Current Graduate Students
Mariah Romero, PhD Student
Email: Mariahc.romero@gmail.com
2018-M.S. Geology, Purdue University
2015-B.S. Geosciences, University of Arizona
Mariah is a third year PhD student. She is interested in evaluating and comparing the early sedimentary record of ancient and modern forearc basins from various orogenic regions on multiple continents. Her current research focuses on the initiation and development of the Mesozoic San Joaquin sedimentary basin in central California. To better understand the onset of deposition and provenance of the basal stratigraphy of the San Joaquin basin, she is using a combination of sedimentary basin analysis, detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite/zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology, geochemistry, and traditional field work.
Chance Ronemus, MS Student
Email: 1chanceronemus1@gmail.com
2019 – B.S. Earth Sciences, concentration in Geology, minor in GIS, Montana State University
Chance is a second-year masters student interested in using geochronology and traditional field geology to answer questions of tectonic significance in the Northern Rockies. His MS research has two components: (1) Applying zircon (U-Th)/He deep-time thermochronology to constrain the Proterozoic-to-recent, low-temperature thermal history of the Beartooth and Tobacco Root Mountain Ranges. The purpose is to integrate these methods with targeted field mapping to contribute to a unified understanding of the long-term tectonic evolution of the Wyoming Province and North American Western Cordillera. (2) Construction of a geologic map of Melrose and Wickiup Creek 7.5′ quadrangles, Highland Mountains, southwest Montana, which is part of an EDMAP project. This works seeks to define the structure between Proterozoic and Paleozoic stratigraphy exposed at Camp Creek.
Recently, Chance was the lead author on a TeST lab group project on the provenance of detritus in Bozeman backyard! The publication is available Open Access here.
Christopher Baird, MS Student
Email: chrismbaird91@gmail.com
2020 – B.S. Geology, University of Washington
Chris is a first-year masters student interested in studying deep-time geochronology, geochemistry and the interaction between tectonics and sedimentary processes. Chris recently graduated from UW-Seattle, where he conducted undergraduate research focusing on understanding the uplift history of Cretaceous strata in southwest Montana. His MS research will focus on the facies, stratigraphic architecture and provenance of the Mesoproterozoic LaHood conglomerate in southwest Montana. Chris is currently developing a road map for his research and plans to begin conducting field work around Jefferson Canyon, Montana in the Fall of 2020. Stay tuned for more details and future publications!
Current Undergraduate Students
Sophie Black-provenance of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, Little Belt Mountains, Montana
Saré Campbell-provenance of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, Lombard, Montana
Shawn Reddington-fission track thermochronology of southern Patagonia foreland
Misia Zilinsky-sandstone petrography of trench-slope deposits, Southern Tibet
Chris Kussmaul-metamorphic petrology of Precambrian gneiss, Beartooth Mountains, Montana
PhD or MS Committee Member:
Caden Howlett (MSU)
Aislin Reynolds (MSU)
Christopher Schiller (MSU)
William Freimuth(MSU)
William Burke (MSU)
Gourab Bhattacharya (University of Alabama)
Audrey Warren (UNLV)
Former Students
Johnny Murphy (MSU, B.S., 2019) Now a MS student at Washington State University
Sarah Massar (MSU, B.S. 2018) Now a “Geoscientist in the Park” at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Matthew Yaeger (MSU, B.S. 2018)
John Cook (MSU, B.S. Expected Spring 2020)
