Marine Geology and Geophysics
PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, 1997

Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory
727-864-8484 (Office), 727-864-7964 (Fax)
wetzellr@eckerd.edu

My research has focused primarily on mid-ocean ridges, ranging from earthquake seismology to submarine hydrothermal vent geochemistry. I was awarded a Sabbatical in Seismology grant from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology to collaborate with Cliff Frohlich at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics in Austin during the spring and summer of 2005. The award also provided funds for one Eckerd student to visit Austin and present her research results at the annual American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco in December of 2005. Collaboration is continuing as Cliff and I are coauthoring two manuscripts describing our research, including our work on diffuse triple junction stability and seismicity.

In field research within a few miles of the Eckerd campus, I am exploring the implications of a large-scale dredging project in Lake Maggiore. I am a Florida LAKEWATCH volunteer, taking water samples monthly from the lake that are sent to the University of Florida for phosphate, nitrate, and chlorophyll analyses. The information becomes part of a statewide database quantifying the characteristics of Florida lakes.

Courses offered:

Earth Structure, Earth Materials, Solid Earth Geophysics, Principles of Hydrology, Introduction to Marine Science, Introduction to Earth Science, Myths of the Earth, Biology/Geology of Hydrothermal Vents Senior Seminar, Marine Science Junior Seminar, Natural History of the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, Modern Carbonate Environments of the Bahamas, Natural History of Florida, Bad Earth (Autumn Term 2006).

Selected Publications:

Wetzel, L. R., and C. Frohlich (in preparation, 2006) Diffuse plate boundary seismicity and triple junction stability.

Wetzel, L. R. (2002) Building stones as resources for student research, Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 50, pp. 404-409.

Wetzel, L. R., J. P. Raffensperger and E. L. Shock (2001) Predictions of hydrothermal alteration within near-ridge oceanic crust from coordinated geochemical and fluid flow models, Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, v. 3-4, pp. 319-341.

Wetzel, L. R., and E. L. Shock (2000) Distinguishing ultra-mafic from basalt-hosted submarine hydrothermal systems by comparing calculated vent fluid compositions, Journal of Geophysical Research, v. 105, pp. 8319-8340.

Wetzel, L. R., D. A. Wiens and M. C. Kleinrock (1993) Evidence from earthquakes for bookshelf faulting at large non-transform ridge offsets, Nature, v. 362, pp. 235-237.