Derrick Hasterok

Dr Derrick Hasterok

Lecturer

School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


My research focuses on the study of heat and fluids deep within the Earth's crust and upper mantle.  Much of the work is large scale, looking at continental to global scale patterns of heat flow and crustal radioactivity, or regional utilizing electromagnetic soundings and laboratory measurements to understand crustal hydration.  Lately, my work has drifted into global geochemistry and data analytics, specifically looking at temporal evolution of granites and the sources of variability in radiogenic heat production.

For more information, you can check out my personal website: http://dhasterok.wixsite.com/world-of-wonder/

Several projects have required the compilation of large datasets including the Global Heat Flow Database (http://www.heatflow.org) and a global geochemical database (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2592822).  I also have been releasing some of the codes that I used to analyze and process the data on GitHub (https://github.com/dhasterok), which includes links to codes for global geochemistry, protolith prediction, and global plate and province models.

Here's a video about the Global Geochemical Database that my group has compiled.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2013 - ongoing Lecturer (geophysics) University of Adelaide
  • Language Competencies

    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    University of Utah United States PhD
    University of Utah United States MSc
    Caltech United States BS
  • Postgraduate Training

    Date Title Institution Country
    2010 - 2013 Cecil and Ida Green Scholar Scripps Institution of Oceanography United States

ARC DP180104074

Understanding the future stability of of Antarctica's ice sheets are extremely important to mitigating the potential for sea-level rise associated with global warming.  One of the key parameters in these models is the basal thermal conditions of the ice sheet.  Our ARC discovery project aims to produce accurate estimates of crustal heat production, temperatures and geothermal heat loss that can be used to improve glacial models of ice flow and growth/retreat. 

Collaborators: Martin Hand (UA), Jacqueline Halpin (UTas), Sandra McLaren (UM)

Students involved: Matt Gard and Simon Wilcox

ARC DP160104637

Deep (electrical) fluid pathways which extend to the near surface of the Earth are associated with some world-class mineral deposits.  In this project, we investigate the effect of hydration on the electrical conductivity of the lower crust and the interpretation of deep electromagnetic soundings of the crust including the potential for identification of deep fluid pathways.

Students involved: Sam Jennings

I am the honours degree coordinator in Earth Sciences.  If you wish to study an honours degree, feel free to contact me.  To submit an application, you can submit an expression of interest on the Faculty of Sciences website.  For a sampling of the types of projects that we have on offer you may peruse our program booklet.

Geophysics Word Cloud

Geophysics IIIA/IIIB – an introduction to geophysical fields and their application to the Earth.  This course is primarily theory-based, exploring the physical properties of the Earth and their effect on gravity, magnetic, and temperature fields (IIIA), and electrical and seismic fields (IIIB).  We relate the physical theory and mathematics to develop simplified models of the Earth that provide insight into its gross composition, structure and evolution.

Plate Tectonics Word Cloud

Tectonics III – examines the prevailing theories for how the solid Earth evolves, with a focus on plate tectonics.  In this course, we discuss how to identify tectonic processes and their physical controls, boundary forces, and surface expression and temporal evolution.  We also cover non-tectonic processes that help us understand tectonics and widen the theory to a whole Earth theory for mantle convection.  We wrap-up by exploring the evidence or lack thereof for tectonics within the solar system.

data analysis word cloud

Geoscience Data Analysis – A short course for honours students covers a wide range of data analysis techniques used in Earth Sciences.  The course is about a week long and covers topics in basic statistics, hypothesis testing, regression, multidimensional data visualization and analysis, geospatial visualization and interpolation, time-series analysis, and issues related to geochemical data.

Other courses I have taught in the past include:

  • Earth's Interior I
  • Geology for Engineers
  • Exploration Methods III
  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 Co-Supervisor Magnetotelluric AusLAMP geophysics-seismic Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr David Brian Baker
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Constraining Subglacial Heat Flux in Antarctica from Thermal Conductivity and Subglacial Lakes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Simon Robert Willcocks
    2018 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Nature of the Lower Crust Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Samuel Scott Jennings
    2018 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Understanding Marine Magnetotellurics Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Jake Elias MacFarlane
    2016 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Constraints on the thermal state of the continental lithosphere Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Matthew Geoffrey Gard
    2016 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Hydrologic and Isotopic Lake Modelling for Palaeoclimate Research Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Martin James Ankor
    2015 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Electrokinetic Methods and Applications in Australian Aquifer Settings: High-Dimension Electrical Tomography Imaging and Neural Network Filtration Techniques Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Joseph Rugari
    2014 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Advances in Magnetotelluric Modelling: Time-Lapse Inversion, Bayesian Inversion and Machine Learning Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dennis John Conway
    2014 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Understanding interpretation limitations due to MT inversion variability: examples from the Mount Isa Province, Queensland, Australia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Janelle Maree Simpson
    2013 - 2016 Co-Supervisor The resistivity and permeability of fractured rocks Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Alison Louise Kirkby
  • Position: Lecturer
  • Phone: 83134540
  • Email: derrick.hasterok@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83134347
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Mawson, floor G
  • Org Unit: Earth Sciences

Connect With Me
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