Graduate Research

Daniel King
M.S. Candidate
Advisor: Dr. Eric Mittelstaedt

I study the physical processes that shape the seafloor at and around mid-ocean ridges. Through the use of numerical modelling, my research contributes to the better understanding of tectonic and magmatic events at extensional plate boundaries, as well as planetary surface evolution.

McKayla Meier
Ph.D. Candidate
Advisor: Dr. Erika Rader

I study lava flow and water interactions through their petrology, geochemistry, and spectral characteristics. My research is an analogue study between Earth and Mars to better understand the past Martian environment by analyzing lava flows captured on Mars through remote sensing. By comparing lava flow and water interactions on Earth, we can apply the same concept to lava flows on Mars to search for surface water and by comparison the potential for life.

Kari Odegaard
M.S. Candidate
Advisor: Dr. Erika Rader

I use visible near-infrared spectroscopy from the field to identify variations in the glassiness of lavas. In the lab I use a scanning electron microscope to look at the crystals and composition of hand samples to get the percent crystallinity and compare it to the spectra. By relating these together, an increase in reflectance coincides with an increase in crystallinity. This same technique could be used on active lava flows or lava flows of different planets and moons.

Haley Thoresen
Ph.D. Candidate
Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Cassel

I am researching the timing of the initiation of the collapse of the Western United States Cordillera using the basin record in southwest Montana and southeast Idaho. This is important because it not only gives us insights into how mountains are built and subsequently destroyed, but how changing topography affects climate and paleodrainage patterns.

Frank Wróblewski
Ph.D. Candidate
Advisor: Dr. Erika Rader

I study the shapes and colors of planetary surfaces to analyze the differences between volcanic features in satellite imagery. My current research is an analogue study between Earth and Mars to map the spatial, structural, and spectral relationships of lava flows to determine how lava is represented differently depending on how it contacts water. By studying how water interacts with lava, I seek to understand how past climates of Mars and other terrestrial bodies have been preserved alongside their ability to sustain liquid water, habitability, and potential life.

Erin Young-Dahl
M.S. Candidate
Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Cassel

I’m researching the development of the northern Rocky Mountains, specifically looking at paleoelevations achieved during the early Eocene (~55-45 Ma) when the mountain range was at its highest. My paleoelevation estimates are determined using stable isotope paleoaltimetry of hydrated volcanic glass shards obtained from Eocene-age ignimbrites and ash-fall deposits. Coupled with high-precision Ar/Ar dates, these estimates reveal how much surface lowering has occurred since this time, in turn informing the mechanisms by which the mountains were built and destroyed.