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2023 Plucking Research Team

Dr Dave is always looking for good students to work with!  See the list of former student projects below this brief list of upcoming projects.

  • Erosion by Plucking in rivers (summer 2025)
    • I received NSF funding for three years of flume work that will lead to numerical modeling of the plucking process with colleagues as UC Davis.  The W&L team will be responsible for collecting the data in a flume that will be validated and extrapolated with CFD methods by a colleague at another University. This coming year (the last, 2025) the project involves
        • collecting flow, pressure, crack flow, and video data to calibrate the numerical model.  We’ll be building and using new irregular blocks from non-rectangular
        • continue working on image processing schemes in Python to automatically track dye location and density to explore the flow of water through bedrock cracks during a plucking event
        • continue refining ways to describe and measure changes of flow velocity, bed pressure, turbulence, water surface topography, and…. (:you name it.
        • lots and lots of experimental runs when the new flume is up and running.
        • Summer 2025 we take a field trip to ?? to see plucking in action 
        • We are continuing the fieldwork and electronics necessary to collect data from an instrumentation insert for a rock that Clare Willkinson ’17 and I collected from the Cowpasture River in 2016.  It measures the pressure above and below the block, as well as motion by the block. The electronics have been updated and rebuilt several times, lastly in 2024, but we have yet to catch a storm with a working instrument. Come be the magic sauce that finally gets us some plucking data from a real river!
          (updated 2024/12/04)

 

Past research with students

  • 2024-2025
    • Theses
      • Katalyn Denby, ’26. Title: TBD
    • Independent Study
      • –
    • Summer 2024
      • Plucking experiments and flume completion; Katalyn Denby (SRS), Adja Ndiaye ’26 (NSF), AJ Cotto-Rivera ’27 (NSF), Sara Newell (AIM) ’29
  • 2024-2025
    • Theses
      • –
    • Independent Study
      • –
    • Summer 2024
      • Plucking experiments and flume building; Jonathan Carranza Cortes ’25 (NSF), Adja Ndiaye ’26 (NSF), Keegen Dzurko (AIM) ’28
  • 2023-2024
    • Theses
      • Natalie McCaffery, ’24 (honors) – Monitoring uppermost soil processes to quantify carbon storage: controls on highly variable microbial activity in sandy soil
    • Independent Study
      • Fall 23: 401: Ellie Ursin,’25 & Jules Seay,’24 – Soil carbon repeat sampling and analysis Hart Farm.
      • Fall 23: 401: Jonathan Carranza Cortes ’25, Electronics and fabrication of next gen SmartRock.
    • Summer 2023
      • Plucking experiments; Jonathan Carranza Cortes ’25 (NSF), Brayton Johnson ’25 (SRS), Danny Morales Bautista (AIM) ’27, Michelle Nguyen (NSF) ’25, Taylor Williams (AIM, now at Southern University), Nabil Youssef (SRS) ’26
      • Geothermal data collection: (sponsored by Dr Kumudu Gamage; Dave was dirt contractor) Abid Jeem ’26, Wonjun Jo ’26
  • 2022-2023
    • Theses
      • –
    • Independent Study
      • Fall 22: Natalie McCaffery – Soil Carbon lab analysis and comparison with existing results.
    • Summer 2022
      • Madison Williams, ’23, Claire Grant (ENVS) ’23, Mark Ozboyd (ENVS) ’23, Phoebe Knag ’24, Natalie McCaffery ’24, Measuring Soil Health in Rockbridge County Pastures (funding from W&L SRS, and the Earth and Environmental Geoscience Dept. and Environmental Studies Dept.)
  • 2021-2022
    • Theses
      • –
    • Independent Study
      • Fall 21; Michael Kutsanzira & Alec Mulkern – Flume data analysis and further experimentation (from summer)
      • Winter 22: Madison Williams – Soil carbon lab analysis
        & Kate Nassab – Soil carbon lab Analysis and carbon credit program development
        & Alec Mulkern – Flume data acquisition and analysis
    • Summer 2021
      • Alec S. Mulkern, ’22 and Michael Kutsanzira, ’23 – Can hyporheic flow or pressure pluck bedrock under nonuniform river flow? (W&L SRS program funding).
