Steven L. Reneau

Research Interests

Fluvial processes, hillslope processes, contaminant transport, geochronology, seismic hazards, mass wasting hazards, volcanic hazards, landscape response to climatic changes, stratigraphy, environmental geology

 

Education

Ph.D. in Geology, 1988, University of California at Berkeley. Thesis: "Depositional and erosional history of hollows: Application to landslide location and frequency, long-term erosion rates, and the effects of climatic change".

B.A. in Earth Science, 1979, University of California at Santa Cruz. Senior thesis: "A survey of landslides of the coastal Santa Lucia Range, Lopez Point quadrangle, Monterey County, California".

B.A. in Environmental Studies, 1979, University of California at Santa Cruz. Senior thesis: Geology chapter of a natural resources inventory of the Big Sur coastline in Monterey County, California . Received honors on senior thesis.

 

Professional Experience

1991-present. Technical Staff Member, Geology and Geochemistry Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico. Conducting geologic research on a variety of topics as part of the Los Alamos Environmental Restoration (ER) Project and Seismic Hazards Investigation Program, including work on: contaminant transport; short-term (last 50 yrs) and long-term (late Quaternary) erosion and deposition in canyons and on mesas; neotectonics; mass wasting; bedrock stratigraphy and hydrogeologic framework; soils; and fracture characteristics. From 1992 to 1994 acted as the Deputy Earth Science Technical Team Leader for the ER Project. Since 1994 acting as Principal Investigator for Sediment Characterization in the ER Project's Canyons Technical Team.

1988-91. Postdoctoral Fellow, Geology and Geochemistry Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico. Primary research involved microanalysis of rock varnish to evaluate the cation-ratio surface-exposure dating method, particularly as it applied to constraining the geomorphic history of the southern Nevada region. Additional work involved research on stream terrace history, faulting, and cliff retreat in the vicinity of Los Alamos.

1983-88. Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant, Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley. Conducted geologic research on hillslope erosional processes and landslide initiation in coastal California, Oregon, and Washington, including stratigraphic, chronologic, and pedologic study of colluvial deposits, and stability analyses of potential failure sites.

1983-88. Occasional consultant on erosion and sedimentation problems for Alan Kropp and Associates, Berkeley, California; Rogers/Pacific, Pleasant Hill, California; California State Department of Parks and Recreation; and California State Attorney General's Office.

1980-82. Physical Science Technician, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California. Conducted geologic research, including: mapping of Quaternary geology in western Arizona; neotectonic evaluation of mountain fronts in Arizona, California, and Nevada; study of debris flows in the San Francisco Bay area; study of soil and vegetation recovery following disturbances in arid lands.

1979-80. Researcher, Environmental Field Program, University of California, Santa Cruz. Performed geologic portions of two projects in the Mojave Desert of California. 1) Field team leader of a study of a proposed cross-country motorcycle race for the Bureau of Land Management. 2) Compiled resource inventory of potential wilderness study area.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

Reneau, S. L., and Dethier, D. P., 1996, Late Pleistocene landslide-dammed lakes along the Rio Grande, White Rock Canyon, New Mexico: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 108, p. 1492-1507.

Reneau, S. L., Gardner, J. N., and Forman, S. L., 1996, New evidence for the age of the youngest eruptions in the Valles caldera, New Mexico: Geology, v. 24, p. 7-10.

Dethier, D. P., and Reneau, S. L., 1996, Lacustrine chronology links late Pleistocene climate change and mass movements in northern New Mexico: Geology, v. 24, p. 539-542.

Reneau, S. L., 1993, Manganese accumulation in rock varnish on a desert piedmont, Mojave Desert, California, and application to evaluating varnish development: Quaternary Research, v. 40, p. 309-317.

Reneau, S. L., Raymond, R., Jr., and Harrington, C. D., 1992, Elemental relationships in rock varnish stratigraphic layers, Cima volcanic field, California: Implications for varnish development and the interpretation of varnish chemistry: American Journal of Science, v. 292, p. 684-723.

Reneau, S. L., and Dietrich, W. E., 1991, Erosion rates in the southern Oregon Coast Range: Evidence for an equilibrium between hillslope erosion and sediment yield: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, v. 16, p. 307-322.

Reneau, S. L., and Raymond, R., Jr., 1991, Cation-ratio dating of rock varnish: Why does it work?: Geology, v. 19, p. 937-940.

Reneau, S. L., Dietrich, W. E., Donahue, D. J., Jull, A. J. T., and Rubin, M., 1990, Late Quaternary history of colluvial deposition and erosion in hollows, central California Coast Ranges: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 102, p. 969-982.

Reneau, S. L., Dietrich, W. E., Rubin, M., Donahue, D. J., and Jull, A. J. T., 1989, Analysis of hillslope erosion rates using dated colluvial deposits: Journal of Geology, v. 97, p. 45-63.

Rypins, S., Reneau, S. L., Byrne, R., and Montgomery, D. R., 1989, Palynologic and geomorphic evidence for environmental change during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition at Point Reyes Peninsula, central coastal California: Quaternary Research, v. 32, p. 72-87.

Reneau, S. L., 1981, Recent sedimentation along the Big River estuary, Mendocino County: California Geology, v. 34, p. 255-259.

Recent Abstracts

Reneau, S. L., Wilcox, B. P., Broxton, D. E., and Pratt, A., 1996, An innovative technical approach for characterizing contaminated sediments in large drainage basins, Los Alamos National Laboratory: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration, Eighth National Technology Information Exchange Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 16-18, 1996, p. 21.

