I’ve put in some useful content below, with the following sections:

Geophysics images

Free to use Geophysics images for teaching or research. Cite ‘Heron, P. J. (2014). Mantle dynamics following supercontinent formation (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from University of Toronto’ if citation is not given.

  • Areas of potential mantle scars: outline of ancient collision zones (Heron et al., Geol Soc, 2018)
  • A simplified Wilson Cycle
  • A basic analysis of the processes involved in the supercontinent cycle

Making figures better: scientific colour maps

Below are some posters and images to help create better figures in science. Our 2020 Nature Communication paper on ‘The Misuse of Colour in Science Communication‘ has more information!

  • Poster for every coffee room
  • Flow chart for selecting appropriate colour map
  • EGU 21 Poster

Links to scientific colour maps by the great Fabio Crameri: happy choosing! and Poster for every coffee room.

Writing

I have a few writings in my geophysics blog and for various websites (EGAATA stands for ‘Excellent Geophysics Articles As Teaching Aids’):

I’ve also featured in Helen Gordon’s excellent book “Notes From Deep Time“

Geophysics data

I share most of my data and code on Github, so please head there for information:

Other data sets I really like can be found here:

  • Submachine: SubMachine is a collection of web-based tools for the interactive visualisation, analysis, and quantitative comparison of global-scale, volumetric (3-D) data sets of the subsurface, with supporting tools for interacting with other, complementary models and data sets.
  • A podcast on Supercontinents! From the #GneissChats podcast (featuring Dr Erin Martin).

Computer programming with ASPECT

I currently work with the ASPECT code, which can be found here. Below outlines how to setup an ASPECT mpijob.sh script on the Niagara cluster of SciNet (please get in touch if more information is needed): 

vi mpijob.sh 

#!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --nodes=1
#SBATCH --ntasks=40             # number of MPI processes
#SBATCH -J test_start
#SBATCH --time=0-20:00          # time (DD-HH:MM)
#SBATCH --account=rrg-USER
cd $SLURM_SUBMIT_DIR
module load NiaEnv/2018a
module load intel/2018.2
module load intelmpi/2018.2
module load boost/1.66.0
module load aspect/2.1.0
module load cmake


mpirun /scinet/niagara/software/2018a/opt/intel-2018.2-intelmpi-2018.2/aspect/2.1.0/bin/aspect  start.prm

This generates an mpijob script on one node (40 proc) using the modules to run the already configured aspect executable (which is found here: /scinet/niagara/software/2018a/opt/intel-2018.2-intelmpi-2018.2/aspect/2.1.0/bin/aspect).

The ASPECT model of this build is as follows: 

-- This is ASPECT, the Advanced Solver for Problems in Earth's ConvecTion.
--     . version 2.2.0-pre (master, 8df71c585)
--     . using deal.II 9.1.1
--     .       with 32 bit indices and vectorization level 1 (128 bits)
--     . using Trilinos 12.12.1
--     . using p4est 2.0.0
--     . running in OPTIMIZED mode
--     . running with 40 MPI processes

Conference Presentations

A link to pdfs and videos (where available) of conference presentations:

  • Canadian Geophysical Union, June 2021: Can Mantle Dynamics Aid Supercontinent identification?
CGU21_HERONDownload

Video recording of talk is here

Online lectures

Public lecture for Geological Society on The Future of Plate Tectonics. Gives an overview on the movement of our surface and what lies beneath our feet.
Accessible, Inclusive, and Relatable: Analysis of a Year Teaching Science in Prison: talk for Institute of Mining.

Media appearances

Since 2005 I have appeared on radio, print, and TV worldwide. Below are some of the places I have featured: