Paul Renne
Faculty

Paul Renne
Applications of geochronology and paleomagnetism to various problems in the evolution of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
Teaching Schedule
Office Hours
1987-1989 Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton University
1987 PhD in Geology, U. C. Berkeley
1982 AB (with Highest Honors) in Geology, U. C. Berkeley
Prof. Renne is Director of the Berkeley Geochronology Center. His research includes applications of geochronology and
paleomagnetism to various problems in the evolution of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Recent foci include continental flood basalts and plume-related magmatism, mass extinctions, human evolution, chronostratigraphy, tectonics, and calibration of the geologic time scale. In parallel, work on improving geochronologic methods and capabilities is ongoing. Fieldwork is principally in North and South America, and Africa, but also includes Europe and Asia.
Link to the Berkeley Geochronology Center at http://www.bgc.org
ARCHEOLOGY AND PALEOANTHROPOLOGY
Clark, J.D., Beyene, Y., WoldeGabriel, G., William Hart, W.K., Renne, P.R., Gilbert, H., Defleur, A., Suwa, G., Katoh, S., Ludwig, K.R., Boisserie, J.-R., Asfaw, B., and White, T.D., 2003, Stratigraphic, chronological, and behavioral contexts of Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia: Nature 423, 747-752.
Asfaw, B., Gilbert, H., Beyene, Y., Hart, W.K., Renne, P.R., WoldeGabriel, G., Vrba, E., and White, T.D., 2002, Remains of Homo erectus from Bouri, Middle Awash, Ethiopia: Nature 416: 317-320.
WoldeGabriel, G., Haile-Selassie, Y., Renne, P.R., White, T.D., Hart, W.K., Ambrose, S., Asfaw, B., and Heiken, G., 2001, Geology and palaeontology of the Late Miocene Middle Awash, Afar Rift, Ethiopia: Nature 412: 175-178.
Karner, D.B., Lombardi, L., Marra, F., Fortini, P., and Renne, P.R., 2001, Age of Ancient Monuments by Means of Building Stone Provenance: a Case Study of the Tullianum, Rome, Italy: Journal of Archeological Science 28 (4): 387-393.
WoldeGabriel, G., G. Heiken, T.D. White, B. Asfaw, W.K. Hart, and P.R. Renne, 2000, Volcanism, tectonism, sedimentation, and the paleoanthropological record in the Ethiopian Rift System, in McCoy, F.W. and Heiken, G. (Eds.), Volcanic Hazards and Disasters in Human Antiquity: Geological Society of America Special Paper 345: 83-99.
Rook, L., Renne, P.R., Benvenuti, M., and Papini, M., 2000, Geochronology of Oreopithecus-bearing succession at Baccinello (Italy) and the extinction pattern of European Miocene hominoids: Journal of Human Evolution 39: 577-582.
Katoh, S., Nagaoka, S., WoldeGabriel, G., Renne, P., Snow, M.G., Beyene, Y., and Suwa, G., 2000, Lithology, Chronostratigraphy and correlation of the Plio-Pleistocene tephra layers of the Konso Formation, southern Main Ethiopian Rift, Ethiopia: Quaternary Science Reviews 19: 1305-1317.
Ludwig, K.R., and Renne, P.R., 2000, Geochronology on the Paleoanthropological time scale: Evolutionary Anthropology 9(2): 101-110.
Renne, P.R., WoldeGabriel, G., Hart, W.K., Heiken, G., and White, T.D., 1999, Chronostratigraphy of the Miocene-Pliocene Sagantole Formation, Middle Awash Valley, Afar Rift, Ethiopia: Geological Society of America Bulletin 111: 869-885.
deHeinzelin, J., Clark, J.D., White, T.D., Hart, W.K., Renne, P.R., WoldeGabriel, G., Beyene, Y., and Vrba, E., 1999, Environment and Behavior of 2.5 Million-Year-Old Bouri Hominids: Science 284: 625-629.
Deino, A.L., Renne, P.R., and Swisher, C.C, 1998, 40Ar/39Ar Dating in Paleoanthropology and Archeology: Evolutionary Anthropology 6 (2): 63-75.
Suwa, G., Asfaw, B., Beyene, Y., White, T.D., Katoh, S., Nagaoka, S., Nakaya, H., Uzawa, K., Renne, P.R., and WoldeGabriel, G., 1997, The First Skull of Australopithecus boiseii: Nature 389: 489-492.
Renne, P.R., W.D. Sharp, A.L. Deino, G. Orsi, and L. Civetta, 1997, 40Ar/39Ar Dating into the Historical Realm: Calibration against Pliny the Younger: Science 277: 1279-1280.
Semaw, S., P.R. Renne, J.W.K. Harris, C.S. Feibel, R.L. Bernor, N. Fesseha, and K. Mowbray, 1997, 2.5 million year old stone tools from Gona, Ethiopia: Nature, 385: 333-336.
