IGL Research Staff

markschmitz@boisestate.edu

The Isotope Geology Laboratory is directed by Dr. Mark Schmitz, Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences. His research interests encompass an understanding of the processes associated with the tectonic, geochemical, and thermal evolution of the continental lithosphere through isotope geology and geochronology, as well as the application of high precision geochronology to constraining paleoclimatic and paleobiological events and processes in the stratigraphic record. More information on his research and teaching program can be found on his faculty website.

jimcrowley@boisestate.edu

Dr. James Crowley, Research Geochemist, maintains the clean chemistry and mass spectrometry laboratories and trains students and visiting scholars in all aspects of isotope geochemistry and mass spectrometry.

Dr. Crowley earned his B.A. in Geology from Amherst College, and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. His main research interests are: (1) Integration of high-precision geochronology, paleontology, and stratigraphy to determine the age of major events for life. For example, dating the end-Permian mass extinction through U-Pb analysis of zircon from volcanic ash beds, with the goal of determining the cause of the extinction. (2) Developing techniques necessary to produce temporal constraints with uncertainties of better than 0.1%, including production of tracer solutions and characterization of zircon age standards that are being distributed worldwide for the purposes of inter-laboratory calibration. (3) Obtaining high-precision dates from small fragments of accessory minerals (zircon, monazite, titanite) that were characterized for composition and zoning by micro-beam methods. Examples of the goals of this work are determining rates of silicic magma generation and the timing of metamorphic events.

debrapierce@clearwire.net

Debbie Pierce, Laboratory Technician, maintains the mineral separation laboratory and trains students and visiting scholars in all aspects of mineral separations and geochemical sample preparation.

Debbie earned her B.S. in Geology from Boise State University in 2000.

genekurz@mail.boisestate.edu

Gene Kurz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geosciences and a research assistant in the IGL. Gene's dissertation work includes the application of Sr, Nd, and Pb tracer isotopes, as well as high precision U-Pb zircon geochronology, to understanding the tectonic, structural, and magmatic evolution of ancient island arc systems.

Gene earned his B.S. in Geology from the University of Southern Oregon in 1999, and an M.S. in Geology from Boise State University in 2001.

last updated, 10/14/08