Daniel Muhs
I study geomorphology, soils and Quaternary stratigraphy to reconstruct paleoclimates over the past two and a half million years of geologic time.
My main study areas are in the central and western USA (Mississippi Valley, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, desert Southwest, Pacific Coast and Alaska), but I have also worked in the Caribbean, Spain and Israel. My main interests are in origin and paleoclimatic significance of dune fields, stratigraphy and paleopedology of loess, effects of long-range-transported dust on soils, the atmosphere, oceans and ecosystems, and sea level history.
Education:
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 1977-1980 (Ph.D., Physical geography/Geology)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1973-1975 (M.S., Physical geography/Soil science)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1972-1973 (B.A., Physical geography)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1970-1972 (B.A., English, History)
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 1968-1970 (English)
Professional experience:
1995-date: Geologist, Geology and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS, Denver, CO
1985-1995: Geologist, Branch of Isotope Geology, USGS, Denver, CO
1983-1984: Soil Scientist with USGS while on leave-of-absence with the University of Wisconsin to accept National Research Council Research Associateship, Denver, Colorado.
1980-1985: Assistant and Associate Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
1978-1980, part-time Soil Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Central Regional Geology.
1977-1979: Instructor (while a Ph.D student), Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Colorado at Denver
1975-1976: Soil Scientist, U.S. Soil Conservation Service/Iowa State University
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 164
Timing and warmth of the Last Interglacial period: New U-series evidence from Hawaii and Bermuda and a new fossil compilation for North America Timing and warmth of the Last Interglacial period: New U-series evidence from Hawaii and Bermuda and a new fossil compilation for North America
The timing and duration of the Last Interglacial period have been controversial, with some studies suggesting a relatively short duration that is orbitally forced and others suggesting a long duration that is at most only partly related to orbital forcing. New, high-precison thermal ionization mass spectrometric (TIMS) U-series ages of Last Interglacial corals from Hawaii and Bermuda...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, K. Simmons, B. Steinke
Paleoclimate concepts Paleoclimate concepts
Interpretation of paleoclimate records requires an understanding of Earth’s climate system, the causes (forcings) of climate changes, and the processes that amplify (positive feedback) or damp (negative feedback) these changes. Paleoclimatologists reconstruct the history of climate from proxies, which are those characteristics of sedimentary deposits that preserve paleoclimate...
Authors
Richard Ally, Joan Fitzpatrick, J. Brigham-Grette, Geoffery Miller, Daniel R. Muhs, Leonid Polyak
Late Quaternary eolian records of the Americas and their paleoclimatic significance Late Quaternary eolian records of the Americas and their paleoclimatic significance
No abstract available.
Authors
Daniel R. Muhs, Marcelo Zarate
Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska
The last interglacial period is thought to be the last time global climate was significantly warmer than present. New stratigraphic studies at Eva Creek, near Fairbanks, Alaska indicate a complex last interglacial record wherein periods of loess deposition alternated with periods of soil formation. The Eva Forest Bed appears to have formed about the time of or after deposition of the Old...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, T. Ager, J. Beget
Origin of late Quaternary dune fields on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico Origin of late Quaternary dune fields on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico
Mostly stabilized late Holocene eolian sands on the Southern High Plains of the United States were studied to determine their origins and to assess whether present dune stability depends more strongly on sediment supply, sediment availability, or transport limitations. Geomorphic, sedimentological, and geochemical trends indicate that late Holocene dunes formed under westerly paleowinds...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, V.T. Holliday
Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies
Soils on uplifted Quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, ???125,000 to ???700,000 yr old, form a climo-chronosequence and show changes in physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties with terrace age. Parent materials are dust derived from the Sahara, volcanic ash from the Lesser Antilles island arc, and detrital carbonate from the underlying reef limestone. Although some terrace...
