Tectonics
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Geochemistry and Geochemistry | Research
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and Equipment
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program requirements | BS/MS
program
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Graduate Program in Geology
Over its 28 year history, the strategy of faculty of the Department
of Geological Sciences was to focus in particular areas of active
interest
in the science, and excel in those areas. As a Program forming part of
the larger
Department
of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences since 1996, we currently
focus in one
general
area:
Environmental Geochemistry/Geochemistry,
and
there
is one person in Tectonics.
The focus in Environmental Geochemistry is currently centered on research in the interdisciplinary fields of global warming and climate change, ground and surface water hydrology, sedimentary processes and biological tracer studies. A state-of-the-art stable isotope mass spectrometer and supporting equipment, obtained by Dr. B.K. Linsley with major funding ($500K) from NSF and the University at Albany, is in full operation and forms the analytical cornerstone of the research initiative. A renovation of the geochemical laboratory, and of the Mohawk Tower Observatory, have significantly improved the facilities available for environmental geochemistry and climatological research. This research is responsive to the societal need to understand the processes that shape our environmental and economic well-being, and will prepare students at all levels for careers in industry, research, and academic study. The move toward more integrated Earth science (Earth System Science) at Albany is distinctive among the SUNY campuses because of its projected focus, integration of the earth sciences with the merger of the former Departments of Geological Sciences and Atmospheric Sciences, and local resources, particularly the Atmospheric Science Research Center, the National Weather Service, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the US Geological Survey Water Resources Division.
The program continues to have a close relationship with the Department
of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
formalized
through cross-registration policies for graduate students,
cross-faculty
collaborations on doctoral examinations, cooperative uses of equipment,
and a joint research seminar series.
A new tenure-track
faculty member, Mathias
Vuille, who has interests in paleoclimate research has joined the
Department this year.
Faculty
All faculty presently have research projects funded by the National
Science Foundation, NASA, or EPA, publish regularly in leading
scientific
journals, and are well known internationally in the geosciences.
Current research topics include:
Climate change inferred from the use of isotopes in deep-sea sediments
and living corals (Dr. Brad Linsley);
Modern tropical climate dynamics and
interpretation of tropical paleoclimate proxy data (Dr.
Mathias Vuille)
The fate and transport of mercury and other heavy metals in the surface
environment (Dr. John Arnason);
Geochemical investigations of moon rocks and terrestrial sedimentary
rocks, and geochemical studies bearing on the origin of life (Dr.
John Delano);
Processes creating the mountains formed during continental collisions
in the Himalayas/Tibet, and the Appalachians (Dr.
William
Kidd);
Environmental
Geochemistry/Geochemistry
John Delano is working on several diverse
projects. He is a Principal Investigator and Associate Director of the
new NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT) at
Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute and the University at Albany for studies of the
origin
of life (New York Center for the
Study of the Origin of Life). His research in this project
investigates
the impact history of Earth/Moon system, and the oxidation state of
Earth's
early atmosphere. Apollo lunar samples (e.g. volcanic glasses) are
currently
being analyzed for major- and trace-elements to place additional
constraints
on the nature of basaltic volcanism on the Moon, as well as on the
Moon's
origin 4.56 billion years ago.
Melt inclusions well-preserved in phenocryst phases from silicic
eruptions
and preserved in altered volcanic ash layers [bentonites] of Late
Ordovician,
and Devonian age are being geochemically analyzed by X-ray fluorescence
and electron microprobe. These data provide high-resolution
stratigraphic
information and furnish new constraints on the arc volcanism associated
with the Taconic and Acadian Orogenies. Analytical techniques honed by
these studies are being applied to Quaternary ashes to investigate the
link between large eruptions and climate change. In a separate project,
the petrology and geochemistry of Cambro-Ordovician clastic sedimentary
rocks are being studied to follow the transition from passive to active
continental margin sedimentation.
Brad Linsley does research
creating
stable isotopic and geochemical time-series from corals and sediment
cores
for paleoclimatic and environmental reconstruction at resolutions that
range from sub-seasonal to millennia. This high temporal resolution is
only preserved in certain environments and is essential for
understanding
the modes of climatic variability in the past. A better understanding
of
past climatic variability will help assess the potential anthropogenic
component of global climate. Current research projects include:
(1) Developing multi-century length coral-based reconstructions of
the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Interdecadal Pacific
Oscillation (IPO) in the South Pacific.
(2) Using marine sediments to examine centennial to millennial-scale
variations in the East Asian Monsoon and Indonesian Throughflow.
(3) Pilot project using the deep-sea coral Acanella to examine
upper-intermediate
water variations in Hawaii.
John Arnason and his students apply
field,
analytical, and theoretical methods to various problems related to the
geochemical cycling of mercury and other heavy metals in the surface
environment.
Current projects include:
1) a collaborative study with Andrei Lapenis (Geography) and George
Robinson
(Biology)
on the hydrology, water quality, and ecology of the Patroon
Creek watershed, Albany County.
2) studies of the distribution and solid phase speciation of mercury
and other heavy metals in contaminated stream and reservoir sediments
of
Patroon Creek.
3) a pilot study to estimate wet and dry deposition velocities of
atmospheric
mercury from soil mercury profiles adjacent to a mercury recycling
facility.
4) Mineralogy and geochemistry of depleted uranium (DU) in Patroon
Reservoir sediments, downstream of a former DU processing plant.
Tectonics
Bill Kidd works on the tectonics and structures of continental collision, specifically the Tibetan Plateau and Himalaya, using surface geological observations and (in collaboration) isotopic age and thermochronological studies. This research has been in areas in the southern and central parts of the Tibetan Plateau (INDEPTH project); and in the Himalayan syntaxial bends (Nanga Parbat project overview [Nanga Parbat project - structure and tectonics]); currently work is in progress in the Namche Barwa project. Structural and tectonic research into some aspects of older collisional orogens, especially the Taconic belt of the northern Appalachians, is also an active interest. The research is strongly field-based.Research facilities and Equipment
See the Atmospheric
Science graduate program for information
MS program requirements
BS/MS program - is now unavailable with the suspension of admission to the Geology graduate program
Application
You must apply to the program through the University
Graduate Admissions office. (you may choose to request
an application packet be mailed to you, or
download
the materials electronically, or apply
online.
We
strongly advise
potential applicants to communicate with one or more of our faculty
before
completing a formal application. We provide state-of-the-art
opportunities
for students with well-defined interests in our areas of focus, but a
good
"fit" between a student and the faculty member needs to be established
early
in
the application process.
[General Graduate Application information] [Graduate Bulletin Admission and Graduate Requirements]
See the Atmospheric Science graduate program for informationOur graduates have had excellent job placement records. Many have become University faculty or research staff. Among the institutions at which they work are Syracuse University, University of Houston, University of Chicago, University of Vienna, Okayama University, University of Texas at Austin and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Others have taken and retained jobs with major and intermediate-size oil companies, including Shell, Texaco, Marathon, and Occidental. About 40 percent of our master's students have gone on to further study in PhD programs at other universities.
PhD Dissertations completed in the
Geological
Sciences Program (also includes subsequent employment where known)
MS Theses completed in the Geological Sciences
Program (also includes subsequent degree and/or employment where
known)
Geology, atmospheric sciences and architecture of the State University at Albany uptown campus
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Department of Earth
and Atmospheric Sciences
Last revision: 2008/04/21