Education
A.B. (Geology) Harvard College, 1959
Ph.D. (Geology) University of Cincinnati, 1963
Web site
Experience
Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati
1963-1969
Instructor, New York University 1966 (Summer)
Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati 1969-1985
Visiting Professor, University of Grenoble, France 1971-1972
NAS Exchange Scientist, Czechoslovak Academy of Science 1984
Visiting Professor, University of Sheffield, England 1985-1986
Professor, University of Cincinnati 1985-Present
Professional Memberships
Geological Society of America
Society for Sedimentary Geology
The Clay Minerals Society, CMS Council Member, 1988-1990, 2001-2004; Associate
Editor, CCM, 1998-
Mineralogical Society of America
American Geophysical Union
National Association of Geology Teachers
Association Internationale pour L'Etude des Argiles
Member, Editorial Board, Geotimes, American Geological Institute, 1999-
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Geology 101-2-3 Introduction
to Geology
Geology 151
Investigating the Earth (Freshman Seminar)
Geology 631
Clay Mineralogy
Geology 632
Clay Mineralogy Seminar
Env. Sci. 101
Introduction to Environmental Science (co-taught with Prof. Miller in Biology) |
Much of my research deals with the study
of bentonites and K-bentonites, which are the remains of explosively erupted
volcanic ash layers. These layers are now altered largely to clay minerals
although some original volcanic crystals remain. I study both types of
minerals to learn about the nature of the source volcanoes, many of which
are several hundreds of millions years old, as well as the natural processes
by which the volcanic ash layers have been buried in the earth and altered
to their present form. The following as a brief technical summary of these
studies:
K-bentonite beds in North America are present mainly in every major period
of geologic time from the Cambrian (540 Million years ago) to the present.
In northwestern Europe they are widely distributed in Scandinavia, Poland,
and the British Isles, and the Baltic States. The Deicke and Millbrig
K-bentonites in North America and the Kinnekulle in Baltoscandia are particularly
thick and can be traced for several hundred kilometers. Based on biostratigraphic,
geochemical, and petrographic data we have recently shown it is highly
likely that the Millbrig and the Kinnekulle are distal remnants of the
same ash bed. The recognition that the Ordovician K-bentonite can be traced
from North America to Europe is of extraordinary interest and provides
the first real opportunity to study lateral differentiation of the ash,
the location of the source volcano, the volcano, the biological effects
of giant Lower Paleozoic ash fall and, indirectly, the width of the Caradocian
lapetus Ocean. K-bentonites in Argentina, Great Britain, Sweden, Norway,
Denmark, Ukraine, and Estonia have also been subjected to several investigations.
My research has focused on topics ranging from the mineralogy and geochemistry
of Paleozoic K-bentonites and their application to the solution of tectonomagmatic
and regional stratigraphic problems to Quaternary clays in glacial environments
to Pedagogical applications of instructional technology, and has resulted
in over 90 abstracts and 70 authored and co-authored papers in refereed
journals.
Recent Publications on K-bentonites
Bergström, S.M., Huff, W.D., and Kolata, D.R., 1998, Early Silurian
(Llandoverian) K-bentonites discovered in the southern Appalachian thrust
belts, eastern USA: Stratigraphy, geochemistry, and tectonomagmatic and
paleogeographic implications: GFF, v. 120, p. 149-158.
Huff, W.D., Bergström, S.M., Kolata, D.R., Cingolani, C., and Astini,
R.A. 1998.
Ordovician K-bentonites in the Argentine Precordillera: relations to Gondwana
margin evolution. In: Pankhurst, R.J. & Rapela, C.W. (eds) The Proto-Andean
Margin of Gondwana: Geological Society, London, Special Publications,
v. 142, p. 107-126.
Bergström, S.M., Huff, W.D., Kolata, D.R., and Melchin, M.J., 1997,
Occurrence and significance of Silurian K-bentonite beds at Arisaig, Nova
Scotia, eastern Canada: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 34, p.
1630-1643.
