header

About me: Hola. I am Marco, an earth scientist (PhD in Geology, 2013) living and working in Oviedo, Spain. I use observational, experimental and computational approaches to study the physical properties of the Earth's solid materials (rock/mineral physics). My goal is to understand the dynamic processes occurring in the Earth's lithosphere (the Earth's outer layer) from the microscopic to the orogenic scale. For example, understanding how rock microstructure and crystal preferred orientation affect the mechanical and elastic properties of rocks, how rocks respond to an applied force (deformation and rheology), and modelling the seismic/elastic properties of solid Earth materials. I have broad expertise in the analysis of the microstructure and texture (CPO) of solid materials using Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and image analysis. In addition to my core interests, I actively engage with topics such as crustal strength modelling, understanding strain localization at all scales, and the interaction between rock deformation, metamorphism (thermodynamic modelling), and fluids. I enjoy coding and am an advocate of open source and open science so I like to create small projects to promote earth sciences through programming. Occasionally I also try to spread the word about my research interests through short blog posts, my project websites, and a YouTube channel called Earth Science Talks. Some of my research projects can be found here and here. Lastly, I am one of the promoters and organisers of the 7th International Orogenic Lherzholite Meeting to be held in Oviedo in the autumn of 2024 (see https://lherzolite2024.github.io).

Personal details

Full name (name, SURNAME): Marco Antonio LÓPEZ SÁNCHEZ

Work address:
Departamento de Geología
Universidad de Oviedo
Calle Jesús Arias de velasco s/n
33005 Oviedo
Principado de Asturias, Spain
Tel: (34) 985 102 933 (alternative: +34 98510 3000 and then dial the extension 2933)
Room: 2-23A

e-mail:
lopezmarco [to be found at] uniovi [dot] es (main, institutional)
marcoalopez [to be found at] outlook [dot] com (personal)

On the web

Personal website: https://marcoalopez.github.io/
Orcid-ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0261-9267
Scopus author ID: 56320859100
Google scholar: scholar.google
Research-ID: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/A-4290-2015
Github page: https://github.com/marcoalopez
At Uniovi: link
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco-Lopez-Sanchez Outreach: @lsmarcoa // Mastodon

Education / Research accreditations

2023 - i3 research activity certification (i3 Programme of the Spanish Research Agency)

2013 - PhD in Geology, cum laude honours, University of Oviedo (Spain)
Thesis: Tectonic analysis of the Vivero fault (Galicia, NW of Spain) (original in Spanish) Advisors: Sergio Llana-Fúnez, Alberto Marcos and Francisco J. Martínez
Topic: Analysis of the microstructure, metamorphism, and age of a fossil crustal-scale shear zone.

2007 - Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in the (interuniversity) program “Exploration, analysis and modelling of basins and orogenic systems” from the University of Oviedo and University of Barcelona
Project advisor: Alberto Marcos

2006 - I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Oviedo in January 2006.

Research

2022 - present - Research associate in the Department of Geology at the University of Oviedo (Spain)

2020 - 2021 - CNRS research associate in Géosciences Montpellier at the Université de Montpellier (2 years, full-time)

2018 - 2020 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Clarín-COFUND postdoctoral researcher in Géosciences Montpellier at the Université de Montpellier, France. (2 years, full-time).

2015 - 2017 - Postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geology at the University of Oviedo (Spain). This includes several full and part-time postdoc contracts that add up to a year of experience within this period

2007 - 2013 - PhD candidate, Department of Geology at the University of Oviedo.

Fellowships/Awards

2022 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Seal of Excellence_Award with the research project proposal OUTCROP Score: 90.4/100

2021 - Margarita Salas Grant PCTI. Two-year contract to develop the project OUTCROP as principal investigator (only 3 projects funded in the call). Budget: 166 000 € (87 000 € salary + 79 000 € for research).

2021 - Margarita Salas joven Grant . Two-year contract to develop the project OUTCROP as principal investigator (10 projects funded in the call). Budget: 104 000 €. Status: rejected in favour of Margarita Salas Grant

2021 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Seal of Excellence_Award with the research project proposal START Score: 85.8/100

2017 - Postdoctoral fellowship Clarín-COFUND (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Clarín-COFUND Actions FP7) (2 years)

2017 - Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Seal of Excellence Award with the research project proposal IDEA Score: 88.6/100

2016 - Early Career Scientist’s Travel Award for EGU General Assembly 2016

2007 - Predoctoral fellowship in the Severo Ochoa Program (FICYT, Principality of Asturias, Spain) (4 years)

Scientific activities as a visitor researcher

2022 - IACT-CSIC (Granada, Spain). Duration: 1 week. Goal: Learn how to use Perple_X (thermodynamic modelling) and planning of research project in collaboration with J.A. Padrón-Navarta.

