Education

​University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona
2016 Ph.D. Geosciences
2010 M.S. Geosciences

Carleton College | Northfield, Minnesota
2007 B.A. Geology, with distinction, magna cum laude
concentration: Environmental and Technology Studies 

Professional Experience

Assistant Professor (2019-present) Idaho State University Department of Geosciences

Visiting Assistant Professor (2018-2019) Hamilton College Geosciences Department
Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2016-2018) University of Michigan Earth and Environmental Sciences
Graduate Research/Teaching Associate (2008-2016) University of Arizona Geosciences
NSF Graduate Research Fellow (2009-2014)
Geoscience Intern (summer 2013) ExxonMobil Exploration Company, Houston, Texas

Selected conference presentations

Sutherland, R.L.**, Murray, K.E., Pu, X., McCurry, M., 2022, Evidence of rapid phenocryst growth and constraints on pre-eruptive temperature and melt H2O content of basaltic flow samples from Eastern Snake River Plain olivine basalts, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Rocky Mountain-Cordilleran Section Joint Meeting, Las Vegas, Nevada, 17 March, doi: 10.1130/abs/2022CD-373822.

Hampton, R.**, Biasi, J., Goughnour, R.**, Karlstrom, L., Murray, K.E., 2021, Emplacement Mechanics of Mafic Super-Eruptions in the Columbia River Basalt Province from Structural, Geochemical, Thermochronologic, and Magnetic Investigation of the Maxwell Lake Dike Complex, AGU Fall Meeting, New Orleans, LA, 13-17 Dec. (talk)

Goughnour, R.**, Murray, K.E., Karlstrom, L., Cox, S., O’Sullivan, P., 2021, Quantifying the duration of magma flow through Columbia River Flood Basalt dikes using (U-Th)/He, fission-track, and 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology, 17th International Conference on Thermochronology, Santa Fe, NM, 13-17 September.

Murray, K.E., and Niemi, N.A., 2021, Know (all!) your assumptions, investigate the sensitivities: Towards more rigorous thermal history modeling practices, 17th International Conference on Thermochronology, Santa Fe, NM, 13-17 September. doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10508960.1.
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Stevens Goddard, A.L., Fosdick, J., Murray, K.E., 2021, Maximizing Inverse Thermal History Model Results as a Strategy for Effective Geologic Interpretations, 17th International Conference on Thermochronology, Santa Fe, NM, 13-17 September, doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10508076.1. (talk)

Abbey, A.L, Murray, K.E., Stevens Goddard, A.L., Wildman, M., 2021, Navigating the modeling puzzle: Using forward and inverse models to make clear decisions when exploring and interpreting cooling ages in both HeFTy and QTQt, 17th International Conference on Thermochronology, Santa Fe, NM, 13-17 September.

Murray, K.E., Stevens Goddard, A.L., Abbey, A.L, Wildman, M. 2020, Six Forward and Inverse Models in HeFTy Everyone Should Perform Before Interpreting Real Cooling Ages, AGU Fall Meeting, Online, Dec 1-17.

Murray, K.E., Clark, M.K., Niemi, N.A., 2018, Birth of the Rocky Mountain Front Range during supercontinent Rodinia breakup, GSA Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, Nov. 4-7. (invited talk).

Kennedy, S., Portenga, E.W., Murray, K.E., Bhattarai, S., 2019, Exploring a possible link between trackless zircons and regional volcanism in northern Australia, GSA Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ.

Murray, K.E., Clark, M., Niemi, N., Quackenbush, P., West, J., Medwedeff, W., Chamlagain, D., 2018, Focused Pulse of Rapid Erosion in Central Nepal Related to Himalayan Fault Motion, AGU Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., Dec 10-14.

Murray, K.E. and Niemi, N.A., 2018, Rapid stepped-heating experimental method for routine monazite (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronology, GSA Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, Nov. 4-7.

Publications

IN PREP and REVIEW
​
Murray, K.E., Clark, M.K., Niemi, N.A., in revision, Thermochronology links growth of the Rocky Mountain Front Range to inversion of a Neoproterozoic rift system, Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

Murray, K.E., Stevens Goddard, A.L., Abbey, A.L, Wildman, M., in review, Thermal history modeling techniques and interpretation strategies: Applications using HeFTy, Geosphere.

​Abbey, A.L, Wildman, M., Stevens Goddard, A.L., Murray, K.E., in prep., Thermal history modeling techniques and interpretation strategies: Applications using QTQt, Geosphere.

PUBLISHED

Jimenez-Rodriquez, S., Dettinger, M., Quade, J., Murray, K.E., Paleoaltimetry of the western Andes in northern Chile (~18.5-19.5°S), American Journal of Science, vol. 321, no. 5, p. 491-533. doi: 10.2475/05.2021.01.

​Murray, K.E., Reiners, P.W., Thomson, S.N., Robert, X., and Whipple, K.X., 2019, The thermochronologic record of erosion and magmatism in the Canyonlands region of the Colorado Plateau, American Journal of Science, vol. 319, no. 5, p. 339-380. doi: 10.2475/05.2019.01​

Karlstrom, L. Murray, K.E., and Reiners, P.W., 2019, Bayesian Markov-Chain Monte Carlo inversion of low-temperature thermochronology around two 8-10 m wide Columbia River Flood Basalt dikes, Frontiers in Earth Science, vol. 7, no. 90, doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00090.

