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Mary Genevieve Chapman, Research Geologist

U.S. Geological Survey, Astrogeology Team
2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ, 86001
Phone: (928) 556-7182
E-mail: mchapman@usgs.gov

Biography

Born on March 10, 1957 in McLean, Virginia, Mary's parents moved to Utah in 1965. She attended the University of Utah, earning a B.S. degree in Geology in January, 1980. Her first job in geology, between 1978 and 1980, was as a Student Geologist/Field Assistant at Utah Power & Light Company, supervised by Gerald E. Vaninetti. At the power company, Mary gained experience in both coal and uranium exploration, making various geologic maps, calculating reserves, assessing and compiling coal quality data, research work, and fieldwork in the summer of 1979. Her field work in Utah involved assisting the mapping of Cretaceous stratigraphy to block out coal reserves in the Kaiparowits region; assisting in setting up a uranium drilling project near Fry Canyon and Blanding; and performing hydrology tests for a coal mine environmental impact study in the Wasatch Plateau near Price.

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Mary worked as an Engineering Geologist with the Bureau of Reclamation, in Duchesne, Utah. She was in charge of a preconstruction geologic program to determine suitability of the first Rollercrete dam in the Uinta Mountains.

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In 1980, Mary worked as an Engineering Geologist with the Bureau of Reclamation, in Duchesne, Utah, supervised by Jim Rogers. She was in charge of a preconstruction geologic program to determine suitability of the first Rollercrete dam in the Uinta Mountains. Her responsibilities consisted of inspection and supervision of 5 drill rigs, logging the recovered core, interpreting all site geology and the writing of a preconstruction report concerning dam site suitability. She gained underground experience inside tunnel excavations mapping and sitting a horizontal alpine mole drill rig. In addition, she was responsible for surficial mapping of several canal alignments and preparing preconstruction feasibility reports (publications [1]).

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Boulders of welded rhyolitic tuff in excess of 9 meters, 250 km from their magmatic arc source, in fine-grained siltstone beds of the Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation in southern Utah.

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In 1981, Mary worked as a Field Geologist in Price, Utah, for the Coal Department of Getty Oil Company, supervised by John Mercier. She was in charge of extensive surface mapping program of Castle Valley Ridge for a feasibility study of Plateau Mine extension to determine acquisition priority. The detailed field mapping involved fault locations and displacements, formation contacts, identifying facies 30' above and below mineable coal seams, locating burn areas and dike swarms and estimating coal seam thickness and relations by trenching. During the following winter drilling program (September through November), Mary was responsible for interpreting mud logs and recovered core, choosing core points and total depths, and interpreting electric logs from 2 drill rigs, located at a elevation above 10,000 ft.

In January of 1982, Mary moved to Flagstaff, Arizona to pursue a Master's degree in Geology at Northern Arizona University (NAU). She was hired by Gerald Schaber of the USGS Astrogeology Team in 1983 on a student position and began working with Hal Masursky in 1985 (publications [2]). In January 1987, she completed her M.S. degree in geology at NAU. The emphasis of Mary's M.S. research was examination of the terrestrial sedimentological record for evidence of arc volcanism and catastrophic flooding. This study was significant because it recognized, for the first time, two members of the Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation in southern Utah (Kane County) that link sedimentary rocks on the Colorado Plateau with the Jurassic magmatic arc in the south-central Basin and Range area of Nevada. Mary discovered boulders of welded rhyolitic tuff in excess of 9 meters, 250 km from their magmatic arc source, in fine-grained siltstone beds. The beds were interpreted as debris flows. Documentation of coarse-grained lithofacies and their lateral associations, as well as paleocurrent data, indicate that debris flows from the southwest debouched onto fine-grained coastal red beds of the Carmel. The flows were produced by episodes of catastrophic floods alternating with marine transgressions from the Jurassic seaway to the north. Her interest in Mesozoic rocks of the Plateau continues on with additional emphasis on investigating catastrophic extinctions at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (publications [3]).

