Paul Kapp of Geosciences Receives 'Young Scientist' Award

Kapp, a UA associate professor of geosciences, has been awarded the GSA's Young Scientist Award for his outstanding achievements in earth sciences.

Paul Kapp, an associate professor of geosciences at The University of Arizona in Tucson has been awarded the Geological Society of America's Young Scientist Award.

The award is given to scientists 35 years old or younger for "outstanding achievement in contributing to geologic knowledge through original research that marks a major advance in the earth sciences," according to the society.

"It feels great to be recognized for my work, but I don't work for recognition at all. I work because I love it," said Kapp, an associate professor of geosciences. "Certainly, it's a great honor."

Kapp conducts research north of the Himalaya Mountains to figure out the different geological processes that formed the Tibetan Plateau.

The Young Scientist Award is given annually and consists of the gold Donath Medal and a cash prize of $20,000. Kapp, 34, will receive the award on Saturday in Houston at the GSA's annual meeting.

"Paul is one of our own. He received his undergraduate degree in geosciences here at UA and was exceptional; I mean, really exceptional," wrote UA Regents' Professor George H. Davis Davis, who was one of Kapp's instructors.

Kapp's specialty is structural geology and geological mapping. Geological mapping identifies the different types of rocks and the nature of the boundaries between the rocks in order to reconstruct the geological history of the area.

He typically works on the Tibetan Plateau at elevations around 16,000 feet where the air is thin and the weather cold and windy. He and his UA research team, mostly graduate students, spend one to three months in the field at a time. 

The team also includes Chinese professors and students. Kapp also considers the Tibetan drivers an integral part of the team.

"We have this whole mix of cultures. We try to make a strong group," he said. "We're basically nurturing cross-cultural relationships in a positive way."

Despite his young age, Kapp starts any research project with a traditional approach. Initially, he makes basic field observations and maps them.  

"I'm like the most old-fashioned young geologist," he said. "It's very basic. We've been doing this forever. All you need is a pencil and a map."

Kapp has an insatiable desire to learn and discover new ideas. He considers himself more of a student of geology than a professor.

"I have also benefited from a great group of graduate and undergraduate students who keep me realizing that I first and foremost remain a student," he wrote in his acceptance speech. "Keeping me on a very steep learning curve is the geology itself."

This past year, Kapp began examining wind erosion and its effects on rock deformation and plate tectonics in the Qaidam basin, located on the northeast side of the Tibetan Plateau. One of the first steps he took was to read about wind patterns in an introductory textbook.

The Qaidam basin is shaped like a bathtub and is surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides. Many scientists believe that sediment is washing off the sides of the mountains and filling the basin, Kapp said. 

However, when he saw satellite images of the area, he recognized that a large part of the basin was not filled with sediment. Instead, part of the basin reveals folded rock that has wind-sculpted valleys and ridges called yardangs.

These enormous features are best seen from space, he said, adding that similar yardangs can be seen on Mars.

At times during the past 2.5 million years of the Earth's history, the region's climate was much colder and windier. Kapp hypothesizes those high winds eroded the rock layers above the folded rocks. The folding that results from the collision of two plates accelerated because the weight of the surface rocks was removed.

"In terms of science, it's a completely new direction to explore," he said.

Kapp will go to the Qaidam basin next spring to test his hypothesis. If he is correct, his research will provide the first documentation of the interplay between wind and the rock deformations caused by plate tectonics.

Kapp received his bachelor's degree in geology with an emphasis on geophysics at the UA in 1996 and a doctorate in geology from University of California, Los Angeles, in 2001. He became a UA assistant professor of geosciences in 2002 and an associate professor in 2008. Kapp also became an adjunct professor at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2004.

He teaches a range of undergraduate and graduate geosciences courses and is also the faculty supervisor for the UA's Society of Earth Science Students. He was awarded the Early-Career Teaching Award from the UA's College of Science in 2004. Kapp has published more than 30 peer-reviewed research articles.