Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

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Water tracks, shown by the darker curvilinear parallel bands of green vegetation, transmit water downslope into the Upper Kuparuk River on the North Slope of Alaska in July 2019. Credit: Qifan Yang

Water Tracks: The Veins of Thawing Landscapes [faculty co-authored]
Jun 27, 2025

In the Arctic, one of the primary paths for water to flow is along water tracks, stream-like features that fill with and route water when the... faculty research, student research

Tucker Terrell ’25, who graduated from App State in May with a bachelor’s degree in geology-environmental geology, far left, shows community members where a single headstone was located by App State researchers trying to determine the position of grave sites in an area formerly covered with brush behind the Fort Defiance site in Caldwell County. Photo by Bret Yager
Top: App State senior Lex Foote, a Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) Scholar in math from Linville, demonstrates an equation on the whiteboard. Bottom: From left to right: Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, Dr. Andrew Heckert, Dr. Mohammad Ali Javidian, Dr. Carol Babyak and Dr. Roshani Silwal. Photos by Chase Reynolds
Dr. Scott Marshall, professor in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

Dr. Scott Marshall explains recent spike in Western North Carolina earthquakes
Jul 11, 2024

Western North Carolina felt three earthquakes in 24 hours in June, and one Appalachian State University professor said a recently discovered

faculty research
Dr. Cynthia Liutkus-Pierce, professor and chair in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences and a National Geographic Explorer
Dr. William Armstrong, assistant professor in Appalachian State University's Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, conducts fieldwork on the Athabasca Glacier in Alberta, Canada in 2022. Photo by Zach Montes (Orjin Media)
Built in 1792, Fort Defiance is the former home of William Lenoir. Photo by Dr. Beth Davison
Dr. Robert Swarthout, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences and Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator on the project. Department of Physics and Astronomy professors Dr. Chris Thaxton and Dr. James Sherman serve as co-investigators.

Dr. Sarah Evans receives prestigious NSF CAREER award
Apr 3, 2023

Congratulations to Dr Sarah Evans, who recently won the prestigious

faculty honors, faculty research, outreach
coal ash schematic

Dr Ellen Cowan investigates history of environmental contamination by coal ash
Oct 24, 2022

Dr Ellen Cowan's work documenting the history of environmental contamination by coal ash (a byproduct of burning coal for energy production) in... faculty research