Teaching Responsibilities 

Toni Alexander’s teaching responsibilities largely reflect her interests in various areas of human geography.  Her lower-division classes include Global Geography and Cultural Geography.  She also teaches upper-division courses on the topics of Urban Geography and Economic Geography.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Alexander’s training and research interests are primarily within the field of Cultural Geography with a particular interest on socio-spatial relationships.  She is particularly interested patterns ethnic and racial segregation and the social context that promotes or inhibits it.  Other geographic topics of interest include domestic migration and agricultural to urban land use conversion.

Working in conjunction with COSAM Outreach, Dr. Alexander has recently secured funding through an Auburn Outreach Scholarship Grant to study and promote the participation of female high school students in the areas of physical science and mathematics.  The result has been the creation of the L.I.F.E. in Science program.

Other Professional Activities:

Alexander, T., 2005, eInstruction Classroom Performance System remote keypad instructor companion CD for Contemporary World Regional Geography: Global Connections, Local Voices by Bradshaw, White, and Dymond, New York: McGraw-Hill.

Selected References

Alexander, T., 2006, An examination of agricultural to urban land conversion in Stanislaus County, California, 1994-2002:  Papers of the Applied Geography Conferencse, vol. 29, p. 235-244. 

Alexander, T., 2005, “Finland,” “Louisiana,” “Historical Geography” in McColl, R., The Encyclopedia of World Geography, New York: Golson Books.

Alexander, T., 2002, The deceptive landscape: A study in ethnicity in Hornitos, CA, 1860-1900: California Geographer, vol.  42, p. 41-59. 

Phillip L. Chaney,
Associate Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 

Global Geography, Society Culture and the Environment, Economic Geography, U.S. and Canada, Problems of the Southeast, Natural Resource Planning, Physical Geography, Climatology, Environmental Management, Cartography, Map Reading, GIS, Remote Sensing, Field Geography, Natural Hazards.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Natural Hazards: hurricanes, tornadoes, landuse planning, warning systems and response, public awareness.

Coastal landforms: evolution of barrier islands and mainland coasts.

Political boundaries: evolution of boundaries and how they impact human activities.

Agriculture: evolution and spatial diffusion of agricultural crops and livestock.

Selected References

Chaney, P.L. 2007. Storm overwash and the knickpoint effect: Northwest Florida Coast, USA. Journal of Coastal Research 23 (1): 247-254.

Chaney, P. 2005. Spatial distribution pattern of tornado touchdowns in Alabama. Papers of the Applied Geography Conferences 28: 206-215.

Silapajarn, O., Boyd, C.E., Silapajarn, K. and Chaney, P.L. 2004. Effects of channel catfish farming on water quality in Big Prairie Creek, Hale County, Alabama. Bulletin 654, April 2004, Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University, Alabama. 51 pp.

Chaney, P.L. 2003. Tornado warning siren coverage in Lee County, Alabama: a GIS analysis case study. Papers of the Applied Geography Conferences 26: 352-360.

Chaney, P.L. 2002. A climatology of tropical cyclone activity in Alabama: 1886-1999. Journal of the Alabama Academy of Science 73 (1): 7-20.

Beck, J.M., Shaw, J.N., Chaney, P.L. and Hairston, J.E. 2002. Image rectification for recompiling and digitizing soil survey maps. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 57 (2): 95-100.

Chaney, P.L. and Stone, G.W. 1996. Soundside erosion of a nourished beach and implications for winter cold front forcing: West Ship Island, Mississippi. Shore & Beach 64 (1): 27-33.

Stahle, D.W. and Chaney, P.L. 1994. A predictive model for the location of ancient forests. Natural Areas Journal, Summer 1994: 151-158.

Dr. Robert B. Cook,

Professor Emeritus

Teaching Responsibilities 

Robert B. Cook teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Economic Geology, Igneous Petrology, and the Geology of Organic Matter. Emphasis is placed on the exploration, evaluation and development of metallic, industrial mineral and non-petroleum fuel resources and related environmental considerations.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Cook's research interests include the development of geochemical exploration parameters for base and precious metals in deeply weathered terranes, mineral deposit evaluation, ore mineralogy, environmental geochemistry, water resources,  and aggregate resources issues.  His work has led to several discoveries of new, potentially economic mineral occurrences in the southeastern United States.

Dr. Cook currently is involved with the development of a state-wide geochemical database, the description of Piedmont base- and precious-metal deposits, and petrographic quality-control issues and the integration of geologic models into mine planning in the aggregate industry.  Other on-going projects deal with  specific problems related to industrial contamination of shallow groundwater.

Other Professional Activities

Dr. Cook is the representative of higher education on the Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists and is an Executive Editor of Rocks and Minerals magazine. Dr. Cook is interested in the environmental aspects of hydrogeology, having served on teams evaluating the effects of past disposal of potentially hazardous materials for NASA and the Department of Defense. This and similar work for industry has contributed to the design and establishment of groundwater monitoring systems at sites throughout the southeast.

Selected References

Sterling, J.W., Steltenpohl, M.G., and Cook, R.B., 2005, Geology of the southern exposures of the Brevard zone in the Red Hill Quadrangle near Martin dam, Alabama in Steltenpohl, M.G. (Ed.), Southernmost Appalachian Terranes, Alabama and Georgia, Field Guidebook for the Geological Society of America Southeastern Section 2005 Annual Meeting, p. 70-97.

Leicht, W.C., and Cook, R.B., 2004, The Eagles Nest Mine, Placer County, California. Mineralogical Record, vol. 35, p. 65-72.

Cook, R.B, and Pohwat, P., 2003, Llallagua, Bolivia: Mineralogical associations and habits exhibited by micromounts in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution). Mineralogical Record, vol. 34, p. 115.

Turner, J.P., Saunders, J.A., and Cook, R.B., 2002, Petrographic evidence for amorphous silica precursors and geomicrobiologic processes in silicified and pyritized Holocene wood: Geological Society of America Annual Meeting Prorams with Abstract, p. 493.

Cook, R.B., Nicolson, B.E., and Bruce, I.R., 2002, Reopening of the Tsumeb Mine, Namibia: Mineralogical Record, v. 33, p. 78.

Cook, R.B., and Nicolson, B.E., 2002, The occurrence of dioptase in African mineral deposits: Mineralogical Record, v. 33, p. 77-78.

Kelley, J.K., Wu, K.K., Ward, B.A., and Cook, R.B., 2002, Highwall Stability in an open pit stone operation: Proceedings, 21st International Conference on Ground Control in Mining, Morgantown, W.V., p. 228-235.

Cook, R.B., 2001, Sperrylite, Talnakh, Noril'sk district, Siberia, Russia: Rocks and Minerals, V. 76, no. 1, p. 40-42.

Cook, R.B., 2000, Diamond, Jagersfontein Mine, Free State Province, South Africa: Rocks and Minerals, v. 75, no. 5, p. 344- 349.

Hinton, J.L., and Cook, R.B., 1997,  Changing times for the deep south aggregate industry: Technical Program and Abstracts, Society of Mining Engineers Annual Meeting, p. 55.

