The main focus of my research has been on the tectonics of continental collision, specifically the Tibetan Plateau and Himalaya, using surface geological observations and (in collaboration) thermochronological studies. This research has examined areas in the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau and the western Himalayan syntaxis (Nanga Parbat), and central Tibet (INDEPTH III); recent work has been focussed on the eastern Himalayan syntaxis around Namche Barwa, and the northern edge of the Plateau  (INDEPTH 4). Tectonic research into some aspects of older collisional orogens, especially the Taconic belt of the northern Appalachians, is still an active interest. Research into the exhumation history and tectonics of the Hellenic Ridge is also a recent project.

Course links: GEO 330 Stuctural Geology I   GEO 331 Field Excursions for Structural Geology
                      GEO 221 Minerals, Rocks, Geological Time  GEO 223 Introductory Field Geology
                      GEO 470/517 Tectonics

Graduate students - dissertations and theses supervised at the University at Albany

Selected References:

Hellenic Ridge research

Marsellos, A. E., W. S. F. Kidd, and J. I. Garver, 2010. Extension and exhumation of the HP/LT rocks in the Hellenic forearc ridge. Amer. J. Sci., 310, 1-36. [journal link]

Namche Barwa project

Booth, A.L., C.P. Chamberlain, W.S.F. Kidd, and P.K. Zeitler, 2009. Constraints on the metamorphic evolution of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis from geochronologic and petrologic studies of Namche Barwa. Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 121, 385–407; doi: 10.1130/B26041.1; Data Repository item 2008211. [journal link]

Booth, A.L., P.K. Zeitler, W.S.F. Kidd, J. Wooden, Y. Liu, B. Idleman, M. Hren, and C.P. Chamberlain, 2004. U-Pb Zircon constraints on the tectonic evolution of southeastern Tibet, Namche Barwa area. Amer. J. Sci., 304, 889-929. pdf file

Solon, K.D., A.G. Jones, K.D. Nelson, M.J. Unsworth, W.S.F. Kidd, W. Wei , H. Tan, S. Jin, M. Deng, J.R. Booker, S. Li, and P. Bedrosian, 2005. Structure of the crust in the vicinity of the Banggong-Nujiang suture in central Tibet from INDEPTH magnetotelluric data. J. Geophys. Res., 110, B10102, p.1-20, doi:10.1029/2003JB002405. pdf file

Zhu B., W.S.F. Kidd, D.B. Rowley, B.S. Currie, N. Shafique, 2005. Age of initiation of the India-Asia collision in the east-central Himalaya. J. Geol., 113, 265–285. pdf file

Zhu B., Delano J. W., and Kidd, W. S. F., 2005. Magmatic compositions and source terranes estimated from melt inclusions in detrital Cr-rich spinels: an example from mid-Cretaceous sandstones in the eastern Tethys Himalaya. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 233, 295-309. pdf file

Zhu, B., Kidd, W.S.F., Rowley, D., and Currie, B., 2004. Chemical compositions and tectonic significance of chrome-rich spinels in the Tianba flysch, southern Tibet. J. Geol., 112, 417-434. pdf file

M. Edwards, W. Kidd, A. Pecher, C. Burchfiel, L. Royden, 1999. Southern Tibet Detachment system (STDS) at Khula Kangri, eastern Himalaya: a large-area, shallow detachment stretching into Bhutan? J. Geol., 107, 623-631. pdf file

M.J. Cogan, K.D. Nelson, W.S.F. Kidd, and C. Wu, 1998. Shallow structure of the Yadong-Gulu rift, southern Tibet, from refraction analysis of Project INDEPTH common midpoint data. Tectonics, 17, 46-61. pdf file

K D. Nelson, Zhao Wenjin, L. Brown, J. Kuo, Che J., Liu X., S. Klemperer, Y. Makovsky, R. Meissner, J. Mechie, R. Kind, F. Wenzel, J. Ni, J. Nabelek, Chen L., Tan H., Wei, W., A. Jones, J. Booker, M. Unsworth, W. Kidd, M. Hauck, D. Alsdorf, A. Ross, M. Cogan, Wu C., E. Sandvol, M. Edwards, 1996. Partially molten middle crust beneath Southern Tibet: synthesis of Project INDEPTH results. Science, 274, 1684-1688. pdf file

M.A. Edwards, J. Li, M. Clark, and W.S.F. Kidd, 1996. Multi-stage development of the Southern Tibet Detachment System near Khula Kangri. New data from Gonto-la. Tectonophysics, 260, 1-19. pdf file

T.M. Harrison, P. Copeland, W.S.F. Kidd, and O. Lovera, 1995. Activation of the Nyainqentanghla shear zone: implications for uplift of the southern Tibetan Plateau. Tectonics, 14, 658-676. pdf file

P Copeland, T.M. Harrison, Y. Pan, W.S.F. Kidd, M. Roden, and Y. Zhang, 1995. Thermal evolution of the Gangdese batholith, southern Tibet: a history of episodic unroofing. Tectonics, 14, 223-236. pdf file

A. Yin,. T M. Harrison, F.J. Ryerson, W. Chen, W.S.F. Kidd, and P Copeland, 1994. Tertiary structural evolution of the Gangdese thrust system, southeastern Tibet. J. Geophys. Res., 99, 18,175-18,201. pdf file

