Dr. Phil J. A. McCausland

Meteoritics, Tectonics, Paleomagnetism

Assistant Professor & Curator, Meteorites
Ph.D. Western University, 2002
Office: BGS 0187
Phone: 519-661-2111 x.88008
Fax: 519-661-3198
Email: pmccausl@uwo.ca

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

- Physical properties, paleomagnetism and mineralogy of planetary materials as it relates to the geological evolution of the Earth, terrestrial planets and small bodies of the Solar System.
- Physical properties and mineralogy of meteorites: mainly non-destructive investigation of meteorite density, porosity, magnetic properties, mineralogy and shock effects by various techniques including micro-XRD, laser imaging and X-Ray Micro CT imaging.
- Paleogeography of the Precambrian Earth: determining the Earth’s Precambrian-Paleozoic paleogeography via paleomagnetic and other techniques, as a context for understanding extreme climates, burgeoning life, and as a tracer of global geodynamics.
- Tectonics of accretionary orogens and mountain belts: paleomagnetic tracking of the collision, obduction and lateral motion of crustal fragments, to investigate the mechanisms of their assembly into mountain belts (Canadian Cordillera, Central Asia, Appalachians).
- Currently leading the investigation of the Grimsby meteorite fall, Sept 25, 2009.

Selected Publications

Jin, J., Harper, D.A.T., Cocks, L.R.M., McCausland, P.J.A., Rasmussen, C.M.Ø. and Sheehan, P.M. (accepted). Locating the Late Ordovician equator in Laurentia using palaeobiological and palaeomagnetic data. Geology

McCausland P.J.A., Flemming, R.L., Wilson, G.C., Renaud, J., Dillon, D. and Holdsworth, D.W. (in press). The Wood Lake, Ontario H4 ordinary chondrite, a new Canadian meteorite. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences

Bazhenov, M.L., Levashova, N.M., Degtyarev, K.E., Van der Voo, R., Abrajevitch, A.V. and McCausland, P.J.A. (in press). Unravelling the Early-Middle Paleozoic paleogeography of Kazakhstan on the basis of Ordovician and Devonian paleomagnetic results. Gondwana Research

Wilson. G.C. and McCausland, P.J.A. (in press). Canadian meteorites: a brief review. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences

Torsvik, T.H., Van der Voo, R., Preeden, U. and ten others. 2012. Phanerozoic Polar Wander, Paleogeography and Dynamics. Earth Science Reviews v. 114, pp 325-368.

Pisarevsky, S.A., McCausland, P.J.A., Hodych, J.P., O’Brien, S., Tait, J.A. and Murphy, J.B. 2012. Paleomagnetic study of the Late Neoproterozoic Bull Arm and Crown Hill Formations (Musgravetown Group) of eastern Newfoundland: implications for Avalonia and West Gondwana paleogeography. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences v. 49, 308-327.

Plint, A.G., Tyagi, A., McCausland, P.J.A., Krawetz, J.R., Zhang, H., Roca, X., Hu, G., Varban, B., Kreitner, M.A. and Hay, M.J. 2011. Dynamic relationship between subsidence, sedimentation, and unconformities in middle Cretaceous, shallow-marine strata of the Western Canada Foreland Basin and their possible tectonic causes, in: Recent Advances in Tectonics of Sedimentary Basins, C. Buxby and A. Azor, Eds. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.

Singleton, A.C., Osinski, G.R., McCausland, P.J.A., Moser, D. 2011. Shock induced changes in density and porosity in shock metamorphosed crystalline rocks, Haughton impact structure, Meteoritics and Planetary Science v. 46, pp 1774-1786, doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2011.01290.x

McCausland, P.J.A., Samson, C. and McLeod, T. 2011. Meteorite Small Fragment Bulk Density via Visible Light 3D Laser Imaging, Meteoritics and Planetary Science v. 46, pp 1097-1109, doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2011.01217.x

Izawa, M.R.M., Flemming, R.L., Banerjee, N.R. McCausland, P.J.A. 2011. Micro X-ray diffraction (μXRD) assessment of shock stage in enstatite chondrites, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, v. 46, pp 638-651, doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2011.01180.x

McCausland, P.J.A., Hankard, F., Van der Voo, R. and Hall, C.M. 2011. Ediacaran paleogeography of Laurentia: Paleomagnetism and ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar geochronology of the 583 Ma Baie des Moutons syenite, Quebec. Precambrian Research, v. 187, pp 58-78, doi: 10.1016/j.precamres. 2011.02.004.

Brown, P.G., McCausland, P.J.A., Fries, M., Silber, E., Edwards, W.N., Wong, D.K., Wiegert, P., Weryk, R.J., Fries, J. and Krzeminski, Z. 2011. The Fall of the Grimsby Meteorite - I: Fireball dynamics and orbit from radar, video and infrasound records. Meteoritics and Planetary Science v. 46, pp 339-363, doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2010.01167.

