Contact Information
Global Undersea Research Unit209B O'Neill
P.O. Box 757220
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
Phone: (907) 474-5871
Fax: (907) 474-5804
jreynolds@guru.uaf.edu
Jennifer Reynolds Assistant Professor
Affiliations
- Science Director, West Coast & Polar Regions Undersea Research Center (NOAA/NURP)
Specialties
- submarine volcanism
- igneous petrology and geochemistry of mid-ocean ridges, near-ridge seamounts, and ocean island volcanoes
- seafloor mapping
- application of geology to benthic habitat studies
Research Overview
My research combines basalt petrology and geochemistry with geological mapping to study magmatism at ocean ridges, near-ridge seamounts, and ocean islands (mainly Hawaii). I am particularly interested in the relationships between magmatism and the structure of mid-ocean ridge plate boundaries; how melt generated in the mantle is delivered to crustal volcanic systems; and how the plumbing systems of individual volcanoes - especially rift zones - influence their growth patterns and lava compositions. Mapping tools include multibeam and sidescan sonar, and direct observations by remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and submersibles. New areas of interest are: submarine structures and volcanism in the Aleutian Arc as a record of arc deformation and a window into the sub-arc mantle; and application of marine geological mapping to benthic habitat studies.
Current Research Projects
- Volcanic eruption patterns and formation of the upper oceanic crust at fast-spreading ridges
- The relationship of near-ridge seamounts to ocean ridge magma supply and tectonics
- Puna Ridge, the submarine extension of Kilauea's East Rift Zone (Hawaii): petrology and growth of the rift zone
- Morphological comparison and evolutionary model for six submarine Hawaiian rift zones
- Spatial and temporal patterns of basalt compositions at the Northern East Pacific Rise and implications for how the magmatic systems are organized at both crustal and mantle levels
- Application of mapping and seafloor geology to studies of deep coral habitat in the Aleutians
Links
Fellowships
- 1997–1999 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
- 1995–1997 NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, host institution: U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
Reynolds in the News
11 August 2003—Scientists map state's first known geologically active undersea volcano
16 February 2004—Native name for the new Aleutian volcano: Amchixtam Chaxsxii
Selected Publications
Johnson, K.T.M., Reynolds, J.R., Smith, D.K., Kong, L.S.L., and Vonderhaar, D. (2001): Petrological systematics of submarine lavas from the Puna Ridge, Hawai`i: Implications for rift zone plumbing and magmatic processes. In Takahashi, E., et al., eds., Hawaiian Volcanoes: Deep Underwater Perspectives. AGU Geophysical Monograph 128, 143-159.
Reynolds, J.R., Highsmith, R.C., Konar, B., Wheat, C.G., and Doudna, D. (2001): Fisheries and Fisheries Habitat Investigations Using Undersea Technology. MTS/IEEE Oceans 2001 Conference Proceedings, paper # MTS 0-933957-29-7. (Download PDF).
Reynolds, J.R. and C.H. Langmuir (2000): Identification and implications of off-axis lava flows around the East Pacific Rise. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 1, Paper number 1999GC000033.
Clague, D.A., Reynolds, J.R. and Davis, A.S. (2000): Near-ridge seamount chains in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 16,541-16,562.
Clague, D.A., Moore, J.G., and Reynolds, J.R. (2000): Formation of submarine truncated volcanic cones in Hawaii. Bull. Volcanol. 62, no. 3, 214-233.
Reynolds, J.R. and Clague, D.A. (1999): Pacific Plate absolute motion: new constraints from near-ridge volcanic chains. EoS 80, F1070.
Spiegelman, M. and Reynolds, J.R. (1999): Combined dynamic and geochemical evidence for convergent melt flow beneath the East Pacific Rise. Nature 402, 282-285.
Reynolds, J.R., Clague, D.A., Hatcher, G., and Maher, N. (1998): Evolutionary sequence of submarine volcanic rift zones in Hawaii. EoS 79, F825.
Reynolds, J.R. and C.H. Langmuir (1997): Petrological systematics of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge south of Kane: Implications for ocean crust formation. J. Geophys. Res. 102, 14,915-14,946.
McNutt, M.K., Caress, D.W., Reynolds, J.R., Jordahl, K.A., and Duncan, R.A. (1997): Midplate volcanism in the southern Austral Islands: Problems for plume theory. Nature 389, 479-482.
Reynolds, J.R., C.H. Langmuir, J.F. Bender, K.A. Kastens, and W.B.F. Ryan (1992): Spatial and temporal variability in the geochemistry of basalts from the East Pacific Rise. Nature 359, 493-499.