GEOLOGY & Environmental Science

FACULTY


Faculty Member

JOHN T. HAYNES

Professional Information
  • Title:
    Assistant Professor, Sedimentary Petrology, Stratigraphy, and Petroleum Geology
    Research Associate, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

  • Educational Background:
      • BS, Denison University, 1981
      • MS, University of Cincinnati, 1985
      • PhD, University of Cincinnati, 1989
      • Post-Doc, Smithsonian Institution, 1994-1995
  • CV
  • Smithsonian Samples
  • Geology Faculty Earn Smithsonian Appointments

Contact Information

Teaching

GSCI 104: Landforms on Maps and Aerial Photos
GGEOL 115: Earth Systems, Cycles, and Human Impacts
GSCI 161: Science Processes
GSCI 161: Science of the Planets
GEOL 211: Oceanography
GEOL 398: Special Topics: Sedimentary Petrography


Consulting Work

I provide sedimentary petrography expertise, especially thin section descriptions, on a regular basis to a major oil service company in Houston.

 
Research Interests

I am a field-oriented sedimentary geologist, and my research interests are focused on the Lower Paleozoic of the central and southern Appalachians. I have been using various lithostratigraphic, chronostratigraphic, and petrographic methods in the field and lab to investigate the early Paleozoic history of the central and southern Appalachians, in particular the origin and significance of (1) altered volcanic ash beds (K-bentonites) and associated quartz arenites and conglomerates of Ordovician age that are found from Virginia to Alabama, (2), chemical trends in shales and mudstones of the Appalachian basin (both of these have been in collaboration with researchers at the Smithsonian), and (3) the geology of certain karst features in the region. Much of my lab research here will be based around sedimentary petrography, specifically the use of thin sections in geologic investigations. Students thinking of working with me – and who may be interested in pursuing a job in petroleum geology – can expect to receive a thorough introduction to the study of sedimentary rocks in thin section, knowledge that is now in much demand by the oil and gas industry, as well as an introduction to the use of analytical equipment (including XRD and SEM) in sedimentary petrology research.