Nelia Dunbar

Activity Report 2009

Published Papers (prepare as complete reference citations and attach abstracts not previously submitted)

Cather, S.M., Dunbar, N.W., McDowell, F.W., McIntosh, W.C., and Scholle, P.A., 2009, Climate forcing by iron fertilization from repeated ignimbrite eruptions: The icehouse-silicic large igneous province (SLIP) hypothesis: Geosphere, v. 5, p. 315-324.

Mack, G.H., Dunbar, N., and Foster, R., 2009, New sites of 3.1-Ma pumice beds in axial-fluvial strata of the Camp Rice and Palomas Formations, southern Rio Grande Rift: New Mexico Geology, v. 31, p. 31-37.

McLemore, V., Donahue, K., Dunbar, N., and Heizler, L., 2009, Characterization of Weathering of Mine Rock Piles: Example from the Questa Mine, New Mexico, USA, 8th ICARD.

Naish, T., Powell, R.,and others., 2009, Obliquity-paced Pliocene West Antarctic ice sheet oscillations: Nature, v. 458, p. 322-U84.

Woodcock, D., Meyer, H., Dunbar, N., McIntosh, W., Prado, I., and Morales, G., 2009, Geologic and taphonomic context of El Bosque Petrificado Piedra Chamana (Cajamarca, Peru): Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 121, p. 1172-1178.

Geologic Maps (OF-GMs and GMs)

Books (written or edited)

Papers Presented at Professional Meetings (including abstracts; cite as complete references and attach abstract)

Donahue, K., Dunbar, N.W., Heizler, L., and McLemore, V., 2009, Clay Mineralogy of the Goathill North Rock Pile, Questa Mine,Taos County, NM: Origins and Indications of In-situ Weathering: 2009 SME Annual Meeting.

Donahue, K.M., Dunbar, N.W., and McLemore, V.T., 2009, Clay mineralogy of the Goathill North rock pile, Questa mine, Taos County, NM: Origins and indications of in-situ weathering (abstract), Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Annual Convention,: Denver.

Dunbar, N.W., Cather, S.M. and Heizler, L.H., 2009, Detrital monazite geochronology of Ortega Quartzite clasts in Pennsylvanian strata of the northern Truchas Uplift, northern New Mexico; implications for the slip history of the Picuris-Pecos Fault, in Anonymous, ed., New Mexico Geological Society spring meeting, Volume 31, New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, p. 43-44.

Dunbar, N.W., and McIntosh, W.C., 2009, Tephra as an absolute dating and correlation tool for Antarctic ice cores: Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 73, p. A312-A312. (Keynote presentation at Goldschmidt meeting, summer 2009)

Elkins, L.J., Sims, K.W., and Dunbar, N.W., 2009, Seawater alteration of Arctic mid-ocean ridge basalts: EOS Trans. AGU, 90(52), Fall Meet. Sup, v. 90(52) Fall Meet. Suppl., p. V33D-2063.

Kyle, P., and Dunbar, N.W., 2009, The volcanic record of the upper 600 meters of the ANDRILL AND-1 drill cores:  Evidence of ice-free conditions and local volcanic activity over the past 6 million years, ANDRILL Science Meeting: Wellington New Zealand.

McLemore, V., Sweeney, D., Dunbar, N., Heizler, L., and Phillips, E., 2009, Determining bulk mineralogy using a combination of petrographic techniques, whole rock chemistry, and MODAN, Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration Annual Convention.

Reports and Miscellaneous Publications (Unpublished reports; include reports of contract research; open-file reports etc.)

Journals Edited

Seminars and/or Speaking Engagements

• Talk for OASIS group in Albuquerque, March 19, 2009
• Seminar at New Mexico State University geology department, Sept. 23, 2009
• Seminar at Arizona State University, Oct. 14, 2009
• Talk for Albuquerque citizen group, Nov. 13, 2009

Research Contracts and Grants Awarded (only title, not amounts to be posted on internet)

Research Contracts and Grants Proposed

Advancing the 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of Ross Island and McMurdo Sound volcanism.  Submitted to NSF

MRI-R2:  Development of Trace Element Analysis, Monazite Geochronology and Imaging Capabilities of a Cameca SX-100 Electron Microprobe.  Submitted to NSF

Geological mapping near Mount Taylor, New Mexico:  Insight into early eruptive processes of a major composite volcano.  Submitted to EDMAP

Awards and Other Recognitions

Invitation to present keynote talk at Goldschmidt Geochemical Society Meeting (see abstract title above)

Service on Graduate Student Committees (list student and title of project and if you are major supervisor)

• Committee member for Andrew Fargo (MS). Minna Bluff Geochronology
• Committee member for Russell White (MS). Trench sediment characterization and cementation
• Committee member for Jake Ross (MS). Chronology of the ANDRILL core
• Committee member for Matt Zimmerer (MS). Chronology and geochemistry of the Latir Volcanic field
• Committee member for Shasta Marrero (PhD).  Cosmogenic investigations as part of CHRONOS project.
• Committee member for Lara Owens (PhD). Geothermal investigations
• Committee member for Bess Koffman (PhD).  Investigation of Fe particulates in the WAIS Divide ice core.