Authors
D.R. Muhs
Impact of climate and parent material on chemical weathering in Loess-derived soils of the Mississippi River valley Impact of climate and parent material on chemical weathering in Loess-derived soils of the Mississippi River valley
Peoria Loess-derived soils on uplands east of the Mississippi River valley were studied from Louisiana to Iowa, along a south-to-north gradient of decreasing precipitation and temperature. Major element analyses of deep loess in Mississippi and Illinois show that the composition of the parent material is similar in the northern and southern parts of the valley. We hypothesized that in...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, E. Arthur Bettis, J. Been, J. P. McGeehin
Stepped-combustion 14C dating of sediment: A comparison with established techniques Stepped-combustion 14C dating of sediment: A comparison with established techniques
Radiocarbon dating of bulk sediment has long been used as a method of last resort when reliable wood, charcoal, or plant macrofossils are not available for analysis. Accurate dating of sediment is complicated by the presence of multiple organic carbon fractions, each with a potentially different 14C activity. Additionally, the presence of carbon bound by clay minerals can significantly...
Authors
J. McGeehin, G. Burr, A.J.T. Juli, D. Reines, J. Gosse, P.T. Davis, D. Muhs, J. Southon
Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada
Accelerator mass spectrometry and conventional radiocarbon age determinations of organic matter from paleosols indicate that the Brandon Sand Hills area of southern Manitoba has been subjected to recurrent intervals of eolian activity in the past 5000 years. Although precise regional correlations are precluded by dating uncertainties, periods of most notable paleosol development occurred...
Authors
S.A. Wolfe, D.R. Muhs, P.P. David, J. P. McGeehin
Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA
A prominent (4500 km2) dune field in the Great Plains is the Great Bend Sand Prairie of south-central Kansas. Dunes here overlie late Quaternary alluvium and were reactivated extensively in the late Holocene. Geomorphic and soil evidence suggests that the most likely eolian sand source is the Arkansas River valley to the northwest. Nevertheless, orientations of stabilized dunes indicate...
Authors
A.F. Arbogast, D.R. Muhs
Geochemical evidence for an Eolian sand dam across the North and South Platte rivers in Nebraska Geochemical evidence for an Eolian sand dam across the North and South Platte rivers in Nebraska
Geochemical and geomorphic data from dune fields in southwestern Nebraska provide new evidence that the Nebraska Sand Hills once migrated across the North and South Platte rivers and dammed the largest tributary system to the Missouri River. The Lincoln County and Imperial dune fields, which lie downwind of the South Platte River, have compositions intermediate between the Nebraska Sand...
Authors
Daniel Muhs, James Swinehart, David Loope, Josh Been, Shannon Mahan, Charles Bush
Non-USGS Publications**
Crittenden, R.C. and Muhs, D.R., 1986, Cliff-height and slope-angle relationships in a chronosequence of marine terraces, San Clemente Island, California: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, v. 30, p. 291-301.
Muhs, D.R., 1985, Age and paleoclimatic significance of Holocene sand dunes in northeastern Colorado: Annals of the Association of American Geographers, v. 75, p. 566-582.
Muhs, D.R., 1985, Amino acid age estimates of marine terraces and sea levels, San Nicolas Island, California: Geology, v. 13, p. 58-61.
Muhs, D.R., Kautz, R., and MacKinnon, J.J., 1985, Soils and the location of cacao orchards at a Maya site in western Belize: Journal of Archaeological Science, v. 12, p. 121-137.
Muhs, D.R., 1984, Intrinsic thresholds in soil systems: Physical Geography, v. 5, p. 99-110.
Muhs, D.R., 1983, Airborne dust fall on the California Channel Islands, U.S.A.: Journal of Arid Environments, v. 6, p. 223-238.
Muhs, D.R., 1983, Quaternary sea-level events on northern San Clemente Island, California: Quaternary Research, v. 20, p. 322-341.
Gillette, D.A., Adams, J., Muhs, D.R., and Kihl, R., 1982, Threshold friction velocities and rupture moduli for crusted desert soils for the input of soil particles into the air: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 87, p. 9003-9015.
Muhs, D.R., 1982, A soil chronosequence on Quaternary marine terraces, San Clemente Island, California: Geoderma, v. 28, p. 257-283.
