ARCHIVED CONTENT: In December 2020, the CZO program was succeeded by the Critical Zone Collaborative Network (CZ Net) ×

Claire Lukens

Alumni/Former
GRAD STUDENT

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Sierra
surface processes, landscape evolution, sediment, climate, tectonics

PhD. Student; Department of Geology and Geophysics
University of Wyoming - University of Wyoming

M.S., Geology, University of Wyoming, 2010


I am interested in how mountains evolve over time. Tectonics, sedimentation, climate, and the interactions between them all play into the evolution of mountain ranges, so I get to dabble in several disciplines. My PhD work with Cliff Riebe is focused on the geomorphic end of this spectrum, delving into watershed-scale erosion, sediment transport, and sediment source on a landscape. The basic tenet is this: If you were to stand on a stream bank and look at all the sediment in the stream, where did that sediment come from? How did it get there? What can the stream sediment tell us about the geomorphic processes shaping the landscape? To this end, I am employing a combination of apatite (U-Th)/He dating, cosmogenic nuclides, and numerical modeling to address how sediment source and erosion vary across watersheds. Currently, this work is focused at field sites in the Sierra Nevada, with several additional sites in the wings pending preliminary results.


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