Paul Kapp
· Interim Department Head, ProfessorVerifiedUniversity of Arizona · Geosciences
Active 1958–2026
About
Paul Kapp is a field-based geologist and continental tectonicist with expertise in geological mapping, structural-stratigraphic analysis, and the application of geo-thermochronologic methods. His research focuses on the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and the North American Cordillera, as well as the influence of wind processes on the development of Central Asia’s deserts and the Chinese Loess Plateau. He regularly teaches courses including Physical Geology, Structural Geology, Geology Field Camp, Regional Structural Geology, and Regional Tectonics. He earned his B.S. in Geosciences with an emphasis in geophysics from the University of Arizona in 1996 and his Ph.D. in Geology from UCLA in 2001. Since 2002, he has served as a faculty member at the University of Arizona, where he is currently the Interim Department Head of the Department of Geosciences. His contributions to the field have been recognized through several awards, including the UA Geosciences Advisory Board's Outstanding Faculty Award in 2011, the Geological Society of America Fellow in 2009, the GSA Outstanding Young Scientist Award (Donath Medal) in 2008, and the University of Arizona College of Science Early-Career Teaching Award in 2004.
Research topics
- Geology
- Paleontology
- Oceanography
- Geochemistry
- Seismology
- Climatology
- Physical geography
- Geography
Selected publications
Tectonics · 2026-01-01
articleAbstract Cordilleran‐type orogenic systems are characterized by high elevation regions that form in the hinterland of long‐lived convergent continental arcs. Despite their global tectonic and climatic significance, reconstructing past surface elevations and crustal thicknesses of these highlands has proved difficult, necessitating new methodological approaches. Here we apply geochemical proxies to expand the spatial and temporal resolution of paleoelevation and paleocrustal thickness estimates in the North American Cordillera (30–49°N). We compiled arc geochemical data ( n = 11,865) from the Late Cretaceous to the Early Miocene (95–17 Ma). Using new chemical “mohometers,” we construct maps of crustal thickness and elevation at 1 Ma intervals. We also generate time series for the southern, central, and northern segments of the orogen, calculate crustal thickness at the onset of metamorphic core complex exhumation, and compare our results to previous stable isotope paleoaltimetry studies. Results indicate that a Paleogene highland was continuous for 1,500 km along‐strike of the North American Cordillera, consistent with previous stable isotope, structural, and geochemical data. This region was characterized by crustal thicknesses between 50 and 60 km (mean = 54.8 km) and paleoelevations between 3 and 4 km (mean = 3.6 km). In the central and southern segments (Nevada and western Arizona) crust at least 50 km thick was present until the Early Miocene, which suggests that thickened crust was maintained for a protracted interval following Cretaceous shortening. These results indicate that most crustal thinning was contemporaneous with a change in plate boundary conditions along the western North American margin.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-01-01
datasetOpen accessCompiled geochemical data and Mohometry results for "Crustal thickness and elevation of the North American Cordillera from the Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene."
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-01-01 · 1 citations
datasetOpen accessCompiled geochemical data and Mohometry results for "Crustal thickness and elevation of the North American Cordillera from the Late Cretaceous to Early Miocene."
Sinistral shear zones along the central and southern portions of coastal British Columbia, Canada
Geological Society of America eBooks · 2025-10-31
book-chapterOpen accessABSTRACT Large-scale (>600–1100 km) left-lateral offsets during Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous time have long been inferred to explain the distribution of terranes in the Canadian portion of the North American Cordillera, but identification of structures with the correct age, location, and magnitude to accommodate such large displacements remains a significant challenge. Previous studies along the coast of British Columbia identified an ~250-km-long system of orogen-parallel intra-arc sinistral shear zones that may have accommodated some of these predicted motions, but crosscutting relationships could only constrain an ~20-m.y.-long period of motion in the late Early Cretaceous at the end of shear zone activity (ca. 125–100 Ma). In this chapter, we present new mapping from the same region that more than doubles the documented extent of sinistral shear zones recognized by previous workers. Complementary structural analysis and U-Pb (zircon) geochronology on synkinematic and postkinematic intrusions confirm that most shear zones were active during Early Cretaceous time (ca. 112 Ma) and demonstrate that some were active during Late Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous time (ca. 165–143 Ma). This extended time of motion supports the hypothesis that large-scale (~800 km) sinistral motion occurred along the northern Cordilleran margin.
Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2025-01-01
articleAbstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2025-01-01
articlePOLYCYCLIC METAMORPHISM AND EXHUMATION OF SUBDUCTION COMPLEX ROCKS, CEDROS ISLAND, BAJA CALIFORNIA
Abstracts with programs - Geological Society of America · 2025-01-01
articleCenozoic Wedge Tectonics as a Crustal Thickening Mechanism in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau
2025-10-12
preprintOpen accessThe Tibetan Plateau records active deformation during the ongoing India-Asia collision, yet the mechanisms for its crustal thickening and surface uplift remain debated. In eastern Tibet, uplift of the Min Shan is attributed to either mid-crustal channel flow or localized slip along thrust faults, but neither model adequately explains the combination of high topography, eastward-decreasing slip rates along major strike-slip faults, and uplift of the Min Shan in the footwall of the Minjiang thrust fault. We integrate new geologic mapping, structural data, and reinterpretation of a 55-km-long seismic reflection profile across the western Min Shan. Our mapping and seismic reflection interpretations reveal a west-vergent tectonic wedge bounded by an east-dipping thrust ramp beneath the Min Shan and west-dipping roof thrusts of the Minjiang fault to the west. Tectonic wedging explains uplift of the Min Shan, development of the wedge-top Roergai Basin, and deflection of the Yellow River within the basin. Newly documented distributed conjugate strike-slip faults across the eastern plateau interior accommodate east-west shortening and explain the eastward decrease in slip rates along major strike-slip faults. Our tectonic wedge interpretation for the uplift of the Min Shan challenges models of channel flow in this region while the documentation of regionally distributed conjugate strike-slip faults suggest that rigid block models of eastward extrusion are oversimplified.
The Tibetan Plateau is covered in wind-blown sand: Implications for detrital provenance studies
Geology · 2025-11-03
articleSenior authorAbstract We sampled modern sand from small (0.4–16.0 km2) catchments within the western Yarlung suture zone of southern Tibet. Many (29%–45%) of the zircon ages are Eocene to Miocene, younger than the Paleozoic to Paleogene bedrock but consistent with zircon ages in local modern river sands. Eolian dunes and sand sheets in part of the study area, and a widespread <21 ka loessic soil mantle, suggest that sediment was transported upslope out of the riverbeds by eolian processes since the Last Glacial Maximum. Loessic soil is ubiquitous on the Tibetan Plateau, and its preservation and dominance in small catchments suggests that loess deposition outpaces erosion of the underlying bedrock. Small (<50 km2) catchments may better identify when wind plays a significant role in sediment transport. Our case study highlights the efficacy of uphill sediment transport by wind and the detrital significance of loess in southern Tibet.
2025-10-17
preprintOpen accessSenior authorItems S1 (sample information, detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, and grain size) and S2 (detailed zircon methods, grain size analysis, and multidimensional scaling).<p></p>
Recent grants
NSF · $88k · 2008–2011
NSF · $211k · 2014–2017
Collaborative Research: The suturing process: Insight from the India-Asia collision zone
NSF · $1.9M · 2011–2016
NSF · $201k · 2012–2015
Lithospheric Dripping in Central Tibet: Underappreciated Factor in Orogenic Plateau Development?
NSF · $443k · 2021–2026
Frequent coauthors
- 107 shared
Lin Ding
Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research
- 69 shared
Peter G. DeCelles
University of Arizona
- 48 shared
Alex Pullen
Clemson University
- 45 shared
George E. Gehrels
- 41 shared
Mihai N. Ducea
University of Bucharest
- 38 shared
Guillaume Dupont‐Nivet
Géosciences Rennes
- 36 shared
Bárbara Carrapa
- 33 shared
Andrew K. Laskowski
Education
- 2001
PhD, Earth and Space Sciences
University of California Los Angeles
- 1996
B.S., Geosciences
University of Arizona
Awards & honors
- UA Geosciences Advisory Board's Outstanding Faculty Award (2…
- Geological Society of America, Fellow (2009)
- Geological Society of America Outstanding Young Scientist Aw…
- University of Arizona, College of Science Early-Career Teach…
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