Richard L Reynolds
I investigate how climatic variability, weather, and land uses affect surfaces and ecosystems of deserts, with emphasis on sediment eroded, transported, and deposited by wind, mostly as atmospheric dust.
My studies probe the geologic, biologic, and human controls on dust generation as well as the mineralogic and geochemical properties of dust that in turn affect climate, weather, ecosystem health, water resources (effects of dust on melting of snow and ice), ocean fertility, and the health of a large proportion of earth’s people. I have also conducted research on:
- Hawaiian coral-reef health in settings of coastal erosion
- Quaternary climate and responses of landscapes to climatic change and human activities
- Iron-sulfur diagenesis and its effects on lake-sediment paleoenvironmental records
- Magnetic and chemical records of airborne pollution and environmental change
- Paleomagnetism of Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary and igneous rocks
- Sources of magnetic anomalies in the shallow crust
- Field geology, Antarctica (1970-1971; 1978-1979)
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, USGS (periodic supervisory positions) 1975-2012
Acting Program Manager, Global Change Program USGS 2002
Senior Scientist, USGS 2012-2013 Emeritus since 2013
Adjunct Research Professor, Univ. of Minnesota
Affiliate, Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research Univ. of Colorado
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Univ. of Colorado, 1975
M.S., Univ. of Colorado, 1970
A.B., Princeton University, 1968
Affiliations and Memberships*
Geological Society of America; Fellow
American Geophysical Union. Assoc. Editor, Jour. Geophysical Res. 1992-1995
Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Assoc.
American Quaternary Assoc.
International Medical Geology Assoc.
International Society for Aeolian Research (guest editor, 2013-14; Board of Directors, 2014-2016)
Honors and Awards
2026 Distinguished Career Award, International Society for Aeolian Research
2012 Elected Senior Scientist, USGS
2012-2014 Distinguished Visiting Scholar, School of Geography and the Environment, Univ. of Oxford
2011 Astor Visiting Lecturer for the Humanities, Univ. of Oxford
2007 Co-recipient, Kirk Bryan Award; best publication in Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology, Geological Society of America
1995 Meritorious Service Award, Dept. of the Interior
1995 Best Paper Award, Jour. Great Lakes Res.
1994 Elected Fellow, Geological Society of America
1993 Visiting Fellow, Institute for Rock Magnetism, Univ. Minnesota
1992 Best Paper Award, Geophysics
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 179
Paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar results from the Grant intrusive breccia and comparison to the Permian Downeys Bluff sill — Evidence for Permian igneous activity at Hicks Dome, southern Illinois Basin Paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar results from the Grant intrusive breccia and comparison to the Permian Downeys Bluff sill — Evidence for Permian igneous activity at Hicks Dome, southern Illinois Basin
Igneous processes at Hicks dome, a structural upwarp at lat 37.5° N., long 88.4° W. in the southern part of the Illinois Basin, may have thermally affected regional basinal fluid flow and may have provided fluorine for the formation of the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar district. The timing of both igneous activity and mineralization is poorly known. For this reason, we have dated an...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Martin B. Goldhaber, Lawrence W. Snee
Sediment-magnetic, paleomagnetic, geochemical, and grain size data from Lacustrine sediment in a core from Caledonia Marsh, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon Sediment-magnetic, paleomagnetic, geochemical, and grain size data from Lacustrine sediment in a core from Caledonia Marsh, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
No abstract available.
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, Josh Rapp, M.W. Kerwin, J.W. Drexler, D.P. Adam
Record of middle Pleistocene climate change from Buck Lake, Cascade Range, southern Oregon - Evidence from sediment magnetism, trace-element geochemistry, and pollen Record of middle Pleistocene climate change from Buck Lake, Cascade Range, southern Oregon - Evidence from sediment magnetism, trace-element geochemistry, and pollen
Comparison of systematic variations in sediment magnetic properties to changes in pollen assemblages in middle Pleistocene lake sediments from Buck Lake indicates that the magnetic properties are sensitive to changes in climate. Buck Lake is located in southern Oregon just east of the crest of the Cascade Range. Lacustrine sediments, from 5.2 to 19.4 m in depth in core, contain tephra...
