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Geology Research

Our students and faculty have recently been involved with these research projects​:

  • Geomagnetic analysis of concealed faults and graben, Adirondack Mountains.
  • Paleoecological signal of the End Devonian Mass Extinction.
  • Hydrogeochemistry and the geochemical record of climate change in the western U.S. Great Basin.
  • Petrogenesis of granitic rocks in southwestern Maine.
  • Tectonic evolution of the Proterozoic Adirondacks and Hudson Highlands.
  • Strike-slip shear zones in the mid-Atlantic Piedmont.
  • The biology and sedimentology of low oxgyen depositional settings.
  • Forensic ground-penetrating radar.
  • Collaborative Research: The Kinematics, Microphysics, and Dynamics of Long-fetch Lake-effect Systems in the Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems (OWLeS) Project
  • Operate the Bennett Bridge, NY National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) Monitoring Site

Senior theses (2003-2017)

*Denotes winners of the Helen Bohmer Daly Quest Award

2017
  • Meaghan Weinell (Honors), Rachel Lee, and Alison Graettinger (University of Missouri, Kansas City) - Characterization of Compositional and Textural Variability in Maar-Diatreme Deposits Using GigaPan and Thermal Infrared Image Data
  • Gabriella Green, Rachel Lee, and Daniel Williams (University of Pittsburgh) - Mapping The Aerial Extent and Composition of Volcanic Ash Deposits Using Apparent Thermal Inertia
  • Curtis Bernard, Olivia Botting, Rachel Lee, and David Valentino - Geochemical and Petrological Characterization of Metamorphic Outcrops in the Adirondacks (Working Title)
  • Jessica Bullock, Michael Kensell, Natalie Torres, Brian Hough, and Rachel Lee - Mapping Erosion of Drumlins Using GigaPan Imagery (Working Title)
2016
  • Casey Fetsko (Honors) and Rachel Lee - Mapping Lahar Deposits on Merapi, Colima and Cotopaxi Volcanoes Using Thermal Infrared Imagery
  • Jeremy Fontaine, Brandon Maxwell, and Rachel Lee - Mapping Structure in the High Peaks Through The Integration of High-Resolution Interactive Imagery and Traditional Field Techniques.
2015
  • Paige Haney and Rachel Lee - Characterization of Geological Outcrops in the Upstate New York Region Using Giga-Pixel Panoramic Imagery
2011
  • Valentino, Joshua, 2011. Variably Developed Joints in the Ordovician Strata of the Tug Hill Plateau, New York.
  • Wilcox, Ellen, 2011. How Anoxic is the Kellwasser Event in New York State?  Evidence from Paleontological and Gechemical Proxies.
  • Valentino, David, 2011. Integrated Magnetic and Structural Investigations of Concealed Brittel Faults, Adirondack Mountains, New York.
  • Thorpe, Margaret, 2011. Fault Related Fractures in the Potsdam Formation, Altona Flat Rock, Northeast New York.
  • Valentino, Joshua, 2011. Joint and Bedding Control on Waterfall Morphology, Ricketts Glen, NE PA.
  • Valentino, Benjamin, 2011. Tracking the Interaction Between Surface Water - Groundwater in Glacial Deposits Using Electrical Resistivity Methods, Central New York
  • Sanderson, Emily, 2011. Assessing the Integrity of dams on rice Creek, Oswego, New York, Using Electrical Resistivity Methods
2010
  • Valentino, Hannah, 2010. Sedimentary (Varve) Record of Climate Change and the Last Deglaciation of Central new York.
  • Valentino, Dave, 2010. Lineament Analysis for Adirondack Dome using digital elevation models.
  • Wilcox, Ellen, 2010. Rare Earth Element and Uranium-thorium variations in tufa deposuiits from the Mono Basin, CA.
  • Halsey, Jessica, 2010. Applications of Electrical Resistivity Methods to map the Subsurface Distribution in the Oswego Formation, SUNY Oswego Campus.
  • Glessing, Daniel, 2010. Structural Analysis of the Southern Tug Hill  Plateau Region, Oneida County, New York.
  • Valentino, Joshua, 2010. Structural Evolution of the Tug Hill Plaetau.
  • Valentino, Benjamin, 2010. Magnetic Model for the 1955 Military Jet Plane Crash Site in Onondaga Lake, New York.