  • 2020-2021 (on leave fall term)
    • Theses
      • Mickie Brown (honors), ’21 -Estimating soil carbon content of grazing lands in Rockbridge County, Virginia using statistical and machine learning techniques
    • Independent Study
      • –
    • Summer 2020
      • Mickie Brown, ’21 – Soil carbon baseline study of grazed lands in Rockbridge County (sponsored by W&L SRS).
  • 2019-2020
    • Theses
      • Chantal Iosso (honors), ’20 – Impacts of Low-Head Dam Construction and Removal with Little Channel Sediment Storage: Case Study from the Maury River, Virginia
      • Ryan Monson, ’20 – Evaluating the use of NDVI analysis in a Soil Matter study of grazed pastures, Rockbridge, VA
      • Iszak Morgan, ’20 – Exploring Soil Organic Carbon Methodology and Variability in Rockbridge County Pastures
    • Independent Study
      • Matt Villante, ’20 – Fall & Winter, Soil organic carbon storage in aggregates under varying pasture management.
    • Summer 2019
      • Iszak Morgan, ’20 – Soil carbon study (the first in our lab!) Verdant Acres Farm, Rockbridge County Virginia (sponsored by Geology Dept)
      • Chantal Iosso, ’20 – Field investigation of the response of the Maury River to dam removal (sponsored by W&L SRS)
  • 2018-2019
    • Theses
      • –
    • Independent Study
      • Kameko Landry, ’19, sensing pressure change and crack flow during plucking events (Fall and Winter)
    • Summer 2018
      • NASA project – Geomorphic history of the Hoshab Fault Pakistan (NASA funded)
        • Catalena Bent, ’20 (Oberlin College)
        • Chris Messerich, ’20
        • Iszak Morgan, ’20
      • Team Plucking – sensing pressure change and crack flow during plucking events (Summer Research Scholarships)
        • Ryan Monson, ’20
        • Kameko Landry, ’19
  • 2017-2018
    • Theses
      • Kira Tomenchok (honors), ’18, Approximating meteoric 10Be using the concentration of acid-extractable grain coatings: a case study tracing erosion depth on Dominica, Lesser Antilles
    • Independent Study
      • Fall 2017,Kameko Landry, ’19, GEOL 401: plucking research
    • Summer 2017
      • Kameko Landry, ’19 (SRS), Sensing erosion: Sub-bed pressure during plucking of bedrock under nonuniform flow
  • 2016-2017
    • Theses
      • Dan Claroni (honors), ’17, Drones: geochemistry, Iceland; deformation at LANL, landslide hazard, Arnolds Valley VA
      • Clare Wilkinson (honors), ’17, Sensing erosion; Plucking of instrumented bedrock blocks in the field
    • Independent Study
      • Fall ’16 – Tal Keel, plucking data analysis
      • Fall ’16 – Kyle Turpin Geol 402: terrace chronology research, France
    • Summer 2016
      • Clare Wilkinson, ’17, Tal Keel, ’18 (SRS), Sensing erosion: instrumentation of conditions leading to plucking bedrock under nonuniform flow
      • Elliott Helgans, ‘16.5, Michael Cuilik, ’18 (NASA funded), Mapping Quaternary deposits and landforms of the Hoshab Fault, Pakistan
      • Skype supervision of research projects abroad
        • Kyle Turpin in France
        • Dan Claroni in Iceland.
  • 2015-2016 (on leave)
    • Theses
      • James Freeman, ’16, Evidence of Plucking at Balcony Falls on the James River, Virginia
    • Independent Study
      • Mohammad Abudayyeh, ’16, GIS (Fall 2015)
      • Elliott Helgans, ’16, Plucking data analysis (Winter 2016)
    • Summer 2015
      • Clare Wilkinson, ’17, Elliott Helgans, ’16 (SRS), Bedrock erosion by plucking; flume, field and broken concrete
  • 2014-2015
    • Theses
      • James Biemiller, ’15, “Plucking as a Mechanism of Fluvial Erosion on Mars”
      • Liz Elium, ’15, “Field and Flume Exploration of Channel Bedrock Erosion by Plucking”
      • James McCullum, ’15, “The potential of soils to sequester carbon: a look at agricultural and cemetery soils of Rockbridge County, Virginia”
      • Chel Samuels, ’15, Honors Thesis, “Characterization of legacy mine waste in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado”, Keck Geology Consortium Researcher
    • Independent Study
      • Murtaza Kapasi, ’15, Structure from motion of pluckable blocks (Fall 2014)
    • Summer 2014
      • James Biemiller, ’15, Liz Elium, ’15, James Freeman, ’15, Murtaza Kapasi, ’16, Jack Wilbur, ’16 (“team plucking !”)