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, D.P. Adam, J. Drexler, A.M. Sarna-Wojcicki, G.C. Whitney
Environmental magnetic implications of greigite (Fe3S4) formation in a 3 m.y. lake sediment record from Butte Valley, northern California Andrew Environmental magnetic implications of greigite (Fe3S4) formation in a 3 m.y. lake sediment record from Butte Valley, northern California Andrew
Authigenic greigite (Fe3S4) has been identified in several horizons of lake beds in a 102-m core from Butte Valley, northern California, using mineral magnetic methods and x-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of greigite has several implications for the paleoenvironmental record from Butte Valley. First, its occurrence in 2.5–3.0 Ma strata confirms that greigite can persist in the...
Authors
P. Roberts, R. L. Reynolds, K.L. Verosub, D.P. Adam
Sediment magnetic, paleomagnetic, and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustrine sediment in a core from Grass Lake, Siskiyou County, California Sediment magnetic, paleomagnetic, and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustrine sediment in a core from Grass Lake, Siskiyou County, California
Sediment magnetic and geochemical results have been obtained from the top 60 meters of lacustrine sediments recovered in two cores from Tule Lake in northern California. The sediment magnetic and geochemical data, presented here in tabular form, complement studies of diatoms and pollen in the cores that are the bases for published paleoclimatic interpretations. This report also documents...
Authors
Patti J. Best, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, John W. Drexler, David P. Adam
Sediment magnetic and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustine sediment in two cores from Tule Lake, Siskiyou County, California Sediment magnetic and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustine sediment in two cores from Tule Lake, Siskiyou County, California
Sediment magnetic and geochemical results have been obtained from the top 60 meters of lacustrine sediments recovered in two cores from Tule Lake in northern California. The sediment magnetic and geochemical data, presented here in tabular form, complement studies of diatoms and pollen in the cores that are the bases for published paleoclimatic interpretations. This report also documents...
Authors
Patti J. Best, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Walter E. Dean, Jeannine Honey, John W. Drexler, David P. Adam
Magnetic records of climate change Magnetic records of climate change
Sediments deposited on the sea floor, on lake bottoms, as well as on land as accumulations of windblown silt (loess) and as ancient soils (paleosols) formed in the loess possess many different properties that record past changes in climate. Geologically recoverable information on paleoclimate includes changes in global temperature as it may affect global ice volume and thus temperature...
Authors
R. L. Reynolds, J.W. King
Heavy-mineral placer deposits of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico Heavy-mineral placer deposits of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico
No abstract available.
Authors
R. S. Zech, R. L. Reynolds, J. G. Rosenbaum, I. K. Brownfield
Sediment magnetic and paleomagnetic data from Buck Lake, Oregon Sediment magnetic and paleomagnetic data from Buck Lake, Oregon
Sediment magnetic and paleomagnetic studies were conducted on a core from Buck Lake, Klamath County, Oregon, that was collected as part of an investigation into the Quaternary climate history of the western United States. This report documents the methods used to obtain paleomagnetic directions, magnetic properties, and ancillary data, and presents these data in tabular form. Adam (1993)...
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, P.L. Fitzmaurice, J.W. Drexler, C.G. Whitney, D.P. Adam
Lake Michigan's late Quaternary limnological and climate history from ostracode, oxygen isotope, and magnetic susceptibility Lake Michigan's late Quaternary limnological and climate history from ostracode, oxygen isotope, and magnetic susceptibility
The limnology of Lake Michigan has changed dramatically since the late Pleistocene in response to the expansion and contraction of continental glaciers, to differential isostatic rebound, and to climate change. The lake sediment's stratigraphic trends, magnetic susceptibility, δ18O, and ostracode species abundance ratios provide criteria to identify the lake's response to glacial ice and...
Authors
Richard M. Forester, Steven M. Colman, Richard L. Reynolds, Loyd D. Keigwin
Lake-level history of Lake Michigan for the past 12,000 years: the record from deep lacustrine sediments Lake-level history of Lake Michigan for the past 12,000 years: the record from deep lacustrine sediments
Collection and analysis of an extensive set of seismic-reflection profiles and cores from southern Lake Michigan have provided new data that document the history of the lake basin for the past 12,000 years. Analyses of the seismic data, together with radiocarbon dating, magnetic, sedimentologic, isotopic, and paleontologic studies of core samples, have allowed us to reconstruct lake...
