Dr Kathryn Amos

Biography/ Background

Dr Kathryn Amos is a Lecturer in Sedimentology at the Australian School of Petroleum, University of Adelaide, where she leads the Lake Eyre Basin Analogues Research Group and is Program Coordinator for the Honours and MSc(coursework) degrees in Petroleum Geoscience. Kathryn sits on the ECMS Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee, and the Management Committee for the Centre for Tectonics, Resources and Exploration.

Kathryn obtained her Phd in 2004 from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, UK, for an investigation of sustained turbidity currents conducted under the supervision of Professors Jan Alexander and Mike Leeder. Kathryn worked as a research fellow at the University of Leeds (UK), University of New South Wales (UNSW@ADFA, Canberra, Australia) and the University of Adelaide, before taking up her current lectureship position in 2009.

Kathryn is a clastic sedimentologist with expertise in dryland and sub-marine sedimentology, focusing on the application of scale models and modern analogues for interpreting ancient successions. Kathryn’s background is focused on process-based sedimentology, in dryland fluvial systems and turbidity currents, utilisiing both field and laboratory investigations.

Teaching Interests

Kathryn’s primary teaching responsibilites for 2011 include:

Sedimentology and Stratigraphy (Co-ordinated and taught by Dr Amos)
This semesterised second year course covers the basic principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy, from grains to basins. Key topics covered include sandstone composition and classification, provenance, reservoir quality, mechanisms of sediment transport and deposition, depositional environment interpretation, provenance, sedimentary basins, sequence stratigraphy and seismic stratigraphy.

Sedimentology: Depositional Systems  (Co-ordinated and taught by Dr Amos)
This six-day short course is taught to the Petroleum Geoscience Honours and Masters students, and includes a day spent at the PIRSA core library and a one-day fieldtrip. This course reviews the fundamental skills and methods needed for the interpretation of siliciclastic depositional processes and environments from the rock-record.

Sandstone Petrology and Diagenesis  (Co-ordinated and taught by Dr Amos)
This short-course aims to provide an understanding of the sediment characteristics and post-depositional processes that affect sandstone reservoir quality. Sandstone composition, texture and classification and their correlation with petrophysical properties are discussed. The composition of framework grains, matrix and cement are covered, including how to identify these in thin-section using a microscope.  Their potential effects of these on permeability are considered. Diagenetic changes to sandstones are described and illustrated by observing thin sections under the microscope during practical sessions.

Amadeus Basin Fieldtrip (Dr Backe, Prof. Ainsworth and Dr Amos)
This seven-day fieldtrip to the Amadeus Basin, a Late Proterozoic to Mid-Palaeozoic basin in central Australia, aims to study the evolution of the basin under different tectonic regimes from a sequence stratigraphic and petroleum systems perspective.

For further details on these and other courses within the Petroleum Geoscience and Petroleum Engineering Programs, see: http://www.asp.adelaide.edu.au/programs/

 

Learning and Teaching

Dr Amos is passionate about her subject and teaching it. Kathryn has worked with some of her colleagues to form a peer mentoring group for learning and teaching within the Australian School of Petroleum, and has affected changes at both course and program level to improve teaching and assessment practices.

Below are some of the student evaluation comments for the 2010 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy and Depositional Systems courses, when asked: ‘What are the best aspects of the lectures?’. These comments and evaluations are collected anonymously at the end of the course. Comments are reproduced as written by the student and are in no particular order. Opinions, views or grammatical errors are those of the student and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the instructor or the University of Adelaide.

 “not always doing the same conventional things associated with a university lecture”

 “keeps things fresh with different teaching methods”

"interactive activities”  “class discussions”

“she stimulates ‘self-study’ interest”

“participation – learning as you are doing”

Research Interests

Dr Kathryn Amos is a clastic sedimentologist with expertise in dryland and sub-marine sedimentology, focusing on the application of scale models and modern analogues for interpreting ancient successions. Kathryn’s background is focused on process-based sedimentology, in dryland fluvial systems and turbidity currents, utilisiing both field and laboratory investigations.

Kathryn is a member of the Reservoir Analogues Research Group (http://www.asprg.adelaide.edu.au/RARGwww/rarg_index.html) and the Centre for Tectonics, Resources and Exploration (TraX; http://www.adelaide.edu.au/trax/research/)

Kathryn’s key research interests fall within the following areas:

• Fluvial sedimentology and geomorphology: focusing on dryland (semi-arid and arid) environments, including fluvio-aeolian-lacustrine interaction, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, remote sensing and GIS.

• Clastic reservoir analogues: investigation of modern deposits in ephemeral deltas/terminal splays in Lake Eyre, central Australia, and dryland anabranching fluvial systems within the Lake Eyre Basin as clastic reservoir analogues.

• Dynamics of gravity and turbidity currents, including flow dynamics and sedimentation within submarine channels.