        Erosion by Plucking; Field, Flume and Planetary Investigations.
  • 2013-2014
    • Theses
      • Liz Olson ’14, Assessment of Current Radiometric Dating Techniques of Beachrock on the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, Keck Geology Consortium Researcher
      • Kendall Wnuk ’14, Episodic Erosion Dynamics Affecting Depositional Basins of Northwest Argentina.
    • Independent Study
      • –
    • Summer 2013
      • Kendal Wnuk ’14, (Frank Young Geology Summer Researcher) & James Biemiller, ’15 (SRS),
        Geomorphology and sedimentology of the Iruya River headwaters, NW Argentina (GSA abstract)
  • 2011-2012
    • Theses
      • Liz George ’12, Reconstructing Environmental Changes in the Lower Connecticut River Using Diatoms, Keck Geology Consortium Research Program and Env Capstone Advisee
    • Independent Study
      • Liz George ’12 – Fall, 2012, Diatom methodological research
    • Summer 2011
      • Doug Sberna’13, (Frank Young Geology Summer Researcher), Geomorphology and sedimentology of the Iruya River headwaters, NW Argentina (led to 2 GSA presentations)
  • 2010-2011
    • Theses
      • Caroline Bovay ’11, (Honors) Valley fill in the Andean Eastern Cordillera: a response to transient incision of the Río Iruya, NW Argentina
      • Bryant Bradley ’11, Unconventional exploration techniques in the Iron Bridge Field, TX
    • Independent Study
      • Bryant Bradley, 11, research, Iron Bridge Field TX
    • Summer 2010
      • Caroline Bovay ’11, RE Lee Scholar, Understanding erosion of orogenic plateau margins: evidence from  the eastern margin of the Puna Plateau in Northwestern Argentina (led to 2 AGU presentations)
  • 2009-2010 (on leave)
    • Summer 2009
      • Meredith Townsend, ’11, Turning rock into soil: collaborative investigation of shale weathering (NSF-sponsored critical zone project)
  • 2008-2009
    • Theses
      • Nick Fox, 09, [James River incision history told by soil and mineral weathering]
    • Independent Study
      • –
    • Summer 2008
      • Nick Fox, 09 and Kat Telfeyan, ’10
  • 2007-2008
    • Theses
      • –
    • Independent Study
      • Matt Harrison (Winter) – Floodplain width of the Lower Maury Network using GIS
    • Summer 2007
      • –
  • 2006-2007
    • Theses
      • Erin Tainer , 07, Honors Thesis, A GIS Analysis of Three Bioluminescent Bays, Vieques, Puerto Rico, Keck Geology Researcher
      • Barrett Salisbury, 07, Honors Thesis, High Resolution Channel Survey reveals the Erosional Characteristics of a Bedrock Knickpoint in an Appalachian River
      • Emily McDowell, 07, Honors Thesis, [ Effect of grain size and bed cover on knickpoint retreat, Hayes and Walkers Creek, Virginia ]
    • Independent Study
      • Bill Barnhart (fall)- Goshen Pass flow highwater surveys
      • Nick Fox (fall and winter) – Maury River sediment above the Lexington Dam
      • Stuart Frankfort (fall)- Maury River sediment above the Lexington Dam
    • Summer 2006
      • Bill Barnhart, Mike Braunscheidel, Barrett Salisbury, & Erin Tainer, (RE Lee) “Flood and flow energy in the Goshen Pass knickpoints: Validation of the stream power approach to landform modeling” see GSA abstract
  • 2005-2006
    • Theses
      • Amy Bacastow, 06, Honors Thesis, Implied aquifer depth from impact craters in the Martian north polar region
      • Brendan Smith, 06, Impact of technology development on environmental assessment of oil and gas activity
    • Independent Study
  • 2004-2005
    • On leave in India during academic year, 2004-05
      Summer 2004 Research Supervision & Support
      • Drew Heath, Eric Bokinsky, Erin Falzareno, Knickpoint hydrology and morphology, Rockbridge Baths, VA
  • 2003-2004
    • Theses (including summer research)
      • Jackson Rogers (’04) Tentative title: The Comparative Steepness of Goshen Pass: A Case for Knickpoint Retreat
    • Independent Study
      • Lisa Miller (’06) , winter term
  • 2002-2003
    • Summer 2003 Research Supervision & Support
      • Drew Heath (’05) Digital Topographic Analysis of Rivers in the Upper James Basin (RE Lee)
      • Amy Bacastow (’06) and Jackson Rogers (’04) Morphology of Water Gaps in Western VA (Geol Dept Funds) led to 2 GSA abstracts (Seattle SE)
    • Theses (including summer research)
      • Jeremy Laucks (’03) Evidence for Multiple Stage Development of Granitic Steps (Keck Research Project)
