Paul Durkin

GEOL 2530 - Introduction to Sedimentary Petrology and Stratigraphy
GEOL 4520 - Petroleum Geology
GEOL 4270 - Advanced Studies in Earth Sciences: Geology of the Rocky Mountains
GEOL 7200 - Earth Systems of Central Canada (team-taught)
GEOL 7700 - Advanced Clastic Sedimentology 
GEOL 7760 - Seminars in Geological Sciences

I am the lead investigator for the Rivers to Rocks research group that tackles projects spanning from: (i) the “badlands” of Dinosaur Provincial Park, where they study the evolution of Late Cretaceous rivers and environmental context of dinosaur discoveries; to (ii) the sedimentological impact of extreme flooding on the Assiniboine River in southwestern Manitoba; and (iii) paleoenvironmental reconstructions of hominin habitats in rift-basin sediments of the archeologically significant Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. 

Our research integrates a classic field-based approach with innovative technology and analytical methods, including the use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). We aim to extract vital information from the sedimentary record to resolve the temporal and spatial context of significant discoveries and time periods in Earth's history.  

Mercader, J., Akuku, P., Boivin, N., Bugumba, R., Bushozi, P., Camacho, A., Carter, T., Clarke, S., Cueva-Temprana, A., Durkin, P., Favreau, J., Fella, K., Haberle, S., Hubbard, S.M., Inwood, J., Itambu, M., Koromo, S., Lee, P., Mohammed, A., Mwambwiga, A., Olesilau, L., Patalano, R., Roberts, P., Rule, S., Saladie, P., Siljedal, G., Soto, M., Umbsaar, J. and Petraglia, M., 2021. Earliest Olduvai hominins exploited unstable environments ~2 million years ago. Nature Communications, v. 12.

Durkin, P.R., Hubbard, S.M., Holbrook, J., Weleschuck, Z., Nesbit, P., Hugenholtz, C., Lyons, T. and Smith, D.G., 2020. Recognizing the product of concave-bank sedimentary processes in fluvial meander belts. Sedimentology, 67, p. 2819-2849

Sylvester, Z., Durkin, P.R., and Covault, J.A., 2019. High curvatures drive river meandering. Geology, v, 47, p, 263-266

Durkin, P.R. Hubbard, S.M., Holbrook, J., and Boyd, R.L., 2018. Evolution of fluvial meander-belt deposits with implications for the completeness of the stratigraphic record. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 130, p. 721-739. 

Durkin, P.R., Boyd, R.L., Hubbard, S.M., Shultz, A.W., Blum, M.D., 2017. Three-dimensional reconstruction of meander-belt evolution, Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Alberta Foreland Basin, Canada. Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 87, p. 1075-1099