Expertise
Geomorphology and sedimentology of Earth and Mars: river dynamics and landforms, canyons, floodplains, wetlands, permafrost, soil erosion, landslides and debris flows.
Profile
Lamb's work explores the movement of sediment and soil, and how that shapes the surface of the earth and other planets. In Southern California, he studies debris flows that follow wildfires in the area's hilly regions. He also currently studies the Mississippi River and land loss along the Gulf Coast, and river dynamics in Arctic Alaska. Lamb runs the Caltech Earth Surface Dynamics Laboratory, a 4000 sq. ft. high-bay space to build physical models of rivers in permafrost, mountain rivers and river deltas.
Languages Spoken
English;
Faculty Bio
B.S., University of Minnesota, 2001; M.S., University of Washington, 2004; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2008. Assistant Professor, Caltech, 2009-14; Professor, 2014-.
Related News
How are fires and debris flows connected?
February 13, 2025
Find out how debris flows are predicted and mitigated from Michael Lamb on the Caltech Science Exchange.
Watson Lecture: Michael Lamb Examines the Fire–Flood Cycle
January 17, 2025
As part of the Watson Lecture Series, Michael Lamb, professor of geology, discusses the threat of post-wildfire debris flows in the steep, burned hills that border many Los Angeles-area communities.
Signatures of Ice-Free Ancient Ponds and Lakes Found on Mars
January 15, 2025
Researchers have discovered distinctive signatures of long-dried bodies of water open to the Martian air, indicating that the Red Planet's climate was once warm and dense enough to allow formation of lakes that were free of ice for at least part of their existence.
Permafrost Thaw May Cause Arctic River Erosion to Speed Up
October 09, 2024
Caltech researchers show that widespread permafrost thaw may cause rivers in the Arctic to migrate faster.
Images From NASA's Perseverance May Show Record of Wild Martian River
Read more news
May 11, 2023
Evidence left in rocks is leading scientists to rethink what watery environments looked like on ancient Mars.