Saunders, J.A., Pritchett, M.A., and Cook, R.B., 1997, Geochemistry of biogenic pyrite and ferromanganese stream coatings: a bacterial connection? Geomicrobiology Journal, v. 14, p. 203-217.  

Dr. Cyrus Dawsey,
Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 
Dr. Dawsey has taught over a dozen different courses at Auburn.  His present responsibilities include:  Global Geography, Geographic Methods and Techniques, Cartography, and a special topics course on advanced techniques in GIS.

Research Interest and Projects

Dr. Dawsey is the author of over 80 scholarly publications including a book on the settlement of Americans in Brazil immediately after the Civil War.  His research interests include: physical and cultural geography of Latin America; GIS and computer cartography; and migration in Brazil.  In recent years Dr. Dawsey has received a special grant from Intergraph Corporation providing campus-wide free licensing for use of the Geomedia and Geomedia Professional GIS software.

Sample Publications

Books:

Dawsey, C.B., and Dawsey, J.M., 1995, The Confederados: Old South Immigrants in Brazil, University of Alabama Press. This book describes the post-Civil War migration of former Confederates, the survival of the group's culture, and the influence on Brazilian society.  Translated by the authors into Portuguese: Americans: Imigrantes do Velho Sul no Brazil (2005: Editora Unimep).

Articles:

Dawsey, C.B., 2005, Geography in Eakin, M.C., Almeida, P.R., and Barbosa, R.A. (Eds), Envisioning Brazil: A Guide to Brazilian Studies in the United States, 1945-2003. University of Wisconsin Press, p. 309-344.

Dawsey, C.B., 2005, How high am I? Computing elevations from DEMs using Geomedia Professional and Geomedia Grid: Geospatial World Conference Proceedings, Huntsville.

Dawsey, C.B, 2002, Estudos geográficos do Brasil nos Estados Unidos e no Canadá: tendências e perspectivas, 1945-2000, in Almeida, P.R., Eakins, M.C., and Barbosa, R.A., (Eds.) O Brasil dos brasilianistas: um guia dos estudos sobre o Brasil nos Estados Unidos. Sao Paulo; editora Paz e Terra, p. 334 -382.

Dawsey, C.B, 2003, Tendencias recientes en estudios de Brasil por geografos norteamericanos: Tiempos de America (Spain), vol.10, p. 27-42.

Dawsey, C.B., and Dawsey, J.M., 2002, Confederados e Metodistas no Brasil, in Amos Nascimento (Ed.), Brasil: Perspetivas Internacionais, UNIMEP University Press, p. 135-172.

Dawsey, C.B, 1993, An American colony in Brazil; Revisited: Geografia, vol. 18, no. 1.

Dawsey, C.B., 1992, Migration in Brazil: Research during the 1980's, in Martinson, T.L. (Ed.), Benchmark 1990. Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers, vol 17/18, p.109-116.

Dawsey, C.B. and Bailey, W.H., 1992, Roundball geography: A successful grass roots geographic education program: Journal of Geography, vol 91, no. 6.

Dawsey, C.B., 1990, Algorithms for uniform range interval classification: Cartographica, vol 27, no. 1, p. 46-53.

Dawsey, C.B., 1989, Local change at the urban-rural fringe in southeast Brazil: Journal of Cultural Geography, vol. 9, no.2, p. 91-102.

Dr. Willis E. Hames, Associate Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 
Dr. Hames teaches undergraduate courses in Physical Geology, Mineralogy, and Petrology, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in Metamorphic Petrology and Geochronology.

Dr. Hames uses an integrated approach to geologic work that combines several tools of study (field mapping, petrography, the electron microprobe, fluid inclusion techniques, geochronology, and numerical modeling) that allow him to bring a variety of research experiences into classroom instruction and to design projects that match the interests of individual students.

Research Interests and Current Projects

A principal interest of Dr. Hames is the interpretation of Earth's tectonic history as recorded in igneous and metamorphic rocks and minerals.  The general approach to this work is first to study the regional tectonic history of terrains through field mapping and petrology, and then to proceed with more detailed research into the processes that form or change the chemical and isotopic composition of minerals.

For example, Dr. Hames' work in the Appalachians and Caledonides utilizes field relationships and petrology to study the conditions and relationships of the major mountain-building events.  Dr. Hames works to enhance the techniques for this type of research by, for example, investigating the processes that can form and modify garnet composition (commonly used as a basis for temperature and pressure estimates), and by developing new methods and applications for isotopic dating.  Such work has been supported by NSF funding to Dr. Hames and his colleagues, including Dr. Mark Steltenpohl of Auburn University and Dr. Robert Tracy of Virginia Tech.

Much of the current research by Dr. Hames and his students focuses on the evolution of the Early Jurassic 'Central Atlantic Magmatic Province' or CAMP.  Graduate students Daniel Morris and William Branton of Auburn University are studying the petrology of basalt dikes in the southeastern USA and buried flows of the South Georgia Rift basin in an effort to characterize the mechanisms of early Pangean rifting and generation of this large igneous province.  This NSF-sponsored research is in collaboration with Dr. Carolyn Ruppel of Virginia Tech, with scientists at Florida State University (Dr. Vincent Salters and Dr. Paul Ragland) and the University of California at Berkeley (Dr. Paul Renne).

Dr. Hames has worked extensively to enhance and extend the applications of 40Ar/39Ar dating.  Technical innovations in mass spectrometry and 40Ar/39Ar analysis over the past decade, such as micro-sampling with a laser, allow us to address new and increasingly detailed questions about Earth's history.   Much of Dr. Hames' initial work with laser 40Ar/39Ar techniques dealt with laser dating of muscovite from complexly metamorphosed or slowly cooled plutonic rocks.  This work has mainly been pursued with colleagues at MIT (Dr. Kip Hodges and Sam Bowring), the Open University (Dr. Simon Kelley), and Amherst College (Dr. Jack Cheney).  Recently, Dr. Hames geochronologic studies have greatly expanded in scope, and he is currently working to date meteorite impact events (through projects with Dr. David King of Auburn University and Dr. Peter Schultz of Brown University), hominid evolution in Indonesia (with Dr. Andy Kramer of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville), and global climate change in the Carboniferous (with Dr. Hermann Pfefferkorn of the University of Pennsylvania).

This is an exciting time for geochronologic research, as new technical advances facilitate research collaborations and pose new research questions.  Dr. Hames is currently building an automated laser 40Ar/39Ar microanalytical facility at Auburn University, with funding provided by Auburn University.  The new geochronologic facility is scheduled to be commissioned in the fall of 2001.

Selected References

Hames, W.E., Renne, P.R., and Ruppel, C., 2000, New evidence for geologically-instantaneous emplacement of earliest Jurassic Central Atlantic magmatic province basalts on the North American margin. Geology, v. 28, no. 9, p. 859-862.

Klein, A.C., Steltenpohl, M.G., Hames, W.E., and Andresen, A., 1999, Ductile and brittle extension in the Lofoten archipelago, north Norway: implications for differences in tectonic style along an ancient collisional orogen. American Journal of Science, v. 299, p. 69-89.

Schultz, P.H., Zarate, W. Hames, M., Camilion, C., and King, J., 1998, A 3.3-Ma Impact in Argentina and Possible Consequences. Science, v. 282, p. 2061-2063.