Mary continued working with the USGS. From 1988 to 1990, after Masursky's retirement, she worked under the supervision of Dave Scott. Since 1990, she has held a permanent position as a Research Geologist with the Astrogeology Team. One of her major scientific contribution and emphasis work has been the documentation and interpretation of outflow channels on Mars (publications [4]). These fluvial deposits provide evidence for the presence of surficial, flowing water on that planet and are thus of strong interest to terrestrial and planetary geologists alike. She was the lead author of the first three 1:500,000-scale maps of Mars and therefore set the format for all of the successive maps. Her mapping of Kasei Valles, Mars is the first digital USGS compilation of a USGS MI-map and was part of a Survey wide effort to introduce digital products. Her map of Mangala Valles is still the most detailed geologic mapping of Mars to date. Mary's interest in geologic mapping lead to collaborating to write the Venus geologic mapper's handbook, and mapping and interpretations of the Galindo quadrangle and coronae features on that planet (publications [5]). In 1999, she was selected as member of Marsokhod Rover Field Test Mission, at NASA Ames, participating in remote rover testing for a future Mars mission (publications [6]). The major scientific contribution of her recent work has been the investigation of martian volcano/ice interactions.

Volcano-ice Interaction on Earth and Mars

The Geology of Mars

Mary is generally recognized as a leading advocate of sub-ice volcanism on Mars. Mary's Ph.D. degree in geomorphology from Keele University, UK, was awarded in 2005. Her dissertation topic was "Possible Icelandic Analogs for Valles Marineris Interior Layered Deposits and Associated Outflow Channels on Mars," for which she incorporated data from 4 seasons of fieldwork in Iceland. Her research approach has been to study sub-ice volcanoes and catastrophic flood channels in a whole-system (publications [7]).

Mary has been serving as support personnel for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, being 1 of 4 Downlink Position Leads (PDLs) for the Micro-Imager Camera instrument on the currently operating Spirit & Opportunity Sites (publications [8]). For the last 10 years, she has been assisting Mars space suit and rover team testing from NASA Johnson Space Center in their annual summer field testing around Flagstaff. In 2006, Mary was added to Science Team for the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) instrument on board ESA's Mars Express spacecraft and has been working at Freie Universität Berlin with Gerhard Neukum. In the last few years, she has been involved in editing books on Martian geology, two of which are complete:

Mary's 23 year career with the USGS has lead to her appointment as the Astrogeology Team outreach specialist, duties include writing employee biographies (see the Astro Stars pages);(publications [9]). She is a member of GSA, AGU, IAS, and the Planetary Society.

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The most challenging and rewarding experience of Mary's life continues to be raising her daughter. Her outside interests include red rocks, hiking, biking, gardening, reading, swimming, skiing, snorkeling, dancing, art, and travel.

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Selected Publications

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Chapman, M.G., and Brown, C.A., l981, Foundation excavation of Upper Stillwater dam, Bonneville unit, Central Utah Project, Utah: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation Design Data Report #G-299, 180 p.

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Masursky, Harold, Chapman, M.G., Dial, A.L., Jr., and Strobell, M.E., 1985, Mars channels--new data on ages (abs.): Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 1985, v. 17, no. 7, p. 652.

Masursky, Harold, Chapman, M.G., Dial, A.L., Jr., and Strobell, M.E., 1986, Episodic channeling punctuated by volcanic flows in Mangala Valles region, Mars (abs.): National Aeronautics and Space Administration TM 88383, p. 459.

Masursky, Harold, Chapman, M.G., Dial, A.L., Jr., and Strobell, M.E., 1986, Ages of rocks and channels in prospective Martian landing sites of Mangala Valles region (abs.), in Abstracts of papers submitted to the Seventeenth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, part 2, Houston, March 17-20, 1986: Houston, Lunar and Planetary Institute, p. 520.