Bergström, S.M., Huff, W.D., and Kolata, D.R., 1998, The lower Silurian
Osmundsberg K-bentonite. Part I: stratigraphic position, distribution,
and paleogeographic significance: Geological Magazine, v. 135, p. 1-13.
Huff, W.D., Bergström, S.M., Kolata, D.R., and Sun, H., 1998, The
lower Silurian Osmundsberg K-bentonite. Part II: mineralogy, geochemistry,
chemostratigraphy, and tectonomagmatic significance: Geological Magazine,
v. 135, p. 15-26.
Kolata, D.R., Huff, W.D., and Bergström, S.M., 1998, Nature and regional
significance of unconformities associated with the Middle Ordovician Hagan
K-bentonite complex in the North American midcontinent: Geological Society
of America Bulletin, v. 110, No. 5, p. 723-739.
Huff, W.D., Müftüoglu, E., Kolata, D.R., and Bergström,
S.M., 1999, K-bentonite bed preservation and its event stratigraphic significance:
Acta Universitatis Carolinae - Geologica 1999, v. 43, p. 491-493.
Bergström, S.M., Huff, W.D., Koren’, T., Larsson, K., Ahlberg,
P., and Kolata, D.R., 1999, The 1997 core drilling through Ordovician
and Silurian strata at Röstånga, S. Sweden: Preliminary stratigraphic
assessment and regional comparison: GFF, v. 121, p. 127-135.
Huff, W.D., Bergström, S.M., and Kolata, D.R., 2000, Silurian K-bentonites
of the Dnestr Basin, Podolia, Ukraine: Journal of the Geological Society,
London, v. 157, p. 493-504.
Min, K., Renne, P.R., and Huff, W.D., 2001, 40Ar/39Ar dating of Ordovician
K-bentonites in Laurentia and Baltoscandia. Earth and Planetary Science
Letters, v. 185, p. 121-134.
Huff, W.D., Bergström, S.M., Kolata, D.R., Cingolani, C.S., and Astini,
R.A., 2000, Ordovician K-bentonites in the Argentine Precordillera, Proceedings
of the 1st Latin American Clay Conference, Funchal 2000, v. 1, p. 175-186.
Kolata, D.R., Huff, W.D., and Bergström, S.M., 2001, "The Ordovician
Sebree Trough - Oceanic Passage to the Midcontinent U.S: Geological Society
of America Bulletin, v. 113, no. 8, p. 1067-1078.
Pellenard, P, Deconinck, J-F., Jthierry, J, Marchand, D. and Huff, W.D.,
In Press, Characterisation and correlation of bentonite deposits in Upper
Jurassic clay formation (Oxfordian) of Paris basin and south-eastern basin
of France, Sedimentology.
Other Scientific Collaborators
Dr. D.R. Kolata, Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL
Dr. S.M. Bergström, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Dr. C.E. Brett, University of Cincinnati, OH
Dr. C. Cingolani, University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
Dr. D.J. Morgan, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK
Dr. P. Renne, Berkeley Geochronology Center, CA
Dr. D. Davis, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Synergistic Activities
Co_chair GSA/NAGT Theme Session T13: Creating learning environments with
the internet and multimedia; 1998 Annual Meeting, Toronto.
Co-chair GSA/NAGT Topic Session T66: Success in creating multimedia-assisted
learning environments; 1999 Annual Meeting, Denver.
Co-chair GSA/NAGT Topic Session T138: The Use of Multimedia in Geoscience
Instruction: Yet Another Example of the No Significant Difference Phenomenon?;
2000 Annual Meeting, Reno.
Co-chair GSA/NAGT Topic Session T77: Increasing student engagement in
geoscience courses through IT: a component of enrollment management; 2001
Annual Meeting, Boston.
Co-chair GSA/NAGT Topic Session T40:
Special session in Honor of John C. Butler; 2002 Annual Meeting, Denver.
Member, Subcommission on Ordovician Stratigraphy, IUGS Commission on Stratigraphy,
1998-02
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