Izawa, M.R.M., Flemming, R.L., McCausland, P.J.A., Southam, G., Moser, D.E. and Barker, I.R. 2010. Multi-technique investigation reveals new mineral, chemical and textural heterogeneity in the Tagish Lake C2 chondrite. Planetary and Space Science, v. 58, pp 1347-1364.

van Drongelen, K., Tait, K., Clark, G. and McCausland, P.J.A. 2010. Petrographic and geochemical analysis of the Shelburne meteorite, an L5 ordinary chondrite fall. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, v. 104, pp 132-141.

McCausland, P.J.A. and Plotkin, H. 2009. The 1904 Shelburne (Ontario) L5 chondrite fall, revisited. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, v. 103, pp 181-188.

Beech, M., Coulson, I.M., Nie, W. and McCausland, P.J.A. 2009 The thermal and physical characteristics of the Gao Guenie (H5) Meteorite, Planetary & Space Science v. 57, pp 764-770.

Murphy, J.B., McCausland, P.J.A., O’Brien, S.J., Pisarevsky, S. and Hamilton, M.A. 2008. Age, geochemistry and Sm-Nd isotopic signature of the 0.76 Ga Burin Group: Compositional equivalent of Avalonian basement? Precambrian Research, v. 165, pp 37-48.

McCausland, P.J.A., Van der Voo, R., and Hall, C.M. 2007. Circum-Iapetus paleogeography of the Precambrian-Cambrian transition with a new paleomagnetic constraint from Laurentia. Precambrian Research, v. 156, pp 125-152.

Edwards, W.N., Eaton, D.W., McCausland, P.J.A., ReVelle, D.O. and Brown, P.G. 2007. Calibrating infrasonic to seismic coupling using the Stardust Sample Return Capsule shockwave: Implications for seismic observations of meteors. Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 112, doi:10.1029/2006JB004621.

Hildebrand, A.R., McCausland, P.J.A., Brown, P.A., Longstaffe, F.J., Russell, S.D.J., Tagliaferri, E., Wacker, J.F., and Mazur, M.J. 2006. The fall and recovery of the Tagish Lake meteorite. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, v. 41, pp 407-431.

McCausland, P.J.A., Symons, D.T.A., Hart, C.J.R., and Blackburn, W.H. 2006. Assembly of the northern Cordillera: New paleomagnetic evidence for coherent, moderate Jurassic to Eocene motion of the Intermontane Belt and Yukon-Tanana terranes. In Geological Association of Canada Special Paper 46: Paleogeography of the North American Cordillera: Evidence For and Against Large-Scale Displacements, pp 145-168.

Symons, D.T.A., and McCausland, P.J.A. 2006. Paleomagnetism of the Fort Knox stock, Alaska, and rotation of the Yukon-Tanana terrane after 92.5 Ma. Tectonophysics. v. 419, pp 13-26.

McCausland, P.J.A., Murphy, J.B., and MacNiocaill, C. 2006. Preface: Endings and beginnings: Paleogeography of the Precambrian-Cambrian transition. Precambrian Research, v. 147, pp 187-192; doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2006.01.014.

McCausland, P.J.A., Brown, P.G., and Wilson, G.C. 2006. The Dresden (Ontario) H6 chondrite, Part II: Classification, estimated fireball trajectory, and possible origin. Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, v. 100, pp 104-113.

McCausland, P.J.A., Symons, D.T.A., and Hart, C.J.R. 2005. Rethinking “Yellowstone in Yukon” and Baja British Columbia: Paleomagnetism of the Late Cretaceous Swede Dome stock, northern Canadian Cordillera. Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 110, B12107, doi:10.1029/2005JB003742.

Cawood, P.A., McCausland, P.J.A., and Dunning, G.R. 2001.Opening Iapetus: Constraints from the Laurentian margin in Newfoundland. Geological Soc. America Bulletin, v. 113 , pp 443-453.

McCausland, P.J.A., and Hodych, J.P. 1998. Paleomagnetism of the 550 Ma Skinner Cove volcanics of western Newfoundland and the opening of the Iapetus Ocean. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 163, pp 15-29.

Professional Affiliations

President, Geophysics Division of the Geological Association of Canada
Secretary, Solid Earth Section of the Canadian Geophysical Union
Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society
Member: GAC, MAC, AGU, GSA, CGU, Meteoritical Society, Atlantic Geoscience Society, RASC

Courses Taught

Earth Sciences 1081A/B
Earth Sciences 2240F/G

(former) Earth Sciences 260A/B (Fall 2007)

Students

Mahdia Ibrahim (current 2012; co-supervised with Peter Brown)
Ph.D. Geology/Planetary Science, University of Western Ontario

Erika Szabo (current 2012; co-supervised with Maria Cioppa and H. Currie Palmer)
Ph.D. Geophysics, University of Western Ontario

Stephanie Round (finished 2010; co-supervised with Roberta Flemming)
B.Sc. Geology Honours, University of Western Ontario; “Classification of meteorites by olivine unit cell using micro X-ray diffraction” –currently M.Sc. student, University of Calgary

Ross L. Brown (finished 2006; co-supervised with Lalu Mansinha)
B.Sc. Geophysics Honours, University of Western Ontario; “Locating subsurface structures by means of Ground Penetrating Radar and Magnetometer Surveys”