Hames, W.E., and Cheney, J.T., 1997, On the retention of 40Ar* in polymetamorphic muscovite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 61, no. 18, p. 3863-3872.

Hames, W.E., and Andresen, A., 1996, The timing of late Paleozoic extension between Norway and Greenland as indicated by laser 40Ar/39Ar muscovite dating. Geology, v. 24, p. 1005-1008.

Dinter, D.A., Macfarlane, A., Hames, W., Isachsen, C., Bowring, S., and Royden, L., 1995, U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of the Symvolon Granodiorite: Implications for the thermal and structural evolution of the Rhodope metamorphic core complex, northeastern Greece.

Tectonics, v. 16, no. 4, p. 886-908.

Hames, W.E., and Bowring, S.A., 1994, An empirical study of the argon diffusion geometry in muscovite. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 124, p. 161-169.

Dr. Joshua Inwood
Assistant Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 
Josh Inwood’s teaching philosophy focuses on teaching students to think critically about the world in which they live.  Dr. Inwood strives to show his students the ways geography directly connects with their lives, with a focus on the way the organization of space affects and influences their lives and the lives of others.  His teaching responsibilities include The Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, Urban Geography, and Global Geography. 

Research Interests and Current Projects
Dr.  Inwood’s current and future research interests center upon urban development, contested notions of identity, landscape studies, social justice and the racialization of place.  His overarching research goal is to integrate critical theory with an empirically-grounded analysis of key urban questions.  Through his research Dr. Inwood contributes to literatures that include urban geography, cultural geography, qualitative methods, social justice, and race critical theory. 

Dr. Inwood’s research on Auburn Avenue recognizes the multiple racialized identities that places carry, the significance of conflict within communities, and the power of memorials to remake urban landscapes.  By acknowledging the place-making agency of African Americans, his research counters stereotypes of racial powerlessness and advances our understanding of the construction of race and place.  In addition, Dr. Inwood’s work on Auburn Avenue focuses on the connection between political ideology, the construction of racialized identity, and the development of urban space. 

Other Professional Activities:

Dr. Inwood participated in the Summer Institute for the Geographies of Justice. May 28-June 1, Athens, Georgia which focused on social justice and geography.   In addition, he has co-organized several sessions at regional and national meetings, including Racialized Places, Racialized Bodies: The Impact of Racialization on Individual and Place Identities; Critical Perspectives on the American South; and Toward a Critical Understanding of Social Justice and Geography in the American South. 

Selected References:

Inwood, J. 2007. “Thinking Through the Concept of Social Justice: Preliminary Thoughts.” Southeastern Geographer 47 (1) 101-103.

Inwood, J. 2005. “Making the Legal Visible: Wilhelmina Griffin Jones’ Experience of Living in Alabama during Segregation.” Southeastern Geographer 45 (1) 54-66.

Inwood, J. 2002. “Seeing the Blind: Humanism and the Blind Experience of Place.” Geographic Bulletin 44 (1) 42-50.

Dr. David T. King, Jr., Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 
At the undergraduate level, Dr. King regularly teaches introductory-level Physical Geology, junior-level Lunar and Planetary Geology, and senior-level Stratigraphy.  He is one of several faculty members who offer team-taught graduate courses in sedimentary geology and stratigraphy, including Facies Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy and Cycles through Earth History. Dr. King also teaches geology elective courses for undergraduates titled Lunar and Planetary Geology and Alabama Dinosaurs.  He is a former instructor in the Human Odyssey Program (1997-1999), and now teaches annually in the Concepts of Science Program. From 1980 to 2000, he taught many sections of Historical Geology, Engineering Geology, Advanced Stratigraphy, and other courses under the now-ended quarter system. In addition to teaching, he is an academic advisor for undergraduate students and directs graduate-student research in his specialty areas.

Research Interests and Current Projects
Dr. King's current research interest is the effect of asteroid and comet impact upon Earth history and the stratigraphic record. His current research projects include studies of (1) Wetumpka impact crater in Elmore County, Alabama; (2) Cretaceous-Tertiary impact-boundary stratigraphy in the Gulf Coastal plain and in Belize and adjacent Mexico; and (3) other impact structures, including Chesapeake Bay crater in Virginia, and possible impact structures including Kilmichael structure in Mississippi. From 1980-1995, most of his work focused on facies analysis, sequence stratigraphy, sea-level dynamics, and clastic aquifer properties of Alabama’s Upper Cretaceous stratigraphic section.  He maintains an interest in basic stratigraphic research, particularly in the Gulf Coastal plain and in Belize. In the past, Dr. King has studied Jurassic Smackover Limestone of south Alabama hydrocarbon basins, Waulsortian (Early Mississippian) buildups and reefs in the North American mid-continent and globally, Late Cretaceous dinosaur biogeography, lunar regolith grain sizes, chert petrology and metamorphism, and petrology and diagenesis of limestone, chalk, and marl. He maintains a strong interest in the history of stratigraphy and is a former Commissioner of the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (1997-2000). In 1982, while doing field studies in Montgomery County, Alabama, he discovered the most complete eastern North American tyrannosaurid dinosaur, which belongs to Auburn University. Since 1980, Dr. King has supervised 20 geology graduate-student (MS) thesis projects.

Dr. King's recent research has been funded by a Dean’s Research Initiative (Wetumpka impact crater), the National Geographic Society (clastic aquifers), Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (Smackover Limestone), and Vulcan Materials Company (Wetumpka impact crater). In the past, his research has been funded by Chevron USA, ARCO, Inc., American Chemical Society, USDA/CSRS/Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, USGS/Water Resources Research Institute, General Crude Oil Minerals, Inc., the National Science Foundation, and Auburn University Grants-in-Aid.

Professional Awards
Dr. King has been honored as the outstanding science/math faculty member in the former School of Arts and Sciences (1985) and as an Auburn Alumni Association outstanding teacher (1989).  

Dr. King received a 2004 Grover C. Murray Award for the outstanding paper in the Transactions of the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies.

Selected References  
King, D. T., Jr., and L. W. Petruny, 2007, Impact spherule-bearing, Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sand body, Shell Creek stratigraphic section, Alabama, USA, in Evans, K., et al., eds., The Sedimentary Record of Impacts:  Geological Society of America and the Society for Sedimentary Geology Special Publication (in press).

King, D. T., Jr., L. W. Petruny, and T. L. Neathery, 2007, Ecosystem perturbation caused by a small, Late Cretaceous marine impact, Gulf Coastal Plain, USA: in Monechi, S., R. Coccioni, and M. R. Rampino, eds., Large ecosystem perturbations: causes and consequences: Geological Society of America, Special Paper 424 (in press). 

King, D. T., Jr. and L. W. Petruny, 2006, Cosmic impact in the coastal plain of Mississippi? The Kilmichael structure: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 56, p. 341-351. 

King, D. T., Jr., J. Ormö, L. W. Petruny, and T. L. Neathery, 2006, Role of sea water in the formation of the Late Cretaceous Wetumpka impact structure, inner Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama, USA: Meteoritics and Planetary Science, v. 41, p. 1625-1631. 

