
Qualifications & Memberships
Research Interests
I am interested in understanding how the Earth's lithosphere deforms a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and how understanding this deformation can improve our knowledge of seismic hazard.
My research looks at the deformation of Earth's continents. I analyse and model a range of datasets, including seismological records, satellite imagery, GPS and radar, in order to understand both the patterns of deformation which we observe, and the forces which generate them. How the continents deform in response to an applied force is controlled by their material properties (rheology). By looking both at observed deformation and the forces driving it I am able to place constraints on this rheology. My work spans timescales from individual earthquakes to the cenozoic, and lengthscales from individual faults to continents. I am particularly interested in reconciling different estimates of lithosphere rheology, and combining multiple observations to improve our understanding of the Earth.
More generally, I am interested in how Earth Sciences as a discipline relates to the world, and particularly how a discipline with its foundations in colonialism and extractivism, can be adapted to serve a socially just, post-extractivist future.
I also run the Twitter account for Women Doing Science, a social media movement showcasing diverse women in STEM. You can follow us on Instagram or Twitter.
Recent Publications
- Penney C., Walshe R., Baker H., van Soest H., Dryhurst S. and Taylor ARE. (2022) Introducing Stories Into Downward Counterfactual Analysis: Examples From a Potential Mediterranean Disaster. Frontiers in Earth Science 10 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.742016.
- Whitworth MRZ., Giardina G., Penney C., Di Sarno L., Adams K., Kijewski-Correa T., Black J., Foroughnia F., Macchiarulo V. and Milillo P. (2022) Lessons for Remote Post-earthquake Reconnaissance from the 14 August 2021 Haiti Earthquake. Frontiers in Built Environment 8 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2022.873212.
- Penney C. and Copley A. (2021) Lateral Variations in Lower Crustal Strength Control the Temporal Evolution of Mountain Ranges: Examples From South-East Tibet. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 22(2) http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2020GC009092.
- Ball TV., Penney CE., Neufeld JA. and Copley AC. (2019) Controls on the geometry and evolution of thin-skinned fold-thrust belts, and applications to the Makran accretionary prism and Indo-Burman Ranges. Geophysical Journal International 218(1): 247-267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggz139.
- Copley A., Grützner C., Howell A., Jackson J., Penney C. and Wimpenny S. (2018) Unexpected earthquake hazard revealed by Holocene rupture on the Kenchreai Fault (central Greece): Implications for weak sub-fault shear zones. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 486: 141-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.01.014.