Professional Experience Awards and Honors Research Teaching Professional Affiliations Students Interests Info on NSF EAR-0510726 Publications |
Curriculum
Vitae Gary
S. Solar, Ph.D. Director, Laboratory for Orogenic
Studies Department
of Earth Sciences and Science Education 716) 878-4900 (office) |
|
Ph.D. 1999, Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland Dissertation:
“Structural and petrological investigations in the Central Maine belt,
west-central Maine, with special reference to the migmatites.” M.
Brown,
supervisor.
Thesis:
“Timing of shear zone deformation near Philadelphia, PA, Central
Appalachian
Piedmont.” M.L. Hill, advisor
B.S. 1992, Geology, Department of Geology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thesis: “An
investigation of the Precambrian gneiss/Wissahickon group contact west
of
Lenni, Pennsylvania: A ductile shear zone?” M.L. Hill, advisor |
Department of Earth
Sciences and Science Education, Buffalo, NY 14222
• Professor of hard rock geology (Structural Geology, Tectonics, Field Methods, Mineralogy and Petrology). • Department Chair (2006-present), Department Associate Chair (2004-2006). • College Senator (2004-2008) • Member of College Senate Curriculum Committee (Fall 2002 to present). • Member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for renovation of the Science Building (Spring 2004-present). • Director of the Orogenic Studies Laboratory focused upon undergraduate research in orogenesis. • Academic advisor to undergraduates in Earth Sciences, and undergraduate research fellowship mentor (n=5). 2000 – 2006 Assistant Professor, State University of New York, College at Buffalo Department of Earth
Sciences and Science Education, Buffalo, NY 14222
2002 – present Adjunct Professor and Senior Graduate Faculty, State University of New York, University at Buffalo Department of Geology,
Buffalo, NY 14222
2005 – present Participating Scientist (Geology), Highlands Environmental Research Institute Department of Earth and
Environmental
Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102
1999 – 2000 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Virginia Tech Department
of Geological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
• Post-doctoral research focused upon yielding U-Pb age data from garnet and staurolite from western Connecticut. Work performed at Department of Geosciences, SUNY Stony Brook, New York. 1998 – 1999 Research Assistant, Laboratory for Crustal Petrology, University of Maryland Department
of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
• Laboratory Manager, Thin Sectioning and Rock Cutting Laboratory for general Department use. 1995 – 1998 Instructor, Structural Geology (Graduate Assistant with increased salary) Department
of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
• Designed and taught the Department's required Structural Geology course (GEOL 341) for undergraduate majors in Geology. 1994 – 1998 Teaching Assistant, University of Maryland Department
of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
• Taught undergraduate laboratory courses in Structural Geology, Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, and Introductory Physical Geology. • Updated, maintained and managed the Thin Sectioning and Rock Cutting Laboratory for Department use. 1992 – 1994 Teaching Assistant, Temple University Department
of Geology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Taught undergraduate laboratory courses in
Structural Geology, Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, and Introductory
Physical Geology.
• Substitute instructor, lecture section of
the
undergraduate Structural Geology course (GEOL 302).
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Research
Awarded August 9, 2005 for approximately two
years for the
project “RUI: How is the granite melt flow network recorded in
migmatites and
by associated granite plutons?”, G.S. Solar and P.B. Tomascak co-PIs.
Year 1 = $76,895,
Year 2 = $76,755; total = $153,650. (This is a
continuing grant
that has been approved for approximately two years contingent on the
availability of funds and scientific progress).
• 2005
Undergraduate student selected to present at the annual
Council on Undergraduate Research “Posters on the
Hill"
Stanley
Skotnicki presented April 19, 2005 in the Rayburn House Office
Building,
Washington, D.C.
