Dr. Stone and his students are pursuing several different lines of research, most of which are related to the tectonics of Alaska, Siberia, and the Arctic. Their principal interest is in unravelling the complex travel histories of the tectonostratigraphic terranes that "fill the gap" between the Siberian and North American cratons. They combine paleomagnetism and other geophysical techniques together with field geologic studies in order to pursue this research. The models that have been developed based on this research show that most of southern Alaska is made up of many originally independent terranes, and that these terranes came from southerly paleolatitudes. The tectonic histories of Arctic Alaska and eastern Siberia are proving more difficult to unravel. This is due in large part to the pervasive remagnetization of the rocks. The remagnetization itself is now being studied for clues to the overall tectonic history. Paleomagnetic sampling in Siberia includes the Verkhoyansk fold thrust belt and the Kolyma-Omolon superterrane, and we plan to expand our sampling into Chukotka and the Near Siberian Islands. The data from these areas are not yet sufficient to draw firm conclusions, but at first appearance, the overall geologic/tectonic history has great similarities to that of Alaska.

In addition to terrane studies, Dr. Stone and his students are applying paleomagnetic techniques to look for paleoclimate records in loess deposits and to look for evidence of volcanic and seismic activity recorded in lake sediments.

Other interests include using earthquake and explosion seismology, gravity and magnetic methods to constrain models of the crustal structure of Alaska, the use of gravity and magnetic measurements to model recent volcanic features, and the application of satellite geodesy to geophysical problems.