Dr. Harmon D. Maher Jr., courses, research, Spitsbergen

Home page of Dr. Harmon D. Maher Jr.

Department of Geography and Geology

University of Nebraska at Omaha

key words/terms for this site: Svalbard (Spitsbergen) geology, environmental geology, Nebraska geology, urban geology of Omaha, course syllabi, undergraduate research

View to N of Carboniferous through Triassic strata at Bellsund, Spitsbergen. These strata were deformed during Tertiary opening of the Norwegian-Greenland sea, as part of a NE directed, basement-involved fold-thrust belt. Note the overturned fold of the dark Permian cherts. The relief is about 750 m.

Short bio: I have taught a variety of geology courses (see list below) to undergraduates at the University of Nebraska at Omaha for 25 years. My pedagogic foci are on undergraduate research, experential learning in the field, and earth system science. My research interests are in structural geology and tectonics, focused on the area of Spitsbergen (Norway), and on the Tertiary Great Plains strain/stress history. I also dabble in the history and philosophy of geology. This last year I have moved over to administration on a temporary basis as the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activity, but still maintain my research activities and greatly enjoy doing some teaching also. Complete vita.

Information on courses taught and undergraduate and other research projects can be found below.

Environmental Geology - Fall 2009

Pages for courses taught in the past:

2009 Summer undergraduate research opportunity.
GEOL 2500 Undergraduate Research Experience - Experimental investigation of breccia porosity - Spring 2009
Plate Tectonics - GEOL 3700.
Geology of Nebraska Field Trip, GEOL 2500 - Fall 2007
Earth System Science - GEOL 1100 - Spring 2006
Structural Geology - Geology 3300 & 3310. Spring 2006.
Alaska field trip - GEOL 2500
Undergraduate Field Research Opportunity - Investigating vein patterns in the Badlands of South Dakota and Nebraska, GEOL 4600.
Geoscience data analysis and modeling - GEOL 2300. - Fall 2006
Physical Geology - GEOL 117. Spring 2005
Rio Grande Field Trip - Geology 2500. Spring 2005
Seminar on Boyd County Low-level radioactive waste storage - Geology 2500. Spring 2005
Early Undergraduate Research Opportunity - Mapping in the badlands of Toadstool Geologic Park, northwest Nebraska. Summer semester 2004.
Earth System Science FYE - NSCI-2010. Fall 2004.
Geology of Nebraska field trip - GEOL 2500 + GEOG 8600. Summer 2004
Environmental Geology (GEOL 1010) linked with Human Geography (GEOG 1020). Spring 2004
Seminar on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn - GEOL 2500. Fall 2005
Planetary geology of Mars seminar - GEOL 2500. Fall 2004.
Black Hills Field Trip - GEOL 2500. Spring 2004
Field trip to Missouri Breaks, Montana - GEOL 2500. Spring 2003.
Global Climate Change Seminar - GEOL 2500. Spring 2003.
Death Valley field trip - GEOL 2500. Spring 2002.
Environmental Geology - GEOL 1010. Spring 2002.
Arches 2001 field trip - GEOL 2500. Spring 2001
Planetary Geology Seminar - GEOL 2500. Fall 98
Environmental Geology of Omaha Seminar - GEOL 2500 Fall 99
Spring 2000 Geology Field Trip to Ireland - GEOL 2500 Spring 2000
International Studies lecture on Ecology and the State.
Workshop on lab assignments for teaching assistants.

Web page for geology program at UNO.

Student research documents (links to documents created by students that I've advised or taught).

Deformation and diagenetic textures of Carboniferous evaporites in the Billefjorden trough of Spitsbergen. 2008 Senior Thesis by Aleece Nanfito (approx. 12 Mb).
Plume model. Demonstration by Troy Hayes.
Urban geology of Omaha project This is largely a undergraduate research project conducted by Kirk Heim and Matt Jacob.
Justin Covey's senior thesis on the Swaen Graben of the Loppa High, Barents Shelf.
Projects related to stress and strain on the Great Plains:
- William Moak's project on a a GIS database of faults in the Toadstool area.
- Harlan Reservoir, Nebraska vein and joint study by the 2006 Structural Geology class. This is a large (57Mb) pdf file of a poster that summarizes the results of a mapping exercise, that was produced as a capstone project by the students. Students generated the plots and text. The instructor's contribution was in providing feedback, and in rearrangement of components for aesthetic purposes.
- Harlan Reservoir, Nebraska loess fracture study by the 2007 Structural Geology Class. This is a 4Mb pdf file of a poster presented at the Denver GSA meeting.
- Orientation patterns of chalcedony veins in the White River Group of South Dakota and North Dakota. This is a 1.7 Mb file of a poster presented at the Denver GSA meeting.

Research projects, other documents:

Complete vita.
Geology of Svalbard, Norway. A lot in these pages, from a description of background geology, to more detailed research reports.
2007 pdf of GSA poster on storm bed deposits in the Cretaceous of Spitsbergen (14 Mb).
2008 pdf of AGU poster on orientation patterns of chalcedony veins and clastic dikes in the White River Group, SW S.D. and NW NE (37 Mb).
KU talk on Tectonics of Svalbard - work in progress.
Virtual version of 1999 Lake Superior field trip, collaborative effort with Dr. Bob Shuster.
Field guide to 2003 paddling field trip to Missouri Breaks, Montana.
Debris flow movie.

This site is very much under continual construction! Last update 12/20/08. Feedback welcome.

You are free to use material within for non-profit educational purposes, although appropriate credit should be given. Otherwise please contact me. Thank you.

If you have any questions about or feedback on these sites please contact Harmon D. Maher Jr., Department of Geography and Geology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182-0199. email-> harmon_maher@mail.unomaha.edu.

View of Carboniferous strata in Billefjorden area, Spitsbergen, Norway.