Structural Geology & Tectonics Research Group

By Nailah Johnson ’24 Last summer I worked with a team of William & Mary undergraduate students to study the geology of central Virginia. In particular, my research focused on a suite of enigmatic metamorphosed rocks in the Smith River Allochthon, which is a controversial piece of geologic real estate in the southwestern Virginia Piedmont. Previous […]

By Chuck Bailey Scientists like their acronyms, and in some fields the more acronyms the better. Earlier this year I received a GSA AGeS-DiGS grant – whoa, that is a lot of acronym! When decoded this stands for a Geological Society of America’s Geochronology Division’s Award for Geochronology Student Research – Diversity in GeoSciences. I’m […]

By Meara Carlin ’22, Morgan Sanders ’22, and Chuck Bailey As summer runs ever onward the Structural Geology & Tectonics Research Group continues to work on its various research and outreach efforts. We’ve been making movies on location in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our intention is to make a collection of educational and fun videos […]

By Morgan Sanders ’22 In 2007, I made my first trip to Highland as a curious six-year-old. Now 15 years later, I have returned as an even more curious 21-year-old. If only six-year-old me knew that I would be studying Highland as a college senior. I will be graduating from W&M in December as a […]

By Chuck Bailey It’s summertime and the Geology department is a happening place as our research efforts are in full swing. We’ve got a pile of undergraduate students working in-house on independent projects. This year’s Structural Geology & Tectonics research team decided they’d collectively be known as B to the 7th (B7) – it’s a […]

By Chuck Bailey Saturday, Feb. 26th was a day like no other. I participated in both a William & Mary departmental field trip while simultaneously ‘hosting’ an episode of the Bachelor as we rolled across the Blue Ridge foothills in central Virginia. The Geology department runs a field trip every semester that is open to […]

Meara Carlin ’23 There is an interesting grey area when dealing with planetary geology. The first thing someone usually thinks of when geology is mentioned is rocks. However, in the case of planetary geology a lot of times (not all), rock samples are not part of the science. So, what is geology without rocks? It’s […]

Katie Cullen ’22 There’s a certain something about the ritual of putting on a record that makes the entire experience more delightful than just popping in some airpods and streaming your playlist. It’s the process, the steps, the sounds that makes it so soothing, so unique, such an experience. So, let the lead-in groove begin […]

By Chuck Bailey Last Saturday began with a celebratory Homecoming reception in the Geology department and finished twelve hours later, and 2,400 miles to the northwest in Portland, Oregon at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting. I went coast to coast with the Schuyler Sisters to attend a scientific meeting, in person, for the […]

This summer, four brave undergraduates and one faculty advisor are dedicated to both geologic research and honoring the sensational Broadway musical Hamilton. You may be wondering what roads led to such an interesting intersection. The answer is simple as the William & Mary Structural Geology & Tectonics research group has a grant from the U.S. […]