• 2002-3 Geological Society of America,
Structural Geology
& Tectonics Division, "Best Paper of the Year"
Nomination for the paper Brown and Solar
(1999)
listed in the publications section below
• Invited
speaker at several
international and regional meetings of The Geological Society of
America
(including a Penrose Conference held July 1998, Verbania Italy, and a
Penrose
Conference held August 2002, Ascona Switzerland), The American
Geophysical
Union and The Geological Association of Canada • Invited
field trip leader for
several trips for the Geological Society of America (2001),
the
New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference (1996, 2006), the New
York
State
Geological Association (2003, 2004, 2005) and the University of Vermont
(2000) • Invited
seminar speaker, Department
of Geoscience, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (April 2003);
Department of Geology, SUNY Buffalo (Nov. 2001), Department of Earth
Sciences,
SUNY College at Oswego (April 2000); Department of Earth and
Atmospheric
Sciences, Saint Louis University (April 2000); School of Geology,
Oklahoma
State University (March 2000); Department of Geosciences, SUNY Stony
Brook
(Nov. 1999); Departement Sciences Appliquees, Science de la Terre,
Universite
du Quebec a Chicoutimi (Feb. 1999); Department of Geology, Temple
University
(Nov. 1995) •
2005 Featured in article for the Buffalo State College Alumni
Magazine, 1300 Elmwood (Click
here for a pdf of this article) •
1999
Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching (Honorable Mention); College of Computer,
Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Maryland • 1997-1998
Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award;
Center for Teaching Excellence and Office of the
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs, University of Maryland • 1998
Invited Panelist,
Graduate School Campus-wide Orientation for new Teaching Assistants • 1993 Graduate School Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Sciences, Temple University
• 2001 Faculty
Leadership Award, SUNY College at
Buffalo
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PROFESSIONAL
AFFILIATIONS |
• The Geological Society of America • The American Geophysical Union • The Council on Undergraduate Research |
Project advisor for 25 undergraduate research projects (3 are current) and 6 undergraduate Honors Theses (Buffalo State College, 2000-present, one at University of Maryland, 1999). |
Table 1: Undergraduate student
research/presentations under PI Solar,
year | student(s) | title | funding * | presentation * |
2000-2001 |
Bestine, J. |
Structural
analysis of preferred orientations of kyanite in the "log-jam" schist,
western |
NEGSA, NEIGC |
NEGSA, |
Chmura, S. |
An analysis of
structures in contrasting migmatite outcrops, western |
NEGSA, NEIGC, Sigma Xi, BSC Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship; Dean's Minigrant |
GSA, |
|
Kerr, S. (Honors thesis) |
Detailed
mapping of the boundary between two zones of different finite strain, |
NEGSA, Dean’s
Minigrant, Sigma Xi |
GSA |
|
Klauk, E. | An analysis of
the strain record in metaconglomerate in the basal Rangeley formation,
near |
NEGSA, Sigma Xi | GSA Buffalo State |
|
2001-2002 |
Crosset, J. | Rock fabric
analysis in the Piseco Notches, |
||
Perlman, I. | Fracture patterns and density according to stratigraphic horizon in rocks of the Buffalo Southtowns, NY. | Buffalo State | ||
Foster, S. | Fabrics in
rocks of the Ohio Gorge, West Canada Ck., |
Buffalo State | ||
Zaprzal, A | A detailed
analysis of fabric variations in quartzofeldspathic and ferromagnesian
gneisses, |
NEGSA, BSC Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship | NEGSA, Buffalo State |
|
2002-2003 | Fissler, D. | Structural
analysis of porphyroblast-matrix relations in rocks in an abandoned
garnet quarry, |
NEGSA | GSA Buffalo State Geology Club |
Ribiero, A. | A comparative
analysis of fabrics in rocks associated with the Sebago pluton and its
surrounding migmatitic rocks, southern |
NEGSA | Buffalo State | |
Thompson, L. | Petrography of
staurolite-matrix relations in rocks of |
NEGSA | Buffalo State | |
2003-2004 | Charney, K. | Textural
Documentation of Metagabbro, Southern Marcy Massif, |
||
Geology Club project | Geology Field Experiences in Hawaii For Future Earth Scientists and Science Teachers (10 students) | Buffalo
|
Buffalo State | |
Goodrow, K. | A Look at
Mineral Reactions in the Metamorphic Rocks around Wissahickon Creek, |
Buffalo State | ||
Reynard, M. | Mapping
Metamorphic Zones in |
Buffalo State | ||
2004-2005 | Burke, C. | Fabric
analyses in garnet-mica schist of the Rowe formation, western |
BSC Minigrant | |
King, M. | Interpretation
of migmatitic fabrics associated with the Sebago body, southern |
|||
Kinmartin, M. | A guide to rocks on the campus of Buffalo State College | (pending) |
||
Shaw, N. | Calc-silicate
rock migmatite structures in the southern Adirondacks, |
BSC Minigrant | ||
Skotnicki, S. |
An analysis of
petrofabric variations in metagabbro of the abandoned Hooper garnet
mine, southeastern |
NEGSA, BSC Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship |
NEGSA, Geology Club |
|
Thorington, P. | Fabric
analysis of quartzofeldspathic gneisses, Piseco tectonite zone, |
|||
2005-2006 | Hirtzel, A. | Detailed mapping and
petrography of glacial boulder rock types, western New York. |
BSC Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship |
NEGSA, |
Kinmartin, M. | Documentation of the
geometry of leucosomes in migmatite specimens from southern Maine. |
NSF
EAR-0510726 (to Solar) |
pending |
|
Hays, S.. | Comparitive textures in
migmatites and associated granites, Sebago area, southern Maine. |
NSF EAR-0510726 (to Solar) | pending | |
Steinbroner.
