Katherine M. Scharer
![[Photograph of Katherine M. Scharer]](ScharerKM.jpg) |
Katherine M. ScharerAssistant Professor of Geology(828) 262-6739scharerkm@appstate.edu Dr. Scharer's personal and class Web pages |
Dr. Scharer studies neotectonics, the intersection of structural geology and geomorphology. Pursuant to this interest, she studies how the crust – expressed in the rocks, deposits, and topography around us – conserves the slow and continuous motions of tectonic plates and how geologic processes and resulting records are modulated by climate signals. Her research focuses on regions of active geologic change such as the San Andreas fault, the mountains of Central Asia, or landslide-prone terrain such as the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Her research is field-based and combines detailed observations and absolute dating techniques such as radiocarbon dating to deconstruct the geometry, rate and magnitude of neotectonic processes. Much of her research is directed toward forecasting large earthquakes based on their occurrence in the geologic record, ultimately for mitigation of earthquake hazards.
- Education
- B.S. University of Washington in Seattle
- Ph.D. University of Oregon
- Courses Taught
- 4210 - Senior Seminar
- GLY 1103 - Introduction to Environmental and Applied Geology
- GLY-3150 - Principles of Structural Geology and Tectonics
