Professional Background

Dr. Rowland received a B.A. in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1967, after which he worked for the U.S. Forest Service and taught high school biology and geology for four years. He then completed a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1978, under the direction of Leo Laporte, after which he came directly to UNLV. He spent the 1990-91 academic year as a Fulbright Lecturer at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics in Novosibirsk, Russia. He spent the 1996-97 academic year as a AAAS Science-and-Diplomacy Fellow with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, D.C., working on environmental issues in Eastern Europe and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union.

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Teaching

• Fossil Record
• Earth and Life Through Time
• Quaternary Paleoecology
• Science in American Culture
• Graduate seminars in Paleontology and Paleobiology.

Visit Dr. Rowland's Virtual Tour of the Geology of Frenchman Mountain!

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Research

Dr. Rowland and his students are actively engaged in paleoecological studies of Pleistocene mammalian faunas and the paleoecology of Cambrian and Neoproterozoic reef ecosystems. He also does research in the history of geology.

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Selected Publications

Rowland, S.M., 2009, Thomas Jefferson, extinction, and the evolving view of Earth history in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.  In: Rosenberg, G.D., ed., The Revolution in Geology from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment:  Geological Society of America Memoir 203, p. 225-246. 

Hicks, M., and Rowland, S.M., 2009, Early Cambrian microbial reefs, archaeocyathan inter-reef communities, and associated facies of the Yangtze Platform:  Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 281, p. 137-153 [doi:10.1.16/j.palaeo.2009.07.018].

Rowland, S.M., Oliver, L.K., and Hicks. M., 2008, Ediacaran and early Cambrian reefs of Esmeralda County, Nevada: Non-congruent communities within congruent ecosystems across the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic boundary. In Duebendorfer, E.M., and Smith E.I., eds., Field Guide to Plutons, Volcanoes, Faults, Reefs, Dinosaurs, and Possible Glaciation in Selected Areas of Arizona, California, and Nevada:  Geological Society of America Field Guide 11, p. 83-100, [doi:10.1130/2008.fld01(04)].

Rowland, S.M., Duebendorfer, E.M., and Schiefelbein, I., 2007, Structural Analysis and Synthesis - a laboratory manual in structural geology, 3/e. Oxford: Blackwell Science.

Rowland, S.M., and Hicks, M, 2006, Late/Middle/Early/Ichnocambrian: a communication-friendly nomenclature for the epochs of a quadripartite Cambrian Period: Episodes, v. 29, p. 128-129.

Rowland, S.M., and Hicks, M., 2004, The Early Cambrian experiment in reef-building by Metazoans. In: Lipps, J.H. and Waggoner, B.M., eds., Neoproterozoic ¡§C Cambrian Biological Revolutions. The Paleontological Society Papers, v. 10, p. 107-130.

Rowland, S.M., 2003, Essay review of The Bonehunters' Revenge, The Gilded Dinosaur, and Bone Sharp: Earth Sciences History, v. 22, no. 2, p. 219-222.

Rowland, S.M., and Shapiro, R.S., 2002, Reef patterns and environmental influences in the Cambrian and Earliest Ordovician. In: Kiessling, W., and Flugel, E., eds., Phanerozoic Reef Trends. SEPM Spec. Publ. No. 72, p. 95-129.

Rowland, S.M. and Corsetti, F.A., 2002, A brief history of research on the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary in the southern Great Basin, In: Corsetti, F.A., ed., Proterozoic-Cambrian of the Great Basin and Beyond. Pacific Section SEPM Book 93, p. 79-85.

Oliver, L.K. and Rowland, S.M., 2002, Microbialite reefs at the close of the Proterozoic Eon: the Middle Member Deep Spring Formation at Mt. Dunfee, Nevada. In: Corsetti, F.A., ed., Proterozoic-Cambrian of the Great Basin and Beyond. Pacific Section SEPM Book 93, p. 97-122.

Rowland, S.M., 2002, Mikhail Lomonosov's On the Strata of the Earth and a comparison with the writings of Buffon, Hutton, and Werner. In: Albrecht, H., and Ladwig, R., eds., Abraham Gottlob Werner and the Foundation of the Geological Sciences: Selected Papers of the International Werner Symposium in Freiberg 19th to 24th September 1999. Freibergerer Forschungshefte, D 207 Montan- und Technikgeschichte, p. 292-299.

Korovnikov, I.V., Rowland, S.M., Luchinina, V.A., Shabanov., Yu. Ya., and Fedoseev, A.V., 2002, Biostratigraphy of the upper Vendian, Lower and Middle Cambrian strata in a section on the Yenisei River near Plakhinsky Island (northwestern Siberian Platform): Russian Geology and Geophysics, v. 43, p. 319-327.

Rowland, S.M., 2001, Archaeocyaths - a history of phylogenetic interpretation: Journal of Paleontology, v. 75, p. 1065-1078.

Rowland, S.M., and Needham, R.R., 2000, Ice Age Ground Sloths of Southern Nevada: Clark County Museum Occasional Paper No. 2.

Castor, S.B., Faulds, J., Rowland, S.M., and dePolo, C., 2000, Geologic map of the Frenchman Mountain Quadrangle (with 15-page text on the geology, structural geology, and economic geology of the quadrangle, and an 8-page description of rock units): Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Map 127 (scale 1:24,000).

Rowland, S.M., 2000, Review of The Bonehunters' Revenge - dinosaurs, greed, and the greatest scientific fraud of the gilded age by David Rains Wallace: Geotimes, October, 2000.

