About the Authors
- Page ID
- 20455
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Allison D. Jones, M.S.
Allison Jones, M.S. is a professor of Earth Science at Sierra College teaching primarily at the campus located in Rocklin, California. A late bloomer to geology, Allison began her higher education journey studying Communication at University of the Pacific. In her senior year she enrolled in a general education course Geology of California which inspired her to later make a career shift and return to school to study geoscience. She earned her AS Geology from Diablo Valley College, and an MS Geoscience from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Allison's interests are wide- (and deep-!) reaching: from finite strain of rocks and discrete fault behavior, to how students best learn geoscience in online and in-person modalities. It is her hope that this text makes California's top-notch geology accessible for all students, and ultimately inspires some like herself to become Earth scientists.
Emily V. Wright, M.S.
Emily Wright earned her B.A. in Geology from Colorado College and her M.S. from Central Washington University. Originally from Oregon, Emily has a deep love for everything Cascadia. She was attracted to take a position teaching geology at the College of the Redwoods in 2016 because of its proximity to the Mendocino Triple Junction. Emily has traveled extensively in the western United States in pursuit of rock climbing and mountain biking adventures. She has also developed an interest in surfing since moving to the coast, which in turn sparked her interest in studying and teaching oceanography. Before moving to Humboldt, Emily taught geology at Yakima Valley College in Washington and Front Range Community College in Colorado. Emily is passionate about pedagogical innovation and is interested in addressing the challenges of bringing active learning to the online environment.
Martha A. House
Martha earned her B.S. in Geology from University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in Geology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has post-doctoral experience at the California Institute of Technology and has been an associate professor at St. Louis University. She is currently a Professor of Geology at Pasadena City College, where she also has served as a Division Dean. She fell in love with geology when she realized she could do quantitative science outdoors as well as indoors, and in interesting places. Her choice of career path has not disappointed: she’s had the opportunity to work with amazing collaborators on geologic problems in New Zealand, China, Australia, Antarctica, the European Alps, and throughout the western US, including across California. As an instructor at PCC, she is part of an amazing team of educators who work to bring students to field sites across the western US and California. Her priority these days is to continue to support her students (geology majors and those just meeting transfer requirements) in the same way that she was supported by instructors and collaborators over the years: by providing a challenging but welcoming learning environment and helping them identify opportunities that will help them to reach their goals, whatever they are. And she’s really happy to be part of the team who has created this book!
Cole I. Heap, M.S., P.G.
Cole Heap, P.G., brings over a decade of expertise in the energy sector, specializing in geologic interpretation, well development, and earth modeling. As a licensed Professional Geologist in California and Wyoming, he collaborates with regulatory agencies, IM&T professionals, and consulting firms to achieve exceptional outcomes. Additionally, he serves as adjunct faculty at multiple community colleges, instructing courses in geology, geography, and GIS. With a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Geology, as well as a Master's in Geographic Information Technology and Science, Cole's dedication to continuous learning and knowledge sharing enriches both industry projects and educational endeavors.
Steven Newton
Steven Newton passed after a very long battle with asthma and a very short battle with an angry raccoon. After a storied career as a professional gambler and alpaca farmer–-a lifestyle which ended dramatically in an incident known in Peru as the “Night of the Card-Counting Alpaca”–-Newton had to flee his Andean compound and change his career to become a professor of Geology at College of Marin, where he proceeded to bore an endless stream of suffering students not only with the wonders of California Geology, Oceanography, and Historical Geology, but also with pedantic pontifications about the differences between early drafts of “The Star Wars” and the final shooting script. True fact: Newton created slides detailing the state of matter known as plasma just as an excuse to ignite his combat-ready LED lightsaber in class. Interesting fact: Steve worked for almost a decade at the National Center for Science Education, a non-profit dedicated to defending the teaching of evolution and climate change in public schools. Fun fact: Steve has met legendary geologic mapper Thomas Dibblee, science educator Bill Nye, and the founder of plate tectonics Alfred Wegener [one of these is not true]. Reports of Newton’s demise may be premature.
Debra A. Brooks
Back in the Pleistocene, after finishing an AA in Physics from San Bernardino Valley College in California, Debra Brooks transferred to U.C. Riverside and noticed there were all these scruffy people who sat in the back of physics lectures and always seemed to be going on field trips. They were the geophysics majors. Because she liked backpacking, it seemed she might have more in common with the scruffy people who went on field trips than the physics majors who never seemed to leave the building. She did. She completed a B.S. in Geophysics from U.C. Riverside and became a mining geophysicist. Eventually this led to grad school and an M.S. in Geophysics from Texas A&M University and a career change from mining to oil exploration. After many years however California called. She surprised everyone by quitting her job, returning to California, and becoming a geology professor at what is now Santiago Canyon College in Orange, California. In January of 2020, she retired after almost 30 years of teaching. It didn’t take long before she went back to work as an adjunct instructor and volunteered for this project. She wishes to thank her co-authors for not laughing too loud as they repeatedly tried to help her join the world of the digital workplace.
Steven Skinner
Steven Skinner is a professor of Geology at California State University, Sacramento. Steve is a native Californian and grew up in the Los Angeles basin where he earned his BS and PhD in Geology. Steve’s current research interests include unravelling the tectonic history of California, particularly the northern Sierra Nevada. Steve has previously worked on projects studying the subduction zones in Mexico and Peru as well as paleomagnetic studies in Baja California, Antarctica, and the South China Sea. After a short stint teaching geology and geophysics in Wichita Kansas, Steve is happy to be back in the tectonically active landscape of California. At Sac State, Steve teaches a wide variety of courses including physical geology, geophysics, structural geology, field methods, programming, GIS, and the Geology of California. Steve is excited to share this open educational resource with his students.
