Gary Couples, PhD

Gary Couples is professor of Geomechanics at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he conducts research on the mechanical behavior of rocks and the structural geology of sedimentary basins. Couples earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Texas A&M University, completing his Ph.D. in geology in 1977. His dissertation examined the kinematic and dynamic considerations of the forced folding process as studied through laboratory experimental models and field work at Rattlesnake Mountain, Wyo.—a classic locality for studying how rocks fold in response to underlying structural forces. This work contributed to the understanding of fault-fold relationships and the mechanics of fold formation in sedimentary sequences. At Heriot-Watt, Couples applies geomechanical principles to understanding how rocks deform in the subsurface, with applications to reservoir characterization, fault sealing, and the safe storage of fluids underground.