My research focuses on characterizing and understanding shallow marine settings, including shoreface deposits of the Cretaceous-aged deposits of the Wasatch Plateau and the Book Cliffs, Utah: the Panther Tongue and the Kenilworth Member of the Blackhawk Formation. I also examine sediment instability in ancient deltas such as growth faulting within deltaic deposits of the Cretaceous-aged Ferron Sandstone Member, of south-central Utah (both the Last Chance and Notom deltas), and the deformation associated with ancient shelf-edge delta deposits of the Permian Waterford and Kookfontein Formations, of the Karoo Basin, Tanqua depocenter, South Africa.
My research includes the collection and creation of virtual outcrop models, as well as traditional field data collection methods supplemented with borehole data where available.
In review:
Reat-Wersan, E.J., Johnson, C., Morris., E.A., Wickens, H.D.-V., Slumping and sediment storage at the shelf-edge: A case study from the Kookfontein and Waterford Formations, Tanqua Karoo Depocenter, South Africa [Sedimentology – accepted pending revision].
Atlas, C.E., Morris, E.A.,* Johnson, C.L. and Wroblewski, A.F.-J., New approaches to the architectural analysis of deltaic outcrops: Implications for subsurface reservoir characterization and paleoenvironmental reconstruction [Sedimentologika] *corresponding author
Tectonism, Sea Level, Sediment Flux, Climate, and Their Influence on Tidalites
Collaborating with colleagues at the University of Utah to investigate and characterize the J5 unconformity that marks the boundary between the Morrison and Sundance formations of northern Colorado, south-central Wyoming up through to the Bighorn Basin in northern Wyoming.
Wroblewski, A.F.-J and Morris, E.A., Unconformity Generation and the Shift from Storm- to Tide-Dominated Processes in a Jurassic Retroarc Foreland Basin: Insights from Ichnology, The Depositional Record, DOI: 10.1002/dep2.215
In prep:
Wroblewski A.F.-J., Morris E.A., Schueth J., A Tale of Two Tidal Systems: Exploring the Roles of Climate, Subsidence, Sediment Flux, and Sea Level in Generation of Tidal Deposits [will be submitted to The Depositional Record, Tidalites Special Issue titled “Modern and ancient tidal sedimentary systems in the era of energy transition”]
Virtual outcrop project examining the first evidence of marine habitat use by mammals within the Paleocene-aged Hanna Basin, Wyoming, with colleagues at the University of Utah and Texas A&M.
Sedimentary Record of Lake Powell
Collaborating with colleagues at the University of Utah to examine the sedimentary record of Lake Powell
Additional research areas include:
- Machine learning project in collaboration with Royal Dutch Shell to create a training dataset of shallow marine and deepwater core images, mentoring final year undergraduate geology students as part of this project.
- Beginning in February 2023 – Collaboration with colleagues at the University of Utah and the Utah Geological Survey on a Department of Energy project examining the presence of Rare Earth Minerals in coals.
I am always interested in collaborations and talks worldwide. If you want to chat about future collaborations, please don’t hesitate in reaching out.
Dr Emma A. Morris 