RESEARCH

I am working on a number of projects in the fields of tectonics, sedimentary basin analysis, and detrital geochronology. Check out the Publications and Photos pages for more!

DETRITAL PETROCHRONOLOGY

We address the limitations of single mineral approaches, such as detrital zircon, in tracking sediment input from mafic and metamorphic sources in convergent margin settings. We demonstrate that detrital rutile is able to address this gap. However, rutile U-Pb geochronology is difficult due to low uranium concentrations and the incorporation of common Pb. To address these challenges, we have developed a new workflow that incorporates common Pb corrections and discordance filters specifically tailored for low-U rutile. Importantly, our results highlight that a multi-mineral approach, especially inclusive of low-U rutile, provides a more comprehensive and holistic provenance reconstruction.

Check out our latest publication in Geochronology: https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-265-2024

Jupyter notebooks for detrital rutile data reduction, analysis, and visualization: https://github.com/mmueller13/Detrital-UPb-and-TE

COLLISIONAL TECTONICS AND BIOGEOGRAPHY

Our work in Türkiye is a collaboration between geologists and paleontologists to explore the timing of continental collisions, their geodynamic drivers, and the biogeographic consequences. We demonstrate links between mammalian dispersals and Neotethys subduction and collision tectonics.

Check out some of our work in the news:

Press release: UConn, CNRS

In the news: NBC, Smithsonian, VICE

Balkanatolia on Wikipedia

SEDIMENT ROUTING IN THE APPALACHIANS

This project uses detrital monazite Th-Pb geochronology, double-dated detrital zircon U-Pb/(U-Th)/He, and detrital apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronology to reconstruct paleo-sediment routing in the Devonian–Mississippian Appalachian foreland basin. We show that detrital monazite Th-Pb geochronology is the key to identifying metamorphic sediment sources and discriminating between proposed sediment routing scenarios. We are also working on developing foundational workflows for paired detrital monazite Th-Pb and (U-Th)/He to identify diagnostic signatures of sediment recycling in orogenic settings.

SEDIMENT SUPPLY AND ACCUMULATION IN SUBDUCTION ZONES

Forearc basins, perched between magmatic arcs and subduction zone trenches, are critical repositories of material eroded from active convergent margins. Sediment deposited in these deep-water basins not only records tectonic and surface processes and forms reservoirs critical for natural resources, but sediment that is subducted also influences megathrust rheology, seismicity, and mantle wedge melting. This project refines the chronostratigraphy of Triassic to Cenozoic sedimentary units across the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. This project uses zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb geochronology of tuffs and sandstone maximum depositional ages, Bayesian stratigraphic age modeling, sandstone petrography and detrital zircon sedimentary provenance data, and sediment accumulation and tectonic subsidence analysis to evaluate links between forearc sedimentation rates, deformation regime, arc magmatism, and batholith exhumation.