Muhs, D.R. and Szabo, B.J., 1982, Uranium-series age of the Eel Point terrace, San Clemente Island, California: Geology, v. 10, p. 23-26.
Muhs, D.R., 1982, The influence of topography on the spatial variability of soils in Mediterranean climates, in Thorn, C.E., ed., Space and Time in Geomorphology: London, George Allen and Unwin, p. 269-284.
Johnson, D.L., Muhs, D.R., and Barnhardt, M.L., 1977, The effects of frost heaving on objects in soils, II: Laboratory experiments: Plains Anthropologist, v. 22, p. 133-147.
**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
Filter Total Items: 164
Timing and warmth of the Last Interglacial period: New U-series evidence from Hawaii and Bermuda and a new fossil compilation for North America Timing and warmth of the Last Interglacial period: New U-series evidence from Hawaii and Bermuda and a new fossil compilation for North America
The timing and duration of the Last Interglacial period have been controversial, with some studies suggesting a relatively short duration that is orbitally forced and others suggesting a long duration that is at most only partly related to orbital forcing. New, high-precison thermal ionization mass spectrometric (TIMS) U-series ages of Last Interglacial corals from Hawaii and Bermuda...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, K. Simmons, B. Steinke
Paleoclimate concepts Paleoclimate concepts
Interpretation of paleoclimate records requires an understanding of Earth’s climate system, the causes (forcings) of climate changes, and the processes that amplify (positive feedback) or damp (negative feedback) these changes. Paleoclimatologists reconstruct the history of climate from proxies, which are those characteristics of sedimentary deposits that preserve paleoclimate...
Authors
Richard Ally, Joan Fitzpatrick, J. Brigham-Grette, Geoffery Miller, Daniel R. Muhs, Leonid Polyak
Late Quaternary eolian records of the Americas and their paleoclimatic significance Late Quaternary eolian records of the Americas and their paleoclimatic significance
No abstract available.
Authors
Daniel R. Muhs, Marcelo Zarate
Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska
The last interglacial period is thought to be the last time global climate was significantly warmer than present. New stratigraphic studies at Eva Creek, near Fairbanks, Alaska indicate a complex last interglacial record wherein periods of loess deposition alternated with periods of soil formation. The Eva Forest Bed appears to have formed about the time of or after deposition of the Old...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, T. Ager, J. Beget
Origin of late Quaternary dune fields on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico Origin of late Quaternary dune fields on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico
Mostly stabilized late Holocene eolian sands on the Southern High Plains of the United States were studied to determine their origins and to assess whether present dune stability depends more strongly on sediment supply, sediment availability, or transport limitations. Geomorphic, sedimentological, and geochemical trends indicate that late Holocene dunes formed under westerly paleowinds...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, V.T. Holliday
Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies
Soils on uplifted Quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, ???125,000 to ???700,000 yr old, form a climo-chronosequence and show changes in physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties with terrace age. Parent materials are dust derived from the Sahara, volcanic ash from the Lesser Antilles island arc, and detrital carbonate from the underlying reef limestone. Although some terrace...
Authors
D.R. Muhs
Impact of climate and parent material on chemical weathering in Loess-derived soils of the Mississippi River valley Impact of climate and parent material on chemical weathering in Loess-derived soils of the Mississippi River valley
Peoria Loess-derived soils on uplands east of the Mississippi River valley were studied from Louisiana to Iowa, along a south-to-north gradient of decreasing precipitation and temperature. Major element analyses of deep loess in Mississippi and Illinois show that the composition of the parent material is similar in the northern and southern parts of the valley. We hypothesized that in...
Authors
D.R. Muhs, E. Arthur Bettis, J. Been, J. P. McGeehin
Stepped-combustion 14C dating of sediment: A comparison with established techniques Stepped-combustion 14C dating of sediment: A comparison with established techniques
Radiocarbon dating of bulk sediment has long been used as a method of last resort when reliable wood, charcoal, or plant macrofossils are not available for analysis. Accurate dating of sediment is complicated by the presence of multiple organic carbon fractions, each with a potentially different 14C activity. Additionally, the presence of carbon bound by clay minerals can significantly...