Alvarez, W., A.J. Ammerman, P.R. Renne, D.B. Karner, N. Terrenato, and A. Montanari, 1996, Quaternary fluvial-volcanic stratigraphy and geochronology of the Capitoline Hill in Rome: Implications for Archeology and glacial cycles: Geology 24: 751-754.
WoldeGabriel, G., P.R. Renne, T.D. White, G. Suwa, J. de Heinzelin, W.K. Hart, and G. Heiken, 1995, Age of Early Hominids: Nature 376: 558-559.
WoldeGabriel, G., T.D. White, G. Suwa, P.R. Renne, J. de Heinzelin, W. Hart and G. Heiken, 1994, Ecological and temporal context of early Pliocene hominids at Aramis, Ethiopia: Nature 371: 330-333.
Renne, P.R., R.C. Walter, K.L. Verosub, M. Sweitzer and J.L. Aronson, 1993, New data from Hadar (Ethiopia) support orbitally tuned time scale to 3.3 Million Years Ago: Geophysical Research Letters 20: 1,067-1,070.
EXTRATERRESTRIAL
Schultz, P.H., Z�rate, M., Hames, B., Koeberl, C., Bunch, T., Storzer, D., Renne, P.R., and Wittke, J., 2004, The Quaternary impact record from the Pampas, Argentina: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 219: 221-238.
Min, K., Farley, K.A., Renne, P.R., and Marti, K., 2003, Single grain (U-Th)/He ages from phosphates in Acapulco meteorite and implications for thermal history: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 209: 323-337.
Busby, C.J., Yip, G., Blikra, L., and Renne, P.R., 2002, Coastal landsliding and catastrophic sedimentation triggered by K/T bolide impact: A Pacific margin example?: Geology 30: 687-690.
Renne, P.R., Reimold, W.U., Koeberl, C., Hough, R., and Claeys, P., 2002, Critical comment on: I.T. Uysal et al. �K-Ar evidence from illitic clays of a Late Devonian age for the 120 km diameter Woodleigh impact structure, Southern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia�: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 201 (1/2): 247-252.
Muller, R.A., Becker, T.A., Culler, T.S., and Renne, P.R., 2001, Solar System impact rates measured from lunar spherule ages, in Accretion of Extraterrestrial Matter Throughout Earth�s History, B. Peucker-Ehrenbrink and B. Schmitz (Eds.), Kluwer Publishers, pp. 447-452.
Culler, T.S., Becker, T.A., Muller, R.A., and Renne, P.R., 2000, Lunar impact history from 40Ar/39Ar dating of glass spherules: Science 287, 1785-1788.
Renne, P.R., 2000, 40Ar/39Ar age of plagioclase from Acapulco meteorite and the problem of systematic errors in cosmochronology: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 175:13-26.
Swisher, C.C. III, J.M. Grajales-Nishimura, A. Montanari, S.V. Margolis, P. Claeys, W. Alvarez, P. Renne, E. Cedillo-Pardo, F. J.-M. Mourasse, G.H. Curtis, J. Smit, M.O. McWilliams, 1992, Coeval 40Ar/39Ar Ages of 65.0 Ma from Chicxulub Crater Melt Rock and Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Tektites: Science 257: 954-958.
IGNEOUS PROCESSES
Nomade, S., Renne, P.R., Mo, X., Zhao, Z., and Zhou, S., 2004, Miocene Potassic and Ultrapotassic Volcanism in the Lhasa Block: Spatial Trends and Geodynamic Implications: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, in press.
Nomade, S., Renne, P.R., and Merkle, R.K.W., 2004, 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on ore deposition and cooling of the Bushveld Complex, South Africa: Journal of the Geological Society of London, in press.
Marra, F., Freda, C., Scarlato, P., Taddeucci, J., Karner, D.B., Renne, P.R., Gaeta, M., Palladino, D.M., Trigila, R., Cavarretta G., 2003, 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology and Compositional Features of Young Volcanic Rocks from the Alban Hills Volcanic District (Rome, Italy): Evidence of Rejuvenation Volcanism: Bulletin of Volcanology 65: 227-247.
Courtillot, V.E., and Renne, P.R., 2003, On the Ages of Flood Basalt Events: Compte Rend. Geosci., 335: 113-140.
Knight, K.B., Renne, P.R., Halkett, A., and White, N., 2003, 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Rajahmundry Traps, eastern India, and their relationship to the Deccan Traps: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 208: 85-99.
