The central focus of my research is the geological evolution of Antarctica and its relationship to climate change.  Recently, I have focused on field-based examinations of volcanic records of glaciation.     The work includes lithofacies analysis of ice-volcanic rock sequences and is supported by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology.  A list of recent publications aare summarized on my profile page.  Current research includes the following:

ANDRILL: Antarctic Geologic Drilling

I participated in the first season (2006-07) of drilling for the multi-national ANDRILL project.  A 1286 mbsf core was obtained at the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) drilling site, strategically located just south of Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island Antarctica.   The primary objective of my participation in the  project is an on-ice investigation of volcaniclastic deposits at the McMurdo Ice Shelf (MIS) drilling site in order to facilitate reconstruction of regional ice and volcanic records.  The state overall objective of the Andrill project is "to drill back in time to recover a history of paleoenvironmental changes that will guide our understanding of how fast, how large, and how frequent were glacial and interglacial changes in the Antarctica region. Future scenarios of global warming require guidance and constraint from past history that will reveal potential timing frequency and site of future changes." (from Andrill.org web-site.)   The US portion of this  project is funded by the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs.  The project is also funded by German, Italian, and New Zealand national funding agencies. 

Collaborative Research: Late Cenozoic Volcanism and Glaciation at Minna Bluff, Antarctica:  Implications for Antarctic Cryosphere History

This three year project (2006-9) focuses on the geology and geochronology of Minna Bluff, a 50-km-long peninsula that extends east from Mt. Discovery into the western Ross Embayment.  The primary objective of this study is to use volcanic and glacial records at Minna Bluff in the western Ross Embayment of Antarctica to interpret Antarctic cryosphere history. Minna Bluff is a significant topographic barrier that has effectively blocked the Ross Ice Shelf and the former Ross Sea Ice Sheet from flowing southward into McMurdo Sound.  Documenting the timing of blockage of ice flow is critical to reconstructing past behavior of the Ross Ice Shelf/Ice Sheet.  Documenting Minna Bluff’s history will be particularly important for interpreting the upcoming ANDRILL cores, soon to be drilled in southern McMurdo Sound.   This project is funded by the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs.  For links to photos and additional information click here. 

Volcanic history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

This was the focus of my dissertation at New Mexico Tech and continues to be part of ongoing research.  When volcanoes erupt in contact with glacial ice and meltwater, the resulting volcanic rock sequences exhibit features that are diagnostic of the eruptive/depositional environment.    Volcanic sequences provide snapshot views of syn-eruptive glacial high-stands since the beginning of the Oligocene.