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Alexander A Gray

Alexander A Gray is a geologist at the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Alex is a geologist conducting geologic mapping and geologic research for the Appalachian Basin Project.  His past research explored the structure and kinematics of the Indo-Burman Ranges and Naga Fold-Thrust Belt in Northeast India. His current research interests include the structure and stratigraphy of the Appalachian Basin, the tectonostratigraphic evolution of the Appalachian Valley and Ridge physiographic province, fault-slip kinematics, subsurface geometry and kinematic modeling of geologic structures, virtual outcrop modeling, advanced desktop/field mapping applications in GIS.

Professional Experience

  • Alex began a career with USGS in 2022 as a pathways intern. In 2023, he joined the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center in Reston, Virginia.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. Earth Systems Science, George Mason University, 2023

  • B.S. Geology, George Mason University, 2021

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • 2020 – Present, American Geophysical Union

  • 2019 – Present, Geological Society of America

Honors and Awards

  • 2022 GSA Best Student Geologic Map Award: Structural Investigation of the North Mountain Thrust Zone Through Bedrock Mapping of the Orkney Springs (VA) 7.5’ Quadrangle

  • GSA Structural Geology and Tectonics Outstanding Student Award: Structure and Kinematics of the Naga Belt, Northeast India

  • GSA Graduate Student Research Grant: Structure and Kinematics of the Naga Belt, Northeast India

Science and Products

Team of scientists stand in front of outcrop

Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project

The Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project performs geologic mapping at local and regional scales, and geologic research in The Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus physiographic provinces. These provinces include parts of 11 states and mainly borders the Blue Ridge / Piedmont and North Interior Lowlands Provinces. Only one state has Valley and Ridge geology (NJ), two have Appalachian...
By
Core Science Systems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project

Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project

The Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project performs geologic mapping at local and regional scales, and geologic research in The Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus physiographic provinces. These provinces include parts of 11 states and mainly borders the Blue Ridge / Piedmont and North Interior Lowlands Provinces. Only one state has Valley and Ridge geology (NJ), two have Appalachian...
Learn More

Deep learning classification of manganese and iron mines and prospects in the Lewisburg 30 x 60 minute quadrangle Deep learning classification of manganese and iron mines and prospects in the Lewisburg 30 x 60 minute quadrangle

Manganese is a designated critical mineral, being industrially utilized for producing steel and batteries, including in the production of electric vehicles (Rozelle and others, 2021). The central Appalachian Valley and Ridge hosts hundreds of manganese and iron oxide mines that served steel production until their abandonment in the mid-twentieth century (Lesure, 1957; Pegau, 1958). Many...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Rare Earth Element (REE), Critical Mineral, and Geochemical Characterization of Manganese Oxide Ore Deposits in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia Rare Earth Element (REE), Critical Mineral, and Geochemical Characterization of Manganese Oxide Ore Deposits in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia

Manganese is a designated critical mineral, being industrially utilized for producing steel and batteries, including in the production of electric vehicles (Rozelle et al., 2021). The eastern United States hosts hundreds of manganese oxide mines that served steel production until their abandonment in the mid-twentieth century (Pegau, 1958). Many relict mines still feature accessible pits...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of a reference section of the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of a reference section of the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point clouds and detailed orthomosaic images of three exposures covering the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation, near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. For each roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The orthomosaic raster image is a vertical outcrop orthomosaic...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the upper part of the Lock Haven Formation near Tioga, Pennsylvania Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the upper part of the Lock Haven Formation near Tioga, Pennsylvania

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and detailed orthomosaic images of two exposures covering the upper part of the Lock Haven Formation near Tioga, Pennsylvania. For each roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The orthomosaic raster image is a vertical outcrop orthomosaic constructed from multiple...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Williamsport Sandstone and Bloomsburg Formation in eastern West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Williamsport Sandstone and Bloomsburg Formation in eastern West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and detailed orthomosaic images of four exposures covering the Williamsport Sandstone and the Bloomsburg Formation in eastern West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania. For each roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The orthomosaic raster image is a vertical...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Silurian units including the Rose Hill Formation, Keefer Sandstone, McKenzie Formation, Bloomsburg Formation, Williamsport Sandstone, Tonoloway Limestone, and t Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Silurian units including the Rose Hill Formation, Keefer Sandstone, McKenzie Formation, Bloomsburg Formation, Williamsport Sandstone, Tonoloway Limestone, and t

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point clouds and highly detailed orthomosaic images of two exposures covering the the Rose Hill Formation, Keefer Sandstone, McKenzie Formation, Williamsport Sandstone, Bloomsburg Formation, Tonoloway Limestone, and the Keyser Limestone. For each railway exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of deformed Foreknobs Formation within the Snyder Run syncline near Bergton, VA Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of deformed Foreknobs Formation within the Snyder Run syncline near Bergton, VA

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point clouds and a highly detailed orthomosaic image of a roadcut exposure documenting the structural style of the middle part of the Late Devonian Foreknobs Formation within the Synder Run syncline near Bergton, Virginia. For the roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point cloud and orthomosaic image of deformed Helderberg Group strata within the Patterson Creek anticline near Forman, WV Structure-from-Motion derived point cloud and orthomosaic image of deformed Helderberg Group strata within the Patterson Creek anticline near Forman, WV

This dataset consists of a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point cloud and a highly detailed orthomosaic image of a roadcut exposure documenting the structural style of the latest Silurian (Pridolian) and Early Devonian (Lochkovian) Helderberg Group strata within the Patterson Creek anticline near Forman, WV. For the roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Stratigraphy, structure, and geomorphology of the central Appalachians across the North Mountain fault zone near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA Stratigraphy, structure, and geomorphology of the central Appalachians across the North Mountain fault zone near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA

This field trip focuses on the geology of the central Appalachian Valley and Ridge province near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. Recent geologic mapping utilizing 1-m resolution lidar data has revealed new insights into the Paleozoic stratigraphy, structural geology, and Neogene landscape evolution of the region. The detailed mapping reveals the presence of the Big Spring Station Member and...
Authors
Daniel Doctor, Alexander Addison Gray, William Odom
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Science and Products

Team of scientists stand in front of outcrop

Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project

The Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project performs geologic mapping at local and regional scales, and geologic research in The Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus physiographic provinces. These provinces include parts of 11 states and mainly borders the Blue Ridge / Piedmont and North Interior Lowlands Provinces. Only one state has Valley and Ridge geology (NJ), two have Appalachian...
By
Core Science Systems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project

Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project

The Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project performs geologic mapping at local and regional scales, and geologic research in The Valley and Ridge and Appalachian Plateaus physiographic provinces. These provinces include parts of 11 states and mainly borders the Blue Ridge / Piedmont and North Interior Lowlands Provinces. Only one state has Valley and Ridge geology (NJ), two have Appalachian...
Learn More

Deep learning classification of manganese and iron mines and prospects in the Lewisburg 30 x 60 minute quadrangle Deep learning classification of manganese and iron mines and prospects in the Lewisburg 30 x 60 minute quadrangle

Manganese is a designated critical mineral, being industrially utilized for producing steel and batteries, including in the production of electric vehicles (Rozelle and others, 2021). The central Appalachian Valley and Ridge hosts hundreds of manganese and iron oxide mines that served steel production until their abandonment in the mid-twentieth century (Lesure, 1957; Pegau, 1958). Many...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Rare Earth Element (REE), Critical Mineral, and Geochemical Characterization of Manganese Oxide Ore Deposits in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia Rare Earth Element (REE), Critical Mineral, and Geochemical Characterization of Manganese Oxide Ore Deposits in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia

Manganese is a designated critical mineral, being industrially utilized for producing steel and batteries, including in the production of electric vehicles (Rozelle et al., 2021). The eastern United States hosts hundreds of manganese oxide mines that served steel production until their abandonment in the mid-twentieth century (Pegau, 1958). Many relict mines still feature accessible pits...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of a reference section of the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of a reference section of the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point clouds and detailed orthomosaic images of three exposures covering the Irish Valley Member of the Catskill Formation, near Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. For each roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The orthomosaic raster image is a vertical outcrop orthomosaic...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the upper part of the Lock Haven Formation near Tioga, Pennsylvania Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the upper part of the Lock Haven Formation near Tioga, Pennsylvania

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and detailed orthomosaic images of two exposures covering the upper part of the Lock Haven Formation near Tioga, Pennsylvania. For each roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The orthomosaic raster image is a vertical outcrop orthomosaic constructed from multiple...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Williamsport Sandstone and Bloomsburg Formation in eastern West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Williamsport Sandstone and Bloomsburg Formation in eastern West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and detailed orthomosaic images of four exposures covering the Williamsport Sandstone and the Bloomsburg Formation in eastern West Virginia and south-central Pennsylvania. For each roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The orthomosaic raster image is a vertical...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Silurian units including the Rose Hill Formation, Keefer Sandstone, McKenzie Formation, Bloomsburg Formation, Williamsport Sandstone, Tonoloway Limestone, and t Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of reference sections of the Silurian units including the Rose Hill Formation, Keefer Sandstone, McKenzie Formation, Bloomsburg Formation, Williamsport Sandstone, Tonoloway Limestone, and t

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point clouds and highly detailed orthomosaic images of two exposures covering the the Rose Hill Formation, Keefer Sandstone, McKenzie Formation, Williamsport Sandstone, Bloomsburg Formation, Tonoloway Limestone, and the Keyser Limestone. For each railway exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of deformed Foreknobs Formation within the Snyder Run syncline near Bergton, VA Structure-from-Motion derived point clouds and orthomosaic images of deformed Foreknobs Formation within the Snyder Run syncline near Bergton, VA

This dataset consists of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point clouds and a highly detailed orthomosaic image of a roadcut exposure documenting the structural style of the middle part of the Late Devonian Foreknobs Formation within the Synder Run syncline near Bergton, Virginia. For the roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic raster image and a point cloud. The...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Structure-from-Motion derived point cloud and orthomosaic image of deformed Helderberg Group strata within the Patterson Creek anticline near Forman, WV Structure-from-Motion derived point cloud and orthomosaic image of deformed Helderberg Group strata within the Patterson Creek anticline near Forman, WV

This dataset consists of a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) - derived point cloud and a highly detailed orthomosaic image of a roadcut exposure documenting the structural style of the latest Silurian (Pridolian) and Early Devonian (Lochkovian) Helderberg Group strata within the Patterson Creek anticline near Forman, WV. For the roadcut exposure, two datasets are published: an orthomosaic...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Stratigraphy, structure, and geomorphology of the central Appalachians across the North Mountain fault zone near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA Stratigraphy, structure, and geomorphology of the central Appalachians across the North Mountain fault zone near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA

This field trip focuses on the geology of the central Appalachian Valley and Ridge province near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. Recent geologic mapping utilizing 1-m resolution lidar data has revealed new insights into the Paleozoic stratigraphy, structural geology, and Neogene landscape evolution of the region. The detailed mapping reveals the presence of the Big Spring Station Member and...
Authors
Daniel Doctor, Alexander Addison Gray, William Odom
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

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