earth science

Rónadh Cox

Rónadh Cox is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rónadh Cox rather than just read about it. In short: Rónadh Cox (born 1962) is an Irish geologist who is the Edward Brust Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at Williams College, Massachusetts. Her research considers the impact of storms on coastal boulders.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Rónadh Cox (born 1962) is an Irish geologist who is the Edward Brust Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at Williams College, Massachusetts. Her research considers the impact of storms on coastal boulders. She is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of both the Geological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Early life and education Cox is from Ireland. She says she became interested in geology as a teenager, because her geography teacher "delighted in the natural world,". She attended University College Dublin for her undergraduate degree, where she majored in geology. After earning her bachelor's degree, Cox moved to BP, where she worked as a geological assistant. She moved to the United States for her graduate research, joining Stanford University as a doctoral student. After earning her doctorate, Cox was appointed to the Rand Afrikaans University as a postdoctoral researcher. She spent two years in South Africa before returning to North America.

Research and career Cox joined the faculty at Williams College in 1996, and was eventually promoted to Edward Brust Professor of Geology and Mineralogy. In 2019 she was concurrently appointed a Visiting Professor in the School of Earth Sciences at UCD. Cox's research considers how storm waves move boulders. She has studied the impact of strong storms (some equivalent to category 3 hurricanes) on Ireland's west coast, with focus on the Aran Islands. In particular, she showed that 2013-14 Atlantic winter storms in Europe moved numerous hundred-tonne boulders, so-called 'megagravel' the largest ever dislocated by the waves of storms. Her team also demonstrated formation of new boulders quarried from bedrock by wave action, well above sea level. In 2020, she was awarded a new grant from the National Science Foundation to study the dynamic evolution of boulder beaches. From 2012 to 2016, Cox served as editor of the journal Geology, and went on to serve on the editorial board.

Awards and honours 2013 Elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America 2020 Appointed Fellow of Future Earth Coasts 2020 EU Atlantic Strategy Atlantic Project Award 2020 Distinguished Service Award of the Geological Society of America 2021 Elected to the Royal Irish Academy 2022 Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Selected publications Cox, Rónadh; Lowe, Donald R.; Cullers, R. L. (1 July 1995). "The influence of sediment recycling and basement composition on evolution of mudrock chemistry in the southwestern United States". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 59 (14): 2919–2940. Bibcode:1995GeCoA..59.2919C. doi:10.1016/0016-7037(95)00185-9. ISSN 0016-7037. Ronadh Cox (1), Donald R. Lowe (2) (1995). "A Conceptual Review of Regional-Scale Controls on the Composition of Clastic Sediment and the Co-Evolution of Continental Blocks and their Sedimentary Cover". SEPM Journal of Sedimentary Research. 65A. doi:10.1306/d4268009-2b26-11d7-8648000102c1865d. ISSN 1527-1404.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Cox, Rónadh; Armstrong, Richard A.; Ashwal, Lewis D. (1 November 1998). "Sedimentology, geochronology and provenance of the Proterozoic Itremo Group, central Madagascar, and implications for pre-Gondwana palaeogeography". Journal of the Geological Society. 155 (6): 1009–1024. Bibcode:1998JGSoc.155.1009C. doi:10.1144/gsjgs.155.6.1009. ISSN 0016-7649. S2CID 128493704. Cox, Rónadh; Jahn, Kalle; Watkins, Oona; Peter, Cox (2018). "Extraordinary boulder transport by storm waves (west of Ireland, winter 2013-2014) and criteria for analysing coastal boulder deposits". Earth-Science Reviews. 177: 623–636. Bibcode:2018ESRv..177..623C. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.12.014.

Personal life Whilst a doctoral student in California, Cox met her husband, Mark Brandriss.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rónadh Cox

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rónadh Cox claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rónadh Cox before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rónadh Cox ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rónadh Cox

In research: Rónadh Cox appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rónadh Cox in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rónadh Cox is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1962 births, 20th-century Irish geologists, 21st-century Irish geologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rónadh Cox outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rónadh Cox in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rónadh Cox means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Rónadh Cox in simple terms?

Why does Rónadh Cox matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rónadh Cox?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rónadh Cox.