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
Holocene and recent sediment accumulation rates in southern Lake Michigan Holocene and recent sediment accumulation rates in southern Lake Michigan
Rates of sediment accumulation in Lake Michigan are a key component of its geologic history and provide important data related to societal concerns such as shoreline erosion and the fate of anthropogenic pollutants. Previous attempts to reconstruct Holocene rates of sediment accumulation in Lake Michigan, as well as in the other Laurentian Great Lakes, have been bedeviled by the effect...
Authors
Steven M. Colman, J.W. King, Glenn A. Jones, R. L. Reynolds, Michael H. Bothner
Recognition of primary and diagenetic magnetizations to determine the magnetic polarity record and timing of deposition of the moat-fill rocks of the Oligocene Creede Caldera, Colorado Recognition of primary and diagenetic magnetizations to determine the magnetic polarity record and timing of deposition of the moat-fill rocks of the Oligocene Creede Caldera, Colorado
Sedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks of the Oligocene Creede Formation fill the moat of the Creede caldera, which formed at about 26.9 Ma during the eruption of the Snowshoe Mountain Tuff. Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic studies of two cores (418 and 703 m long) that penetrated the lower half of the Creede Formation, in addition to paleomagnetic and isotopic dating studies of...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Donald S. Sweetkind, Marvin A. Lanphere, Andrew P. Robert, Kenneth L. Verosub
Evaluation of the Federal-State Cooperative observation well network in upstate New York, 1995-97 Evaluation of the Federal-State Cooperative observation well network in upstate New York, 1995-97
The U.S. Geological Survey?s Federal-State cooperative observation well network in upstate New York was evaluated in terms of areal coverage, objectives, and short- and long-term expansion plans. This report presents a history of the observation well network in upstate New York and depicts, on maps, the distribution of observation wells with respect to climatic regions, physiographic...
Authors
Richard J. Reynolds
Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility as a tool for recognizing core deformation: Reevaluation of the paleomagnetic record of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility as a tool for recognizing core deformation: Reevaluation of the paleomagnetic record of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California
At Owens Lake, California, paleomagnetic data document the Matuyama/Brunhes polarity boundary near the bottom of a 323-m core (OL-92) and display numerous directional fluctuations throughout the Brunhes chron. Many of the intervals of high directional dispersion were previously interpreted to record magnetic excursions. For the upper ~120 m, these interpretations were tested using the...
Authors
Joseph Rosenbaum, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph Smoot, Robert Meyer
Hydrogeology of the Beaver Kill Basin in Sullivan, Delaware, and Ulster Counties, New York Hydrogeology of the Beaver Kill Basin in Sullivan, Delaware, and Ulster Counties, New York
The hydrogeology of the 299-square-mile Beaver Kill basin in the southwestern Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York is depicted in a surficial geologic map and five geologic sections, and is summarized through an analysis of low-flow statistics for the Beaver Kill and its major tributary, Willowemoc Creek. Surficial geologic data indicate that the most widespread geologic units...
Authors
Richard J. Reynolds
Post-Mazama (7 KA) faulting beneath Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon Post-Mazama (7 KA) faulting beneath Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles (3.5 kHz) show that a distinctive, widespread reflection occurs in the sediments beneath Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Coring reveals that this reflection is formed by Mazama tephra (MT), about 7 ka in age. The MT horizon is faulted in many places and locally displaced by as much as 3.1 m. Differential displacement of multiple horizons indicates...
Authors
Steven M. Colman, J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, A.M. Sarna-Wojcicki
Greigite (Fe3S4) as an indicator of drought - The 1912-1994 sediment magnetic record from White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas, USA Greigite (Fe3S4) as an indicator of drought - The 1912-1994 sediment magnetic record from White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas, USA
Combined magnetic and geochemical studies were conducted on sediments from White Rock Lake, a reservoir in suburban Dallas (USA), to investigate how land use has affected sediment and water quality since the reservoir was filled in 1912. The chronology of a 167-cm-long core is constrained by the recognition of the pre-reservoir surface and by 137Cs results. In the reservoir sediments...
