Christopher R. Fielding
Professor of Sedimentary Geology
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Connecticut
Chris Fielding
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I am a clastic sedimentologist and stratigrapher with broad interests across sedimentary geology, ranging from modern depositional systems and landscapes to the ancient rock record. I use analyses of depositional systems and their deposits to understand aspects of Earth history, including the late Paleozoic Ice Age and the end-Permian biotic crisis. I maintain active research programs in several areas, including the western USA, Atlantic Canada, western Ireland, eastern Australia, and Antarctica.
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This research group strives to maintain a positive, inclusive work environment. We embrace diversity in all forms and reject any form of discrimination. We believe that the best science arises from the integration of diverse ideas and experience. Therefore, promoting and fostering diversity is important to us. We want everyone in our group to feel like they belong here.
RESEARCH
The research of my lab focuses on the sedimentology and stratigraphy of continental, coastal, and shallow marine successions, both modern and ancient. Our work involves developing a deeper understanding of ancient environmental changes, including past ice ages and periods of major environmental disturbances. We integrate field work with laboratory-based petrographic and geochemical studies in multidisciplinary approaches to the evaluation of ancient environments. Current work includes studies of the timing, pacing, and causes of the late Paleozoic Ice Age, and of the end-Permian biotic crises, principally in eastern Australia. We are studying paleoenvironmental change in the late Paleozoic record of the Maritimes Basin Complex in Atlantic Canada. We are also involved in developing novel facies models for fluvial (river) systems and their deposits using discharge patterns as an alternative to river planform.
Current Students
Jasmin Naher (PhD) received her BS degree from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh and an MS from Auburn University. She is investigating the stratal architecture of Permian-Triassic successions of the Bowen, Gunnedah, and Sydney basins of eastern Australia.
Seth Brown (MS) received a BS degree from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT in 2024 and commenced his MS program in Fall of 2024 working on the Pennsylvanian stratigraphy of eastern Cape Breton, Atlantic Canada.
Oluomachi Onuoha (MS) received her BS degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her research focuses on a multi-disciplinary re-evaluation of paleoenvironmental change in the Pennsylvanian succession of eastern Cape Breton, Atlantic Canada. She graduated with MS in May 2024.
Facilities
The Sedimentary Petrography Laboratory contains a CITL Cathodoluminescence Microscopy system with an EDX spectroscopy system, two research-grade Olympus petrographic microscopes with digital cameras (one with a Pelcon automatic point-counting stage), and a Nikon microscope with thin-section scanning system. We use the Sedimentary Geochemistry facilities described under Dr Frank's webpage as part of a shared Sedimentary Geology and Geochemistry Laboratory.
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We investigate large subsurface datasets using academic licenses for the Petrel software on multicore computers, and we construct three-dimensional geomodels using Agisoft Metashape Professional software.
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Our group has an RS-230 portable gamma spectrometer manufactured by Radiation Solutions Inc. for acquiring synthetic gamma logs from surface exposures and drillcores, along with basic field equpiment and a compact UAV (DJI Mavic 3).
Please consider joining us!