Courses Taught

Calderas- Top to Bottom (GEOL 572).  Co-taught with Jeff Johnson.  Web-based seminar class taught cooperatively with McGill University and University of New Mexico.  See more information in Jan 2010 EOS write-up

Assisted in geophysics short course in Ecuador taught by J. Johnson and others (July 2009) http://geop572.nmtgeop.net/

Theory and Practice of Electron Microprobe Analysis (GEOC 589). Fall 2009

Assisted in A. Campbell’s “Experimental Mineralogy” and “Stable Isotope” classes

Continuing Education Courses Given/Taken

Service on Institute Committees

Service in Professional Societies (it is your choice whether you wish to include this information on internet site)

• Member of NMGS executive committee
• Member of American Geophysical Union
• Member of the Mineralogical Society of America
• Member of Microbeam Analysis Society
• Member of New Mexico Microbeam Users Group

Service on Commissions/Councils/Boards

Bureau Service Projects Active This Period

• Member of building committee
• Associate Director for laboratories
• Maintenance of Electron Microprobe and Carrizozo Malpais Web site http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/staff/dunbar/carrizozo/carrizozo.html
• Bureau Equipment Committee member
• Member of the Geological Editorial Board for Lite Geology
• Assisting numerous Bureau researchers and students with sample preparation for, and collection and presentation of electron microprobe and scanning electron microscope analyses.
• Providing tours of the electron microprobe facility for New Mexico Tech alumni, New Mexico Tech classes, and visiting educational groups.
• Answering various phone calls and other inquiries about volcanoes, earthquakes, and other aspects of New Mexico geology.
• Provided letters of support and information for Bureau proposals, particularly relative to electron microprobe laboratory.
  

Research Projects Active This Period

*Investigation of the long-term stability of waste rock piles at the Molycorps/Questa Mine

*Tephrochronology, chemical fingerprinting, and correlation of tephra layers in ancestral Rio Grande sediments. (in conjunction with D. Love, S. Connell, S. Cather, W. McIntosh, and others)

*Cosmogenic exposure dating of young basalts in New Mexico

*Englacial tephrochronology of blue ice areas of Antarctica: Implication to ice sheet history and ice-bound climate records.

*Tephrochronology of the Siple and Taylor Dome Ice Cores.

*Tephrochronology of the South Pole SPRESSO Core.

*Tephrochronology of the WAIS Divide Core.

*Tephrochronology of the ANDRILL Core.

*Investigation of the volcanic geology of Minna Bluff, Antarctica

* Detrital monazite geochronology of Ortega quartzite clasts in Pennsylvanian strata of the Northern Truchas uplift, Northern New Mexico: implications for the slip history of the Picuris-Pecos fault *Investigation of *Lake Mead area tephrochronology

*Investigation of field and geochemical characteristics of early pyroclastic deposits from Mt. Taylor (in conjunction with S. Kelley, F. Goff and B. McIntosh)

*Chemical composition of the Quilitoa caldera  (Ecuador) pyroclastic eruptions (in conjunction with P. Mothes, Ecuador Geophysical Institute)

Public Service/Education and Outreach

-See outreach talks listed above.

-Participated in E&ES graduate student recruitment weekend (late Feb, 2009).  Gave several lab tours as part of visit.

-Science Fair judge (April, 2009)

-Co-lead field trip for the IRIS group of summer intern students. (May 2009)

-Rockin’ around New Mexico (July 2009)

-Worked on radio piece on volcanoes in New Mexico for KUNM (Sept. 2009)

-Assisting numerous non-Bureau researchers and students with sample preparation for, and collection and presentation of electron microprobe and scanning electron microscope analyses. Also, assisted researchers at other institutions with electron microprobe questions.

-Provided tours of the electron microprobe facility for New Mexico Tech alumni, New Mexico Tech classes, visiting prospective students, and other educational groups.

-Answering various phone calls and other inquiries about volcanoes, earthquakes, and other aspects of New Mexico geology.

-Giving talks about geology to school groups.

-Adjunct Appointment to E&ES Department

-Provided letters of support and information for non-Bureau proposals, particularly relative to electron microprobe laboratory.