I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  I specialize in geochemistry, geochronology, and petrology. At UMass Lowell, we have an Q-ICP-MS and laser ablation system, along with a wet lab for sample digestion and column chromatography.  With LA-ICP-MS, we regularly perform combined U-Pb and trace element analysis of zircon, monazite, rutile, titanite, and apatite.

News

• I have a new invited review paper on the Challis magmatic province here

• Ericka Boudreau published her M.S. work on the provenance and paleogeography of the Gold Beach terrane in SW Oregon in GSAB

• Boudreau and I were interviewed about this by Nick Zentner on his popular YouTube geology explainer series here. I also appeared more recently on his show to discuss Paleogene magmatism and tectonics here

• I have a new paper with past students Klementina Mato and Aaron Leonard on the provenance of the Belt Supergroup in GSAB. I also was interviewed about this by Nick Zentner here.

• Cass Stegner’s and Sam Marshall’s M.S. research projects on Mo isotope behavior in metamorphic rocks are published here and here.

• Like blood chemistry? Check this out

• I was coauthor on a paper in PNAS on the use of vanadium isotopes to understand the evolution of the continental crust.  Interview on it here

• Recent paper on the Kaniksu batholith

richard_gaschnig@uml.edu
978-934-3706
301C Olney Hall

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