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John Isbell

  • Distinguished Professor, Geosciences

Education

  • PhD, The Ohio State University
  • MS, Northern Illinois University
  • BA, Augustana College
  • PostDoc, Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University

Teaching Schedule

Course Num Title Meets
GEO SCI 511-401 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation MW 1pm-2:15pm
GEO SCI 511-801 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation M 5:30pm-8:10pm
GEO SCI 511-802 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation W 2:30pm-5:10pm
GEO SCI 511G-401 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation MW 1pm-2:15pm
GEO SCI 511G-801 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation M 5:30pm-8:10pm
GEO SCI 511G-802 Stratigraphy and Sedimentation W 2:30pm-5:10pm

Teaching Interests

  • Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
  • Physical Sedimentology
  • Historical Geology
  • Petrology of Clastic Sedimentary Rocks, Conducted Field Trips in Sedimentary Geology
  • Sequence Stratigraphy

Research Interests

Dr. Isbell is a clastic sedimentologist and sequence stratigrapher who works with glacial, glaciomarine, fluvial, deltaic, shallow marine and glacially influenced deep marine sediment and sedimentary rocks deposited in foreland, rift, piggyback, and cratonic basins. He currently works on rock exposures in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, the Falkland Islands, the Russian Far East (Siberia), the western United States, the Appalachian Mountains, and in Wisconsin. His work focuses on understanding environmental changes that occurred during critical intervals in Earth History. These include (1) the late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA), (2) the ensuing Permian-Triassic greenhouse (359 to 199 million years ago) and (3) the transition from the Cretaceous to the Tertiary prior to and following the end-Cretaceous extinction event (145 to 55 million years ago).

Related Activities

  • Associate Editor, PALAIOS Delegate, The Gondwana Subcommission Chief Scientist, 2003-04
  • Beardmore Remote Research Camp, Antarctica Participant and Field Leader of 14 Research expeditions to Antarctica