Masursky, Harold, Chapman, M.G., Dial, A.L., Jr., and Strobell, M.E., 1986, Episodic channeling punctuated by volcanic flows in Mangala Valles region, Mars (abs.): Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 18, no. 5, p. 394.

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Chapman, M.G., l987, Depositional and compositional aspects of volcanogenic clasts in the Upper Member of the Carmel Formation, Southern Utah: Northern Arizona University Masters Thesis, Flagstaff, Arizona, 69 p.

Chapman, M.G., 1989, Implications of rhyolitic ignimbrite boulders in the Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation of southern Utah: Geology, v. 17, p. 281-284.

Chapman, M.G., 1993, Catastrophic floods during the Middle Jurassic: Evidence in the upper member and Crystal Creek member of the Carmel Formation, southern Utah: Mesozoic Paleogeography of the Western United States, SEPM--Pacific Section Symposium Volume II, p. 407-416.

Chapman, M.G., B.M. French, M. Kilgore, D.S. Lauretta, S.G. Lucas, J.F. McHone, L.H. Tanner, W.S. Wolbach, and K.E. Zeigler, 2002, Investigating causes of widespread wildfire and associated dinosaur deaths in the Upper Triassic Snyder Quarry site of New Mexico: Preliminary results. GSA abs. with prog. 34, no. 6, 235-8.

Tanner, L.H., M.G. Chapman, and K.E. Zeigler, 2003. Facies analysis and sedimentologic model for deposition of bone-bearing strata in the Petrified Forest Formation at Snyder quarry, north-central New Mexico. New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin 24, 41-48.

Tanner, L.H., S.G. Lucas, and M.G. Chapman, 2003. Assessing the record and causes of Late Triassic extinctions. Earth-Science Reviews (in press).

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Chapman, M.G., Masursky, Harold, and Dial, A.L., Jr., 1989, Geologic maps of science study area 1A, East Mangala Valles, Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series map I-1962, 1:500,000-scale.

Chapman, M.G., and Scott, D.H., l989, Geology and hydrology of the north Kasei Valles area, Mars, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 19th, Houston, March 14-18, 88, Proceedings, part 1: Lunar and Planetary Institute, p. 367-375.

Scott, D.H., and Chapman, M.G., l989, Geologic setting of an unusual Martian channel: Hypotheses on origin, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 19th, Houston, March 14-18, 1988, Proceedings, part 1: Lunar and Planetary Institute, p. 377-382.

Chapman, M.G., and Tanaka, K.L., 1990, Small valleys and hydrologic history of the lower Mangala Valles region, Mars, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 20th, Houston, March 13-17, 1989, Proceedings, part 2: Lunar and Planetary Institute, p. 531-539.

Tanaka, K.L., and Chapman, M.G., 1990, The relation of catastrophic flooding of Mangala Valles, Mars, to fracturing of Memnonia Fossae: Journal of Geophysical Research (Special Issue on the 4th International Mars Conference), p. 14,315-14,323.

Chapman, M.G., Masursky, Harold, and Dial, A.L., Jr., 1991, Geological maps of science study area 1B, West Mangala Valles, Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2087, 1:500,000-scale.

Chapman, M.G., Masursky, Harold, and Scott, D.H., 1991, Geological maps of science study area 2, north Kasei Valles, Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2107, 1:5000,000-scale.

Scott, D.H., and Chapman, M.G., 1991, Mars Elysium Basin: Geologic/volumetric analyses of a young lake and exobiologic implications, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 21st, Houston, March 12-16, 1990, Proceedings, part 2: Lunar and Planetary Institute, p. 669-677.

Scott, D.H., and Chapman, M.G., 1991, Geological map of science study area 6, Memnonia region, Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2084, 1:500,000-scale.

Tanaka, K.L., Chapman, M.G., and Scott, D.H., 1992, Geologic map of the Elysium region of Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2147, 1:5,000,000-scale.

Scott, D.H., Chapman, M.G., Rice, J.W. Jr., and Dohm, J.M., 1992, New evidence of lacustrine basins on Mars: Amazonis and Utopia Planitiae, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 22nd, Houston, March 18-22, 1991, Proceedings: Lunar and Planetary Institute, p. 53-62.

