Rodrigo Fernandez-Vasquez, UTIG Postdoctoral Fellow
Rodrigo Fernandez-Vasquez, UTIG Postdoctoral Fellow.

Rodrigo Fernandez-Vasquez

Postdoctoral Fellow

Telephone: 512-475-9568
FAX: 512-471-0348
email: r.f at ig.utexas.edu

Office: 3.102E (UTIG office layout)

 

Rodrigo's CV

 

UTIG Supervisor: Dr. Terry quinn

Research Interests:
Currently my research interests focus on the understanding of processes of sediment generation and sedimentation related to marine ice sheets (Antarctica) and tide water glaciers (Antarctic Peninsula and Patagonia), and how these processes have shaped marine basins and landscapes, as well as their influence on the tectonic evolution of their respective orogenic belts. During my research, I have found that glacial erosion rates exhibit distinctive patterns of variations and magnitude at different timescales and latitudes. These patterns and magnitudes seem to be related with the different dynamism of temperate versus cold ice masses which influence sediment production, as well as with preservation potential within depositional basins (Fernandez et al., 2011b; Fernandez et al., in preparation).

During the course of several marine geology surveys in Patagonia (1) and Antarctica (3), I also gained interest in the evolution of these cold regions through time. I am particularly interested in the timing and geographical pattern of deglaciation and the subsequent Holocene glacial evolution. In this line, I am currently collaborating with ongoing research on the Antarctic Peninsula Holocene glacier and climate/ocean fluctuations (Minzoni et al, in preparation; Rice University), North Patagonia glacier and climate fluctuations (Fernandez et al., 2011a) and have collaborated in one of the first marine glacial evolution studies in the Magallanes Region (Boyd et al., 2008).

Rodrigo's study areas.

At a larger spatial scale, I am also interested in understanding the geological factors that control the stability of marine ice sheets through the study of their past retreat. Since January 2010, I have been collaborating in a project aimed to study the demise of the ancient Pine Island Ice sheet (Jakobsson et al., 2011; Kirshner et al., in preparation, Rice University).

 

 

 

Shown at right are Rodrigo's geographic areas of interest, Western Patagonia and Antarctic Peninsula.
- Black rectangles: areas where data has been collected.
- Yellow polygons: regions of interest.
- Red polygon: area of future data collection.