Teixeira, W., Pinese, J.P.P., Iacumin, M., Girardi, V.A.V., Piccirillo, E.M., Echeveste, H., Ribot, A., Fernandez, R., Renne, P.R., and Heaman, L.M., 2002, Calc-alkaline and tholeiitic dyke swarms of Tandilia, Rio De La Plata Craton, Argentina: U-Pb, Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and 40Ar/39Ar data provide new clues for intraplate rifting shortly after the Trans-Amazonian orogeny: Precambrian Research 119: 329-353.
De Min, A., Piccirillo, E.M., Marzoli, A., Bellieni, G., Renne, P.R., Ernesto, M., and Marques, L.S., 2002, The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province in Brazil: Petrogenesis, 40Ar/39Ar Ages, Paleomagnetism and Geodynamic Implications, in The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province: Insights from Fragments of Pangea (W.E. Hames, G.M. McHone, P.R. Renne, and C. Ruppel, Eds.) Geophysical Monograph Series 136, American Geophyscal Union,10.1029/136GM06.
Lyons, J.O., Coe, R.S., Zhao, X., Renne, P.R., Kazansky, A.Y., Izokh, A.E., Kungurtsev, L.V., Mitrokhin, D.V., 2002, Paleomagnetism of the early Triassic Semeitau igneous series, eastern Kazakhstan: Journal of Geophysical Research 107: 10.1029/2001JB000521.
Ukstins, I.A., Renne, P.R., Wolfenden, E., Baker, J., Menzies, M., and Aleyew, D., 2002, Matching conjugate volcanic margins: 40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of pre- and syn-rift bimodal flood volcanism in Ethiopia and Yemen: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 198 (3/4): 289-306.
Mertz, D.F., Weinrich, A., Sharp, W.D., and Renne, P.R., 2001, Alkaline intrusions in a near-trench setting, Franciscan Complex, California: Constraints from geochemistry, petrology, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology: American Journal of Science 301 (10): 877-911.
Blatter, D.L., Carmichael, I.S.E., Deino, A.L., and Renne, P.R., 2001, Neogene volcanism at the front of the central Mexican volcanic belt: Basaltic andesite to dacite, with contemporaneous shoshonite and high-TiO2 lava: Geological Society of America Bulletin 113: 1324-1342.
Karner, D.B., Marra, F., and Renne, P.R., 2001, The history of the Monti Sabatini and Alban Hills volcanoes: Groundwork for assessing volcanic-tectonic hazards for Rome: Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 107 (1-3): 185-215.
Min, K., Renne, P.R., and Huff, W.D., 2001,40Ar/39Ar dating of Ordovician K-bentonites in Laurentia and Baltoscandia: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 185 (1-2): 121-134.
Hames, W.E., Renne, P.R., and Ruppel, C.R., 2000, New evidence for geologically-instantaneous emplacement of earliest Jurassic Central Atlantic magmatic province basalts on the North American margin: Geology 28: 859-862.
Marzoli, A., Piccirillo E.M., Renne P.R., Bellieni G., Iacumin M., Nyobe, J.B, and Tongwa, A.T., 2000, The Cameroon Volcanic Line Revisited: Petrogenesis of Continental Basaltic Magmas from Lithosopheric and Asthenospheric Mantle Sources: Journal of Petrology 41: 87-109.
Marzoli, A., Melluso, L., Morra, V., Renne, P.R., Sgrosso, I., D'Antonio, M., L. Duarte Morais, E.A.A., Morais, E.A.A., and Ricci, G., 1999, Geochronology and Petrology of Cretaceous Basaltic Magmatism in the Kwanza Basin (Western Angola), and Relationships with the Paran�-Etendeka Flood Basalt Province: Journal of Geodynamics 28: 341-356.
Ernesto, M., Raposo, M.I.B., Marques, L.S., Renne, P.R., 1999, Diogo, L.A. de Min, A., Paleomagnetism, geochemistry and 40Ar/39Ar dating of the North-eastern Paran� Magmatic Province: tectonic implications: Journal of Geodynamics 28: 321-340.
Sharp, W.D., and Renne, P.R., 1999, Commentary on: Chronology of Emplacement of Mesozoic batholithic complexes in California and western Nevada by J.F. Evernden and R.W. Kistler: Geological Society of America Special Paper 338: 186-200.
Marzoli, A., Renne, P.R., Piccirillo, E., Francesca, C., Bellieni, G., Melfi, A., Nyobe, J.B., and N'ni, J., 1999, Silicic magmas from the continental Cameroon Volcanic Line (Oku, Bambouto and Ngaoundere): 40Ar-39Ar dates, petrology, Sr-Nd-O isotopes and their petrogenetic significance: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 135: 133-150.
Marzoli, A., Renne, P.R., Piccirillo, E.M., Ernesto, M., Bellieni, G., and De Min, A., 1999, Extensive 200 Million Year Old Continental Flood Basalts of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province: Science 284: 616-618.
