World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Earth Science

D-Index
42
Citations
6419
World Ranking
5276
National Ranking
370

Ralf Hetzel publication distribution in Earth Science in 2026

The chart shows the distribution of publications by all Research.com ranked scientists in the field of Earth Science in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Ralf Hetzel sits on this spectrum.

38–42 publications: 1 scientists 43–47 publications: 0 scientists 48–52 publications: 3 scientists 53–57 publications: 8 scientists 58–62 publications: 11 scientists 63–67 publications: 16 scientists 68–72 publications: 24 scientists 73–77 publications: 31 scientists 78–82 publications: 49 scientists 83–87 publications: 77 scientists 88–92 publications: 86 scientists 93–97 publications: 88 scientists 98–102 publications: 92 scientists 103–107 publications: 84 scientists 108–112 publications: 102 scientists 113–117 publications: 108 scientists 118–122 publications: 117 scientists 123–127 publications: 126 scientists 128–132 publications: 146 scientists 133–137 publications: 114 scientists 138–142 publications: 102 scientists 143–147 publications: 127 scientists 148–152 publications: 102 scientists 153–157 publications: 112 scientists 158–162 publications: 102 scientists 163–167 publications: 127 scientists 168–172 publications: 121 scientists 173–177 publications: 112 scientists 178–182 publications: 109 scientists 183–187 publications: 98 scientists 188–192 publications: 92 scientists 193–197 publications: 105 scientists 198–202 publications: 77 scientists 203–207 publications: 80 scientists 208–212 publications: 89 scientists 213–217 publications: 70 scientists 218–222 publications: 74 scientists 223–227 publications: 74 scientists 228–232 publications: 70 scientists 233–237 publications: 67 scientists 238–242 publications: 59 scientists 243–247 publications: 67 scientists 248–252 publications: 51 scientists 253–257 publications: 46 scientists 258–262 publications: 41 scientists 263–267 publications: 39 scientists 268–272 publications: 34 scientists 273–277 publications: 39 scientists 278–282 publications: 35 scientists 283–287 publications: 36 scientists 288–292 publications: 35 scientists 293–297 publications: 29 scientists 298–302 publications: 23 scientists 303–307 publications: 39 scientists 308–312 publications: 34 scientists 313–317 publications: 23 scientists 318–322 publications: 18 scientists 323–327 publications: 18 scientists 328–332 publications: 21 scientists 333–337 publications: 20 scientists 338–342 publications: 15 scientists 343–347 publications: 13 scientists 348–352 publications: 24 scientists 353–357 publications: 25 scientists 358–362 publications: 10 scientists 363–367 publications: 20 scientists 368–372 publications: 17 scientists 373–377 publications: 18 scientists 378–382 publications: 15 scientists 383–387 publications: 7 scientists 388–392 publications: 22 scientists 393–397 publications: 9 scientists 398–402 publications: 11 scientists 403–407 publications: 16 scientists 408–412 publications: 4 scientists 413–417 publications: 5 scientists 418–422 publications: 14 scientists 423–427 publications: 8 scientists 428–432 publications: 7 scientists 433–437 publications: 7 scientists 438–442 publications: 10 scientists 443–447 publications: 10 scientists 448–452 publications: 3 scientists 453–457 publications: 9 scientists 458–462 publications: 11 scientists 463–467 publications: 4 scientists 468–472 publications: 6 scientists 473–477 publications: 11 scientists 478–482 publications: 8 scientists 483–487 publications: 2 scientists 488–492 publications: 3 scientists 493–497 publications: 4 scientists 498–502 publications: 4 scientists 503–507 publications: 4 scientists 508–509 publications: 4 scientists 510+ publications: 100 scientists
38 publications 510+

This scientist: 147 publications — 35th percentile

35% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 510 publications or more.

Ralf Hetzel D-index placement in Earth Science in 2026

The chart shows the D-index (discipline H-index) distribution of Earth Science scientists ranked by Research.com in 2026. The highlighted bar marks where Ralf Hetzel sits on this spectrum.

