Prof. Nick Swanson-Hysell seeks to place quantitative constraints on the long-term evolution of Earth through integrating geophysical and geochemical data sets that are developed within a rigorous geologic context. A major focus of our work is on paleomagnetic and rock magnetic data sets that our research group develops to test hypotheses about the migrating positions of continents (paleogeography), changes to the surface environment (particularly planetary climate change), and the evolution of Earth’s magnetic field. Hypotheses abound in Earth science related to major transitions such as the reorganization of continental blocks into and out of supercontinents and the initiation and terminations of ice ages including global glaciation. Our research projects bring quantitative constraints to such changes, including their timing and rates, in order to test such hypotheses and further understanding of Earth’s long-term evolution.
These research efforts involve undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. For more information about our research and group members, please visit our research group webpage:
swanson-hysell.esci.umn.edu. Undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing research with us are encouraged to reach out to Nick via email.
Our research group is affiliated with the
Institute for Rock Magnetism (IRM) providing rich opportunities for access to state-of-the-art instrumentation as well as interactions with IRM faculty, staff and visiting fellows.
