Sedimentology is the study of sediment and the process in which sediment is laid. Sediment often consists of sand, silt, and/or clay.
Gail Ashley, née Mowry, (born 29 January 1941) is an American sedimentologist. She is known for her studies of the Olduvai Gorge sediments, focused on the water supplies available to hominids and the paleoclimate of the region. She has participated in multi-disciplinary projects that include meteorology, oceanography, paleoanthropology, and archaeology. She has served in professional organizations in the fields of sedimentology and geology, including the presidency of the Geological Society of America, the second woman to hold that post.
In 1977, Ashley was hired at Rutgers University, where she currently serves as a full professor.[2][3] She has served as editor for several journals, including as the first female editor of the Journal of Sedimentary Research and the Geological Society of America Bulletin.[2] She presented a lecture on "The Paleoclimate Framework of Human Evolution, Lessons from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania" at Rutgers, publicized by WISE (Women in Scientific Education) in 2014.[4]
The Olduvai Gorge, where the majority of Gail Ashley's research and study took place.
In 1998, she first introduced the term Critical Zone in Earth sciences to describe this thin zone of complex interactions involving rock, soil, water, air, and living organisms.
In 2012, Ashley was the recipient of the GSA's Laurence L. Sloss Award for lifetime achievements [3] and in 2020 received the GSA Limnogeology Division Israel C. Russell Award. [6]
Personal life
Ashley has two children with her first husband, Stuart Ashley.[7] She is currently married to Jeremy Delaney.[2]
References
↑Ashley, Gail Mowry (1972). Rhythmic sedimentation in glacial lake Hitchcock, Massachusetts-Connecticut (Thesis). OCLC15031715.
