Texas A&M Department of Geology & Geophysics
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Photo of Brian Willis

M.T. Halbouty Building,
Room 57
Geology & Geophysics, TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-3115

willis@geo.tamu.edu

Phone: 979-845-2441
Fax: 979-845-6162 		Brian Willis
Assistant Professor; Ph.D., Binghamton University, 1991

Current Research
Courses Taught
Publications
Affiliations
Current Research
bullet Stratigraphy and Sedimentology of clastic depositional systems, process sedimentology, regional stratigraphic studies (outcrop and subsurface); quantifying depositional heterogeneity within outcrops and reservoirs, and petroleum geology.
bullet Tide-deposited strata of the Sego Sandstone (Book Cliffs) and elsewhere.
bullet Cambrian exposes in a retreating quarry highwall showing fluvial architecture before land plants.
bullet Modeling 3D heterogenities within fluviual channel deposits compared with 2D outcrop examples.
bullet

Students completing subsurface mapping projects using closely-spaced well logs and 3D seismic of offshore Nigeria and Barbados.

Research Interests
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Courses Taught
bullet GEOL 101. Principles of Geology. (3-3). Credit 4. I, II, S Physical and chemical nature of the Earth and dynamic processes that shape it; plate tectonics, Earth's interior, materials it is made of, age and evolution, earthquakes, volcanism, erosion and deposition; introduces physical and chemical principles applied to the Earth. Not open to students who have taken GEOL 103 or 104.
bullet GEOL 306. Sedimentology and Stratigraphy. (3-3). Credit 4. II Origin of sediments and sedimentary rocks; climate, weathering, and weathering products; transport, deposition, and depositional environments or sediments; field and laboratory studies in description and interpretation of genesis of sedimentary rocks; principles of stratigraphy and basin analysis; plate tectonics and the formation of sedimentary basins; stratigraphic nomenclature; geologic time and correlation; sequence stratigraphy and basin architecture. Prerequisite: GEOL 101 or 104 or approval of instructor; junior or senior classification or approval of department head.*
bullet GEOL 668. Clastic Sedimentology and Sedimentary Petrology (3-3). Credit 4. Detailed analyses of clastic sedimentary rocks: relationships of facies and depositional environments with emphasis on continental, coastal and shallow shelf clastic sediments; petrography and diagenesis of modern and ancient clastic sediments. Prerequisites: Optical mineralogy course and sedimentology (undergraduate); graduate classification.
bullet

GEOL 609. Field Geology. Individual instruction in advanced and specialized field methods, geologic interpretation and field evaluation procedures. Choice of topics and locations of field studies will vary depending upon individual and specific needs. Prerequisite: GEOL 300 or approval of instructor.*
Course Resources
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Publications

Owoyemi, A.O. and Willis, B.J. (submitted) Depositional patterns across syndepositional normal faults on Niger Delta, Nigeria. Journal of Sedimentary Research.
Jensen, J.L. Hart J.D., and Willis, B.J. (in press) Evaluating proportions of undetected geological events. Mathematical Geology.
Willis, B. (in press) Tide-dominated river deltas. In Giosan, L., and Bhattacharya, J.P. (eds.) Deltas--New and Old. SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology), Special Publication.
Willis B.J. and Gabel, S.L. (2003) Formation of deep incisions into tide-dominated river deltas: Implications for the stratigraphy of the Sego Sandstone, Book Cliffs, Utah, USA. Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 73, p. 246-263.
Willis, B.J., White, and C.D. (2000) Quantitative outcrop data for flow simulation. Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 70, p. 788-802.

Other Publications
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Affiliations
bullet Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Petroleum Geology.
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