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Brandon Lars Graham, Ph.D.

Brandon Graham conducts surficial geologic mapping and research of the Northeast. He co-leads the Glaciated Regions Quaternary Mapping project and is the PI for the Bascom Laser Diffraction Lab Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory | U.S. Geological Survey.

Brandon focuses on mapping the geology of the glaciated region, with a current project mapping the surficial geology and critical resources for groundwater and mineral placer deposits in New York. He has been a member of 5 field expeditions to Greenland and applies expertise in present day arctic systems to understand deposits from past glaciations. Brandon uses ground penetrating radar and passive seismic to study the near surface, and has experience with additional near surface geophysical techniques. 

Professional Experience

  • 2022-Present: Geologist, USGS Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Reston, Virginia

    Project Lead: Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions (2024-Present)

  • 2022: U.S. Geological Survey Pathways Student, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Project. 

  • 2015-2017: Kansas Geologic Survey, Lawrence, KS. Seismicity monitoring for an active oil field CO2 injection pilot study and 3D seismic inversion of AVAz for fracture analysis.

  • 2012-2014: Geologist, New York State Geologic Survey, Albany, NY. Surficial geologic mapping in the Finger Lakes and Adirondacks regions.

  • 2011: Intern, McKean County Emergency Management Agency 

  • 2010: Intern, Vermont Geologic Survey

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. in Geology - University at Buffalo (2022)

  •  B.S. in Geology - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2012)

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • 2012-Present: GSA

  • 2014-2017: SEG

Science and Products

Non-USGS Publications**

Graham, B.L., Briner, J.P., Young, N.E., Balter-Kennedy, A., Koppes, M., Schaefer, J.M., Poinar, K., Thomas, E.K., 2023. In situ 10Be modeling and terrain analysis constrain subglacial quarrying and abrasion rates at Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbræ), Greenland. The Cryosphere 17, 4535–4547. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4535-2023
Sbarra, C.M., Briner, J.P., Graham, B.L., Poinar, K., Thomas, E.K., and Young, N.E. (2022). Evidence for a more extensive Greenland Ice Sheet in southwestern Greenland during the Last Glacial Maximum. Geosphere, 18(4), 1316–1329. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02432.1
Balter-Kennedy, A., Young, N. E., Briner, J. P., Graham, B. L., & Schaefer, J. M. (2021). Centennial- and Orbital-Scale Erosion Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet Near Jakobshavn Isbræ. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 126(12), e2021JF006429. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006429
Young, N. E., Lesnek, A. J., Cuzzone, J. K., Briner, J. P., Badgeley, J. A., Balter-Kennedy, A., Graham, B. L., Cluett, A., Lamp, J. L., Schwartz, R., Tuna, T., Bard, E., Caffee, M. W., Zimmerman, S. R. H., & Schaefer, J. M. (2021). In situ cosmogenic 10Be–14C–26Al measurements from recently deglaciated bedrock as a new tool to decipher changes in Greenland Ice Sheet size. Climate of the Past, 17(1), 419–450. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-419-2021
Graham, B. L., Briner, J. P., Schweinsberg, A. D., Lifton, N. A., & Bennike, O. (2019). New in situ 14C data indicate the absence of nunataks in west Greenland during the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews, 225, 105981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105981
Schweinsberg, A.D., Briner, J.P., Licciardi, J.M., Bennike, O., Lifton, N.A., Graham, B.L., Young, N.E., Schaefer, J.M., and Zimmerman, S.H. (2019). Multiple independent records of local glacier variability on Nuussuaq, West Greenland, during the Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 215, p. 253-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.05.007
Schweinsberg, A. D., Briner, J. P., Miller, G. H., Lifton, N. A., Bennike, O., & Graham, B. L. (2018). Holocene mountain glacier history in the Sukkertoppen Iskappe area, southwest Greenland. Quaternary Science Reviews, 197, 142–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.06.014
Kozlowski, A. L., Bird, B. C., Lowell, T. V., Smith, C. A., Feranec, R., & Graham, B. L. (2018). Minimum age of the Mapleton, Tully, and Labrador Hollow moraines indicates correlation with the Port Huron Phase in central New York State. Geological Society of America Special Paper, 530(Quaternary Glaciation of the Great Lakes Region: Process, Landforms, Sediments, and Chronology), 191–216. https://doi.org/10.1130/2018.2530(10)

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

link
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
Learn More
link
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Task 2 - Geologic Mapping of the Great Lakes States

The area encompassed by Task 2 comprises the states that border the Great Lakes, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The primary objective of Task 2 is to develop and improved understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Great Lakes region. This work involves a combination of both regional-scale studies and detailed (“cornerstone”)...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Task 2 - Geologic Mapping of the Great Lakes States

The area encompassed by Task 2 comprises the states that border the Great Lakes, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The primary objective of Task 2 is to develop and improved understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Great Lakes region. This work involves a combination of both regional-scale studies and detailed (“cornerstone”)...
Learn More
link
Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Task 2

Task 1 - Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the New England States

The area encompassed by Task 1 comprises the states in the New England region, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The primary objective of Task 1 is to continue the compilation of existing and create new 1:500,000-scale Quaternary geologic maps for the region, and to conduct new 1:24,000-scale mapping in areas of greatest need. This work is done...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Task 1 - Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the New England States

The area encompassed by Task 1 comprises the states in the New England region, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The primary objective of Task 1 is to continue the compilation of existing and create new 1:500,000-scale Quaternary geologic maps for the region, and to conduct new 1:24,000-scale mapping in areas of greatest need. This work is done...
Learn More

