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Brian Currie
Professor
Geology and Environmental Earth Science

Brian Currie

Contact Info

513-529-7578
205 Shideler Hall

My research focuses on a variety of problems involving sedimentary geology and tectonics. I integrate the fields of sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and geochemistry to decipher the factors controlling sedimentary basin development, and the structural evolution of mountain belts. I also work on the characterization of petroleum systems at both the regional and reservoir scale, as well as the causes of earthquakes generated by oil and gas operations. I currently have active research projects in Asia, South America and the United States.

Possible Thesis/Dissertation Topics

  • Geological controls on seismicity induced by hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal
  • Tectonic controls on Triassic rift basin evolution, western Argentina
  • Mesozoic tectonic history of the North American Cordillera
  • Characterization of Paleozoic/Mesozoic hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Appalachian Cordilleran foreland basins

Current/Recent Graduate Student Research

  • Autumn Haagsma (Ph.D. in progress)
  • Trezevant Rice (M.S. in progress) Sedimentology and Stratigraphy of Super Critical Sediment Gravity Flows within the Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale, Eastern Utah
  • Jared Wink (M.S. 2022) Structural and stratigraphic configuration of the Albian-Cenomanian Cordilleran foreland-basin system.
  • Alexia Rojas (M.S. 2022) Testing the Accuracy of Digital Mapping Methodology to Analyze Stratigraphic Variation in the Triassic Ishigualasto Formation, San Juan Province, Argentina
  • Patrick Cullen (M.S. 2018) Sequence-stratigraphic framework for the Upper Devonian lower Huron Shale Member of the Ohio Shale, north-central Appalachian Basin.
  • Sarah Smith (M.S., 2017) Re-evaluation of the 2009-2011 southern Fort Worth Basin (TX) earthquakes: Potential relationships with hydraulic fracturing and wastewater injection (Co-Advised with Mike Brudzinski).
  • Shanying, Li (Ph.D., 2016) Petrological and stable isotopic study of lacustrine and paleosol carbonates: Implications for paleoelevation and tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau.

Selected Publications

Ingalls, M., Rowley, D.B., Currie, B.S., and Colman, A., 2020, Reconsidering the uplift history and peneplanation of the northern Lhasa terrane, Tibet. American Journal of Science, v. 320, p. 479-532, doi.org/10.2475/06.2020.01.

Reis, R., Brudzinski, M., Skoumal, R.J., and Currie, B.S., 2020, Factors Influencing the Probability of Hydraulic Fracturing Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 110, p. 2272–2282.

Currie, B.S., Free, J.C., Brudzinski, M.R., Leveridge, M., and Skoumal, R., 2018, Seismicity induced by wastewater injection in Washington County, Ohio: Influence of preexisting structure, regional stress regime, and well operations. Journal of Geophysical Research-Solid Earth, v. 123, p. 4123-4140.

Rech, J.A., Currie, B.S., Jordan, T.E., Riquelme, R., Lehmann, S.B., Kirk-Lawlor, N.E., Li, S. and Gooley, J.T., 2018, Massive Middle Miocene gypsic paleosols in the Atacama Desert and the formation of the Central Andean rainshadow, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 506, p. 184-194.

Currie, B.S., Polissar, P.J., Rowley, D.B., Ingalls, M., Li, S., Olack, G., and Freeman, K.H., 2016, Multiproxy paleoaltimetry of the Oligocene-Pliocene Oiyug Basin, south-central Tibet. American Journal of Science, v. 316, p. 401-436.

Ingalls, M., Rowley, D., Currie, B., and Coleman, A., 2016, Large-scale subduction of continental crust implied by India–Asia mass-balance calculation. Nature Geoscience, v. 9, p. 848–853.

Li, S., Currie, B.S., and Rowley, D.B., and Ingalls, M., 2015, Cenozoic paleoaltimetry of the SE margin of the Tibetan Plateau: Constraints on the tectonic evolution of the region. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 432, p. 415-424.

Selected Grants

United States Geological Survey: The use of geologic mapping to reconstruct stream morphology and planform prior to European settlement, Four-Mile Creek, southwestern Ohio. Co-PI with Jason Rech, 2020-2021. $17,491.

LMKR Resources, University Grant Program: Industry geophysical software for teaching and research, 2019-2022. $ 8,751,900.

United States Geological Survey:  Investigating Induced Seismicity Associated with Hydraulic Fracture Stimulations in Oklahoma; With Co-PI Mike Brudzinski, 2017-2019, $56,418.

LMKR Resources, University Grant Program: Industry geophysical software for teaching and research, 2016-2019. $ 2,846,253.

National Science Foundation, EAR-EarthScope:  Does proximity of hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal to basement increase the likelihood of induced seismicity in the central and eastern US?; With Co-PI Mike Brudzinski, 2016-2020, $358,585.

Courses Taught

  • Improving Public Outreach through More Effective Teachable Moments
  • Active Learning in Hybrid and Online Courses
  • Pathways to Energy and Environmental Careers
  • Fostering Quantitative Literacy and Spatial Reasoning

Specific Courses

  • GLG 111 - The Dynamic Earth
  • GLG 301 - Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
  • GLG 411/511 - Field Geology
  • GLG 450/550 - Basin Analysis

Education

Ph.D., Geosciences, University of Arizona (1998)
M.S., Geological Sciences, University of Rochester (1993)
B.S., Environmental Studies, Allegheny College (1988)