Dr. Lyle Nelson

Research area:  Sedimentary geology

Our group studies regional sedimentary geology to 1) constrain relationships in the co-evolution of life and surface environments across pivotal transitions in Earth history, such as biological extinctions/radiations and perturbations to ocean chemistry and climate, and 2) constrain tectonic reconstructions. The research tools we implement include geologic mapping, stratigraphy and sedimentology, geochemistry, paleontology, and geochronology to produce integrated, stratigraphically resolved datasets. Research interests include the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, Neoproterozoic glaciations, the Neoproterozoic carbon cycle, the break-up of the supercontinent Rodinia, the Pan-African orogen(s), and Paleozoic-Mesozoic tectonic reconstructions of the circum-Arctic realm, the Cordillera, and the Appalachians. Past and current field areas include Arctic Alaska, Yukon, SW United States, Namibia, South Africa, NW Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and the Appalachians.

Students interested in graduate-level research projects are encouraged to apply.