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About Me

I am a PhD student in the University of Wyoming Geology & Geophysics Department the Wyoming High-Precision Isotope Laboratory. I am advised by Dr. Kenneth W.W. Sims.

From baking soda and vinegar eruptions in grade school science class to a family trip to Hawaii (and the summit of Haleakalā), my interest in volcanoes began at an early age.  As an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, I was fortunate to be able to study degassing processes and timescales at Mount St. Helens with Dr. Mark Reagan.  After receiving my bachelor's degree, I moved to Kansas City, Missouri to pursue a career in environmental consulting.  I worked for nine years as a field geologist and project manager, primarily on environmental site characterization and remediation projects.  While consulting was a rewarding experience, I'm excited to have returned to graduate school at UW to pursue my interest in volcanic research.

In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, mountain biking, snowboarding, camping, hiking, and photography.  I'm looking forward to exploring new outdoor hobbies during my time in Laramie.

Research

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“What has happened before can and will happen again, eventually – but because we remain confined to the brief human time horizons of our own experience, we treat them as unreal. In doing so, we leave ourselves vulnerable to what we can’t imagine” (Walsh, 2019).


Large-scale, dangerous stratovolcanoes are present throughout the world in a variety of tectonic environments, often flanked by sizeable population centers. As the world’s population continues to grow, so do the risks presented by volcanic eruptions and secondary hazards (e.g. debris avalanches, lahars, etc.). Despite their looming threat, many active or potentially active volcanoes are still not well understood. Indeed, for many volcanoes there are gaps in knowledge regarding how they have evolved over time, their eruption cyclicity, and how magmatic differentiation processes relate to hazard assessment. Understanding volcanoes’ behavior in detail is therefore critical for predicting the likelihood and consequences of future volcanic eruptions. With the goal of contributing to the improvement of eruption forecasting and risk assessment, my research focuses on quantifying the magmatic differentiation and petrogenetic processes involved in the evolution of several continental volcanic systems: Summer Coon volcano, Colorado; Chimborazo volcano, Ecuador; and the Jemez Volcanic Field, New Mexico.

Curriculum Vitae

Education

PhD Candidate, University of Wyoming, Expected May 2025

Advisor: Dr. Kenneth W.W. Sims

B.S. Geoscience with Honors, University of Iowa, July 2007

Senior Thesis: 210Pb-226Ra-230Th Disequilibria in Dacite from Mount St. Helens, 1980-1986

Thesis Advisor: Dr. Mark Reagan

Publications

Conference Abstracts (* = oral presentation)

Sims, K.W.W., Miller, A., Scott, S., Messa, C., and Stark, G. Long- and short-lived isotopic measurements to identify aquifer sources and determine the timescales of water rock interaction in the Yellowstone hydrothermal system. Abstract #1331414 presented at 2023 AGU Fall Meeting, 11-15 Dec.

Sims, K.W.W., Stark, G.J., Phillips, E., Blichert-Toft, J., Reagan, M., Scott, S., Tedesco, D., Wallace, P., and Connors, L. (2023). Lithospheric controls on alkaline volcanism: A case study from Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes, Virunga Volcanic Province, DR Congo. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 55 (5).

Soluri, L., Elkins, L.J., Messer, J., Sorsen, J.M., Andersen, D., Jimenez Bustos, A., Lyu, Y., Lepow, A., Richard, N., Kant, L.B., Messa, C., Stark, G., Langmuir, C.H., and Sims, K.W.W. (2023). Detecting far-field mantle heterogeneities and Azores hotspot influence at the Kane-Atlantis Segment (21°-31° MAR) using radiogenic isotopes. Abstract #1322669 presented at 2023 AGU Fall Meeting, 11-15 Dec (accepted but withdrawn by presenting author).

Sorsen, J.M., Soluri, L., Elkins, L.J., Messa, C., Stark, G.J., Sims, K.W.W., and Langmuir, C. (2023). Characterizing the influence of mantle heterogeneity and resulting magma supply variations on detachment faulting at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 55 (3).

*Stark, G.J. and Sims, K.W.W. (2023). Deconstructing the evolutionary history of Summer Coon Volcano, Colorado: Evidence from geochemistry and radiogenic isotopes. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 55 (5).

