Dr. Richard Langford

     Dr. Langford joined the faculty in 1996. His research focuses on terrestrial deposition in arid lands. His major interest is to understand how arid landscapes respond to environmental change through erosion and deposition. He studies eolian dunes and the evolution of river systems and in the interactions between different desert environments. The El Paso region provides a unique natural laboratory to solve these problems. Active research is in four regions. In Southern Utah, students are studying Permian sandstones through which hydrocarbon bearing fluids migrated with the goal of determining the diagenetic and depositional controls on hydrocarbon reservoir formation. At the White Sands National Monument, we are studying the role of groundwater and climate on when and where the dune field developed. Along the Rio Grande, Colorado, and Pecos Rivers, the New ASSET flume has been used to measure the erosion potential of sediments.  Studies with Dr. Diane Doser and Dr. Vanessa Lougheed focus on using shallow geophysics and hydrologic information in combination with sedimentology to understand soil and shallow groundwater processes. 

Contact Information

langford@geo.utep.edu
(915) 747-5968 (voice)
(915) 747-5073 (fax)
UTEP Department of Geological Sciences
Geology 401-B
500 West University Boulevard
El Paso, TX 79968