Gregory J. Retallack

Professor
(paleobotany, paleosols)
Geological Sciences faculty member since 1981.

B.A., 1973, Macquarie University, Australia
Ph.D., 1978, New England University, Australia.

Office: 310G Cascade Hall
Phone: 541-346-4558
Email: gregr 'at' uoregon.edu

Detailed Webpage

Course materials for students

Overview: Greg Retallack's research group is dedicated to the proposition that soils have a fossil record, like other living things. Past studies have considered the role of soils in ape and human evolution in Kenya, grassland evolution in North America, dinosaur extinction in Montana, angiosperm evolution in Kansas and the end-Permian extinction in Antarctica. Current and future studies concern Devonian evolution of trees, Cambrian explosion on land, Precambrian atmospheres, and origin of life, with fieldwork in Pennsylvania, New York, Newfoundland, and Australia.

Top ten favorite studies
1. Lethal methane eruptionspdf
2. Oh soil divine!pdf
3. Ape evolutionary gauntletpdf
4. Global warming by other animalspdf
5. Climate archives of American Westpdf
6. Grasslands bring on icepdf
7. Panama's global water bottlepdf
8. Lichens in deep timepdf
9. Reading the leaves for past CO2pdf
10. Ordovician Ediacarans?pdf

Current Students:
Christine Metzger

Former students
Jonathan Wynn

Nathan Sheldon

Evelyn Krull

Erick Bestland