Brendan R. Bream, Senior Lecturer
Ph.D. University of Tennessee, 2003
Tectonics and Structural Geology
office: 5707 Science & Engineering Bldg
phone: 615-343-7831, fax: 615-322-2138
email: brendan.bream@vanderbilt.edu

Bream Tarocco Blood Orange

Brendan Bream is interested in tectonic problems and processes mainly within the high-grade metamorphic rocks of the southern Appalachians.  To solve these types of problems he has utilized a number of research tools including traditional detailed geologic mapping, GIS (Geographic Information Systems), structural and petrographic analysis, and zircon geochronology.  Bream has benefited from strong field-based programs both at UC-Santa Barbara as an undergraduate and at UT-Knoxville as a graduate student.  Field-based instruction is what led him to geology as a career and remains one of his deepest passions.  Bream has worked as an Environmental Geologist with Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure and as a Senior Geologist with ExxonMobil (Equatorial Guinea Production; Angola-Congo Exploration; Canada & Angola Formation Evaluation).

Brendan Bream remains interested and involved with the southern Appalachian work he completed during his Ph.D. with Robert D. Hatcher, Jr. at the University of Tennessee.  Through detailed geologic mapping, Nd and Sr isotopic analyses, whole-rock Pb isotopic analyses, and zircon & monazite geochronology a number of important problems have been addressed and several new questions are now being asked.  The problems and questions being addressed regard the nature and timing of events that have affected the basement, high grade metasedimentary sequences, and Paleozoic granitoids of the southern Appalachians.  

Present and past collaborators include Calvin F. Miller (Vanderbilt University), Staci Loewy (CSU-Bakersfield), Paul Fullagar (UNC-Chapel Hill), Chris Fisher* (Memorial University of Newfoundland), Charles W. Carrigan* (Olivet Nazarene University), Russell Mapes* (UNC-Chapel Hill), and Chris W. Thomas* (IUPUI).  Collaboration with Mruganka K. Panigrahi (Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur) on 2.48 Ga, and possibly older, granites of the central Indian craton near Malanjkhand is also ongoing.  New zircon geochronologic contract work for the NC Geological Survey was initiated in 2006.

*former Vanderbilt University M.S. students under Calvin F. Miller

Geology 101 "The Dynamic Earth: Introduction to Geological Sciences"
Geology 111 "Dynamic Earth Laboratory" 
Geology 110 "Geology of National Parks"
Geology 240 "Structural Geology and Rock Mechanics"
Vanderbilt Visions Faculty Facilitator

Journals

Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., and Fullagar, P.D., 2004, Detrital zircon ages from the crystalline core of the southern Appalachians, NC-SC-GA-TN: New constraints on the rifting of Rodinia, in Tollo, R.P., Corriveau, L., McLelland, J., and Bartholomew, M.J., eds., Proterozoic tectonic evolution of the Grenville orogen in North America: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir no. 197, p. 459-475. 

Callahan, J.E., Bream, B.R., Johnson, N.E., and Stepp, J.D., 2007, Geochemistry of megacrystic zircons with distinctive fluorescent zircon populations from the Freeman Mine, North Carolina, Southeastern Geology, v. 45, p. 1-13. 

Carrigan, C.W., Miller, C.F., Fullagar, P.D., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., and Coath, C.D., 2003, Ion microprobe age and geochemistry of southern Appalachian basement, with implications for Proterozoic and Paleozoic reconstructions, Precambrian Research, v. 120, p. 1-36. 

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., and Merschat, A.J., 2007, Tectonic map of the southern and central Appalachians: A tale of three orogens and a complete Wilson cycle, in Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Carlson, M.P., McBride, J.H., and Martínez Catalán, J.R., eds., 4-D Framework of Continental Crust: Geological Society of America Memoir 200, p. 595-632. 

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., Miller, C.F., Eckert, J.O., Carrigan, C.W., and Fullagar, P.D., 2004, Paleozoic structure of southern Appalachian Blue Ridge Grenvillian internal basement massifs, in Tollo, R.P., Corriveau, L., McLelland, J., and Bartholomew, M.J., eds., Proterozoic tectonic evolution of the Grenville orogen in North America: Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Memoir no. 197, p. 525-547.  

Mapes, R.W., Miller, C.F., Bream, B.R., Fullagar, P.D., and Wooden, J.L, in preparation, Mid-Paleozoic plutonism in the southern Appalachians.  

Meschter-McDowell, S.M., Miller, C.F., Fullagar, P.D., Bream, B.R., and Mapes, R.W., 2002, The Persimmon Creek Gneiss, eastern Blue Ridge, North Carolina-Georgia: Evidence for the missing Taconic arc?: Southeastern Geology, v. 41, no. 2, p. 103-117. 

Panigrahi, M.K., Bream, B.R., Misra, K.C., and Naik, R.K., 2004, Age of granitic activity associated with copper-molybdenum mineralization at Malanjkhand, Central India: Mineralium Deposita, v. 39, no. 5-6, p. 670-677. 

