Laura Crossey, Professor Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131 (505) 277-5349 lcrossey@unm.edu

Letter to Prospective Graduate Students 2007-2008,

Thank you for your interest in our program! I hope that you take the time to check out some of the projects and links associated with the UNM web page. I and my colleagues in the Earth & Planetary Science and Biology departments are working on some terrific projects. My research emphasis is on the interaction between water and Earth materials, including biogeochemical interactions. These interests have taken me to the experimental laboratory, sedimentary core repositories from Denver CO, Ames IA, and Bakersfield CA to Canberra, Australia; modern sedimentary geochemistry settings in the Rio Grande rift, Jemez Mtns, and San Juan basin, NM, Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns, NM; and the sedimentary geologic record in Creede CO (Tertiary), the San Juan Basin NM (Cretaceous and Jurassic), and Proterozoic sequences of the Grand Canyon AZ, Uinta Mtns UT, and Death Valley CA. I am involved in many other research endeavors at Grand Canyon, entailing action-packed trips (raft-based) on the Colorado River--- lots of opportunities for student participation! I am currently looking at spring and travertine deposits (ancient and modern) in the western U.S., with a major focus on the Rio Grand Rift, the Grand Canyon/Colorado Plateau, and Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Whether you're in a modern stream bed, an arid soil, or deep in a sedimentary basin, the presence of water, minerals and microbes ensures that action is underway… Neil Young said it succinctly: "Rust Never Sleeps". My students obtain practical experience generally either in aqueous geochemistry [from installing and monitoring wells to geochemical analysis (major ion chemistry, field parameters, trace element and stable isotope geochemistry)] and more recently, gas chemistry; and/or focus on sedimentary geochemistry/diagenesis through standard petrographic analysis and application of analytical tools such as the scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffractometer, electron microprobe, stable isotope mass spectrometry, and radiogenic isotope analyses (including Sr, U-series, and noble gases). Students take advantage of our many first-rate analytical laborotories, as well as interacting with colleagues elsewhere. I am also involved with a number of science education projects. I am part of a sustained effort to provide a comprehensive geoscience interpretation for Grand Canyon (with UNM's Karl Karlstrom, Mike Williams (UMass), and Steve Semken (ASU) through construction of the Trail of Time at the South Rim (TrailofTime). I have recently developed an obsession with travertine! Some of the recent projects may be seen on the Diagenesis research pages on the UNM EPS website, as well as listed in the publications portion of my UNM home page. As examples, recent NSF grants are titled (from most current):

"Biogenic cave carbonates: Identifying surface carbon input to subsurface ecosystems: NSF Geochem Program; D. Northup, L. Crossey, M. Spilde, L. Melim (Kentucky)"

"Dating sedimentary sequences: In situ U/Th-Pb microprobe dating of early diagenetic monazite in Neoproterozoic black shales": NSF Sed. Geo & Paleo Program; (6-1-07 to 7-31-09); Laura Crossey, Karl Karlstrom, Mike Williams (UMass).

"Testing models for incision and neotectonics of the Grand Canyon region: field studies, 40Ar/39Ar dating of Neogene basalts, and detrital zircon and monazite studies of alluvial deposits": NSF Tectonics Program; (6-1-07 to 7-31-09); Karl Karlstrom, Laura Crossey, Mike Williams.

"CO2 springs and travertines of the southwestern U.S.: Hydrologic pathways linking tectonism and water quality": NSF Hydrologic Sciences Program (01/01/2006-12/31/2008), L. Crossey, K.Karlstrom, T. Fischer, and A. Springer

"Track 1, GK-12: Ecohydrogeology in the Middle Rio Grande Environment"; NSF/EHR; S. Collins (Biology Dept., UNM) and L.Crossey.

"CREST: Colorado Rockies Experiment and Seismic Transects"; Continental Dynamics, 11/01/2007-12/31/2010); K. Karlstrom, P.I.; K. Dueker and others collaborative links.

