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Her research applies low-temperature thermochronologic methods (fission-track and (U-Th)/He analyses) to geologic problems involving tectonics, structure, and geomorphology. Ann has worked on projects in Alaska (the Brooks Range), the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet), the Andes (Bolivia and Argentina), California (San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains and the SAFOD project), and Spitsbergen. She is now working with Audrey Huerta of Central Washington University on a project on the formation of the Transantarctic Mountains.

 

Teaching  I  Research I  Publications

 

Teaching

I normally teach Physical Geology (Geo105), Introduction to Field Methods (225), and Geomorphology (342). I occasionally teach Structural Geology and Advanced Field (325), and Sedimentology. 

 

Research

I am interested in studying a variety of geological problems involving tectonics, neotectonics, structure, and geomorphology.  I use fission-track thermochronology in my studies.  I have had several students do research projects with me using fission track analyses to study tectonic problems.  My current research focus is on the evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica; this project is funded by NSF (my co-PI is Audrey Huerta of Central Washington University). 

 

Publications

Blythe, A.E., and *Longinotti, N., 2013, Exhumation of the southern Sierra Nevada - eastern Tehachapi Mountains constrained by low-temperature thermochronology:  Implications for the initiation of the Garlock fault, Lithosphere, published online on 20 April 2013 as doi:10.1130/L252.1

Ferrill, D.A., Morris, A.P., Stamatakos, J.A., Waiting, D.J., Donelick, R.A., and Blythe, A.E., 2012, Constraints on exhumation and extensional faulting in southwestern Nevada and eastern California, U.S.A., from zircon and apatite thermochronology, Lithosphere, 4, 1, pp. 63-76.

Schmidt, K.L., Paterson, S.R., Blythe, A.E., and Kopf, C., 2009, Mountain building across a lithospheric boundary during arc construction: the Cretaceous Peninsular Ranges batholith in the Sierra San Pedro Martir of Baja California, Mexico, Tectonophysics, v. 477, p. 292-310.

Blythe, A.E., and Burgmann, R., 2008, Low temperature thermal history of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth: in Garver, J.I., and Montario, M. J. (eds), Proceedings from the 11th International Conference on Thermochronometry, Anchorage, AK, Sept., 2008, p. 35-35. 

Blythe, A.E., Burbank, D.W., Carter, A., Schmidt, K., and Putkonen, J., 2007, Plio-Quaternary exhumation history of the central Nepalese Himalaya: 1. Apatite and zircon fission-track and apatite [U-Th]/He analyses: Tectonics, v. 26, TC3002, doi:10.1029/2006TC001990.

Whipp, D., Ehlers, T., Blythe, A.E., Burbank, D., 2007, Plio-Quaternary exhumation history of the central Nepalese Himalaya: 2. Thermo-kinematic model of thermochronometer exhumation: Tectonics, v. 26, TC3003, doi:10.1029/2006TC001991.

Safran, E.B., Blythe, A.E., and Dunne, T., 2006, Long-term erosion patterns in the Cordillera Real, Bolivian Andes, Journal of Geology, v. 114, p. 665-681.

Huntington, K., Blythe, A.E., and Hodges, K.V., 2006, Climate change and Late Pliocene acceleration of erosion in the Himalaya: EPSL, v. 252, 107-118.

Lee, J., McClelland, W., Wang, Y., Blythe, A.E., and McWilliams, M., 2006, Oligocene-Miocene middle crustal flow in southern Tibet: Geochronology of Mabja Dome, Geological Society of London Special Publication 268: Channel Flow, Ductile Extrusion and Exhumation in Continental Collision Zones, p. 445-470.

Grujic, D., Coutand, I., Bookhagen, B., Bonnet, S., Blythe, A., and Duncan, C., 2006, Climatic forcing of erosion, landscape, and tectonics in the Bhutan Himalayas, Geology, v. 34, p. 801-804, doi: 10.1130/G22648.1.

Sisson, V.B., Avé Lallemant, H.G., Ostos, M., Blythe, A.E., Snee, L.W., Copeland, P., Wright, J.E., Donelick, R.A., and Guth, L.R., 2005, Overview of radiometric ages of northern Venezuela: Old ones, new ones, and their impact on regional geology, submitted to: Avé Lallemant, H.G., and Sisson, V.B., Carribean/South American Plate Interactions, Venezuela, GSA Special Paper 394, p. 91-117, doi:10.1130/2005.2394(03).

Blythe, A.E., d’Alessio, M., and Bürgmann, R., 2004, Constraining the exhumation and burial history of the SAFOD pilot hole with fission track and (U-Th)/He thermochronometry. Geophysical Research Letters, v.31, L15516, doi:10.1029/2003GLO19407.

Burbank, D.W., Blythe, A.E., Putkonen, J., Pratt-Sitaula, B., Gabet, E., Oskin, M., Barros, A., and Ohja, T., 2003, Decoupling of erosion and precipitation in the Himalayas: Nature, v. 426, pp. 652-655.

d’Alessio, M., Blythe, A.E., and Bürgmann, R., 2003, No frictional heat along the San Gabriel fault, California: Evidence from fission track thermochronology: Geology, v. 31 , pp. 541-544.

Meigs, A., Yule, D., Blythe A., and Burbank, D., 2003, Implications of distributed crustal deformation for exhumation in a portion of a transpressional plate boundary, Western Transverse Ranges, southern California, Quaternary International, v. 101-102, pp. 169-177.

Blythe, A.E., House, M.A., and Spotila, J., 2002, Low-temperature thermochronology of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, southern California: Constraining structural evolution, in Barth, A., ed., Geological Society of America Special Paper 365, ch. 11, pp. 231-250 : Boulder, Geological Society of America.

Spotila, J.A., House, M.A., Blythe, A.E., Neimi, N., and Bank, G.C., 2002,  Controls on the erosion and geomorphic evolution of the San  Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, southern California, in Barth, A., ed., Geological Society of America Special Paper 365, ch. 10, pp. 205 -230: Boulder, Geological Society of America.

Grimmer, J.C., Jonckheere, R., Enkelmann, E., Ratschbacher, L., Hacker, B.R., Blythe, A.E., Wagner, G.A., Wu, Q., Liu, S., and Dong, S., 2002, Cretaceous-Cenozoic history of the southern Tan-Lu fault zone: Apatite fission-track and structural constraints from the Dabie Shan (eastern China): Tectonophysics, v. 359, p. 225-253.

Blythe, A.E., Burbank, D.W., Farley, K.A, and Fielding, E., 2000, Structural and topographic evolution of the Central Transverse Ranges, California, from apatite fission- track, (U-Th)/He and digital elevation model analyses, Basin Research, v. 12, p. 97-114.

Lee, J., Hacker, B.R., Dinklage, W.S., Wang, Y., Gans, P.B., Calvert, A., Blythe, A.E., and McClelland, W., 2000, Evolution of the Kangmar Dome, southern Tibet: Structural, petrologic, and thermochronologic constraints, Tectonics, v. 19, p. 872-895.

Wells, M.L., Snee, L., and Blythe, A.E., 2000, Dating of extensional shearing, an example from the Raft River Mountains, Basin and Range, western United States: Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 105, p. 16,303-16,327.

Blythe, A.E., 1998, Active tectonics and ultrahigh pressure rocks, in  Hacker, B. and Liou, J., (eds.), "When Continents Collide: Geodynamics and Geochemistry of Ultrahigh - Pressure Rocks", Chapman and Hall, p. 141-160.