King, D. T., Jr., L. W. Petruny, and T. L. Neathery, 2006, Paleobiologic effects of the Late Cretaceous Wetumpka marine impact, a 7.6-km diameter impact structure, Gulf Coastal Plain, USA: in Cockell, C., I. Gilmour, and C. Koeberl, eds., Biological processes associated with impact events (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 121-142.

King, D. T., Jr., and L.W. Petruny, 2005, Cretaceous-Tertiary microtektite-bearing sands and tsunami beds, Alabama Gulf Coastal Plain:  Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 55, p. 382-391.

Pope, K. O., A. C. Ocampo, A. G. Fischer, F. J. Vega, D. E. Ames , D. T. King, Jr., B. W. Fouke, R. J. Wachtman, and G. Kletetschka, 2005, Chicxulub impact ejecta deposits in southern Quintana Roo, México, and central Belize: in Kenkman, T., F. P. Hörz, and A. Deutsch, eds., Large Meteorite Impacts III: Geological Society of America Special Publication 384, p. 171-190.

 King, D.T., Jr., K.O. Pope, and L.W. Petruny, 2004, Stratigraphy of Belize, north of the 17th parallel: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 54, p. 289-304. 

King, D.T., Jr., and L.W. Petruny, 2003c, Trans-Alabama superbolide of 5 December 1999: EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, v. 84, no. 27, p. 253 and 257. 

King, D.T., Jr., L.W. Petruny, and K.O. Pope, 2003, Shallow-marine facies of the Orange Walk group, Miocene-Pliocene, northern Belize (Central America): Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 53, p. 384-397. 

King, D.T., Jr., T. L. Neathery, and L. W. Petruny, 2003, Crater-filling sediments of the Wetumpka marine-target impact crater (Alabama, USA), in Dypvik, H., M.J. Burchell, and P. Claeys, eds., Cratering in marine environments and on ice (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 97-113.   

King, D. T., Jr., and L. W. Petruny, 2003b, Stratigraphy and sedimentology of Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary breccia deposits at Albion Island, Belize, in Koeberl, C., and F. Martinez-Ruiz, eds., Impact markers in the stratigraphic record (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 203-228.

King, D. T., Jr., and L. W. Petruny, 2003a, Application of stratigraphic nomenclature to terrestrial impact-derived and impact-related materials, in Koeberl, C., and F. Martinez-Ruiz, eds., Impact markers in the stratigraphic record (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 41-64.

King, D. T., Jr., T. L. Neathery, L. W. Petruny, C. Koeberl, and W. E. Hames, 2002, Shallow marine-impact origin for the Wetumpka structure (Alabama, USA): Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 202, p. 41-549. 

King, D. T., Jr., and L. W. Petruny, 2007, Impact spherule-bearing, Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary sand body, Shell Creek stratigraphic section, Alabama, USA, in Evans, K., et al., eds., The Sedimentary Record of Impacts:  Geological Society of America and the Society for Sedimentary Geology Special Publication (in press).

King, D. T., Jr., L. W. Petruny, and T. L. Neathery, 2007, Ecosystem perturbation caused by a small, Late Cretaceous marine impact, Gulf Coastal Plain, USA: in Monechi, S., R. Coccioni, and M. R. Rampino, eds., Large ecosystem perturbations: causes and consequences: Geological Society of America, Special Paper 424 (in press). 

King, D. T., Jr. and L. W. Petruny, 2006, Cosmic impact in the coastal plain of Mississippi? The Kilmichael structure: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 56, p. 341-351. 

King, D. T., Jr., J. Ormö, L. W. Petruny, and T. L. Neathery, 2006, Role of sea water in the formation of the Late Cretaceous Wetumpka impact structure, inner Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama, USA: Meteoritics and Planetary Science, v. 41, p. 1625-1631. 

King, D. T., Jr., L. W. Petruny, and T. L. Neathery, 2006, Paleobiologic effects of the Late Cretaceous Wetumpka marine impact, a 7.6-km diameter impact structure, Gulf Coastal Plain, USA: in Cockell, C., I. Gilmour, and C. Koeberl, eds., Biological processes associated with impact events (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 121-142.

King, D. T., Jr., and L.W. Petruny, 2005, Cretaceous-Tertiary microtektite-bearing sands and tsunami beds, Alabama Gulf Coastal Plain:  Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 55, p. 382-391.

Pope, K. O., A. C. Ocampo, A. G. Fischer, F. J. Vega, D. E. Ames , D. T. King, Jr., B. W. Fouke, R. J. Wachtman, and G. Kletetschka, 2005, Chicxulub impact ejecta deposits in southern Quintana Roo, México, and central Belize: in Kenkman, T., F. P. Hörz, and A. Deutsch, eds., Large Meteorite Impacts III: Geological Society of America Special Publication 384, p. 171-190.

 King, D.T., Jr., K.O. Pope, and L.W. Petruny, 2004, Stratigraphy of Belize, north of the 17th parallel: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 54, p. 289-304. 

King, D.T., Jr., and L.W. Petruny, 2003c, Trans-Alabama superbolide of 5 December 1999: EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, v. 84, no. 27, p. 253 and 257. 

King, D.T., Jr., L.W. Petruny, and K.O. Pope, 2003, Shallow-marine facies of the Orange Walk group, Miocene-Pliocene, northern Belize (Central America): Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 53, p. 384-397. 

King, D.T., Jr., T. L. Neathery, and L. W. Petruny, 2003, Crater-filling sediments of the Wetumpka marine-target impact crater (Alabama, USA), in Dypvik, H., M.J. Burchell, and P. Claeys, eds., Cratering in marine environments and on ice (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 97-113.   

King, D. T., Jr., and L. W. Petruny, 2003b, Stratigraphy and sedimentology of Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary breccia deposits at Albion Island, Belize, in Koeberl, C., and F. Martinez-Ruiz, eds., Impact markers in the stratigraphic record (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 203-228.

King, D. T., Jr., and L. W. Petruny, 2003a, Application of stratigraphic nomenclature to terrestrial impact-derived and impact-related materials, in Koeberl, C., and F. Martinez-Ruiz, eds., Impact markers in the stratigraphic record (Impact Studies): Berlin, Springer-Verlag, p. 41-64.

King, D. T., Jr., T. L. Neathery, L. W. Petruny, C. Koeberl, and W. E. Hames, 2002, Shallow marine-impact origin for the Wetumpka structure (Alabama, USA): Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 202, p. 41-549.

Dr. Ming-Kuo Lee,
Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 

Ming-Kuo Lee teaches undergraduate courses in Physical Geology and Environmental Geology. At the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels, he teaches courses in Hydrogeology, Groundwater Modeling, and Mineral Resources and Environment.  These courses emphasize principles of hydrological sciences and their applications in environmental protection and in petroleum and minerals exploration.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Lee's research spans many areas in hydrogeology and environmental geology. Active research involves: (1) groundwater geochemistry and microbiology; (2) in situ bioremediation of metals-contaminated groundwater; (3) basin hydrology modeling; and (4) earthquake hydrology. 

Selected References (*student contribution)

Lee, M.-K., Griffin*, J., Saunders, J.A., Wang, Y., Jean, J., 2006, Reactive transport of trace elements and isotopes in Alabama coastal plain aquifers, Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, in press.

