Graduate Students:
Will White (lab manager)
Tracy O'Flannigan
Evan Soderberg
Rebecca Valenzuela
Jonathan Garber (MS @ CSU)
Jorden L. Hayes (PhD @ UW)
Fred McLaughlin (PhD @ UW)
Brandon Overstreet (MS '11)
Franklin Dekker (MS '12 @ UM)
Sayaka Araki (res. assoc. '12)
Sarah Konrad (post doc '12)
Surface Processes, Weathering, Cosmogenic Nuclides, Detrital Thermochronometry
office phone: +1 307 766-3965
1000 E. University Ave. Laramie, Wyoming 82071
Office: ESB 2008
Email: criebe@uwyo.edu
Geology, PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 2000
Civil Engineering, BSE, University of Michigan, 1992, summa cum laude
My group focuses on understanding Earth’s surface and how it changes over time due to the uplift and erosion of mountains. Earth’s surface is the dynamic interface between air and rock. It’s also home not only to us, but also many other familiar organisms, including trees, birds, and insects, to name a few broad groups. Hence, studying the dynamics of Earth’s surface helps address practical issues of sustainability and the management of vital ecosystem resources.
Our approach stresses that it’s not enough to simply study geology. For example, water and life are crucial to converting rock to soil and moving it across landscapes and thus shaping Earth's surface in the process. To make progress on the cross-disciplinary challenges of surface processes research, our work strives to integrate geology, hydrology, ecosystem science, geochemistry, and an understanding of human impacts on landscapes. We seek quantitative insight on surface processes. To obtain it, we employ a variety of geochemical, isotopic and geophysical methods.
Together these measurements reveal patterns of erosion, weathering, regolith formation, watershed geochemistry, and landscape evolution, and thus are are key to making advances on many exciting problems in surface processes research.
Click here to tour our study areas using Google Earth!
Cosmogenic Nuclide Lab: We oversee 150 square meters of wet-chemical lab space devoted to purification and dissolution of quartz and magnetite. Once minerals are dissolved, cosmogenic nuclides are extracted and prepared for analysis. We use these nuclides to measure rates of weathering, erosion, and sedimentation. Our cosmogenic nuclide lab facilities are open for use by collaborators on select projects. Contact Cliff for information.
Materials Characterization Labs: We have facilities for isolating other minerals, besides quartz; of particular interest to us at the moment is apatite, for detrital thermochronometry. We also boast a cottage industry in the geochemical analysis of soils and rock using XRF and XRD; this supports our quest for a quantitative understanding of weathering, erosion, and soil development in landscapes.
I am always on the lookout for sharp, motivated graduate students. If you are thinking about graduate studies in geomorphology or low-temperature geochemistry, check out my list of projects. If you have questions, contact me by e-mail. Please note: Any inquiries about graduate studies should include a current CV, a one-page statement of interest, a copy of your transcript, and your most recent GRE scores!
In my courses I challenge students to identify, understand, and quantify the chemical and physical processes that shape landscapes, generate soils, and modify water quality. My teaching approach emphasizes a mechanistic understanding of Earth systems, including hands-on field components and readings from current research whenever appropriate. Central in my teaching philosophy is the development of problem-solving skills and critical thinking abilities. Whenever possible, I include exercises based on my experience as an industry consultant -- the goal is to help prepare our geology and geophysics graduates as best I can for the real-world problems they will face throughout their careers.
Recent Courses:* denotes student under my direct supervision; ◊ denotes student collaborator
Riebe, C. S., Sklar, L. S., Lukens, C. E.*, Shuster, D. L., 2012. Altitudinal increase in size of sediment shed from slopes revealed by tracer thermochronometry. AGU Fall Meeting.
Lukens, C. E.*, Riebe, C. S., Sklar, L. S., Shuster, D. L. 2012. Moving beyond the average in cosmogenic nuclide studies of erosion and weathering. AGU Fall Meeting.
Hahm, W. J.*, Riebe, C. S., Araki, S. 2012. The effects of bedrock nutrient density on vegetation and topography in the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California. AGU Fall Meeting.
Holbrook, W. S., Riebe, C. S., Hayes, J. L.◊, Reeder, K., Harry, D., Malazian, A., Dosseto, A., Hartsough, P., Hopmans, J. 2012 Geophysics in the Critical Zone: Constraints on deep weathering and water storage potential in the Southern Sierra CZO.
