EMMA BOEMAN
MS candidate
I am an MS student working with Dr. Barbara Carrapa and Dr. Paul Kapp to study the tectonic configuration of the western North American margin throughout the Mesozoic. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, I received my BS in Geology from the University of Utah in 2024. My current research focuses on employing geochronology, thermochronology, and field techniques to resolve the thermal-tectonic history of the Tyaughton-Methow forearc basin, located in the southern Chilcotin Mountains of southwestern British Colombia. I am working to constrain the timing and nature of sediment deposition and characterize source terranes of this basin strata to better understand the tectonic configuration and timing of terrane accretion with respect to the western North American margin. I aim to use these interpretations to discriminate between competing models of subduction polarity and terrane paleogeography. In my free time, I enjoy running, hiking, backpacking, cooking, camping, and spending time with friends and family!
PRISCILLA MARTINEZ
PHD CANDIDATE
Hi! I am working alongside Dr. Barbara Carrapa to reconstruct the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO) continental climate record in the Central Andes. I integrate both geological and geochemical records of climate variability across the MCO to provide insights into the mechanisms driving this prolonged warming event. From these insights, we can better understand mechanisms of global warming, its relationship with CO2, and inform future climate predictions.
I am also committed to advocating for equity, accessibility, and justice to be at the center of geoscience research, discourse, and policy through an intersectional approach. In my downtime, I enjoy reading poetry, painting, running, and cooking Salvadoran food with friends and family.
LUKE BASLER
PhD candidate
I’m a PhD student studying the tectonic evolution of the southwestern United States. I integrate field observations with geo/thermochronology and stable isotope paleoaltimetry to understand the mechanisms of crustal thickening and thinning of orogenic plateaus, such as the “Arizonaplano.” Currently, I am studying syn-extensional basin deposits in southeastern Arizona to determine the timing and mechanisms of metamorphic core complex exhumation. I’m also interested in reconstructing Cenozoic feedbacks between tectonics and climate in the western U.S. Prior to starting at the University of Arizona, I studied the Oligocene paleoelevation history of the Cascade arc as part M.S. project at the University of Idaho. In my free time, I enjoy just about any type of outdoors activity, including skiing, hiking, and camping.
VELEDA MULLER
Post doctoral scientiest
I’m a research scientist at the University of Arizona interested in the evolution of mountains through time. My career initiated in South America, using structural geology, petrology, and geochronology to reconstruct basin inversion and fold-and-thrust belt development of the Southern Patagonian Andes and the Southern Ribeira Belt. During my PhD in Europe, I realized how much mountain belts are also modulated by climate and erosion, and my research gained new meanings using Geodynamic numerical models and low-temperature thermochronology to unravel how surface processes interact with fluxes in the deep Earth. During my postdoc with Dr. Carrapa I am focusing on the tectonic evolution of the Central Andes using field-work, low-temperature thermochronology, and Geodynamic models to understand the mechanisms of crustal thickening and exhumation. I dedicate most of my free-time to be outdoors, and adventure rock climbing has been my main passion over the last 7 years.