Professor Margi Rusmore
Michael G. Gibby ’68 and Barbara J. Gibby ’68 Professor of Science, Geology
B.S., UC Santa Cruz; M.S., Ph.D., University of Washington
Department Chair, Geology
Appointed In
1985
Office
Hameetman Science Center 216
Hours
Wednesdays 1:30-3:30 PM and by appointment in HSC 216

Margi Rusmore teaches Introductory Geology, Introduction to Field Methods, Structural Geology, Advanced Mapping and Senior Seminar.

Read her Oxy Story profile.

Margi's research focuses on the formation and evolution of mountain belts from the perspective of structural geology and tectonics. Topics she has investigated range from the accretion of terranes to exhumation of heavily glaciated mountain ranges. Much of her field work has been in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, where she is currently studying the evolution of the Late Mexozoic to early Tertiary continental arc. Along with structure and tectonics, Margi is interested in how GIS can shape new questions and directions in structure and tectonics. Students are involved in many aspects of her research, traveling with Margi to British Columbia for field work, tackling projects in the lab, or investigating the geology of the nearby Mojave desert. She enjoyed developing and teaching the California Environment Semester for first-year students.

Education | Professional Experience | Grants | Professional Service & Honors | College Service | Publications

Education

B.S.     Earth Sciences, University of California at Santa Cruz, 1980

M.S.    Geological Sciences, University of Washington, 1982

Ph.D.   Geological Sciences, University of Washington, 1985

                            Graduate Advisor: Dr. Darrel S. Cowan

Professional Experience

Professor, Department of Geology, Occidental College, 1998-present

Associate Professor, Department of Geology, Occidental College, 1992-1998

Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, Occidental College, 1985-1992

Grants (excluding grants for Hameetman Science Center)

National Science Foundation, RUI/Collaborative Research,  "Evaluating the influence of crustal deformation on episodic magmatism:  southern Coast Mountains Batholith, British Columbia" 2014 - 2017.

National Science Foundation, RUI/Collaborative Research, “Batholiths: Generation and Evolution of Crust in Continental Magmatic Arcs” (including a supplement in 2009) 9/1/2003 – 8/31/2010. 

National Science Foundation, Tectonics Program RUI/Collaborative Research, “Cenozoic tilting and exhumation in the southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia” with S. W. Bogue and K. A. Farley (Caltech)  6/1/2000-6/1/2003, no-cost extension through 6/1/2004 

National Science Foundation, Tectonics Program RUI, “Tertiary tilting and exhumation of the Coast Mountains, British Columbia” with S. W. Bogue and K. A. Farley (Caltech)  6/1/98-6/1/2001 

National Science Foundation, Tectonics Program RUI, 1995 -1998. 

LACTE Curriculum Development Grant, 1996 

National Science Foundation, Tectonics Program RUI, 1991-1993. 

Pew Science Program, Curriculum Development Grant, 1990. 

National Science Foundation, Tectonics Program RUI, 1988‑1990. 

American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund Grant 1986‑1988 

Professional Service & Honors

Nominating committee, GSA Cordilleran Section, 2013

Co-convener of Session “Evolution of Continental Crust in Magmatic Arcs”, AGU Fall Meeting, 2011

Occidental College Graham Sterling Award, 2007

Associate Editor, Tectonics, 6-2006 to present

Fellow, Geological Society of America, elected 2006

Career Contribution Award Committee, Structural Geology and Tectonics Division, Geological Society of America, 2000-2002 (Chair, 2002)

Editorial Board, Geology, 1999-2001

Tectonics Panel, NSF,  1995-1998

Vice-Chair, Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America,  1997-1999

Chair, Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America, 1999-2000

Past-Chair, Cordilleran Section, Geological Society of America, 2000-2001

College Service

Chair of Geology, Occidental College, 1995-1998, 2005- 2008, 2010-2012, 7/2013-present

Planning Steering Committee August 2009 – June 2012

Undergraduate Research Task force Co-Chair and PSC-Liaison, 2010-11

Environmental Science Planning Task Force, Member and PSC Liaison, April 2010 – June 2011

Faculty Council, 1986-1989, 1997-2000, 2009 – 2011

Advisory Council, 1992-1994

Chair, Faculty Library and Information Services Committee, 2001-2005

Faculty Coordinator for planning and construction of Hameetman Science Center, 1998 – 2004

P.I. NSF Grant for Physical Science Building 1998-2003;

Contributing author and P.I. on several other foundation grants for HSC

Physical Science Building design committee, 1997- 2001

Publications

Selected articles

Rusmore, M. E., S. W. Bogue, and G. J. Woodsworth, 2013, Paleogeography of the Insular and Intermontane terranes reconsidered: Evidence from the southern Coast Mountains Batholith, British Columbia: Lithosphere, L288.1, first published on September 3, 2013, doi:10.1130/L288.1

Girardi, J. D., Patchett, P. J., Ducea, M. N., Gehrels, G. E., Cecil, M. R., Rusmore, M. E., Woodsworth, G. J., Pearson, D. M., Manthei, C., and Wetmore, P., 2012, Elemental and Isotopic Evidence for Granitoid Genesis From Deep-Seated Sources in the Coast Mountains Batholith, British Columbia Journal of Petrology, doi:10.1093/petrology/egs024

Rusmore, M. E., Bogue, S. W., Dodson, K., Farley, K. A., and Woodsworth, G. J., 2010, Deformation of continental crust along a transform boundary, Coast Mountains, British Columbia: Tectonics, v. 29, no. 4, p. TC4007, doi:10.1029/2009TC002502.