Panigrahi, M.K., Bream, B.R., Misra, K.C., and Naik, R.K., 2005, Reply to discussion on “Age of granitic activity associated with copper–molybdenum mineralization at Malanjkhand, central India” by Holly Stein, Judith Hannah, Aaron Zimmerman, and Richard Markey: Mineralium Deposita, v.40, no. 6-7, p. 766-768.  

Field Trip Guidebooks

Bier, S.E., Bream, B.R., and Giorgis, S.D., 2002, Inner Piedmont stratigraphy, metamorphism, and deformation in the Marion-South Mountains area, North Carolina, in Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., eds., Inner Piedmont geology in the South Mountains-Blue Ridge Foothills and the southwestern Brushy Mountains, central-western North Carolina: North Carolina Geological Survey, Carolina Geological Society annual field trip guidbook, p. 65-99.

Bream, B.R., 2002, The southern Appalachian Inner Piedmont: New perspectives based on recent detailed geologic mapping, Nd iotopic evidence, and zircon geochronology, in Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., eds., Inner Piedmont geology in the South Mountains-Blue Ridge Foothills and the southwestern Brushy Mountains, central-western North Carolina: North Carolina Geological Survey, Carolina Geological Society annual field trip guidbook, p. 45-63.

Bream, B.R., Hill, J.C., Giorgis, S.D., and Williams, S.T., 1998, EDMAP Site Visit and Field Review (Field Trip Guidebook): Structure and Tectonics Division, University of Tennessee–Knoxville.

Giorgis, S.D., Mapes, R.W., and Bream, B.R., 2002, The Walker Top Granite: Acadian granitoid or eastern Inner Piedmont basement?, in Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., eds., Inner Piedmont geology in the South Mountains-Blue Ridge Foothills and the southwestern Brushy Mountains, central-western North Carolina: North Carolina Geological Survey, Carolina Geological Society annual field trip guidbook, p. 33-43.

Settles, D.J., Bream, B.R., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr., 2002, The Sally Free mafic complex and associated mafics of the Dahlonega gold belt: Evidence of Ordovician arc volcanism and intrusion northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia: Georgia Geological Society Fieldtrip.  

Geologic Maps

Bream, B.R., and Williams, S.T., 1999, Geologic Map of the Glenwood 7 1/2-minute quadrangle, North Carolina: USGS National Geologic Map Database and North Carolina Geological Survey open file.

Bream, B.R., Yanagihara, G.M., and Whisnant, J.S., 1999, Geologic Map of the Sugar Hill 7 1/2 minute quadrangle, North Carolina: USGS National Geologic Map Database and North Carolina Geological Survey open file.  

Conference Proceedings

Berquist, P.J., Miller, C.F., Fullagar, P.D., Carrigan, C.W., Ownby, S., Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Wooden, J., 2003, Anomalous ancient crust in the southeastern USA: Implications for the assembly of North America and Rodinia (GSA Annual Meeting).  

Bream, B.R., 2001, Depositional setting and provenance of siliciclastic units in the southern Appalachian crystalline core (AAPG/SEG Student Expo).

Bream, B.R., and Bream, K.D., 2008, Creating a meaningul undergraduate oceanography lab experience in Middle Tennessee using student generated data and GIS (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr., 2002, Southern Appalachian terranes amended: Timing of accretion and delimiting provenance from new detrital zircon and Nd isotopic data (GSA Annual Meeting).  

Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Hill, J.C., 1998, The Henderson Augen Gneiss of the western Inner Piedmont, NC & SC (GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., Carrigan, C.W., and Fullagar, P.D., 2001, Provenance and geochemistry of Late Proterozoic southern Appalachian crystalline core paragneisses, NC-SC-GA-TN (GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., and Fullagar, P.D., 2000, Paragneiss geochemistry and preliminary ion microprobe geochronology of detrital zircons from the southern Appalachian crystalline core (GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., and Fullagar, P.D., 2001, Geochemistry and provenance of Inner Piedmont paragneisses, NC and SC: Evidence for an internal terrane boundary? (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Hill, J.C., Giorgis, S.D., Williams, S.T., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr., 1999, New digital geologic 7.5' quadrangle maps from part of the western Inner Piedmont of North Carolina (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Hill, J.C., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr., 1997, Value of traditional detailed geologic mapping, augmented by technology to resolve the structure in part of the western Inner Piedmont, North Carolina (GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Hill, J.C., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr., 1998, Use of detailed digital geologic and derivative maps to resolve the structure and stratigraphy in part of the western Inner Piedmont, North Carolina (SE GSA Annual Meeting)

