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Associate Professor, Engineering Geology
Year Started at JMU: 2013
admassyx@jmu.edu
Contact Info

Research Description

My main area of research is in engineering geology. Specifically, I use remotely sensed data (LiDAR and photogrammetry) to monitor and assess geohazards such as rockfalls, landslides, and sinkholes. I am currently examining unique geohazards known as ground fissures that affect transportation infrastructure in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. In the past, I worked on structural controls of gold mineralization in Neoproterozoic rocks of northern Ethiopia. To add a little bit more fun to my life, I spend time writing computer codes from which came DipAnalyst, a software for rock slope stability analysis.

Courses
  • GEOL 110: Physical Geology Lab
  • GEOL 210: Applied Physical Geology
  • GEOL 291: Geowriting and Communication
  • GEOL 360: GIS for the Geoscientist
  • GEOL 387: Stratigraphy, Structure, and Tectonics
  • GEOL 388: Advanced Structure, Stratigraphy, and Tectonics
  • GEOL 399: Field Geology
  • GEOL 410: Engineering Geology
  • GEOL 460: Hydrogeology
Education
  • PhD in Applied Geology, 2010, Kent State University
  • MS in Geology, 2005, University of Akron
  • BS in Geology, 1994, Addis Ababa University
Select Publications
  • Admassu, Y., Gugsa, T., 2024, Possible Role of Internal Erosion in the Development of Ground Fissures around Lake Ziway, Ethiopia: Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, vol. XXX, No. 1-2 pp. 45 – 58.
  • Admassu, Y., Woodruff, C., 2021, Improved automated mapping of sinkholes using high-resolution DEMs: Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, vol. XXVII, No. 3 pp. 331 – 351.
  • Admassu, Y., 2019, Digital surface model-aided quantitative geologic rockfall rating system (QG-RRS): Environmental and Engineering Geoscience, vol. XXV, No. 4 pp. 255 – 271.

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