Rift can still deform via local strain reorientation. 😃

Link to our new @wearetektonika.bsky.social paper: tektonika.online/index.php/ho...

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 20

Interested in how we can use geodynamic simulations for resource exploration? ⚒️

I wrote a blog for @ciggeodynamics.bsky.social, on simulating natural H2 gas resource development in nature 😃

The blog: geodynamics.org/highlight-au...

The original Science Advances paper: doi.org/10.1126/scia...

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Aug 11

📢New paper alert⚒️!

Are you into tectonics, rifting, and basin development?

Check out the work by Cédric Bulois & colleagues on rift propagation in the Porcupine Basin, recently published in @BasinResearch 😃

Link: doi.org/10.1111/bre....

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Apr 30

⚒️ Are you at #EGU25 and interested in natural H2 (a potential green energy for the future), check out my talk in session GD6.1 this afternoon (14:15, room K1)! 😃

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-...

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Apr 30

⚒️ If you are at #EGU25 and curious about laboratory modelling of plate tectonics, join us this evening (19:00-20:00, in room -2.82) for the Tectonic Modelling 101 short course (including a live model demonstration!) 😃

meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/sessio...

@ts.egu.eu

Reposted by Frank Zwaan

EGU TS @ts.egu.eu · Apr 24

EGUTS news alert ⚠️
Are you attending the EGU25?
Are you interested in structural geology and tectonics?
Here are all the TS events during the meeting.
Join us!😀

Reposted by Frank Zwaan

EGU TS @ts.egu.eu · Apr 8

📢 Tectonic Modelling Tuesday #110 - with numerical work by Guangliang Wu and colleagues (from University of Texas at Austin & University of Memphis), who explored modes of continental extension in a crustal wedge 😃

More info in their 2015 EPSL paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ep...

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Mar 18

⚒️ The recording of the H2 webinar I did with the AAPG Petroleum Structure / Geomechanics Division is now available online 😃 : www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdWI...

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Mar 12

⚒️ Want to know more about our natural H2? Join us tomorrow (13 March, 16:00 CET) for the ENERGY NEW webinar where I will present about this recently published research (and more) 😃

Details on the webinar here: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Mar 3

Moreover (for the hashtag #Dutch crowd) I did a short interview for BNR Nieuwsradio a bit more than a week ago. You can access the recording here (from ca. 11:30 min on is the good stuff) 😃 ⚒️: www.bnr.nl/gemist?date=...

BNR Nieuwsradio

BNR.nl houdt ondernemend Nederland op de hoogte via live nieuwsradio, de beste artikelen, app en podcasts.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Mar 3

This weekend, I contributed to a short @cnn.com
podcast called "Five Good Things", with some information on the research in our recently published paper with @aaas.org's #ScienceAdvances. You can find it here (from ca. min 7 on it's all about white H2) 😃: edition.cnn.com/audio/podcas...

The Guy Who Created His Dream Job - CNN 5 Good Things - Podcast on CNN Audio

Doctors had to get crafty to save a three-month-old's life. A retired ocean liner is embarking on its final journey with a new mission for the record books. A dog lover left the corporate world and fo...

edition.cnn.com

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Feb 21

p.s. some cool media coverage of our paper (by @cnn.com) can be found here: edition.cnn.com/2025/02/19/c...

Vast reserves of game-changing clean fuel may be hidden under mountain ranges, scientists find | CNN

A new study finds large amounts of “white hydrogen” may exist within mountain ranges, raising hopes this clean-burning gas could help supercharge efforts to tackle the climate crisis.

edition.cnn.com

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Feb 21

I was also a visiting scientist at @unifr.bsky.social during part of the work done for this publication, and will continue my research in Switzerland, funded through a @fgse-unil.bsky.social grant (stay tuned) 😃

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Feb 19

This research was principally funded through a @gfz.bsky.social Discovery Fellowship, with additional (financial) support from @erc.europa.eu, @www.helmholtz.de, @unistra.fr, @cnrs.fr, Lavoisier H2 Geoconsult, and the Alliance for National High Performance Computing in Germany.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Feb 19

A big thank you to my co-authors @sasbrune.bsky.social, Anne Glerum, Dylan Vasey, John Naliboff, Giantero Manatschal & Eric C. Gaucher for their help and support during this exciting research😃

Many thanks also to @gfz.bsky.social colleagues, reviewers, the paper editor, and the CIG.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Feb 19

Our work shows the importance of understanding the geodynamic factors that control the distribution of natural resources (and the use of modelling work).

Such insights are of particular importance for the energy transition, given the vast amounts of resources we will need.

Frank Zwaan @geozwaan.bsky.social · Feb 19

We propose an orogenic natural H2 system concept, which shows the key ingredients for the successful development of natural H2 accumulations that can be drilled and explored. Alternatively, we may also consider directly drilling into the serpentinizing mantle rocks themselves.