Brian K Horton
Professor, Department of Geological Sciences -- Research Professor, Institute for GeophysicsBrian Horton holds a joint appointment with the Department of Geological Sciences (Professor) and the Institute for Geophysics (Research Professor) at the University of Texas at Austin.
His research focuses on the tectonics of sedimentary basins and orogenic systems using techniques from the fields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, structure/tectonics, geochronology, thermochronology, and paleomagnetism. Students and postdocs in his group develop projects combining field-based basin analysis with various laboratory techniques (U-Pb geochronology, magnetostratigraphy, sedimentary petrography, stable-isotope geochemistry, basin modeling, seismic interpretation, and (U-Th)/He, fission-track, and Ar/Ar thermochronology) to address the tectonic evolution of modern and ancient sedimentary basins and crustal structures in the Andes, Tibet, Middle East, and western North America. Current team members are working on projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Alaska, Mongolia, Tibet, and the Zagros.
Research Interests
- Evolution of contractional orogenic belts and foreland, hinterland, and intermontane basins
- Initial mountain building and plateau construction in the Andes, Tibet, Middle East, and western North America
- Sediment provenance and routing systems
- Influence of tectonics and climate on erosion, sedimentation, and basin evolution
- Integration of geochronology, thermochronology, and paleoaltimetry with basin analysis
- Physical sedimentology of modern and ancient fluvial and alluvial-fan depositional systems
Areas of Expertise
Tectonics of sedimentary basins and orogenic systems
Research Locations
Current Research Programs & Projects
CAUGHT: Central Andean Uplift and the Geodynamics of High Topography (NSF Continental Dynamics)
STEEP: St. Elias Erosion-tectonics Project (NSF Continental Dynamics)
Evaluating along-strike variations in surface uplift of the Andes: Constraints from molecular paleoaltimetry in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia (NSF Tectonics)
Thrust belt response to rapid surface uplift of the Altiplano: A field test of Cordilleran cyclicity in southern Bolivia (NSF Tectonics)
Depositional and deformational history of the Zagros fold-thrust belt and foreland basin (industry consortium)
Select Past Research
Assessing the timing of initial Andean crustal shortening, northern Argentina (NSF Tectonics)
Rifting and exhumation of the youngest high-pressure/ultra-high-pressure rocks on Earth (NSF Continental Dynamics)
Acquisition of a solid-state 193-nm laser-ablation system (NSF Instrumentation and Facilities)
Tectonic and climatic controls on rapid exhumation along the Altiplano-Eastern Cordillera boundary, Bolivia (NSF Tectonics)
Kinematic linkages among extrusion, fold-thrust shortening, and foreland basin evolution during early continental collision, Zagros Mountains, Iran (NSF Tectonics)
Detachment faulting and basin development in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru (NSF Tectonics)
Development of extensional systems in regions of hot, thick crust: Insight from Tibet (NSF Tectonics)
Basin evolution and structural history of a regional transect through the Middle Magdalena Valley, Eastern Cordillera, and western Llanos basin of Colombia (Ecopetrol - Instituto Colombiano del Petroleo)
New perspectives on the tectonic and paleoelevation history of the northern Andes (Ecopetrol - Instituto Colombiano del Petroleo)
Directors Circle of Excellence Award - Institute for Geophysics, UT-Austin (2012)
Faculty Research Assignment - UT-Austin (2012 - 2013)
Outstanding Research Award - Jackson School of Geosciences, UT-Austin (2011)
Directors Circle of Excellence Award - Institute for Geophysics, UT-Austin (2010)
Humboldt Research Fellowship - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany (2006 - 2007)
Fellow - Geological Society of America (2005)
Young Scientist Award, Donath Medal - Geological Society of America (2004)
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship - National Science Foundation (1998 - 1999)
Graduate Research Fellowship - National Science Foundation (1993 - 1996)
Guest Editor, Journal of South American Earth Sciences, Special Issue: Tectonic and climatic shaping of the northern Andes and southern Caribbean margin (2012)
Session Co-Chair, AAPG annual convention, Regional interaction of tectonics and sedimentation: Examining relationships between deformation and basin evolution (2010)
Exceptional Reviewer, Lithosphere, (2010)
Editor, Basin Research, (2009 - 2013)
Session Co-Chair, AGU fall meeting, Cenozoic mountain building in Asia and South America: Impact on surface processes, erosion, climate change, and deep Earth processes (2009)
Editorial Board, Lithosphere, (2008 - 2013)
Exceptional Reviewer, Geological Society of America Bulletin, (2007)
Co-Supervisor of Paleomagnetics Laboratory, with Dr. Jack Holt, Jackson School of Geosciences, UT-Austin (2006 - 2013)
Postdocs
Elizabeth J Cassel
The interactions between tectonics, climate, and erosion; Earth surface processes; tectonic geomorphology; stable isotope geochemistry and its applications to paleo-elevation, -climate, and -hydrology; fluvial and alluvial depositional environments; sediment provenance and drainage evolution through detrital mineral geochronology; sedimentology and stratigraphy; major, trace element, rare earth element, and stable isotope compositions of volcanic glass; Laramide tectonics and drainage system responses.
