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Robert McDermott, Ph.D.

Rob McDermott is a USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alaska Science Center in Anchorage, Alaska. His primary research tool is low-temperature thermochronology (particularly the (U-Th)/He system in Fe-oxide, apatite, and zircon), complemented by detailed field and microtextural observations and modeling of thermal processes.

Current USGS research is focused on better understanding the tectonic and metallogenic evolution of Alaska through geochemistry and thermochronology of heavy minerals in river sediments. Past and ongoing research projects are geared towards deconvolving the rock record of paleoearthquakes, dating fault slip and mineralization, and investigating tectonic and landscape evolution in the Wasatch (northern UT) and Denali (southwest Yukon) fault zones. He holds a B.S. (2014) in Geology with a mathematics concentration from the University of Pittsburgh and a PhD (2020) from Utah State University.

Professional Experience

  • 2020 - Present   Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, Anchorage, AK

  • 2014 - 2020        Graduate Research Assistant, Utah State University, Logan, UT

  • 2018                     Instructor (Geologic Field Methods), Utah State University, Logan, UT

  • 2014                     NAGT/USGS Intern, Menlo Park, CA

  • 2012 - 2014        Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D.  2020  Utah State University, Logan, UT                 Geology

  • B.S.     2014   University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA    Geology

Science and Products

Dating fault damage along the eastern Denali fault zone with hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry

Unraveling complex slip histories in fault damage zones to understand relations among deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and surface uplift remains a challenge. The dextral eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ; southwest Yukon, Canada) bounds the Kluane Ranges and hosts a variety of fault-related rocks, including hematite fault surfaces, which have been exhumed through the brittle regime...
Authors
Robert G. McDermott, Alexis K. Ault, Jonathan Caine
By
Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program

Thermotectonic history of the Kluane Ranges and evolution of the eastern Denali Fault Zone in southwestern Yukon, Canada

Exhumation and landscape evolution along strike‐slip fault systems reflect tectonic processes that accommodate and partition deformation in orogenic settings. We present 17 new apatite (U‐Th)/He (He), zircon He, apatite fission‐track (FT), and zircon FT dates from the eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ) that bounds the Kluane Ranges in Yukon, Canada. The dates elucidate patterns of...
Authors
Robert G. McDermott, Alexis K. Ault, Jonathan S. Caine, Stuart N. Thomson
By
Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program

Non-USGS Publications**

Calzolari, G., Ault, A. K., Hirth, G., & McDermott, R. G. (2020). Hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry detects asperity flash heating during laboratory earthquakes. Geology, 48(5), 514-518.
Ault, A. K., Jensen, J. L., McDermott, R. G., Shen, F. A., & Van Devener, B. R. (2019). Nanoscale evidence for temperature-induced transient rheology and postseismic fault healing. Geology, 47(12), 1203-1207.
McDermott, R. G., Ault, A. K., Evans, J. P., & Reiners, P. W. (2017). Thermochronometric and textural evidence for seismicity via asperity flash heating on exhumed hematite fault mirrors, Wasatch fault zone, UT, USA. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 471, 85-93.

**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

Dating fault damage along the eastern Denali fault zone with hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry

Unraveling complex slip histories in fault damage zones to understand relations among deformation, hydrothermal alteration, and surface uplift remains a challenge. The dextral eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ; southwest Yukon, Canada) bounds the Kluane Ranges and hosts a variety of fault-related rocks, including hematite fault surfaces, which have been exhumed through the brittle regime...
Authors
Robert G. McDermott, Alexis K. Ault, Jonathan Caine
By
Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program

Thermotectonic history of the Kluane Ranges and evolution of the eastern Denali Fault Zone in southwestern Yukon, Canada

Exhumation and landscape evolution along strike‐slip fault systems reflect tectonic processes that accommodate and partition deformation in orogenic settings. We present 17 new apatite (U‐Th)/He (He), zircon He, apatite fission‐track (FT), and zircon FT dates from the eastern Denali fault zone (EDFZ) that bounds the Kluane Ranges in Yukon, Canada. The dates elucidate patterns of...
Authors
Robert G. McDermott, Alexis K. Ault, Jonathan S. Caine, Stuart N. Thomson
By
Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program

Non-USGS Publications**

Calzolari, G., Ault, A. K., Hirth, G., & McDermott, R. G. (2020). Hematite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry detects asperity flash heating during laboratory earthquakes. Geology, 48(5), 514-518.
Ault, A. K., Jensen, J. L., McDermott, R. G., Shen, F. A., & Van Devener, B. R. (2019). Nanoscale evidence for temperature-induced transient rheology and postseismic fault healing. Geology, 47(12), 1203-1207.
McDermott, R. G., Ault, A. K., Evans, J. P., & Reiners, P. W. (2017). Thermochronometric and textural evidence for seismicity via asperity flash heating on exhumed hematite fault mirrors, Wasatch fault zone, UT, USA. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 471, 85-93.

**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.

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