Central Washington University offers a Masters program in Geological Sciences that aims to prepare students for professional employment in geoscience careers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond or for continuing graduate studies at the doctoral level. We specialize in active and regional tectonics, structural geology, and geodynamics; climate change, paleoflood studies, and environmental geochemistry; geochronology, petrology, and volcanology; and seismic risk and GPS geodesy.
This program normally leads to employment in consulting firms; in local, state, or federal government resource-based or planning agencies; in teaching at community colleges or at a secondary level; and to serve as a foundation for graduate studies beyond the M.S. level. It is also good high-level technical background for those interested in following related careers, such as environmental law, natural resource management, or teaching at the secondary level. The Department encourages an integrative, multi-disciplinary approach.
This collection features theses from Master of Science Students in the Department of Geological Sciences Graduate Program at Central Washington University.
Theses from 2024
An Experiment to Determine Mineral-Associated Organic Matter Turnover in a Sandy Clay Loam, Samantha Abel
Timescales of Magma Storage and the Pre-eruptive History for the Most Recent Lava Flow at Mount Baker (Koma Kulshan), WA, Desiree Cunningham
Constraining Magma Oxidation State through Zircon Trace Elements: Estimating Tungsten Mineralization Potential in Northeastern Washington, Robin Gaudette
GNSS Radio Propagation Through Trapped Atmospheric Lee Waves in the San Bernardino Valley, CA, Logan Grey
Assessing the Ore Mineralization Depth and Crustal History of Plutons in Northeastern Washington Using Thermodynamic Modeling of Wall Rock Assemblages, David William Miller
River Response to Removal of a Small Dam and Replacement with a Roughened Channel, Chandler Sabin
Theses from 2023
Using MODFLOW to Assess Groundwater Storage Enhancement via a Floodplain Infiltration Basin, Lindsay Henning
Paleoseismic Investigation of Rupture on the Dead Coyote Fault in the Kittitas Valley, Washington, Garet Huddleston
A Conceptual Framework for Managed Aquifer Recharge in the Columbia River Basalts of the Lower Yakima River Basin, Bethany Kharrazi
Hydrologic and Geomorphic Investigations of Two Engineered Stream Crossings Under Interstate 90 in Washington State, Catherine Mast
AN EVOLUTION OF GOLD OF THE SWAUK MINING DISTRICT, LIBERTY WASHINGTON, Timothy Miller
Floodplain Aquifer Storage Capacity in Upper Yakima River Tributaries, Kittitas County, WA, Emily Polizzi
CONSTRAINING ROCK TYPE CONTROLS ON GEOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR EARTHQUAKE HAZARD ASSESSMENT NEAR ELLENSBURG, WASHINGTON, Zachary Stevens
Estimating Evapotranspiration and Analyzing Soil Moisture and Heat Flux Parameters at Taneum Creek, Central Washington, Edward Vlasenko
Theses from 2022
Detecting Impacts of Historic and Undocumented Landslide Tsunamis at High Latitude Sites Using NDVI, Trent Adams
Assessing the Effects of Instream Large Wood on Floodplain Aquifer Recharge and Storage at Indian Creek, Kittitas County, Washington, USA, Stephen Bartlett
Geomorphic History and Preservation of Archaeologically Significant Areas in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, Washington State, Benjamin Deans
Decadal-Scale Effects of Large Wood Restoration on Channel Morphology and Groundwater Connectivity, Taneum Creek, WA, Samuel Fixler
Assessing the Mechanics of Two Earthquake Clusters in the Basin and Range Province, Jamie Hansen
The Effects of Channel Incision and Land Use on Surface-Water/Groundwater Interactions in the Teanaway River Basin, Washington, USA, Joseph Petralia
Theses from 2021
Long-term Geomorphic Effects of the Glines Canyon Dam Removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA, Alyssa D. DeMott
Geologic Mapping along the Benton Spring Fault, Nevada: Dextrally-offset Tuff-filled Paleovalleys in the Central Walker Lane, Peter Dubyoski
Organic-Input Impacts on Soil Carbon Flux, Storage, and Budget in Conservation Agricultural Soils, Central Washington, USA, Jessica Hartman
Tsunami Deposits and Tsunami Modeling of the 900 AD Seattle Fault Event in Northern Puget Sound, Andrew A. Raulerson
Theses from 2020
