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Welcome to the Department of Geoscience. Our mission is to serve the needs of the State of Nevada by being an active participant in the national and international geoscience community, and by training professional geoscientists for private and governmental employment in the region. We are an active and growing department conducting exciting research and providing our students with outstanding opportunities to broaden their minds and careers. On these pages you will find information regarding our teaching, research, and community service. If you have further questions, please contact the department today. |
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First Application of Lu-Hf Geochronology to Dating Lawsonite and Subduction Zone Metamorphism
Blueschist and eclogite facies rocks exposed at the Earth's surface mark the location of ancient subduction zones, where one lithospheric plate has descended beneath another. UNLV Geoscience faculty member, Sean Mulcahy, and colleagues from Washington State University have published an article discussing a new method for dating such rocks in the journal, Geology. They applied Lu-Hf decay scheme to the mineral lawsonite, a critical index mineral of subduction zone metamorphism. They determined an age of 145.5 ± 2.4 Ma for lawsonite blueschist from the Franciscan Complex, CA, the type lawsonite locality. The method provides a powerful tool to investigate processes and timescales of subduction zones, and the geodynamics of convergent margins. Peter Druschke Makes Important Contributions to Understanding Sevier Hinterland Paleogeography and Tectonics
Peter Druschke’s (Ph.D., June 2009, advisor Andrew Hanson) dissertation research on the sedimentary record of Cretaceous to Eocene tectonics of the Sevier hinterland of east central Nevada resulted in 3 important first authored papers (Geology, 2009; International Geology Review, 2009; and GSA Bulletin, in press). Important results include the documentation of (1) an Aptian age for contraction-related sedimentary deposits, (2) Maastrichtian to Paleocene syn-convergent surface-breaking normal faults, (3) pre-volcanic Eocene extension, and (4) geographic isolation of Cretaceous to Eocene hinterland deposits suggesting a high relief, high elevation plateau. These results suggest that at least locally, the Late Cretaceous marked a transition from shortening to extension in the Sevier hinterland plateau. Recent Publications of the
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•Job Announcement: Tenure-Track Position in Geoscience (Posted 12/17/09; Open until filled)  •Spring 2010 Seminar Schedule PACROFI •The 5th Annual GeoSymposium will be held on April 16-17, 2010. Visit the GeoSymposium page to learn more about this event designed to highlight student research within the UNLV Geoscience Department. •The 2009 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) was held in Portland, Oregon on October 18-21, 2009. GSA 2009 Annual Meeting •The Fall 2009 Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) was held in San Francisco, CA on December 14-18, 2009. AGU Fall 2009 Meeting •The Department of Geoscience is pleased to offer Fay and Jack Ross Family Graduate Scholarships for exceptional applicants to our PhD program. Visit the Fay and Jack Ross Family Graduate Scholarship page to learn more about this opportunity. •Business is booming in the Geosciences! Read the article found in Science Careers, a publication of the journal Science. |
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Lilly
Fong Geoscience Building (LFG) 104B Phone: 702.895.3262; FAX 702.895.4064 Email: geodept@unlv.edu |
Department of Geoscience University of Nevada, Las Vegas 4505 S. Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, NV 89154-4010 |