K. |
A textural analysis of
granites from southern Maine. |
NSF EAR-0510726 (to Solar) | pending |
Students’
names in bold are those whom have gone on to graduate
school. * GSA
is the Geological Society of America, NEGSA is Northeastern Section of
the GSA,
NEIGC is the Billings Fund of the New England Intercollegiate
Geological
Conference, NSF if the National Science Foundation. “Buffalo State” is
a poster at the annual Student Research and
Creativity Celebration. |
One focus is on the processes and
controls of melt
transfer through the crust during progressive deformation in
contractional and
transcurrent orogens. This research is an investigation of the likely
link
between granite in migmatitic rocks (leucosomes and schlieric granite)
and
granite in larger bodies (e.g., plutons). If there is such a link, this
relation illustrates the crustal plumbing between granite melt sources
and
sinks in the orogenic system. Recent collaboration with P.B. Tomascak
(geochemist, SUNY Oswego) has resulted in focused research into the
possible
connection between granite emplacement and transpressional structures
(in southern
Maine). This work has been supported by the NSF (EAR-0510726, $153,650,
2005-2007).
I have a strong interest in orogenic
processes
recorded in Grenville rocks (southern Adirondacks and Hudson Highlands,
NY; work
begun in 2001 in collaboration with D.W. Valentino, SUNY Oswego, and J.
Chiarenzelli,
SUNY Potsdam). The granitic L-S tectonites of the southern Adirondacks
show
spectacular strain partitioning during the waning of the geotherm
associated
(apparently) with the Ottawan phase of the Grenville orogeny. My students and I have focused our
attention to the
grain-scale record of orogenic deformation through detailed studies of
porphyroblast-matrix relations in metamorphic rocks of parts of the
Appalachian
orogen. These studies have generated detailed data sets of garnet,
staurolite
and kyanite crystallographic orientation documentation, and the
documentation
of associated microstructures. Related process-oriented research Age and relative timing of displacements
along high
strain zones, Appalachian tectonics, spatial and temporal strain
partitioning,
structural lithic unit and sequence stratigraphic control on the
localization
of strain at non-metamorphic to upper amphibolite facies conditions,
timing of
deformation v. metamorphism, and transpressional orogenesis. Central and Southern Adirondacks and the
Hudson
Highlands, New York; Central Maine Belt, west central Maine; Norumbega
Shear
Zone System, southern and coastal Maine; western Acadian belt, western
Connecticut; central Appalachian Piedmont, SE Pennsylvania; Hudson
Valley
Thrust and Fold Belt, New York State, western Massachusetts; Alleghany
Thrust
and Fold Belt, central Pennsylvania and western Maryland. Appalachians (Maine to Virginia, USA);
Brittany (NW
France); European Alps (France, Italy, Switzerland); Opatica Belt
(Quebec); southern
Superior Province (southern Ontario); Ruby Mountains (NE Nevada);
Selkirk
Mountains, Canadian Cordillera (British Columbia, Canada); Tuolomne
Intrusive
Suite, Yosemite National Park (NE California).
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Tomascak, P.B., Brown, M., Solar,
G.S., Becker,
H.J., Centorbi, T.L. and Tian, J (2005), Source contributions to
Devonian
granite magmatism near the Laurentian border, New Hampshire and western
Maine,
USA. Lithos, 80, 75-99. Stallard, A. and Solar, G.,
2005, Introduction:
Linked processes of metamorphism and deformation. Journal of
Metamorphic
Geology, 23, Special Issue (#6), 409-410.
Solar, G.S. and Brown, M.,
2001, Deformation partitioning during transpression in response
to Early Devonian oblique convergence, northern Appalachian orogen,
USA. Journal
of Structural Geology, 23, 1043-1065.
