Lon Abbott

  • Teaching Professor of Distinction
  • GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Address

Office: Benson 222A

Research

My path to a geology career began in the Colorado mountains during my youth. While growing up in Boulder I spent every moment I could climbing, kayaking, skiing, and backpacking in Colorado’s high country. My research focus ever since has been on how high areas become high and how geomorphic processes sculpt that high terrain. Current projects include study of the surface uplift history of the Colorado Rockies, the incision history of the Grand Canyon, and deciphering when and why Australia’s Great Escarpment formed. I love sharing my passion for geology with the public via talks, field trips, and popular geology books and articles. My goal is to deepen public understanding of and appreciation for the deep history of our planet and for the significance of geology in our everyday lives. 

Keywords

Science outreach, Geologic evolution of SW United States, geomorphology of Grand Canyon, Lithospheric composition of Colorado Plateau-Basin and Range Transition Zone, Stratigraphy of Grand Canyon and stratigraphy of Colorado, Tectonic development of Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau

Department Topic Areas

Education

Ph.D, University of California, 1993
B.Sc., University of Utah, 1986