"Greetings everyone. My biggest highlight recently was a research sabbatical in Fall 2024 where I spent time in the wilds of Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. My primary goal was to focus on the structural similarities and differences between enigmatic mega-scale gravity slides and low-angle tectonic detachment faults in order to distinguish between them in the field. I have continued my research on the emplacement of subvolcanic intrusions and the geologic hazards associated with their growth and eruptions and my group continues to make new discoveries while mapping the world’s largest volcanic gravity slides in the Marysvale volcanic field of Utah. We are working on understanding the mechanisms of long runout emplacements of three different mega-scale catastrophic gravity slides (each the size of Rhode Island) that cover well over 8000 km2 during sector collapses of the Miocene volcanic field. Our research group continues to be funded by grants from NSF and the USGS EDMAP program and we have published several journal articles, including in Geology (in press) on frictional weakening and restrengthening during emplacement of the Sevier gravity slide. Zack Loffer wrapped up his MS thesis on detailed mapping of a portion of the Sevier gravity slide, while Gracie Stevens is currently working out the geochemical and magmatic evolution of the Marysvale volcanic field and Anthony Molina is mapping the enigmatic Castle Cliff detachment fault in the Beaver Dam Mountains of southwest Utah.
I continue to teach our field camp in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho where through experiential learning we acquire skills in the field and experience geology in many of our national parks. My volcanology course continues to thrive and the field trip to Virginia to explore the history of Proterozoic to Eocene volcanism and magma generation is always a highlight."