Geophysics Research Group

People

Dr. Irina Filina

Current Students

Ethan Stowell

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Start date:  January 2024

Project Title:  Geophysical Study of Kolbeinsey Ridge

Great to have you with us, Ethan!

Zachary Clowdus

Master Student, UNL Geophysics team

Start date:  August 2023

Project Title:  Geophysical Study of  Iceland 

Welcome to our team, Zach!

Katie Steinauer

Master Student, UNL Geophysics team

Start date:  August 2023

Project Title: Near-surface Geophysics for Hydrogeology in Nebraska

Awards: Daugherty Water For Food Global Institute Student support (Fall2023-Spring 2024)

Great to have you with us, Katie!

Hermione Lofton

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Contact: hlofton3@huskers.unl.edu

Start date:  May 2023

Project Title: Tectonic History of Northern Atlantic

Results presented: UNL Summer Research Symposium (2023), AGU2023

Welcome to Geophysics, Hermione!

Morgan Madsen

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Contact: mmadsen11@huskers.unl.edu

Start date: January 2022

Expected Graduation Date: Summer 2024, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Project: mapping geological structures of the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Results presented:  Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2022, 2023), UNL Spring Research Fair (2022, 2023),  AGU2023

Awards: UCARE stipends (Summer 2022, Fall2022-Spring 2023, Fall 2023-Spring 2024)

Great job, Morgan!

Geophysics Research Team Graduates

Jonathan Wear

Master Student, UNL Geophysics team

Contact: jwear2@huskers.unl.edu

Time in the team:  August 2022- December 2023.

Project Title: Crustal Architecture and Affiliation of the Voring Marginal High

Fieldwork: Seismic cruise in the Norwegian Sea, July 2022, with the Universities of Oslo and Tromso.

Results presented: Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2023), UNL Summer Research Symposium (2023), American Geophysical Union2023

We wish you all the best, Jonathan!

Allison Conzemius

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Contact: aconzemius2@huskers.unl.edu

Time in the team:  May- September 2023

Project Title:  Mapping the Track of the Yellowstone Hotspot through Integrated Geophysical Analysis

Awards: UCARE stipend (Summer 2023, Fall2023-Spring 2024)

Results presented: UNL Summer Research Symposium (2023)

We miss you, Allison!

Ariful Islam

Md Ariful Islam

Master Student, UNL Geophysics team

Contact: aislam3@huskers.unl.edu

Graduation date: August 2023

Master Thesis: Crustal Structures of Diebold Knoll and Adjacent Juan De Fuca Oceanic Crust from Integration of Seismic, Gravity and Magnetic Data

Results presented: Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2022, 2023), UNL research Fair (2022 and 2023), AGU-SEG workshop on active continental margins (July 2022), AGU(2022), abstract submitted for AGU2023

Fieldwork: Seismic CHINOOK cruise in southern Cascadia (August 2022) led by New Mexico Tech and Oregon State University.

Publications:

  • Norvell, B., Kyritz, T., Spinelli, G.A., Harris, R.N., Dickerson, K., Tréhu, A.M., Carbotte, S., Han, S., Boston, B., Lee, M. and CHINOoK Project Science Party, 2023. Thermally significant fluid seepage through thick sediment on the Juan de Fuca plate entering the Cascadia subduction zone. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 24(8), p.e2023GC010868.
  • Paper on Tectonic Origin and Evolution of the Diebold Seamount is in preparation

Awards:

  • Outstanding Graduate Student Award 2021-2022 from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Best student talk at the Nebraska Academy of Sciences annual meeting (2023)

What is next? Ph.D. program, University of Indiana

Best of luck, Ariful!

Kris Guthrie

Kris Guthrie

Contact: kristen.guthrie@huskers.unl.edu

Web: https://krisguthrie.com/

Graduation date: May 2018, Bachelor of Science (Geology); Spring 2022, Master of Science (Geology)

Senior Thesis: Analysis of Subsurface Faults in Nebraska from Earthquakes and Potential Fields

Master Thesis: Toward the Understanding of the 2018 Arnold, NE Earthquake Cluster: Relocation of Hypocenters and Establishment of New Gravity Base Stations

Results presented: Geological Society of America (2017, 2018), American Association of Petroleum Geologists (2018, 2020), UNL Research Fair (2018, 2021 and 2022), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2018, 2020-2022), American Geophysical Union (2020 and 2021)

Awards:

  • The talk entitled "Earthquake database for Nebraska as a constraint for Midcontinent Rift related faults" was selected as a Runner Up in the Undergraduate Student Oral Presentations at the 2018 North-Central Section meeting of the Geological Society of America in Ames, Iowa April 17, 2018.
  • The Yatkola-Edwards Research Stipend from the Nebraska Geological Society (2020) to collect potential fields in central Nebraska,
  • The Research Grant from the Geological Society of America (2020) to establish a gravity base station in Lincoln, NE

Newspaper Articles: Spate of Nebraska earthquakes, Gravity base stations

Publications:

  • Filina, I., K. Guthrie, M. Searls and C. M. Burberry, 2018, Seismicity in Nebraska and adjacent states: The historical perspective and current trends, The Mountain Geologist, v. 55, no. 4, pp. 217-229

  • Guthrie, K., I. Filina, 2023, Two new absolute gravity base stations established in Lincoln, NE, Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, v. 43, pp. 5–12, https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/542

What is next? Geologist, NE Department of Environment and Energy

So proud of you, Kris! Congratulations!


