This Research Planning Grant will explore the use of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) in simulating deformation of accretionary and extensional sediment wedges, in a manner analogous to that of experimental sandbox models. In DEM simulations, each particle is treated independently and interacts with all other particles according to the laws of physics; the bulk behaviour of the granular system therefore is obtained directly. Physical and mechanical properties of the particles and the system can be measured and modified in ways not possible for analog sandbox models. The PI will modify existing code to permit the user to interact with the model graphically, and will then apply the model to examine the widely-used theory of critical taper in Coulomb wedges.
