Professor Robert Butler
Emeritus Professor
- About
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- School/Department
- School of Geosciences
Biography
Since August 2025 I am an emeritus professor at the University of Aberdeen, having "retired" from my position as Professor of Tectonics. Aberdeen was my final port of call in a career that began after education at the Universities of Leeds and Wales (Swansea) back in the mists of time. I went on to positions at Durham University and the Open University before moving back to my alma mater, Leeds, in 1991. I moved to Scotland and the University of Aberdeen in 2008. Most of my research (and publications) has dealt with contractional tectonics - evolution of mountain belts, thrust systems and basin inversion - chiefly integrating diverse geological information (especially stratigraphy) with structural geology, I continue to research the geology and tectonics of mountain belts and sedimentary basins, especially to understand the distribution and geological context of their earth resources.
I share knowledge through The Shear Zone - a YouTube Channel along with an associated website. There you'll find extensive open teaching materials, films about classic (and not so classic) geo-sites and "work-along" exercises in topics on geological interpretation and analysis - from seismic profiles through geological maps and cross-section construction.
External Memberships
Fellow of Geological Society of London - and Chartered Geologist
Member: Scottish Geology Trust, Italian Geological Society and European Geosciences Union.
Prizes and Awards
President's Award, Geological Society of London.
Awarded Wollaston Fund of GSL
Inaugural recipient o the Dewey Medal, GSL.
- Publications
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Page 2 of 3 Results 51 to 100 of 102
Influence of structural position on fracture networks in the Torridon Group, Achnashellach fold and thrust belt, NW Scotland
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 74, pp. 64-80Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0191814115000589/1-s2.0-S0191814115000589-main.pdf?_tid=bc3550b2-d13f-11e4-a26b-00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1427103419_46f7f236a5beda75ba4fa8e9eb0907f0
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2015.03.001
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/c19ce391-7472-4494-a41e-c2bf9bf16024/download
Appraisal of fracture sampling methods and a new workflow to characterise heterogeneous fracturing at outcrop
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 72, pp. 67-82Contributions to Journals: ArticlesImaging thrust and fault zones using 3D seismic image processing techniques
Rendiconti Online Societa Geologica Italiana, vol. 22, pp. 112-114Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStratigraphic variations control deformation patterns in evaporite basins: Messinian examples, onshore and offshore Sicily (Italy)
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 172, no. 1, pp. 113– 124Contributions to Journals: ArticlesIdentifying multiple detachment horizons and an evolving thrust history through cross-section restoration and appraisal in the Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 66, pp. 1-10Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDecent exposure
Geoscientist, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 16-19Contributions to Journals: ArticlesArea balancing as a test of models for the deep structure of mountain belts, with specific reference to the Alps
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 52, pp. 2-16Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2013.03.009
Photograph of the month: Large-scale basement-cover deformation in the alps
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 52, pp. 1-1Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsg.2013.04.004
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/47cde0d6-48af-44de-8f93-86512435ddc6/download
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The mode of deformation in the orogenic mid-crust revealed by seismic attribute analysis
Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems , vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 1069-1086Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSeismic imaging of thrust faults and structural damage: a visualization workflow for deepwater thrust belts
First Break, vol. 5, no. 30, pp. 39-46Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStress, faulting, fracturing and seismicity: the legacy of Ernest Masson Anderson
Faulting, Fracturing and Igneous Intrusion in the Earth's Crust. Healy, D., Butler, R., Shipton, Z., Sibson, R. (eds.). Geological Society of London, pp. 1-6, 6 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP367.1
Shallow erosion beneath turbidity currents and its impact on the architectural development of turbidite sheet systems
Sedimentology, vol. 58, no. 4, pp. 936-959Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2010.01190.x
Imaging deformation in submarine thrust belts using seismic attributes
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 302, no. 3-4, pp. 414-422Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.12.041
Constraints on the seismic properties of the middle and lower continental crust
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 360, pp. 7-32Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP360.2
From crystal to crustal: petrofabric-derived seismic modelling of regional tectonics
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 360, pp. 49-78Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP360.4
Reconstructing large-scale remobilisation of deep-water deposits and its impact on sand-body architecture from cored wells: the Lower Cretaceous Britannia Sandstone Formation, UK North Sea
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 1595-1615Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2010.04.005
Gravitational collapse at continental margins: processes and products; An introduction
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 167, no. 3, pp. 569-570Contributions to Journals: Editorials- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/0016-76492010-003
Structural evolution and sediment entrainment in mass-transport complexes: outcrop studies from Italy
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 167, no. 3, pp. 617-631Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/0016-76492009-041
Depositional processes across the Sinu Accretionary Prism, offshore Colombia
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 27, pp. 794–809Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2009.12.008
Evaluating lateral compaction in deepwater fold and thrust belts: how much are we missing from “nature’s sandbox”?