"Geomicrobial Interactions of Microbial Communities in Cave Deep Subsurface Environments: A Novel Extreme Environment" with Clifford Dahm and Diana Northup (UNM Biology), and Mike Spilde (Institute of Meteoritics), NSF Life in Extreme Environments (LexEn) Program;

"Biogeochemical Cycling of Redox-sensitive Metals During Surface-subsurface Water Exchange in a Shallow Alluvial Aquifer" with H.M. Valett (Biologist, Virginia Tech), NSF Environmental Geochemistry/Biogeochemistry (EGB) Program;

"The Trail of Time: Integrating Science and Education at Grand Canyon, AZ" with Karl Karlstrom, Geoscience Education Program;

"Collaborative research: Mesoproterozoic tectonics of inboard southwestern Laurentia: insight into assembly and configuration of Rodinia from study of sedimentary successions." with Karlstrom, John Bloch, Mike Williams and Matt Heizler, NSF Tectonics Program;

"Acquisition of an ICP-OES for Geoscience Research at the University of New Mexico" with Abdul Mehdiali, Yemane Asmerom, Tobias Fischer, Jane Selverstone, NSF Instrumentation and Facilities Program;

"Dissected hydrologic system at Grand Canyon: interaction between upper and lower world waters in modern springs and ancient travertines" with Tobias Fischer, NSF Hydrologic Sciences Program;

"Identification of Microbial Signatures in Biogenic Cave Ferromanganese Deposits" with Diana Northup, Mike Spilde, Cliff Dahm, and Penny Boston (NMT), NSF Biological Sciences Division.

Graduate students since 2000 include: Deb Bergfeld (PhD, 2001; co-advised with Fraser Goff of LANL), Susan Block (MS, Dec. 2002), David Vinson (MS, Dec. 2002), Ron Amato (MS, 2004; Water Resources Program), Tom Loveland (MS, 2004), Armand Groffman (PhD, 2002), James Dyer (MS, 2006; Water Resources Program), Barton Faulkner (PhD, 2006; co-advised with Michael Campana) and Dennis Newell (PhD, 2007; co-advised with Zach Sharp). Matthew Kirk is currently pursuing PhD work (he is associated with the IGERT program in Freshwater Sciences described in the link below; also with the GK-12 Program). Eileen Embid is working on an M.S. on travertines of the Springerville volcanic field. Jan Curtis is working on an MS in the Water Resources Program on water quality in Bluewater Creek of the Zuni Mountains. Jessica Lopez-Pearce has started an MS on the paleohydrology of the Hualapai Limestone in Arizona (she is working as a GK-12 Fellow). Amy Williams has just begun an MS looking at water quality in the Rio Grande rift at the Sevilleta LTER site with a focus on the influnce of saline springs. Zabe Premo will be looking at groundwater biogeochemistry in southeastern NM for her MS. I work closely with a number of other graduate students when their projects intersect my research interests. I also work with a number of undergraduate students on senior thesis projects. Though students work on individual projects, the group collaborates on field and analytical efforts when possible. Weekly research meetings with colleagues within EPS and Biology are often a component of the program. I am involved in joint research with Biology colleagues through our long-term integrated Hydogeoecology Group. A major current effort is with Scott Collins in Biology: we are directing a program working with graduate student Fellows in middle schools in Socorro, Belen and Laguna Pueblo (E-MRGE: Ecohydrogeology of the Middle Rio Grande- a GK-12 Fellow Program).

I teach graduate courses in the Geochemistry of Natural Waters and Sedimentary Geochemistry, Geomicrobiology, Organic Geochemistry, and Advanced Sedimentary Petrology. In addition, I teach Introductory Geology, Geology of National Parks, the senior capstone course in Environmental Sciences, and participate in UNM's summer Field Camp program. I am a departmental faculty advisor for the undergraduate programs in Earth & Planetary Sciences and Environmental Science, as well as the undergraduate Honors advisor. If you would like further information, please email me at lcrossey@unm.edu.

Thanks again for your interest!

Laura J. Crossey

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