Daniel Muhs
I study geomorphology, soils and Quaternary stratigraphy to reconstruct paleoclimates over the past two and a half million years of geologic time.
My main study areas are in the central and western USA (Mississippi Valley, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, desert Southwest, Pacific Coast and Alaska), but I have also worked in the Caribbean, Spain and Israel. My main interests are in origin and paleoclimatic significance of dune fields, stratigraphy and paleopedology of loess, effects of long-range-transported dust on soils, the atmosphere, oceans and ecosystems, and sea level history.
Education:
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 1977-1980 (Ph.D., Physical geography/Geology)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1973-1975 (M.S., Physical geography/Soil science)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1972-1973 (B.A., Physical geography)
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 1970-1972 (B.A., English, History)
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 1968-1970 (English)
Professional experience:
1995-date: Geologist, Geology and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS, Denver, CO
1985-1995: Geologist, Branch of Isotope Geology, USGS, Denver, CO
1983-1984: Soil Scientist with USGS while on leave-of-absence with the University of Wisconsin to accept National Research Council Research Associateship, Denver, Colorado.
1980-1985: Assistant and Associate Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
1978-1980, part-time Soil Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Central Regional Geology.
1977-1979: Instructor (while a Ph.D student), Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Colorado at Denver
1975-1976: Soil Scientist, U.S. Soil Conservation Service/Iowa State University
Science and Products
Evidence for the timing and duration of the last interglacial period from high-precision uranium-series ages of corals on tectonically stable coastlines
The last interglacial period on the Pacific Coast of North America: Timing and paleoclimate
Timing and warmth of the Last Interglacial period: New U-series evidence from Hawaii and Bermuda and a new fossil compilation for North America
Paleoclimate concepts
Late Quaternary eolian records of the Americas and their paleoclimatic significance
Stepped-combustion 14C dating of sediment: A comparison with established techniques
Impact of climate and parent material on chemical weathering in Loess-derived soils of the Mississippi River valley
Origin of late Quaternary dune fields on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico
Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies
Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska
Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada
Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA
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
Evidence for the timing and duration of the last interglacial period from high-precision uranium-series ages of corals on tectonically stable coastlines
The last interglacial period on the Pacific Coast of North America: Timing and paleoclimate
Timing and warmth of the Last Interglacial period: New U-series evidence from Hawaii and Bermuda and a new fossil compilation for North America
Paleoclimate concepts
Late Quaternary eolian records of the Americas and their paleoclimatic significance
Stepped-combustion 14C dating of sediment: A comparison with established techniques
Impact of climate and parent material on chemical weathering in Loess-derived soils of the Mississippi River valley
Origin of late Quaternary dune fields on the Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico
Evolution of soils on quaternary reef terraces of Barbados, West Indies
Vegetation and paleoclimate of the last interglacial period, central Alaska
Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada
Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA
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.