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Tanaka Lab
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The lab studies the changing Earth by precisely measuring crustal deformation and gravity.
AboutAbout the lab
Get to know the changing Earth
The Tanaka Lab studies geodesy, the science of precisely measuring changes in the Earth's shape and gravity.
Through observations of crustal deformation and gravity and through numerical simulations, the lab investigates everything from global-scale changes to the mechanisms of plate boundaries.
The lab covers a wide range from observation to theory, so students can do research in the way that suits them best, whether that means collecting data in the field, programming, or building theory with mathematics.
Key terms
- Geodesy
- The science of measuring the Earth's shape, rotation, and gravity field, and their changes over time, in order to determine positions accurately
- Slow slip
- A phenomenon in which part of a plate boundary slips slowly, at a speed many orders of magnitude slower than an ordinary earthquake
- Viscoelasticity
- The property of combining an immediate deformation response to applied force with slow flow over time
ResearchResearch themes
Based on the belief that investing time and effort to improve precision leads to new insights, the lab approaches its research from two sides: precise measurement and modeling. Using observations of crustal deformation (such as GPS) and gravity, together with numerical simulations, it investigates the motion of plate subduction zones and the deformation of the whole Earth.
*Illustrative imageTheory of how the Earth deforms
The Earth deforms elastically and viscoelastically in response to tides and to changes in seawater, atmospheric pressure, and ice sheets. The lab develops global models that incorporate self-gravitation and three-dimensional internal structure, and extends the underlying theory.
*Illustrative imageSlow slip on plate boundaries
From the slow crustal deformation captured by GPS, the lab estimates how plate boundaries are locked. By analyzing data from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, it discovered a slow slip event lasting several years.
*Illustrative imageGreat earthquake cycles and landform formation
Using geodetic and topographic data together with numerical simulations, the lab investigates why landform formation over timescales of 100,000 years does not match the rates of crustal deformation over the past hundred years. It also focuses on how the mantle slowly releases stress after earthquakes.
*Illustrative imageOcean variability and plate motion
The lab has shown that changes in the weight of seawater caused by ocean currents can be amplified by tides and by the frictional properties of faults, and may speed up or slow down plate subduction. In collaboration with meteorology and oceanography, it aims to predict fluctuations in slip on plate boundaries.
MembersFaculty
The Tanaka Lab consists of faculty members and students in the doctoral and master's programs.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorYoshiyuki TanakaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Swiss GPS reference station SARG (Sargans) ( )” Kecko from Switzerland (Rheintal SG, the border valley between Switzerland and Austria) / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Theory of how the Earth deforms: “GRACE ocean bottom pressure” NASA/JPL / Public domain (cropped)
- Slow slip on plate boundaries: “Nankai trough topographic” Peka / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Great earthquake cycles and landform formation: “GRACE spacecraft model 2” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Ocean variability and plate motion: “Western Boundary Currents - The Kuroshio Current” NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kinoshita Lab): “Chikyu 2” Gleam / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Takei Lab): “Olivine in polarizing light” Islam90 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Baba Lab (Ocean Hemisphere Research Center)): “Ocean Bathymetry (NESDIS Bathymetry)” NOAA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Ichihara Lab): “Stromboli Eruption” Wolfgang Beyer / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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