Folarin Kolawole, Ph.D.
Structural Geologist, BP America
Hi! I am a structural geologist and currently working in the upstream exploration section of BP America in Houston, USA. My research involves the integration of structural geology, near-surface geophysics, and geomechanics to understand 1) how the earth’s lithosphere breaks up to form new sedimentary basins and deform existing basins, and 2) how industrial subsurface activities wake-up ancient faults in the crust (i.e. induced earthquakes in areas of wastewater injection, CO2 injection, and geothermal settings), and 3) the dynamics of natural earthquakes in areas far away from active tectonic boundaries i.e. intraplate earthquakes. More specifically, I use field observations of fault deformation zones and fracture systems, structural analyses of seismic reflection and aeromagnetic datasets, laboratory geomechanics testing, and numerical modelling for my research.
My ongoing research projects are focused on 1.) structural deformation and strain localization in the early-stages of continental rifting [Natural Laboratory: East Africa Rift Zones and Rio Grande Rift], 2.) basement structure and reactivation mechanics of basement-rooted faults in areas of induced seismicity [Natural Laboratory: Central-Eastern U.S.], and 3) structural geology and geomechanics of hydrothermally-altered sedimentary reservoirs.
I enjoy rock climbing. Also, I am very passionate about promoting racial and gender diversity in the Geosciences... because it is the right thing to do.
FACT: BLACK SCIENTISTS ARE REAL.
LATEST PREPRINT
Structural Inheritance Controls Strain Distribution During Early Continental Rifting, Rukwa Rift
Kolawole, F., Thomas, B.P., Atekwana, E.A., Jackson, C.A-L.
Submitted to Frontiers in Earth Sciences.
Preprint on EarthArXiv
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Hamilton, M., Carpenter, B.M., Johnston C., Kolawole, F., Evans, S., Elmore, R.D. (2021). Journal of Structural Geology, 147.
MEDIA MENTIONS
EGU Blog post highlighting Black geoscientists, among whom is yours truly, as a show of support for #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackInSTEM movements.
University of Oklahoma's MCEE Press Release
OU press release article on my PhD paper published in #NatureGeoscience. The study reveals the susceptibility of Oklahoma’s rocks to wastewater injection-related earthquakes.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Conferences
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Sept. 2021 National Association of Black Geoscientists (NABG) 2021 Annual Conference
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Oct. 2021 Geological Society of America (GSA) 2021 Annual Meeting
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Dec. 2021 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2021
Invited Talks:
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June 2021 - USGS Earthquake Science Center, Moffett Field, CA. Waking the Sleeping Giants: Basement-Rooted Deformation and the Injection Induced Seismicity of U.S. Mid Continent.
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June 2021 - NSF/GeoPRISMS Rift Ridge Margins meeting. Key note talk on juvenile continental rifting.
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May 2021 - Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB): Once Broken, Hard to Mend: Structural Inheritance and the Quakes that Shake Our World.
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Apr. 2021 - Virginia Tech.: Rifts that Never Die: Persistent Growth of the East African Rift System.
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Mar. 2021 - University of St. Andrews, U.K.: Strain Localization and Migration During Magma-Poor and Magmatic-to-Amagmatic Multiphase Rifting.
CONTACT ME