Jeff Pigati
I study geologic deposits associated with springs and desert wetlands to understand how hydrologic systems in arid environments responded to past episodes of abrupt climate change. I also develop and test innovative methods and materials for radiocarbon dating.
I am also part of an international team of researchers studying ancient human footprints in White Sands National Park. The results of our investigations have shown that humans were in continental North America during the Last Glacial Maximum, between 23,000 and 21,000 years ago, which fundamentally changes our understanding of the peopling of the Americas.
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, 2007-present
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., University of Arizona. 2004
M.S., University of Arizona. 1996
B.S., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. 1992
Science and Products
Oxygen stable isotopic disparities among sympatric small land snail species from northwest Minnesota, USA
The Great Acceleration and the disappearing surficial geologic record
Activation of a small ephemeral lake in southern Jordan during the last full glacial period and its paleoclimatic implications
Pliocene-Pleistocene water bodies and associated geologic deposits in Southern Israel and Southern Jordan
Vertebrate paleontology, stratigraphy, and paleohydrology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada (USA)
Geology and vertebrate paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada, USA
On the importance of stratigraphic control for vertebrate fossil sites in Channel Islands National Park, California, USA: Examples from new Mammuthus finds on San Miguel Island
Fluvial system response to late Pleistocene-Holocene sea-level change on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California
Hydrologic response of desert wetlands to Holocene climate change: preliminary results from the Soda Springs area, Mojave National Preserve, California
Desert wetlands—Archives of a wetter past
Dynamic response of desert wetlands to abrupt climate change
The Snowmastodon Project: cutting-edge science on the blade of a bulldozer
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Oxygen stable isotopic disparities among sympatric small land snail species from northwest Minnesota, USA
The Great Acceleration and the disappearing surficial geologic record
Activation of a small ephemeral lake in southern Jordan during the last full glacial period and its paleoclimatic implications
Pliocene-Pleistocene water bodies and associated geologic deposits in Southern Israel and Southern Jordan
Vertebrate paleontology, stratigraphy, and paleohydrology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada (USA)
Geology and vertebrate paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada, USA
On the importance of stratigraphic control for vertebrate fossil sites in Channel Islands National Park, California, USA: Examples from new Mammuthus finds on San Miguel Island
Fluvial system response to late Pleistocene-Holocene sea-level change on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California
Hydrologic response of desert wetlands to Holocene climate change: preliminary results from the Soda Springs area, Mojave National Preserve, California
Desert wetlands—Archives of a wetter past
Dynamic response of desert wetlands to abrupt climate change
The Snowmastodon Project: cutting-edge science on the blade of a bulldozer
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.