Research

I study the characteristics of clastic sedimentary deposits in order to reconstruct local and regional depositional histories and to understand how intra- and extra-basinal forces control the sedimentary record. In addition to questions of academic interest, my research is designed to provide information that can be used in petroleum exploration and production. I work at a variety of scales, from the interpretation of individual sedimentary structures and the processes involved in sediment transport, to determining the dynamics and mechanisms behind the creation of continental-scale basins. Thus far, my investigations have largely focused on using sediments to determine how tectonic, climatic, and eustatic factors impact the generation and filling of accommodation space, and tracking how these variables have changed with respect to space and time.

My research is based on a foundation of fieldwork, which I integrate with laboratory and interdisciplinary techniques. I measure stratigraphic sections, define, describe and interpret sedimentary facies, analyze paleocurrent data, and collect samples for sedimentary petrography, paleontology, and U-Pb geochronology (detrital zircons). I also analyze carbon and oxygen isotope values of paleosol, lacustrine, and marine carbonates in order to provide more information on paleoenvironments.

Current and Recent Research Projects:

Tectono-stratigraphic signficance of Lower Cretaceous conglomerates, western North America

Sedimentation and Tectonics of the Eastern Cordillera and Altiplano Plateau, Central Bolivia

Sedimentary and basin evolution of the Canadian Arctic

Earliest evolution of the western Canadian foreland basin - tectonic controls on sedimentology and stratigraphy

Chemostratigaphy of Jurassic shales, western Canada