I was first drawn to geology for its capacity to tell stories about the earth—the processes that shape our planet and the cumulative results of those processes over eons.

I now study the spatiotemporal evolution of modern and ancient sedimentary systems through satellite remote sensing, quantitative outcrop assessment, and physical modeling.

I received my PhD in Geological Sciences from Indiana University in August 2021 and am now fulfilling an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Feel free to email me at my UC email address with any questions:

jvalenza@ucsb.edu

Enjoying the scenery at Grandview Point, Grand Canyon, AZ, with my wife, Shelby (who is also a geologist!).

 Publications

Valenza, J.M., Edmonds, D.A., Weissmann, G.S., (2022) Quantifying river avulsion activity from satellite remote sensing: Implications for how avulsions contribute to floodplain stratigraphy in foreland basins: Journal of Sedimentary Research

McLeod, J., Whittaker, A.C., Wood, J., Lyster, S., Valenza, J.M., Spencer, A., (in press) Quantitative constraints on flood variability in the rock record: Nature Communications

Edmonds, D.A., Martin, H.K., Valenza, J.M., Henson, R., Weissmann, G.S., Miltenberger, K., Mans, W., Moor, J.R., Slingerland, R.L., and Gibling, M.R., Bryk, A.B., Hajek, E.A., (2021) Rivers in reverse: Upstream-migrating dechannelization and flooding cause avulsions on fluvial fans: Geology, doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G49318.1

Valenza, J.M., Edmonds, D.A., Hwang, T.H., Roy, S., (2020) Downstream changes in river avulsion style are related to channel morphology, Nature Communications, v. 11, is. 1, p. 1-8.

Yanites, B.J., Mitchell, N.A., Bregy, J.C., Carlson, G.A., Cataldo, K., Holahan, M., Johnston, G.H., Nelson, A., Valenza,  J.M., Wanker, M., (2018), Landslides control the spatial and temporal variation of channel width in southern Taiwan: implications for landscape evolution and cascading hazards in steep, tectonically active landscapes, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, v. 43, p. 1782-1797.

Valenza, J.M., Ganti, V., Whittaker, A.C., Lamb, M.P., Lapotre, M.G.A., Ielpi, A., and Fischer, W.W., (in review) Pre-vegetation, single-threaded rivers sustained by cohesive, fine-grained bank sediments: Mesoproterozoic Stoer Group, NW Scotland: Geophysical Research Letters

Thesis/Dissertation:

Valenza, J.M., (2021). Controls on River Avulsion Style and Stratigraphy in Foreland Basins (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University).

Valenza J.M., (2016) Redbeds of the upper entrada sandstone, central utah: Facies analysis and regional implications of interfingered sabkha and fluvial terminal splay sediments (Master’s thesis, Brigham Young University).

In preparation:

Valenza, J.M., Edmonds, D.A., Toby, S., and Sifuentes, C., (in prep) Avulsion Signatures within the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation: Frontiers in Earth Science

Valenza, J.M., Whittaker, A.C., Ganti, V., Greenberg, E., McLeod, J., Wild, A., (in prep) Proterozoic Point-bars of the Clachtoll Formation, NW Scotland: Geology

Valenza, J.M., Whittaker, A.C., Ganti, V., Greenberg, E., McLeod, J., Wild, A., (in prep) Planform and Morphodynamic Diversity of Proterozoic Rivers: Torridonian Fluvial Strata of NW Scotland Journal of Sedimentary Research