Teixeira, W., Renne, P.R., Bossi, J., Campal, N., and D'Agrella Filho, M.S., 1999, 40Ar/39Ar and Rb-Sr geochronology of the Uruguayan dike swarm, Rio de la Plata Craton and implications for Proterozoic intraplate activity in western Gondwanaland: Precambrian Research 93: 153-180.
Raposo, M.I.B., M. Ernesto, and P.R. Renne, 1998, Paleomagnetism and 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Florian�polis dike swarm, Santa Catarina Island, Brazil: Physics of Earth and Planetary Interiors 108: 275-290.
Glen, J.M., Renne, P.R., Milner, S.C., and Coe, R.S., 1997, Magma Flow Inferred from Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility in the Coastal Paran�-Etendeka Igneous Province: Evidence for Rifting before Flood Volcanism: Geology 25: 1131-1134.
Wenzel, T., Mertz, D.F., Oberh�nsli, R., Becker, T., Renne, P.R., 1997, Age, geodynamic setting and mantle enrichment processes of a K-rich intrusion from the Meissen Massif (Northern Bohemian Massif) and implications for related occurrences from the Mid-European Hercynian, Geologische Rundschau 86: 556-570.
Hirschmann, M.M., P.R. Renne and A.R. McBirney, 1997, 40Ar/39Ar Dating of the Skaergaard Intrusion: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 146: 645-658.
Renne, P.R., K. Deckart, M. Ernesto, G. F�raud, and E.M. Piccirillo, 1996, Age of the Ponta Grossa Dike Swarm (Brazil) and Implications for Paran� Flood Volcanic Province: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 144: 199-212.
Renne, P.R., J.M. Glen, S.M. Milner, A.R. Duncan, 1996, Age of Etendeka Flood Volcanism and Associated Intrusions in southwestern Africa: Geology 24: 659-662.
Sharp, W.D., B.D. Turrin, P.R. Renne, and M.A. Lanphere, 1996, The 40Ar/39Ar and K/Ar dating of core from the Hilo 1-km core hole, Hawaiian Scientific Drilling Project, Journal of Geophysical Research 101: 11,607-11,616.
Basu, A.R., R.J. Poreda, P.R. Renne, F. Teichmann, Y. Vasiliev, N.V. Sobolev, and B.D. Turrin, 1995, High-3He plume origin and temporal-spatial evolution of the Siberian flood basalts, Science 269: 822-825.
Renne, P.R., 1995, Excess 40Ar in biotite and hornblende from the Norils'k 1 intrusion: Implications for the age of the Siberian Traps: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 131: 165-176.
Righter, K., I.S.E. Carmichael, T.A. Becker, and P.R. Renne, 1995, Pliocene-Quaternary volcanism and faulting at the intersection of the Gulf of California and the Mexican Volcanic Belt: Geological Society of America Bulletin 107: 612-626.
Mart�n, A., J.M. Stock, P. Layer, B. Hausback, P.R. Renne and M. Lopez-Martinez, 1995, Arc-rift transition volcanism in the Puertecitos volcanic province, northeastern Baja California, Mexico: Geological Society of America Bulletin 107: 407-424.
Mertz, D.F., and P.R. Renne, 1994, Quaternary multi-stage alkaline volcanism at Vesteris Seamount (Norwegian-Greenland Sea): Evidence from laser step heating 40Ar/39Ar experiments:Geodynamics 19: 79-95.
Moore, G., C. Marone, I.S.E. Carmichael and P.R. Renne, 1994, Basaltic Volcanism and Extension near the intersection of the Sierra Madre Occident�l and the Mexican Volcanic Belt:Geological Society of America Bulletin 106: 383-394.
Lange, R.A., I.S.E. Carmichael and P.R. Renne, 1993, Potassic volcanism near Mono Basin, California: Evidence for high water and oxygen fugacities inherited from subduction: Geology 21: 949-952.
Basu, A.R., P.R. Renne, D.K. DasGupta, F. Teichmann, and R.J. Poreda, 1993, Early and late alkali igneous pulses and a high- 3He plume origin for the Deccan Flood basalts: Science 261: 902-905.
Renne, P.R., M. Ernesto, I.G. Pacca, R.S. Coe, J.M. Glen, M. Pr�vot and M. Perrin, 1992, Age of Paran� flood volcanism, rifting of Gondwanaland, and the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary: Science 258: 975-979.
Renne, P.R., and A. R. Basu, 1991, Rapid Eruption of the Siberian Traps Flood Basalts at the Permo-Triassic Boundary: Science 253: 176-179.
METHODOLOGY
Norman, E.B., Browne, E., Goldman, I.D., and Renne, P.R., 2004, Improved Limit on the Electron Capture Decay Branch of 176Lu: Applied Radiation and Isotopes 60: 767-770.
