Dr. Lisa Tranel
Associate Professor of Geology
Geography-Geology-Environment
Office
FSA Felmley Hall Of Science Annex 432
Office Hours
Fall 2025: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-3pm, Wednesdays 10am-12pm
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Current Courses
GEO 380.001 Earth Surface Processes
GEO 380.002 Earth Surface Processes
GEO 480.001 Earth Surface Processes
GEO 480.002 Earth Surface Processes
GEO 499.001 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
GEO 400.005 Independent Study
GEO 287.005 Independent Study - Geology
GEO 204.002 Career Preparation in Geography/Environmental Systems and Sustainability I
GEO 276.001 Environmental Geology
GEO 363.001 GIS Applications in Geosciences
GEO 363.002 GIS Applications in Geosciences
GEO 463.001 GIS Applications in Geosciences
GEO 463.002 GIS Applications in Geosciences
GEO 299.002 Independent Honor Study
GEO 499.005 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
GEO 287.001 Independent Study - Geology
Teaching Interests & Areas
Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Natural Disasters, GIS
Research Interests & Areas
Examining the evolution of mountain landscapes and drainage basins as a result of interactions between tectonic, geomorphic and climatic processes. Reconstruction of erosional & tectonic histories in bedrock and sedimentary systems using tools including apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry & cosmogenic radionuclides. Spatial variation of erosion in the Teton Range, Wyoming
Ph D Geoscience
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
MS Geology
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
BA Geology
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI
Presidents Award
Association for Women Geoscientists
2021
Geosciences Outstanding Service Recognition Award
Virginia Tech
2010
Book, Chapter
Schneider, B., Tranel, L.M., and Cremeans, M., 2018, The Association for Women Geoscientists: Forty years of successes, struggles, and sisterhood, in Johnson, B.A., ed., Women and Geology: Who Are We, Where Have We Come From, and Where Are We Going?: Geological Society of America Memoir 214, p. 1–16, https://dx.doi.org/10.1130/2018.1214(11).
Conference Proceeding
Jacob, A., Tranel, L., & Xu, E. GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS EROSION: TRACING THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF STREAM CHANNEL SEDIMENTS. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Geological Society of America (2025)
Johnson, J., Guryan, G., Anderson, S., Gasparini, N., Tranel, L., & Heimsath, A. Modeling bedrock channel erodibility as a function of measurable rock properties and climate. Copernicus GmbH
Journal Article
Konop, P., Tranel, L., Peterson, E., & Seyoum, W. Sediment transport and flood discharge in the Menominee River, Illinois, USA. Geomorphica 2.1 (2025)
Tranel, L.M. and Happel, A.A., Evaluating escarpment evolution and bedrock erosion rates in the western Guadalupe Mountains, West Texas and New Mexico, Geomorphology, accepted June 2020, in press. (https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bUwh,3sl3mx-f)
Watson, A., Peterson, E. W., Malone, D., and Tranel, L., 2020, Geology and Aquifer Sensitivity of Quaternary Glacial Deposits Overlying a Portion of the Mahomet Buried Bedrock Valley Aquifer System.: Hydrology, v. 7, no. 4, doi:10.3390/hydrology7040069.
Tranel, L.M., 2018, Hillslope coupled stream morphology, flow conditions, and their effects on detrital sedimentology in Garnet Canyon, Teton Range, Wyoming, Geoscience Frontiers , v. 9, p. 1193-1202, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2017.07.005
Tranel, L.M., 2018, Rock mass strength in the Teton Range, Wyoming, 2017 Wyoming Geological Association Annual Field Conference Guidebook 2017, p. 41-61.
Other
Nelson, R., Tranel, L., & Malone, D. Teacher’s Guide to the Rocks and Resources of the Starved Rock State Park and Wedron Areas, Illinois. Teacher’s Guide to the Rocks and Resources of the Starved Rock State Park and Wedron Areas, Illinois, Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers Teachers’ Workshop: Rocks, Minerals, and Mining in Today’s Society (2016)
Presentations
Suleiman, Z., Peterson, E., Tranel, L. Thayn, J. B., 2025, Assessing the impacts of chloride concentration on nitrate loss in sediment using column studies, GSA 2025 Joint Northeastern/North-Central Section Meeting, Geological Society of America, Erie, PA
Rutte, M. and Tranel, L.M., (2018), Analysis of anthropogenic and runoff erosion into sandstone canyon walls using repeat structure-from-motion, Abstract G51C-0492, presented at 2018 AGU Fall Meeting, Washington, D.C., 10-14 Dec.
Schneider, B., Tranel, L.M., Cremeans, M., and Zeeck, L., (2018), 40 Years of Recruitment and Retention of Women in the Geosciences: A Perspective from the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) , Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 50.
Tranel, L.M., Rutte, M., and Neundorff, J.A., (2018), Post-glacial erosion of sandstone canyons in Central Illinois , Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 50.
Rutte, M. and Tranel, L.M., (2017), Photogrammetric and Schmidt hammer analyses to understand erosion of the St. Peter Sandstone in La Salle County, Illinois , Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 49.
Tranel, L.M., Happel, A.A., and Schoenmann, S.S. (2017), Erosion influenced by climate, rock strength, and tectonic history in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, FACETS II - Feedbacks Among Climate, Erosion, and Tectonics.
Csanda, D. and Tranel, L.M., (2016), The effects of glacial and fluvial transport on detrital apatite minerals, Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 48.
Happel, A.A., Tranel, L.M., Neundorff, J.A., Garber, K.L., Schaefer, K.N., Babin, J.T., and Cremer, C., (2016), Evaluating fault line escarpment exposure in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and New Mexico, Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 48.
Salinas, C. and Tranel, L.M., (2016), Investigating recently active faults based on the geomorphology of ephemeral channels in the Guadalupe and Brokeoff Mountains, West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico, Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 48.
Schoenmann, S., Tranel, L.M., Garber, K.L., Neundorff, J.A., Schaefer, K.N., (2016), Evaluating relationships between rock strength and landscape evolution in the southern Guadalupe Mountains, Texas, Abstracts with Programs-Geological Society of America, v. 48.
Grants & Contracts
Spatial evaluation of stream erosion and knickpoint evolution using detrital minerals tracers. Illinois Geographical Society. Private. (2015)
EVALUATION OF APATITE AGE DISTRIBUTIONS BETWEEN GRAVEL AND SAND SEDIMENTS IN GLACIAL AND FLUVIAL DEPOSITS. University Research Grant Program, College of Arts and Sciences. Illinois State University. (2014)
Evaluation of knickpoint erosion using detrital apatite thermochronology. Early Career Researcher, British Society for Geomorphology. Other. (2014)
Quantifying variable erosion rates of surface processes in the Teton Range. Association of American Geographers. Other. (2014)
Using Cosmogenic Nuclides to Evaluate Uplift and Erosion of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico. Undergraduate New Investigator, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund. Other. (2014)