Paul A. Skudder IIIM.S. Candidate Geology Office: SC 107 Ph: 406-243-4028 (department office) E-mail: Dept. of Geosciences |
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Education
B.A. Geosciences, Williams College 2005
Publications
Skudder III, P.A., Backus, D.H., Goodwin, D.H. and Johnson, M.E., 2006. Sequestration of Carbonate Shell Material in Coastal Dunes on the Gulf of California (Baja California Sur, Mexico). Journal of Coastal Research, 22(3): 611-624.
Experience
Geology Intern, ConocoPhillips, Houston, TX (Spring 2008)
Teaching Assistant, University of Montana (Fall 2007)
Environmental Geologist, Sterling Environmental Engineering, P.C., Latham, NY (Fall 2005 to Spring 2007)
High School Rowing Coach (Fall 2005, Spring 2007)
Teaching Assistant, Williams College (Spring 2005)
Thesis advisor (s):
Thesis project:
My currently proposed thesis work will involve mapping the surficial geology of the Eastern Shore of Flathead Lake and the lower Swan valley (study area shown in red below) at a scale of 1:24,000. The goals of the project are to refine understanding of the distribution of local hydrofacies, map onshore surficial expressions of the Mission fault east and north of Flathead Lake, and constrain current interpretations of the regions glacial and glaciolacustrine history, and the map will be published as a Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Open File Report.
Extensional faulting and Pleistocene glacial features dominate the study area’s landscape. Local mountain ranges are uplifted relative to valleys by basin-and-range type normal faulting of metasedimentary Belt Supergroup bedrock. Two large, active, west-dipping normal faults exist within the study area: the Mission fault, which forms the eastern margin of the Mission valley, and the Swan fault, which similarly forms the eastern margin of the Swan valley. The mission fault has been well mapped south of the study area and underneath Flathead Lake, but additional work is required to constrain expressions of fault splays on the lakes eastern shore and north of the lake where extensional stress is transferred east to the Swan fault by smaller strike-slip faults.
The surficial sediments of the study area consist mainly of recent alluvial and Pleistocene glacial and glaciofluvial deposits. These sediments are the most important sources of local groundwater and attaining a close understanding of their organization will inform community planners in this developing region. Additionally, these deposits form a sedimentary record of the retreat of Pleistocene glaciers and subsequent climate change. Careful observation and interpretation of this record has potential to fill gaps in current scientific understanding of these events.
Hobbies
I enjoy almost any type of outdoor recreation but if I’m choosing I usually end up backpacking, fishing, or skiing. If there were a place to row near Missoula, coaching or competing in crew would also be on the list. I enjoy photography but have no formal training, and if I have a light week at the office I usually splurge on ingredients and spend some of the extra time cooking up tasty things.
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