Feinberg, J.M., Wenk, H.-R., Renne, P.R., and Scott, G.R., 2004, Epitaxial relationships of clinopyroxene-hosted magnetite determined using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique: American Mineralogist 89: 462-466.
Zhu, R., Hoffman, K.A., Nomade, S., Renne, P.R., Shi, R., Pan, Y., and Shi, G., 2004, Geomagnetic paleointensity and direct age determination of the ISEA (M-0r?) chron: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 217: 285-295.
Schmitz, M.D., Bowring, S.A., Ludwig, K.R., and Renne, P.R., 2003, Comment on �Precise K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar, Rb-Sr and U/Pb mineral ages from the 27.5 Ma Fish Canyon Tuff reference standard� by M. A. Lanphere and H. Baadsgaard: Chemical Geology 199, 277-280.
Renne, P.R., Scott, G.R., Glen, J.M.G., and Feinberg, J.M., 2002, Oriented inclusions of single domain magnetite in clinopyroxene: Source of stable remanent magnetization in gabbros of the Messum Complex, Namibia: Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 3: 10.1029/2002GC000319.
Kwon, J., Min, K., Bickel, P., and Renne, P.R., 2002, Statistical methods for jointly estimating decay constant of 40K and age of a dating standard: Mathematical Geology 34 (4): 457-474.
Baxter, E.F., DePaolo, D.J., and Renne, P.R., 2002, Spatially correlated anomalous 40Ar/39Ar �age� variations in biotites about a lithologic contact near Simplon Pass, Switzerland: A mechanistic explanation for �excess Ar�: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 66 (6): 1067-1083.
Karner, D.B., Renne, P.R., McDougall, I., and Becker, T.A., 2001, The Viability of Leucite for 40Ar/39Ar Dating and as a Quaternary Standard: Chemical Geology (Isotope Geoscience Section) 177 (3-4): 473-482.
Renne, P.R., Farley, K.A., Becker, T.A., and Sharp, W.D., 2001, Terrestrial Cosmogenic Argon: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 188 (3-4): 435-440.
Renne, P.R., and Norman, E.B., 2001, Determination of the half-life of 37Ar by mass spectrometry: Physical Review C 63: 047302 (3 pp.).
Begemann, F., Ludwig, K.R., Lugmair, G.W., Min, K., Nyquist, L.E., Patchett, P.J., Renne, P.R., Shih, C.-Y., Villa, I.M., Walker, R.J., 2001, Call for an improved set of decay constants for geochronological use: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 65: 111-121.
Renne, P.R., 2000, 40Ar/39Ar age of plagioclase from Acapulco meteorite and the problem of systematic errors in cosmochronology: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 175:13-26.
Renne, P.R., 2000, K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar Dating, in Quaternary Geochronology: Methods and Applications (J.S. Noller, J.M. Sowers, and W.R. Lettis, Eds.): American Geophysical Union Reference Shelf Series 4: 77-100.
Min, K., Mundil, R., Renne, P.R., and Ludwig, K.R., 2000, A Test for Systematic Errors in 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology Through Comparison with U-Pb Analysis of a 1.1 Ga Rhyolite: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 64(1): 73-98.
Renne, P.R., Karner, D.B., and Ludwig, K.R., 1998, Absolute Ages Aren�t Exactly: Science 282: 1840-1841.
Renne, P.R., C.C. Swisher, A.L. Deino, D.B. Karner, T. Owens, and D.J. DePaolo, 1998, Intercalibration of Standards, Absolute Ages and Uncertainties in 40Ar/39Ar Dating: Chemical Geology (Isotope Geoscience Section) 145 (1-2): 117-152.
Renne, P.R., W.D. Sharp, A.L. Deino, G. Orsi, and L. Civetta, 1997, 40Ar/39Ar Dating into the Historical Realm: Calibration against Pliny the Younger: Science 277: 1279-1280.
Vasconcelos, P.M., P.R. Renne, T.A. Becker and H.-R. Wenk, 1995, Mechanisms and kinetics of argon release (radiogenic, atmospheric and nucleogenic) from K-Mn oxides during in vacuo heating for 40Ar/39Ar dating: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 59: 2057-2070.
Renne, P.R., A.L. Deino, R.C. Walter, B.D. Turrin, C.C. Swisher, T.A. Becker, G.H. Curtis, W.D. Sharp, and A.-R. Jaouni, 1994, Intercalibration of astronomical and radioisotopic time: Geology 22: 783-786.
Renne, P.R., Becker, T.A. and Swapp, S.M., 1990, 40Ar/39Ar Laser-Probe Dating of Detrital Micas from the Montgomery Creek Formation: Clues to Provenance, Tectonics, and Weathering Processes: Geology 18: p. 563-566.
Renne, P.R., and Onstott, T.C., 1988, Laser Selective Demagnetization: Application of a New Technique in Rock Magnetism and Paleomagnetism: Science, 242, p. 1152-1155.
