USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.
Nora Nieminski
My research interests are broadly focused around stratigraphic and tectonic characterization of sedimentary basins. I am interested in the evolution of sedimentary systems in the context of intrinsically-related regional tectonics in addition to grain-scale processes inferred from deposits.
My current research is focused on dispersal of sediment along the southern Cascadia margin, striving to understand the relationships between submarine mass failure events and sediment supply/source when tectonic or climatic changes impart imbalance on the stability of continental shelves. This work combines modern sediment cores, sediment provenance data, geochronology, and geophysical/remote sensing data to study regional tectonism, basin evolution, and stratigraphy, facilitating a better understanding of geohazards along the Cascadia margin.
Expertise
Sedimentology/stratigraphy, detrital geochronology, seafloor processes, tectonics
Professional Experience
2019–present: USGS Mendenhall Research Fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA
2017–2019: Postdoctoral Researcher, Stanford University/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
2014: Geoscience Intern, Chevron, Houston, Texas
2012: Geoscience Intern, ConocoPhillips, Houston, Texas
Education and Certifications
2017: Ph.D. – Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University
2011: B.S. & B.A. – Geoscience & French, University of Utah
Science and Products
Science Seminar Series Archives
Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska
Sediment core data from offshore southern Cascadia during field activity 2019-643-FA
Compiled onshore and offshore paleoseismic data along the Cascadia Subduction zone
Radiocarbon age dating of biological material from cores collected off central California in 1999, 2006, and 2019
Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp subbottom data collected offshore Northern California during USGS field activity 2019-643-FA
Donated ROV vibracore and sampling data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2019 offshore of south-central California
USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.
Pockmarks offshore Big Sur, California provide evidence for recurrent, regional, and unconfined sediment gravity flows
Spatial distribution and variability of lobe facies in a large sand-rich submarine fan system: Neoproterozoic Zerrissene Group, Namibia
Time-lapse seafloor surveys reveal how turbidity currents and internal tides in Monterey Canyon interact with the seabed at centimeter-scale
Sediment gravity flow frequency offshore central California diminished significantly following the Last Glacial Maximum
Detrital zircon provenance of the Cretaceous-Neogene East Coast Basin reveals changing tectonic conditions and drainage reorganization along the Pacific margin of Zealandia
Linking direct measurements of turbidity currents to submarine canyon-floor deposits
Science and Products
Science Seminar Series Archives
Coastal and Marine Geohazards of the U.S. West Coast and Alaska
Sediment core data from offshore southern Cascadia during field activity 2019-643-FA
Compiled onshore and offshore paleoseismic data along the Cascadia Subduction zone
Radiocarbon age dating of biological material from cores collected off central California in 1999, 2006, and 2019
Multichannel minisparker seismic-reflection and chirp subbottom data collected offshore Northern California during USGS field activity 2019-643-FA
Donated ROV vibracore and sampling data collected during Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute cruises in 2019 offshore of south-central California
USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.
USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.