Garber, J. L.◊, Wohl, E. E., Riebe, C. S. 2012. Using cosmogenic nuclides and geochemical mass balance measurements to characterize millennial-scale denudation rates in the Colorado Front Range. AGU Fall Meeting.
Beyeler, J. D.◊, Sklar, L. S., Riebe, C. S. 2012. Combining natural experiments in source lithology with laboratory tumbling to quantify sediment resistance to comminution and its role in downstream fining. AGU Fall Meeting.
St. Clair, J. L.◊, Holbrook, W. S., Riebe, C. S. 2012. Fractures in the Critical Zone: Insights from GPR and seismic refraction surveys. AGU Fall Meeting.
Citation statistics (updated 12/1/12):
755 total citations; 4 first-author papers with 80 or more citations
* denotes student under my direct supervision; ◊ denotes student collaborator
Holbrook, W. S., Riebe, C. S., Hayes, J. L.◊, Harry, D., Reeder, K., Malazian, A., Dosseto, A., Hartsough, P. & Hopmans, J. (in revision) Geophysical constraints on deep weathering and water storage potential in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms)
Granger, D. E. & Riebe, C. S. (in press). Cosmogenic Nuclides in Weathering and Erosion. for "Treatise on Geochemistry, Volume 5: Surface and Ground Water, Weathering, and Soils." (2nd edition).
Riebe, C. S. & Granger D. E. 2012. Quantifying effects of deep and near-surface chemical erosion on cosmogenic nuclide buildup in soils, saprolite and sediment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.3339 [PDF reprint]
Jessup, B. S.*, Hahm, W. J.*, Miller, S. N., Kirchner, J. W. & Riebe, C. S. 2011. Landscape response to tipping points in granite weathering: The case of stepped topography in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. Applied Geochemistry 26 (Supplement 1): S48-S50. [PDF reprint]
Brantley, S. L. & 28 others. 2011. Twelve Testable Hypotheses on the Geobiology of Weathering. Geobiology. DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4669.2010.00264.x [PDF reprint]
Ferrier, K. L., Kirchner, J. W., Riebe, C. S. & Finkel, R. C. 2010. Mineral-specific chemical weathering rates over millennial timescales: Measurements at Rio Icacos, Puerto Rico. Chem. Geol. 277:101-114. [PDF reprint]
Granger, D. E. & Riebe, C. S. 2007. Cosmogenic Nuclides in Weathering and Erosion. In "Treatise on Geochemistry, Volume 5: Surface and Ground Water, Weathering, and Soils." J. I. Drever (editor). Elsevier, London. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W. & Finkel. R. C., 2004. Erosional and climatic effects on long-term chemical weathering rates in granitic landscapes spanning diverse climate regimes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 224:547–562. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W. & Finkel, R. C. 2004. Sharp decrease in long-term chemical weathering rates along an altitudinal transect. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 218:421–434. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W., Finkel, R. C. 2003. Long-term rates of chemical weathering and physical erosion from cosmogenic nuclides and geochemical mass balance. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67:4411–4427. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W. & Granger, D. E. 2001. Quantifying quartz enrichment and its consequences for cosmogenic measurements of erosion rates from alluvial sediment and regolith. Geomorphology 40:15–19. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W., Granger, D. E., Finkel, R. C. 2001. Strong tectonic and weak climatic control of long-term chemical weathering rates. Geology 29:511–514. [PDF reprint]
Kirchner, J. W., Finkel, R. C., Riebe, C. S., Granger, D. E., Clayton, J. L. & Megahan, W. F. 2001. Mountain erosion over 10 yr, 10 k.y., and 10 m.y. time scales. Geology 29:591–594. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W., Granger, D. E. & Finkel, R. C. 2001. Minimal climatic control of erosion rates in the Sierra Nevada, California. Geology 29:447–450. [PDF reprint]
Granger, D. E., Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W., Finkel & R. C. 2001. Modulation of erosion on steep granitic slopes by boulder armoring, as revealed by cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 186:269–281. [PDF reprint]
Riebe, C. S., Kirchner, J. W., Granger, D. E. & Finkel, R. C. 2000. Erosional equilibrium and disequilibrium in the Sierra Nevada, inferred from cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be in alluvial sediment. Geology 28:803–806. [PDF reprint]
