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Research Interests

My overall research objective is to utilize the sedimentary record to investigate and understand past and present Earth conditions. The sedimentary record is a representation of Earth surface processes through time and, as such, can be analyzed to reconstruct ancient environments as they relate to tectonism, climatic and sea-level fluctuations, oceanic conditions, and intrinsic dynamics of depositional systems.

My Ph.D. research (completed 2008) was focused on ancient and modern deep-marine depositional systems with an emphasis on the distribution of terrigenous sediment in basins adjacent to active continental margins. Preserved strata in these settings are commonly the most complete record of the transfer of sediment from continents to oceans over long geologic time scales. Moreover, the character of the sediment itself (e.g., composition, age, etc.) holds clues to the nature of mountain belts that have long since eroded away.

Investigation of Quaternary sediment dispersal systems from source-to-sink addresses the transfer of terrigenous material across continental margins. Relatively precise dating techniques (e.g., radiocarbon) provide a temporal framework helpful for understanding the timing of events, transport rates, and residence times along the dispersal pathway. Source-to-sink studies increase our understanding of how various forcings such as climate, tectonics, etc. are manifested in the sedimentary record.

You can read a bit more about my research and download my papers on this site.

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BLOG POSTS ABOUT RESEARCH

Posts about peer-reviewed papers in which I’m the primary author (other papers are currently in press or in review, so check back in the future for more):

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Here are some posts about papers I’ve co-authored:

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I am also very interested in fundamental concepts and theory in sedimentary geology and stratigraphy:

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PUBLICATIONS

I have authored/co-authored over 15 peer-reviewed papers published in journals including GSA Bulletin, Geology, Basin Research, Sedimentology, Marine Geology, and Journal of Sedimentary Research.

Check out a full list, download PDFs, and read more about my research on my other website.