I am a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, stationed in Lakewood, CO. I received my Ph.D. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO in 1994 and have worked full-time as a geologist for the USGS in Denver since then.
My work involves creation of geologic maps and digital three-dimensional geologic models for framework geologic and hydrogeologic studies. I work in the western US, primarily in CA, NV, UT, and NM. In the past decade, I have been the lead within USGS Geologic Discipline with work on several major water resource-related projects in Nevada, Utah, and California, in collaboration with colleagues in the USGS Water Mission Area. I also conduct geologic mapping studies in California with USGS staff in Menlo Park; I have worked on the evolution of volcanic fields and sedimentary basins in response to the development through time of the San Andreas and related faults. I have also used subsurface geologic mapping to address groundwater-based issues in northern and central California.
Current research projects
Geologic maps and 3D geologic framework models of the western US I am involved in multiple projects that are creating geologic maps and 3D geologic framework models in the western US, funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
Groundwater availability studies in California groundwater basins. I am creating digital 3D hydrogeologic framework models that portray the geometry and lithologic variability (a proxy for inferring hydraulic properties) of hydrostratigraphic units for input into numerical ground-water flow models. (work conducted with USGS CA WSC).
National Geologic Synthesis. I am compiling data and developing methods for mapping subsurface geology at regional and National scales funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
Professional Experience
October 2013 – present Research Geologist, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS, Denver
October, 1999—October, 2013 Research Geologist, Central Mineral Resources, USGS, Denver
October, 1994—September, 1999 Geologist, Yucca Mountain Project Branch, USGS, Denver
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 1994, in Geology with minor in geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO
M.S., 1986, in Geology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
B.A., 1981, in Geology with minors in chemistry and physics, Western State College, Gunnison, CO
Science and Products
National 3D Geology
National Geologic Synthesis
Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West
Geologic Mapping in the Southern Pacific Border and Sierras provinces, California
Science and Products
- Science
National 3D Geology
Water, energy, mineral resource assessments, and hazard and land-use assessments are central to the USGS mission and increasingly rely on subsurface information and 3D geologic models. There are also many emerging societal issues in which 3D geology becomes increasingly relevant, including assessment of brackish groundwater resources, unconventional oil and gas plays, geothermal systems...National Geologic Synthesis
The National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) Strategic Plan of 2020 calls for the creation of a “variable-scale, national, integrated 2D and 3D geologic-framework model that enables the seamless construction of geologic maps within user-defined regions of interest across the United States by the year 2030” (USGS Open-File Report 2021-1013*). Congress recently directed NCGMP to “bring...Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West
The Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West project was launched with the goal of producing a new digital geologic map database and 3D geologic model of a transect from the Rio Grande rift to the Basin and Range, based on a synthesis of existing geologic maps with new targeted new mapping, subsurface data, and other data sets. This database will integrate disparate map data, resolve...Geologic Mapping in the Southern Pacific Border and Sierras provinces, California
This project uses geologic and geophysical mapping to build an earth-science framework for scientific investigations that include assessments of critical resources, such as groundwater, and of hazards, such as those resulting from earthquakes, in California west of and including the Sierra Nevada and Cascade arc. Questions of particular interest include: What are the geometries, slip rates, and... - Data
- Maps
- Multimedia
- Publications