Andrew Leier

Dr. Andrew Leier is an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina's School of Earth, Ocean & Environment, affiliated with the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on sedimentary systems, tectonics, and climate change, with a particular emphasis on using detrital zircon geochemistry and sedimentology to reconstruct paleoenvironments and basin evolution. He leads the Sedimentary Systems Lab, investigating modern and ancient sedimentary deposits to address questions about tectonic and climatic processes.

Leier holds a Ph.D. (2005) and M.S. (2000) in Geology from the University of Arizona and University of Wyoming, respectively, and a B.S. (1996) from Bucknell University. His work spans global regions, including the Canadian Cordillera, Andes, Labrador Sea, and Arctic basins. He actively seeks graduate students for funded research opportunities in sedimentology and geomorphology.

Key research themes include detrital zircon provenance analysis, fluvial and eolian sediment transport pathways, and the interplay between tectonics and climate. His recent studies have explored the paleoclimatic implications of South American loess deposits, Arctic fluvial systems, and submarine groundwater dynamics. Leier is a member of AAPG, AGU, GSA, and other geological societies.

Notable grants and lab activities include collaborative projects on sediment dispersal in foreland basins and the application of structure-from-motion photogrammetry for outcrop analysis. His research outputs include over 30 peer-reviewed articles, with a focus on high-impact journals like Nature Communications and Geological Society of America Bulletin.