Research

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Cutting-Edge Research Opportunities

CSUB Geology students have the opportunity to collaborate with professors on their cutting-edge research projects. Undergraduate students can start working with a faculty mentor the day they step into the department. Masters students become experts in their fields. Many students publish their scientific discoveries in internationally recognized, peer-reviewed journals.

Explore the World
Work with Computers
Dr. Krugh explaining the geology at the mouth of the Kern River
Dr. Herman demonstrating how to run a computer model
Dr. Krugh explaining the geology at the mouth of the Kern River
Dr. Herman demonstrating how to run a computer model
Dr. Krugh explaining the geology at the mouth of the Kern River
Dr. Herman demonstrating how to run a computer model

Faculty Research Interests

CSUB Geology professors have a wide range of research interests and areas of expertise, offering students a wide variety of opportunities. Reach out to learn more about faculty research or to ask about working on a research project. Contact information is available here.

Name Research Topics
Anna Cruz Paleoclimatology, Oceanography, Environmental Geochemistry
Junhua (Adam) Guo Marine Sedimentology, Paleoclimate, Geohazards, Geo-resources
Matthew Herman Earthquakes, Plate Tectonics, Geodynamics & Geophysics, Numerical Modeling
William (Chris) Krugh Tectonics, Earth Surface Processes, Thermochronometry, Natural Hazards
Katie O'Sullivan Planetary Geology, Lunar Petrology, Volcanoes, Eastern California Field Geology
Anthony Rathburn Micropaleontology, Biogeochemistry, Oceanography, Paleoecology, Science Education
Liaosha Song Hydrogen Geological Storage, Carbon Sequestration, Geochemistry, Petrophysics

Research Facilities

The CSUB Department of Geological Sciences has a range of high-quality research equipment and facilities. Click on the items below for more information.

The California Well Sample Repository is a facility with cores and samples from more than 5,000 wells drilled both onshore and offshore California. This collection is housed in two 6,000 square-foot buildings on CSUB campus. The repository catalog contains tens of thousands of core, cutting, well log, and paleontology samples from the various California oil, gas, water, and core wells in the collection. 

Please contact the curator or the director for more information.

California Well Sample Repository
The Scanning Electron Microscope Laboratory at CSUB hosts two instruments:

Zeiss Sigma 300 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope
The FE-SEM is an analytical system that can achieve high-resolution imaging of samples at nanometer scale, while simultaneously performing qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses of the sample surface. This nano-resolution imaging system is incorporated with a Bruker Quantax Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer for elemental analysis, and Deben Mk3 Coldstage for biological specimens.

Hitachi S3400N Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope
The VP SEM is equipped with an Oxford Inca Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer, Gitan ChromaCL Live Color Cathodoluminescence imaging system, and an IXRF X-Ray Fluorescence microanalysis system.

Please contact Dr. Song for instrument availability, user rates, and booking hours.

Liaosha Song describing the SEM
The X-Ray Powder Diffraction Laboratory at CSUB supports research in geology, archaeology, and engineering, as well as serving for student training. The lab is equipped with a Panalytical Empyrean XRD system. Research projects that have utilized the XRD facility include studies of the geological record of climate change, economic geology, archaeology, environmental engineering, and materials science.

Please contact Dr. Guo for more information.

Student using the CSUB XRD instrument

CSUB XRD Instrument
The Micropaleontology & Paleontology Laboratory at CSUB hosts an extensive benthic foraminifera reference collection representing specimens collected all over the world. The bulk of the collection is from the Pacific Ocean along the North and South American margins, including offshore California. The lab houses a taxonomic library with resources for foraminiferal taxonomy and ecology. The lab supports a Nikon epifluorescence microscope with camera and computer-imaging attachments, housed in a light-controlled room, and used for examining CTG specimens. A dedicated Leica microscope with camera and imaging software facilitates imaging and morphological analyses of foraminiferal specimens. Sample splitters and other micropaleontological accessories are available. Samples and specimens can be stored in dedicated –80ºC or –4ºC freezers in the lab.

Please contact Dr. Rathburn for more information.
Research grade optical microscopes at CSUB include:
  • Nikon Eclipse 600 polarized light microscope for petrographic analysis
  • Zeiss AxioImager A2m microscope for reflected and transmitted light applications
  • Olympus and Leica stereo microscopes capable of creating high-resolution photomicrographs for a wide range of applications
A number of Leica petrographic microscopes are also available for student use and teaching purposes.
Geodynamics Laboratory
The Geodynamics Laboratory at CSUB hosts Dell Precision 7820 and Dell Precision 3680 workstations running Linux operating systems for performing numerical simulations, processing large geophysical datasets, and developing software. Additional computers are available in the lab for student research. Research topics studied in the Geodynamics Lab include subduction zone earthquake cycles, earthquake interactions, plate boundary evolution, and mountain building processes.

Please contact Dr. Herman for more information.

Computer Modeling Laboratory
The Computer Modeling Laboratory at CSUB hosts a Dell Precision 5820 workstation with industrial software packages for processing well logs, seismic reflection data, high-resolution images, and 3D image stacks. The workstations are also capable of running numerical simulations. Available software includes SLB Petrel, SLB Powerlog, Geographix, Petra, and PerGeos.

Please contact Dr. Song for more information.
The Geochemistry Laboratory at CSUB operates in a clean environment circulated with HEPA-filtered air. The facilities include working benches, laminar flow and fume hoods, and an analytical balance for precise measurements. The lab is equipped with an ICAP RQ single-quad Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer coupled with an ASX-560 Autosampler. This powerful and sensitive analytical instrument enables users to confidently measure both trace and major analytes in even the most challenging matrices.

Please contact Dr. Cruz for more information.

Student working in the CSUB Geochem Lab

 

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