John Waldron, PhD, BA

About

For more information, visit my personal website: https://sites.ualberta.ca/~jwaldron/

I am a structural and sedimentary geologist who works on deformed sedimentary rocks, with a broad general interest in the tectonic history of the Earth and how it is recorded by sedimentary rocks. My education was mostly in the British Isles (where I grew up). I then worked in Atlantic Canada, based at St. Mary's University, until 2000. At the University of Alberta since then I have taught Structural Geology and Tectonics at several different levels, in addition to Introductory Earth Science and Field Schools in the Cordillera. Much of my research is currently focussed in the norther Appalachians and their continuation in Northwest Europe as the Caledonides. This mountain belt records the amalgamation of Pangea and is a fascinating place to study the effects of Plate Tectonics on the Earth's crust.

I acknowledge the generous provision of academic licenses to the University of Alberta by:

• Petroleum Experts Ltd, for Move software used for 3D structural modelling: http://www.petex.com/products/move-suite/ The software has a commercial value of £1,601,839.98
• Schlumberger, for Petrel software used for the interpretation of seismic reflection data: https://www.software.slb.com/products/petrel
• Agisoft, for Photoscan software, used for photogrammetric modelling of outcrops in 3D: http://www.agisoft.ca/

Research

Research area

Tectonics, Structural geology: Evolution of deformed sedimentary basins

Research interest

My projects typically involve a combination of fieldwork with geophysical and geochronological data where available. Much of my work has been focussed in the Appalachians and Caledonide orogens of eastern Canada and the British Isles, where sedimentary rocks and associated folds and faults provide a record of ocean closure and supercontinent assembly. My lab stores equipment for fieldwork ranging from basic tools to a DJI Inspire 1 drone for photogrammetric surveying of outcrops. The lab is equipped with petrographic microscopes and computers capable of running state-of-the-art computer software for mapping, seismic interpretation and structural geology. 

Teaching

I currently teach courses in Structural Geology and Tectonics at second year, fourth year, and graduate level.

EAS 233 Geologic structures is a basic introduction to the identification, documentation, and basic interpretation of all kinds of structures in the Earth's crust. It focusses on field observation as a means to understand what has gone on in the Earth's history, and is a prerequisite for Geology Field School EAS 234.

EAS 421 Structural Geology and Tectonics Is a fourth year undergraduate course that examines how Plate Tectonics has affected the Earth's lithosphere over time, including sections on major tectonic environments

• Rifts and extensional environments
• Orogens and crustal shortening
• Strike slip, transtension and transpression

A graduate level section, EAS 521 is available for graduate students who did not cover this material in their undergraduate program.

EAS 541 Topics in Tectonics and Structural Geology is a graduate level course in which each participant takes on a selected orogen. In a series of presentations, participants may examine, in their chosen orogen:

• A preserved rift or passive margin
• A foreland basin and thrust belt
• An ophiolite or arc terrane
• A metamorphic belt

This course includes instruction on working with the scientific literature and preparing papers for publication, useful to thesis-based graduate students in Geology and Geophysics

In addition to the above courses, I have undertaken several larger-scale projects with the support of the Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/grants/tlef and related initiatives, including:

• The Geoscience Garden at the University of Alberta http://gg.eas.ualberta.ca/
• 3-D printed models in teaching structural geology
• Open Educational Resource based on EAS 233 teaching manual

EAS 100 - Planet Earth

Introduction to the origin and evolution of the Earth and the solar system. Introduction to plate tectonics and the rock cycle. Simple energy balances and interactions between radiation and the atmosphere, land, oceans, ice masses, and the global hydrological cycle. Evolution of life, biogeography, and global climate in the context of geologic time. The carbon cycle. Human interaction with the Earth. Mineral and energy resources. This course may not be taken for credit if credit has been obtained in EAS 200 or 201.

EAS 200 - Introductory Studies in Earth Science

Laboratory study of topics in introductory Earth Science. EAS 200 and EAS 201 are considered to be equivalent to EAS 100 for prerequisite purposes. Not available to students with credit in EAS 100, 101, EAS 210 or SCI 100. Prerequisite: EAS 201.

EAS 201 - Earth Science I

A non-laboratory introduction to the origin and evolution of the Earth and the solar system. Introduction to plate tectonics and the rock cycle. Simple energy balances and interactions between radiation and the atmosphere, land, oceans, ice masses, and the global hydrological cycle. Evolution of life, biogeography, and global climate in the context of geologic time. The carbon cycle. Human interactions with the Earth. Mineral and energy resources. This course may not be taken for credit if credit has been obtained in EAS 100 or 210. (Note: EAS 201 and EAS 200 are considered to be equivalent to EAS 100 for prerequisite purposes). [Faculty of Science]

EAS 233 - Geologic Structures

Orientation, measurement description, and analysis of planar and linear structures in rocks, including folds, faults, and fabrics. Introduction to mapping and the collection of structural information. Construction of geologic maps and cross-sections. Introduction to stereographic and equal-area projections. Basic concepts of strain and stress in rock deformation. Prerequisite: EAS 105, 210 or SCI 100. [Faculty of Science]

Browse more courses taught by John Waldron