Associate Professor Kathryn Amos

• Biography/ Background

  Kathryn is a clastic sedimentologist with expertise in dryland continental and deep-sea sedimentology. Her principal research focus is on the sedimentology of dryland rivers; better understanding the geomorphology and sedimentology of modern river systems, and the application of these modern analogues for interpreting ancient successions. Other research interests include outcrop description and interpretation of siliciclastic depositional processes and environments, and experimental modelling of turbidity currents.

  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 a lectureship position in 2009. Kathryn was Associate Dean (Student Experience) for the Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences from August 2018 to December 2019. Kathryn is currently Head of School, Australian School of Petroleum and Energy Research.

   

• Teaching Interests

  Kathryn’s primary teaching responsibilites include:

  Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
  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

  This five-day short course is taught to Honours and Masters students, and includes a day spent at the SA core library and a one-day fieldtrip. This course covers the fundamental skills and understanding needed for the interpretation of siliciclastic depositional processes and environments from the rock-record.

  Sandstone Petrology and Diagenesis
  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
  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 courses, see: http://www.asp.adelaide.edu.au/programs/

   

  Learning and Teaching

  Dr Amos is passionate about her subject and teaching it. Kathryn sits on the ECMS Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee, and with colleagues formed a peer mentoring group for learning and teaching within the Australian School of Petroleum. Kathryn has affected changes at both course and program level to improve teaching and assessment practices. Kathryn was awarded a Faculty Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2013).

• 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 currently supervises six PhD students as principal supervisor, and three as co-supervisor. 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 sedimentology of dryland fluvial termination deposits (terminal splay complexes)

  - investigating Quaternary fluvial deposits (field investigations in diverse systems: the Fitzroy River, north Queensland; the Diamantina River, far western Queensland; the Mitchell River, Gulf of Carpentaria, far north Queensland).

  - investigating the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Amadeus and Officer Basins, Neoproterozoic basins within central Australia.

• Publications

  Peer-Reviewed Articles:

  Hasiotis, S.T., Reilly, M., Amos, K.J., Krapf, C.B.E., Lang, S.C., Kennedy, D., Todd, J.A., Michel, E. and Platt, B.F. (2012 in press). Actualistic studies of the spatial and temporal distribution of terrestrial and aquatic organism traces in continental environments to differentiate lacustrine from fluvial, eolian and marine deposits in the geologic record. In: Berganz, O.W., Bartov, Y., Bohacs, K., and Nummedal, D. (Eds.) Lacustrine Sandstone Reservoirs and Hydrocarbon Systems. AAPG Memoir 95.

  Ainsworth, R.B., Hasiotis, S.T., Amos, K.J., Krapf, C.B.E., Payenberg, T.H.D., Sandstrom, M.L., Vakarelov, B.V., Lang, S.C. (2012). Tidal signatures in an intracratonic playa lake. Geology, 40(7), 607-610.

  Amos, K.J., Goodwin, C., Soria Jauregui, A. (2012). Incised valleys in marginal-lacustrine depositional environments: a new reservoir analogue from Lake Eyre, central Australia. APPEA Journal, 52, 513-524.

  Croke, J.C., Jansen, J., Amos, K.J., Pietsch, T. (2011). A 100 ky record of fluvial activity in the Fitzroy River Basin, tropical northeastern Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 30, 1681-1695.

  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.

   

  Un-refereed reports and articles:

  Amos, K.J. (2010) Lake Eyre Basin Analogies Research Group Phase III Final 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
  • Geological Society of Australia
  • Australian and New Zealand Geomorphology Group (ANZGG)
    
  • Australia and New Zealand Sedimentologists Network (www.anzsed.org)
    
  • Australasian Quaternary Associaition(AQUA)
  • British Sedimentological Research Group
  • AAPG
    

  Dr Amos is the International Association of Sedimentologists National Correspondant for Australia and committee member for the sedimentology special interest group of the Geological Society of Australia. She is co-chair of the AAPG ICE 2015 Field Trips sub-committee.

Entry last updated: Saturday, 23 Mar 2024

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