Ongoing Research

Proterozoic Sedimentary Rocks of the Southwest:  This project is examining the petrology, clay mineralogy and organic material from Proterozoic shales and sandstones from the Grand Canyon and Utah's Uinta Mountains as part of a larger effort to unravel Proterozoic tectonics, oceanography, and paleoclimate.

Middle Rio Grande Bosque (Geochemistry - Geomicrobiology - Hydrology) :   The bosque project is part a large restoration ecology project on the RioGrande between Cochiti Dam and Elephant Butte Reservoir.  We are looking at surface- and groundwater, as well as authigenic mineral chemistry in the shallow alluvial aquifer along the river.

Travertines: Travertine deposits located along the Rio Grande Rift, eastern San Juan Basin, and in the Grand Canyon may be related to basin hydrodynamics, tectonics, geomorphology and climate change.  The purpose of this study is to investigate the hydrochemistry of the springs and travertine deposits, and to see if information pertaining to paleohydrological changes might be inferred from changes in travertine chemistry.

LEXEN:   Life in Extreme Environments. This project is taking place in Lechuguilla Cave, located in southeastern New Mexico near Carlsbad Caverns. Lechuguilla Cave is the deepest cave in the continental United States, and the focus of this study is microbial life found in its subterranean depths . The cave's ecosystem contains extreme environmental stresses, and it is for this reason that scientists are investigating the conditions under which microbial life is able to survive without light and with low nutrient levels.

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Rio Calaveras (Biogeochemistry and Hydrology): The Rio Calaveras project is a collaborative project involving both the Department of Biology and Earth & Planetary Sciences.  The purpose of the study is to look at the biogeochemical cycling of redox-sensitive metals within a shallow alluvial aquifer during surface-subsurface water exchange.  The study has been in progress since mid-1995, so visit our Rio Calaveras page to see some of the interesting groundwater geochemistry results.  Otherwise, click here to see Biology's Rio Calaveras page

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Last modified 8/21/01