Robert McDermott, Ph.D.
Rob McDermott is a USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alaska Science Center in Anchorage, Alaska. His primary research tool is low-temperature thermochronology (particularly the (U-Th)/He system in Fe-oxide, apatite, and zircon), complemented by detailed field and microtextural observations and modeling of thermal processes.
Current USGS research is focused on better understanding the tectonic and metallogenic evolution of Alaska through geochemistry and thermochronology of heavy minerals in river sediments. Past and ongoing research projects are geared towards deconvolving the rock record of paleoearthquakes, dating fault slip and mineralization, and investigating tectonic and landscape evolution in the Wasatch (northern UT) and Denali (southwest Yukon) fault zones. He holds a B.S. (2014) in Geology with a mathematics concentration from the University of Pittsburgh and a PhD (2020) from Utah State University.
Professional Experience
2020 - Present Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, Anchorage, AK
2014 - 2020 Graduate Research Assistant, Utah State University, Logan, UT
2018 Instructor (Geologic Field Methods), Utah State University, Logan, UT
2014 NAGT/USGS Intern, Menlo Park, CA
2012 - 2014 Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2020 Utah State University, Logan, UT Geology
B.S. 2014 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA Geology
Science and Products
Dating fault damage along the eastern Denali fault zone with hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry
Unraveling complex slip histories in fault damage zones to understand relations among deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and surface uplift remains a challenge. The dextral eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ; southwest Yukon, Canada) bounds the Kluane Ranges and hosts a variety of fault-related rocks, including hematite fault surfaces, which have been exhumed through the brittle regime over a prot
Thermotectonic history of the Kluane Ranges and evolution of the eastern Denali Fault Zone in southwestern Yukon, Canada
Exhumation and landscape evolution along strike‐slip fault systems reflect tectonic processes that accommodate and partition deformation in orogenic settings. We present 17 new apatite (U‐Th)/He (He), zircon He, apatite fission‐track (FT), and zircon FT dates from the eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ) that bounds the Kluane Ranges in Yukon, Canada. The dates elucidate patterns of deformation along
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Dating fault damage along the eastern Denali fault zone with hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry
Unraveling complex slip histories in fault damage zones to understand relations among deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and surface uplift remains a challenge. The dextral eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ; southwest Yukon, Canada) bounds the Kluane Ranges and hosts a variety of fault-related rocks, including hematite fault surfaces, which have been exhumed through the brittle regime over a prot
Thermotectonic history of the Kluane Ranges and evolution of the eastern Denali Fault Zone in southwestern Yukon, Canada
Exhumation and landscape evolution along strike‐slip fault systems reflect tectonic processes that accommodate and partition deformation in orogenic settings. We present 17 new apatite (U‐Th)/He (He), zircon He, apatite fission‐track (FT), and zircon FT dates from the eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ) that bounds the Kluane Ranges in Yukon, Canada. The dates elucidate patterns of deformation along
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.