John Kiefer is the Assistant State Geologist at the Kentucky Geological Survey. He has done graduate work in stratigraphy, structure, paleontology and geologic mapping. At the doctoral level he also completed studies in civil engineering and soil mechanics and did post-doctoral work at Northwestern University in the engineering aspects of surficial materials. He taught at the University of Illinois and Eastern Kentucky University and field courses for the University of Illinois in Wyoming, Illinois, and Kentucky, and has additional field experience in New Mexico, Alabama and Indiana. From 1971 to 1978 he was Chief Engineering Geologist for Geotechnical Engineering Associates, Bloomington, Illinois. He has been with the Kentucky Geological Survey since 1979 where he served as Head of the Water Resources Section and has been Assistant State Geologist since 1983.

His major research interests are geologic hazards and environmental geology and geology and public policy. He works closely with the Kentucky Emergency Management Agency and the Central United States Earthquake Consortium. He is Chair of the Southeastern Section of the Geological Society of America and represents the Southeastern Section of GSA on the National Committee on Geology and Public Policy. Dr. Kiefer is also serving as the first Chairman of the new GSA Division of “Geology and Society.”

Ruthven, C.L., Kiefer, J.D., Greb, S.F., and Andrews, W.M. Jr., 2003. Geologic Maps and Geologic Issues in Kentucky: A Citizen’s Guide, Kentucky Geological Survey, Series XII, Special Publication 3.

Kiefer, J.D., Drahovzal, J.A., Cobb, J.C., and Williams, D.A., 1997. Reconnaissance of neotectonic structures of southern Illinois and western Kentucky, Kentucky Geological Survey, Open File Report, OF-97-01.

Kiefer, J.D., 1995. Engineering geology in the Hazard, Kentucky, area, in Coal Geology of the eastern Kentucky coal field: Guidebook and roadlog for Geological Society of Kentucky 1995 Field Conference, p. 4-7.

Kiefer, J.D., 1995. Mineral production in an environmentally responsible manner, in Industrial minerals of the Midcontinent-Proceedings of the Midcontinent Industrial Minerals Workshop: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2111, p. 71-82.

Harris, J.R., Street, R.L., Kiefer, J.D., Allen, D., and Wang. Z, 1994. Modeling site response in the Paducah, Kentucky, area, Earthquake Spectra, 10 (3), 519-538.

Kiefer, J.D., and Lynch, M., 1994. Living in earthquake country: Kentucky Division of Disaster and Emergency Services, Special Publication, 11p.

Harris, J.B., Street, R.L., Kiefer, J.D., Allen, D.L., and Wang, Z., 1993. Microzonation and site amplification of seismic ground motion in the Paducah, Kentucky, area, Proceedings, 1993 National Earthquake Conference, Earthquake Hazard Reduction in the central and eastern United States: A time for examination and action, Volume 1, p. 215-224, Memphis, Tennessee.