Particle size and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) data from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York, 2024

The dataset documents results from particle size analysis (PSA) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis conducted on a suite of sediment samples from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York. Samples denoted by "FD24-Sed" were collected to obtain representative samples of surficial geologic map units, and samples denoted by "FTD-WS-MW" were collected during a...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Particle size distribution data from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York, 2023

The dataset documents results from particle size analysis (PSA) conducted on a suite of sediment samples from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York. Most of the PSA samples were collected from representative cells in a series of five portable optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) grids, here denoted G1 through G5, to constrain variations in grain size. These samples were...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Science and Products

Non-USGS Publications**

Graham, B.L., Briner, J.P., Young, N.E., Balter-Kennedy, A., Koppes, M., Schaefer, J.M., Poinar, K., Thomas, E.K., 2023. In situ 10Be modeling and terrain analysis constrain subglacial quarrying and abrasion rates at Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbræ), Greenland. The Cryosphere 17, 4535–4547. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4535-2023
Sbarra, C.M., Briner, J.P., Graham, B.L., Poinar, K., Thomas, E.K., and Young, N.E. (2022). Evidence for a more extensive Greenland Ice Sheet in southwestern Greenland during the Last Glacial Maximum. Geosphere, 18(4), 1316–1329. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02432.1
Balter-Kennedy, A., Young, N. E., Briner, J. P., Graham, B. L., & Schaefer, J. M. (2021). Centennial- and Orbital-Scale Erosion Beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet Near Jakobshavn Isbræ. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 126(12), e2021JF006429. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006429
Young, N. E., Lesnek, A. J., Cuzzone, J. K., Briner, J. P., Badgeley, J. A., Balter-Kennedy, A., Graham, B. L., Cluett, A., Lamp, J. L., Schwartz, R., Tuna, T., Bard, E., Caffee, M. W., Zimmerman, S. R. H., & Schaefer, J. M. (2021). In situ cosmogenic 10Be–14C–26Al measurements from recently deglaciated bedrock as a new tool to decipher changes in Greenland Ice Sheet size. Climate of the Past, 17(1), 419–450. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-419-2021
Graham, B. L., Briner, J. P., Schweinsberg, A. D., Lifton, N. A., & Bennike, O. (2019). New in situ 14C data indicate the absence of nunataks in west Greenland during the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews, 225, 105981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105981
Schweinsberg, A.D., Briner, J.P., Licciardi, J.M., Bennike, O., Lifton, N.A., Graham, B.L., Young, N.E., Schaefer, J.M., and Zimmerman, S.H. (2019). Multiple independent records of local glacier variability on Nuussuaq, West Greenland, during the Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 215, p. 253-271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.05.007
Schweinsberg, A. D., Briner, J. P., Miller, G. H., Lifton, N. A., Bennike, O., & Graham, B. L. (2018). Holocene mountain glacier history in the Sukkertoppen Iskappe area, southwest Greenland. Quaternary Science Reviews, 197, 142–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.06.014
Kozlowski, A. L., Bird, B. C., Lowell, T. V., Smith, C. A., Feranec, R., & Graham, B. L. (2018). Minimum age of the Mapleton, Tully, and Labrador Hollow moraines indicates correlation with the Port Huron Phase in central New York State. Geological Society of America Special Paper, 530(Quaternary Glaciation of the Great Lakes Region: Process, Landforms, Sediments, and Chronology), 191–216. https://doi.org/10.1130/2018.2530(10)

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

link
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project

Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the Glaciated Regions Project
Learn More
link
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Task 2 - Geologic Mapping of the Great Lakes States

The area encompassed by Task 2 comprises the states that border the Great Lakes, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The primary objective of Task 2 is to develop and improved understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Great Lakes region. This work involves a combination of both regional-scale studies and detailed (“cornerstone”)...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Task 2 - Geologic Mapping of the Great Lakes States

The area encompassed by Task 2 comprises the states that border the Great Lakes, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The primary objective of Task 2 is to develop and improved understanding of the Quaternary geology of the Great Lakes region. This work involves a combination of both regional-scale studies and detailed (“cornerstone”)...
Learn More
link
Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Task 2

Task 1 - Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the New England States

The area encompassed by Task 1 comprises the states in the New England region, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The primary objective of Task 1 is to continue the compilation of existing and create new 1:500,000-scale Quaternary geologic maps for the region, and to conduct new 1:24,000-scale mapping in areas of greatest need. This work is done...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

Task 1 - Quaternary Geologic Mapping of the New England States

The area encompassed by Task 1 comprises the states in the New England region, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The primary objective of Task 1 is to continue the compilation of existing and create new 1:500,000-scale Quaternary geologic maps for the region, and to conduct new 1:24,000-scale mapping in areas of greatest need. This work is done...
Learn More

Particle size and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) data from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York, 2024

The dataset documents results from particle size analysis (PSA) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis conducted on a suite of sediment samples from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York. Samples denoted by "FD24-Sed" were collected to obtain representative samples of surficial geologic map units, and samples denoted by "FTD-WS-MW" were collected during a...
By
Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Particle size distribution data from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York, 2023

The dataset documents results from particle size analysis (PSA) conducted on a suite of sediment samples from U.S. Army Base Fort Drum, Jefferson County, New York. Most of the PSA samples were collected from representative cells in a series of five portable optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) grids, here denoted G1 through G5, to constrain variations in grain size. These samples were...
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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