RICHARD P. LANGFORD
Sedimentology, Geomorphology, Arid Lands
PhD., 1989; University of Utah
Dr. Langford joined the faculty in 1996 after teaching for year at Rutgers University and six years at
the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin. His research interests focus on
terrestrial deposition in arid lands. His major interest is understanding how arid landscapes respond
through erosion and deposition to environmental change. He also is interested in the evolution of river
systems and in the interactions between different desert environments. The El Paso region provides a
unique natural laboratory to solve these problems and Dr. Langford intends to focus his research in the
Chihuahua Desert.
Graduate Theses
Chair
Clepper, Marta, 2002 (M.S.), Stable isotopes and paleoclimate of a 12 million year record during TransPecos Texas Rio Grande Rift Development
Imana, Ekal, 2002 (PhD; w/D.I. Doser), An Integrated geophysical and hydrogeological study of the
structures of the lower Mesilla Valley.
Xie, Hongjie, 2002 (Ph.D.; w/G.R. Keller) Image processing and data fusion of AIRSAR/TOPSAR,
TM and geophysical data, GIS integration, and their application in Trans-Pecos Texas.
Couroux, Emile 2001, (M.S., w/D.I. Doser), An integrated study of landform development using nearsurface geophysics, remote sensing and geomorphology, at the Great Sand Dunes National
Monument (Outstanding GeologyThesis; Dept. Geol. Sci.).
Depret, Pierre-Andre, 2001 (M.S.), Influence of diagenesis on the reservoir quality of the Cedar Mesa
Sandstone, southeastern Utah, and comparison with Rotliegende Sandstone, North Sea (Outstanding
Geology Thesis; Dept. Geol. Sci.)
Seeley, John, 1999 (PhD; w/G.R. Keller), Studies of Middle-to-Late Proterozoic Sedimentary Rocks:
Northern Arizona to Far West Texas
in Progress
Depret, Pierre-Andres, PhD (with K.C. Miller), An integrated sedimentological and 3-D study of the
Weber Sandstone, Rangely Field Colorado.
Kennedy, John Ph.D, Topographic and Paleohydrologic study of the Southern Rio Grande Rift.
Neu, Roene Neu, Ph.D, Studies of erodability of modern and ancient sediments.
Pool, Brandi (M.S.), Stratigraphy of the Pliocene-Pleistocene Camp Rice Formation in the Hueco and
Mesilla bolson
Selected Publications
in press
Langford, R. P., The Holocene history of the White Sands dune field and influences on eolian deflation
and playa lakes: Quaternary International
published
Langford, R. P., 2002, Playa Lake Shorelines and the History of White Sands Dune field. In Geology of
White Sands, New Mexico Geological Society, 45-47
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Langford, R., P., 2002, Deflationary Origin of White Sands Dune Field, Proceedings of the
International Conference on Wind Erosion and Other Aeolian Processes: ICAR 5 and GCTE-SEN
Joint Meeting
Scanlon, B. and Langford, R. P., 2000, Relationship between geomorphic regime and subsurface flow.
A case study from the Chihuahuan Desert: Texas Bureau of Economic Geology Report of
Investigation, no. 261, 133 p.
Langford, R. P, 2000, Nabkha (Coppice Dune) Fields of South-Central New Mexico, USA: Journal of
Arid Environments, v. 46, no. 1, p. 25-41
Langford, R. P., and Tefera Eshete, 2000, Fissure Behavior in the Chihuahuan Desert, and Depth
Estimation using Sediment Strength: Environmental and Engineering Geosciences v, 6, p. 301-309.
Langford, R. P., 2000, Review of Wireline Logging / Les diagraphies au cable. By Ecole du Petrole et
des Moteurs, CD-ROM for PC and MAC: Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, p. 97.
Research Activities
Principal Investigator – U.S. Corp of Engineers: Soil Erosion Potential on Disturbed and Undisturbed
Manuever Areas , Fort Bliss, Texas
Principal Investigator – U.S. Dept. Energy -- Sediment Erosion in the Rio Grande
Co-Principal Investigator – U.S. Dept. Energy: Establishing a mobile flume for studying erosion and
sediment transport along the U.S. Mexico Border
Co-Principal Investigator – NSF: Building Pathways into the Geosciences for an Hispanic Community
of Learners in El Paso
Co-principal Investigator – EPA: Bank Filtration in an Arid Environment
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