Dr. Ira D. Sasowsky

Title: Professor
Research Specialty: Karst, Hydrogeology, Petroleum Geology
Dept/Program: Geosciences
Office: CRH 215
Phone: 330 972-5389
Fax: 330 972-7611
Email: ids@uakron.edu
Curriculum Vitae: Download in PDF format

Research

Specialties

Karst, hydrogeology, petroleum geology.

Research Interests

In broad areas of hydrogeology and surficial processes, including geomorphology, geochemistry, and dating. Specific past or present projects include: Movement of sediments in aquifers, treatment of acid mine drainage, determination of the age of caves, determination of incision rates of surface streams, structural controls on carbonate aquifer development, effects of sea-level change on aquifer development, groundwater hydrology of metamorphic terranes, paleomagnetic dating of glacial deposits, and the occurrence of rare petroleum deposits.

Current field areas include: West Virginia, Brazil, and Spain.

(left) Pendants in an eastern US cave. (right) Groundwater Hydrology class field trip.

Education

Ph.D., 1992, Penn State University

Courses

• Caves (3370:133)
• Environmental Geology (3370:200)
• Geomorphology (3370:310)
• Petroleum Geology (3370:435/535)
• Groundwater Hydrology (3370:474/574)
• Geoscience Information Acquisition and Management (3370:484/584)
• Field Studies: Karst of the Appalachians (3370:495/695)
• Geology Colloquium (3370:696)
• Advanced Groundwater Hydrology (3370:674)

Students

Current and Former Graduate students

• McDaniel, Kyle “Origin of Crystal Rock Cave, Ohio, USA and its record of Lake Erie variation through speleothem analyses”, MS Thesis, 2018
• McGinnis, Robert “Quantitative Analysis of Valley Stress Relief in the Genesis of Valley-Aligned Cave Master Conduits”, MS Thesis, 2018
• Gelaye, Ababu “Upscaling of a thermal evolution experiment on shredded-tire monofills”, MS Thesis, 2017
• Strong, Zachary “Evaluating Clay mineralogy as a thermal maturity Indicator for Upper Devonian black and grey shales and siltstones within the Ohio Appalachian Basin”, MS Thesis, 2015
• Filiano, Gina “Role of joints and rock stresses in the formation of sandstone caves in northeastern Ohio”, MS Thesis, 2014
• Dalla Piazza, Alex “Geochemistry and geomicrobiology of black manganese oxide cave deposits in Monroe and Greenbrier counties, West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2016
• Mezentseva, Karyna “Hydrology Of The Tamarack Bog, Bath Nature Preserve, Bath Township, Ohio”, MS Thesis, 2015
• Adams, Heather “Evaluation of contaminant attenuation in a mining impacted aquifer, Stark County, Ohio”, MS Thesis, 2015
• Hirko, Jeffrey “Conduit origin and paleohydrology of Haynes Cave: Monroe County, West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2012
• Harman, Gayle “Speleogenesis of Shoveleater Cave, Pendleton County, West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2012
• Blauvelt, Kyle “Evaluation of volume determinations for modern hypogene karst voids, San Salvador, Bahamas”, MS Thesis, 2012
• Dinsmore, Michael “Origin and evolution of sinkholes on the Bellevue-Castalia Karst Plain, North-Central Ohio”, MS Thesis, 2011
• Bishop, Melisa ”A detailed hydrologic study of the Scott Hollow Groundwater Basin, Greenbrier and Monroe Counties, West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2010
• McIlvaine, J. Tyler ”A groundwater resources assessment of Copley Township, Summit County, Ohio, using GIS analysis method”, MS Thesis, 2010
• Addo, James “Examination of an abandoned underground lake in the Scott Hollow Drainage Basin, southeast West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2009
• Pachos, Alexander “An empirical study of cave passage dimensions using augmented radial and longitudinal survey data”, MS Thesis, 2008
• Check, Daniel “High-resolution monitoring of anthropogenic groundwater flow modification: Monroe County, West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2007
• Zinz, Daniel “Structural and hydrological influences on the evolution of Hellhole Cave, Pendleton County, West Virginia”, MS Thesis, 2007
• Hochstetler, Bethany ”Evaluation of clastic cave sediment record variability”, MS Thesis, 2006
• Demrovsky, N. "The effects of well drilling on karst aquifers in Monroe and Greenbrier County, WV", MS Thesis, 2003
• Shank, D. "Hydrologic and structural controls on the evolution of a karst aquifer, Windy Mouth Cave, WV", MS Thesis, 2002
• Nandi, A. "Evaluation of the cycloid as a function for describing longitudinal stream profiles", MS Thesis, 2002
• Brayman, A. "The sedimentology and paleohydrology of Ohio Caverns, Champaign Co., OH", MS Thesis, 2002
• Traugh, K.L. "A record of prehistoric flood events preserved in clastic and calcitic cave sediments", MS Thesis, 2001
• Miller, C.K. "Petroleum reservoir potential of buried valley wall stress-release fractures", MS Thesis, 2000
• Hodgson, D. B. "The extent of lead movement in glacial deposits from sport shooting activities", MS Thesis, 2000
• Davis, S.B. "Aquifer development in folded and fractured limestone: the Scott Hollow drainage basin, Monroe County, VA", MS Thesis, 1999
• Breton, K. "Hydrogeology and pollution potential of aquifers, Craig Beach, Milton Township, Mahoning Co., OH", MS Thesis, 1999
• Fyodorova, A.I. "Hydrogeochemical study of cave systems in the Berea Sandstone and Sharon Sandstone/conglomerate of northeastern OH", MS Thesis, 1998
• Berkoski, A.P. "Groundwater movement in the Singleton Ditch drainage basin near Lowell, Lake County, IN", MS Thesis, 1998