Research
Broadly speaking, my research is focused on how deformation is accommodated across major strike-slip or transpressional boundaries at a variety of lithospheric levels. I also have a scholarship of teaching project examining students' spatial visualization skills.
San Andreas fault
I have been working in central California since 2003 to better understand the distribution of plate boundary deformation along the creeping segment of the San Andreas fault. I have worked with several Carleton undergraduate students on characterizing off-fault deformation adjacent to the Rinconada fault (Zack McGuire '07 and Sarah Crump '10), who worked with Bernie Housen on their paleomagnetic datasets. More recently, we have been examining deformation at Kettleman Hills (Alice Newman '11 and Amanda Yourd '11, both pictured at right in snake chaps).New Caledonia
I collected a large dataset across a mantle shear zone in New Caledonia in 2004. Recently, I have been developing quantitative kinematic models to characterize strain within the shear zone with Joshua Davis.Cyprus
The Troodos ophiolite in Cyprus includes a paleotransform fault exposed at mid-crustal levels, making the region a nice link between upper-crustal deformation in the San Andreas fault and mantle deformation recorded in New Caledonia. I've been working with Chelsea Scott '10 to characterize deformation using field data and kinematic modeling.Spatial visualization
Geologic structures are inherently three-dimensional. Thus it is important for geologists (both professional and students alike) to be able to picture structures both in 3D space as well as how they might appear on a 2D map, and easily toggle between these two different representations. I have been developing a series of instructional materials with Eric Horsman that try to give students frequent practice with different component skills within a geologic context.