Senior Thesis Title: Analysis of Subsurface Faults in Nebraska from Earthquakes and Potential Fields

Asif Ashraf

Asif Ashraf

Contact: asif@huskers.unl.edu

Graduation date: Summer 2021, Master of Science (Geology)

Master Thesis: Geological structures and crustal architecture of the Cascadia subduction zone from the integration of multiple geophysical datasets

Results presented: Nebraska Academy of Sciences in 2020 and 2021, GSA 2020 and 2021, AGU 2020,2021 and 2022, UNL Research Fair 2021

Awards:

  • AGU2020 Student travel grant
  • Best student talk at the Nebraska Academy of Sciences annual meeting (2021)
  • Outstanding Graduate Student Award 2020-2021 from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

  • Asif's research was featured during the 2021 UNL Research Days

Publications:

  • Ashraf, A.,  I. Filina, 2023, Zones of weakness within the Juan de Fuca plate mapped from the integration of multiple geophysical data and their relation to observed seismicity, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023GC010943
  • Ashraf, A.,  I. Filina, 2023,  New 2.75-D gravity modeling reveals the low-density nature of propagator wakes in the Juan de Fuca plate, Tectonophysicshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2023.230127 

What is next? Ph.D. program, University of Oregon

Way to go, Asif! Best of luck to you! 

Alexa Fernandez Bravo Alexa Fernandez Bravo

Contact: alexa.fernandez@huskers.unl.edu

Graduation Date: Summer 2021, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Awards: UCARE stipend (Summer 2020, Fall2020-Spring 2021)

Project Title: Geophysical Mapping of the Bathymetrists Seamounts in the Atlantic Ocean

Results Presented: Nebraska Academy of Sciences in 2020 and 2021, AGU 20220,

UCARE Summer 2020, UNL Research Fair 2021

UCARE thesis: Integrated geophysical analysis over Bathymetrists seamounts and Sierra Leone Rise

Current Role: MS program, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, UNL

All the best to you, Alexa!

Sulaiman Al Badi

Contact: salbadi2@huskers.unl.edu

Graduation Date: Summer 2021, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Awards: Research Assistantship (Spring 2021)

Project Title: Drone-based magnetic surveying over the Nort Bounding Fault in eastern Nebraska

Results Presented: NAS2021

Senior Thesis: Drone-Based Magnetic Surveying in Eastern Nebraska

Publications:

  • AlBadi, S., E. Jacobson, I. Filina, 2023, Locating an old well in eastern Nebraska with a low-cost drone-based magnetic surveying system, The Leading Edge, manuscript TLE-2023-0059, https://doi.org/10.1190/tle42120805.1  PDF

What is next? 

  • Well site geologist for Columbine Corporation, Texas (2021-2022)
  • MS program at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman (2023)
  • Production Geologist for Petroleum Development Oman (since 2024)

Congratulations, Sulaiman! We are extremely proud of you!

Khawlh Al Farsi

Khawlh Al Farsi

Contact: kalfarsi2@huskers.unl.edu  

Graduation Date: Summer 2021, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Awards: Undergraduate Research Assistantship (Fall2020-Spring 2021)

Project Title: Geophysical studies over Cascadia subduction zone

Results Presented: UNL Research Fair 2021, NAS2021

Senior Thesis: Developing a Database of Seismic Data Over the Cascadia Subduction Zone

What is next?

  • OQ Internship, Muscat, Oman (2021-2022)
  • Master's degree scholarship in Exploration Geophysics awarded by the Petroleum Development of Oman (University of Aberdeen, UK, since 2023)

Congratulations, Khawlha! We wish you all the best!

Courtney Robb

Courtney Robb

Undergraduate Researcher

Contact: crobb222@cox.net

Expected Graduation Date: Summer 2021, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Awards: UCARE stipend (Fall2020-Spring 2021); withdrew from the program

Project Title: Testing the UNL own seismometer (HUSKERS)

We wish you all the best, Courtney!

Evan Parsons

Evan Parsons

Contact: evan.parsons@yahoo.com

Graduation Date: Summer 2020, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Project Title: Building UNL's own seismometer (HUSKERS)

Project Description: Evan built a vertical seismometer based on the SM-24 geophone with the Arduino-UNO digitizing system.

Results Presented: UNL Research Fair (2019), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2019)

Newspaper Article: Football-Induced Seismicity

What is next? Geophysicist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, NE

Congratulations, Evan! We are so proud of you!

Erik Jacobson

Erik Jacobson

Contact: ekjac@yahoo.com

Graduation Date: Spring 2020, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Awards: UCARE stipend (2019-2020)

Project Title: Developing and testing the drone-based magnetic field measurement system

Senior Thesis: Developing a Low-Cost Aeromagnetic Surveying System

Results Presented: UNL Research Fair (2019, 2020), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2019, 2020), Summit on Drone Geophysics (presented by Dr. Filina, November 2020).

