Nancye H. Dawers
Associate Professor
Education & Affiliations
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Nancye H. Dawers earned her BS from University of Kentucky (1984), her MS from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1987) and her PhD from Columbia University’s LamontDoherty Earth Observatory (1997). From 1996-1999, Dr. Dawers worked as a Research Associate at the University of Edinburgh, and since 2000 she has been on the faculty of Tulane University in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. She has been a GSA member since 1989. Her research interests include fault growth and interaction, 3d seismic interpretation and neotectonics.
She currently serves on a number of committees across all levels of the university.
2025-2026 Committee
University Graduate Honor Board Pool Committee
SSE Curriculum Committee
SSE Major Advising Committee
SSE Awards Committee
SSE Nominating Committee
SSE Study Abroad
EES Undergraduate Committee
Courses
EENS 3410/6410 – Structural Geology
EENS 4230 Tectonics
EENS 4320/6320 – Subsurface Geology
EENS 4700 Earth & Env Sci. Field Studies
EENS 6060 – Tectonic Geomorphology
EENS 7010 – Techniques in Geoscience Writing
Research
My research focuses on understanding the processes and time-scales over which brittle faults grow, interact and evolve. This includes studying fault structure and patterns of displacement accumulation on faults, fault scaling relationships, and the temporal evolution recorded in basin stratigraphy and in landscapes. Geographically, much of my work on fault evolution and tectonic landscape development has been within the Eastern California shear zone and in the northern Basin & Range. I also have projects in south Louisiana looking at recently active faults, how salt flow affects these faults, and the contribution of these processes to subsidence and coastal wetland loss.
Contributions
Selected Publications
SELA Fault Traces Interpreted from Seismic Data and Literature Sources
LTRC Project 18-3GT and Tran-SET Project No. 17GTLSU12
https://ladotd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1f8c7078…
Hopkins, M. C. and Dawers, N. H., 2018, The role of fault length, overlap and spacing in controlling extensional relay ramp fluvial system geometry: Basin Research, v. 30, p. 20–34. doi:10.1111/bre.12240 [Editors’ Choice selection]
Shen, Z. X., Dawers, N. H., Tornqvist, T. E., Gasparini, N. M., Hijma, M. P., and Mauz, B., 2017, Mechanisms of late Quaternary fault throw-rate variability along the north central Gulf of Mexico coast: implications for coastal subsidence: Basin Research, v. 29, no. 5, p. 557-570. doi:10.1111/bre.12184
Hopkins, M. C., and Dawers, N. H., 2016, Vertical deformation of lacustrine shorelines along breached relay ramps, Catlow Valley fault, southeastern Oregon, USA: Tectonophysics, v. 674, p. 89-100. doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2016.02.015
Hopkins, M. C., and Dawers, N. H., 2015, Changes in bedrock channel morphology driven by displacement rate increase during normal fault interaction and linkage: Basin Research, v. 27, no. 1, p. 43-59. doi:10.1111/bre.12072
Densmore, A.L., Hetzel, R., Ivy-Ochs, S., Krugh, W.C., Dawers, N., and Kubik, P., 2009, Spatial variations in catchment-averaged denudation rates from normal fault footwalls, Geology, 37, 1139-1142, doi: 10.1130/G30164A.1.
Densmore, A.L., Dawers, N.H., Gupta, S., and Guidon, R. , 2005, What sets topographic relief in extensional footwalls?, Geology, 33, 453-456.
Dawers, N.H., and Underhill, J.R., 2000, The role of fault interaction and linkage in controlling syn-rift stratigraphic sequences: Late Jurassic, Statfjord East area, northern North Sea, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 84, 45-64.
