Stratigraphy and Basins

We are a leader in Stratigraphy and Basin analysis, including offering one of the strongest Micropaleontology groups in the world. Our interests runs the gamut of the Geological time scale, with world leaders in Devonian and Triassic stratigraphy, though our primary strength in in Cretaceous to Cenozoic passive margin and deep-sea events. Recent accomplishments include development of the first astronomical time scale for the Triassic and the first pubilcally available sea-level record for the last 100 million years. We have been leaders in understanding the Late Devonian mass extinction, Cretaceous/Tertiary impact, the Paleocene/Eocene thermal maxium, the Eocene/Oligocene cooling, and The Stratigraphy and Basins group is closely tied to Structure and Geophysics and to IMCS/Biogeochemistry/Climate group.

In micropaleontology, we distinguish ourselves as the strongest program in the United States, if not the world. Marie-Pierre Aubry (nannofossil), Mimi Katz (foraminifera, primarily deep water benthics, and global biogeochemistry), Dick Olsson (foraminifera) Bill Berggren (foraminifera), Jim Wright (foraminifera and stable isotopes), Jim Browning (foraminifera and sequence stratigraphy), B. Wade (planktonic foraminifer), and K. Miller (foraminifera and sequence stratigraphy) supervise a group of eight graduate students. Projects range from Triassic through the Recent, with several recent theses focussing on Late Cretaceus. Our primary interest is integrating Cenozoic micropaleontology with other disciplines (magnetostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, chemostratigraphy, paleoceanography). ExxonMobil provides us with a fellowship in Micropaleontology.