Postdoctoral Scholar of Geochemistry
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
California Institute of Technology
014 North Mudd
MC 100-23
Pasadena, CA 91125
U.S.A.
email: rmckeon(at)caltech.edu
phone: +1 626.395.6590
Education
Ph.D. 2012 - Lehigh University, Earth and Environmental Sciences
M.S. 2009 - Montana State University, Earth Sciences
B.A. 2003 - Colorado College, Geology
Research Interests
Tectonics
Surface Processes
Low-Temperature Thermochronlogy
My research focuses on the application of low-temperature thermochronology to questions of long-term landscape evolution, how the driving forces of tectonics, climate, and erosion interact to produce the landscapes that we live and play in. I use a combination of geochronological and computational tools to understand the timing, pace, and variability of erosion in actively deforming and post-orogenic mountain ranges and their connection to sedimentary basin deposits. Currently, I am working on projects in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America, the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, and getting started on the long-term thermal evolution of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (uber post-orogenic). I am always on the lookout for new collaborations and interesting questions that low-temperature thermochronology can address, so feel free to drop me a line.
Research Tools
U-Th/He and 4He/3He Thermochronometry
U and Th Concentration Mapping with LA-ICPMS
Thermal and Kinematic Modeling
Quantitative Geomorphology