Carolina Raquel Lithgow-Bertelloni is a geophysicist known for her research on the role of subsurface processes in shaping the Earth. She was elected a fellow of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

in 2021.

Education and career

Lithgow-Bertelloni has a B.Sc. from the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

(1987) and earned her Ph.D. from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1994. Following her Ph.D., Lithgow-Bertelloni held positions at Universität Göttingen,

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

Carnegie Institution of Washington The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...

before becoming an assistant professor at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1997, where she remained until 2011. She subsequently held multiple positions at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Roma Tre University Roma Tre UniversityUniroma3.it
( it, Università degli Studi Roma Tre) is an Italian University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Research

The research done by Lithgow-Bertelloni combines planetary science and geophysics. She is particularly interested in how processes below the surface, e.g., in the mantle, drive processes occurring on Earth's surface. Her research includes investigations into the movement of

tectonic plates Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...

, particularly in the geological past. She has examined processes that contribute to variability in plate motion including mineralogy in the subsurface and chemical heterogeneity in the mantle. Her research has contributed to our understanding of the early history of the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain and the role of changes in viscosity in establishing a boundary in the mantle at one megameter below the Earth's surface. Lithgow-Bertelloni has also described the movement of oceanic plates, potentially distinct from the movement of land masses, over geologic time.

Selected publications

* * * *

Awards and honors

* Kavli Frontiers of Science, National Academy of Sciences (2003) * Francis Birch Lecture, American Geophysical Union (2018) * Fellow, American Geophysical Union (2021)

Personal life

Lithgow-Bertelloni's sister, Anna M. Lithgow-Bertelloni, is also a scientist and works on natural products from marine organisms, one of which may aid in fighting against

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...

. Lithgow-Bertelloni resides in Santa Monica, California.

References

External links

* * Geology Bites podcast with Lithgow-Bertelloni {{DEFAULTSORT:Lithgow-Bertelloni, Carolina Fellows of the American Geophysical Union University of Puerto Rico alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni University of California, Los Angeles faculty Living people Women geophysicists Women geologists Year of birth missing (living people)