Authors
R. L. Reynolds, J. G. Rosenbaum, P. Van Metre, M. Tuttle, E. Callender, A. Goldin
Hydrogeology of the Schodack-Kinderhook Area, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York Hydrogeology of the Schodack-Kinderhook Area, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York
Two glaciodeltaic outwash terraces in southern Rensselaer and northern Columbia Counties, known locally as the Schodack and Kinderhook terraces, consist of ice-contact and outwash sand and gravel and together form a regional, unconfined, stratified-drift aquifer with a combined area of 18.75 square miles. The hydrogeology of these aquifers is summarized on four maps at 1:24,000 scale...
Authors
Richard J. Reynolds
Sources of magnetic anomalies over a sedimentary basin: preliminary results from the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Sources of magnetic anomalies over a sedimentary basin: preliminary results from the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
J. D. Phillips, R. W. Saltus, R. L. Reynolds
Paleomagnetism of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California; reevaluation of magnetic excursions using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility Paleomagnetism of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California; reevaluation of magnetic excursions using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility
No abstract available.
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, Robert Meyer
Chemical, mineralogical, and magnetic characterization of sized fly ash from a coal-fired power plant in Kentucky Chemical, mineralogical, and magnetic characterization of sized fly ash from a coal-fired power plant in Kentucky
No abstract available.
Authors
James D. Cathcart, Richard L. Reynolds, Michael E. Brownfield, James C. Hower
Effects of El Nino on streamflow, lake level, and landslide potential Effects of El Nino on streamflow, lake level, and landslide potential
One of the most important sources of year-to-year climate variation in the Southwest is the El Niño phenomenon of the tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño is a natural but largely unpredictable condition that results from complex interplay among clouds and storms, regional winds, oceanic temperatures, and ocean currents along the equatorial Pacific. Under "normal" conditions, the tropical...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Michael D. Dettinger, Daniel Cayan, Doyle Stephens, Lynn M. Highland, Raymond C. Wilson
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
Holocene and recent sediment accumulation rates in southern Lake Michigan Holocene and recent sediment accumulation rates in southern Lake Michigan
Rates of sediment accumulation in Lake Michigan are a key component of its geologic history and provide important data related to societal concerns such as shoreline erosion and the fate of anthropogenic pollutants. Previous attempts to reconstruct Holocene rates of sediment accumulation in Lake Michigan, as well as in the other Laurentian Great Lakes, have been bedeviled by the effect...
Authors
Steven M. Colman, J.W. King, Glenn A. Jones, R. L. Reynolds, Michael H. Bothner
Recognition of primary and diagenetic magnetizations to determine the magnetic polarity record and timing of deposition of the moat-fill rocks of the Oligocene Creede Caldera, Colorado Recognition of primary and diagenetic magnetizations to determine the magnetic polarity record and timing of deposition of the moat-fill rocks of the Oligocene Creede Caldera, Colorado
Sedimentary and volcaniclastic rocks of the Oligocene Creede Formation fill the moat of the Creede caldera, which formed at about 26.9 Ma during the eruption of the Snowshoe Mountain Tuff. Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic studies of two cores (418 and 703 m long) that penetrated the lower half of the Creede Formation, in addition to paleomagnetic and isotopic dating studies of...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Donald S. Sweetkind, Marvin A. Lanphere, Andrew P. Robert, Kenneth L. Verosub
Evaluation of the Federal-State Cooperative observation well network in upstate New York, 1995-97 Evaluation of the Federal-State Cooperative observation well network in upstate New York, 1995-97
The U.S. Geological Survey?s Federal-State cooperative observation well network in upstate New York was evaluated in terms of areal coverage, objectives, and short- and long-term expansion plans. This report presents a history of the observation well network in upstate New York and depicts, on maps, the distribution of observation wells with respect to climatic regions, physiographic...
Authors
Richard J. Reynolds
Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility as a tool for recognizing core deformation: Reevaluation of the paleomagnetic record of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility as a tool for recognizing core deformation: Reevaluation of the paleomagnetic record of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California
At Owens Lake, California, paleomagnetic data document the Matuyama/Brunhes polarity boundary near the bottom of a 323-m core (OL-92) and display numerous directional fluctuations throughout the Brunhes chron. Many of the intervals of high directional dispersion were previously interpreted to record magnetic excursions. For the upper ~120 m, these interpretations were tested using the...