Authors
J. McGeehin, G. Burr, A.J.T. Juli, D. Reines, J. Gosse, P.T. Davis, D. Muhs, J. Southon
Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada
Accelerator mass spectrometry and conventional radiocarbon age determinations of organic matter from paleosols indicate that the Brandon Sand Hills area of southern Manitoba has been subjected to recurrent intervals of eolian activity in the past 5000 years. Although precise regional correlations are precluded by dating uncertainties, periods of most notable paleosol development occurred...
Authors
S.A. Wolfe, D.R. Muhs, P.P. David, J. P. McGeehin
Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA
A prominent (4500 km2) dune field in the Great Plains is the Great Bend Sand Prairie of south-central Kansas. Dunes here overlie late Quaternary alluvium and were reactivated extensively in the late Holocene. Geomorphic and soil evidence suggests that the most likely eolian sand source is the Arkansas River valley to the northwest. Nevertheless, orientations of stabilized dunes indicate...
Authors
A.F. Arbogast, D.R. Muhs
Geochemical evidence for an Eolian sand dam across the North and South Platte rivers in Nebraska Geochemical evidence for an Eolian sand dam across the North and South Platte rivers in Nebraska
Geochemical and geomorphic data from dune fields in southwestern Nebraska provide new evidence that the Nebraska Sand Hills once migrated across the North and South Platte rivers and dammed the largest tributary system to the Missouri River. The Lincoln County and Imperial dune fields, which lie downwind of the South Platte River, have compositions intermediate between the Nebraska Sand...
Authors
Daniel Muhs, James Swinehart, David Loope, Josh Been, Shannon Mahan, Charles Bush
Non-USGS Publications**
Crittenden, R.C. and Muhs, D.R., 1986, Cliff-height and slope-angle relationships in a chronosequence of marine terraces, San Clemente Island, California: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, v. 30, p. 291-301.
Muhs, D.R., 1985, Age and paleoclimatic significance of Holocene sand dunes in northeastern Colorado: Annals of the Association of American Geographers, v. 75, p. 566-582.
Muhs, D.R., 1985, Amino acid age estimates of marine terraces and sea levels, San Nicolas Island, California: Geology, v. 13, p. 58-61.
Muhs, D.R., Kautz, R., and MacKinnon, J.J., 1985, Soils and the location of cacao orchards at a Maya site in western Belize: Journal of Archaeological Science, v. 12, p. 121-137.
Muhs, D.R., 1984, Intrinsic thresholds in soil systems: Physical Geography, v. 5, p. 99-110.
Muhs, D.R., 1983, Airborne dust fall on the California Channel Islands, U.S.A.: Journal of Arid Environments, v. 6, p. 223-238.
Muhs, D.R., 1983, Quaternary sea-level events on northern San Clemente Island, California: Quaternary Research, v. 20, p. 322-341.
Gillette, D.A., Adams, J., Muhs, D.R., and Kihl, R., 1982, Threshold friction velocities and rupture moduli for crusted desert soils for the input of soil particles into the air: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 87, p. 9003-9015.
Muhs, D.R., 1982, A soil chronosequence on Quaternary marine terraces, San Clemente Island, California: Geoderma, v. 28, p. 257-283.
Muhs, D.R. and Szabo, B.J., 1982, Uranium-series age of the Eel Point terrace, San Clemente Island, California: Geology, v. 10, p. 23-26.
Muhs, D.R., 1982, The influence of topography on the spatial variability of soils in Mediterranean climates, in Thorn, C.E., ed., Space and Time in Geomorphology: London, George Allen and Unwin, p. 269-284.
Johnson, D.L., Muhs, D.R., and Barnhardt, M.L., 1977, The effects of frost heaving on objects in soils, II: Laboratory experiments: Plains Anthropologist, v. 22, p. 133-147.
**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.