Reneau, S. L., Wilcox, B. P., and McDonald, E. V., 1996, Historic aggradation and degradation along a semi-arid stream, and development of a diachronous fill terrace: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 28, no. 7, p. A-263.

Blossom, J. C., Reneau, S. L., Wilcox, B. P., and Broxton, D. E., 1996, Use of a Geographic Information System in the characterization of contaminated sediments, Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 28, no. 7, p. A-266.

Broxton, D. E., Ryti, R. T., and Reneau, S. L., 1997, Natural background geochemistry of the Bandelier Tuff and other rock units, Los Alamos, New Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 29. no. 6, p. A-434.

Essington, E. H., and Reneau, S. L., 1996, Distributions of contaminants in canyon bottoms at Los Alamos: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration, Eighth National Technology Information Exchange Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 16-18, 1996, p. 19.

Longmire, P., McDonald, E., Reneau, S., and Ryti, R., 1997, Natural background geochemistry and statistical analysis of selected soil profiles, Los Alamos, New Mexico: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 29. no. 6, p. A-434-435.

Phillips, W. M., McDonald, E. V., Reneau, S. L., and Poths, J., Dating soils with cosmogenic ²¹Ne: EOS (American Geophysical Union Transactions), v.78, no. 46, p. F772.

Phillips, W. M., Poths, J., Goff, F. E., Reneau, S. L., and McDonald, E. V., 1997, Ne-21 surface exposure ages from the Banco Bonito obsidian flow, Valles caldera, New Mexico, USA: Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs, v. 29. no. 6, p. A-419.

Ryti, R., Longmire, P., McDonald, E., Reneau, S., and Watt, P., 1996, Application of Los Alamos National Laboratory background to ER Project decision-making: U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Restoration, Eighth National Technology Information Exchange Workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 16-18, 1996, p. 37.

Field Trip Guidebook Articles

Reneau, S. L., and McDonald, E. V., 1996, Landscape history and processes on the Pajarito Plateau, northern New Mexico: Rocky Mountain Cell, Friends of the Pleistocene, Field Trip Guidebook, Los Alamos National Laboratory report LA-UR-96-3035, 195 p.

Reneau, S. L., and Dethier, D. P., 1996, Pliocene and Quaternary history of the Rio Grande, White Rock Canyon and vicinity, New Mexico, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 317-324.

Reneau, S. L., McDonald, E. V., Gardner, J. N., Kolbe, T. R., Carney, J. S., Watt, P. M., and Longmire, P. A., 1996, Erosion and deposition on the Pajarito Plateau, New Mexico, and implications for geomorphic responses to late Quaternary climatic changes, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 391-397.

Broxton, D. E., and Reneau, S. L., 1996, Buried early Pleistocene landscapes beneath the Pajarito Plateau, northern New Mexico, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 325-334.

Kelson, K. I., Hemphill-Haley, M. A., Olig, S. S., Simpson, G. D., Gardner, J. N., Reneau, S. L., Kolbe, T. R., Forman, S. L., and Wong, I. G., 1996, Late Pleistocene and possibly Holocene displacement along the Rendija Canyon fault, Los Alamos County, New Mexico, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 153-160.

McDonald, E. V., Reneau, S. L., and Gardner, J. N., 1996, Soil-forming processes on the Pajarito Plateau: Investigation of a soil chronosequence in Rendija Canyon, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 367-374.

Olig, S. S., Kelson, K. I., Gardner, J. N., Reneau, S. L., and Hemphill-Haley, M., 1996, The earthquake potential of the Pajarito fault system, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 143-151.

Wolff, J. A., Gardner, J. N., and Reneau, S. L., 1996, Field characteristics of the El Cajete pumice deposit and associated southwestern moat rhyolites of the Valles caldera, in Goff, F., Kues, B. S., Rogers, M. A., McFadden, L. D., and Gardner, J. N., eds., The Jemez Mountains region: New Mexico Geological Society Forty-Seventh Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 311-316.

Los Alamos National Laboratory Reports (available on request from authors)

Longmire, P. A., Reneau, S. L., Watt, P. M., McFadden, L. D., Gardner, J. N., Duffy, C. J., and Ryti, R. T., 1996, Natural background geochemistry, geomorphology, and pedogenesis of selected soil profiles and Bandelier Tuff, Los Alamos, New Mexico: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-12913-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 176 p.

Reneau, S. L., 1995, Geomorphic studies at DP Mesa and vicinity: in Broxton, D. E., and Eller, P. G., eds., Earth science investigations for environmental restoration--Los Alamos National Laboratory Technical Area 21: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-12934-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, p. 65-92.

Reneau, S. L., 1995, Potential mesa-edge instability at Pajarito Mesa: in Reneau, S. L., and Raymond, R., Jr., editors, Geological site characterization for the proposed Mixed Waste Disposal Facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-13089-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, p. 87-100

Reneau, S. L., and Raymond, R., Jr., editors, 1995, Geological site characterization for the proposed Mixed Waste Disposal Facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-13089-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 100 p.

Reneau, S. L., Dethier, D. P., and Carney, J. S., 1995, Landslides and other mass movements near Technical Area 33, Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-12955-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 48 p.

Reneau, S. L., Kolbe, T., Simpson, D., Carney, J. S., Gardner, J. N., Olig, S. S., and Vaniman, D. T., 1995, Surficial materials and structure at Pajarito Mesa: in Reneau, S. L., and Raymond, R., Jr., editors, Geological site characterization for the proposed Mixed Waste Disposal Facility, Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-13089-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, p. 31-69.

Broxton, D. E., and Reneau, S. L., 1995, Stratigraphic nomenclature of the Bandelier Tuff for the Environmental Restoration Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-13010-MS, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 21 p.