Hansom*, J., and Lee, M.-K., 2005, Effects of hydrocarbon generation, basal heat flow, and sediment compaction on overpressure development: A numerical study, Petroleum Geosciences, v. 11, 353-360.

Penny*, E., Lee, M.-K., and Morton, C., 2003, Groundwater and microbial processes of the Alabama coastal plain aquifers: Water Resources Research, v. 39(11), 1320, doi:10.1029/2003WR001963. 

Lee, M.-K., and Saunders, J. A., 2003, Effects of pH on metals precipitation and sorption: Field bioremediation and geochemical modeling approaches: Vadose Zone Journal, v. 2, 177-185.  

Lee, M.-K., and Williams*, D. D., 2000, Paleohydrology of the Delaware basin, western Texas: Overpressure development, hydrocarbon migration, and ore genesis: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 84, 961-974. 

Dr. Ronald D. Lewis,
Associate Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 

At the undergraduate level, Dr. Lewis teaches Historical Geology and Principles of Paleontology, an introductory course in paleobiology.  He also teaches Invertebrate Paleontology at the advanced-undergraduate and graduate level. This course emphasizes fossil preservation (taphonomy) and includes laboratory experiments. At the graduate level, Dr. Lewis and Dr. Wolf teach a professional development course called Geocommunication, a required course focusing on the journal article and research proposal.  He also teaches the carbonate portion of  Facies Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy, and along with Dr. Savrda, he teaches a graduate seminar known as Issues in Paleontology.  Directed Studies courses taught by Dr. Lewis include a course in Actualistic Paleontology, the study of modern-day organisms to better interpret life of the geologic past, and a field course in Carbonate Depositional Systems at San Salvador Bahamas.  

Research Interests and Current Projects

Dr. Lewis' research deals primarily with the taphonomy of echinoderms and other invertebrates.  Dr. Lewis is a strong advocate of the actualistic approach in paleontology, so present-day invertebrates are studied in their natural habitat and are often the subjects of field experiments.  Currently, Dr. Lewis and his graduate students are studying the ecology and taphonomy of modern-day large benthic foraminifera at the outer islands of the Bahamas. The echinoid (sea urchin) fauna of the Bahamas is another current research interest of Dr. Lewis. Cretaceous and tertiary echinoid taphonomy are closely related research interests.

Since coming to Auburn University, Dr. Lewis has established a program of teaching and research at the island of San Salvador in the Bahamas, applying the principles of actualistic paleontology to Recent and Pleistocene deposits there.  To date, four M.S. theses have been completed based on student research done there, and three more are in progress. This program has been funded by Auburn University, the National Science Foundation, AAPG, and GSA.  Dr. Lewis and Dr. Bruce Panuska of Mississippi State University recently edited and published the proceedings volume from the 11th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, which includes a good sampling of the varied research done at San Salvador by researchers from across the country. Dr. Lewis is also pursuing his interest in the history of actualistic research. Recently the focus has been on the life and contributions of Rudolf Richter.

Other Professional Activities

Dr. Lewis is the co-author of a well-received laboratory manual for Historical Geology (Deciphering Earth History: Exercises in Historical Geology), with R.A. Gastaldo and C.E. Savrda, now in its third edition).

Selected References
FORAMINIFERA

Lewis, R.D., 2004, Foraminiferal assemblages and reef-sediment petrographic criteria as evidence for relative distance from shore for Pleistocene reefs, San Salvador, Bahamas: Preliminary Results, in Lewis, R.D., and Panusca, B.C., eds.,  Proceedings of the 11th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 6-10, 2002: Gerace Research Center, San Salvador, Bahamas, p. 83-94.

Peebles, M. W., and R.D. Lewis, 1991, Surface textures of benthic foraminifera from San Salvador, Bahamas. Journal of Foraminiferal Research, v. 21, p. 285-292.

Lewis, R. D., C. R. Chambers, and M. W. Peebles, 1990, Grain morphology and surface textures of Recent and Pleistocene crinoid plates, San Salvador, Bahamas: PALAIOS, v. 5, p. 570-579.

Peebles, M. W., and Lewis, R. D., 1988, Differential infestation of shallow-water benthic foraminifera by microboring organisms: Potential taxonomic biases in preservation potential: PALAIOS, v. 3, p. 345-351.

ECHINOIDS

Schein, J.P., and R.D. Lewis, 2001, The relationship between living echinoid populations and their skeletal remains in the sea-floor sediment, San Salvador, Bahamas, in Greenstein, J.G., and Carney, C.K., Proceedings of the 10th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, June 8-12, 2000: Gerace Research Center, San Salvador, Bahamas, p. 163-174.

Lewis, R.D., J.P. Schein, and M.T. Sadler, 2000.  Echinoid skeletal fragments in sea-floor sediment, San Salvador, Bahamas: Fidelity studies using sand-sized material. Geological Society of America, Annual Meeting, Reno, Nevada, November 2000. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, vol. 32, no 7, p. A446.

Lewis, R.D., and M. Sadler, 1997, Meoma ventricosa (Echinodermata): A case study in classical actuopaleontology. Geological Society of America 46th Annual Southeastern Section, March 27-28, 1997. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, vol. 29, no. 3, p. 31-32.

HISTORY OF GEOLOGY

Lewis, R.D., 2004, Why was Rudolf Richter's Aktuopaläontologie not embraced by U.S. paleontologists? Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, vol. 36, no. 5, p. 245.

Lewis, R.D., 2003, Rudolf Richter and today's actualistic paleontology: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, vol. 35, no. 6, p. 206.

Dr. Tom L. Martinson,
Professor Emeritus

Teaching Responsibilities 

Dr. Martinson has attempted to strike a balance among  teaching, research, and service in his forty years as a  professor of Geography at five universities. Dr. Martinson has taught over thirty separate courses in his  career, including Auburn's first full multimedia Web-based  course, its first quarter-long live inter-university  televised course, and the first Web-based course approved  for distance learning by the Southern Regional Education  Board. Dr. Martinson has taught workshops at Auburn and in  Latin America (in Spanish) on implementing digital  technology in Geography instruction.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Martinson has received over forty grants to support his  travel, research, and service activities, including many competitive grants and awards. Among these was an award from  the Daniel F. Breeden Endowment for Faculty Enhancement in  recognition of excellence in teaching. He has offered over  seventy presentations on his research activities, has written, edited, or written chapters in ten books, has over  thirty published papers on his research, and has written over thirty reviews and abstracts. Dr. Martinson continues  his research and publication in Cultural Geography and the Geography of Latin America.

Other Professional Activities

Dr. Martinson has served as a Director of International  Studies, Associate Director of Research, and, at Auburn  University, the Director of Social Science Research in the  College of Liberal Arts and Head of the Department of  Geography. He has served on international, national,  regional, and campus committees. He is a founding member of  the Geography Educators Network of Indiana, a Contributing  Editor to the Handbook of Latin American Studies (appointed  by the Librarian of Congress), and a founding member and  Executive Secretary of the Conference of Latin Americanist  Geographers, the largest regional association in the  Geography profession. He has been the president of the  Indiana Academy of the Social Sciences, the Midwest  Assocation for Latin American Studies, on the Board of  Directors of the National Council for Geographic Education,  editor of the Geographical Survey (a quarterly Geography  journal), and the United States Member for Geography of the  Pan American Institute of Geography and History.