  • Fetherston, Daniel, 2010. Progressive Changes in Direction of Bulk Shortening and its Effects on Porphyroblast Growth.
  • Boyer, Diana, 2010. What caused the End Devonian Mass Extinction.
  • Wilcox, Ellen, 2010. Geochemistry of Local Black Shales and Revelations About Death in the Upper Devonian.
2009
  • Heenan, Jeffrey, 2009. Magnetic anomaly mapping and subsurface modeling of Onondaga Lake, New York.*
  • Hewitt, Elise, 2009. Magnetic anomaly mapping and subsurface modeling of Hinckley Reservior, Hinckley, New York.
  • McAdam, Shannon, 2009. Elemental geochemistry of migmatites from the Sebago migmatite domain, southwestern Maine.
  • Paccione, Daniel. 2009. Quantitative petrography of the Palisades Sill.
  • Wagner, Jeanette, 2009. Kinematic analysis of the Piseco antiform along the Sacandaga river transect, southeastern Adirondacks, New York.
  • Walker, Thomas, 2009. Stratigraphic analysis of glacial lake deposits, Oswego County, New York.
  • Williams, Lindsay, 2009. Quartz ribbons from the Piseco Lake shear zone:  Do they track the last pulse of ductile deformation
2008
  • Bianchi, Laura, 2008. The structural development of the Kanmantoo schist based on FIAS from samples at Petrel Cove and the Strathalbyn Anticline, Australia.*
  • Peterson, Robert, 2008. Domains of L-S and L>S tectonite and evidence for sinistral shear in the Piseco Lake zone, southern Adirondacks, New York.
  • Kauffman, Claire, 2008. Uranium-lead zircon geochronology of granitic rocks from the Sebago migmatite domain, southern Maine.
  • Soldner, Stephen, 2008. Three dimensional electrical resistivity analysis of the Rice Creek region, Oswego, New York.
  • Conte, Elise, 2008. Mapping surface- and groundwater interaction in the wetland to upland transition within glacial deposits using high-resolution electrical resistivity techniques, Oswego County, New York.
  • Smith, Steven, 2008. Diachronous Taconian ductile deformation and metamorphism in the western Piedmont of Pennsylvania. 
2007
  • Cirmo, Ashley, 2007. Elemental and Nd isotope geochemistry of undeformed granites from the Sebago migmatite domain, southern Maine.
  • Grade, Maxwell, 2007. Lead isotope geochemistry of undeformed granites from the Sebago migmatite domain, southern Maine.
  • McNamara, Ian, 2007. Structural analysis of the southern reaches of Indian Lake, New York.
2006
  • Hoover, Kelli Jo, 2006. Assessing the architecture of a drumlin with the use of electrical resistivity techniques, Oswego, New York.
  • Kush, Eugene, 2006. The Indian Lake fault zone, central Adirondack Mountains, New York. 
  • Mantaro, N., 2006. Structural analysis and magnetic modeling of the Snowy Mountain dome and the Indian Lake fault zone.*
  • Summerhays, Katherine, 2006. Stratigraphic and petrologic examination of metasedimentary rocks at Chimney Mountain, New York.
2005
  • Piaschyk, Damian, 2005. Variations in L- and S-tectonites within the Piseco Lake ductile shear zone, Adirondack Mountains, New York.*
  • Venczel, Rob, 2005. Monitoring shoreline response to lake level variations:  eastern Lake Ontario shoreline.
  • Wandersee, Jennifer, 2005. Assessment of road salt contamination in stream water, Oswego, New York.
  • Stilwell, Sabrina, 2005. Geothermobarometry for high grade pelitic gneisses in the Hudson Highlands, Orange and Rockland Counties, New York.
2004
  • Andrews, Joe and Whelan, Victoria, 2004. Geologic map of Middle Ordovician carbonate formations in northwest Lewis and parts of southeast Jefferson Counties, New York.*
  • Bauer, Mark, 2004. Metamorphic petrology and unit distribution in the Oliver Hill dome, eastern Adirondack Mountains, New York.
  • Freyer, Paul, 2004. Structural analysis of a normal ductile shear zone at Speculator Mountain, central Adirondacks, New York.
  • Meighan, Hallie, 2004. Slumping and erosion of the Lake Ontario shore line at Sterling Nature Center, Cayuga County, New York.
  • Smith, Nathen, 2004. Distribution of L- and L-S tectonite in the Oliver Hill dome, eastern Adirondack Mountains, New York.
2003