Rowland, S.M., 1999, The ichthyosaur: Nevada's State Fossil: Rocks & Minerals, v. 74, no. 6, p. 364-366.

Rowland, S.M., Luchinina, V.A., Korovnikov, I.V., Sipin, D.P., Tarletskov, A.I., and Fedoseev, A.V., 1998, Biostratigraphy of the Vendian-Cambrian Sukharikha River Section, Northwestern Siberian Platform: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 35, p. 339-352.

Rowland, S.M., 1998, History of ideas about the age of the Earth in pre-1800 Europe. In: Good, G.A., ed., Sciences of the Earth: an encyclopedia of events, people, and phenomena. Garland Publishing, Inc., p. 7-13.

Rowland, S. M., Osborn, G.D., and Graber, D.J., 1995, Lower Paleozoic stratigraphy of Fern Glen Canyon, Central Grand Canyon: Journal of the Arizona - Nevada Academy of Science, v. 28, p. 1-11.

Rowland, S.M., 1995, Review of James Hutton and the History of Geology by Dennis R. Dean: Earth Sciences History, v. 14, p. 116-118.

Matti, J.C., Castor, S.B., Bell, J.W., and Rowland, S.M., 1993, Geologic map of the Las Vegas NE Quadrangle: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Map 3Cg (scale 1:24,000).

Debrenne, F., Gandin, A., and Rowland, S.M., 1989, Lower Cambrian bioconstructions in northwestern Mexico (Sonora): Depositional setting, paleoecology, and systematics of archaeocyaths: Geobios, no. 22, fasc. 2, 137-195.

Rowland, S.M., and Gangloff, R.A., 1988, Structure and paleoecology of Lower Cambrian reefs: Palaios, v. 3, 111-135.

Rowland, S.M., 1984, Were there framework reefs in the Cambrian?: Geology, v. 12, p. 10-13.

Rowland, S.M., 1984, An exercise in paleobiogeographic provinciality: Journal of Geological Education, v. 32, p. 10-13.

Rowland, S.M., 1983, Fingernail growth and time-distance rates in geology: Journal of Geological Education, v. 31, p. 176-178.

Rowland, S.M., 1983, Earliest cavity-dwelling organisms (coelobionts), Lower Cambrain Poleta Formation, Nevada: Discussion: Canadian Journal of Earth Science, v. 20, p. 1348-1349.

Rowland, S.M., and Carlson, S.J., 1983, Westgardia gigantea, a new Lower Cambrian fossil from eastern California: Journal of Paleontology, v. 57, p. 1317-1320.

Rowland, S.M., 1978, Portable Outcrops: Journal of Geological Education, v. 26, p. 109-110.

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Students

Ph.D. Dissertation Supervision

•In progress: Shirk, Aubrey: Paleoecology of the Late Pleistocene megafauna: stable isotope reconstruction of climate and response.   

•In progress:  Bonde, Joshua:  Taphonomy and paleoecology of a Plio-Pleistocene (Blancan) bonebed assemblage from the Sunrise Pass Formation, Douglas County, Nevada.                         

•2006: Hicks, Melissa: Characterizing the global archaeocyathan reef decline in the Early Cambrian: Evidence from Nevada and China.

M.S. Thesis Supervision

•In progress: Meyers, Vicki:  Vertebrate faunal diversity and paleoecology of two Blancan (Pliocene) fossil assemblages: Panaca local fauna (Lincoln County, Nevada) and Hagerman local fauna (Twin Falls County, Idaho).

•2007: Vetter, Lael: Paleoecology of Pleistocene megafauna in Southern Nevada, USA: Isotopic evidence for browsing on halophytic plants.

•2007: Glowiak, Elizabeth: Gypsum Cave revisited: Faunal and taphonomic analysis of a Rancholabrean-to-Holocene fauna in Southern Nevada.

•2003: Gromny, Jeff: Comparative morphometric analysis of the Devil Peak Shasta ground sloth, Northrotheriops shastensis

•2002: Kissell-Jones, Michele: Vertebrate trackways in the Miocene Horse Spring Formation

•2001: *Hicks, Melissa: Paleoecology of Early Cambrian reefs of the upper Harkless Formation, Esmeralda Co., NV

•1997: Korolev, Viacheslav: Sedimentology and correlation of undifferentiated Cambrian dolomites of the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead regions

•1995: *Zhou, Xiaoping: Lower Cambrian bioherms in Central Nevada and Eastern California

•1992: Wilson, Readin: Storm-dominated Lower Cambrian depositional environments in the Ravenswood Area, Lander Co., Nevada

•1992: Donovan, Jeffrey: Depositional environments and paleoecology of the Lower Ordovician Pogonip Group, Opd Unit, Arrow Canyon Range, Clark County, Nevada

•1990: Oliver, Lynn: Stromatolites of the Middle Member of the Deep Spring Formation, Esmeralda County, Nevada

•1987: Parolini, J.R.: Debris flows within a Miocene alluvial fan, Lake Mead region, Clark County, Nevada

•1987: Rice, J. A.: Sedimentology, provenance, and tectonic significance of the basal conglomerate of the Rainbow Gardens Member of the Miocene Horse Spring Formation, Lake Mead area, southwestern Nevada

•1986: *Hardy, J. Kirk: Stratigraphy and depositional environments of Lower and Middle Cambrian strata in the Lake Mead region, southern Nevada and northwestern Arizona

* indicates recipient of UNLV Alumni Association Outstanding Thesis Award

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