Faculty at Home Webinar Series with Will Amidon

Is the Snow Bowl getting higher? How recent tectonic events have shaped the New England landscape

This talk will explore recent research findings that address the longstanding question of when and how the mountains of northern New England formed. We rely on geochemical techniques to determine when rocks were brought to the surface by erosion, when fault zones were actively rupturing to create earthquakes, and when ancient volcanoes were active in the region. Results suggest that New England’s rugged landscape is not simply the decayed remnant of an ancient mountain range, but more likely the product of recent tectonic activity.

Will Amidon (BA, Carlton College; MSc, U.C. Santa Barbara; PhD, Caltech), associate professor of geology, teaches environmental geology, satellite remote sensing, plate tectonics, and geomorphology. Will grew up in Charlotte, Vermont, and graduated from Champlain Valley Union High School in 1997. His research focuses on developing techniques to date the age of rocks and sediment deposits.