Edward L. McCollough Chair
David L. Boren Professor
Ph.D., 1992, University of Arizona
B.S., 1986, University of California, Los Angeles
Office: SEC 868
E-mail: lsoreg@ou.edu
Gerilyn S. "Lynn" Soreghan
Faculty Page
Areas of Interest
Sedimentary Geology, Deep-Time Paleoclimate, Weathering
Research
Earth's "deep-time" sedimentary record houses climate states dramatically different from our modern or recent worlds. My research is primarily field-based, but I collaborate with colleagues at OU and elsewhere in using geochemistry, geochronology, magnetism, and climate modeling as applied to the sedimentary record to refine our understanding of climate and linked processes. The late Paleozoic world (~300 My ago) captures my interest because it archives Earth's last great "icehouse" and collapse of that icehouse, glacial-interglacial climate swings like those of the recent, global mountain building that culminated in the Pangaean supercontinent, and perhaps the dustiest atmosphere in the planet's history. Working with students and colleagues, my current research includes (1) investigating hypotheses of equatorial alpine glaciation and orogenic (mountain) collapse in parts of the Central Pangaean Mountains, (2) gauging dustiness of the late Paleozoic atmosphere and possible effects on the biosphere and carbon cycling, (3) high-frequency, glacial-interglacial climate change, and (4) assessing physical and chemical weathering trends in various climate systems. For more details, please visit my personal webpage.
Courses Taught
Introductory Geology
Depositional Systems and Stratigraphy
Earth's Past Climate
Sedimentology / Stratigraphy Seminar
Paleozoic Carbonates and Sequence Stratigraphy
Selected Publications
Soreghan, G.S., Heavens, N.G., Pfeifer, L.S., and Soreghan, M.J., 2023, Dust and loess as archives and agents of climate and climate change in the late Paleozoic Earth system: Geological Society, London, Special Publications, v. 535, p. SP535-2022–208, doi:10.1144/SP535-2022-208.
Bonar, A.L., Soreghan, G.S., and Elwood Madden, M.E., 2023, Assessing Weathering, Pedogenesis, and Silt Generation in Granitoid‐Hosted Soils From Contrasting Hydroclimates: Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, v. 128, p. e2023JF007095, doi:10.1029/2023JF007095.
Soreghan, G.S., Pfeifer, L.S., Sweet, D.E., and Heavens, N.G., 2022, Detecting upland glaciation in Earth’s pre-Pleistocene record: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 10, p. 904787, doi:10.3389/feart.2022.904787.
Pfeifer, L.S., Birkett, B.A., Van Den Driessche, J., Pochat, S., and Soreghan, G.S., 2021, Ice-crystal traces imply ephemeral freezing in early Permian equatorial Pangea: Geology, v. 49, p. 1397–1401, doi:10.1130/G49011.1.
Soreghan, G.S., Soreghan, M.J., and Heavens, N.G., 2019, Explosive volcanism as a key driver of the late Paleozoic ice age: Geology, https://doi.10.1130/G46349.1
Sardar Abadi, M., Owens, J.D., Liu, X., Them, T.R., Cui, X., Heavens, N.G., and Soreghan, G.S., 2019, Atmospheric dust stimulated marine primary productivity during Earth’s penultimate icehouse: Geology, doi:10.1130/G46977.1.
Joo, Y.J., Elwood Madden, M.E., & Soreghan, G.S., 2018, Anomalously low chemical weathering in fluvial sediment of a tropical watershed (Puerto Rico). Geology, 1–4. http://doi.org/10.1130/G40315.1
Trachtenberg, Z., et al., 2017, The Anthropocene biosphere: Supporting ‘Open Interdisciplinarity’ through blogging: Trends in Ecology & Evolution, v. 32, p. 1-3. Doi:10.1016/j.tree.2016.10.018
Sur, S., Owens, J. D., Soreghan, G. S., Lyons, T. W., Raiswell, R., Heavens, N. G., & Mahowald, N. M., 2015, Extreme eolian delivery of reactive iron to late Paleozoic icehouse seas. Geology, G37226.1–5. http://doi.org/10.1130/G37226.1
Soreghan, G.S., Soreghan, M.J., Poulsen, C., Young, R.A.., Eble, C., Sweet, D.E., & Davogustto, O., 2008, Anomalous Cold in the Pangaean Tropics. Geology, 36, 659–662
