My primary fields of study include glacial geology and geomorphology, paleoclimatology, and volcanology. Most of my work places a strong emphasis on geochronology and/or understanding mechanisms of climate change. Past and present research projects generally address problems by integrating field work, laboratory methods, and modeling exercises. The application of cosmogenic isotope surface exposure dating methods figures prominently in many of these projects. My main study sites are located in the western United States (particularly the greater Yellowstone and Grand Teton regions), Iceland, and the Peruvian Andes, but I have also worked on projects in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Galápagos Islands. Timescales of interest generally fall within the Quaternary Period; I am especially interested in glacier fluctuations, climate variability, and volcanic activity during the late Pleistocene and Holocene.
Courses Taught
- ESCI 402: Earth History
- ESCI 561: Landscape Evolution
- ESCI 762/862: Glacial Geology
- ESCI 765: Paleoclimatology
- ESCI 765/865: Paleoclimatology
- ESCI 766/866: Volcanology
- ESCI 865: Paleoclimatology
- INCO 790: Advanced Research Experience
- TECH 411: Innovation Scholars I
- TECH 412: Innovation Scholars II
Selected Publications
Morgan, L. A., Shanks, W. C. P., Pierce, K. L., Iverson, N., Schiller, C. M., Brown, S. R., . . . Licciardi, J. M. (2023). The dynamic floor of Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA: The last 14 k.y. of hydrothermal explosions, venting, doming, and faulting. GSA Bulletin, 135(3-4), 547-574. doi:10.1130/b36190.1
Price, B. N., Stansell, N. D., Fernandez, A., Licciardi, J. M., Lesnek, A. J., Munoz, A., . . . Galilea, I. (2022). Chlorine-36 Surface Exposure Dating of Late Holocene Moraines and Glacial Mass Balance Modeling, Monte Sierra Nevada, South-Central Chilean Andes (38 degrees S). FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE, 10. doi:10.3389/feart.2022.848652
Walcott, C. K., Briner, J. P., Baichtal, J. F., Lesnek, A. J., & Licciardi, J. M. (n.d.). Cosmogenic ages indicate no MIS 2 refugia in the Alexander Archipelago, Alaska. Geochronology, 4(1), 191-211. doi:10.5194/gchron-4-191-2022
Stansell, N. D., Mark, B. G., Licciardi, J. M., Rodbell, D. T., Fairman, J. G., Schoessow, F. S., . . . Sorensen, M. (2022). Energy mass balance and flow modeling of early Holocene glaciers in the Queshque valley, Cordillera Blanca, Peru. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, 281. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107414
Quirk, B. J., Huss, E., Laabs, B. J. C., Leonard, E., Licciardi, J., Plummer, M. A., & Caffee, M. W. (2022). Late Pleistocene glacial chronologies and paleoclimate in the northern Rocky Mountains. CLIMATE OF THE PAST, 18(2), 293-312. doi:10.5194/cp-18-293-2022
Carlson, A. E., Legrande, A. N., Oppo, D. W., Came, R. E., Schmidt, G. A., Anslow, F. S., . . . Obbink, E. A. (2008). Rapid early Holocene deglaciation of the Laurentide ice sheet. NATURE GEOSCIENCE, 1(9), 620-624. doi:10.1038/ngeo285
Licciardi, J. M., Clark, P. U., Brook, E. J., Elmore, D., & Sharma, P. (2004). Variable responses of western US glaciers during the last deglaciation. GEOLOGY, 32(1), 81-84. doi:10.1130/G19868.1
Clark, P. U., Marshall, S. J., Clarke, G. K. C., Hostetler, S. W., Licciardi, J. M., & Teller, J. T. (2001). Freshwater forcing of abrupt climate change during the last glaciation. SCIENCE, 293(5528), 283-287. doi:10.1126/science.1062517
Licciardi, J. M., Clark, P. U., Jenson, J. W., & Macayeal, D. R. (1998). Deglaciation of a soft-bedded Laurentide Ice Sheet. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, 17(4-5), 427-448. doi:10.1016/S0277-3791(97)00044-9
Clark, P. U., Alley, R. B., Keigwin, L. D., Licciardi, J. M., Johnsen, S. J., & Wang, H. X. (1996). Origin of the first global meltwater pulse following the last glacial maximum. PALEOCEANOGRAPHY, 11(5), 563-577. doi:10.1029/96PA01419