30 D-Index: 15 scientists 31 D-Index: 42 scientists 32 D-Index: 60 scientists 33 D-Index: 90 scientists 34 D-Index: 103 scientists 35 D-Index: 108 scientists 36 D-Index: 142 scientists 37 D-Index: 147 scientists 38 D-Index: 147 scientists 39 D-Index: 152 scientists 40 D-Index: 143 scientists 41 D-Index: 157 scientists 42 D-Index: 141 scientists 43 D-Index: 151 scientists 44 D-Index: 140 scientists 45 D-Index: 135 scientists 46 D-Index: 121 scientists 47 D-Index: 108 scientists 48 D-Index: 128 scientists 49 D-Index: 111 scientists 50 D-Index: 106 scientists 51 D-Index: 112 scientists 52 D-Index: 102 scientists 53 D-Index: 103 scientists 54 D-Index: 94 scientists 55 D-Index: 61 scientists 56 D-Index: 101 scientists 57 D-Index: 71 scientists 58 D-Index: 65 scientists 59 D-Index: 78 scientists 60 D-Index: 93 scientists 61 D-Index: 56 scientists 62 D-Index: 58 scientists 63 D-Index: 52 scientists 64 D-Index: 63 scientists 65 D-Index: 49 scientists 66 D-Index: 53 scientists 67 D-Index: 57 scientists 68 D-Index: 50 scientists 69 D-Index: 44 scientists 70 D-Index: 44 scientists 71 D-Index: 31 scientists 72 D-Index: 33 scientists 73 D-Index: 33 scientists 74 D-Index: 23 scientists 75 D-Index: 32 scientists 76 D-Index: 24 scientists 77 D-Index: 17 scientists 78 D-Index: 19 scientists 79 D-Index: 9 scientists 80 D-Index: 21 scientists 81 D-Index: 20 scientists 82 D-Index: 17 scientists 83 D-Index: 19 scientists 84 D-Index: 19 scientists 85 D-Index: 14 scientists 86 D-Index: 6 scientists 87 D-Index: 14 scientists 88 D-Index: 17 scientists 89 D-Index: 10 scientists 90 D-Index: 8 scientists 91 D-Index: 8 scientists 92 D-Index: 9 scientists 93 D-Index: 6 scientists 94+ D-Index: 98 scientists
30 D-Index 94+

This scientist: 42 D-Index — 33rd percentile

33% of scientists in this discipline score the same or lower.

The last bar groups every scientist with 94 D-Index or more.

Overview

Ralf Hetzel is affiliated with the University of Münster in Germany and works primarily within the field of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Their research covers a variety of subfields including Geophysics, Atmospheric Science, Earth-Surface Processes, Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Mechanics of Materials. The focus spans multiple topics such as Geological and Geochemical Analysis, earthquake and tectonic studies, Geology and Paleoclimatology Research, High-pressure geophysics and materials, and the exploration of Geological Formations and Processes, as well as Astro and Planetary Science.

The scientist has published extensively, with notable recent papers including:

  • "Megathrust shear force controls mountain height at convergent plate margins" (2020, Nature)
  • "Existence of a continental-scale river system in eastern Tibet during the late Cretaceous-early Palaeogene" (2021, Nature Communications)
  • "Fast cooling of normal-fault footwalls: Rapid fault slip or thermal relaxation?" (2020, Geology)
  • "Slip Rate of the Danghe Nan Shan Thrust Fault from 10Be Exposure Dating of Folded River Terraces: Implications for the Strain Distribution in Northern Tibet" (2021, Tectonics)
  • "New constraints on the exhumation history of the western Tauern Window (European Alps) from thermochronology, thermokinematic modeling, and topographic analysis" (2021, International Journal of Earth Sciences)

Ralf Hetzel frequently collaborates with several co-authors, among whom are Reinhard Wolff, Andrea Hampel, István Dunkl, Aneta A. Anczkiewicz, and Kyra Hölzer. These collaborations are present across numerous projects and publications.

