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Michelle A. Kominz |
Courses Taught GEOS 3220 - Ocean Systems GEOS 5020/6500 - Quantitative Stratigraphy GEOS 560 - Introduction to Geophysics |
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Research What is the relationship between depth and age of ocean lithosphere? Have ridge volume changed with time? Has the formation of new passive margins changed the ratio of oceanic to contintal crust? How has this impacted global sea level? How has this impacted the chemistry of the oceans and atmosphere? Climatic implications? Is compaction of sediment dependent on either lithology or age? What happens to the stretched continental lithophere when it is hit by a large asteroid? Can we characterize 3rd order (0.5 to 3 m.y.) sea level change over the past 120 m.y.? How does this compare to climate proxies and tectonic history, locally and globally? What is the tectonic history of Antarctica over the last 50 m.y.? Does this influence climate or vice versa?   Application of geophysical principles to understand the processes behind the sedimentary record. Has sea-level changed on a global basis? If so, by how much,when? What are the physical responses to lithosphere due to thermal and mechanical loading? What thermal and mechanical loads have been applied to the lithosphere?   How much and when? How do continental interior basins form? Why do they subside? What are the driving forces behind the earth's climate record? Are they stochastic, chaotic or periodic? Is there an orbital signal? Have the driving forces changed over geologic time? My science consists of trying to use mathematics, statistics and physics to better understand the history of the earth and includes tectonic problems from the thermal properties of the oceanic lithosphere to the subsidence patterns of the Michigan Basin and from simple passive margins to the effects of extra terrestrial impact. Superimposed on this problem is an abiding need to understand and delineate the magnitude and timing of eustatic (global) sea-level change through time at time scales from 200 million years to as short as 10 thousand years (first to fifth order). This also often brings me into the realm of quantifying the timing and periodicity of climatic cyclicity, which I have studied in rocks from the last million years to rocks as old as Cambrian (530 m.y.). My passion is to quantify geologic problems with an honesty that includes an honest assessment of the uncertainty involved in that quantification. |
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Ongoing Projects • Estimating the effects of ocean volume change on sea level over the last 160 Ma: This is a collaborative project with Dr. Chris Scotese. This includes study of passive margin formation (M.S. students Mwakanyamale (graduated) and Kirshner). • Estimating
third-order sea-level change from backstripping of passive margin and
coastal plain boreholes. This includes study of the New Jersey and east
coast margin (in conjunction with Dr. Kenneth Miller.) and the east coast of the New Zealand margin (in conjunction with Fulthope). • Determining the tectonic history of the Victorialand Basin, Antarctica (PhD research, Hayden) as a part of the ANDRILL science initiative. • Determining the effect of an Eocene impact on the southern Chesapeake Bay. M.S. Thesis of Hayden and in cooperation with Miller and PhD student Kulpecz. |
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Recent Publications Kominz, Michelle A., Browning, James V., Miller, Kenneth G., Sugarman, Peter J., Misintzeva, Svetlana, and, Scotese, Christopher R. , (2008) Late Cretaceous to Miocene Sea-Level Estimates from the New Jersey and Delaware Coastal Plain Coreholes: An Error Analysis, Basin Research, v. 20, p 211-226. Hayden, T.G., Kominz, M.A., Powars, D.S., Edwards, L.E., Miller, K.G., Browning, J.V., and Kulpecz, A.A., (2008) Impact effects and regional tectonic insights: Backstripping the Chesapeake Bay Impact Structure, Geology v. 36, p. 327-330. Miller, K.G., Kominz, M.A., Browning, J.V., Wright, J.D., Mountain, G.S., Katz, M.E., Sugarman, P.J., Cramer, B.S., Christie-Blick, N., Pekar, S.F., ( 2005) The Phanerozoic record of sea-level change: Science, v. 310, p. 1293-1298 Kominz, Michelle A., and Stephen F. Pekar (2001) Oligocene Eustasy From Two-Dimensional, Sequence Stratigraphic Backstripping, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 113, p. 291-304 Lu, H., Fulthorpe, C. S. Mann, P. and Kominz, M. A. (2005)
Miocene-Recent tectonic and climatic controls on sediment supply and
sequence stratigraphy: Canterbury basin, New Zealand, Basin Research,
v. 17, p. 311-328. Van Sickel, W. A., Kominz, M.A, Miller, K. G., and Browning, J. V., (2005) Late
Cretaceous and Cenozoic Sea-Level Estimates Backstripping Analysis of
Borehole Data, Onshore New Jersey, Basin Research, v. 16, p. 451-465. Miller, Kenneth G.; Sugarman, Peter J.; Browning,
James V.; Kominz, Michelle A.; Olsson, Richard K.; Feigenson, Mark D.;
Hernandez, John C. (2004) Upper Cretaceous sequences and sea-level
history, New Jersey coastal plain. Geological Society of America
Bulletin, v.116, p. 368-393. Kominz, Michelle A., and
Stephen F. Pekar, (2001) Oligocene Eustasy From Two-Dimensional,
Sequence Stratigraphic Backstripping, Geological Society of America
Bulletin, v. 113, p. 291-304. Pekar, Stephen F., and Kominz, Michelle A., (2001)
Two-dimensional paleoslope modeling: A new method for estimating
water depths for benthic Foraminiferal biofacies and paleo shelf
margins: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 71, p. 608-620. Yang, Wan, Kominz, Michelle A. (1999) Testing periodicity of cyclic sequences, Cisco Group (Virgilian and Wolfcampian), Texas : Journal of Sedimentary Research, Section B, p. 1209-1231. Kominz, M.A. (1996) Whither Cyclostratigraphy? Testing the Gamma Method on Upper Pleistocene Deep-Sea Sediments: North Atlantic Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 609, Paleoceanography. v. 11, p. 481-504. Kominz, M.A. (1995) Thermally subsiding basins and the effect of sediments with application to the Cambro-Ordovician Great Basin sequence, western U. S. , Basin Research, v. 7, p. 221-233. |
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Department of Geosciences
1187 Rood Hall
1903 West Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Phone: (269) 387-5485
Fax: (269) 387-5513
mohamed.sultan@wmich.edu
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©2007 Department of Geosciences, WMU