Past Student Research

Urbanization and Sedimentation in Three Discrete

Catchments

Analysis of Brittle Deformation Features in the

Channel of The James River, Western Piedmont

Virginia:Traditional and Remote Sensing Techniques

Strain analysis of an Evington Group quartzite,

eastern Blue Ridge, Virginia

Petrogenesis of a Possible Tonalite Pluton in the

Chopawamsic Terrane, Piedmont Province, Virginia

Vulnerability and Resilience of Tidal Marshes along

an Estuarine Salinity Gradient

Structure, Petrology, and Geochronology of

Mesozoic Diabase Dikes in the Central Virginia

Piedmont

High Localized Uranium and Radium in the

Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain:Implications for Radon

Hazards

Developing COLL of the Wild: A Natural History

of the Coastal Plain of Virginia

The Depositional and Deformational History of

Meta-Carbonate Rocks at the Blue Ridge-Piedmont

Transition, Central Virginia

Rift Propagation in the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

Limiting Factors of Pyrite Formation in the Belt

Supergroup, Montana

Further Investigations of the Union Mill Gneiss in

the Raleigh Terrane, Piedmont Province, Virginia

A Tectonic Origin for Listwaenite in the Semail

Ophiolite at Wadi Mansah, Northern Oman

Spit Elongation as a Control on Downdrift Barrier-

Island Stability: Insights from Assateague Island, Virginia

Revising the Neoproterozoic Stratigraphy in Central

Virginia: Insights from the Tye River

Determining the Effects of the Mid-Pliocene Warm

Period on Glycymeris subovata Morphology

Strain Analysis of Diamictites and Sandstones in

the Neoproterozoic Ghubrah & Fiq Formations,

Northern Oman

Peak Warming during Marine Isotope Stage 11

in the Arctic Ocean Based on Planktic Foraminifera

Sea-Level Rise and Updrift Sediment Trapping Drive

Net Sand Loss along the Virginia Barrier Islands

Unearthing the Tectonic Significance of

Metamorphosed Igneous Rock in the Central

Virginia Piedmont

Provenance of Hurricane-Induced Salt Marsh

Sedimentation on the Southeast Coast, USA

Advantages of Americium-241 as a Dating

Tool in Sedimentary Systems

Unmasking a Terrane Triple Point in

Central Virginia

A 12,000-year Biogenic Silica Lake Record

From Northern Norway

Inferring Diet of Clidastes liodontus through

Comparative Skull and Pterygoid Tooth

Morphology of Toxicoferan Squamates

The Effects of Climate Change and Megafaunal

Extinction on the Body Size and Diet of the

Hispid Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus hispidus)

over the Late Quaternary 

The Dimetrodon Dilemma: Reassessing Posture in

Sphenacodontians and Related Non-Mammalian Synapsids

Evidence of Limited Erosion in the White Mountains of

New Hampshire

Petrogenesis of the Roanoke Rapids Pluton, Eastern

Piedmont Province, North Carolina

Contributions of Antecedent Topography to Long-Term

Barrier-Island Dynamics: Examples from the New Jersey

and Maryland Coasts

Spheroidal Carbonaceous Particles in a Virginia Mill Pond

Provide a Record of Local and Regional Coal Combustion

Paleoenvironmental Analysis of the Late Quaternary

Cypress Swamp Formation, Delaware

Plate Reconstruction of Astypalaea Linea, Europa:

Testing for Transtensional General Shear

U/Pb Zircon Evidence for a Cryptic Suture in the

Goochland Terrane, Virginia

How Effective are Retention Ponds at Mitigating the

Effects of Urban Runoff?

Finding Evidence of Retention Ponds in Sediment Archives

Nutrient Availability and Temperature as Catalysts of Growth:

a Study of Crassostrea gigantissima

Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the Bourdon Creek Pluton,

Roanoke Rapids Terrane, Piedmont Province, Virginia

Response of Stenothermal and Eurythermal Fossil Mollusks

to Temperature Shifts Across the Mid Pliocene Warm Period

Evaluating the Impact of Increased Impervious Surface Cover

on Hydraulic Conductivity of Soil in a Paired Watershed Study

Emerging Contaminants from Urban Runoff in Lake Matoaka

Kinematics of Deformation at Whittle's Mill

Relationship Between Radar-Bright Areas and Geologic

Landforms in Venusian Tesserae

Mineralogy and Geochemistry of the North View Pluton,

Piedmont Province, Virginia

Saltmarsh Event Sedimentation: A Comparative Study of

Hurricane Irma Deposits across the Southeast U.S.A

Sinkhole Development in Maple Flats, Virginia, and Its

Potential Implications for late-Pleistocene Climate

Mercury Accumulation in the Deep Basin Sediments

of Lake Matoaka from 1780-2016

Late Holocene Sea-Level Reconstruction for the Lofoten Islands,

Norway Using Sediment Records from Isolation Basins

An 8000-year Record of Climate and Environmental Change

from Lake Sandsvatn, Faroe Islands

Response of Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata productivity

to experimental sea-level rise

Integration of Socioscientific Activities into an Introductory

Geology Lab: Impacts on Student Engagement

Petrogenesis of an Early (?), More Mafic Phase of the

Petersburg Batholith near Richmond, Virginia

A Comparison of Phosphorus Level in Created Living

Shoreline and Natural Salt Marsh Soils

Detrital Zircon Double Dating in the Scottsville Basin

Effect of Impervious Cover on Urban Stream Salinity 

of Williamsburg Area Streams

Diversity in the Geosciences: An Investigation of Four-Year

Institution Completion Rates by Gender and Race

Historical erosion and accretion patterns along Plum Island

Point and Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts

Pleistocene Crassostrea virginica population density and

paleoclimate in Horry County, South Carolina

Factors regulating enhanced atmospheric deposition across

high elevation thresholds

Provenance of Ferruginous Sandstone at Menokin on the

Northern Neck, VA

Argillic horizon development and its controls on radium

redistributions in Coastal Plain, Virginia

Investigating salt marsh response to natural and anthropogenic

changes in the Great Marsh, Massachusetts

Geology of the James River State Park at the Blue Ridge/Piedmont

boundary, central Virginia

Structural and stratigraphic analysis of the basement-cover

contact in the eastern Blue Ridge, Virginia

Evaluating possible high P and T amphibolites in the

Goochland Terrane, VA

The influence of impervious surface cover on groundwater

residence time as measured with 22 Na

10Be erosion rates and rock properties at drainage margins:

implications for bedrock weathering in the Blue Ridge, Virginia

Structural history of the Semail Ophiolite, Northern Jebel

Nakhl Culmination, Oman

Marine and estuarine molluscan assemblage and sub-aquatic

vegetation change in Florida Bay throughout the past millennium

The use of microbial induced calcite precipitation to reduce

trace element concentrations in fly ash leachate

Size and Growth Rates of Pleistocene-aged Oysters near

Mink Island (Horry County, South Carolina)

A sedimentary record of environmental change since 1720

from Lake Matoaka, Williamsburg, VA

Tree Throw in the College Woods of William and Mary:

Sediment Transport, Rates, Event Frequency, and

Controlling Variables

Thresholds of barrier island change: a case study of

Parramore Island, Virginia Eastern Shore

A structural analysis of metavolcanic clasts from the

Puddledock quarry in the Eastern Piedmont Province, VA

Geomagnetic analysis of the geometry of CAMP-related

dikes in James River State Park, west central Piedmont, Virginia

Reconstructing environmental history: Is there a lag

between EPA regulations of leaded gasoline and lead

concentrations in Lake Matoaka?

The effect of increased impervious cover on ground water

residence time in Williamsburg, VA

Survey of molluscan fauna from the mid-Atlantic United

States continental shelf

Hillslope asymmetry in relation to microclimate in the

College Woods in Williamsburg, VA

Exploring the Calvert Cliffs: Interpreting the history of

condensed sequences through the application of strontium

isotope stratigraphy and paleoecology

Alluvial island formation in the James River, Piedmont

province, Virginia

Assessing models of landscape evolution using stream

profile analysis, Shenandoah National Park

Basin-average erosion rates and watershed hypsometry in

a transient landscape

Knickpoint migration and erosion rates:  determining transience

in the central Blue Ridge, Virginia

Spatial and temporal relationships among small shield volcanoes

in Ceraunius Fossae, Mars

A kinematic history of brittle deformation at the Blue Ridge-

Piedmont boundary, Central Virginia

Mineralogy, geochemistry, and timing of Neoproterozoic

mafic magmatism in the Roanoke Rapids Terrane, Piedmont

province, Virginia

First measurements of cosmogenic 24Na in rain and runoff

samples in Williamsburg, Virginia

Impact of weathering on bedrock channel geometry and

channel response to base level change

Save your apatite!  A quantitative tool for analyzing magmatic

volatiles

Development of cosmogenic 22Na as a tool to measure

young water age in multiple watersheds

Stream capture: an analysis of the Chickahominy and the

South Anna Rivers in central Virginia

Near & far: understanding  long-distance trade and interaction

within the Society Islands through the application of energy

dispersive x-ray fluorescence

Coring the Crim Dell: a reconstruction of sedimentary history

in Williamsburg, Virginia

Mineralogical and geochemical constraints on the origins of

kyanite quartzite in the Kings Mountain Terrane, North Carolina

and South Carolina

Paleomagnetic analysis of the Scottsville Mesozoic rift basin, VA:

implications for regional geologic history

Kinematic history of the North Anna gneiss dome in the Goochland

Terrane, eastern Piedmont, Virginia

Seasonal and spatial variability in the sedimentology of the

Merrimack, Massachusetts

Paleoecology of northeast Florida Bay, Everglades National Park,

Florida: reconstruction of salinity and hydrology for the past ~2000 years

Analysis of potential felsic volcanics in the Mechum River Formation,

Blue Ridge, Virginia: implications for the Snowball Earth

Bamboozled: phytolith production, introduced bamboo, and its

relationship with soil pH

Pseudotachylite in the Fork Church Fault Zone, eastern Piedmont,

Virginia: a record of Mesozoic seismic activity

Multi-proxy records of anthropogenic impacts on fluvial sediment

discharge at Joppa Flats, Massachusetts

Measuring the impact of land use on sedimentation rates along

the industrialized coastline of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Eigenshape analysis as a tool for family-level identification of

nepomorphans from the Solite Lagerstatte (Triassic, Virginia)

A kinematic and petrographic analysis of deformed rocks at the

base of the Semail Ophiolite near Buwah, Oman

Deformation and magmatism in the Ivy Creek Natural Area,

eastern Blue Ridge, Virginia

Late Holocene benthic micropaleontology and reconstruction of

past sea-level rise on the Potomac River, Virginia, USA

Post-fire hillslope aspect controls on erosional processes traced by

fallout radionuclides in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado

Testing a steady state model of 22Na transport in small watersheds

for the purpose of dating young freshwaters

Nitrate and phosphate removal in a biochar-amended denitrifying

bioreactor

Barrier island migration and its role in extensive marsh loss on

Virginia's Eastern Shore

Priming for supereruption:  the hot pre-Peach Spring Tuff lavas

and the Peach Spring Tuff magmatic enclaves, Black Mountains, Arizona

Vicious cycles:  an analysis of cyclical erosion and a migrating

erosional hotspot on Plum Island, MA

Characterization of seafloor sediment to inform electromagnetic

induction imaging

Knickpoints and disequilibrium in an ancient orogen: a study of

central Appalachian channel profiles around Crabtree Falls, Virginia

Mineralogy and geochemistry of clasts in the Potomac Formation,

Coastal Plain, Virginia

A petrologic and structural analysis of metavolcanic rocks in the

western Piedmont and eastern Blue Ridge provinces, Central Virginia

Evaluating landscape disequilibrium of the Blue Ridge in a passive

margin near Peaks of Otter, Virginia

Analysis of longitudinal profiles & knickpoints to determine the

cause of high Appalachian relief

Quantifying and modeling mylonitization in the Hylas Fault Zone

of Virginia

A petrographic and structural analysis of metasedimentary rocks on

the boundary of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces, Central VA

An investigation of landscape disequilibrium using channel profile

analysis in the Blue Ridge of Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Clay mineral characterization: an exploration into the swelling

tendencies of sodium montmorillonite as a function of salinity

Provencance of ballast stones used in early 17th century

foundations at Jamestown, Virginia

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Skippers Pluton, Roanoke

Rapids Terrane, Virginia

Mineralogy and geochemistry of gneisses in the vicinity of the

Lucky Lake Gem Mine, Raleigh Terrane, Virginia

Tracing sources of groundwater in the shallow aquifer at Jamestown

and implication for heavy metal mobility

The kinematics, geometry, and history of the Thousand Lake

Fault System, Central Utah

Characterization and origin of carbonate nodules at the Fossil Beach

outcrop of the Eastover Formation, York River State Park, Virginia

Mineralogy and geochemistry of possible mantle xenoliths in the

Diana Mills Pluton, central Piedmont, VA

Reconstructing Pleistocene seasonality via Crassostrea virginica and

Mercenaria mercenaria sclerochronolgy, Holland Point, Virginia

Investigating water ice in persistently shadowed craters in

Mercury's North Polar Region

Structural geometry and kinematics of the Chatham Fault

Zone, Virginia

Three-dimensional strain analysis of the Antietam Formation

in the western Blue Ridge, Virginia

Tidal river aquifer salinity communication and its implications

for drinking water quality in Jamestown, Virginia

Exfoliation and characterization of montmorillonite clay via atomic

force microscopy

Knickpoint form and migration due to base level lowering at

Great Falls, VA

Is oyster shell geochemistry unique among tributary basins of the

Chesapeake Bay?