Authors
Steven M. Colman, Richard M. Forester, Richard L. Reynolds, Donald S. Sweetkind, John W. King, Paul Gangemi, Glenn A. Jones, Loyd D. Keigwin, David S. Foster
Magnetization and geochemistry of greigite-bearing Cretaceous strata, North Slope basin, Alaska Magnetization and geochemistry of greigite-bearing Cretaceous strata, North Slope basin, Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Michele L. Tuttle, Cynthia A. Rice, Neil S. Fishman, John A. Karachewski, David M. Sherman
Non-USGS Publications**
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Major element petrochemistry of some extrusive rocks from the volcanically active Mariana Islands: Bulletin Volcanologique, v. 39, p. 361-377.
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleomagnetism of Miocene volcanics of Guam and the curvature of the southern Mariana Island Arc: Geological Society America Bulletin, v. 86, p. 346‑350.
Levi, S., Merrill, R.T., Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleosecular variation of lavas from the Marianas in the Western Pacific Ocean: Journal Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity, v. 27, p. 57-66.
Rowley, P.D., Williams, P.L., Schmidt, D.L., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Copper mineralization along the Lassiter Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula: Economic Geology, v. 70, p. 982‑992.
**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: 179
Paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar results from the Grant intrusive breccia and comparison to the Permian Downeys Bluff sill — Evidence for Permian igneous activity at Hicks Dome, southern Illinois Basin Paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar results from the Grant intrusive breccia and comparison to the Permian Downeys Bluff sill — Evidence for Permian igneous activity at Hicks Dome, southern Illinois Basin
Igneous processes at Hicks dome, a structural upwarp at lat 37.5° N., long 88.4° W. in the southern part of the Illinois Basin, may have thermally affected regional basinal fluid flow and may have provided fluorine for the formation of the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar district. The timing of both igneous activity and mineralization is poorly known. For this reason, we have dated an...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Martin B. Goldhaber, Lawrence W. Snee
Sediment-magnetic, paleomagnetic, geochemical, and grain size data from Lacustrine sediment in a core from Caledonia Marsh, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon Sediment-magnetic, paleomagnetic, geochemical, and grain size data from Lacustrine sediment in a core from Caledonia Marsh, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
No abstract available.
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, Josh Rapp, M.W. Kerwin, J.W. Drexler, D.P. Adam
Record of middle Pleistocene climate change from Buck Lake, Cascade Range, southern Oregon - Evidence from sediment magnetism, trace-element geochemistry, and pollen Record of middle Pleistocene climate change from Buck Lake, Cascade Range, southern Oregon - Evidence from sediment magnetism, trace-element geochemistry, and pollen
Comparison of systematic variations in sediment magnetic properties to changes in pollen assemblages in middle Pleistocene lake sediments from Buck Lake indicates that the magnetic properties are sensitive to changes in climate. Buck Lake is located in southern Oregon just east of the crest of the Cascade Range. Lacustrine sediments, from 5.2 to 19.4 m in depth in core, contain tephra...
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, D.P. Adam, J. Drexler, A.M. Sarna-Wojcicki, G.C. Whitney
Environmental magnetic implications of greigite (Fe3S4) formation in a 3 m.y. lake sediment record from Butte Valley, northern California Andrew Environmental magnetic implications of greigite (Fe3S4) formation in a 3 m.y. lake sediment record from Butte Valley, northern California Andrew
Authigenic greigite (Fe3S4) has been identified in several horizons of lake beds in a 102-m core from Butte Valley, northern California, using mineral magnetic methods and x-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of greigite has several implications for the paleoenvironmental record from Butte Valley. First, its occurrence in 2.5–3.0 Ma strata confirms that greigite can persist in the...
Authors
P. Roberts, R. L. Reynolds, K.L. Verosub, D.P. Adam
Sediment magnetic, paleomagnetic, and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustrine sediment in a core from Grass Lake, Siskiyou County, California Sediment magnetic, paleomagnetic, and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustrine sediment in a core from Grass Lake, Siskiyou County, California
Sediment magnetic and geochemical results have been obtained from the top 60 meters of lacustrine sediments recovered in two cores from Tule Lake in northern California. The sediment magnetic and geochemical data, presented here in tabular form, complement studies of diatoms and pollen in the cores that are the bases for published paleoclimatic interpretations. This report also documents...