PALECLIMATE, PALEOENVIRONMENTS, EXTINCTIONS
Horn, S.P., Sanford, R.L., Dilcher, D., Lott, T.A., Renne, P.R., Wiemann, M.C., Cozadd, D., and Vargas, O., 2003, Pleistocene plant fossils in and near La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica: Biotropica 35(3): 434-441.
Metcalf, I., Nicoll, R.S., Mundil, R., Foster, C., Glen, J., Lyons, J., Xiaofeng, W., Cheng-yuan, W., Renne, P.R., Black, L., Xun, Q., and Xiaodong, M., 2001, The Permian-Triassic boundary & mass extinction in China: Episodes 24 (4): 239-244.
Renne, P.R., Sharp, W.D., Monta�ez, I.P., Becker, T.A., and Zierenberg, R.A., 2001, 40Ar/39Ar dating of Late Permian evaporites, southeastern New Mexico, USA: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 193 (3/4): 539-547.
Mundil, R., Metcalfe, I., Ludwig, K.R., Renne. P.R., Oberli, F., and Nicoll, R.S., 2001, Timing of the Permian-Triassic biotic crisis: implications for new zircon U/Pb age data (and their limitations): Earth and Planetary Science Letters 187: 133-147.
Tarduno, J.A., Brinkman, D.B., Renne, P.R., Cottrell, R.D., Scher, H., and Castillo, P., 1998, Evidence for Extreme Climatic Warmth from Late Cretaceous Arctic Vertebrates: Science 282, 2241-2243.
Karner, D.B., and Renne, P.R., 1998, 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology of Roman volcanic province tephra in the Tiber River valley: Age calibration of middle Pleistocene sea-level changes: Geological Society of America Bulletin 110: 740-747.
Renne, P.R., Z. Zichao, M. A. Richards, M.T. Black, and A.R. Basu, 1995, Synchrony and Causal Relations Between Permian-Triassic Boundary Crises and Siberian Flood Volcanism, Science 269: 1413-1413.
Vasconcelos, P., P.R. Renne, G.H. Brimhall and T.A. Becker, 1994, Direct dating of weathering phenomena by 40Ar/39Ar and 40K-40Ar analysis of supergene K-Mn oxides: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 58(10) 1635-1665.
Vasconcelos, P., G.H. Brimhall, T.A. Becker and P.R. Renne, 1994, 40Ar/39Ar analysis of supergene jarosite and alunite: Implications to the paleoweathering history of western US and west Africa: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 58: 401-420.
Vasconcelos, P., T.A. Becker, P.R. Renne and G.H. Brimhall, 1992, Age and Duration of Weathering by 40K-40Ar and 40Ar/39Ar analysis of Mn-K Oxides: Science 258: 451-455.
Swisher, C.C. III, J.M. Grajales-Nishimura, A. Montanari, S.V. Margolis, P. Claeys, W. Alvarez, P. Renne, E. Cedillo-Pardo, F. J.-M. Mourasse, G.H. Curtis, J. Smit, M.O. McWilliams, 1992, Coeval 40Ar/39Ar Ages of 65.0 Ma from Chicxulub Crater Melt Rock and Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Tektites: Science 257: 954-958.
D'Agrella, M.S., I.G. Pacca, T.C. Onstott, W. Teixeira and P.R. Renne, 1990, Paleomagnetic evidence for the evolution of Meso- to Neo-Proterozoic glaciogenic rocks in central-eastern Brazil: Paleogeography, Paleoecology, Paleoclimatology 80: 255-265.
Noble, P., and Renne, P.R., 1990, Paleoenvironmental and Biostratigraphic Significance of Siliceous Microfossils of the Permo-Triassic Redding Section, Eastern Klamath Mountains, California: Marine Micropaleontology, 15, p. 379-391.
STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTOLOGY
Renne, P.R., Sharp, W.D., Monta�ez, I.P., Becker, T.A., and Zierenberg, R.A., 2001, 40Ar/39Ar dating of Late Permian evaporites, southeastern New Mexico, USA: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 193 (3/4): 539-547.
Umhoefer, P.J., Dorsey, R.J., Willsey, S., Mayer, L., and Renne P.R., 2001, Stratigraphy and geochronology of the Comond� Group near Loreto, Baja California sur, Mexico: Sedimentary Geology 144 (1-2): 125-147.
Min, K., Renne, P.R., and Huff, W.D., 2001, 40Ar/39Ar dating of Ordovician K-bentonites in Laurentia and Baltoscandia: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 185 (1-2): 121-134.
Renne, P.R., WoldeGabriel, G., Hart, W.K., Heiken, G., and White, T.D., 1999, Chronostratigraphy of the Miocene-Pliocene Sagantole Formation, Middle Awash Valley, Afar Rift, Ethiopia: Geological Society of America Bulletin 111: 869-885.
