Meet the FLC Geosciences Department

The Geosciences Department faculty at Fort Lewis College are more than educators—they are researchers, mentors, and leaders in their fields. With diverse expertise in areas like hydrology, volcanology, and GIS technology, our professors bring real-world experience into the classroom to inspire the next generation of geoscientists.

Our small class sizes and a 1:16 faculty-to-student ratio foster close, supportive relationships. Professors work directly with students on senior research projects, field trips, and independent studies.

Faculty engage in cutting-edge research on topics like groundwater systems, environmental sustainability, and geologic hazards. Students are frequently involved in these projects, gaining practical experience and opportunities to co-present at conferences. With strong ties to industries and agencies, our faculty help connect students to internships, jobs, and graduate programs nationwide.

Faculty

Carolyn Tewksbury-Christle, Ph.D.

Carolyn Tewksbury-Christle, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Geosciences

970-247-7463
cmtewksburychristl@fortlewis.edu

Expertise:

  • Structural geology
  • Tectonics
  • Geophysics

Education:

  • D.Sc., Structural Geology and Tectonics, ETH Zurich, 2021
  • M.S., Geology, University of Tennessee - Knoxville, 2013
  • B.A., Geology and Physics, Smith College, 2007

About Carolyn Tewksbury-Christle, Ph.D.

Carolyn Tewksbury-Christle is a structural geology and tectonics professor in the Geosciences Department. Carolyn completed an undergraduate degree in geology and physics at Smith College and commissioned into the Air Force in 2007. She served as an officer and a research physicist in the Air Force and taught physics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. After 9 years of service, Carolyn separated from the Air Force to pursue her doctorate degree in geology at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She joined the faculty at Fort Lewis College in 2021 and teaches Physical Geology, Earth Shock, Geologic Field Methods I & II, Structural Geology, and Senior Seminar.

Carolyn’s specialty, structural geology and tectonics, is the study of how rocks bend and break and how that deformation affects the motion of plates on the surface of the Earth. She investigates how rocks deform from the micro- to macro-scale, using a combination of techniques, including field mapping, macro- and microstructural analysis, geochronology, geochemistry, and geophysical analysis. Her primary research focuses on using the rock record in northern California to better understand the processes and hazards of modern subduction zones. She also researches nearly 2-billion-year-old-processes recorded in deformed minerals in the San Juan Mountains and is currently developing virtual field trips for the geology in the Durango area.

Selected publications:

Tewksbury‐Christle, C. M., Behr, W. M., Helper, M. A., & Stockli, D. F., 2024, Tectonic evolution of the Condrey Mountain Schist: An intact record of Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Franciscan subduction and underplating: Tectonics, 43, e2023TC008115, doi:10.1029/2023TC008115.


Tewksbury-Christle, C. and Behr, W., 2021, Constraints from exhumed rocks on the seismic signature of the deep subduction interface: Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2021GL093831, doi:10.1029/2021GL093831.


Tewksbury-Christle, C., Behr, W., and Helper, M., 2021, Tracking deep sediment underplating in a fossil subduction margin: implications for interface rheology and mass and volatile recycling: Geochemistry, Geophysics, & Geosystems, 22, e2020GC009463, doi: 10.1029/2020GC009463.
 

Staff

Emeritus & retired faculty