2022 - Geosciences Montpellier (Montpellier, France). Duration: 1 week. Goal: Experimental deformation of Mg alloys in simple shear with in situ EBSD monitoring (collaboration as member of the RhEoVOLUTION project)

2019 - Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (Grenoble, France)**. Duration: 1.5 months. Goal: Experimental ice deformation (creep) using digital image correlation methods under the supervision of Maurine Montagnat.

2018 - École des Mines de Saint-Étienne (Saint-Étienne, France). Duration: 1 week. Goal: High temperature experimental deformation of magnesium alloys in a channel-die compression rig (collab. R. Quey).

Publications

In review and/or available as a pre-print

Boissonneau G, Tommasi A, Barou F, Lopez-Sanchez MA, Montagnat M. Dynamic recrystallization and mechanical behavior of Mg alloy AZ31: Constraints from tensile tests with in-situ EBSD analysis. Submitted to Acta Materialia. Preprint

Published or in press (citable) peer-reviewed publications

2023

Lopez-Sanchez MA, Chauve T, Montagnat M, Tommasi A. Decoupling between strain localisation and the microstructural record revealed by in-situ strain measurements in polycrystalline ice. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 611: 118149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118149 / PDF
Wang X, Zhang J, Tommasi A, Lopez-Sanchez MA, Jing Z, Shi F, Liu W, Barou F. Experimental Evidence for a Weak Calcic-Amphibole-Rich Deep Crust in Orogens. Geophysical Research Letters 50: e2022GL102320 https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102320 / PDF

2022

Lopez-Sanchez MA, Demouchy S, Thoraval, C. Comment on “If not brittle: Ductile, Plastic, or Viscous? By Kelin Wang. Seismological Research Letters 93 (3): 1960-1965_ https://doi.org/10.1785/0220210191 / PDF

2021

Lopez-Sanchez MA, Tommasi A, Ben Ismail W, Barou F. Dynamic recrystallization by subgrain rotation in olivine revealed by electron backscatter diffraction. Tectonophysics 815: 228916 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228916 / PDF
Ben Ismail W, Tommasi A, Lopez-Sanchez MA, Rutter EH, Barou F, Demouchy S. Deformation of upper mantle rocks with contrasting initial fabrics in axial extension. Tectonophysics 815: 228997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228997 Preprint
Cárdenes V, Lopez-Sanchez MA, Barou F, Olona J, Llana-Fúnez S. Crystallographic preferred orientation, seismic velocity and anisotropy in roofing slates. Tectonophysics 808: 228815 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2021.228815 Preprint

2020

Lopez-Sanchez MA, Tommasi A, Barou F, and Quey R. (2020) Dislocation-driven recrystallization in AZ31B magnesium alloy imaged by quasi-in situ EBSD in annealing experiments. Materials Characterization 165: 110382 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchar.2020.110382 / PDF
Wenk HR, Yu R, Cárdenes V, Lopez-Sanchez MA, Sintubin M. (2020) Fabric and anisotropy of slates: From classical studies to new results. Journal of Structural Geology 138: 104066 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104066 / PDF
Lopez-Sanchez MA (2020) Which average, how many grains, and how to estimate robust confidence intervals in unimodal grain size populations. Journal of Structural Geology 135: 104042 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2020.104042 / PDF

2019

Lopez-Sanchez MA, García-Sansegundo J, and Martínez, FJ (2019) The significance of early Permian and early Carboniferous U-Pb zircon ages in the Bossòts and Lys-Caillaouas granitoids (Pyrenean Axial Zone). Geological Journal 54: 2048-2063 https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.3283 / PDF

2018

Lopez-Sanchez MA (2018) GrainSizeTools: a Python script for grain size analysis and paleopiezometry based on grain size. Journal of Open Source Software 3: 863, https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.00863 / PDF
Lopez-Sanchez MA and Llana-Fúnez S (2018) A cavitation-seal mechanism for ultramylonite formation in quartzfeldspathic rocks within the semi-brittle field (Vivero fault, NW Spain). Tectonophysics 745: 132-153 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2018.07.026 / PDF

