Dr. McCarthy is a clastic sedimentologist and paleopedologist. His major research interests lie in paleolandscape evolution, alluvial architecture and nonmarine sequence stratigraphy. He is particularly interested in using paleosols for paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic reconstructions of ancient floodplains and coastal plains. His recent work has focused on the use of paleopedological techniques, together with traditional sedimentology and stratigraphy, to identify and map interfluves associated with incised valleys and to interpret changing rates of alluvial accommodation in fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This work has lead to new insights on the application of sequence stratigraphy in nonmarine environments. Current research is underway, together with colleagues at U. Iowa and U. Western Ontario, to investigate the chemostratigraphic, diagenetic and paleoenvironmental significance of interfluve paleosols using stable isotopes of sphaerosiderites and clay minerals. Dr. McCarthy has worked in the Rocky Mountain foothills of SW Alberta, west-central Alberta and NE British Columbia, Canada. He plans to extend similar studies into SW Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Alaska. |
