Christopher S Swezey, Ph.D.
Christopher Swezey is the Program Coordinator of the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. He leads strategic planning and coordination to meet Program requirements, including implementation and funding of FEDMAP, STATEMAP, EDMAP, and the National Geologic Map Database. This work is done in collaboration with State Geological Surveys, federal scientists, and academic partners.
Employment
2024-Present: Program Coordinator, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP), Reston, Virginia
April 2022-January 2023: Acting Associate Program Coordinator (Science Lead for EDMAP, Earth MRI, and Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition), USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Reston, Virginia
2018-2023: Research Geologist, USGS Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Reston, Virginia
- Project Lead, Glaciated Regions Geologic Mapping Project (2022-2023)
- Project Lead, Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Project (2019-2022)
- Project Lead, Geology of the Appalachian and Illinois Basins (2018-2019)
2009-2018: Research Geologist, USGS Eastern Geology & Paleoclimate Science Center, Reston, Virginia
- Project Lead, Eastern Coastal Plain Geologic Mapping Project (2017-2018)
- Associate Project Lead, Eastern Coastal Plain Studies Project (2015-2017)
- Geologist, Geology of Atlantic Watersheds Project (2009-2015)
2000-2009: Research Geologist, USGS Eastern Energy Resources Team, Reston, Virginia
- Task Lead (2007-2009), Eastern Oil Shale Assessment Task of National Oil and Gas Assessment (NOGA)
- Task Lead (2005-2009), Illinois Basin Oil and Gas Assessment Task of NOGA
- Task Lead (2002-2005), Michigan Basin Oil and Gas Assessment Task of NOGA
- Geologist (2000-2002), Appalachian Basin Oil and Gas Assessment Task of NOGA
1997-2000: Geologist, BP Exploration (Gulf of Mexico), Houston, Texas
1996-1997: Research Assistant, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, Texas
1988-1992: Teaching Assistant, Department of Geology, The University of Texas at Austin
1987-1988: Physical Science Technician, USGS Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy, Menlo Park, California
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. (1997) - Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. Dissertation: Climatic and Tectonic Controls on Quaternary Eolian Sedimentary Sequences of the Chott Rharsa Basin, Southern Tunisia
M.A. (1991) - Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. Thesis: Description and Interpretation of the Jurassic J-2 Unconformity of the Western Interior (U.S.A.)
B.S. (1987) - Geology, French (double major), Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Université de Paris VII (1985-1986), Paris, France
St. Christopher’s High School (1983), Richmond, Virginia
Honors and Awards
2018 Fellow of the Geological Society of America
2008 American Association of Petroleum Geologists George V. Cohee Public Service Award
1995 Chateaubriand Scholarship, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
1992-1993 J. William Fulbright Scholarship, Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
1992 Smithsonian Institution Fellowship, Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
1987 T.V. Laska Award, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina (Most outstanding undergraduate senior in geology)
Science and Products
Geologic Cross Section D-D' Through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Sandusky County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Hardy County, West Virginia Geologic Cross Section D-D' Through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Sandusky County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Hardy County, West Virginia
Geologic cross section D-D' is the second in a series of cross sections constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey to document and improve understanding of the geologic framework and petroleum systems of the Appalachian basin. Cross section D-D' provides a regional view of the structural and stratigraphic framework of the Appalachian basin from the Findlay arch in northwestern Ohio to the...
Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Illinois Basin, U.S.A. Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Illinois Basin, U.S.A.
The publication combines data on Paleozoic and Mesozoic stratigraphy and petroleum geology of the Illinois basin, U.S.A., in order to facilitate visualizing the stratigraphy on a regional scale and visualizing stratigraphic relations within the basin. Data are presented in eight schematic chronostratigraphic sections arranged approximately from north to south, with time denoted in equal...
Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Michigan Basin, North America Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Michigan Basin, North America
Although more than 100 years of research have gone into deciphering the stratigraphy of the Michigan basin of North America, it remains a challenge to visualize the basin stratigraphy on a regional scale and to describe stratigraphic relations within the basin. Similar difficulties exist for visualizing and describing the regional distribution of petroleum source rocks and reservoir...
Geologic Cross Section E-E' through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Wood County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Pendleton County, West Virginia Geologic Cross Section E-E' through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Wood County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Pendleton County, West Virginia
Geologic cross section E-E' is the first in a series of cross sections planned by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to document and improve understanding of the geologic framework and petroleum systems of the Appalachian basin. Cross section E-E' provides a regional view of the structural and stratigraphic framework of the basin from the Findlay arch in northwestern Ohio to the Valley...
