Christopher Pluhar

Christopher Pluhar is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at California State University, Fresno, and serves as the Graduate Coordinator for both online and in-person programs. He holds a B.S. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

His teaching focuses on courses such as Natural Disasters, Introductory Field Methods, Engineering Geology, and Paleomagnetism. Pluhar emphasizes project-based learning, fieldwork, and developing practical skills for students. His research spans late Cenozoic tectonics of western North America, Sierra Nevada uplift mechanisms, San Andreas fault evolution, and paleoclimatic studies of Pleistocene glacial floods. He also investigates geothermal resources linked to volcanic activity at the Coso Volcanic Field.

Pluhar’s recent work includes analyzing tectonic deformation in the Eastern California Shear Zone and reconstructing flood chronology in Washington state using magnetostratigraphy. He collaborates on mapping volcanic rocks in the Sierra Nevada to understand landscape evolution and faulting patterns.

He is actively seeking graduate students to explore topics such as Sierra Nevada uplift dynamics, San Andreas fault correlations, and Paleocene-Eocene climate analogs in Fresno’s geological record.