Petrolgical and structural analysis of mafic dikes in the central

Virginia Blue Ridge

Time-averaging in Chesapeake Bay mollusks: estimates based on

amino acid racemization of Holocene Mulinia

Application of Gust Erosion Microcosm and LISST instrumentation

to measure erodibility and the size distribution of suspended

sediments in the York River Estuary

Kinematic analysis and strain partitioning of a mesoscale fold of

quartz arenite, Blue Ridge province, Virginia

The effects of climate change on epibiont communities in the

Neogene of Virginia

Using tree-ring derived PHDI values to reconstruct James River

salinity during the Jamestown Settlement

Linking water elevation and salinity in the Pitch and Tar Swamp

to the James River and the shallow Jamestown aquifer

Spatially variable rock erodibility related to the interaction

between erosion rate and weathering in bedrock-floored

river channels, Great Falls area, Virginia

An assessment of the frequency and cause of concentrated flow

on agricultural fields in teh Virginia Coastal Plain portion of the

Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Thrust faulting and fault sequence in the James River Gorge and

Arnold Valley Region, Blue Ridge and Valley & Ridge provinces, Virginia

Structural geometry and sediment thickness in the Fish Lake Basin, Utah:

a 3-dimensional analysis of gravity anomalies

Ages and growth rates of Crassostrea virginica from Pleistocene

reefs in the Mid-Atlantic

Comparative climate analysis of Virginia during the 20th & 21st

centuries

Detailed sediment composition of the Eastover, Calvert, Old Church

and Piney Point Formations, New Kent County area, Virginia Coastal Plain

The effects of urban vs. rural land use on Cr concentrations in the

College Creek Watershed

Characterizing rock erodibility and channel geometry along the

longitudinal profile of a bedrock-floored river

Characteristics of ooids in the Middle to Late Cambrian Elbrook

Formation, Virginia

An evaluation of possible garbensheifer in the Chopawamsic Terrane,

central Piedmont province, Virginia

Stratigraphy, structural geometry, and deformation history of the

Neoproterozoic Rockfish Conglomerate, Central Virginia Blue Ridge

Shields up: can the "mini magnetosphere" of Mars protect

astronauts from radiation?

A structural analysis of the Coles Hill uranium deposit in the

Piedmont province of Virginia

Geology of the Catoctin Formation in the eastern Blue Ridge,

Central Virginia: petrogenesis and tectonic signature

Reconstructiing the age and paleoenvironment of a

Crassostrea virginica reef deposit at Holland Point, Virginia

Developing cosmogenic sodium-22 as a clock for stream water

age in Virginia's Coastal Plain

Death at Jamestown 1607: a geochemical analysis of arsenic,

iron and DOC in drinking water

Sediment analysis, x-radiography and acoustic methods to reveal

fine scale sediment laminations in the York River Estuary

Geology of the Midway Mills Mesozoic basin and Mayo Creek,

Virginia Piedmont

Kinematic analysis of ductile deformation in the Goochland

Terrane, Virginia

Utilizing GIS to study concentrated flow from agricultural fields

in the Virginia Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The kinematic history of brittle deformation in the Petersburg

Granite, Richmond, Virginia area

Ephemeral organic carbon fluxes to the Chesapeake Bay from

agricultural runoff on the Virginia Coastal Plain

Flow and density driven sediment dynamics shown by dual frequency

acoustic sounder of the York River Estuary, Chesapeake Bay, Virginia

Tracking mineralogical changes in stream sediment composition

in the vicinity of Willis Mountain

Using GIS to quantify riparian buffer bypassing in the Virginia

Coastal Plain, within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Investigation of Pleistocene oyster population structure and growth

rates in a Piankatank River reef (Virginia)

Structural analysis of brittle deformation in the eastern Blue Ridge,

Central Virginia

Magnetic anomalies in the eastern Blue Ridge, Central Virginia:

a magnetic interpretation of subsurface structure

Origin and tectonic significance of the Albemarle-Nelson Soapstone

Belt and associated metagabbros in Central Virginia

A comparison of task value in Introductory Geology courses and

its role in student performance & retention

Morphometrics of Miocene shark, marine mammal, and reptile

teeth from the Calvert Formation, Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA

Meta-analysis of extinction selectivity in fossil marine bivalves

and gastropods

Hydrologic and geochemical variables and their effect on groundwater

quality at Jamestown Fort, Virginia

Sexual dimorphism and species selection in late Cretaceous ostracodes

from the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain

Variability of erodibility in bedrock-floored channels produced by

differential weathering