The Department of Geosciences offers a curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Science in Geosciences designed for students who are broadly planning a career in the geosciences or wish to teach earth science at the secondary level. As geoscientists, the department’s research spans immense temporal and spatial scales that are increasingly reaching across a spectrum of scientific disciplines (physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics) to find answers to applied and fundamental questions in the Earth Sciences. The department's faculty utilizes a variety of tools in pursuit of these questions, extending from field-oriented projects to laboratory experimentation and numerical methods. The Graduate Program Committee of the Department of Geosciences consists of the graduate program coordinators for geophysics, geology, hydrologic science, and earth science, plus the chair of the Department. The duties of the Graduate Program Committee include development of recommendations for admission of prospective graduate students, decisions on transfer credits and required background courses, decisions on the award of departmental graduate fellowships and assistantships, and appointment of Supervisory Committees for graduate students.
Submissions from 2005
Measuring Thaw Depth Beneath Peat-Lined Arctic Streams Using Ground-Penetrating Radar, John H. Bradford, James P. McNamara, William Bowden, and Michael N. Gooseff
Improved Water Table Dynamics in MODFLOW, Tom Clemo
Competing Fe(II)-Induced Mineralization Pathways of Ferrihydrite, Colleen M. Hansel, Shawn G. Benner, and Scott Fendorf
Fresnel Volume Georadar Attenuation-Difference Tomography, Timothy C. Johnson, Partha S. Routh, and Michael D. Knoll
Evaluation of Ground-Penetrating Radar to Detect Free-Phase Hydrocarbons in Fractured Rocks—Results of Numerical Modeling and Physical Experiments, J. W. Lane Jr., Mark L. Buursink, F. P. Haeni, and R. J. Versteeg
Do Geochemical Estimates of Sediment Focusing Pass the Sediment Test in the Equatorial Pacific?, Mitchell Lyle, Neil Mitchell, Nicklas Pisias, Alan Mix, Jose Ignacio Martinez, and Adina Paytan
Patchy Deposits of Cenozoic Pelagic Sediments in the Central Pacific, Neil C. Mitchell and Mitchell Lyle
Sensitivity of Electrical Resistivity Tomography Data to Electrode Position Errors, Greg A. Oldenborger, Partha S. Routh, and Michael D. Knoll
Near-Surface Seismology: Surface-Based Methods, John R. Pelton
Near-Surface Seismology: Wave Propagation, John R. Pelton
Paleogene Calcite Compensation Depth in the Eastern Subtropical Pacific: Answers and Questions, David K. Rea and Mitchell Lyle
Spectral Decomposition of Seismic Data with Continuous-Wavelet Transform, Satish Sinha, Partha S. Routh, Phil D. Anno, and John P. Castagna
Vertical Radar Profiling: Influence of Survey Geometry on First-Arrival Traveltimes and Amplitudes, Jens Tronicke and Michael D. Knoll
Submissions from 2004
Significance of Porosity for Stratigraphy and Textural Composition in Subsurface, Coarse Fluvial Deposits: Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, Warren Barrash and Edward C. Reboulet
Influence of Equatorial Diatom Processes on Si Deposition and Atmospheric CO2 Cycles at Glacial/Interglacial Timescales, R. C. Dugdale, Mitchell Lyle, F. P. Wilkerson, F. Chai, R. T. Barber, and T. H. Peng
Seismic Expression of Pleistocene Paleoceanographic Changes in the California Borderland from Digitally Acquired 3.5 Khz Subbottom Profiles and Ocean Drilling Program Leg 167 Drilling, Aleksandra Janik, Mitchell W. Lyle, and Lee M. Liberty
Design of Geophysical Surveys in Transportation, Paul Michaels
Paleogene Tropical Pacific: Clues to Circulation, Productivity, and Plate Motion, T. C. Moore. Jr., Jan Backman, Isabella Raffi, Catherine Nigrini, Annika Sanfilippo, Heiko Pälike, and Mitchell Lyle
VSP Traveltime Inversion: Near-Surface Issues, Geoff J. M. Moret, William P. Clement, Michael D. Knoll, and Warren Barrash
Effects of Signal Processing and Antenna Frequency on the Geostatistical Structure of Ground-Penetrating Radar Data, Greg A. Oldenborger, Michael D. Knoll, and Warren Barrash
Climatically Driven Changes in Oceanic Processes Throughout the Equatorial Pacific, Adina Paytan, Mitchell Lyle, Alan Mix, and Zanna Chase
Fire and Ice in Central Idaho: Modern and Holocene Fires, Debris Flows, and Climate in the Payette River Basin, and Quaternary and Glacial Geology in the Sawtooth Mountains, Jennifer L. Pierce, Grant A. Meyer, Glenn D. Thackray, Spencer H. Wood, Kari Lundeen, Jennifer A. Borgert, and Eric Rothwell