Solar,
G.S. and Brown, M., 2001, Petrogenesis of stromatic and
inhomogeneous migmatite in
Maine, USA: potential source of peraluminous granite? Journal of
Petrology, 42, 789-823. Solar,
G.S. and Brown, M., 2000, The classic high-T – low-P
metamorphism of west-central
Maine, USA: Is it post-tectonic of syn-tectonic? Evidence from
porphyroblast-matrix relations: Reply. Canadian Mineralogist, 38,
1007-1026. Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 1999,
The mechanism
of ascent and emplacement of granite magma during transpression: a
syntectonic
granite paradigm. Tectonophysics, 312, 1-33. **Paper
nominated to receive the Geological Society of America, Structural
Geology and
Tectonics Division, 2002 award for “Best Paper in Structural Geology
and
Tectonics”. Solar,
G.S. and Brown, M., 1999, The classic high-T -- low-P
metamorphism of west-central
Maine, USA: Is it post-tectonic of syn-tectonic? Evidence from
porphyroblast-matrix relations. Canadian Mineralogist, Kretz
Volume, 37,
311-333. Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 1998,
Shear zones
and melts: feedback relations and self-organization in orogenic belts. Journal
of Structural Geology, 20, 211-227. Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 1998,
Granite ascent
and emplacement during contractional deformation in convergent orogens.
Journal
of Structural Geology, 20, 1365-1393. Solar, G.S.,
Pressley, R.A., Brown, M., and Tucker, R.D., 1998, Granite ascent in
convergent
orogenic belts: Testing a model. Geology, 26, 711-714.
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Published
Field Guides Gorring, M.L., Valentino, D.W., Solar, G.S. and Gates,
A.E., 2003. Late Ottawan
ductile shearing and granitoid emplacement in the Hudson Highlands, NY.
in
Johnson, E. (ed.), Guidebook for Field
Trips for
the Annual Meeting of the New York State Geological Association, 75, Trip B7, 26p. Piaschyk, D., Valentino,
D.W. and Solar, G.S.,
2005. Variations in L- and S-tectonite on the northern boundary of the
Piseco Lake shear zone, western Adirondack mountains, New York. in Valentino, D.W. (ed.), Guidebook for Field Trips for the Annual
Meeting of the New York State Geological Association, 77, Trip B2, 20p. Solar,
G.S.,1996. Relationship between ductile deformation and granite
magma transfer,
Tumbledown Mountain area, west-central Maine. in van Baalen,
M.R. (ed.), Guidebook to field trips in northern New Hampshire and
adjacent regions of
Maine and Vermont, New England Intercollegiate Geological
Conference, 88,
341-362. Solar,
G.S., Brown, M. and Tomascak, P.B., 2001, Deformation,
metamorphism, and granite
ascent in western Maine. in West, D.P., Jr. and Bailey, R.H.
(eds.), Guidebook
for Geological field trips in New England, 2001 Annual meeting of
the
Geological Society of America, Boston, Massachussetts, Trip Q,
30p. Solar, G.S., Tomascak, P.B. and Brown, M., 2006, Metamorphism, deformation, melting and granite melt transfer in the Rangeley-Rumford area. in Gibson, D., Daly, J. and Reusch, D. (eds.), Guidebook to field trips in Maine in Honor of Charles V. Guidotti, New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, 98, Trip C-3, 26p. Valentino,
D.W., Solar, G.S., Chiarenzelli,
J.R., Gates, A.E., Freyer, P. and Price, R.E., 2004. L- versus
S-tectonite fabric variations within the southern Adirondack shear zone
system: Progressive deformation associated with a sinistral conjugate
to a Grenville syntaxis. in Badger,
R. (ed.), Guidebook for Field Trips for the Annual
Meeting of the New York State Geological Association, 76, Trip B1, 33p. |
Published
Abstracts, last 5 years (* = Solar Presenter; ** = Student Presenter) Go
here for pdf links to recent
abstracts 1999 invited contribution Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 1999, A
matter of
scale of observation: syntectonic granite ascent and emplacement during
the
Acadian orogeny. EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 80. invited contribution *Solar, G.S. and Brown, M., 1999,
Structural
control of syntectonic melt flow paths during Devonian (Acadian)
orogenesis,
west-central Maine. Geological Society of America Abstracts with
Programs, 31, 000. invited contribution *Solar, G.S. and Brown, M., 1999,
Contrasting
patterns of strain and kinematic partitioning of flow during Devonian
oblique
contraction in the Central Maine belt, northern Appalachian orogen,
U.S.A. EOS
Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 79, S356. invited contribution Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 2000,
Feedback
relations between deformation and melt, the evolution from weakening to
hardening in transpressive orogens. in "(Un)coupled 2000: Continental
Collision and the Tectonosedimentary Evolution of Forelands: Mechanics
of
Coupling and Far-Field Deformation," The European Geophysical Society
Conference, Abstract Volume, Journal of the Czech Geological Society,
45,
215-216. Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 2000, Do
multistage
processes link leucosomes and smaller-volume granites in migmatites to
leucogranite in plutons - an example from the Acadian orogen, western
Maine? Geological
Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, 32. *Solar, G.S. and Brown, M., 2000,
Using
porphyroblast-matrix relations to unravel mechanisms of strain
accommodation
during orogenesis - an example from the Acadian orogen, western Maine. Geological
Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, 32. Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 2001,
Processes that
link fertile protolith, melt-depleted crust and peraluminous granite. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 33. Brown, M. and Solar, G.S., 2001, Three
dimentional spatial and temporal evolution of rheology in orogens: a
field
perspective. EOS Tranactions, American Geophysical
Union, 82. Chiarenzelli, J.R., Valentino, D.W., *Solar,
G.S.
