Associate Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Robert R. Shrock Professor of Surficial and Sedimentary Geology
Director of Undergraduate Studies
The Geomorphology and Landscape Evolution group studies how climate, tectonics, and rock type influence the processes and landforms that shape the Earth’s surface. Specific problems include the controls of rock strength and sediment transport on bedrock river morphology, the interaction of climate and topography during active mountain building, and the influence of landslides on river dynamics in seismically active regions. We approach these problems by integrating field and geochemical data with state-of-the-art numerical models. The implications of our work are broad, ranging from hazard mitigation and river management to the geologic evolution of a mountain system.
Yanites has applied his research to the interpretation of landslides on Mars and the moon and to general theories about topographic roughening and smoothing of planets through climatic, gravitational, and atmospheric processes.
The College of Arts