Katoh, S., Nagaoka, S., WoldeGabriel, G., Renne, P., Snow, M.G., Beyene, Y., and Suwa, G., 2000, Lithology, Chronostratigraphy and correlation of the Plio-Pleistocene tephra layers of the Konso Formation, southern Main Ethiopian Rift, Ethiopia: Quaternary Science Reviews 19: 1305-1317.
Alvarez, W., A.J. Ammerman, P.R. Renne, D.B. Karner, N. Terrenato, and A. Montanari, 1996, Quaternary fluvial-volcanic stratigraphy and geochronology of the Capitoline Hill in Rome: Implications for Archeology and glacial cycles: Geology 24: 751-754.
McKnight, B.K., A.R. Niem, P. Kociolek and P.R. Renne, 1995, Origin of a freshwater-diatom-rich pyroclastic-debris flow in a shallow-marine Tertiary forearc basin, NW Oregon: Journal of Sedimentary Research 65: 505-512.
Dorsey, R.J., P.J. Umhoefer and P.R. Renne, 1995, Rapid subsidence and stacked Gilbert-type fan deltas, Pliocene Loreto Basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico: Sedimentary Geology 98: 181-204.
Renne, P.R., R.C. Walter, K.L. Verosub, M. Sweitzer and J.L. Aronson, 1993, New data from Hadar (Ethiopia) support orbitally tuned time scale to 3.3 Million Years Ago: Geophysical Research Letters 20: 1,067-1,070.
Heller, P.L., P.R. Renne and J.R. O'Neil, 1992, River Mixing Rate, Residence Time and Subsidence Rates from Isotopic Indicators: Eocene Sandstones of the U.S. Pacific Northwest: Geology 20: 1095-1098.
Barnes, D.A., P. Thy and P.R. Renne, 1992, Sedimentology, phenocryst chemistry, and age: Miocene "Blue Tuff": ODP sites 127-794 and 127-796, Japan Sea, Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results 127/128: 115-130.
Renne, P.R., M.M. Fulford and C. Busby-Spera, 1991, High resolution 40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous El Gallo Formation, Baja California del Norte, M�xico: Geophysical Research Letters 18: 459-462.
Renne, P.R., Becker, T.A. and Swapp, S.M., 1990, 40Ar/39Ar Laser-Probe Dating of Detrital Micas from the Montgomery Creek Formation: Clues to Provenance, Tectonics, and Weathering Processes: Geology 18: p. 563-566.
TECTONICS
Hollister, L.S., Hargraves, R.B., James, T., and Renne, P.R., 2004, The paleomagnetic effects of post-intrusion reheating of the Ecstall pluton, British Columbia: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, in press.
Teixeira, W., Pinese, J.P.P., Iacumin, M., Girardi, V.A.V., Piccirillo, E.M., Echeveste, H., Ribot, A., Fernandez, R., Renne, P.R., and Heaman, L.M., 2002, Calc-alkaline and tholeiitic dyke swarms of Tandilia, Rio De La Plata Craton, Argentina: U-Pb, Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and 40Ar/39Ar data provide new clues for intraplate rifting shortly after the Trans-Amazonian orogeny: Precambrian Research 119: 329-353.
Ukstins, I.A., Renne, P.R., Wolfenden, E., Baker, J., Menzies, M., and Aleyew, D., 2002, Matching conjugate volcanic margins: 40Ar/39Ar chronostratigraphy of pre- and syn-rift bimodal flood volcanism in Ethiopia and Yemen: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 198 (3/4): 289-306.
Sharp, W.D., Tobisch, O.T., and Renne, P.R., 2000, Development of Cretaceous transpressional cleavage synchronous with batholith emplacement, central Sierra Nevada, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin 112 (7): 1059-1066.
Bachhuber, J., Page, W.D., and Renne, P.R., 1998, Evaluation of surface-fault rupture risk to a penstock using the 40Ar/39Ar dating method, In, Sowers, J. M., Noller, J. S., and Lettis, W. R., Dating and Earthquakes: Review of Quaternary geochronology and its application to paleoseismology: U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NUREG/CR 5562, pp. 3/ 53-60.
Hutson, F., Mann, P., and Renne, P.R., 1998, 40Ar/39Ar Dating of single muscovite grains in Jurassic siliciclastic rocks (San Cayetano Formation): Constraints on the Paleoposition of Western Cuba: Geology 26: 83-86.
Dorsey, R.J., P.J. Umhoefer and P.R. Renne, 1995, Rapid subsidence and stacked Gilbert-type fan deltas, Pliocene Loreto Basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico: Sedimentary Geology 98: 181-204.
