Dr. Wallace and his students conduct field-oriented research on fold-and-thrust structures and orogenic belts. This work is based mainly on examples in and near Alaska, with a primary focus on the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. These studies aim to develop a better understanding of the structural geometry and evolution of fold-and-thrust structures such as detachment folds and duplexes, while also seeking to reconstruct the structural evolution and paleogeography of the Brooks Range. Geometric-kinematic models and balanced cross sections are the primary tools used to reconstruct the geometry and evolution of structures, combining structural observations with data from stratigraphy, thermochronology (e.g., fission-track dating), and geophysics (e.g., deep seismic data). Targets for recent field studies include the northeastern Brooks Range (in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), the north-central Brooks Range (near the Trans-Alaska Pipeline), and the central foothills of the Brooks Range.
Another important area of interest is the relationship of structural deformation to uplift, erosion, and deposition in mountain belts and adjacent basins, both in areas of current tectonic activity and in ancient examples. This work explores the interplay of deformational and surface processes while providing insight into the workings of various types of potentially seismogenic structures. The focus of recent studies has been on young folds and thrust faults in the northern Alaska Range and in the Yakataga fold-and-thrust belt along the Gulf of Alaska margin. |
