Current Abstract

February 10th, 2026 Meeting Abstract

“Tectonic Rom-Coms: Tearing Plates Apart and Bringing Them Back together“

Presented by: 

Dr. Matthew Herman Ph.D

Abstract: 

The comfortable formulaic tropes of the romantic comedy have made it an enduring and popular movie genre, from the Meet-Cute to the inevitable Happily-Ever-After. Tectonic plates are not so different from couples in a romantic comedy: they can meet each other by chance, split apart, then end up together after all. In honor of the upcoming Valentine’s Day, we will explore how plate tectonics facilitates planetary scale breakups and reassembly Clips from popular rom-corns throughout the years will provide a launching point to discuss parallels in tectonic events throughout Earth’s history Finally, we will consider California’s tectonic future and whether that will be a fairy tail, happily-ever-after ending.

Biography:

Dr. Matt Herman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University, Bakersfield. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Geosciences from Penn State and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University before coming to CSUB. His research focuses on plate boundary geophysical and geodynamic processes, especially as they relate to earthquakes and other crustal deformation. He has published his research in many international, peer-reviewed journals, including Nature and Science Advances. He has also contributed to communicating earthquake science to the public through collaborations with the U.S. Geological Survey, interviews with media, and presentations to local organizations including SJGS, the CSUB 60+ Club, and the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History & Science. At CSUB, Dr. Herman teaches courses on natural disasters, geophysics, and plate tectonics, and actively mentors student research on geophysics-related projects.