Tobisch, O.T., J.B. Saleeby, P.R. Renne, B. McNulty and W. Tong, 1995, Variations in deformation fields during development of a large volume magmatic arc, central Sierra Nevada, California: Geological Society of America Bulletin 107: 148-166.
Umhoefer, P.J., R.J. Dorsey and P.R. Renne, 1994, Tectonics of the Pliocene Loreto Basin, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and Evolution of the Gulf of California: Geology 22: 649-652.
Tobisch, O.T., P.R. Renne and J.B. Saleeby, 1993, Courtright shear zone, central Sierra Nevada, California: Deformation resulting from regional extension during pluton ascent and emplacement: Journal of Structural Geology 15: 609-628.
Renne, P.R., O.T. Tobisch and J.B. Saleeby, 1993, Thermochronologic record of pluton emplacement, deformation and exhumation at Courtright Shear Zone: Geology 21: 331-334.
Goodge, J.W. and P.R. Renne, 1993, Mid-Paleozoic olistoliths in eastern Hayfork terrane m�lange, Klamath Mountains: Implications for late Paleozoic-early Mesozoic Cordilleran forearc development: Tectonics 12: 279-289.
Hauessler, P.J., R.S. Coe and P.R. Renne, 1992, Paleomagnetism and geochronology of gabbroic intrusions in the Keku Strait, Alaska, and implications for the Cenozoic tectonic history of the Alexander Terrane: Journal of Geophysical Research 97: 19,641-19,649.
Renne, P.R., 1991, 40Ar/39Ar data and thermochronologic implications for a block from the J�gua Clara M�lange of the R�o San Juan Complex, in Mann, P., Draper, G., and Lewis, J.F. (eds.) Geological and Tectonic Investigations in Hispa�ola: Geological Society of America Special Paper 262: 91-95.
Goodwin, L.B., and P.R. Renne, 1991, Effects of progressive mylonitization on grain size and Ar retention of biotites in the Santa Rosa Mylonite Zone, California, and thermochronologic implications: Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 108: 283-297.
Renne, P.R., G.R. Scott, S.K. Doppelhammer, R.B. Hargraves and E. Linares, 1991, Discordant mid-Cretaceous paleomagnetic pole from the Zaza Terrane of central Cuba: Geophysical Research Letters 18: 455-458.
Renne, P.R., Onstott, T.C., D'Agrella, M.S., Pacca, I.G., and Teixeira, W., 1990, 40Ar/39Ar Dating of 1.0-1.1 Ga Magnetizations from the S�o Francisco and Kalahari Cratons: Tectonic Implications for Pan-African and Brasiliano Mobile Belts: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 101: p. 349-366.
D'Agrella, M.S., Pacca, I.G., Renne, P.R., Onstott, T.C., and Teixeira, W., 1990, Paleomagnetism of Middle Proterozoic (1.01 to 1.08 Ga) mafic dikes in southeastern Bahia state-S�o Francisco craton, Brazil: Earth and Planetary Science Letters 101: p. 332-348.
Renne, P.R., Becker, T.A. and Swapp, S.M., 1990, 40Ar/39Ar Laser-Probe Dating of Detrital Micas from the Montgomery Creek Formation: Clues to Provenance, Tectonics, and Weathering Processes: Geology 18: p. 563-566.
Renne, P.R., Mattinson, J.M., Hatten, C.W., Somin, M., Onstott, T.C., Mill�n, G., and Linares, E., 1989, 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb evidence for Late Proterozoic (Grenville-age) continental crust in north-central Cuba and tectonic implications: Precambrian
Research, 42, p. 325-341.
Renne, P.R., and Scott, G.R., 1988, Structural Chronology, Oroclinal Deformation, and Tectonic Evolution of the Southeastern Klamath Mountains, California: Tectonics, 7, no. 6, p. 1223-1242.
Renne, P.R., Scott, G.R., and Bazard, D.R., 1988, Multicomponent Paleomagnetic Data from the Redding Section, Eastern Klamath Mountains: Cratonic Permian Directions with Middle Jurassic Overprints: Journal of Geophysical Research, 93, p. 3387-3400.
Graduate Students (Principal Advisor)
Su-chin Chang (current)
Josh Feinberg (current; PhD candidate)
Kim Knight (current; PhD candidate)
Kyoungwon Min (PhD 2002, now a postdoc at Yale University)
Jeff Paine (current)
Zhensheng Zhou (MSc 2002)
Graduate Students (Dissertation Committee)
Daniel Karner (Alvarez) (PhD 1997, now Associate Professor at Sonoma State University)
Ethan Baxter (DePaolo) (PhD 2000, now Assistant Professor at Boston University)
Postdocs
Jonathan M.G. Glen (U.S. Geological Survey)
Andrea Marzoli (University of Padua, Italy)
Dieter Mertz (Mainz University, Germany)
Sebastien Nomade (current)
Nadia Vogel (current)