Filter Total Items: 35
Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets in inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province, USA Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets in inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province, USA
Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets that are stabilized by vegetation are present throughout many inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province (USA). These locations include river valleys, the Carolina Sandhills region, adjacent to Carolina Bays, and upland areas of the northern coastal plain. The eolian dunes are primarily parabolic in river valleys and in upland areas of...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey
Quaternary eolian sediments and Carolina Bays of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain province Quaternary eolian sediments and Carolina Bays of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain province
Under modern conditions, the Atlantic Coastal Plain province of the eastern United States is not very conducive to widespread eolian sediment mobilization because of a humid and mesothermal climate, relatively low mean surface wind velocities (~1–3 m/sec), and relatively dense vegetation. LiDAR data, however, have revealed the presence of widespread eolian dunes and sand sheets (now...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey
A brief geological history of Cockspur Island at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia A brief geological history of Cockspur Island at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island in Chatham County, Georgia, within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province. The island lies near the mouth of the Savannah River, and consists of small mounds (hummocks), salt marshes, and sediment dredged from the river. A 1,017-foot (ft) (310-meter [m])-deep core drilled at Cockspur Island in 2010 by the U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey, Ellen Seefelt, Mercer Parker
Geologic controls on cave development in Burnsville Cove, Bath and Highland Counties, Virginia Geologic controls on cave development in Burnsville Cove, Bath and Highland Counties, Virginia
Burnsville Cove in Bath and Highland Counties (Virginia, USA) is a karst region in the Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachian Mountains. The region contains many caves in Silurian to Devonian limestone, and is well suited for examining geologic controls on cave location and cave passage morphology. In Burnsville Cove, many caves are located preferentially near the axes of synclines...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey, John T. Haynes, Philip C. Lucas, Richard A. Lambert
The Carolina Sandhills: Quaternary eolian sand sheets and dunes along the updip margin of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, southeastern United States The Carolina Sandhills: Quaternary eolian sand sheets and dunes along the updip margin of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, southeastern United States
The Carolina Sandhills is a physiographic region of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province in the southeastern United States. In Chesterfield County (South Carolina), the surficial sand of this region is the Pinehurst Formation, which is interpreted as eolian sand derived from the underlying Cretaceous Middendorf Formation. This sand has yielded three clusters of optically stimulated...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey, Bradley A. Fitzwater, G. Richard Whittecar, Shannon A. Mahan, Christopher P. Garrity, Wilma B. Aleman-Gonzalez, Kerby M. Dobbs
Non-USGS Publications**
Swezey, C., 1999, A very old Sahara: Science, v. 286, no. 5438, p. 243.
Swezey, C.S., 1999, The lifespan of the Complexe Terminal Aquifer, Algerian-Tunisian Sahara: Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 28, no. 3, p. 751-756.
Swezey, C., Lancaster, N., Kocurek, G., Deynoux, M., Blum, M., Price, D., and Pion, J.-C., 1999, Response of aeolian systems to Holocene climatic and hydrologic changes on the northern margin of the Sahara: A high-resolution record from the Chott Rharsa basin, Tunisia: The Holocene, v. 9, no. 2, p. 141-147.
Swezey, C., 1998, The identification of eolian sands and sandstones: Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences [France], serie IIa, v. 327, no. 8, p. 513-518.
Swezey, C.S., 1997, Climatic and Tectonic Controls on Quaternary Eolian Sedimentary Sequences of the Chott Rharsa Basin, Southern Tunisia (Doctoral dissertation). https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/61424
Swezey, C., Deynoux, M., and Jeannette, D., 1996, Sandstone depositional environments of the Upper Permian Champenay Formation, Champenay Basin, northeast France: Sedimentary Geology, v. 105, nos. 1-2, p. 91-103.
Swezey, C.S., 1996, Structural controls on Quaternary depocentres within the Chotts Trough region of southern Tunisia: Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 22, no. 3, p. 335-347.
Swezey, C.S., 1991, A review of changes in the geomorphology and hydrology of Waller Creek (Austin, Texas) as a result of urban development: The Texas Journal of Science, v. 43, no. 3, p. 315-323.
Swezey, C.S., 1991, Description and Interpretation of the Jurassic J-2 Unconformity of the Western Interior (U.S.A.) (Master's thesis). https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/19402
**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.
Science and Products
Geologic Cross Section D-D' Through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Sandusky County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Hardy County, West Virginia Geologic Cross Section D-D' Through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Sandusky County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Hardy County, West Virginia
Geologic cross section D-D' is the second in a series of cross sections constructed by the U.S. Geological Survey to document and improve understanding of the geologic framework and petroleum systems of the Appalachian basin. Cross section D-D' provides a regional view of the structural and stratigraphic framework of the Appalachian basin from the Findlay arch in northwestern Ohio to the...
Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Illinois Basin, U.S.A. Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Illinois Basin, U.S.A.
The publication combines data on Paleozoic and Mesozoic stratigraphy and petroleum geology of the Illinois basin, U.S.A., in order to facilitate visualizing the stratigraphy on a regional scale and visualizing stratigraphic relations within the basin. Data are presented in eight schematic chronostratigraphic sections arranged approximately from north to south, with time denoted in equal...
Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Michigan Basin, North America Regional Stratigraphy and Petroleum Systems of the Michigan Basin, North America
Although more than 100 years of research have gone into deciphering the stratigraphy of the Michigan basin of North America, it remains a challenge to visualize the basin stratigraphy on a regional scale and to describe stratigraphic relations within the basin. Similar difficulties exist for visualizing and describing the regional distribution of petroleum source rocks and reservoir...
