Utah State Geology Professor Clarifies debate on Colorado Plateau

The debate concerning the Colorado Plateau’s uplift and erosion has been tackled in an article written and published in the high-profile scientific journal "Geological Society of America Today," as well as at the 114th annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver, Colo.

Utah State University geology professor Joel Pederson and two undergraduate students, James Eddleman and Rob Mackley, laid the foundation for understanding the uplift and erosion history of this famous landscape centered around the four-corners region, including Southern Utah and the Grand Canyon. The group conducted the research using Graphic Information Systems (GIS), a computer software for making maps and analyzing spatial databases.

"Not a lot of groundwork had been established before this article," said Pederson. "This is a breakthrough in the field, resulting from the simple collection of data into a GIS that helps us explain the high elevation of the plateaus and deep incision of the canyons."

The researcher’s exercise sounds simple, but took a lot of work, said Pederson. The group took existing geologic knowledge from dozens of places around the region to compile a database of how much uplift there has been and how much erosion has taken place over the past 75 million years.

"GIS technology is overtaking the science of geology in terms of storing and presenting data," said Pederson.

The debate involving the causes of the uplift and erosion of the Colorado Plateau has been widely argued for more than a century, starting with John Wesley Powell in his first explorations of the region. Pederson and colleagues have answered some of the questions by simply calculating the total amount of uplift and erosion in the region.

"Eddleman and Maclay, who worked on this research, were inspired to go on to graduate school and continue to pursue similar topics with GIS," said Pederson. "They helped lay the groundwork for further study of this region and also gained a valuable skill they are still using."

Pederson, Eddleman and Mackley's research was presented at the GSA meeting along with 21 other presenters from Utah State. Isaac Larsen, a graduate student in geology, received an honorable mention in the Howard Award category for his research on debris flow hazards in Dinosaur National Monument and how those hazards are related to fires. The Howard Award is given for the best master’s research in North America.

"We are really proud to have three quarters of our faculty represent us at the GSA meeting," said Pederson. "Six thousand people attend this conference and it puts Utah State researchers in a good position for notoriety."

The presentations reflect the integrated teaching and research efforts of the department and reflect funding from the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Carbon Capture Project, the U.S. Department of Energy and a variety of industrial associates, said John Shervais, geology department head at Utah State.

To learn more about the Colorado Plateau research look in the August 2002 issue of "GSA Today" or contact Pederson at (435) 797-7097 or bolo@cc.usu.edu.

Contact: Joel Pederson (435) 797-7097
Writer: Public Relations and Marketing (435) 797-1351