Regional Climate Shifts Caused by Gradual Global Cooling in the Pliocene Epoch, Ana Christina Ravelo, Dyke H. Andreasen, Mitchell Lyle, Annette Olivarez Lyle, and Michael W. Wara
Terminal Moraine Remnants of the Trail Creek Glacier Northeast of Sun Valley, Idaho, Eric L. Rothwell and Spencer H. Wood
Multivariate Analysis of Cross-Hole Georadar Velocity and Attenuation Tomograms for Aquifer Zonation, Jens Tronicke, Klaus Holliger, Warren Barrash, and Michael D. Knoll
Geology Across and Under the Western Snake River Plain, Idaho: Owyhee Mountains to the Boise Foothills, Spencer H. Wood
Mae Sae Basin and Wiang Nong Lom: Radiocarbon Dating and Relation to the Active Strike-Slip Mae Chan Fault, Northern Thailand, Spencer H. Wood, Fongsaward S. Singharajwarapan, Tharaporn Bundarnsin, and Eric Rothwell
Hydraulic Properties of a Desert Soil Chronosequence in the Mojave Desert, USA, M. H. Young, E. V. McDonald, T. G. Caldwell, S. G. Benner, and D. G. Meadows
Submissions from 2003
Tracer/Time-Lapse Radar Imaging Test at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, Warren Barrash, Michael D. Knoll, David W. Hyndman, Tom Clemo, Edward C. Reboulet, and Elisabeth M. Hausrath
High-Resolution Climatic Evolution of Coastal Northern California During the Past 16,000 Years, John A. Barron, Linda Heusser, Timothy Herbert, and Mitchell Lyle
Recent Paleoseismic Investigations in Northern and Western Thailand, Clark H. Fenton, Punya Charusiri, and Spencer H. Wood
Borehole Radar Attenuation-Difference Tomography During the Tracer/Time-Lapse Test at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, Sarah E. Goldstein, Tim C. Johnson, Michael D. Knoll, Warren Barrash, and William P. Clement
The Portland Hills Fault: Uncovering a Hidden Fault in Portland, Oregon Using High-Resolution Geophysical Methods, Lee M. Liberty, Mark A. Hemphill-Haley, and Ian P. Madin
Neogene Carbonate Burial in the Pacific Ocean, Mitchell Lyle
Lower Miocene to Present Stratigraphy of the Equatorial Pacific Sediment Bulge and Carbonate Dissolution Anomalies, Neil C. Mitchell, Mitchell W. Lyle, Marie B. Knappenberger, and Lee M. Liberty
Radar Determination of the Spatial Structure of Hydraulic Conductivity, Greg A. Oldenborger, Robert A. Schincariol, and Lalu Mansinha
The Portland Hills Fault: An Earthquake Generator or Just Another Old Fault?, Ivan G. Wong, Mark A. Hemphill-Haley, Lee M. Liberty, and Ian P. Madin
Submissions from 2002
Hierarchical Geostatistics and Multifacies Systems: Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, Boise, Idaho, Warren Barrash and Tom Clemo
Depth Characterization of Shallow Aquifers with Seismic Reflection, Part I—The Failure of NMO Velocity Analysis and Quantitative Error Prediction, John H. Bradford
Depth Characterization of Shallow Aquifers with Seismic Reflection, Part II—Prestack Depth Migration and Field Examples, John H. Bradford and D. S. Sawyer
Patterns of CaCO3 Deposition in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean for the Last 150 kyr: Evidence for a Southeast Pacific Depositional Spike During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, Mitchell Lyle, Alan Mix, and Nicklas Pisias
Identification of Subsonic P-Waves, Paul Michaels
Equatorial Ocean Circulation in an Extremely Warm Climate, T. C. Moore, D. K. Rea, Mitchell W. Lyle, and Lee M. Liberty
Space-Local Spectral Texture Segmentation Applied to Characterizing the Heterogeneity of Hydraulic Conductivity, Greg A. Oldenborger, Robert A. Schincariol, and Lalu Mansinha
Hydrochemical Coupling of a Glacial Borehole-Aquifer System, Greg Oldenborger, Garry K.C. Clarke, and David H.D. Hildes
Stochastic Simulation of Aquifer Heterogeneity in a Layered Basalt Aquifer System, Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, John A. Welhan, Tom Clemo, and Edith L. Gégo
Morphology of Inflated Pahoehoe Lavas and Spatial Architecture of Their Porous and Permeable Zones, Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, John A. Welhan, Chad M. Johannesen, Kelly S. Reeves, Tom Clemo, John A. Glover, and Kenneth W. Bosworth
Geologic and Tectonic History of the Western Snake River Plain, Idaho and Oregon, Spencer H. Wood and Drew M. Clemens
Submissions from 2001
Collapse of the California Current During Glacial Maxima Linked to Climate Change on Land, T. D. Herbert, J. D. Schuffert, D. Andreasen, L. Heusser, Mitchell Lyle, A. Mix, A. C. Ravelo, L. D. Stott, and J. C. Herguera
Interglacial Theme and Variations: 500 k.y. of Orbital Forcing and Associated Responses from the Terrestrial and Marine Biosphere, U.S. Pacific Northwest, Mitchell Lyle, Linda Heusser, Timothy Herbert, Alan Mix, and John Barron