      • Wes Harden (’03) Climatic Factors Affecting Carbonate Weathering at the Soil-Bedrock Interface
      • Stacey Kimmel (’03) Size Discrepancies of Water Gaps in Silurian Rocks of the Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province
  • 2001-2002
    • Theses (including summer research)
      • Allen Taylor Graham (’02) Lead contamination of the Soils of the Woods Creek Watershed
      • Jesse Kimball (’02) Channel Restoration; Woods Creek
  • 2000-2001
    • Summer 2001 Research Supervision and Support
      • Jesse Kimball (’02) Stormwater characterization in the Maury River watershed (RE Lee for MRA)
      • Jeremy Laucks (’03) & Krista Collier (’03), Terrace and erosion history of the James River Gap through Lynchburg VA (PRF funded research assistant) led to GSA abstract
    • Independent Study
      • Jesse Kimball (’02) Woods Creek Channel assessment by Rosgen Method, Spring
      • Taylor Graham (’02) Soil textural analysis; ancient BV fan/pediment soil
    • Theses (including summer research)
    • Christine Metzger (’01, Keck, Honors) Pedological and geochemical characteristics of a buried forest soil formed before the Little Ice Age the the Herbert Glacier, Alaska
    • Geoffrey Marshall (’01) Web-GIS serving of water-quality data
    • Chris Wilson (’01) Water Quality Impacts of Storm Runoff: Analysis of Three Rainfall Events in the Woods Creek Watershed
  • 1999-2000
    • Summer 2000 Research Supervision & Support
    • Theses (including summer research)
      • Jocelyn Smith (’00) Floodplain dynamics of the James River on the Piedmont of Virginia
      • Mike McGlue (’00) GIS Analysis of the Maury River Watershed: Modeling Land Use Change and Fluvial Response using BASINS and the Nonpoint Source Model
  • 1998-1999 (on “leave”)
    • Research Supervision (summer 1999)
      • Christine Metzger, (Keck Summer Research)Herbert Valley alley glaciation, Alaska.
    • Independent Study
      • Christine Metzger (spring) preparation for Virginia Academy of Science presentation, Title: Quantifying erosion by dissolution in the Great Valley
    • Theses
      • Erin Kraal, Sr Thesis (Keck, Honors): Bedrock incision and knickpoint processes in streams along an uplifting coast, southern Peninsula de Nicoya, Costa Rica
      • Greg Bank, Sr Thesis (Honors): Headward expansion of the James River basin by capture of the St Marys River led to publication & abstract
    • Research Supervision (summer 1999)
      • Whit Morriss, (Keck): Glacial History of the upper North Powder River, Oregon
    • Research Support/Supervision (summer 1998)
      • Christine Metzger, PRF-supported research assistant, James River Incision in the Piedmont
      • Jocelyn Smith, PRF-supported research assistant, James River Incision in the Piedmont
      • Bentley Knight, R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, Distribution and Character of James River Terrace Sediment in the Piedmont of Virginia
  • 1997-1998
    • Summer 1998
      • Andy Thompson Characterization of Bathers Cave Sediments
    • Independent Study
      • Jenifer Justema (winter) History of science reporting on El Nino
      • John Benazzi (winter) Floodplain history for the Maury River near Lexington led to abstract
      • David Ledlie (winter) Channel history of the South River led to abstract
      • Greg Bank (winter) Chemical weathering and quartz etching in terraces of the Maury River led to abstract
    • Research Support/Supervision
      • Christine Metzger, R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, Insoluble residue of carbonate rocks in the James River Valley
      • Whit Morriss, R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, Digital Drainage Analysis and Modeling led to publication & abstract
      • Greg Bank,  R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, Headward expansion of the James River basin by capture of the St Marys River led to publication & abstract
  • 1996-97
    • Theses
      • Heather Schweninger, Senior Thesis (Keck, Honors): Geophysical determination of fault locations across pediments of western Bull Mountain, Jefferson Valley, Montana
    • Independent Study
    • Ashley Amini (Winter) Remote sensing extrapolation of land cover patterns in the Wyoming Range, WY
    • Brian Kuck (Winter) GIS analysis of alluvial fan height for terraces along the Maury near Buena Vista, VA.
