Dr. John L. Berkley, Chair

Professor John (Jack) Berkley (Ph.D. Univ. of New Mexico, 1977) is the chairperson of the department. He is an igneous/metamorphic petrologist and planetary scientist. His major research has centered on petrological and geochemical studies of a certain class of meteorites called achondrites. During the summers of 1998 and 1999, Dr. Berkley accepted a NASA fellowship that involved petrological and geochemical work on a Martian meteorite (EETA79001). He spent about 10 weeks at Johnson Space Center, Houston, each summer using the electron microprobe facilities, collaborating with colleagues, and taking advantage of the fine research resources available at JSC and the nearby Lunar & Planetary Institute. He gave two talks on this research to the 30th and 31st Lunar & Planetary Science Conferences (March 1999 and 2000 at JSC, Houston).

Berkley has also worked on the petrofabrics of some Antarctic Brachinites as part of a larger study on these meteorites with Dr. David W. Mittlefehldt, planetary scientist at JSC. Mittlefehldt, by the way, is a 1973 of the SUNY Fredonia Geology Department (as it was called then).

Dr. Berkley's current research revolves around a Ba-Mn-oxide cemented black sandstone occurrence along Canadaway Creek in Fredonia. This study has revealed that the unusual cementing agents were likely deposited biologically, by Mn-oxidizing bacteria. The study, which involves the cooperation of the Biology Department, may have implications for life processes on other planets.

Dr. Berkley teaches courses in Petrology (rocks), Environmental Geology, Planetary Astronomy, and Volcanoes.

Jack Berkley vita in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format

Dr. Berkley should be consulted for information about course scheduling, or if you have other questions about the department or its programs. He is also the "webmaster" for these web pages, and can be reached via e-mail at the address below.

{Photo, left: SEM image of laminated Mn-oxide-hydroxide minerals deposited by bacteria in sandstone, with microprobe analysis points (red)}

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