N. Ryan McKenzie, 2012 - 2013
Paleobiology, basin analysis, geochronology.
Mauricio Parra, 2009 - 2010
Geo/thermochronology, basin analysis. Now with Instituto Colombiano del Petroleo, Ecopetrol, Colombia.
Joel Saylor, 2008 - 2012
Basin analysis, geo/thermochronology, paleoaltimetry. Now Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University.
Junsheng Nie, 2008 - 2010
Paleomagnetism, climate change, geochronology. Now Assistant Professor, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.
Jiangyu Zhou, 2002 - 2003, UCLA
Sedimentology, basin analysis. Now Professor, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China.
Guillaume Dupont-Nivet, 2002 - 2003, UCLA
Paleomagnetism, basin analysis. Now Senior Research Scientist, University of Rennes, France.
Graduate Students
Amanda Z Calle, M.S., expected 2013
Nicholas D Perez, Ph.D., expected 2015
Veronica J Anderson, Ph.D., expected 2015
Mariya Levina, Ph.D., expected 2016
Renas I Mohammed, Ph.D., expected 2016
Meredith A Bush, Ph.D., expected 2016
Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau; Sedimentary basin analysis of the Qaidam Basin
Sebastian G Ramirez, Ph.D., expected 2016
Justin Fitch, M.S., 2012
Now at Southwestern Energy, Houston, Texas
William Woodruff, Jr., M.S., 2011
Now at Encana Corporation, Dallas, Texas
Javier Sanchez, M.S., 2011
Now Ph.D. student at University of Houston
Benjamin Siks, M.S., 2011
Now at BP, Anchorage, Alaska
Alejandro Bande, M.S., 2010
Now Ph.D. student at University of Potsdam, Germany
Christopher Moreno, M.S., 2010
Now at Mack Energy Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas
Paola Cardona, M.S., 2009
Now at Ecopetrol, Colombia
Glen Mackey, M.S., 2009
(Co-supervised) Now Ph.D. student at University of Utah
Yann Gavillot, M.S., 2007, UCLA
(Co-supervised) Now Ph.D. student at Oregon State University
Melissa Giovanni, Ph.D., 2007, UCLA
Now Instructor (with Tenure), University of Calgary
Jesse Mosolf, M.S., 2007, UCLA
Now Ph.D. student at University of California Santa Barbara
Bryan Murray, M.S., 2007, UCLA
Now Ph.D. student at University of California Santa Barbara
Catherine Shirvell, M.S., 2006, UCLA
(Co-supervised) Now at ExxonMobil, Houston, Texas
Matthew Bourke, M.S., 2005, UCLA
Now at ExxonMobil, Houston, Texas
Robert Gillis, M.S., 2005, UCLA
Now at Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
Richard Fink, M.S., 2002, LSU
Now at ExxonMobil, Houston, Texas
Brian Hampton, M.S., 2002, LSU
Now Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
GEO 416M Sedimentary Rocks (Undergraduate)
GEO 420K Introduction to Field and Stratigraphic Methods (Undergraduate)
GEO 383S Sedimentary Basin Analysis (Undergraduate)
GEO 383S Tectonic and Climatic Interactions in Foreland Basins (Graduate)
GEO 171C; Graduate GEO 191 Seminar in Geological Sciences: Tectonics and Climate of South America (Undergraduate)