Use of Engineering Geophysics to Investigate a Site for a Bridge Foundation, Paul Michaels
Use of Principal Component Analysis to Determine Down-Hole Tool Orientation and Enhance SH-Waves, Paul Michaels
Submissions from 2000
New Aeromagnetic Data Reveal Large Strike-Slip (?) Faults in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon, Richard J. Blakely, Ray E. Wells, Terry L. Tolan, Marvin H. Beeson, Anne M. Trehu, and Lee M. Liberty
Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging of an Aquifer During a Pumping Test, Anthony L. Endres, William P. Clement, and David L. Rudolph
Vegetation and Climate of the Northwest Coast of North America During the Last 500 K.Y.: High-Resolution Pollen Evidence from the Northern California Margin, L. E. Heusser, Mitchell Lyle, and Alan Mix
Sedimentary Record of the California Current System, Middle Miocene to Holocene: A Synthesis of Leg 167 Results, Mitchell Lyle, Itaru Koizumi, Margaret L. Delaney, and John A. Barron
Millennial-Scale CaCO3 and Corg Events Along the Northern and Central California Margin, Mitchell Lyle, Alan Mix, A. Christina Ravelo, Dyke Andreasen, Linda Heusser, and Annette Olivarez
Submissions from 1999
Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (BHRS): Objectives, Design, Initial Geostatistical Results, Warren Barrash, Tom Clemo, and Michael D. Knoll
Geophysical Surveys Across the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site to Determine Geophysical Parameters of a Shallow, Alluvial Aquifer, William P. Clement, Michael D. Knoll, Lee M. Liberty, Paul R. Donaldson, Paul Michaels, Warren Barrash, and John R. Pelton
Use of Engineering Geophysics in the Design of Highway Passing Lanes, P. Michaels
3‐D GPR Imaging of Complex Fluvial Stratigraphy at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, William R. Peretti, Michael D. Knoll, William P. Clement, and Warren Barrash
Submissions from 1998
Seismic Reflection Imaging of a Geothermal Aquifer in an Urban Setting, Lee Liberty
Submissions from 1997
Modeling Axially Symmetric and Nonsymmetric Flow to a Well with MODFLOW, and Application to Goddard2 Well Test, Boise, Idaho, Warren Barrash and Martin E. Dougherty
Recognition of Units in Coarse, Unconsolidated Braided-Stream Deposits from Geophysical Log Data with Principal Components Analysis, Warren Barrash and Roger H. Morin
The Effects of Sparging on P- and SH- Vertical Seismic Profiles, P. Michaels and W. Barrash
Earthquakes in the Pamplona Zone, Yakutat Block, South Central Alaska, John R. Pelton
Submissions from 1996
The Anomalous Behavior of SH‐Waves Across the Water Table, P. Michaels and W. Barrash
Submissions from 1994
Vertical Variation in Groundwater Chemistry Inferred from Fluid Specific-Conductance Well Logging of the Snake River Plain Basalt Aquifer, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Southeastern Idaho, Spencer H. Wood and William Bennecke
Submissions from 1993
A High-Resolution Seismic Reflection and Gravity Survey of Quaternary Deformation Across the Wasatch Fault, Utah, John R. Pelton
A Versatile Shotgun Source for Engineering and Groundwater Seismic Surveys, John R. Pelton
Submissions from 1991
An Electrically Detonated Downhole Seismic Gun, James C. Parker, John R. Pelton, and Martin E. Dougherty
Submissions from 1990
Microearthquakes in the Middle Butte/East Butte Area, Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho, John R. Pelton, R. J. Vincent, and N. J. Anderson
Submissions from 1985
A Computer-Based System for Interactive Processing of Earthquake Seismograms Recorded on Microfilm, John R. Pelton
Submissions from 1984
Eyewitness Account of Normal Surface Faulting, John R. Pelton, C. W. Meissner, and K. D. Smith
Submissions from 1983
Chronology of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Volcanics, Long Valley and Mono Basin Geothermal Areas, Eastern California, Spencer H. Wood
Submissions from 1982
Contemporary Vertical Surface Displacements in Yellowstone National Park, John R. Pelton
Submissions from 1981
Areal Distribution, Thickness, Mass, Volume, and Grain Size of Air-Fall Ash from the Six Major Eruptions of 1980, Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, Susan Shipley, Richard B. Waitt Jr., Daniel Dzurisin, and Spencer H. Wood
Proximal Air-Fall Deposits of Eruptions Between May 24 and August 7, 1980 -- Stratigraphy and Field Sedimentology. U.S. Department of the Interior, Geological Survey, Richard B. Waitt Jr., Vicki L. Hansen, Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, and Spencer H. Wood