Selected References

Martinson, T.L, 2006, The built environment, in Barney Warf, (Ed), Encyclopedia of  Human Geography, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, p. 22-23 (invited paper).

Martinson, T.L, Chapter Editor, 2004, Cultural Patterns and Processes, in Gary  S. Elbow, (Ed.) Teaching Human Geography, National Council for Geographic Education, p. 33-51 (invited paper).

Martinson, T.L., and Elbow, G.S., 2003, Geography: Middle America: Handbook  of Latin American Studies, vol. 59, p.  347-362. 

Luke J. Marzen

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Marzen’s specialty is in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems. He is a physical geographer who has spent much of his career investigating the relationships between human activity and the natural environments using Remote Sensing and GIS. He has developed environmental models predicting non-point source pollution in agricultural watersheds, models seeking to explain how and why disturbed landscapes recover, and recently has been working on Remote Sensing methods to forecast drought in order to improve water resource management. Dr. Marzen is also branching out recently in his research and received NASA funding to use satellite imagery to look for Marine Impact craters that were formed when Mars had shallow oceans.
Dr. Marzen has been active in outreach activities and serves as the Co-Director of AlabamaView: a consortium of Alabama universities and agencies working to promote the advancement of geospatial technologies in the state of Alabama.

Selected References

Tsegaye, T.  D. Sheppard, K. R. Islam, W. Tadesse, A. Atalay, and L. Marzen (in press). Development of chemical index as a measure of in-stream water quality in response to land-use and land cover changes. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution.

Marzen, L.J. 2006. A Remote Sensing Assessment of Mississippi Coastal Change after Hurricane Katrina.  Proceedings of the Applied Geography Conferences. (in press).

Hutchinson, J.M.S., J.A. Harrington, Jr., and L.J. Marzen.  2004. Geospatial Contributions to Watershed-Scale Surface Water Quality Modeling. In D.G. Janelle, B. Warf, and K. Hanson, eds. World Minds:  Geographical Perspectives on 100 Problems, 556-570.  Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Bhuyan, S.J., J.K. Koelliker, L.J. Marzen , J.A. Harrington. 2003. An Integrated Approach for Water Quality Assessment of Watersheds. Environmental Modeling and Software, 18: 473-484.

Dr. James Saunders
Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 

Jim Saunders teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in aqueous and environmental geochemistry, general geochemistry, and economic geology.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Saunders' research involves the geochemistry of metals in shallow crustal fluids, including groundwater, sedimentary brines, geothermal systems, and volcanic epithermal systems. Consequently, an integrated approach of rock petrography, isotopic and trace-element geochemical analyses, and numerical computer models are used to investigate these systems. Results have shed new light on the genesis of hydrothermal mineral deposits and the origin of naturally occurring trace metals in groundwater systems.

Dr. Saunders' current research interests lie in the interaction of natural bacteria with dissolved metals and organic compounds in groundwater and aquifer minerals. In particular, Dr. Saunders is interested in stimulating naturally occurring sulfate-reducing bacteria under anaerobic conditions to remediate groundwaters contaminated by heavy metals and possibly organic compounds as well. His group has been able to raise the pH, and remove these chalcophile metals as metal-sulfide solid phases, particularly as the (Zn,Cd)S sphalerite and apparently as PbS (galena? or amorphous PbS).

Along with Drs. Lee and Uddin, he is currently working on geologic/biogeochemical causes of natural arsenic contamination in groundwater in young sedimentary aquifers in the USA and Bangladesh. This research is supported by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Saunders is also looking at bacterial involvement in certain sediment-hosted ore deposits, such as the Carboniferous carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb-Ag-Ba deposits of Ireland (supported by PRF-ACS).

Other Professional Activities

Dr. Saunders has been an associate editor of Elsevier's Ore Geology Reviews since 1996.

Selected References

Southam, G., Saunders, J.A., 2005, Geomicrobiology of metals and implications for ore deposits: Economic Geology 100th Anniverary Issue (in press).

Saunders, J.A, Lee, M.-K., and Mohammad, S., 2004, Geochemistry and geomicrobiology of arsenic in Holocene alluvial flood-plain aquifers, USA: Implications for universal causative mechanisms and possible bioremediation, in P. Bhattacharya and  J. Bundschuh (eds.) Natural Arsenic in Groundwater, Chapter 25, Taylor and Francis (in press).

Saunders, J.A, Lee, M.K., Mohammad, S., Uddin, A., Wilkin, R.T., Fayek, M., Geologic, biologic and hydrologic processes controlling arsenic mobility in Holocene alluvial aquifers: G-Cubed, (in review).

Lee, M.-K., Saunders, J.A., Mohammad, S., Wilkin, R.T., Harrington, J.,  and Lutes, C., 2004, Strategy for bioremediation of arsenic in groundwater: Book chapter, Remediation of Recalcitrant Contaminants, Battelle Press, Columbus, OH, (in press).

Saunders, J.A., Mohammad, S., Korte, N.E., Lee, M.-K., Fayek, M., Castle, D., and Barnett, M.O., 2004, Groundwater geochemistry, microbiology, and mineralogy of two arsenic-bearing Holocene alluvial aquifers from the USA: Special Publication of the American Chemical Society (in press).

Lee, M.-K., Saunders, J.A., Wilkin, R.T., and Shahnewaz, M., 2004, Geochemical modeling of arsenic speciation and mobilization: Implications for bioremediation:  Special Publication of the American Chemical Society (in press).

Saunders, J.A, Lee, M-K., Wolf. L.A., Geomicrobiology and geophysics of in situ bioremediation using sulfate-reducing bacteria:  Bioremediation Journal (in press). 

Lee, M.-K.,Saunders, J.A.,Uddin, A., 2003, Geochemical and hydrologic considerations on evolution of groundwaters in a portion of the Mississippi Embayment: Southeastern Geology, v. 42, p. 83-98.

Lee, M.-K. And Saunders, J.A., 2003, Effects of pH on metals precipitation and sorption: Field Bioremediation and geochemical modeling approaches: Vadose Zone Journal, v. 2, p. 177-185.

Dr. Charles Savrda,
Professor and Chair

Teaching Responsibilities

Chuck Savrda teaches undergraduate courses in Historical Geology, Sedimentary Petrology, and Field Camp. On the graduate level, he teaches Directed Studies in Ichnology and co-teaches Petrology, Geology of Organic Matter, Facies Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy, Cycles through Earth History, and Issues in Paleontology. 

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Savrda’s research emphasizes trace fossils (ichnofossils or biogenic sedimentary structures) and their use in stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, and paleoceanographic analyses. Interests include: (1) organic-rich mudrocks and benthic oxygenation histories of Phanerozoic marine basins; (2) orbital-climate forcing and rhythmic bedding in North American Cretaceous chalk/marl sequences; (3) Recent and Cretaceous marginal marine facies and associated fossil-lagerstätten; and (4) Cretaceous and Tertiary sequence stratigraphy and the ichno-sedimentologic record of sea-level dynamics in marine strata.

