Rigsby

	Dr. Catherine A. Rigsby - Professor
	Office	Graham 203
	Phone	252-328-4297
	*Clastic Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Quaternary Geology, Geoarchaeology, and Applied Coastal Geology*
	Ph.D. M.S. B.S.	University of California, Santa Cruz (1989) Louisiana State University (1982) Lamar University (1978)

Dr. Rigsby may be reached via Email : rigsbyc@ecu.edu

Current Courses and Online Course Syllabus/Material

Rigsby Photo Galleries (field trip photos, etc.)

Current Professional and Scholarly Interests

My research is in the broad field of Quaternary environments. My students and I typically do extensive field work (or core analysis) involving fluvial sedimentology, paleoclimatology, land-use studies, and geoarcheology. Examples of recent projects include the following:

Newly funded research on the Quaternary Environmental History of the Lake Qinghai Basin, Northeastern Tibet. Field work for this project will begin in the summer of 2006. Stay tuned for more information!

NSF-funded research on the Quaternary paleoclimatology and fluvial and lacustrine sedimentology of the Rio Desaguadero Basin and the Holocene fluvial and climate history as related to cultural history in the Cirum-Titicacaregion. Both of these projects involve field work on the Bolivian/Peruvian Altiplano and are focused on establishing links between terrestrial climate change records (ice cores and lake sediment records), fluvial and lacustrine sedimentology, and human land-use.

Read the ECU Edge Magazine article about this research.

an NSF-funded project on the geomorphic effects of Hurricane Floyd on the Tar River Basin.

Read the ECU Edge Magazine article about Floyd-related research at ECU.

Selected Publications (* denotes student co-author) (Rigsby's complete vita)

Rigsby, C. A., Bradbury, J. P., Baker, P. A., *Rollins, S. M., and *Warren, M. R., 2005, Late Quaternary paleolakes, rivers, and wetlands on the Bolivian Altiplano and their paleoclimatic implications: Journal of Quaternary Science, v. 20, p.671-691.
*Farabaugh, R. L. and Rigsby, C. A., 2005, Complex response to Holocene climate and base-level changes in the Rio Ramis valley, Peru: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 75, p. 12-28.
Fritz, S. C., Baker, P. A., Lowenstein, T. K., Seltzer, G. O., Rigsby, C. A., Dwyer, G. S., Tapia, P. M., *Arnold, K. K., Ku, T-L., and Lou, S., 2004, Hydrologic variability during the last 170,000 years in the southern hemisphere of South America: Quaternary Research, v. 61, p. 95-104.
Leece, S. A., Pease, P. P., Gares, P. A., and Rigsby, C. A., 2004, Floodplain sedimentation during an extreme flood: the 1999 flood on the Tar River in eastern North Carolina: Physical Geography, v. 25, p. 334-346.
Rigsby, C. A., Baker, P. A., and Aldenderfer, M. S., 2003, Fluvial history of the Rio Ilave Valley, Peru, and its relationship to climate and human history: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, v. 194, p. 281-297..
*Caulder, A. N., Rigsby, C. A., Baker, P. A., Bjorck, S. and Fritz, S. L., 2002, Lacustrine sediments of Grenada -- toward a record of Holocene precipitation variability in the northern equatorial Atlantic [abst.]: Geological Society of American Abstracts with Programs, v. 34, no. 6.
Baker, P.A., Rigsby, C. A., Seltzer, G. O., Fritz, S. C Fritz, Lowenstein, T. K., Bacher, N. P., and Veliz, C., 2001, Tropical climate changes at millennial and orbital timescales on the Bolivian Altiplano: Nature, v. 409, p. 698-701.
Lecce, S. A., Pease, P. P., Gares, P. A. and Rigsby, C. A., 2001, Sedimentation in the Tar River floodplain associated with Hurricane Floyd, IN, Hurricane Floyd and its Aftermath, Coastal Carolina Press.
Rigsby, C. A., Bradbury, J. P., Baker, P. A., *Rollins, S. M., and *Warren, M. R., 2001, Wet/dry cycles on the Altiplano as recorded in sediments of the Rio Desaguadero valley, Bolivia: PEPI Workshop on the Paleoclimatology of the Central Andes July 2001, Tucson, Arizona.
Rigsby, C. A., Baker, P. A., and Aldenderfer, M. S., 2000, Terrace development along the Rio Ilave (Peru) in response to changes in sediment load and the level of Lake Titicaca: EOS Transactions, American Geophysical Union, v. 81, Fall Meeting Supplement, Abstract V21E-16.
*Baucom, P. C. and Rigsby, C. A., 1999, Climate and lake-level history of the northern Altiplano, Bolivia, as recorded in Holocene sediments of the Rio Desaguadero: Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 69, no. 3, p. 597-611.
Rigsby, C. A., Bradbury, J. P., Baker, P. A., Markgraf, V., 1999, Paleolake strata in the Rio Desaguadero valley, Bolivia: stratigraphy and paleoclimatic significance: EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union.
*McNabb, S. L., Rigsby, C. A., *Hackney, K. T., 1999, Changes in Regional Drainage Patterns on the Bolivian Altiplano as Indicated by Petrographic and Sr-Isotopic Analyses of Fluvial and Lacustrine Sediments from the Rio Mauri and Rio Desaguadero: GSA Abstracts with Program, p. A-49.
Stakes, D. S., Rigsby, C. A., and *Baucom, P. C., 1999, Igneous and sedimentary rocks from Monterey Canyon, California and implications for regional tectonics, In, Garrison, R. E., Aiello, I. W., and Moore, J. C., eds., Late Cenozoic Fluid Seeps and Tectonics Along the San Gregorio Fault Zone in the Monterey Bay Region, California: Pacific Section AAPG, Volume and Guidebook GB-76, p. 75-92.
Rigsby, C. A., 1998, Using real-time internet discussion sessions in an upper division sedimentology course to promote focused discussion and build on concepts explored in activity-based projects [abst.]: GSA Abstracts with Programs, volume 30, number 7.
Rigsby, C. A. and *Baucom, P. C., 1998, Fluvial terraces record late Pleistocene highstands on the Bolivian Altiplano: evidence that Lake Titicaca had multiple effluent streams at 30,000 BP [abst.]: EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union.
Rigsby, C.A., Zierenberg, R and Baker, P.A., 1994, Sedimentaly and diagenetic structures of Middle Valley turbiditic and pelagic strata as revealed by whole-core X-radiography: Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, Volume 139.
Rigsby, C.A. and *Kulp, T.R, 1994, Holocene stratigraphy and landscape evolution in Kane County, Utah: sedimentology, paleosols, climate change and archeology [abst]: Geological Society of Amererica Annual Meeting, Abstracts with Programs.
Rigsby, C.A., 1994, Deepening-upward sequences in Oligocene fan-delta deposits, western Santa Ynez Mountains, California: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. B64, pp. 380-391.
Ambos, E.L., Rigsby, C.A., Larson, D. and Grannell, RB., 1994, Integrating geosciences into instructionally based archaeological research on the Anasazi: Journal of Geological Education, v. 42, pp. 424-431.
Rigsby, C. A. and Pilkey, O.H., 1993, Modeling beach replenishment: a sedimentologists' perspective [abst.]: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs.