Lindsay McHenry

Department Chair, Geosciences
Professor, Geosciences

Education

PhD, Rutgers University
MS, Dartmouth College
BS, Dartmouth College

Teaching Interests

Mineralogy

Research Interests

Professor McHenry uses the composition of volcanic ash to correlate between archaeological sites in East Africa. Individual volcanic eruptions produce and deposit volcanic ash layers of distinct compositions that can often be uniquely identified over broad areas. Where these ashes are preserved between stratigraphic layers of archaeological interest, we can create stratigraphic frameworks for important evolutionary and cultural changes throughout a region.

She is also interested in Mars geology, and finding terrestrial analogues for the minerals, sediments, and geochemistry of the Martian surface. Much of the Martian surface, as documented by the MER Spirit and Opportunity rovers and recent and current orbiters, likely consists of altered volcanic material. These deposits are also enriched in sulfate minerals, likely the products of dirty evaporites during a wetter episode of Mars' past or possibly sulfur-rich volcanic fumaroles. She is interested in studying places on Earth where sulfate minerals are formed during the alteration of volcanic materials, under both volcanic and aqueous conditions.

Selected Publications

McHenry, Lindsay J., Njau, Jackson K., de la Torre, Ignacio, and Pante, Michael C. “Geochemical “fingerprints” for Olduvai Gorge Bed II tuffs and implications for the Oldowan–Acheulean transition” Quaternary Research 85.1 (2016): 147–158.

Novek, Jonah M., Dornbos, Stephen Q., and McHenry, Lindsay J. “Palaeoredox geochemistry and bioturbation levels of the exceptionally preserved early Cambrian Indian Springs biota” Lethaia 49. (2016): 604–616.

Kloss, Tristan J., Dornbos, Stephen Q., Chen, Junyuan, McHenry, Lindsay J., and Marenco, Pedro J. “High-resolution geochemical evidence for oxic bottom waters in three Cambrian Burgess Shale-type deposits” Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 440. (2015): 90-95.

McHenry, Lindsay J., Stollhofen, Harald, and Stanistreet, Ian G. “Use of single-grain geochemistry of cryptic tuffs and volcaniclastic sandstones improves the tephrostratigraphic framework of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania” Quaternary Research 80.2 (2013): 235-249.

de la Torre, Ignacio, McHenry, Lindsay J., Njau, Jackson, and Pante, Michael. “The origins of the Acheulean at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania): A new paleoanthropological project in East Africa” Archaeology International 15. (2012): 89-98.

McHenry, Lindsay J. “A revised stratigraphic framework for Olduvai Gorge Bed I based on tuff geochemistry” Journal of Human Evolution 63.2 (2012): 284-299.

McHenry, Lindsay J., Chevrier, Vincent, and Schröder, Christian. “Jarosite in a Pleistocene East African saline ‐ alkaline paleolacustrine deposit: Implications for Mars aqueous geochemistry” Journal of Geophysical Research 116. (2011): E04002.

McHenry, Lindsay J., Chevrier, Vincent, and Schröder, Christian. “Occurrence of jarosite in a saline-alkaline paleo-lake deposit: implications for Mars aqueous geochemistry” Journal of Geophysical Research, Journal of Geophysical Research 116. (2011): 15.

Blumenschine, R. J., Peters, C. R., Masao, F. T., Clarke, R. J., Deino, A. L., Hay, R. L., Swisher, C. C., Stanistreet, I. G., Ashley, G. M., McHenry, Lindsay J., Sikes, Mancy E., van der Merwe10, Nikolaas J., Tactikos, Joanne C., Cushing, Amy E., Deocampo, Daniel M., Njau, Jackson K., and Ebert, James I. “Late Pliocene Homo and hominid land use from western Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania” Science 299.5610 (2003): 1217-1221.