Brian Currie

currie

Professor

Ph.D. 1998 University of Arizona
205 Shideler Hall
513-529-7578
curriebs@miamioh.edu

Brian Currie in the field
My research focuses on a variety of problems involving sedimentary geology and tectonics.  I integrate the fields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and geochemistry to decipher the factors controlling sedimentary basin development, and the structural evolution of mountain belts.  I also work on the characterization of petroleum systems at both the regional and reservoir scale, as well as the causes of earthquakes generated by oil and gas operations.  I currently have active research projects in Asia, South America and the United States.

Possible Thesis/Dissertation Topics

  • Geological controls on seismicity induced by hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal
  • Tectonic controls on Triassic rift basin evolution, western Argentina
  • Mesozoic tectonic history of the North American Cordillera.
  • Characterization of Paleozoic/Mesozoic hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Appalachian Cordilleran foreland basins

Current/Recent Graduate Student Research

  • Autumn Haagsma (Ph.D. in progress)
  • Trezevant Rice (M.S. in progress) Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of Super Critical Sediment Gravity Flows within the Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale, Eastern Utah
  • Jared Wink (M.S. 2022) Structural and stratigraphic configuration of the Albian-Cenomanian Cordilleran foreland-basin system.
  • Alexia Rojas (M.S. 2022) Testing the Accuracy of Digital Mapping Methodology to Analyze Stratigraphic Variation in the Triassic Ishigualasto Formation, San Juan Province, Argentina
  • Patrick Cullen (M.S. 2018) Sequence-stratigraphic framework for the Upper Devonian lower Huron Shale Member of the Ohio Shale, north-central Appalachian Basin.
  • Sarah Smith (M.S., 2017) Re-evaluation of the 2009-2011 southern Fort Worth Basin (TX) earthquakes:  Potential relationships with hydraulic fracturing and wastewater injection (Co-Advised with Mike Brudzinski).
  • Shanying, Li (Ph.D., 2016) Petrological and stable isotopic study of lacustrine and paleosol carbonates: Implications for paleoelevation and tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau.

Selected Publications

  • Ingalls, M., Rowley, D.B., Currie, B.S., and Colman, A., 2020, Reconsidering the uplift history and peneplanation of the northern Lhasa terrane, Tibet.  American Journal of Science, v. 320, p. 479-532, doi.org/10.2475/06.2020.01.

  • Reis, R., Brudzinski, M., Skoumal, R.J., and Currie, B.S., 2020, Factors Influencing the Probability of Hydraulic Fracturing Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma.  Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 110, p. 2272–2282.

  • Currie, B.S., Free, J.C., Brudzinski, M.R., Leveridge, M., and Skoumal, R., 2018, Seismicity induced by wastewater injection in Washington County, Ohio: Influence of preexisting structure, regional stress regime, and well operations.  Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth, v. 123, p. 4123-4140.

  • Rech, J.A., Currie, B.S., Jordan, T.E., Riquelme, R., Lehmann, S.B., Kirk-Lawlor, N.E., Li, S. and Gooley, J.T., 2018, Massive Middle Miocene gypsic paleosols in the Atacama Desert and the formation of the Central Andean rainshadow, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 506, p. 184-194.

  • Currie, B.S., Polissar, P.J., Rowley, D.B., Ingalls, M., Li, S., Olack, G., and Freeman, K.H., 2016, Multiproxy paleoaltimetry of the Oligocene-Pliocene Oiyug Basin, south-central Tibet. American Journal of Science, v. 316, p. 401-436.

  • Ingalls, M., Rowley, D., Currie, B., and Coleman, A., 2016, Large-scale subduction of continental crust implied by India–Asia mass-balance calculation.  Nature Geoscience, v. 9, p. 848–853.

  • Li, S., Currie, B.S., and Rowley, D.B., and Ingalls, M., 2015, Cenozoic paleoaltimetry of the SE margin of the Tibetan Plateau: Constraints on the tectonic evolution of the region.  Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 432, p. 415-424.

Selected Grants

United States Geological Survey: The use of geologic mapping to reconstruct stream morphology and planform prior to European settlement, Four-Mile Creek, southwestern Ohio. Co-PI with Jason Rech, 2020-2021. $17,491.

LMKR Resources, University Grant Program: Industry geophysical software for teaching and research, 2019-2022. $ 8,751,900.

United States Geological Survey:  Investigating Induced Seismicity Associated with Hydraulic Fracture Stimulations in Oklahoma; With Co-PI Mike Brudzinski, 2017-2019, $56,418.

LMKR Resources, University Grant Program: Industry geophysical software for teaching and research, 2016-2019. $ 2,846,253.

National Science Foundation, EAR-EarthScope:  Does proximity of hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal to basement increase the likelihood of induced seismicity in the central and eastern US?; With Co-PI Mike Brudzinski, 2016-2020, $358,585.

Courses Taught

  • GLG 111 - The Dynamic Earth
  • GLG 301 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
  • GLG 411/511 - Field Geology
  • GLG 450/550 - Basin Analysis

For complete course descriptions, please see the 2022/2023 Miami Bulletin.