Price, Rachel, 2003. Greenschist facies metamorphism associated with the Piseco Lake shear zone, central Adirondacks, New York.*

Best poster award at Quest

  • Valentino, Joshua and Lesinski, Katherine, 2009. Regional refraction of joints controlled by bedrock competency:  western flank of the Tug Hill plateau, New York.
  • Valentino, Joshua and Cuevas, Regina, 2008. Systematic fracture analysis using high-resolution imagery:  examples from the Hudson Highlands and the Lake Ontario shore, New York.

Presentations and published abstracts by students

  • Heenan, Jeffrey, 2009. Magnetic anomaly mapping and subsurface modeling of Onondaga Lake, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Portland, ME.
  • Hewitt, Elise. 2009. Magnetic anomaly mapping and subsurface modeling of Hinckley Reservior, Hinckley, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Portland, ME.  
  • McAdam, SM, Tomascak, PB, and Solar, GS, 2009. Elemental geochemistry of migmatites of the Sebago Migmatite Domain, southwestern Maine. Northeast Sect. Geol. Soc. Amer. Abst. Prog.
  • Valentino, J., Valentino, D. and Lesinski, K., 2009. Regional refraction of joints controlled by bedrock competency:  western flank of the Tug Hill plateau, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Portland, ME.
  • Wagner, Jeanette, 2009. Kinematic analysis of the Piseco antiform along the Sacandaga river transect, southeastern Adirondacks, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Portland, ME.
  • Walker, Thomas, 2009. Stratigraphic analysis of glacial lake deposits, Oswego County, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Portland, ME.
  • Williams, Lindsay, 2009. Quartz ribbons from the Piseco Lake shear zone:  Do they track the last pulse of ductile deformation? Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Portland, ME.
  • Peterson, R., Valentino, D. and Chiarenzelli, J., 2008. Domains of L-S and L>S tectonite and evidence for sinistral shear in the Piseco Lake zone, southern Adirondacks, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Buffalo, NY.
  • Soldner, S., Valentino, J. and Valnetino, B., 2008. Three dimensional electrical resistivity analysis of the Rice Creek region, Oswego, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Buffalo, NY.
  • Hewitt, E., Paccione, D., Scully, B., Mantaro, N., Peterson, R., Conte, E., Cirmo, A. and McNamara, I., 2008, Three dimensional modeling of the groundwater distribution within the Cornish Hill drumlin using electrical resistivity, Oswego, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Buffalo, NY.
  • Conte, E., Walker, T., Valentino, J. and Valentino, B., 2008. Mapping surface- and groundwater interaction in the wetland to upland transition within glacial deposits using high-resolution electrical resistivity techniques, Oswego County, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Buffalo, NY.
  • Valentino, J., Valentino, D., Gates, A. and Cuevas, R., 2008. Systematic fracture analysis using high-resolution imagery:  examples from the Hudson Highlands and the Lake Ontario shore, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Buffalo, NY.
  • Valentino, D., Chiarenzelli, J. and Smith, S., 2008. Diachronous Taconian ductile deformation and metamorphism in the western Piedmont of Pennsylvania, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Buffalo, NY.
  • Kauffman, C.P., McAdam, S.M. and Tomascak, P.B., 2008. Geochemistry and geochronology of a granite-migmatite domain in southwestern Maine, Proceedings of the Rochester Academy of Sciences.
  • Tomascak, P.B., Kauffman, C.P., Valentino, J.D., Solar, G.S. and LaFleur, L.L., 2008. Timing of granite-migmatite relations, Sebago Migmatite Domain, Southern Maine, Geological Association of Canada-Mineralogical Association of Canada Abstracts with Programs.
  • Tomascak, P.B., Grade, M.S. and Solar, G.S., 2008. Isotopic heterogeneity and potential variable sources of granitic rocks of the Sebago Migmatite Domain, southern Maine, Northeast Section Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs.