Geologic Cross Section E-E' through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Wood County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Pendleton County, West Virginia Geologic Cross Section E-E' through the Appalachian Basin from the Findlay Arch, Wood County, Ohio, to the Valley and Ridge Province, Pendleton County, West Virginia
Geologic cross section E-E' is the first in a series of cross sections planned by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to document and improve understanding of the geologic framework and petroleum systems of the Appalachian basin. Cross section E-E' provides a regional view of the structural and stratigraphic framework of the basin from the Findlay arch in northwestern Ohio to the Valley...
Filter Total Items: 35
Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets in inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province, USA Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets in inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Province, USA
Quaternary eolian dunes and sand sheets that are stabilized by vegetation are present throughout many inland locations of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province (USA). These locations include river valleys, the Carolina Sandhills region, adjacent to Carolina Bays, and upland areas of the northern coastal plain. The eolian dunes are primarily parabolic in river valleys and in upland areas of...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey
Quaternary eolian sediments and Carolina Bays of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain province Quaternary eolian sediments and Carolina Bays of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain province
Under modern conditions, the Atlantic Coastal Plain province of the eastern United States is not very conducive to widespread eolian sediment mobilization because of a humid and mesothermal climate, relatively low mean surface wind velocities (~1–3 m/sec), and relatively dense vegetation. LiDAR data, however, have revealed the presence of widespread eolian dunes and sand sheets (now...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey
A brief geological history of Cockspur Island at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia A brief geological history of Cockspur Island at Fort Pulaski National Monument, Chatham County, Georgia
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on Cockspur Island in Chatham County, Georgia, within the Atlantic Coastal Plain province. The island lies near the mouth of the Savannah River, and consists of small mounds (hummocks), salt marshes, and sediment dredged from the river. A 1,017-foot (ft) (310-meter [m])-deep core drilled at Cockspur Island in 2010 by the U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey, Ellen Seefelt, Mercer Parker
Geologic controls on cave development in Burnsville Cove, Bath and Highland Counties, Virginia Geologic controls on cave development in Burnsville Cove, Bath and Highland Counties, Virginia
Burnsville Cove in Bath and Highland Counties (Virginia, USA) is a karst region in the Valley and Ridge Province of the Appalachian Mountains. The region contains many caves in Silurian to Devonian limestone, and is well suited for examining geologic controls on cave location and cave passage morphology. In Burnsville Cove, many caves are located preferentially near the axes of synclines...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey, John T. Haynes, Philip C. Lucas, Richard A. Lambert
The Carolina Sandhills: Quaternary eolian sand sheets and dunes along the updip margin of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, southeastern United States The Carolina Sandhills: Quaternary eolian sand sheets and dunes along the updip margin of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province, southeastern United States
The Carolina Sandhills is a physiographic region of the Atlantic Coastal Plain province in the southeastern United States. In Chesterfield County (South Carolina), the surficial sand of this region is the Pinehurst Formation, which is interpreted as eolian sand derived from the underlying Cretaceous Middendorf Formation. This sand has yielded three clusters of optically stimulated...
Authors
Christopher S. Swezey, Bradley A. Fitzwater, G. Richard Whittecar, Shannon A. Mahan, Christopher P. Garrity, Wilma B. Aleman-Gonzalez, Kerby M. Dobbs
Non-USGS Publications**
Swezey, C., 1999, A very old Sahara: Science, v. 286, no. 5438, p. 243.
Swezey, C.S., 1999, The lifespan of the Complexe Terminal Aquifer, Algerian-Tunisian Sahara: Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 28, no. 3, p. 751-756.
Swezey, C., Lancaster, N., Kocurek, G., Deynoux, M., Blum, M., Price, D., and Pion, J.-C., 1999, Response of aeolian systems to Holocene climatic and hydrologic changes on the northern margin of the Sahara: A high-resolution record from the Chott Rharsa basin, Tunisia: The Holocene, v. 9, no. 2, p. 141-147.
Swezey, C., 1998, The identification of eolian sands and sandstones: Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences [France], serie IIa, v. 327, no. 8, p. 513-518.
Swezey, C.S., 1997, Climatic and Tectonic Controls on Quaternary Eolian Sedimentary Sequences of the Chott Rharsa Basin, Southern Tunisia (Doctoral dissertation). https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/61424
Swezey, C., Deynoux, M., and Jeannette, D., 1996, Sandstone depositional environments of the Upper Permian Champenay Formation, Champenay Basin, northeast France: Sedimentary Geology, v. 105, nos. 1-2, p. 91-103.
Swezey, C.S., 1996, Structural controls on Quaternary depocentres within the Chotts Trough region of southern Tunisia: Journal of African Earth Sciences, v. 22, no. 3, p. 335-347.
Swezey, C.S., 1991, A review of changes in the geomorphology and hydrology of Waller Creek (Austin, Texas) as a result of urban development: The Texas Journal of Science, v. 43, no. 3, p. 315-323.
Swezey, C.S., 1991, Description and Interpretation of the Jurassic J-2 Unconformity of the Western Interior (U.S.A.) (Master's thesis). https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/19402
**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.