2016

Lopez-Sanchez MA and Llana-Fúnez S (2016) An extension of the Saltykov method to quantify 3D grain size distributions in mylonites Journal of Structural Geology 93: 149-161; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2016.10.008 / PDF
Lopez-Sanchez MA, Aleinikoff J, Marcos A, Martínez FJ, and Llana-Fúnez S. (2016) An example of low Th/U zircon overgrowths of magmatic origin in a late orogenic variscan intrusive: the San Ciprián Massif (NW Spain). Journal of the Geological Society 173: 282-291; https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2015-071 / PDF

2015

Lopez-Sanchez MA and Llana-Fúnez S (2015) An evaluation of different measures of dynamically recrystallized grain size for paleopiezometry or paleowattmetry studies. Solid Earth 6: 475-495; https://doi.org/10.5194/se-6-475-2015 / PDF
Lopez-Sanchez MA, Marcos A, Martínez FJ, Llana-Fúnez S, and Iriondo A (2015) Setting new constrains on the age of crustal-scale normal fault (Vivero Fault): Implications for the evolution of Variscan orogeny in the Iberian Massif. International Journal of Earth Sciences 104: 927-962; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-014-1119-1 / PDF
Lopez-Sanchez MA, Iriondo A, Marcos A, and Martínez FJ (2015) A U-Pb zircon age (479±5 Ma) from the uppermost layers of the Ollo de Sapo Fm near Viveiro (NW Spain): implications for the duration of rifting-related Cambro-Ordovician volcanism in Iberia. Geological Magazine 152: 341-350; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756814000272 / PDF

Others

López-Sánchez MA (2007) Estudio geológico de la Falla de Vivero y estructuras asociadas en la región de Guntín (Lugo, NO de la Península Ibérica). Trabajos de Geología 27: 97-157 link

Field Trip guides

Marcos A, Bastida F, Aller J, Fernández FJ, Llana-Fúnez S and Lopez-Sanchez MA (2011) DRT post-conference Fieldtrip Guide: West Asturian Leonese Zone, Cabo Ortegal, Malpica-Lamego Line. Deformation, Rheology and Tectonics (DRT - Oviedo) meeting 42 pp + map. PDF

Meeting proceedings (only talks in the last 3 years)

For a full list of meeting proceedings see here

2023

Seismic modelling using EBSD data: why, how, limitations and good practices. Freiberg MTEX Workshop 2023. Invited keynote speaker. https://mtex-toolbox.github.io/workshop23

2022

Evolution of strain field and microstructure in polycrystalline ice using in situ experiments. 6th International Workshop on Rock Physics (A Coruña, 3 -17 June) https://lameroc.eu/
Dynamic recrystallization by subgrain rotation in olivine revealed by EBSD. Microanalysis Society (MAS) EBSD2022 Topical Conference (Virtual June 7-9) https://the-mas.org/events/topical-conferences/ebsd-2022/
Unravelling dynamic recrystallization by subgrain rotation in olivine using MTEX. Freiberg online MTEX Workshop 2022. (Invited).

2020

Texture evolution during dynamic recrystallization in olivine-rich rocks. GDR Recrystallization and Grain Growth workshop (Les Houches, School of Physics, France)
Dislocation-driven static recrystallization in AZ31B magnesium alloy imaged by quasi-in-situ EBSD experiments. GDR Recrystallization and Grain Growth workshop (Les Houches, School of Physics, France)

Peer review and editorial activity

Journal articles: Geology, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Tectonophysics, Journal of Structural Geology, American mineralogist, Ultramicroscopy, Solid Earth, Image Analysis and Stereology, Italian Journal of Geosciences
Research grants: US National Science Foundation (NFS) grant reviewer
Editorial activity: Since 2023, I am co-editor of the journal Trabajos de Geología and Review editor (Solid Earth Geophysics) in Frontiers in Earth Science.

Coding projects

Here are some of my coding projects in no particular order:

GrainSizeTools: A free and open-source Python script for estimating the grain size from thin sections

Introduction to the Python programming language for data analysis in Earth sciences: an introductory course to the Python programming language for data analysis using examples from the earth sciences.

PyRockWave: Python codes for modelling elastic properties and seismic velocities in rocks (in active development!)

Strength envelopes: A set of Jupyter notebooks to generate crust and lithosphere strength envelopes (in development!)

