Tectonics |
Environmental Geochemistry and Geochemistry
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| MS program requirements |
BS/MS program
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University Graduate bulletin: Degree
requirements | Graduate
course listing
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 Niņo 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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of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Last revision: 2008/04/21 [minor edits, archive.org links 2026-01-23]