EDUCATION:

• PhD in Geochemistry, 2003, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
• MS in Geochemistry, 1999, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
• BA in Geology, 1997, Rice University, Houston, TX

RESEARCH DESCRIPTION:

Dr. Johnson conducts field and geochemical studies of unexpectedly young volcanic rocks in western Virginia to understand the crust and mantle underneath the Shenandoah Valley and the passive margin of the eastern US. She studies role of water in triggering and driving volcanic eruptions, including the super-eruptions at Yellowstone and Long Valley, CA. She also works in the creation of open educational resources for laboratory science and assessment of the effects of these online resources on student learning, attitude, and confidence.

PUBLICATIONS:

Long, M., Wagner, L., King, S.D., Evans, R.L., Mazza, S.E., Byrnes, J.S., Johnson, E.A., Kirby, E., Bezada, M., Gazel, E., Miller, S.R., Aragon, J.C., and Liu, S. (2021) Evaluating models for lithospheric loss and intraplate volcanism beneath the Central Appalachian Mountains.  Journal of Geophysical Research. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 126, e2021JB022571. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022571 

Mazza, S., Gazel, E., Bizimis, M., Moucha, R., Béguilin, P., Johnson, E.A, McAleer, R., and Sobolev, A. (2019) Sampling the Volatile Rich Transition Zone beneath Bermuda. Nature, 569, 398-403.

Mazza, S., Gazel, E., Johnson, E.A., McAleer, R., Kunk, M., Spotila, J., Bizimis, M. and Coleman, D. (2014) Volcanoes of the passive margin: the youngest magmatic event in Eastern North America. Geology, 42, 483-486.