Slip localization in epidote-quartz veins

Working together with Alexis Ault (Utah State University), I have been studying the deformation mechanisms of localized faults in epidote and quartz bearing veins to understand how basement rocks accommodate stress in brittle to transitional settings. Come see me present this work at the AGU 2023 fall meeting in San Fransisco!

Zircon zonation in date-eU space: explaining forward model deviation from observed data

Together with Willy Guenthner (University of Illinois) and Alexis Ault (Utah State University), I am using internal zonation of radiation damage accumulation in zircon crystals to explain the misfit between forward model predictions and observed data. Zircon zonation impacts He diffusion from the grain by varying the distribution of radioactive He producers (U and Th), leading to unusual retention or ejection of He atoms from the grain. We are still collecting data for this study, but results are forthcoming!

Application of Multiple Low-T Thermochronometers in Developing a Regional Long-Term Thermal History: the Idaho-Montana Thrust Belt and Foreland

Studying the structural transition from thin- to thick- skinned uplifts in both space and time, Willy Guenthner (University of Illinois), Dave Pearson (Idaho State University) and I have collected low-T data across central Idaho and southwestern Montana.

Proterozoic to Phanerozoic Tectonism in Southwestern Montana Basement Ranges Constrained by Low Temperature Thermochronometric Data

Willy Guenthner (University of Illinois), David Pearson (Idaho State University) and I are investigating >1 Ga thermal histories of basement rocks in southwestern Montana by modeling of zircon (U-Th)/He data. Our results suggest recurrent tectonism for the past 1.7 billion years, with implications for Rodinia supercontinent rifting between 800-500 million years ago.

This work has recently been published! View the open-access article here!