Bream, B.R., Loewy, S.L., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Miller, C.F., 2007, Reinterpreting the provenance of eastern Laurentian Late Proterozoic rift fill: New whole-rock Pb isotopic constraints (NE GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Loewy, S.L., Merschat, A.J., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Miller, C.F., 2008, Constraints on Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont paragneiss provenance: Synthesis of detrital zircon and whole-rock Pb isotopic data (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Bream, B.R., Mapes, R.W., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., and Fullagar, P.D., 2005, Laurentian and exotic components of the southern Appalachian Inner Piedmont (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Callahan, J.E., Stepp, J.D., Johnson, N.E., and Bream, B.R., 2002, Fluorescence and lack thereof in zircons from the Freeman zircon mine, Zirconia District, North Carolina (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Carrigan, C.W., Bream, B.R., Miller, C.F., and Hatcher, R.D., Jr., 2001, Ion microprobe analyses of zircon rims from the eastern Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont, NC-SC-GA: Implications for the timing of Paleozoic metamorphism in the southern Appalachians (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Carrigan, C.W., Miller, C.F., Fullagar, P.D., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., and Coath, C.D., 2001, Age and geochemistry of southern Appalachian basement, NC-SC-GA, with implications for Proterozoic and Paleozoic reconstructions (GSA Annual Meeting).

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., 2004, New tectonic map of the southern and central Appalachians (V. 2.0) (17th International Basement Tectonics Conference).

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., and Eckert, J.O., Jr., 2003, Southern Blue Ridge terranes and problems with rock units, ages, and timing of events: Read the detailed geologic maps (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., Fullagar, P.D., Miller, C.F., and Carrigan, C.W., 2002, Hints of the mid-continent beyond the Grenville orogen and Gondwanan inheritance in Appalachian terranes (GSA Annual Meeting).

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., Merschat, A.J., Mapes, R.W., and Miller, C.F., 2005, Evidence for the (Neo-)Acadian orogeny In the southern Appalachians (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Whisner, S.C., Bream, B.R., and Miller, C.F., 2004, Sediments derived from mountain chains do not always land in foredeeps: Southern Appalachian Sevier-Blountian basin dynamics (Joint SE & NE GSA Annual Meeting).

Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., Miller, C.F., Mapes, R.W., Fullagar, P.D., and Carrigan, C.W., 2005, Value of modern geochronology in understanding southern Appalachian accretionary history (NE GSA Annual Meeting).

Kalbas, J.L., Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Maybin, A.H., III, 2002, Evidence for mafic Ordovician magmatism and Acadian metamorphism in the Brushy Mountains, western Inner Piedmont, or North Carolina (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Mapes, R.W., Bream, B.R., and Miller, C.F., 2008, Mid-Paleozoic magmatism in the eastern Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont: Constraints from geochemistry and geochronology (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Mapes, R.W., Maybin, A.H., III, Miller, C.F., Fullagar, P.D., and Bream, B.R., 2002, Geochronology and geochemistry of mid Paleozoic granitic magmatism, central and eastern Inner Piedmont, NC & SC (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Merschat, A.J., Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., and Carrigan, C.W., 2008, Delimiting the spatial extent of superposed metamorphic events of the Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont with SHRIMP U-Pb ages of zircon rims (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Merschat, A.J., Bream, B.R., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Miller, C.F., and Wooden, J.L., 2007, Provenance and timing of crust formation in the southern Appalachian crystalline core: Evidence from detrital zircon studies (GSA Annual Meeting).

Merschat, A.J., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., Bream, B.R., and Mapes, R.W., 2004, Middle to Late Paleozoic accretion of the Carolina Terrane: Evidence from the Brindle Creek thrust sheet, Inner Piedmont, North Carolina (Joint SE & NE GSA Annual Meeting).

Merschat, A.J., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., 2002, The Brindle Creek thrust: A major fault and terrane boundary in the southern Appalachian Inner Piedmont, North Carolina-South Carolina-Georgia (GSA Annual Meeting).

Panigrahi, M.K., Misra, K.C., Bream, B.R., and Naik, R.K., 2002, Genesis of the granitoid affiliated copper-molybdenum mineralization at Malanjkhand, central India: Facts and problems (11th Quadrennial IAGOD Symposium).

Settles, D.J., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., 2001, Tectonostratigraphic relationships that define a fundamental Appalachian terrane boundary within the central Blue Ridge of north Georgia (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Thomas, C.W., Miller, C.F., Fullagar, P.D., Meschter-McDowell, S.M., Vinson, S.B., and Bream, B.R., 2001, Where is the arc? Discontinuities in Taconian arc magmatism in the southern Appalachians (GSA Annual Meeting).

Thomas, C.W., Miller, C.F., Bream, B.R., and Fullagar, P.D., 2001, Origins of mafic-ultramafic complexes of the eastern Blue Ridge, southern Appalachians: Geochronologic and geochemical constraints (SE GSA Annual Meeting).

Wilson C.G., Hatcher, R.D., Jr., and Bream, B.R., 2006, The nature and origin of Inner Piedmont Taconian and Neoacadian magmatism: Synthesis of recent and new geochemical data (SE GSA Annual Meeting).