Y. Pan and W.S.F. Kidd, 1992. The Nyainqentanglha shear zone: a late Miocene extensional detachment in the southern Tibetan Plateau. Geology, 20, 775-778. pdf file

T.M. Harrison, P. Copeland, W.S.F. Kidd and A. Yin, 1992. Raising Tibet. Science, 255, 1663-1670. pdf file

Zeitler, P.K., P.O. Koons, M.P. Bishop, C.P.Chamberlain, D. Craw., M.A. Edwards, S. Hamidullah, M.Q. Jan, M.A. Khan, M.A.K. Khattak, W.S.F. Kidd, R.L. Mackie, A.S. Meltzer, S.K. Park, A. Pêcher, M.A. Poage, G. Sarker, D.A. Schneider, L. Seeber, and J.F. Shroder, 2001. Crustal reworking at Nanga Parbat, Pakistan: Metamorphic consequences of thermal-mechanical coupling facilitiated by erosion. Tectonics, 20, 712-728. pdf file

D.A. Schneider, P.K. Zeitler, W.S.F. Kidd, and M.A. Edwards, 2001. Geochronologic constraints on the tectonic evolution and exhumation of Nanga Parbat, western Himalaya syntaxis, revisited. J. Geol., 109, 563-583. pdf file

P.K. Zeitler, A.S. Meltzer, P.O. Koons, D. Craw, B. Hallet, C.P. Chamberlain, W.S.F. Kidd, S. Park, L. Seeber, M. Bishop, J. Shroder, 2001. Erosion, Himalayan Geodynamics and the Geomorphology of Metamorphism. GSA Today, 11, 4-9. pdf file

M.A. Edwards, W.S.F. Kidd, M.A. Khan, and D.A. Schneider, 2000. Tectonics of the southwest margin of the Nanga Parbat massif. pp 77-100 in Khan, M.A., Treloar, P.J., Searle, M.P., and Jan, M.Q., (eds.) Tectonics of the Nanga Parbat Syntaxis and the western Himalaya. Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Pub. 170.

D.A. Schneider, M.A. Edwards, W.S.F. Kidd, M.A. Khan, L. Seeber, and P.K Zeitler, 1999. Tectonics of Nanga Parbat, western Himalaya: synkinematic plutonism within doubly-vergent shear zones of a crustal-scale pop-up structure. Geology, 27, 999-1002. pdf file

N. Appalachian research

Schoonmaker, A., and Kidd, W.S.F., 2007. A reappraisal of the Stanbridge Nappe and adjacent shelf strata, southern Quebec and northwestern Vermont. Can. J. Earth Sci., 44, 155-169. pdf file  [coloured geological outcrop map Highgate VT-St. Armand Station PQ]

Schoonmaker, A., and W.S.F. Kidd, 2006. Evidence for a ridge subduction event in the Ordovician rocks of north-central Maine. Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 118,  897–912. pdf file

Schoonmaker, A., W.S.F. Kidd, and D. Bradley, 2005. Foreland/Forearc collisional granitoid and mafic magmatism caused by lower-plate lithospheric slab-breakoff: the Acadian of Maine, and other orogens. Geology, 33, 961–964. pdf file

Lim, C., Kidd, W.S.F., and Howe, S., 2005. Late shortening and extensional structures and veins in the western margin of the Taconic Orogen (NY-VT). J. Geol., 113, 419-438. pdf file

Landing, E., G. Pe-Piper, W.S.F. Kidd, and K. Azmy, 2003. Tectonic setting of outer trench slope volcanism: pillow basalt and limestone in the Taconian orogen of eastern New York. Can. J. Earth Sci., 40, 1773-1787. pdf file

Hayman, N.W., and W.S.F. Kidd, 2002. The Champlain Thrust System in the Whitehall-Shoreham area: influence of pre- and post-thrust normal faults on the present thrust geometry and lithofacies distribution. Field trip A7, pages7-1 to 7-24 in McLelland, J.M., amd Karabinos, P., (editors) Guidebook for Fieldtrips in New York and Vermont. New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference 94th Annual meeting, and New York State Geological Association 74th Annual meeting, Lake George, NY, September 27th-29th, 2002. Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs. pdf file (1.5Mb)    [coloured geological outcrop map Benson-Shoreham area, VT]

D.C. Bradley and W.S.F. Kidd, 1991. Flexural extension in collisional foredeeps. Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 103, 1416-1438. pdf file

Field trip guides and geological maps
Evidence against the allochthonous nature of the Stanbridge Nappe at Highgate Gorge, northwestern Vermont. NEIGC 2009 meeting. pdf file
[coloured geological outcrop map Highgate VT-St. Armand Station PQ]

The Champlain Thrust System in the Whitehall-Shoreham area: influence of pre- and post-thrust normal faults on the present thrust geometry and lithofacies distribution. NYSGA/NEIGC 2002 meeting. pdf file   [coloured geological outcrop map Benson-Shoreham area, VT]

Lithofacies and structure of the Taconic Flysch, Melange, and Allochthon in the New York Capital District. NYSGA 1995 meeting. pdf file  [coloured geological outcrop map of New York Capital district]

Thrusts, melanges, folded thrusts, and duplexes in the Taconic Foreland. NYSGA 1985 meeting. pdf file

Detailed stratigraphic and structural features of the Giddings Brook slice of the Taconic Allochthon in the Granville area. NYSGA/NEIGC 1979 meeting. pdf file

Nanga Parbat area photos [1][2][3]
Himalaya panorama

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