Faculty

Neal R. Iverson

Professor
Glaciology, Geomorphology, Engineering Geology

356 Science I
Dept. of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-8048
Email: niverson@iastate.edu

Education
B.S. Iowa State University, 1983
Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 1989
 
Research Interests
My research is devoted primarily to understanding glaciers and the spectacular imprint they leave on the landscape. Glacier dynamics and landscape modification are particularly sensitive to processes at glacier beds, which is the focus of much of my effort. A challenging and satisfying aspect of this research is that it involves designing and fabricating many of the instruments we use.

Current projects include the following:

• Field and modeling studies of glacier sliding and bed erosion beneath Engabreen, an outlet galcier of the Svartisen Ice Cap in N. Norway with unusual human access to the bed (see this link to the New York Times article that describes some of this research).
• Field and modeling studies of ice and sediment dynamics near the basal thermal transition of Storglaciären, a polythermal glacier in N. Sweden, with research infrastructure provided by the Tarfala Research Station of Stockholm University.
• Field studies of past basal till deformation beneath the Superior, Green Bay, and Lake Michigan lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.
• Laboratory studies with a custom ring-shear device aimed at determining the microstructural properties of sheared basal till, particularly particle and magnetic fabrics.
• Construction of a new ring-shear device for the study of processes at the interface between sliding ice and either a rock or sediment bed.
• Field monitoring of rock-mass creep on the unstable summit of Turtle Mountain in S. Alberta, the site of the rockslide that devastated the mining town of Frank in 1903.

This research is funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, through grants awarded by Earth Sciences and Polar Programs. Most of these projects include student research opportunities. Enquiries from prospective students are very welcome.

Field Sites

Ring-Shear Device

Teaching
I teach undergraduate and graduate-level courses in geomorphology (Geol 479/579, Surficial Processes) and glacial geology (Geol 474/574, Glacial and Quaternary Geology). Typically more than half of students enrolled in these courses are majors in environmental science, civil engineering, agronomy, or anthropology. Field trips that explore the landforms and Quaternary sediments of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are routine and important elements of these courses. Also, I teach an introductory course in geologic hazards (Geol 211, Geologic Disasters) and a graduate seminar (Geol 610) focused on particular aspects of glaciology or glacial geology.

Selected Refeered Publications
Cohen, D., T.S. Hooyer, N.R. Iverson, J.F. Thomason, and M. Jackson, 2006. Role of transient water pressure in quarrying: a subglacial experiment using acoustic emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, in press.

Iverson, N.R., 2006. Laboratory experiments in glaciology, in Knight, P.G., ed., Glaciers and Earth's Changing Environment. Blackwell Publishing, in press.

Thomason, J.F. and N.R. Iverson, 2006. Microfabric and microshear evolution in deformed till. Quaternary Science Reviews, 25, 1027-1038.

Amundson, J.M., and N.R. Iverson, 2006. Testing a glacial erosion rule using hang heights of hanging valleys, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, 111, doi: 10.1029/2005JF000359.

Cohen, D., N.R. Iverson, T.S. Hooyer, U.H Fischer, M. Jackson, and P.L. Moore, 2005. Debris-bed friction of hard-bedded glaciers. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface. doi: 10.1029/2004JF000228.

Iverson, N.R., and T.S. Hooyer, 2004. Estimating the sliding velocity of a Pleistocene ice sheet from plowing structures in the geologic record. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, 109, doi:1029/2004JF000132.

Iverson, N.R., D. Cohen, T.S. Hooyer, U.H. Fischer, M. Jackson, P.L. Moore, G. Lappegard, and J. Kohler, 2003. Effects of basal debris on glacier flow. Science 301, 81-83.

Publications