Tanaka, K.L., and Chapman, M.G., 1992, Kasei: Valles, Mars: Interpretation of Canyon materials and flood sources, in Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 23rd Houston, March 12-16, 1991, Proceedings: Lunar and Planetary Institute, p.

Chapman, M.G., and Tanaka, K.L., 1993, Geologic map of the MTM -05152 and -10152 quadrangles, Mangala Valles region of Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2294, 1:500,000-scale.

Tanaka, K.L., Schaber, G.G., Chapman, M.G., and 8 others, 1993, The Venus geologic mappers' handbook: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-516.

Scott, D.H., and Chapman, M.G., 1995, Geologic and topographic maps of the Elysium Paleolake basin, Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2397, 1:500,000-scale.

Chapman, M.G., and Tanaka, K.L., 1994, Geologic maps of the MTM 25062 quadrangle (digital compilation) and the MTM 25067 quadrangle (manual compilation), Kasei Valles region of Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2398, 1:500,000-scale.

Scott, D.H., and Chapman, M.G., 1995, Geologic and topographic maps of the Elysium Paleolake basin, Mars: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2397, 1:500,000-scale.

Chapman, M.G. and J.S. Kargel, 1999, Observations at the Mars Pathfinder Site--Do they provide "unequivocal" evidence of catastrophic flooding?: JGR-Planets 104, 8671-8678.

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Tanaka, K.L., Schaber, G.G., Chapman, M.G., and 8 others, 1993, The Venus geologic mappers' handbook: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 93-516.

Chapman, M.G., and Kirk, R.L., 1996, A migratory mantle plume on Venus: Implications for Earth?: JGR-Solid Earth, v. 101, p. 15,953-15,967.

Chapman, M.G., 1997, Geologic/Geomorphic map of the Galindo (V40) quadrangle, Venus: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2613, 1:5,000,000 scale.

Chapman, M.G. and J.R. Zimbelman, 1998, Coronae Associations and their implications for Venus: Icarus 132, 344-361.

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DeHon, R.A., N.G. Barlow, M.K Reagan, E.A. Bettis III, C.T. Foster Jr., L.S. Crumpler, J.C. Aubele, V.C. Gulick, H.J. Thomas, M.G. Chapman, and K.L. Tanaka, 2000, Remote observation of the geology and geomorphology of the 1999 Marsokhod test site: JGR-Planets 106, 7665-7682.

Stoker, C.R., N.A. Cabrol, T.R. Rousch, J. Moersch, J. Aubele, N. Barlow, A. Bettis, J. Bishop, M. Chapman, S. Clifford, C. Cockell, L. Crumpler, R. Craddock, R. Dehon, T. Foster, V. Gulick, E. Grin, K. Horton, G. Hovde, J.R. Johnson, P.C. Lee, M.T. Lemmon, J. Marschall, H.E. Newsom, G.G. Ori, M. Reagan, J.W. Rice, S.W. Ruff, J. Schreiner, M. Sims, P.H. Smith, K. Tanaka, H.J. Thomas, G. Thomas, and R.A. Yingst, 2000, The 1999 Marsokhod Rover Mission Simulation at Silver Lake California: Mission Overview, Data Sets, and Summary of Results: JGR-Planets 106, E5, 7639-7663.

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Chapman, M. G., 1994. Evidence, age, and thickness of a frozen paleolake in Utopia Planitia, Mars, Icarus 109, 393-406.

Chapman, M. G., C. C. Allen, M. T. Gudmundsson, V. C. Gulick, S. P. Jakobsson, B. K. Lucchitta, I. P.Skilling, and R. B. Waitt 2000. Volcanism and ice interactions on Earth and Mars. in Deep Oceans to Deep Space: Environmental Effects on Volcanic Eruptions, T.K.P. Gregg and J.R. Zimbelman (Eds.), pp. 39-74, Plenum Press, New York.