Authors
Patti J. Best, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, John W. Drexler, David P. Adam
Sediment magnetic and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustine sediment in two cores from Tule Lake, Siskiyou County, California Sediment magnetic and geochemical data from Quaternary lacustine sediment in two cores from Tule Lake, Siskiyou County, California
Sediment magnetic and geochemical results have been obtained from the top 60 meters of lacustrine sediments recovered in two cores from Tule Lake in northern California. The sediment magnetic and geochemical data, presented here in tabular form, complement studies of diatoms and pollen in the cores that are the bases for published paleoclimatic interpretations. This report also documents...
Authors
Patti J. Best, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Walter E. Dean, Jeannine Honey, John W. Drexler, David P. Adam
Magnetic records of climate change Magnetic records of climate change
Sediments deposited on the sea floor, on lake bottoms, as well as on land as accumulations of windblown silt (loess) and as ancient soils (paleosols) formed in the loess possess many different properties that record past changes in climate. Geologically recoverable information on paleoclimate includes changes in global temperature as it may affect global ice volume and thus temperature...
Authors
R. L. Reynolds, J.W. King
Heavy-mineral placer deposits of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico Heavy-mineral placer deposits of the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico
No abstract available.
Authors
R. S. Zech, R. L. Reynolds, J. G. Rosenbaum, I. K. Brownfield
Sediment magnetic and paleomagnetic data from Buck Lake, Oregon Sediment magnetic and paleomagnetic data from Buck Lake, Oregon
Sediment magnetic and paleomagnetic studies were conducted on a core from Buck Lake, Klamath County, Oregon, that was collected as part of an investigation into the Quaternary climate history of the western United States. This report documents the methods used to obtain paleomagnetic directions, magnetic properties, and ancillary data, and presents these data in tabular form. Adam (1993)...
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, P.L. Fitzmaurice, J.W. Drexler, C.G. Whitney, D.P. Adam
Lake Michigan's late Quaternary limnological and climate history from ostracode, oxygen isotope, and magnetic susceptibility Lake Michigan's late Quaternary limnological and climate history from ostracode, oxygen isotope, and magnetic susceptibility
The limnology of Lake Michigan has changed dramatically since the late Pleistocene in response to the expansion and contraction of continental glaciers, to differential isostatic rebound, and to climate change. The lake sediment's stratigraphic trends, magnetic susceptibility, δ18O, and ostracode species abundance ratios provide criteria to identify the lake's response to glacial ice and...
Authors
Richard M. Forester, Steven M. Colman, Richard L. Reynolds, Loyd D. Keigwin
Lake-level history of Lake Michigan for the past 12,000 years: the record from deep lacustrine sediments Lake-level history of Lake Michigan for the past 12,000 years: the record from deep lacustrine sediments
Collection and analysis of an extensive set of seismic-reflection profiles and cores from southern Lake Michigan have provided new data that document the history of the lake basin for the past 12,000 years. Analyses of the seismic data, together with radiocarbon dating, magnetic, sedimentologic, isotopic, and paleontologic studies of core samples, have allowed us to reconstruct lake...
Authors
Steven M. Colman, Richard M. Forester, Richard L. Reynolds, Donald S. Sweetkind, John W. King, Paul Gangemi, Glenn A. Jones, Loyd D. Keigwin, David S. Foster
Magnetization and geochemistry of greigite-bearing Cretaceous strata, North Slope basin, Alaska Magnetization and geochemistry of greigite-bearing Cretaceous strata, North Slope basin, Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Michele L. Tuttle, Cynthia A. Rice, Neil S. Fishman, John A. Karachewski, David M. Sherman
Non-USGS Publications**
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Major element petrochemistry of some extrusive rocks from the volcanically active Mariana Islands: Bulletin Volcanologique, v. 39, p. 361-377.
Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleomagnetism of Miocene volcanics of Guam and the curvature of the southern Mariana Island Arc: Geological Society America Bulletin, v. 86, p. 346‑350.
Levi, S., Merrill, R.T., Larson, E.E., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Paleosecular variation of lavas from the Marianas in the Western Pacific Ocean: Journal Geomagnetism and Geoelectricity, v. 27, p. 57-66.
Rowley, P.D., Williams, P.L., Schmidt, D.L., Reynolds, R.L., and others, 1975, Copper mineralization along the Lassiter Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula: Economic Geology, v. 70, p. 982‑992.
**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.
*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