Late Holocene Paleoflood Hydrology of the Snake River in the Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho, Kent C. Allen
Mapping and Modeling the Seattle Fault Tsunami Inundation in Puget Sound, David Bruce
Documenting the Earthquake History of the Thousand Springs Fault in Summer Lake Basin, Oregon, USA, Elizabeth Curtiss
Modeling of Potential Historical Tsunamis from Large Earthquakes in the Izu-Bonin Mariana Subduction Zone, Rachelle Reisinger
A Geochemical Assessment of Potential Groundwater Storage Locations within the Yakima River Basin, Silas Sleeper
The Role of Cumulate Plagioclase Entrainment in the Steens Basalt, SE Oregon: Insights from the Magma Chamber Simulator, Valerie Strasser
Theses from 2019
Defining historical earthquake rupture parameters and proposed slip distributions through tsunami modeling in south-central Chile, Alexander Dolcimascolo
Mapping and Reconstructing the Paleotsunami Record in Queule, South-Central Chile, Pedro I. Matos Llavona
Characterizing the deformation history of the southern Mina Deflection: field and structural studies in the Huntoon Mountains, California-Nevada, Joseph Bodie McCosby
Quantifying magma recharge at Parinacota volcano, northern Chile (52 ka - recent): Insight from the Magma Chamber Simulator, Jennifer McLeod
Identifying Key Factors Affecting Translational Landslides in Part of the Yakima Fold and Thrust Belt, Washington State, Joseph Schilter
Effects of Initial Thermal Structure on the Evolution of Continental Rifting, Alexandra Wernle
Holocene Periods of Aggradation and Incision, Hanson Creek, Washington, Levi Earl Windingstad
Theses from 2018
Assessing the Use of Tsunami Simulations as a Tool to Predict Source Magnitudes and Locations of Paleoearthquakes in Chile, Rebeca Isabel Becerra
Tsunami Excitation Estimation from Real-time GNSS, Catherine Jeffries
Stream water and soil water chemistry after the Table Mountain wildfire, Washington, USA, Vincent J. Roccanova
Slip Estimation from Real-Time GPS in Cascadia, Jesse Senko
Giant Plagioclase in the Steens Basalt, SE Oregon: Cumulate Entrainment Revealed by Textural and In Situ Chemical Analysis, Conner H. Toth
Quantifying Sedimentation Patterns of Small Watersheds in the Central Oregon Coast Range Using Landslide-Dammed Lakes, Logan Wetherell
Theses from 2017
Catastrophic Landscape Modification from Massive Landslide Tsunamis: An Example from Taan Fiord, Alaska, Colin Bloom
Tidal and Structural Controls on Seismic Events Near the Grounding Line at Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica, Jade Cooley
Surface Offset and Slip Rates for the Winter Rim Fault System in the Summer Lake Basin, Oregon, Jennifer Hall
Estimating the thickness of an ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane: insights from phase equilibria modelling and Zr-in-rutile thermometry, Dulan area, North Qaidam terrane, China, David Hernández Uribe
Isotope Investigation of Nitrate in Soils and Agricultural Drain Waters of the Lower Yakima Valley, Washington, Dallin Jensen
Using Strontium Isotopes in Conjunction with Major, and Trace Elements to Identify Water/Rock Interaction in the Upper Kittitas County, Washington, James Patterson and Carey Gazis
150 Years of Light Absorbing Impurity Deposition on South Cascade Glacier, Washington State USA, Dan Pittenger
Theses from 2016
Documenting Mantle and Crustal Contributions to Flood Basalt Magmatism via Computational Modeling of the Steens Basalt, Southeast Oregon, Sylvana J. Bendaña
Evolution of a Flood Basalt Crustal Magmatic System: In Situ Mineral Data and Computational Modeling of the Steens Basalt, Megan Graubard
Spatiotemporal Slip Rate Variations Along Surprise Valley Fault in Relation to Pleistocene Pluvial Lakes, Brian N. Marion
Fluid Release During Eclogite Formation, North Qaidam Terrane, Western China, Jake M. Meyer
Hazard Identification and Coastal Stratigraphy in Crescent Harbor, Northeast Whidbey Island, Washington, Brian Ostrom
Investigating Taphonomic Changes of Deposits and Modeling of the 2010 Earthquake and Tsunami in South-Central Chile, Alexandra Carranco Ruiz
Theses from 2015
Geologic Mapping in the Black Mountain Area, Northern Eastern California Shear Zone: Testing a Kinematic and Geometric Fault Slip Transfer Model, Kevin M. DeLano
Pressure-temperature-time constraints for exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks, North Qaidam terrane, Western China, Brittany Kristine Fagin