Dr Amos’ present research is focused on:

- the Placing the Lake Eyre 'Terminal Splay Complex' Facies Model in a Global and Geologic Perspective; investigating similarities and differences between five TSCs around Lake Eyre and comparing their sedimentology with that of fluvial fans and deltas; and

- interpreting Quaternary fluvial activity in the Fitzroy River, Queensland.

A developing area of interest for Dr Amos is the interpretation of depositional environments from outcrop and core, focusing on:

i) application of the Lake Eyre Basin analogues to the rock record, and

ii) investigating the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Amadeus and Officer Basins, two frontier Neoproterozoic basins within central Australia.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles:

Croke, J.C., Jansen, J., Amos, K.J., Pietsch, T. (in press). A 100 ky record of fluvial activity in the Fitzroy River Basin, tropical northeastern Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews.

Amos, K.J., Peakall, J., Keevil, G.M., Bradbury, P.W. and Roberts, M. (2010). The influence of planform morphology on flow and sedimentation in submarine channels. Marine Geology, 27, 1431-1447.

Fitzsimmons, K.E., Magee, J.W. and Amos, K.J. (2009). Characterisation of aeolian sediments from the Strzelecki and Tirari Deserts, Australia: Implications for reconstructing palaeoenvironmental conditions. Sedimentary Geology, published online May 2009.

Amos, K.J., Croke, J.C., Timmers, H., Owens, P.N. and Thompson, C. (2009). The application of caesium-137 measurements to investigate floodplain deposition in a large semi-arid catchment in Queensland, Australia: a low-fallout environment. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, published online January 2009.

Amos, K.J., Croke, J.C., Hughes, A., Chapman, J., Takken, I., Lymburner, L. (2008). A catchment-scale assessment of anabranching in the 140 000 km2 Fitzroy River catchment, north-eastern Australia. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 33, 1222-1241.

Corney, R.K.T., Peakall, J., Parsons, D.R., Elliott, L., Amos, K.J., Best, J.L., Keevil, G.M., Ingham, D.B. (2008). Reply to Discussion of Imran et al. on ‘‘The orientation of helical flow in curved channels’’ by Corney et al., Sedimentology, 53, 249–257. Sedimentology, 55, 241-247.

Peakall, J., Amos, K.J., Keevil, G.M., Bradbury, P.W. and Gupta, S. (2007). Flow processes and sedimentation in submarine channel bends. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 24, 470-486.

Keevil, G.M., Peakall, J., Best, J.L. and Amos, K.J. (2006). Flow structure in sinuous submarine channels: Velocity and turbulence structure of an experimental submarine channel. Marine Geology, 229, 241-257.

Corney, R., Peakall, J., Elliott, L., Keevil, G.M., Amos, K.J., Ingham, D.B., Parsons, D. and Best, J. (2006). The orientation of helical flow in curved channels, Sedimentology, 53, 249-257.

Amos, K.J., Alexander, J., Horn, A., Pocock, G.D. and Fielding, C.R. (2004). Supply-limited sediment transport in a high discharge event of the tropical Burdekin River, north Queensland, Australia. Sedimentology, 51, 145-162.

Papers in review:

Ainsworth RB et al., (in review). Tidal Deposits in an Intracratonic Playa Lake. Journal of Sedimentary Research.

Hasiotis, S.T., Reilley, M., Lang, S., Amos, K.J., Kennedy, D., Todd, J.A., Michel, E. (in review). Using trace fossils to differentiate between alluvial, lacustrine, eolian and marine paleoenvironments: testing trace fossil models on the distribution of modern traces in end-member lakes.

Keevil, G.M., Peakall, J., Best, J.L. and Amos, K.J. (in prep.). The formation and dynamics of sediment waves. Marine Geology.

Un-refereed reports and articles:

Amos, K.J. (2010) Lake Eyre Basin Analogies Research Group Phase III Final Report, Confidential Report to Sponsors. Compiled by K.J. Amos, Edited by K.J. Amos and A. Soria Jauregui. 557 pp.

Amos, K.J. (2008) Book Review: Environmental Sedimentology, Edited by Chris Perry and Kevin Taylor, 2007. Palaios. DOI: 10.2110/palo.2008.BR30 http://www.paleo.ku.edu/palaios/reviews/perry.pdf

Amos, K.J. and Peakall, J. (2006) Down by the river. Planet Earth, Winter Edition, 26 - 27. Magazine of the Natural Environment Research Council, Swindon, UK. http://www.nerc.ac.uk/publications/planetearth/2006/winter/win06-river.pdf

Peakall, J., Amos, K.J., Keevil, G., Gupta, S. and Laursen, Y. (2005). Final Report to Total: Architecture and controls of sinuous submarine channels. Results from Experimental Investigations, 75 pp.

Professional Associations

• SEPM
• International Association of Sedimentologists
• AAPG
• Australian Quaternary Associaition
• Australian and New Zealand Geomorphology Group
• British Sedimentological Research Group

Dr Amos is the International Association of Sedimentologists National Correspondant for Australia.

Entry last updated: Thursday, 8 Sep 2011