Faculty

Neal R. Iverson

Professor & Chair
Glaciology, Geomorphology, Engineering Geology

356 Science I
Dept. of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-1837
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. Work on sediment deformation beneath glaciers has led to ancillary interests in soil deformation and hill-slope processes.

Current and proposed projects include the following:

• Field studies of glacier sliding and seismicity beneath Engabreen, an outlet glacier 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 our earlier research there).
• 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, Lake Michigan and Des Moines 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.
• Laboratory studies of glacier sliding, erosion, and sediment transport with a new custom ring-shear device that drags ice at the melting temperature (0.9 m O.D.) over a rigid or deformable bed.
• Field studies of bedrock erosion by glaciers in Norway and the Canadian Rockies.

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 Devices

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.

Selected Publications

Iverson, N.R., submitted. A theory of glacial quarrying for landscape evolution models. Nature Geoscience.

Iverson, N.R., and Peterson, B.B., in press. A new laboratory device for study of subglacial processes: first results on ice-bed separation during sliding. Journal of Glaciology.

Moore, P.L., Iverson, N.R., Brugger, K.A., Cohen, D., Hooyer, T.S., Jansson, P., 2011. Effect of a cold margin on ice flow at the terminus of Storglaciären, Sweden: implications for sediment transport, Sweden. Journal of Glaciology,57 (201), 77-87.

Iverson, N.R., 2010. Shear resistance and continuity of till at glacier beds: hydrology rules. Journal of Glaciology, 56(200), 1104-1114.

Iverson, N.R., Mann, J.E., Iverson, R.M., 2010. Effects of soil aggregates on debris-flow mobilization: results from ring-shear experiments. Engineering Geology,114, 84-92.

Reid, M., Keith, T., Kayan, R., Iverson, N.R., Iverson, R.M., Brien, D., 2010. Volcano collapse promoted by progressive strenth reduction: new data from Mount St. Helens. Bulletin of Volcanology, 72, 761-766.

Moore, P.L., Iverson, N.R., Cohen, D., 2010. Conditions for thrust faulting in glaciers. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, 115, F02005,doi:10.1029/2009JF001307.

Shumway, J.R., and Iverson, N.R., 2009. Magnetic fabrics of the Douglas till of the Superior lobe: exploring bed-deformation kinematics. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28, 107-119.

Publications