Quantifying Channel Responses to the Removal of the Glines Canyon Dam in the Middle Reach of the Elwha River, Washington, Bryon J. Free
Using MODFLOW to Predict Impacts of Groundwater Pumpage to Instream Flow: Upper Kittitas County, Washington, Zoe O. Futornick
Field Observations and Modeling of the 1957 Earthquake and Tsunami on the Islands of the Four Mountains, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Frances R. Griswold
Timing and Source of Alkali Enrichment at Mt. Etna, Sicily: Constraints from Clinopyroxene Geobarometry and In Situ SR Isotope Data, Kaitlyn Nelson
Rapid Middle to Late Miocene Slip Along the Zanskar Normal Fault, Greater Himalayan Range, NW, India: Constraints from Low-Temperature Thermochronometry, Brett L. Shurtleff
Theses from 2014
Spatial relationship between GPS slip and seismic tremor during Cascadia slow slip events, Hillary Lynn Goodner
Proxy-based reconstructions of earthquakes and tsunamis at Quidico, South-Central Chile, Isabel J. Hong
Thermobarometry and geochronology in the Dulan region, North Qaidam ultrahigh-pressure terrane: resolving spatial variation of ages, temperatures, and pressures, Megan Eileen Regel
Controls on fault geometry during early stages of extension in the Larkspur Hills, northwest Basin and Range, Diana Jean Strickley
Theses from 2013
Paleoseismologic Evidence for Holocene Activity on the Pinto Mountain Fault, Twentynine Palms, California, Ana Maria Cadena
Feasibility of Seismic Monitoring to Identify Avalanche Activity: Snoqualmie Pass, WA, Kathryn Johnston
Geomorphology of Deposits from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Tamil Nadu, Southeastern India, Patrick Alan Johnston
Characterization of Mass Wasting Through the Spectral Analysis of LiDAR Imagery: Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Christopher Earl Markley
LiDAR Assessment of Sediment Transport Related to the Removal of the Marmot Dam, Sandy River, Oregon, Carl Daniel Matzek
Black Carbon Measurements of Snow and Ice Using the Single Particle Soot Photometer: Method Development and an AD 1852-1999 Record of Atmospheric Black Carbon from a Mount Logan Ice Core, James Andrew Menking
Theses from 2012
Holocene Arroyo Cut and Fills Cycles, South-Central Washington, Matthew Ian Durkee
Applying GIS Metrics to Determine Degree of Glacial Modification in Mountainous Landscapes, Carl Delbert Swanson II
Petrogenetic Relationship of the Postcaldera Eruptions of Mount Mazama, Crater Lake, Oregon; Evolution of a Sub-volcanic Magma Chamber Following a Large Silicic Eruption, Michelle Leanna Tebbe
Geochemical Constraints on Groundwater Recharge in the Royal Slope Area, Grant County, Washington, Zoe Danielle Weis
Theses from 2011
Geochemistry, Geothermobarometry and Geochronology of High-Pressure Granulites and Implications for the Exhumation History of Ultrahigh-Pressure Terranes: Dulan, Western China, Benjamin David Joseph Christensen
Assessment of Black Carbon in Snow and Ice from the Tibetan Plateau and Pacific Northwest, Matthew Glen Jenkins
Surface Wave Inversion of the Upper Mantle Velocity Structure in the Ross Sea Region, Western Antarctica, James D. Rinke
Theses from 2010
Lacustrine Sediment Record of Multiple Quaternary Lava Dams on the Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Caitlin Anne Orem
Fluid Budget of Metasedimentary Rocks from a Tertiary Accretionary Prism and Connections to Seismicity, Olympic Peninsula, Northwest Washington State, Holly Makena MacFadden Rotman
Theses from 2008
Energy Budget Analysis of Slow-Slip Tremor Events Along the Cascadia Subduction Zone Using Continuous GPS Array Data, James Steven Chapman
Petrogenetic Processes Characterizing the Mount Bachelor, Oregon Magmatic System: Open- versus Closed-System Processes, Sara Elizabeth Johnson
Middle Crustal Ductile Deformation Patterns in Southern Tibet: Insights from Vorticity Studies in Mabja Dome, Jackie Langille
Comparison of Landslides and their Related Outburst Flood Deposits, Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Shannon Marian Othus
The 2004 and 1861 Tsunami Deposits on Simeulue Island, Western Sumatra, Katherine Frances Whitlow
Theses from 2007
Seismic Constraints on Slow Slip Events within the Cascadia Subduction Zone, Ana Cristina Aguiar
Late Holocene Uplift of the Chihshang segment of the Longitudinal Valley Fault at Fuli, Eastern Taiwan, Brian Thomas Gray