I am a Research Geologist interesested in understanding how processes of erosion and faulting interact to shape Earth’s surface. I study these phenomena through geologic maps, laboratory techniques that measure the history of rocks being exhumed toward the surface, and with measurements and models of Earth's surface topography.
I came to the USGS as a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow in 2016 to study landscape evolution in the Southern Rocky Mountains and to help complete a facility for measuring the cooling histories of minerals as part of the Mineral Resources Program. In 2018 I transitioned to a job as a Research Geologist funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping program, where I work now. In this capacity I conduct regional-scale geologic mapping and synthesis of Quaternary sedimentary deposits with the goal of ultimately establishing a seamlesss national-scale geologic map database that can aid in the characterization of geologic hazards and natural resources. This work is currently focused in two regions, in Arkansas and in a large transect spanning the Intermountain West, for which I also serve as the lead of the surficial geologic working group.
In addition to these roles I conduct research into the mechanisms of landscape evolution in an effort to better interpret the geologic record of natural hazards and past environmental change, focusing on two broad classifications of problems. First, I seek to develop numerical and statistical models to refine geologic inferences made from geochronologic data and to quantify uncertainty in those interpretations. Second, I try to understand the connection between earth surface processes, landscape form, and recent geologic deposits by developing numerical models that enable simulation of these phenomena. In these efforts I am interested in developing approaches for characterizing landscape evolution through paired analysis of topographic and geologic map data.
Prior to starting at the USGS I obtained my PhD from Stanford University in 2016, where I studied how sediment transport and erosion processes shaped hillslopes and river networks, and how some micro-climatic gradients enduced by aspect differences influenced these processes. In 2011 I obtained my MSc from UC Santa Cruz, where I had also obtained my BS a few years earlier. It was at UC Santa Cruz that I first got excited about geologic mapping and where I developed an interest in using low-temperature thermochronology to study histories of faulting.
Education and Certifications
Stanford University, PhD in Geology
UC Santa Cruz, MS in Geology
UC Santa Cruz, BS Earth Science
Science and Products
National Quaternary Geology
National Geologic Synthesis
Argon Geochronology
Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect
Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West
Science and Products
- Publications
- Science
National Quaternary Geology
Quaternary geologic deposits represent important reservoirs of hydrologic, aggregate, and other resources and preserve a record of landscape evolution and the distribution and frequency of geologic hazards. These deposits are cataloged in thousands of geologic maps produced over many decades, but many are inconsistent with their neighbors, decades out of date, only available as static...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...Argon Geochronology
This project supports the USGS argon geochronology laboratory in Denver. The USGS 40Ar/39Ar geochronology laboratory is a state-of-the-art research facility for determining absolute ages of minerals and rocks. The 40Ar/39Ar laboratory contributes critical geochronology to individual USGS research projects and to partners in academia and other Federal agencies. This laboratory develops methodology...Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect
The Ozark Dome-Arkoma Basin-Ouachita Transect (ODABOuT) project examines the three-dimensional geology of a transect of the southern orogenic margin of North America in its best surface exposure in western Arkansas. The Ozark Dome and Arkoma Basin represent a foreland uplift and foreland basin that formed as a result of the impinging Ouachita orogenic belt. Understanding the geometry and evolution...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... - Data
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