Chapman, M. G. and K. L. Tanaka 2001. The interior deposits on Mars: sub-ice volcanoes?. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 10,087-10,100.

Chapman, M.G., M.T. Gudmundsson, V.C.Gulick, S.P. Jakobsson, I.P.Skilling, and J.L. Smellie, 2001, Study of volcano/ice interactions gains momentum, EOS 82, no. 21, May 22, 234-235.

Chapman, M.G. and K.L. Tanaka, 2002, Sub-ice volcanic origin for outflow channels, chasmata, chaos and surface materials in Xanthe, Margaritifer, and Meridiani Terrae, Mars, Icarus v. 155, no. 2, 324-339.

Chapman, M.G., 2002, Layered, massive, and thin sediments on Mars: Possible Late Noachian to Late Amazonian tephra? Smellie, J. L. & Chapman, M. G. (eds) Volcano--Ice Interactions on Earth and Mars. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 202, 273-203.

Chapman, M.G., 2003, Sub-ice volcanoes and ancient oceans/lakes: A Martian challenge, in Subglacial lakes' detection, outbursts mechanisms and consequences, Amir Moktari-Fard (Ed.), Special Paper on Subglacial Lake Detection, Global and Planetary Change 35, 185-198.

Chapman, M.G., M.T. Gudmundsson, A.J. Russell, T.M. Hare, 2003. Possible Juventae Chasma sub-ice volcanic eruptions and Maja Valles ice outburst floods, Mars: Implications of MGS crater densities, geomorphology, and topography. JGR-Planets 108, E10, 5113, 2(1)-2(20).

Chapman, M.G. and Gudrun Larson, 2004, Products of powerful volcanic explosions on Earth and possible comparison materials on Mars. R.M. Lopes and T.K.P. Gregg (eds.), Our Volcanic Worlds: Exploring the Solar System's Volcanoes, Praxis Press, (in press).

Chapman, M.G., 2005. Possible Icelandic analogues for Valles Marineris Interior layered deposits and associated outflow channels on Mars. Ph.D. Dissertation, Keele University, School of Earth Sciences & Geography, Keele, Stafforshire, ST5 5BG, U.K., 160 pp.

Chapman, M.G. and J.L. Smellie, 2007. Mars interior layered deposits and terrestrial sub-ice volcanoes compared: Observations and interpretations of similar geomorphic characteristics: in The Geology of Mars: Evidence from Earth-based Analogs, M.G. Chapman (Ed.) Cambridge University Press, UK, (in press).

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K. E. Herkenhoff, S. W. Squyres, R. Anderson, B. A. Archinal, R. E. Arvidson, J. M. Barrett, K. J. Becker, J. F. Bell III, P. Bertelsen, C. Budney, N. A. Cabrol, M. G. Chapman, D. Cook, B. Ehlmann, J. Farmer, B. Franklin, L. R. Gaddis, D. M. Galuszka, P. A. Garcia, T. M. Hare, E. Howington-Kraus, J. R. Johnson, S. Johnson, K. Kinch, R. L. Kirk, E. M. Lee, C. Leff, M. Lemmon, M. B. Madsen, J. N. Maki, K. F. Mullins, B. L. Redding, L. Richter, M. R. Rosiek, M. H. Sims, L. A. Soderblom, N. Spanovich, R. Springer, R. M. Sucharski, T. Sucharski, R. Sullivan, and J. M. Torson 2006. Overview of the Microscopic Imager Investigation during Spirit's first 450 sols in Gusev crater. JGR-Planets 111, E02S04, doi:10.1029/2005je002574

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Chapman, M.G., 1999, Super Gene: Father of planetary geology, scientific historian, Moon mapper, asteroid finder: People Land & Water, v. 6, no. 2, p. 70.

Chapman, M.G., 2001, Rock Stars: Eugene M. Shoemaker and the Integration of Earth and Sky: GSA Today, v. 11, no. 4, 20-21.

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