GSA Today, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 4-10Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG77A.1
Sediment distribution and architecture around a bathymetrically complex basin: an example from the Eastern Champsaur Basin, SE France
Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 80, no. 3, pp. 216-235Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2010.025
Small-scale spatial variability in turbidity current flow controlled by roughness resulting from substrate erosion: field evidence for a feedback mechanism
Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 80, no. 2, pp. 129-136Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2010.014
Structure and internal deformation of the Arnaboll Thrust Sheet, NW Scotland: implications for structural styles and strain localization
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 335, pp. 321-331Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP335.15
The geological structure of the North-West Highlands of Scotland - revisited: Peach et al. one hundred years on.
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 335, pp. 7-27Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP335.2
The role of thrust tectonic models in understanding structural evolution in NW Scotland
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 335, pp. 293-320Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP335.14
Mica, deformation fabrics and the seismic properties of the continental crust
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 288, no. 1-2, pp. 320-328Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2009.09.035
Relationships between the Apennine thrust belt, foredeep and foreland revealed by marine seismic data, offshore Calabria
Bollettino della Societa Geologica Italiana, vol. 128, no. 2, pp. 269-278Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3301/IJG.2009.128.2.269
Lewisian, Torridonian and Moine Rocks of Scotland
Vol. 34, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough, United Kingdom. 721 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksTettonica da inversione ed eredità strutturale nelle catene collisionali: un esempio dal sistema Alpi-Appennino
Rendiconti Online Societa Geologica Italiana, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 164-168Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Amphibole and lower crustal seismic properties
Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 267, no. 1-2, pp. 118-128Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.11.042
Fabric anisotropy controls faulting in the continental crust
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 165, no. 2, pp. 449-452Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/0016-76492007-129
Teaching geoscience through fieldwork
University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom. 60 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksCo-axial horizontal stretching within extending orogens: The exhumation of HP rocks on Syros (Cyclades) revisited
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 272, pp. 203-222Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2007.272.01.12
Constrictional extensional tectonics in the northern Oman mountains, its role in culmination development and the exhumation of the subducted Arabian continental margin
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 272, pp. 188-202Contributions to Journals: ArticlesKnowledge Transfer in a digital world: field data acquisition, uncertainty, visualisation, and data management.
Geosphere, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 568-576Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1130/GES00094.1
Mike Coward – portrait of a structural geologist
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 272, pp. vii-xiiContributions to Journals: ArticlesOn the deformation of continental crust and Mike Coward’s impact on its understanding
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 272, pp. 1-9Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPeach and Horne – the Memoir at 100
Geoscientist, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 20-25Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSetting and architectural elements of the Champsaur Sandstones, France
American Association of Petroleum Geologists Studies in Geology, vol. 56, pp. 188-191Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStructural evolution of the Achnashellach culmination, southern Moine Thrust Belt: testing the duplex model
Geological Society Special Publications , vol. 272, pp. 103–120Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHow weak are the continents?
Geoscientist, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 4-8Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStructural inheritance in mountain belts: an Alpine-Apennine perspective
Journal of Structural Geology, vol. 28, pp. 1893-1908Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStyles of basement involvement in the Moine thrust Belt, NW Scotland
Geological Society of America Special Paper, vol. 414, pp. 133-150Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStyles of continental contraction: a review and introduction
Geological Society of America Special Paper, vol. 414, pp. 1-11Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTesting thrust tectonic models at mountain fronts: where has the displacement gone?
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 163, pp. 1-14Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Mediterranean: forensics of a geo-catastrophe
Geotimes, vol. 12, no. 10, pp. 20-23Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe structure and kinematics of substrate entrainment into high concentration sandy turbidites: a field example from the Gorgoglione “flysch” of southern Italy.
Sedimentology, vol. 53, pp. 655-670Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3091.2006.00789.x
Modelling approaches to understanding fold development: implications for hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 21, pp. 933-946Contributions to Journals: ArticlesNature of thrust zones in deep water sand-shale sequences: outcrop examples from the Champsaur sandstones of SE France
Marine and Petroleum Geology, vol. 21, pp. 911-921Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe nature of ‘roof thrusts” in the Moine Thrust Belt, NW Scotland: implications for the structural evolution of thrust belts.
Journal of the Geological Society , vol. 161, pp. 849-859Contributions to Journals: Articles