Kieran O’Hara’s research interests are in the areas of structural geology and geochemistry. Over the past several years research has focused on frictional heating processes during earthquakes and the effects it has on the rock record. This work centers on the geochemical and structural study of pseudotachylytes (frictional melts), and also on the effect of frictional heating on coal. A novel technique (O’Hara, 2004) has been developed using vitrinite reflectance in coal to estimate the paleo-stress on ancient seismogenic faults. A second area of interest is in ductile shear zones, especially the geochemical and finite strain changes in continental mylonite zones in the northern and southern Appalachians. Fluid inclusion research in tectonically deformed terranes is also a topic of current research (O’Hara and Becker, 2004). Click on O’Hara’s homepage for further details.

O’Hara, K.D., 2005. Evaluation of asperity-scale temperature effects during seismic slip. Journal of Structural Geology (in press).

O’Hara, K. D. and Huggins, F. E., 2005. A Mossbauer study of pseudotachylytes: redox conditions during seismogenic faulting. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 148, 602-614.

O’Hara, K. D., 2004. Paleo-stress estimates on ancient seismogenic faults based on frictional heating of coal. Geophysical Research Letters, 31, L03601.

O’Hara, K. D and Becker, T. P., 2004. Tectonic assembly of the Brevard-Chauga belt, South Carolina: Fluid inclusion evidence from Appalachian Core Site Investigation Hole 2 (ADCOH-2). Journal of Geodynamics, 37, 565-581.

O’Hara, K. D. and Sharp, Z. D., 2001. Chemical and oxygen isotope composition of natural and artificial pseudotachylyte: role of water during frictional fusion. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett, 184, 393-406.

O’Hara, K. D., 2001. A pseudotachylyte geothermometer. Journal of Structural Geology, 23, 1345-1357.

Yang, X., O'Hara, K., Moecher, D.P., 1998. Distinction between tectonic mixing and mass transfer in a ductile shear zone. Journal Structural Geology, v. 20, 1089-1103.

O'Hara, K.D., Sharp, Z.D., Moecher, D.P. and Jenking, G.R.T., 1997. The effect of deformation on oxygen isotope exchange in quartz and feldspar and significance of isotopic temperatures in mylonites, J.Geology, v. 105, p. 193-204.

O'Hara, K.D., Yang, X., Guoyan and Li, Z, 1997. Regional _180 gradients and fluid-rock interaction in the Altay accretionary complex, northwest China, Geology, v. 25, p. 443-446.

O'Hara, K.D., 1995. A note on the structural and fluid-inclusion characteristics of quartz veins at Howth, County Dublin. Irish Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 14, p. 59-64.

O'Hara, K.D., Kirschner, D.L., and Moecher, D.P., 1995. Petrologic constraints on the source of fluid during mylonitization in the Blue Ridge province, North Carolina and Virginia. J. of Geodynamics, 19, 271-287.

O'Hara, K.D., 1995. The effects of rupture and diffusion on the salinity of fault-related fluid inclusions. J. Struct. Geology, 17, 257-264.

O'Hara, K.D., 1994. Fluid-rock interaction in crustal shear zones: A directed percolation approach. Geology, v. 22, p. 843-846.

O'Hara, K.D., and Haak, A., 1992. A fluid inclusion study of fluid pressure and salinity variations in the footwall of the Rector Branch thrust, North Carolina, U.S.A: J. of Struct. Geology, v. 14, p. 579-589.

O'Hara, K.D., 1992. Trace and major element constraints on the petrogenesis of a fault-related pseudotachylyte, western Blue Ridge, North Carolina: Tectonophysics, v. 204, 279-288.

O'Hara, K.D., 1991. Fluid inclusion evidence for basement decompression during Permo-Triassic extension, southeastern New England: Journal of Metamorphic Geology, v. 9, p. 567-579.

O'Hara, K.D., 1991. Brittle-plastic deformation in mylonites: The Meadow Fork thrust, an example from the southern Appalachians: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 102, p. 1706-1713.

O'Hara, K.D., Hower, J.C., and Rimmer, S.M., 1990. Some constraints on the emplacement and uplift history of the Pine Mountain thrust sheet, eastern Kentucky: Evidence from coal rank trends: Journal of Geology, v. 98, p. 43-51.

O'Hara, K.D., 1990. State of strain in mylonites from the western Blue Ridge province, southern Appalachians: The role of volume loss: J. Struct. Geology, v. 12, p. 419-430.

O'Hara, K.D., and Blackburn, W.H., 1989. Volume loss model for trace element enrichments in mylonites: Geology, v. 17, p. 524-527.