  • Mantaro, N., 2007. Magnetic modeling of the Snowy Mountain dome and the Indian Lake fault zone, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Durham, NH.
  • Valentino, J., Valentino, D., and Valentino, B., 2007. Mapping the surface water-groundwater interaction in glacial till:  electrical resistivity in my backyard, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Durham, NH.
  • Hoover, K. and Valentino, D., 2006. Assessing the architecture of a drumlin with the use of electrical resistivity techniques, Oswego, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Harrisburg, PA.
  • Cirmo, A.C., Tomascak, P.B. and Solar, G.S. (2006) Geochemistry of undeformed granites of the Sebago Migmatite Domain, southern Maine, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 38(7), 343.
  • Reitz, K. and Valentino, D., 2006. Structural analysis of a ductile shear zone at Wellesley Island, Thousand Islands, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Harrisburg, PA.
  • Summerhays, K. and Valentino, D., 2006.  Stratigraphic and petrologic examination of metasedimentary rocks at Chimney Mountain, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Harrisburg, PA.
  • Kush, E., Mantaro, N. and Valentino, D., 2006. The Indian Lake fault zone and Snowy Mountain Dome, central Adirondack Mountains, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Harrisburg, PA.
  • Venczel, R., 2005. Monitoring shoreline response to lake level variations:  eastern Lake Ontario shoreline, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Saratoga Springs, New York.
  • Piaschyk, D. and Valentino, D., 2005. Variations in L- and S-tectonites within the Piseco Lake ductile shear zone, Adirondack Mountains, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Saratoga Springs, New York.
  • Stilwell, S., Gawron, J., Andrews, J., Bauer, M., Crocetti, A., Meneilly, N., Piaschyk, D., Santiago, S., Smith, N., Whelan, V., and Valentino D., 2004. Fracture analysis along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in the Oswego Formation, Oswego County, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE-SE Section, Reston, Virginia.
  • Bauer, M., Valentino, D., Chiarenzelli, J. and Solar, G., 2004. Metamorphic petrology and unit distribution in the Oliver Hill dome, eastern Adirondack Mountains, New York, NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Piaschyk, D. and Valentino, D., 2004. Meso- and mega-scale variation in L- and L-S fabrics in the Piseco Lake shear zone, western Adirondack Mountains, New York, NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Freyer, P. and Valentino, D., 2004. Structural analysis of a normal ductile shear zone at Speculator Mountain, central Adirondacks, New York, NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Meighan, H. E. and Valentino, D. W., 2004. Slumping and erosion of the Lake Ontario shore line at Sterling Nature Center, Cayuga County, New York,   NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Andrews, J., Whelan, V. and Thomas, D. T., 2004. Geologic map of Middle Ordovician carbonate formations in northwest Lewis and parts of southeast Jefferson Counties, New York, NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Smith, N., Valentino, D., Chiarenzelli, J. and Solar, G., 2004. Distribution of L- and L-S tectonite in the Oliver Hill dome, eastern Adirondack Mountains, New York, NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Stilwell, S., Gawron, J., Andrews, J., Bauer, M. and others, 2004. Fracture analysis in the Ordovician Oswego Formation along the Lake Ontario shore line, Oswego County, New York, NE-SE GSA Abstracts with Programs.
  • Freyer, P., Valentino, D. W. and Solar, G. S., 2003. Deformation spanning high- to low-grade in the Piseco Lake shear zone, Speculator, New York, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Halifax, NS.
  • Price, R. P., Valentino, D. W. and Solar, G. S., 2003. Greenschist facies metamorphism associated with the Piseco Lake shear zone, central Adirondacks, New York. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, NE Section, Halifax, NS. ​