and McLelland, J., 2001, Evidence for retrogression during progressive
deformation in the Piseco Lake tectonite zone, southern Adirondacks,
New York. Geological
Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 33. **undergraduate student contribution **undergraduate student contribution **undergraduate student contribution *Solar, G.S. and Tomascak, P.B., 2001,
Is there
a relation between transpressive deformation and pluton emplacement in
southern
Maine? Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 33. Tomascak, P.B., Brown, M., Becker, H., Solar,
G.S.
and Tian, J., 2001, Multiple sources and multiple processes: unraveling
Acadian
magmatism. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs,
33. Tomascak, P.B. and Solar, G.S., 2001, Integrated structural/geochemical studies of granite magmatism, Maine Appalachians. EOS Tranactions, American Geophysical Union, 82. 2002 **undergraduate student contribution Brown, M. and Solar,
G.S., 2002,
Connecting pieces of the Acadian puzzle in the northern Appalachians. Geological Society of America, Abstracts
with Programs. 34. **undergraduate student contribution Johnson, T.E., Brown, M.
and Solar,
G.S., 2002, Petrogenesis of Acadian metapelitic migmatites, western
Maine -
quantitative investigations in the NCKFMASH model system. Geological
Society
of America, Abstracts with Programs. 34. *Solar, G.S. and Tomascak, P.B., 2002,
Transpression and granite magmatism in southern Maine: Integrated
structural
and geochemical studies. Geological Society of America, Abstracts
with
Programs. 34. 2003 **undergraduate student contribution **undergraduate student contribution *Solar, G.S.,
Valentino, D.W. and Chiarenzelli, J.R., 2003, The southern Adirondack
shear
zone system: Proterozoic (Grenville) progressive strain partitioning. Geological
Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, 35. *Solar, G.S. and Valentino, D.W., 2003.
L‑tectonites:
What do they tell us about deformation history? Geological Society of
America,
Abstracts with Programs, 35. Tomascak, P.B., Brown, M.
and Solar,
G.S., 2003. Consistent isotopic signatures of Acadian granites from
the
Laurentian border. Geological Society of America, Abstracts with
Programs, 35. 2004 **undergraduate
student contribution **undergraduate student contribution Gorring, M.L, Gates, A.E., Valentino, D.W., Solar,
G.S. and Chiarenzelli, J.R., 2004. Late Ottawan ductile shearing
and
granitoid emplacement in the Hudson Highlands, NY. Geological
Society of America,
Abstracts with Programs, 36. **undergraduate student contribution **undergraduate student contribution 2006
**undergraduate student contribution Hirtzel, A. and Solar, G.S.,
2006. Preliminary mapping of glacial erratics south of Buffalo, New
York. Geological
Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, 38.
Solar,
G.S., 2006. Migmatites, granites and shear zones: The signature of
Appalachian sutures. Geological
Society of America,
Abstracts with Programs, 38. **undergraduate student contribution 2007 **undergraduate student contribution **undergraduate student contribution Solar,
G.S., 2007. . Geological
Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, 39. Solar,
G.S., 2007. . Geological
Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, 39. |
last
updated November 14, 2007 - GSS