Chance B. Ronemus
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Chance B. Ronemus (Geologist)

NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID

Ph.D., University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona (2025)

Fulbright Scholar, IANIGLA CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina (2024)

B.S. & M.S., Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana (2019 & 2021)

Contact me: chanceronemus [at] isu.edu

About Me

I'm currently a NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Idaho State University. I recently earned my Ph.D. from the University of Arizona and returned from a Fulbright scholarship in Mendoza, Argentina.

My research integrates field-based sedimentology and structural geology with analytical techniques like geo/thermochronology and geochemistry to reconstruct how tectonic processes shape continental margins, from the deep crust to the surface.

You can find more information about my recent research in my CV and on my publications page. You can see how I involve undergraduate researchers on my teaching page and find science communication videos on my media page. I also like to climb and take photos of the places I go.

Some of my overarching research interests include:

Places where I have active or recent projects include:

Cordilleran systems

Cerro Aconcagua seen from the air
Cerro Aconcagua (6,961 m/22,837 ft): The highest peak in the western hemisphere, as seen from a flight between Mendoza, AR and Santiago, CL

I work primarily in Cordilleran orogenic systems, in which subduction of an oceanic plate leads to mountain building in the overriding continent.

Beyond just creating topography that's interesting to look at (and fun to climb), these systems control things like:
- atmospheric circulation and precipitation
- river drainage and sediment discharge
- biodiversity and biome development
- natural hazards, like earthquakes and volcanoes
- concentration of economic minerals and petroleum

So, if we can better understand how Cordilleran systems grow and evolve, we can better understand their influence on these things that matter to people.

The Andes are Earth's best modern example of such a system. My Ph.D. and some ongoing work is part of the TransANdean Great Orogeny (TANGO) project, an internationally collaborative and multi-disciplinary project focused on studying processes responsible for variations in the modern crustal thickness and history of uplift of this mountain belt.

By integrating geophysics, structural geology, thermochronology, sedimentology/basin analysis, and other approaches, our overarching goal is to build and test a generalizable model of Cordilleran mountain building.

Tectonic insight from the geologic record

Sunset over a braided river in the High Andes
Sunset over a braided river system in the High Andes.

I believe that tectonic insight comes from starting at the outcrop and working up from the grain to the plate scale. My scientific approach is rooted in field geology but integrates diverse analytical methods—including geochemical and isotopic techniques applied to detrital minerals—to better understand the processes of mountain building on Earth.

My ongoing work applies geochemical and isotopic approaches including:

I'm actively involved in developing several of these techniques.

I'm working with Mihai Ducea (University of Arizona, USA) and Peter Luffi (University of Bucharest, Romania) to generate a global compilation of zircon T/REE data from Quaternary volcanoes. This will allow us to calibrate zircon geochemical 'mohometers' (sub-arc Moho depth sensors) against regions of known crustal thickness, improving our ability to reconstruct the crustal thickness evolution of ancient orogens.

I'm also working with Jason Kirk (University of Arizona, USA) to test applications of calcite and opal U-Pb in paleosols. This approach can facilitate greater temporal precision on the rate of flexural wave migration and climatic changes.

Additional information

(All uncredited photos are my own. Please ask if you'd like to use one.)