Jupyter4DICe: a series of Jupyter notebooks written in Python for post-processing digital image correlation (DIC) data obtained with the open-source digital image correlation tool DICe

Ternary plots: no-fuss ternary plots in Python (using matplotlib)

You can find more pet projects of mine here

Participation in Research Projects

Own project websites

OUTCROP project

IDEA project (MSCA COFUND)

Last research projects

2022 - 2023 OUTCROP project: From the Lower Crust to the mantle: elastic properties, anisotropy, and water content of the Cabo Ortegal complex. Grant agreement ID: SV-PA-21-AYUD/2021/57163. Funded under: Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovacion 2018-2022 Asturias, Programa Margarita Salas. PI: Marco A. Lopez-Sanchez. Host institution: Department of Geology, University of Oviedo. Dates: 12/2021 – 12/2023. Total cost: €166.000 Role: Principal investigator.

2022 - 2026

ASTRACAN project: Analysis of the Bay of Biscay Seismicity and crustal structure at its Southwestern margin (5° to 9°W). Offshore Onshore links between seismic clusters and structures. Grant agreement ID: MCIU-22-PID2021-123116NB-I00. Funded under: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. PIs: G. Fernández-Viejo y S. Llana-Fúnez. Host institution: Department of Geology, University of Oviedo. Dates: 2022 – 2026. Total cost: €203.280 Role: Study the influence of microfracturing on seismic response.

2021 - 2025
ERC Advanced Grant RhEoVOLUTION project: Micro-scale dependent, time- and space-evolving rheologies: the key for generating strain localization in the Earth Grant agreement ID: 882450. Funded under: EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC). PI: Andrea Tommasi. Host institution: CNRS, Geosciences Montpellier. Dates: 11/2020 – 10/2025. Total cost: €2.500.000 Link: https://doi.org/10.3030/882450 Role: One-year full-time CNRS researcher contract as part of the main team (Jan 2021 to Jan 2022). Currently external collaborator.

For a full list of past participation in research projects see here

Selected training courses / workshops

2021 - Advanced workshop on digital image correlation (120 hours) Virtual EBSD 2021 meeting
2019 - 4th Innovative Training Network CREEP workshop (EU-H2020) (5 days) École de physique des Houches, Les Houches, France. For details see here 2016 - Thematic School – Recrystallization Mechanism in Materials (32 hours). Sète, France. Organized by the CNRS "Groupement de Recherche" on Recrystallization (GDR3436). Certificate 2015 - Introduction to R Programming (10 hours). Microsoft edx course (DAT204x). Certificate 2013 - Introduction to computer science and programming using Python (210 hours). Massachusetts Institute of Technology EDX course (MITx - 6.00x). Certificate 2012 - Scanning Electron Microscopy and its applications to analyses of Rocks (30 hours). Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool 2008 - Training course in microtectonics (30 hours). Institut für Geowissenschaften; Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (Germany).

Teaching

University courses (University of Oviedo)

2022 - 2023: 100 hours of laboratory practice in Structural Geology (60 hours) and Interpretation of Geological Maps (40 hours); Degree in Geology. 20 hours of theory in Geology and its Applications to Engineering; Degree in Mining Engineering.

2009 - 2011: Teaching assistant (pre-doctoral stage) at the University of Oviedo (~130 hours of experience, Degrees in Geology and Mining Engineering).

Laboratory practice taught: Plate Tectonics (30 hours); Structural Geology (20 hours); Geophysical and Geochemical prospecting (10 hours); Interpretation of geological maps (10 hours)
Field Camp taught: Geodynamics (10 hours); Structural Geology (10 hours); Fieldwork (geological mapping) (12.5 hours); Tectonics (10 hours); Structural analysis (5 hours)

Workshops

Introduction to the Python programming language for data analysis in Earth sciences: an introductory course to the Python programming language for data analysis using examples from the earth sciences (in preparation). Website: https://github.com/marcoalopez/Python_course

EBSD data treatment with MTEX at GRD Recrystallization and Grain Growth workshop 2020 (Les Houches, School of Physics, France)

Organisation of R&D activities

Organizing committee of the 7th International Orogenic Lherzolite meeting 2024 to be held in Oviedo and Cabo Ortegal (fieldtrip) from 30 September to 6 October. These are a series of international meetings that aims to bring together specialists in mantle processes to key orogenic mantle (and related rocks) outcrops worldwide and to share and discuss the latest advances in the processes operating in the upper mantle and at the transition between the upper mantle and the lower crust. website
Organizing committee of the Deformation mechanisms, Rheology and Tectonics (DRT2011) meeting . DRT meetings are a series of biannual international meetings dedicated to the study of deformation processes in rocks at different scales, from the microscale to the study of bulk deformation of the lithosphere. Archived website Committees

Languages

Spanish and Galician - mother tongue
English - fluent
French - B1
Portuguese