 Current research funding derives from both NSF and ACS-PRF. NSF-sponsored studies (with Dr. Ron Lewis and graduate students) are focusing on a Cretaceous fossil-lagerstätte—its biota and modes of preservation and the formative processes responsible for exceptional preservation. With PRF support, he and a team of undergraduate assistants are exploring ichnofabrics in fair-weather and storm-related facies in Cretaceous and Tertiary shallow and marginal marine sequences of the eastern Gulf coast plain.

Other Professional Activities

Dr. Savrda currently serves as associate editor of the journal Ichnos. In the recent past, he has served as Co-Editor of the SEPM journal Palaios, as a distinguished lecturer for the Paleontological Society, and as a scientific crew member on ODP Leg 174A. He is the co-author of a well-received laboratory manual for Historical Geology (Deciphering Earth History-  Exercises in Historical Geology, 3rd Edition, with R.A. Gastaldo and R.D. Lewis), and is active in various K-12 outreach activities (Science Olympiad, AUExplore, etc.).

Selected Recent References

Savrda, C.E., in press, Taphonomy of trace fossils: for Miller, W., III, ed., Trace Fossils: Concepts, Problems, Prospects, Elsevier (submitted December 2005).

Savrda, C.E., *Counts, J., *McCormick, O., *Urash, R., and *Williams, J., 2005, Log-grounds and Teredolites in transgressive deposits, Eocene Tallahatta Formation (southern Alabama, U.S.A.): Ichnos, v. 12, p. 47-57.

Savrda, C.E., and Uddin, A., 2005, Large Macaronichnus and their behavioral implications (Cretaceous Eutaw Formation, Alabama, U.S.A.): Ichnos, v. 12, p. 47-57. 

Savrda, C.E., and *Nanson, L., 2003, Ichnology of fair-weather and storm deposits in an Upper Cretaceous passive-margin estuary (Eutaw Formation, western Georgia, USA): Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 202, p. 67-93.

 Savrda, C.E., 2003, Zoophycos, systematic stratigraphic leaking, and lamella stratigraphy: Do some spreiten contain a unique record of high-frequency depositional dynamics?: in Harries, P., ed., High-Resolution Approaches in Stratigraphic Paleontology, Topics in Geobiology Series, Volume 21, Kluwer Academic Pub., p. 129-148.

Savrda, C.E., Browning, J.V., Krawinkel, H., and Hesselbo, S.P., 2001, Firmground ichnofabrics in deep-water sequence stratigraphy, Tertiary clinoform-toe deposits, New Jersey slope. PALAIOS, v. 16, p. 294-305.

*designates graduate student co-authors

Dr. Mark Steltenpohl,
Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 

Professor Steltenpohl teaches undergraduate courses in Physical Geology, Structural Geology, Independent Field Mapping and Field Methods. On the advanced level and graduate level he teaches courses in Advanced Structural Analysis, Tectonics, and Geodynamics.  Emphasis is place on field studies, geometric analyses, petrofabrics, phase petrology, and 40Ar-39Ar thermochronology.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Dr. Steltenpohl's primary research interest lie in the tectonic evolution of continental crust within collisional mountain systems, particularly the Appalachian-Caledonian chain. He maintains active research in the southernmost Appalachians, U.S.A., and in the northernmost Caledonides of arctic Norway.

With continued support from the Norwegian petroleum industry (Basin Thermochronology Project - BAT), Dr. Steltenpohl and his students are actively engaged in field and petrologic studies aimed at deducing the extensional history of the north-central Norwegian margin.  Last summer (2000) funding was switched to the "other side" of the Caledonian mountain belt in East Greenland where the oil companies have renewed interest. Work in the Lofoten Islands of Arctic Norway is on slate for the summer of 2001.  Dr. Steltenpohl also has maintained Department of Interior grants (USGS-EDMAP Program) to map bedrock and analyze structures in the Alabama foreland-fold-and-thrust belt (Valley and Ridge Province), Talladega slate belt, and the high-grade Piedmont Province.  This work is in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Alabama (USGS-STATEMAP Project) and is aimed at characterizing small- and large-scale structures in the area to characterize the geological history, delineating possible contamination of ground water, and supplying data to planners coping with rapid urban expansion.

Other Professional Activities

Professional Steltenpohl has cooperative projects that involve workers and facilities at the following institutions: The Alabama Geological Survey; The U.S. Geological Survey; the Norwegian Geological Survey; the Polish Geological Survey; the University of Wroclaw, Poland; the University of Oslo, Norway; the University of Tromso, Norway; the University or North Carolina; University of Florida; Florida State University; and Sandia National Labs, Albuquerque, N.M.

Selected References

Coker, J.E., Steltenpohl, M.G., Andresen, A., 2000, The geology of western Ullsfjord, north Norway, with emphasis on the development of an inverted metamorphic gradient at the top of the Lyngen nappe complex: Norsk geologisk tidsskrift, v. 80, p. 111-128.

Klein, A., Steltenpohl, M.G., Hames, W.E., and Andresen, A., 1999, Ductile and brittle extension in the southern Lofoten archipelago, north Norway: Implications for differences in tectonic style along an ancient collisional margin: American Journal of Science, v. 299, p. 69-89.

Hanley, T., and Steltenpohl, M.G., 1998, Mylonites and other fault-related rocks of the Pine Mountain and Uchee belts of western Georgia and eastern Alabama: Atlanta Geol. Society Field Trip Guidebook, 33 p.

Hanley, T.B., Chalokwu, C.I., and Steltenpohl, M.G., 1997, Constraints on the location of the Carolina/ Avalon terrane boundary in the southernmost exposed Appalachians, western Georgia and eastern Alabama, in Glover, L., III, and Gates, A.E., Central and Southern Appalachian Sutures: Results of the EDGE Project and Related Studies, Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America Special Paper 314, p. 15-24.

Coker, J.E., Steltenpohl, M.G., Andresen, A., and Kunk, M.J., 1995, An 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology of the Ofoten-Troms region: Implications for terrane amalgamation and extensional collapse of the northern Scandinavian Caledonides: Tectonics, v. 14, p. 435-447.

Dr. Ashraf Uddin,
Associate Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 
Ashraf Uddin joined the department in 1999. Dr. Uddin received his Masters degree from the University of Hawaii, and Ph.D. from the Florida State University. He completed post-doctoral research and teaching training at the Geology Department and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at FSU.

Teaching Responsibilities 
Dr. Uddin teaches undergraduate courses in Physical Geology, Historical Geology, and coordinates the Physical and Historical Geology laboratories. Among the graduate courses, he has been teaching Basin Analysis, Geology of Organic Matter, and Cycles through Earth History. Dr. Uddin also teaches directed studies courses in sedimentary geology emphasizing on dense-minerals and their chemistry.

Research Interest and Current Projects
Dr. Uddin's research interests lie mainly in sedimentary geology, including clastic sedimentology, sedimentary petrology, tectonics and stratigraphy, basin analysis and provenance studies of sequences deposited in orogenic systems. His work so far has focused on onland sequences of the Himalayan-Assam-Bengal system, including both exposed sections and subsurface geology. Most recently, Dr. Uddin has started a research project on the clastic wedges of the Appalachian mountain belts.