Selected Publications

Davydov, V. I., Biakov, A. V., Isbell, John L., Crowley, J., Schmitz, M. D., and Verdernikov, I.. “The U/Pb age constraints on the long standing Permian “glacial” deposits of- the gold-bearing Atkan formation in the , Ayan-Yuryakh anticlinorium, Magadan province, NE Russia” Gondwana Research ().
Fedorchuk, N. D., Isbell, John L., Griffis, N. P., Montanez, I. P., Vesely, F. F., Iannuzzi, R., Mundil, R., Yin, Q. Z., Pauls, K. N., and da Rosa, E. L. “Origin of paleovalleys on the Rio Grande do Sul Shield (Brazil): implications for the extent of late Paleozoic glaciation in west-central Gondwana” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (2018).
Vesely, Fernando F., Rodrigues, M. C., da Rosa, E. L., Amato, J. A., Trzaskos, B., Isbell, John L., and Fedorchuk, N. D. “Recurrent emplacement of non-glacial diamictite during the late Paleozoic ice age” Geology (2018).
Moxness, L. D., Isbell, John L., Pauls, K. N., Limarino, C. O., and Schencman, J.. “Sedimentology of the Mid-Carboniferous fill of the Olta Paleovalley, eastern Paganzo Basin, Argentina: Implications for glaciation and controls on diachronous deglaciation in western Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age” Journal of South American Earth Sciences 84. (2018): 127-148.
Collette, J., Isbell, John L., and Miller, M. F. “A unique winged Euthycacinoid from the Permian of Antarctica” Journal of Paleontology 91. (2017): 1-7.
Elliot, D. H., Fanning, C. M., Isbell, John L., and Hulett, S. R. “The Permo-Triassic Gondwana sequence, central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica: zircon geochronology, provenance, and basin evolution” GeoSphere 13.1 (2017): 155-178.
Miller, M. F., Knepprath, N. E., Cantrill, D. J., Francis, J. E., and Isbell, John L. “Highly productive polar forests from the Permian of Antarctica” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 441. (2016): 292-304.
Davydov, V. I., Biakov, A. V., Isbell, John L., Crowley, J., and Verdernikov, I. L. “Middle Permian U-Pb zircon ages of the “glacial” deposits of the Atkan Formation, Ayan-Yuryakh anticlinorium, Magadan province, NE Russia: Their significance for global climatic interpretations” Gondwana Research 38. (2016): 74-85.
Isbell, John L., Biakov, A. V., Verdernikov, I., Davydov, V. I., Gulbranson, E. L., and Fedorchuk, N. D. “Permian diamictites in Northeastern Asia: their significance concerning the bipolarity of the late Paleozoic ice age” Earth Science Reviews 154. (2016): 279-300.
Fedorchuk, Nicholas D., Dornbos, Stephen Q., Corsetti, Frank A., Isbell, John L., Petryshyn, Victoria A., Bowles, Julie, and Wilmeth, Dylan T. “Early non-marine life: Evaluating the biogenicity of Mesoproterozoic fluvial-lacustrine stromatolites” Precambrian Research 275. (2016): 105-118.
Chen, Zhong-Qi. “Deep time climatic and environmental extremes and ecosystem response: An introduction” Gondwana Research 25. Ed. Joachimski, Michael, Montañez, Isabel, and Isbell, John L. (2014): 1289-1293.
Bomfleur, Nenjamin, Klymiuk, Ashley A., Taylor, Edith L., Taylor, Thomas N., Gulbranson, Erik L., and Isbell, John L. “Diverse bryophyte mesofossils from the Triassic of Antarctica” Lethia 47.1 (2014): 120-130.
Gulbranson, Erik L., Ryberg, Patricia E., Decombeix, Anne-Laure, Taylor, Edith L., Taylor, Thomas N., and Isbell, John L. “Leaf habit of Late Permian Glossopteris trees from high-palaeolatitude forests” Journal of the Geological Society, London Online first. (2014).
Dineen, Ashley, Fraiser, Margaret L., and Isbell, John L. “Palaeoecology and Sedimentology of Carboniferous Glacial and Postglacial Successions in the Paganzo and Rio Blanco Basins of Northwestern Argentina” Geological Society (London) for a Special Publication 376. (2014).
Wilmeth, Dylan T., Dornbos, Stephen Q., Isbell, John L., and Czaja, Andrew D. “Putative domal microbial structures in fluvial siliciclastic facies of the Mesoproterozoic (1.09 Ga) Copper Harbor Conglomerate, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA” Geobiology 12.1 (2014): 99-108.
Henry, Lindsey C., Isbell, John L., and Limarino, Carlos O. “The late Paleozoic El Imperial Formation, western Argentina: glacial to post-glacial transition and stratigraphic correlation with arc-related basins” Gondwana Research 25.4 (2014): 1380-1395.
Limarino, Carlos O., Cesari, Silvia N., Spalletti, Luis A., Taboada, Arturo C., Isbell, John L., Geuna, S., and Gulbranson, Erik L. “A paleoclimatic review of southern South America during the late Paleozoic: a record from icehouse to extreme greenhouse conditions” Gondwana Research 25.4 (2014): 1396-1421.
Gulbranson, Erik L., Isbell, John L., Montanez, Isabel P., Limarino, Carlos O., Marenssi, Sergio A., Meyer, Kyle, and Hull, Clara. “Reassessment of mid-Carboniferous glacial extent in southwestern Gondwana (Rio Blanco Basin” Gondwana Research 25.4 (2014): 1369-1379.
Dineen, Ashley, Fraiser, Margaret L., and Isbell, John L. “Palaeoecology and Sedimentology of Carboniferous Glacial and Postglacial Successions in the Paganzo and Rio Blanco Basins of Northwestern Argentina” Geological Society (London) for a Special Publication, Geological Society Special Publications 376. (2013): 109-140.
Isbell, John L., Henry, Lindsey, Reid, Catherine, and Fraiser, Margaret L. “Sedimentology and palaeoecology of lonestone-bearing mixed clastic rocks and cold-water carbonates of the Lower Permian Basal Beds at Fossil Cliffs, Maria Island, Tasmania (Australia): Insight into the initial decline of the late Palaeozoic ice age” Geological Society (London) Special Publication, Geological Society 376. (2013): 307-341.

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