Physical Properties of Earth Materials (PPEM)

About PPEM


PPEM is made up of geoscientists and materials scientists who use experiments, theory and observation to study the properties of Earth’s materials. These properties are expressed as constitutive laws that link driving forces and reactions at geodynamic scales. The nature of macroscopic properties and the forms of constitutive laws that operate at the plate scale depend upon physical and chemical processes that operate at scales down to atomic dimensions.


Membership and Correspondence



How to Get Involved


Please contribute to the annual Newsletter by sending us information pertinent to our community, including announcements about members of the PPEM and MRP community who received special recognition for their outstanding scientific contributions over the past year, short reports summarizing meetings and workshops held over the past year, notices for upcoming meetings, special sessions, and workshops, descriptions of new funding opportunities, descriptions of new laboratory equipment, and other exciting news and activities. Please send this information to Josie Nevitt at jnevitt@usgs.gov.

The PPEM Steering Committee meets once a year in San Francisco (or other meeting locations, e.g. New Orleans, Washington D.C., Chicago, virtual) at the Fall AGU Meeting. Let us know if there are particular topics you want raised for discussion.

Members of the Steering Committee serve for three years. Each year, three members of the Steering Committee rotate off and new members must be identified. Every three years, a new Chairperson is appointed. New Committee members and the Chairperson are nominated by the PPEM membership and elected by the presiding Committee. Make your nominations by contacting any current Committee member.

The PPEM Community benefits from MRP and Tectonophysics representation in AGU. Increase our representation by getting involved in these communities.

Finally, attend the Annual PPEM Dinner held on Monday evening at Fall AGU!