Publications:

  • AlBadi, S., E. Jacobson, I. Filina, 2023, Locating an old well in eastern Nebraska with a low-cost drone-based magnetic surveying system, The Leading Edge, manuscript TLE-2023-0059, https://doi.org/10.1190/tle42120805.1

What is next? Environmental Specialist II, Monitoring and Remediation Division, Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment

Congratulations, Erik! Best of luck!

Hannah Botten

Hannah Botten

Contact: hannah.botten@huskers.unl.edu

Graduation Date: August 2019, Bachelor of Science (Geology, Math)

Project Title: Studying the 2018 earthquake swarm in central Nebraska

Results Presented: UNL Research Fair (2019), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2019)

Teaching: Learning Assistant for Intro to Geophysics Course (Fall 2018)

What is next? We have lost connection with Hannah. If you know her new contact info, please share it with us. We miss you, Hannah!

Patrick Szopinski

Patrick Szopinski

Contact: patrick.szop@gmail.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-szopinski/

Graduation Date: May 2019, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Project Title: Geophysical analysis of the Midcontinent Rift's subsurface structures in southeastern Nebraska (Honors Undergraduate Thesis)

Citation: Szopinski, P. 2019. Geophysical Analysis of the Midcontinent Rift's Subsurface Structure in Southeastern Nebraska. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Results Presented: UNL Research Fair (2017, 2019), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2019)

Teaching: Learning Assistant for Intro to Geophysics Course (Fall 2017)

What is next?

  • Laboratory Manager, SCI Engineering Inc., St. Louis, MO.
  • Graduate school at Missouri S&T is planned to start in 2024.

We are proud of you, Patrick!

Claire Richardson

Claire Richardson

Contact: clairerichardson2014@gmail.com

Graduation Date: December 2018, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Project Title: Geologic history of New Caledonia Trough from potential fields modeling and tectonic restoration (Honors Undergraduate Thesis)

Citation: Richardson, C. 2018 Integrated Geophysical Analysis of the New Caledonia Trough with Implications for the Geologic History and Continental Status of Zealandia. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Project Description: developing an integrated geophysical model of the New Caledonia Trough in Zealandia, using gravity and magnetics potential field data as well as reflection and refraction seismic.

Results Presented: American Geophysical Union (2018), UNL Research Fair (2018), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2018)

Internship: IRIS internship at the Australian National University, Summer 2017; travel-time tomography as a tool to image the deep earth.

What is next? Graduate student, Arizona State University. Congratulations, Claire!

Lucas Hartford

Lucas Hartford

Graduation Date: August 2018, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Contact: loupriv@live.com

Current Role: Geophysicist at Terracon Consulting

So proud of you, Lucas!

Project Title: Subsurface structure in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico from integrated geophysical analysis

Project Description: This project is focused on the subsurface structures of the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico with special emphasis on the pre-salt sedimentary section. Several integrated geophysical models were developed in the study area, allowing mapping of the major tectonic structures, evaluating the thickness and delineating the extent of the pre-salt section, and deriving the thickness of individual crustal units.

Results Presented: American Association of Petroleum Geologists (2018), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2017, 2018), UNL Research Fair (2017, 2018)

Publication:

  • Filina, I., L. Hartford, 2021, Subsurface structures along the western Yucatan from integrated geophysical analysis, Journal of Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 127, paper 104964, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2021.104964

Mei Liu

Mei Liu

Graduation Date: August 2018, Master of Science (Geology)

Contact: mliu24@huskers.unl.edu

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mei_Liu40

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mei-liu-01a167112/

Current Role: Ph.D. earned from the University of Houston Congratulations, Mei!

MS Thesis Title:  Integrated geophysical analysis of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Results Presented: American Geophysical Union (2017, 2018), Geological Society of America (2017), American Association of Petroleum Geologists (2018), UNL Research Fair (2017, 2018), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2017, 2018)

Publications:

  • Filina, I., M. Liu, 2020, E. Beutel, Evidence of ridge propagation in the eastern Gulf of Mexico from integrated analysis of potential fields and seismic data, Tectonophysics, v. 775, article 228307, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2019.228307

  • Liu, M., I. Filina, and P. Mann, 2019, Crustal structure of Mesozoic rifting in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico from the integration of seismic and potential fields data, Interpretation, v. 7, no. 4, pp. T857–T867, doi:10.1190/INT-2018-0259.1

Awards: from Nebraska Geological Society for her talk "Integrated Geophysical Studies in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico" at the Nebraska Academy of Sciences annual meeting (April 21, 2017).

Evan Quartoroli

Evan Quartoroli

Graduation Date: May 2017, Bachelor of Science (Geology)

Contact: linkedin.com/in/evan-quartoroli-a4642b120

Current Role: Geologist, RDG geoscience and engineering, Omaha, NE

Project Title: Geophysical data analysis of the Midcontinent Rift, Nebraska

Results Presented: UNL Research Fair (2017), Nebraska Academy of Sciences (2017)