Dr. Uddin's principal research interests are to evaluate the unroofing history of the eastern Himalayas and the Indo-Burman ranges by incorporating detailed sedimentary petrology, including both modal analysis of framework grains and semi-quantitative dense mineral studies,  mineral chemistry of selected dense-mineral grains, bulk sediment geochemistry, isotopic fingerprinting, detrital geochronology, using 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb methods, magnetostratigraphy and paleomagnetic studies on the sediments from the eastern foredeeps of the Himalayas (Bengal and Assam basins). In collaboration with Drs. Jim Saunders and Ming-Kuo Lee, Dr. Uddin has started a project on mineralogical profiling of arsenic-contaminated sediments and in-situ bioremediation of arsenic contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh. An elaborate summary of these research projects is provided in the following web link: http://www.auburn.edu/hrl/. These projects are funded by the US National Science Foundation.  External research collaborators for these projects include, Drs. Clark Burchfiel and Sam Bowring from MIT, Dr. John Geissman from University of New Mexico, Dr. Neil Opdyke from University of Florida, and Drs. Steve Kish and Roy Odom from Florida State University. Dr. Uddin has recently started a research project on provenance history of clastic wedges from Alleghenian collisional basins of the southern Appalachians, with Drs. Bill Hames, Chuck Savrda and Mark Steltenpohl.

Dr. Uddin is also interested in sediment characteristics from the perspective of hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation in reservoirs.

Selected References
Uddin, A., Kumar, P., and Sarma, J.N., 2007, Early orogenic history of the eastern Himalayas: Compositional studies of Paleogene sandstones from Assam, NE India: International Geology Review, v. 49, p. 798-810.

Uddin, A., Kumar, P., Sarma, J.N., and Akhter, S.H., 2007, Heavy-mineral constraints on provenance of Cenozoic sediments from the foreland basins of Assam, India and Bangladesh: Erosional history of the eastern Himalayas and the Indo-Burman ranges, in Mange, M.A., and Wright, D.T., eds., Heavy minerals in use, v. 58, Developments in Sedimentology, Elsevier, Amsterdam, p. 823-847.

Saunders, J.A., Lee, M-K, Uddin, A., Mohammad, S., Wilkin, R., Fayek, M and  Korte, N., 2005, Natural arsenic contamination of Holocene alluvial aquifers by linked tectonic, weathering, and microbial processes: Geochemistry, Geophysics and Geosystems: vol. 6, Q04006, doi:10.1029/2004GC000803.

Savrda, C.E., and Uddin, A., 2005, Large Macaronichnus and their behavioral implications (Cretaceous Eutaw Formation, Alabama, U.S.A.): Ichnos, v. 12, p. 1-9.

Zahid, K.M., and Uddin, A., 2005, Influence of overpressure on formation velocity evaluation of Neogene strata of the eastern Bengal basin, Bangladesh: Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, v. 25, p. 419-429.

Uddin, A. and Lundberg, N., 2004, Miocene sedimentation and subsidence during continent-continent collision, Bengal basin, Bangladesh: Sedimentary Geology, v. 164, p. 131-146.

Lee, M.-K., Saunders, J.A., and Uddin, A., 2003, Geochemical and hydrologic considerations of evolution of groundwaters in a portion of the Mississippi embayment: Southeastern Geology, v. 42, p. 83-98.

Dr. Lorraine W. Wolf,
Professor

Teaching Responsibilities 

Lorraine W. Wolf teaches undergraduate courses in Physical Geology, Engineering Geology, and Applied Geophysics. On the graduate level, she teaches courses in Geophysics and Tectonics. The Applied Geophysics course places special emphasis on practical approaches to environmental and geotechnical problems. The laboratory component of the course offers geology and engineering students hands-on experience with modern geophysical equipment.

Research Interest and Current Projects

Professor Wolf's research interests are in earthquake and controlled-source seismology and in the use of geophysical methods in engineering and environmental assessments. She and her students have engaged in a number of geophysical investigations: 1) crustal structure and evolution of western Alaska and eastern Siberia using seismic data collected in the Bering Strait (supported by the ACS Petroleum Research Fund and collaborative with Stanford, the USGS, the Univ. of Alaska, and Michigan State Univ.);  2) earthquake-induced liquefaction in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (collaborative with Tuttle & Associates and Univ. of Memphis);  3) geophysical evidence of sulfate-reducing bacteria in Coastal Plain aquifers; 4) geophysical mapping of chemical pollutants at landfill sites; and 5) hydrologically-triggered seismicity.

Other Professional Activities

Dr. Wolf has participated in high school teacher training workshops organized by Georgia Tech and co-sponsored by the NSF, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), Princeton University, and the Eisenhower Foundation. Workshops provided Alabama and Georgia teachers with basic information in seismology and familiarized them with tools, software and techniques for use in their classrooms. Wolf has served on an NSF review panel for the Undergraduate Education Instrument and Laboratory Improvement Program. This program funded the purchase of the state-of-the-art geophysical equipment now being used for student research at Auburn.  Prof. Wolf continues as the AU representative to the IRIS Board of Directors.

Selected References

Wolf, L.W., McCaleb, R.C., Stone, D.B.,  Brocher, T.M.,  Fujita, K., and Klemperer, S., Crustal structure across the Bering Strait: Onshore recordings of a marine multichannel seismic survey, in Miller, E. L.,  and A. Grantz, eds., Tectonic Evolution of the Bering Shelf-Chukchi Sea-Arctic Margin and Adjacent Landmasses, Geological Society of America Special Paper, in press.

Gomberg, J., and L. Wolf, 1999, A possible cause for an improbable earthquake: The 1997 Mw 4.9 southern Alabama earthquake and hydrocarbon recovery: Geology, v. 27, p. 367-370.

Tuttle, M. P., J. Collier, L. W. Wolf, and R. H. Lafferty, 1999, New evidence for a large earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone between A.D. 1400 and 1670: Geology, v. 27, p. 7771-7774.

Wolf, L., J. Collier, P. Bodin, and M. Tuttle, 1998, Geophysical reconnaissance of earthquake-induced liquefaction features in the New Madrid seismic zone:  Journal of Applied Geophysics, v. 39, p. 121-129.

Lee, M-K., and L. W. Wolf, 1998, Analysis of fluid pressure propagation in heterogeneous rocks: Implications for hydrologically-induced earthquakes: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 25, p. 2329-2332.

Wolf, L. W., C. A. Rowe, and R. B. Horner, 1997, Periodic seismicity near Mt. Ogden on the Alaska-British Columbia border: A case for hydrologically-triggered earthquakes? Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 87, p. 1473-1483.

Wolf, L. W., M. G. Steltenpohl, and J. Plescia, 1997, Geophysical investigation of a "suspect" impact crater in Wetumpka, Alabama, 1997, in Neathery, T. L., D. T. King, Jr., and L. W. Wolf, The Wetumpka Impact Structure and Related Features, Southeastern Section of the Geological Society of America Field Trip Guidebook, p. 57-68.

Saunders, J. A., R. C. Thomas, M-K. Lee, and L. W. Wolf, 1997, Geologic evidence for the utility of sulfate-reducing bacteria for in situ anaerobic bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated groundwater, in Proceedings of the Fourth International On Site and In Situ Bioremediation Symposium, New Orleans, LA, v. 3, p. 379-384.