Alaska Research

Research by Professor Ron Cole and students over the past 12 years has focused on unraveling tectonic events in southern Alaska by studying crustal deformation, volcanism, and basin development within Denali National Park in the central Alaska Range and across the Talkeetna Mountains. Student participants have built experience in the foundations of geology (e.g., field mapping, petrology, stratigraphy) and have integrated field and geochemical laboratory research to solve regional tectonic problems. This type of multidisciplinary approach is becoming increasingly important for modern studies of crustal dynamics.