Teaching:
GEOS 475/675 = Presentation Techniques (co-teach with R. Newberry, Fall)
GEOS 309 = Tectonics (Fall)
GEOS 605 = Geochronology (co-teach with P. Layer every other Fall)
GEOS 101 = Dynamic Earth (Spring)
GEOS 222 = Fundamentals of Geospatial Science (Spring)
Research:
Elisabeth Nadin studies continental fault zones to assess the strength of continental
crust from the surface to the brittle–plastic transition. Her geological investigations
require both field work and lab work. In the field, she maps large and small structures
associated with faulting. Back in the lab, various thermochronometers are used to
determine ages of fault rocks, and thermobarometers are employed to determine the
corresponding depths and temperatures of formation and deformation of rocks in and
around the fault zone. Nadin also analyzes rock fabrics by petrographic microscope,
electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and Xray diffraction (XRD) to understand
how different minerals—and their relative abundances—affect the overall strength of
continental crust. These investigations provide insight into the past development
and future evolution of Earth's crust.
Currently, Nadin is working in the mid- to lower-crustal sections of the Talkeetna
Arc, southeast Alaska. Her investigations include 1) a geochemical comparison of mid-crustal
arc levels from the Jurassic and today (as preserved in xenoliths of the active Aleutian
arc); 2) detrital-zircon studies of metasediments associated with the Talkeetna Arc;
and 3) rock flow fabrics preserved within the middle and lower crustal levels of this
accreted arc.
