Dr. Nancy R. Riggs
Professor
Education
PhD, University of California
Specialties
Volcanology and geochronology
Research interests
My research interests range from exploration of the
interaction of volcanism and tectonics to the interaction of volcanism and
sedimentation to the interaction of tectonics and topography to physical
volcanology. I have done research on these various topics in southern and
central Arizona, New Zealand, Ireland, and Mexico. Most recently, most of my
work has been in two areas:
- I am investigating how isolated volcanic domes
and dome complexes grow and are destroyed. Domes are commonly found around
stratovolcanoes and calderas, but they certainly exist by themselves as well,
and the perception of their hazards needs to address this fact. My collaborator
in this work is at UNAM, Juraquilla.
- I am studying the volcanic contribution to an
Upper Triassic unit on the Colorado Plateau. Together with colleagues at UIPUI,
the USGS, and elsewhere, I am dating volcanic detritus that ranges in size from
ash to cobbles from this continental sandstone and attempting to work backwards
to its source areas. It seems evident that the ash, cobbles, and non-volcanic
material all had different sources, based on the age signatures of the zircon
crystals in them.
For more information about these and other projects, please
visit my homepage.
Contact
Office: 205 Geology Annex (Building 13)
Phone: 928-523-9362
E-mail: Nancy.Riggs@nau.edu
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