  • Research Support/Supervision (summer 1997)
    • Supervised 9 students as part of Keck Geology Consortium in Virginia, Harbor, PI “Landscape Evolution in the Valley and Ridge of Virginia” led to publications & abstracts
  • 1995-96
    • Theses
      • David Mitchell, Sr Thesis (Carleton College), Discriminating different age moraines in Box Canyon Creek, Wyoming Range, Wyoming
      • Nova Clarke, Sr Thesis, Water Quality and land use, upper Maury River Basin
      • Scott Pease, Sr Thesis, Determination of Quaternary uplift rates from emergent marine wave-cut platforms around Pt. Delgada, California
    • Independent Study
      • Brain Kuck (fall) Distribution of Shottower soils on terraces of the Maury, James and South Rivers, Rockbridge County, Virginia
  • 1994-95
    • Theses
      • Quinn Kiley, Sr Thesis, Honors, Quaternary history of Sunlight Creek near White Mountain, Park County, Wyoming
      • Joeseph Framptom, Sr Thesis, Quaternary mass movements in Allegheny, Rockbridge and Botetourt Counties, Virginia
    • Independent Study
      • Marc Newman (Fall) Wetlands (field and library research)
      • John Cherry (Spring) Analysis of nitrate contamination of public water supply wells in Rockbridge Co., Virginia
    • Research Support/Supervision (summer 1995)
    • David Mitchell ,Field Research Assistant (Carleton College), Erosion of extensional mountain belts
    • Mac Lacy, Field Research Assistant, Erosion of extensional mountain belts
  • 1993-94
    • Independent Study
    • Quinn Kiley (Fall) Geomorphology of the James Face (USFS Project) led to abstract
    • Ryland M Willis (Winter) Archeology, Hematite, VA
    • Benjamin Plummer (Spring) Surficial Geology of the Piney River area (USFS Project)
    • Joeseph Framptom (spring) Geology of Peters Mountain, Virginia (USFS Project) incorporated in publication
    • Jon Coffman (spring) Digital Rockbridge area outdoor information
  • Research Support/Supervision (summer 1994, NSF sponsored summer research assistants)
    • Heather Schweninger, Summer Field Research Assistant, Erosion of extensional mountains
    • Quinn Kiley, Summer Field Research Assistant, Erosion of extensional mountains
    • Joeseph Framptom, Summer Field Research, Assistant Erosion of extensional mountains
  • 1992-93
    • Theses
      • Martha Cary Eppes, Sr Thesis (Keck), Late Quaternary glacial history of the Middle Roaring Creek Valley, Colorado (supervised thesis and visited field area).
    • Research Support/Supervision (summer 1993)
      • Quinn Kiley, R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, “Geomorphology and surficial deposits of the James River Face Wilderness” led to abstract
      • James Gilreath, R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, “James River terraces between Eagle Rock and Springwood”
      • Katharine Adams, R.E. Lee Summer Research Scholar, “The longitudinal profile of the James River from Salisbury to Springwood, VA”
      • Colleen Dunlevy, Summer Research Assistant, USFS Project “Geomorphology and surficial deposits of the James River Face Wilderness” incorporated in publication
      • Rebecca Parkins, Summer Research Assistant, Glenn Grant Funding “Textural and mineralogical analysis of James River terrace soils” led to abstract