ETSU Department of Geosciences

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

Congratulations to Drs. Schubert and Samuels on their recent publication in PaleoBios that revises the age of short-faced bears by over a million years. The paper is open access and can be found here: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zs962s4

08/04/2026

Congratulation to alumni of the department Robert McSweeney as well as Drs. Nandi, Ernenwein, and Luffman on their new publication in Environmental & Engineering Geoscience. The article titled; “Change Detection for a Slow-Moving Soil Landslide Using Multi-Source LIDAR” comes from Robert’s thesis research. The team used UAV-based LiDAR sensors to detect changes in the surface of a 59-acre landslide area located near an interstate highway in eastern Tennessee. The analysis revealed scarp and toe positions shifting 11.8–41.7 in. per year and elevation changes ranging from −7.4 ft of erosion to +6.6 ft of deposition. Although widespread geomorphic change was limited, persistent surface deformation indicated ongoing landslide activity. Field verification and inclinometer comparisons confirmed the LiDAR-based assessments, demonstrating the value of repeated LiDAR monitoring for evaluating the surface expression of slow-moving landslides and supporting long-term transportation infrastructure management.
The full article will be available for open access in the November issue of the journal.

07/01/2026

ETSU is part of a NASA-funded project led by the University of Alabama in Huntsville to improve drought monitoring in the Southeast.

06/18/2026

Last weekend Dr. Wallace and master's students Joe and Will presented at the American Society of Mammologists, and a big congratulations to Joe on winning the “Outstanding Oral Presentation – Master’s Student” award!

06/03/2026

ETSU researchers are helping uncover a largely hidden chapter of American history.

Using advanced LiDAR technology, faculty partnered with researchers and historians in New York to search for traces of Timbuctoo — a mid-1800s settlement established for free Black Americans in the Adirondack Mountains.

The work combines cutting-edge geospatial research with archaeology and history to recover stories nearly lost to time.

https://news.etsu.edu/articles/etsu-researchers-help-uncover-hidden-black-settlement

06/02/2026

We were happy to have a group from the ETSU Upward Bound program visit the department today to learn about our use of drones for mapping as well as making weather observations using infrared thermometers and sling psychrometers.

05/20/2026

A potentially powerful El Niño could develop later this year – but what would that actually mean for Appalachia?

ETSU researchers are tracking how shifting Pacific Ocean temperatures could influence drought conditions, hurricane activity and weather patterns across Tennessee and the broader Appalachian region.

https://news.etsu.edu/articles/what-a-powerful-el-nino-could-mean-for-appalachia

05/19/2026

Congratulations!

05/15/2026

Last week Dr. Ernenwein and adjunct instructor Mr. Jones from the department worked on a project with Dr. Cochran from the Sociology and Anthropology Department at ETSU and researchers and students from SUNY Potsdam using a LiDAR drone to map around 200 acres in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state. The project was looking for evidence of Timbuctoo, a 19th-century Black settlement founded near Lake Placid, NY by white abolitionist Gerrit Smith in the mid-1800s. So far, the LiDAR maps have identified around five small areas that may contain remnants of field systems, stone piles, or building foundations. Those locations will guide future ground surveys and excavations as archaeologists continue working to match the digital landscape to what once stood on it.
For more information on the project check out this article and radio broadcast from North Country Public Radio: https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/53422/2026514/how-drones-are-uncovering-early-traces-of-black-settlements-in-the-adirondacks
Photos from David Escobar (Reporter at North Country Public Radio).