Jay Quade

One of the outstanding field geologists of the modern day, Jay Quade has provided great insight into the geochemistry of the near-surface (surficial) environment. His Ph.D. work set the stage to document isotope diffusion as the determining factor in soil carbonate profiles. He followed this with work in the Siwaliks of Pakistan and showed that major ecosystem changes, including the expansion of C4 grasslands, are recorded in soils through both d13C and d18O isotopic analysis.

In his distinguished faculty career at the University of Arizona beginning in 1992, he continued to pursue isotope change along the length of the Himalaya. This is the best documented ecological change showing the transition from the mid-Miocene "C₃-World" to the Plio-Pleistocene "C₄-World."

Quade has made many contributions since then in many aspects of surficial geochemistry, but a few highlights  include the following:

— Strontium isotopes to study calcrete formation and documenting movement of goods by early American cultures in the USA

— Studying packrat middens as long-term climate records

— The Quaternary history in the Yucca Mountain region for implications for nuclear waste disposal

— Demonstrating how earthquakes can influence surface weathering of boulders in desert regions (a very fun read)

— Clumped isotope applications in soils and paleosols

— Conventional and clumped isotopes in paleoaltimetry studies (pioneering work with Carmie Garzione)

Widely Recognized

A celebrated geoscience polymath, Quade has been widely recognized in the sector. He is the recipient of the 2018 Arthur L. Day Medalist from the Geological Society of America in 2018 recognizing “outstanding distinction in the application of physics and chemistry to the solution of geologic problems," and a fellow of the Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union, the Geochemical Society and the National Academy of Sciences. He has had visiting faculty positions at Hebrew University and the University of Tokyo.

Scopus, the multidisciplinary abstract and citation database produced by Elsevier lists Quade’s 220 publications with nearly 22,000 citations, and an "h-index’" of 78. His contribution to science extends far beyond these metrics with the creativity and care he demonstrates and instills in colleagues and mentees every day.

Through all this work, Quade has been engaged in multiple collaborations, showing enormous generosity of his time and sharing his experience and field sites.

The 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Jay Quade by the Department of Geology & Geophysics March 6 by a committee that included Marjorie Chan, professor emerita; Pete Lippert, associate professor; Thure Cerling, distinguished professor; Cari Johnson, professor; Kip Solomon, distinguished professor and interim department chair; Ashley Herman, program manager. 

This story originally appeared on the website of the University of Utah's Department of Geology & Geophysics.