My work centers on structural mapping in the field and regional synthesis of the tectonics of continental orogens and rift zones. Research Projects Nature and origin of low-angle normal faults and metamorphic core complexes. Rock-fabric and quantitative strain studies in several metamorphic core complexes suggest that crustal shortening in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction is common, but probably not ubiquitous.
Some areas appear to record the opposite, that is, horizontal extension in all directions.
The tectonic causes for such three-dimensional displacement patterns remain uncertain and an area of ongoing investigation. We seek to document and understand this diversity and its causes, primarily though detailed geologic documentation of time-space patterns of magmatism and tectonic deformation and interactions between the two. Emplacement and deformation of the Independence Dike Swarm and its tectonic significance. We have two main ultimate goals. First, we wish to learn about processes of internal deformation in batholiths and their links to subduction-related magmatism.