Authors
Joseph Rosenbaum, Richard L. Reynolds, Joseph Smoot, Robert Meyer
Hydrogeology of the Beaver Kill Basin in Sullivan, Delaware, and Ulster Counties, New York Hydrogeology of the Beaver Kill Basin in Sullivan, Delaware, and Ulster Counties, New York
The hydrogeology of the 299-square-mile Beaver Kill basin in the southwestern Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York is depicted in a surficial geologic map and five geologic sections, and is summarized through an analysis of low-flow statistics for the Beaver Kill and its major tributary, Willowemoc Creek. Surficial geologic data indicate that the most widespread geologic units...
Authors
Richard J. Reynolds
Post-Mazama (7 KA) faulting beneath Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon Post-Mazama (7 KA) faulting beneath Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles (3.5 kHz) show that a distinctive, widespread reflection occurs in the sediments beneath Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Coring reveals that this reflection is formed by Mazama tephra (MT), about 7 ka in age. The MT horizon is faulted in many places and locally displaced by as much as 3.1 m. Differential displacement of multiple horizons indicates...
Authors
Steven M. Colman, J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, A.M. Sarna-Wojcicki
Greigite (Fe3S4) as an indicator of drought - The 1912-1994 sediment magnetic record from White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas, USA Greigite (Fe3S4) as an indicator of drought - The 1912-1994 sediment magnetic record from White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas, USA
Combined magnetic and geochemical studies were conducted on sediments from White Rock Lake, a reservoir in suburban Dallas (USA), to investigate how land use has affected sediment and water quality since the reservoir was filled in 1912. The chronology of a 167-cm-long core is constrained by the recognition of the pre-reservoir surface and by 137Cs results. In the reservoir sediments...
Authors
R. L. Reynolds, J. G. Rosenbaum, P. Van Metre, M. Tuttle, E. Callender, A. Goldin
Hydrogeology of the Schodack-Kinderhook Area, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York Hydrogeology of the Schodack-Kinderhook Area, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York
Two glaciodeltaic outwash terraces in southern Rensselaer and northern Columbia Counties, known locally as the Schodack and Kinderhook terraces, consist of ice-contact and outwash sand and gravel and together form a regional, unconfined, stratified-drift aquifer with a combined area of 18.75 square miles. The hydrogeology of these aquifers is summarized on four maps at 1:24,000 scale...
Authors
Richard J. Reynolds
Sources of magnetic anomalies over a sedimentary basin: preliminary results from the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Sources of magnetic anomalies over a sedimentary basin: preliminary results from the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
No abstract available.
Authors
J. D. Phillips, R. W. Saltus, R. L. Reynolds
Paleomagnetism of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California; reevaluation of magnetic excursions using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility Paleomagnetism of Pleistocene sediments from drill hole OL-92, Owens Lake, California; reevaluation of magnetic excursions using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility
No abstract available.
Authors
J. G. Rosenbaum, R. L. Reynolds, Robert Meyer
Chemical, mineralogical, and magnetic characterization of sized fly ash from a coal-fired power plant in Kentucky Chemical, mineralogical, and magnetic characterization of sized fly ash from a coal-fired power plant in Kentucky
No abstract available.
Authors
James D. Cathcart, Richard L. Reynolds, Michael E. Brownfield, James C. Hower
Effects of El Nino on streamflow, lake level, and landslide potential Effects of El Nino on streamflow, lake level, and landslide potential
One of the most important sources of year-to-year climate variation in the Southwest is the El Niño phenomenon of the tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño is a natural but largely unpredictable condition that results from complex interplay among clouds and storms, regional winds, oceanic temperatures, and ocean currents along the equatorial Pacific. Under "normal" conditions, the tropical...
Authors
Richard L. Reynolds, Michael D. Dettinger, Daniel Cayan, Doyle Stephens, Lynn M. Highland, Raymond C. Wilson
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