Ruth Aronoff
Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences
- Email: ruth.aronoff@furman.edu
- Phone: 864.294.3363
- Office: Plyler Hall 119C
Ruth Aronoff is a geologist who studies how mountain belts form and how continents grow and change over time. She particularly enjoys connecting field observations with a range of lab-based analytical tools in order to solve tectonic puzzles. Ruth's research interests include structural geology, tectonics, geochronology, metamorphic petrology, geodynamics, and energy resources. Dr. Aronoff received her BA in geosciences and anthropology from Williams College. She then worked in nonprofit environmental advocacy before earning her PhD in the lithospheric tectonics lab at Purdue University. During her graduate career, Ruth also engaged in research at several major energy companies. Ruth has conducted geology fieldwork throughout the United States and in the Middle East. She has received grant funding from Purdue University, The Geological Society of America, and ExxonMobil. Dr. Aronoff is excited to work with Furman students in the classroom and through original research projects. She strives to provide students with field and lab experiences that will help them discover scientific principles firsthand.
Education
- Ph.D., Purdue University
- B.A., Williams College
Research
Ruth Aronoff specializes in understanding the formation and preservation of continental lithosphere. Her recent research has focused on the evolution of North America during the Proterozoic using rocks of the southwest United States.
Ruth enjoys using diverse research tools to better understand tectonic processes. She is particularly fascinated by the interaction between deformation and metamorphism from the microscopic scale to the continent scale, and the evolution of pressure and temperature in the solid earth over both time and space. Ruth and her students interpret the tectonic history of a region using field methods, numerical models, and lab methods that span structural geology, petrology, geochemistry, and geophysics.Ruth collaborates with scientists at a range of institutions, including Purdue University, Washington State University, Bucknell University, and the US Geological Survey.
Publications
- Aronoff, R.F., Andronicos, C.L., Vervoort, J.D., and Hunter, R.A., (2016), Redefining the metamorphic history of the oldest rocks in the southern Rocky Mountains, GSA Bulletin: B31455-1.
- Daniel, C.G., Andronicos, C.L. and Aronoff, R.F., (2016), Regional Al2SiO5 triple-point metamorphic rocks of northern New Mexico: A field trip to honor the career contributions of Lincoln Hollister to petrology and tectonics, in Keller, S.M. and Morgan, M.L., Unfolding the Geology of the West: Geological Society of America Field Guide 44, p. 201-229.