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
Radiocarbon dating late Quaternary loess deposits using small terrestrial gastropod shells
Accumulation of impact markers in desert wetlands and implications for the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis
Radiocarbon ages of terrestrial gastropods extend duration of ice-free conditions at the Two Creeks forest bed, Wisconsin, USA
Late Quaternary sedimentological and climate changes at Lake Bosumtwi Ghana: new constraints from laminae analysis and radiocarbon age modeling
Primary mapping and stratigraphic data and field methods for the Snowmastodon Project
Assessing open-system behavior of 14C in terrestrial gastropod shells
Chronology, sedimentology, and microfauna of groundwater discharge deposits in the central Mojave Desert, Valley Wells, California
Chronology, sedimentology, and microfauna of groundwater discharge deposits in the central Mojave Desert, Valley Wells, California
Extraction of in situ cosmogenic 14C from olivine
A simplified In Situ cosmogenic 14C extraction system
Radiocarbon dating of small terrestrial gastropod shells in North America
A 3000-year record of ground-rupturing earthquakes along the central North Anatolian fault near Lake Ladik, Turkey
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
Radiocarbon dating late Quaternary loess deposits using small terrestrial gastropod shells
Accumulation of impact markers in desert wetlands and implications for the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis
Radiocarbon ages of terrestrial gastropods extend duration of ice-free conditions at the Two Creeks forest bed, Wisconsin, USA
Late Quaternary sedimentological and climate changes at Lake Bosumtwi Ghana: new constraints from laminae analysis and radiocarbon age modeling
Primary mapping and stratigraphic data and field methods for the Snowmastodon Project
Assessing open-system behavior of 14C in terrestrial gastropod shells
Chronology, sedimentology, and microfauna of groundwater discharge deposits in the central Mojave Desert, Valley Wells, California
Chronology, sedimentology, and microfauna of groundwater discharge deposits in the central Mojave Desert, Valley Wells, California
Extraction of in situ cosmogenic 14C from olivine
A simplified In Situ cosmogenic 14C extraction system
Radiocarbon dating of small terrestrial gastropod shells in North America
A 3000-year record of ground-rupturing earthquakes along the central North Anatolian fault near Lake Ladik, Turkey
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.