Stark, G.J., Sims, K.W.W., and Baldridge, W.S. (2023). Understanding the magmatic evolution of Summer Coon Volcano, Colorado: Evidence from geochemistry and radiogenic isotopic compositions. Abstract #1237225 presented at 2023 AGU Fall Meeting, 11-15 Dec.

Stark, G.J. and Reagan, M.K. (2007). 210Pb-226Ra Disequilibria in Dacite from Mount St. Helens, 1980-1986. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 39 (3), 22.

Sims, K.W.W., Stark, G.J. and Reagan, M.K. (2021). An essential Quaternary clock for Earth systems sciences: An overview of the theory and applications of U and Th decay series isotopes for the dating of young igneous and sedimentary rocks. In S.A. Elias & D. Alderton (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Geology (2nd ed.). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102908-4.00167-3

Research Experience

  • Sample preparation, including dissolution and ion exchange column chemistry

  • Analysis of U-series and radiogenic isotopic compositions using Thermo Fisher Scientific NEPTUNE Plus multi-collector inductively couple plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS)

  • Imaging and microanalysis of crystal phases using FEI Quanta 250 SEM

  • Alpha spectrometry using EG&G Ortec system

  • MC-ICP-MS troubleshooting and maintenance

  • Geochemical modeling of various igneous processes using Microsoft Excel and Python

  • Collaborated with PIs on data presentation and analysis and research proposal and manuscript writing

  • Provided training and oversight of undergraduate and graduate students on laboratory protocols and MC-ICP-MS operation

  • Clean lab management, including purchasing, scheduling, and compliance with OSHA, EPA, and NRC regulations

Teaching Experience

  • Summer Field Geology: Summer 2019-2023

  • Geochemistry: Spring 2023

  • Physical Geology: Fall 2022, Spring 2021

  • First Year Seminar – The Anthropocene: Human’s Control of Nature: Fall 2020

  • Geologic Hazards: Spring 2020, 2019

  • Mineralogy: Fall 2019

  • Structural Geology and Tectonics: Fall 2018

Professional Positions

Project Geologist, Environmental Works, Inc., Kansas City, MO

May 2012 - June 2018

Assistant Geologist, Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, MO

August 2007 - October 2010

Student Well Logger, Iowa Geological Survey, Iowa City, IA

June 2006 - June 2007

Field Experience

  • Jemez Volcanic Field, New Mexico: 2021, 2019 – Igneous petrology and mapping

  • Josephine Ophiolite, Oregon and California: 2019 – Igneous petrology and cold spring sampling

  • Summer Coon Volcano, Colorado: 2022 – 2023, 2019 – Igneous petrology and mapping

  • Yellowstone Volcano, Wyoming: 2023, 2019, 2018 – Hot spring sampling, vapor sampling

  • Numerous environmental sites, USA: 2007 – 2018 – Site investigations and routine monitoring

  • Wasatch-Uinta Field Camp, Utah: 2007 – Igneous and structural mapping and sedimentary stratigraphy

  • Field Methods course, Dillon, Montana: 2006 – Structural mapping

Honors and Awards

  • Page and Elizabeth Jenkins Scholarship: 2022 – 2024

  • Wyoming NASA Space Grant Graduate Research Fellowship: 2021 – 2022

  • Colorado Scientific Society Student Research Grant: 2021

  • Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies Graduate Scholarship: 2020

  • Carlson Family Fund for Geology & Geophysics Scholarship: 2019

Professional Activities and Affiliations

Conference Organization

Session Organizer and Convener, Geological Society of America Rocky Mountain Section 2023 Annual Meeting, Fort Collins, Colorado. “Tectonism and Magmatism in the Rio Grande Rift”

Memberships in Professional Societies

American Geophysical Union: 2023 – present

Geological Society of America: 2021 – present

 

Manuscript Refereeing

AGU Books

Service

  • Student Volunteer, Geological Society of America Rocky Mountain Section 2023 Annual Meeting, Fort Collins, Colorado

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Wyoming: 2021 – 2022

  • University of Wyoming Science Kitchen Volunteer: 2022

Contact Me

Department of Geology and Geophysics

1000 E. University Ave

Laramie, Wyoming 82071

Office: GE303

Phone: (816) 820-7949

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Photography

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