The scientist's work often appears in specific scientific venues including:

  • Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America
  • Publishing Network for Geoscientific and Environmental Data (PANGAEA) (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research)
  • Tectonics
  • International Journal of Earth Sciences
  • Nature Communications

Best Publications

  • Miocene NNE-directed extensional unroofing in the Menderes Massif, southwestern Turkey

    R Hetzel;U Ring;Cüneyt Akal;M Troesch

  • An active bivergent rolling-hinge detachment system: Central Menderes metamorphic core complex in western Turkey

    Klaus Gessner;Uwe Ring;Christopher Johnson;Ralf Hetzel

  • Bivergent extension in orogenic belts: The Menderes massif (southwestern Turkey)

    Ralf Hetzel;Cees W. Passchier;Uwe Ring;Özcan O. Dora

  • Tectonic denudation of a Late Cretaceous-Tertiary collisional belt: regionally symmetric cooling patterns and their relation to extensional faults in the Anatolide belt of western Turkey

    Uwe Ring;Christopher Johnson;Ralf Hetzel;Klaus Gessner

  • Intrusion age of Pan-African augen gneisses in the southern Menderes Massif and the age of cooling after Alpine ductile extensional deformation

    R. Hetzel;T. Reischmann

  • Low slip rates and long-term preservation of geomorphic features in Central Asia

    Ralf Hetzel;Samuel Niedermann;Mingxin Tao;Peter W. Kubik

  • Slip rate variations on normal faults during glacial–interglacial changes in surface loads

    Ralf Hetzel;Ralf Hetzel;Andrea Hampel

  • Peneplain formation in southern Tibet predates the India-Asia collision and plateau uplift

    R. Hetzel;I. Dunkl;V. Haider;M. Strobl

  • Late Pleistocene/Holocene slip rate of the Zhangye thrust (Qilian Shan, China) and implications for the active growth of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

    Ralf Hetzel;Ralf Hetzel;Mingxin Tao;Stephen Stokes;Samuel Niedermann

  • Arc–continent collision in the Southern Urals

    D. Brown;P. Spadea;V. Puchkov;J. Alvarez-Marron

  • Geology of the Bozdag area, central Menderes massif, SW Turkey: Pan-African basement and Alpine deformation

    R. Hetzel;R. L. Romer;O. Candan;C. W. Passchier

  • Origin, structure and exposure history of a wave-cut platform more than 1 Ma in age at the coast of northern Spain: A multiple cosmogenic nuclide approach

    Joaquina Alvarez-Marrón;R. Hetzel;S. Niedermann;Rosa Menéndez

  • Active faulting, mountain growth, and erosion at the margins of the Tibetan Plateau constrained by in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides

    Ralf Hetzel

  • Precise U–Pb ages of syn-extensional Miocene intrusions in the central Menderes Massif, western Turkey

    Johannes Glodny;Ralf Hetzel

  • Deciphering the rate of mountain growth during topographic presteady state: An example from the NE margin of the Tibetan Plateau

    Luigi Palumbo;Ralf Hetzel;Mingxin Tao;Xiaobin Li

  • The tectono-metamorphic evolution of gneiss complexes in the Middle Urals, Russia: a reappraisal

    H.P. Echtler;K.S. Ivanov;Y.L. Ronkin;L.A. Karsten

  • Dilution of 10Be in detrital quartz by earthquake-induced landslides: Implications for determining denudation rates and potential to provide insights into landslide sediment dynamics

    A. Joshua West;Ralf Hetzel;Gen Li;Zhangdong Jin

  • Implications of the fault scaling law for the growth of topography: mountain ranges in the broken foreland of north‐east Tibet

    Ralf Hetzel;Mingxin Tao;Samuel Niedermann;Manfred R. Strecker

  • Response of normal faults to glacial‐interglacial fluctuations of ice and water masses on Earth's surface

    Andrea Hampel;Ralf Hetzel

  • Holocene loess sedimentation along the Qilian Shan (China): significance for understanding the processes and timing of loess deposition

    Yvonne Küster;Ralf Hetzel;Matthias Krbetschek;Mingxin Tao

Frequent Co-Authors

Peter W. Kubik
Peter W. Kubik ETH Zurich
István Dunkl
István Dunkl University of Göttingen
Lin Ding
Lin Ding Chinese Academy of Sciences
Samuel Niedermann
Samuel Niedermann Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Uwe Ring
Uwe Ring Stockholm University
Cees W. Passchier
Cees W. Passchier Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
Marcus Christl
Marcus Christl ETH Zurich
Victor A. Ramos
Victor A. Ramos University of Buenos Aires
Axel Gerdes
Axel Gerdes Goethe University Frankfurt
Harald Strauss
Harald Strauss University of Münster

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