Dr. Frederick Taylor is presently focusing on investigations of Quaternary and contemporary crustal motions in the Southwest Pacific using coral reefs as recorders of tectonic deformation with fieldwork underway in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands where the Woodlark Basin is subducting northward beneath the New Georgia Island Group. The main objective is to determine the relationship between the elastic earthquake cycle surrounding the main interplate thrust zone and longer-term net vertical deformation of the forearc. Large interplate thrust earthquakes are commonly accompanied by coseismic uplift of up to several meters in the forearc overlying interplate rupture zones. This involves determining the paleoseismic history of the seismogenic part of the interplate megathrust and relating those events. This provides a rough assessment of the amount of interplate convergence that is accommodated by large interplate thrust events.

Areas of Expertise

Tectonic geomorphology and stratigraphy at convergent plate margins Paleoclimate, fossil corals as a proxy for past sea-surface temperatures.


Research Locations



Chief Scientist, Antarctic Peninsula GPS Tectonics, R/V LM Gould LMG02-9 (2002)

Field Project, Coral Tectonics where the Woodlark Rift Propagates into Australian plate (2002)

Field Project, Installation and First measurements, West Antarctic GPS Network (2002)

Field Work, GPS work out of South Pole using Twin Otter (2002)

Field Work, Coral Tectonics of Propagating Woodlark Rift, PNG (2002)

Chief Scientist, GPS crustal motion of Bransfield, R/V LMGould Cruise (2002)

Principal Organizer, Climate Change , Minisymposium (2002)

Lecturer , Tectonics Course, Mosher and Frohlich's (2002)

Judge, Texas State Science Fair, Arlington, Texas (2002)

Member, Science Review Committee, State Science Fair, Arlington, TX (2002)

Field Project, Coring Fossil Corals from Surface Outcrops, Western Solomon Islands (2001)

Chief Scientist, GPS Antarctic Peninsula, ARSVL.M Gould Cruise LMG98-10 (1998)

Chief Scientist, GPS Antarctic Peninsula, R/V Abel-J Cruise (1997)

Field Project, Paleoseismology and Crustal motions of the Sumatran Subduction Zone (1993 - 1997)

Field Project, Drilling live corals for Paleoclimate studies of the Western Pacific (1992)

Field Project, Deep drilling of reefs for the coral climate record from present to 30 Ka: Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Soloman Islands (1990)

Field Project, ODP Leg 134 Proponet and Shipboard Sedimentologists (1990)

Field Project, Tectonics of SW Pacific Arc Systems, Global Positioning System Project (1988)

Co-Chief Scientist, North Atlantic Transect MCS Cruise (1981)

Field Project, Neotectonics and Paleoseismology, Dominican Republic (1980 - 1981)

Member, Science Staff, Old Bahama Channel MCS Cruise (1980)

Field Project, Tectonics and Paleoseismology, Unplifted Coral Reefs, Vanuatu &Soloman Islands (1976)

Field Project, Emerged Coral Reefs and Neotectonics, Tonga anf Figi (1974 - 1978)

Field Project, Emerged Coral Reefs and Paleosea Levels, Barbados, W.I. (1971 - 1974)

Member, American Geophysical Union

Member, American Quanternary Association

Member, Geological Scoiety of America

Member, International Scoiety for Reef Studies

Co-Chair, Climate Change Working Group, ESI

Member, Advisory Committee, ESI

Scientific Advisor, Earth and Sky , w/ Debrea Byrd and Joel Block

Talk Given , Liberty Hill Middle School

Talk Given , Geology Department, University PNG

Support to Ellins', Information and Advice; Avail for Presentations, GMO

Graduate Students

Kaustubh Thirumalai, Ph.D., expected 2016
My current research involves the reconstruction of paleoceanographic parameters such as sea-surface temperature and salinity over the Holocene utilizing planktic foraminifera in marine sediment cores. Comprehensive observations of climatic fluctuations (temperature, salinity, precipitation etc.) in the ocean and atmosphere have only been measured (with varying degrees of quality) for the last ~150 years, a mere geological instant. In order to understand the variability of climate over large timescales and different forcings, the aid of natural recorders (which are preserved in time) is required. I utilize stable isotopes and trace metal ratios locked in the calcite shells of the foraminifera to catch a glimpse of the climatic and oceanic conditions when they lived. My field area is the northern Gulf of Mexico. I am also interested in statistically quantifying uncertainties in paleoceanographic/paleoclimatic proxies. How can we best listen to what the proxies (foraminifera, corals etc.) are telling us? Another line of research that I am actively involved in is coral paleogeodesy with Fred Taylor. I am interested in deformation patterns of the land on short time scales and the earthquakes through which they are manifest. To discover how the land was moving hundreds of years ago, I turn to corals which carry a detailed year-by-year record of sea-level. Dating and mapping fossil corals can give us precise information about the earthquake cycle. For my current project, I work in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.


GEO660 Field Mapping Course (Undergraduate)

GEO312K Physical Geology for Engineers (Undergraduate)