CV

Education

• Ph.D. in Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), 2023
  • Dissertaion tile: Understanding lithospheric and mantle dynamics using geodynamic models with data-assimilation
  • Advisory committee: Jay Bass, Lijun Liu (chair), Craig Lundstrom, Patricia Gregg
• B.S. in Marine Science, Zhejiang University, 2017
  • With concentration in marine geology and geophysics

Research Interests

• Lithospheric dynamics
  • Lithospheric deformation
  • Seismic hazards
  • Intraplate volcanisms
• Mantle convection
  • Plume dynamics
  • Mantle dynamics in Earth and exoplanets
• Evolution of rocky planets
  • Temporal evolution of volatiles
  • Earthquakes on rocky planets

• High-performance computing in geoscience

• Geophysical inversion methods

Publications

• Published (* indicates the corresponding author(s), # indicates the co-first authors)
  1. Cao, Z.*, & Liu, L. (2021). “Origin of Three‐Dimensional Crustal Stress Over the Conterminous United States”. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126(11), e2021JB022137.
  2. Liu, L.*, Peng, D., Liu, L., Chen, L., Li, S., Wang, Y., Cao, Z., & Feng, M. (2021). “East Asia lithosphere evolution dictated by multistage Mesozoic flat-slab subduction”. Earth-Science Reviews, 217, 103621.
  3. Liu, Y., Liu, L.*, Li, Y.,Peng, D., Wu, Z., Cao, Z., Li, S., Du, Q. (2022). “Global Back-arc Extension due to Trench-parallel Mid-ocean Ridge Subduction”. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 600, 117889.
  4. Zhang, L., Cao, Z., Zartman, R., Li, C., Sun, S., Liu, L.*, & Sun, W.* (2023). “Plume-plume Interaction at Hawaii”. The Innovation, 4(2).
  5. Wang, Y.#, Cao, Z.#, Peng, L., Liu, L.*, Chen, L., & Lundstrom, C. (2023). “Secular Craton Evolution due to Cyclic Deformation of Its Dense Mantle Lithosphere”. Nature Geoscience, 1-9.
  6. Liu, L.* , Cao, Z., Morgan, J.*, Li, H., Yang, F., & Xu, Y. (2024). “Long-lived Northern Hemisphere Convergence Systems Driven by Upper-mantle Thermal Inhomogeneity”. Geology.

• Submitted
  1. Cao, Z., & Liu, L. “Western US Intraplate Deformation Controlled by the Complex Lithospheric Structure”. (In Revision, Nature Communications)
  2. Li, Y., Liu, L., Peng, D., & Cao, Z. “Cenozoic India-Asia Collision Driven by Mantle Dragging the Cratonic Root”. (In Revision, Nature Communications)
  3. Xie, S., Cao, Z., Liu, L., Yang, D., Liu, M., Li, Y., & Qi, R. “The Role of Plume-lithosphere Interaction in Hawaii-Emperor Chain Formation”. (In Revision, Nature Communications)
• In preparation
  1. Cao, Z., & Liu, L. “Continental Delamination Initiates Subduction and Supercontinent Breakup”.
  2. Stewart, A., Li, Y., Cao, Z., & Liu, L. “Hemispheric Dichotomy of Mantle Dynamics Revealed by Machine Learning”.

Presentations

1. Cao, Z. (2023) “Western US Intraplate Deformation Controlled by the Complex Lithospheric Structure “, GYPSUM series.
2. Cao, Z., & Liu, L. (2022) “Continental Lithosphere Delamination Triggers Subduction Initiation”, AGU Fall Meeting.
3. Bao, X., Cao, Z., Gourley, K., Gutierrez, S., Liang, Y., Zhou, D., Buffett, B., Mittal, T., Li, J., Pierrehumbert, R., Schaefer, L., Van Orman, J., Foley, B. (2022) “Coupled Evolution of Earth’s Hydrogen Distribution and Thermal History”, AGU Fall Meeting.
4. Cao, Z., & Liu, L. (2022) “Varying Lithospheric Thickness Controls Mantle and Crustal Deformation in Western U.S.”, GSA Connect Meeting.
5. Peng, L., Liu, L., Wang, Y., Cao, Z., & Liu, L. (2021) “Lithosphere Delamination and Relamination Reconcile Craton Longevity and Temporal Variations”, AGU Fall Meeting.
6. Li, Y., Peng, D., Cao, Z., & Liu, L. (2021) “Continental-scale Converging Mantle Flow beneath Eurasia and America, from model to observation”, AGU Fall Meeting.
7. Cao, Z., & Liu, L. (2021) “Western U.S. Crustal Stress and Relative Motion Controlled by Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Interaction”, AGU Fall Meeting.
8. Cao, Z., Liu, L., & Wang, Y. (2020) “Exploring Upper-Mantle Dynamics Using Global Adjoint Convection Models”, AGU Fall Meeting.
9. Liu, L., Zhou, Q., & Cao, Z. (2019) “Asthenosphere-lithosphere interaction shapes the geology of the western United States”, AGU Fall Meeting.
10. Cao, Z., & Liu, L. (2019). “Modeling Lithospheric Stress and Deformation of the WUS”, AGU Fall Meeting.
11. Cao, Z., Liu, L., & Zhou, Q. (2018) “Modeling Lithospheric Stress on Continental U.S.”, AGU Fall Meeting.

Teaching

• GEOL 100, Planet Earth: Fall (2019), Spring (2020, 2022)
• GEOL 107, Physical Geology: Fall (2021)
• GEOL 380, Environmental Geology: Spring (2022)

Programming Skills

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Finite element method
  • Finite volume method
  • Finite difference method
• Programming Languages
  • C and Python (proficient)
  • Fortran, C++, MATLAB, and Shell (fluent)
• Parallel Programming
  • OpenMP and MPI in C and Fortran (proficeint)
  • Multiprocessing and MPI in Python (fluent)

Service and Leadership

• SESE Annual Reviews Organizing Committee Member (2021)
• Vice President of Student Union, Marine College, Zhejiang University (2014-2015)