Murray, K.E., Braun, J, and Reiners, P.W., 2018, Toward robust interpretations of low-temperature thermochronology in magmatic terranes, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. doi: 10.1029/2018GC007595.

​Bloch, E., Ibañez-Mejia, M., Murray, K.E., Vervoort, J., and Müntener, O., 2017, ​Recent crustal foundering in the Northern Volcanic Zone of the Andean arc: Petrological insights from the roots of a modern subduction zone: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 476, p. 47-58.

​Murray, K.E., Reiners, P.W., Thomson, S.N., 2016, Rapid Pliocene-Pleistocene erosion of the central Colorado Plateau documented by apatite thermochronology from the Henry Mountains: Geology. v. 44, no. 6, p. 483-486, doi:10.1130/G37733.1.

Loope, D., Kettler, R., Murray, K.E., Pederson, J., and Reiners, P., 2016, Sandstones and Utah’s canyon country: Deposition, diagenesis, exhumation, and landscape evolution, in Keller, S.M. and Morgan, M.L., eds., Unfolding the Geology of the West: Geological Society of America Field Guide 44, p. 41-71, doi:10.1130/2016.0044(02).

Murray, K.E., Ducea, M.N., Schoenbohm, L., 2015, Foundering-driven lithospheric melting: the source of central Andean mafic lavas on the Puna plateau (22˚S - 27˚S), in DeCelles, P.G., Ducea, M.N., Carrapa, B., and Kapp, P.A., eds., Geodynamics of a Cordilleran Orogenic System: The Central Andes of Argentina and Northern Chile: Geological Society of America Memoir 212, p. 139–166, doi:10.1130/2015.1212(08).

Quade, J., Dettinger, M.P., Carrapa, B., DeCelles, P.G., Murray, K.E., Huntington, K.A., Cartwright, A., Canavan, R., Gehrels, G., Clementz, M., 2015, Growth of the central Andes, 22˚S - 26˚S, in DeCelles, P.G., Ducea, M.N., Carrapa, B., and Kapp, P.A., eds., Geodynamics of a Cordilleran Orogenic System: The Central Andes of Argentina and Northern Chile: Geological Society of America Memoir 212, p. 277-308, doi:10.1130/2015.1212(15).

Reiners, P.W., Thomson, S.N., Vernon, A., Willett, S.D., Zattin, M., Einhorn, J., Gehrels, G., Quade, J. Pearson, D., Murray, K.E., Cavazza, W., 2015, Low-temperature thermochronologic trends across the central Andes, 21˚S - 28 °S, in DeCelles, P.G., Ducea, M.N., Carrapa, B., and Kapp, P.A., eds., Geodynamics of a Cordilleran Orogenic System: The Central Andes of Argentina and Northern Chile: Geological Society of America Memoir 212, p. 215-249, doi:10.1130/2015.1212(12).

Murray, K.E., Orme, D.A., Reiners, P.W., 2014, Effects of U-Th-rich grain boundary phases on apatite helium ages: Chemical Geology. v. 390, p. 135-151, doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.09.02.

Braun, J., Simon-Labric, T., Murray, K.E., Reiners, P.W., 2014, Topographic relief driven by variations in surface rock density: Nature Geoscience, v. 7, p. 534–540, doi:10.1038/ngeo2171.

Simon-Labric, T., Brocard, G.Y., Reiners, P.W., van der Beek, P.A., Teyssier, C., Shuster, D.L., Murray, K.E., Whitney, D.L., 2014, Low-temperature thermochronologic signature of range-divide migration and breaching in the North Cascades: Lithosphere, doi:10.1130/L382.1

Ducea, M.N., Seclaman, A.C., Murray, K.E., Jianu, D., Schoenbohm, L.M., 2013, Mantle-drip magmatism beneath the Altiplano-Puna plateau, central Andes: Geology, v. 41, no. 8, p. 915-918, doi: 10.1130/G34509.1

​Quade, J., Reiners, P., Placzek, C., Matmon, A., Pepper, M., Ojha, L., and Murray, K.E., 2012, Seismicity and the strange rubbing boulders of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile: Geology, v. 40, no. 9, p. 851–854, doi: 10.1130/G33162.

Lackey, J.S., Erdmann, S., Hark, J.S., Nowak, R.M., Murray, K.E., Clarke, D.B., and Valley, J.W., 2011, Tracing garnet origins in granitoid rocks by oxygen isotope analysis: Examples from the South Mountain batholith, Nova Scotia: The Canadian Mineralogist, v. 49, p. 417-439.

Barbeau, D.L., Davis, J., Murray, K.E., Valencia, V., Gehrels, G.E., Zahid, K.M., Gombosi, D.J., 2009, Detrital-zircon geochronology of the metasedimentary rocks of northwestern Graham Land: Antarctic Science, v. 22, n. 1, p. 65-78.

Barbeau, D.L., Olivero, E.B., Swanson-Hysell, N.L., Zahid, K.M., Murray, K.E., Gehrels, G.E., 2009,  Detrital-zircon geochronology of the eastern Magallanes foreland basin: Implications for Eocene kinematics of the northern Scotia Arc and Drake Passage: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 284, p. 489-503.