Gehrels, G., Rusmore, M., Woodsworth, G., Crawford, M., Andronicos, C., Hollister, L., Patchett, J., Ducea, M., Butler, R., Klepeis, K., Davidson, C., Friedman, R., Haggart, J., Mahoney, B., Crawford, W., Pearson, D., and Girardi, J., 2009, U-Th-Pb geochronology of the Coast Mountains batholith in north-coastal British Columbia: Constraints on age and tectonic evolution: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 121, no. 9-10, p. 1341-1361.

Ehlers, T. A., Farley, K. A., Rusmore, M. E., and Woodsworth, G. J., 2006, Apatite (U-Th)/He signal of large-magnitude accelerated glacial erosion, southwest British Columbia: Geology, v. 34, no. 9, p. 765-768.

Shuster, D. L., Ehlers, T. A., Farley, K. A., and Rusmore, M.E, 2005, Rapid Glacial Erosion at 1.8 Ma Revealed by 4He/3He Thermochronology: Science, v. 310, p.1668-1670.

Rusmore, M. E., Woodsworth, G. J., and Gehrels, G. E., 2005, Two-stage exhumation of midcrustal arc rocks, Coast Mountains, British Columbia: Tectonics, v. 24, 25 p., doi: 10.1029/2004TC0001750.

Rusmore, M., Gehrels, G., Woodsworth, G.J., 2001, Southern  continuation of the Coast shear zone and Paleocene strain partitioning in British Columbia-southeast Alaska: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.113, p. 961-975.

Farley, K. A., Rusmore, M.E., Bogue, S.W., 2001, Exhumation and Uplift History of the Central Coast Mountains, British Columbia, from Apatite (U-Th)/He Thermochronometry: Geology, v. 29, p. 99-102.

Rusmore, M. E., Woodsworth, G. J., Gehrels, G., 2000, Late Cretaceous evolution of the eastern Coast Mountains, Bella Coola, British Columbia, in Stowell, H.H., McClelland W.C.eds., Tectonics of the Coast Mountains, SE Alaska and Coastal British Columbia: Geological Society of America Special Paper 343, p.89–106.

Rusmore , M.E., and Woodsworth, G.J., 1994, Evolution of the eastern Waddington thrust belt and its relation to the mid-Cretaceous Coast Mountains arc, western British Columbia:  Tectonics, v. 13, p. 1052-1067.

Umhoefer, P.J., Rusmore, M.E., and Woodsworth, G.J., 1994,  Contrasting tectono-stratigraphy and structure in the Coast Belt near Chilko Lake, British Columbia: unrelated terranes or an arc - back-arc transect?:  Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 31, p. 1700-1713.

Rusmore, M.E., and Woodsworth, G.J., 1991, Distribution and significance of Upper Triassic terranes in the eastern Coast Mountains and adjacent Intermontane terrane.  Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 28, p. 532-541.

Rusmore, M.E., and Woodsworth, G. J., 1991.  The Coast Plutonic Complex:  a mid-Cretaceous contractional orogen.  Geology, v. 19, p. 941-944.

Rusmore, M. E., Potter, C. J., Umhoefer, P.J., 1988, Middle Jurassic terrane amalgamation along the western edge of the Intermontane superterrane, southwestern British Columbia: Geology, v. 16, p. 891‑894.

Rusmore, M.E., 1987, Geology of the Cadwallader Group and the Intermontane-Insular superterrane boundary, southwestern British Columbia: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 24, p. 2279-2291.

Rusmore,  M.E., and Cowan,  D.S., 1985, Jurassic‑Cretaceous rock units along the southern edge of the Wrangellia terrane on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  Canadian Journal of Earth  Sciences,  v. 22, p. 1223‑1232.

Maps

Haggart, J.W., Diakow, L.J., Mahoney, J.B., Woodsworth, G.J., Struik, L.C., Gordee, L.C., Isarael, S., Hooper, R.L., Rusmore, M., Lett, R., Ceh, M., Hastings, N.L., and Wagner, C., 2007, Bedrock geology, Bella Coola region (93C, 93D, 93E, 92M, and 92N) British Columbia, Geological Survey of Canada, Open file 5410, CD.

Haggart J.W., Diakow L.J., Mahoney J.B., Woodsworth G.J., Struik L.S.,Gordee S.M., Rusmore M.,  2006, Geology, Bella Coola region (NTS 93D/01, /07, /08, /10, /15, and parts of 93D/02, /03, /06, /09, /11, /14, /16, and 92M/15 and /16), British Columbia: Geological Survey of Canada Open-File 5385, and British Columbia Geological Survey Geoscience Map 2006–7, 3 sheets, scale 1:100,000

Rusmore , M.E., and Woodsworth, G.J., 1993, Geological maps of the Mt. Queen Bess (92N/7) and Razorback Mountain (92N/10 map areas, Coast Mountains, British Columbia; Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 2586, 2 map sheets, scale 1:50,000.

Garver, J. I., Umhoefer, P. J., Rusmore M. E., and Schiarizza, P., 1989.  Geology of the Eldorado Mountain area (92O/S and 92J/15N). British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Open file map 1989.