Professor Emeritus

School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, AL

EDUCATION

The University of New England, Armidale, N.S.W., Australia

Ph.D. Geology, 1971

Title: “ The Petrology of the New England Batholith near Guyra, New South Wales”

B.Sc. with First Class Honors in Geology, 1966

B.Sc. Geology (minor Geography), 1965

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Samford University, Birmingham, AL

Adjunct Instructor of Geography, 8/03-

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, AL

Professor Emeritus, 8/00-

Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs, 7/97 – 7/00

Acting Dean, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, 2/97 – 6/98

Professor, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, 9/96 – 7/00

Professor, Department of Geology, 9/94 – 8/96

Chair, Department of Geology, 9/89 - 1/97

Associate Dean, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, 10/81 – 1/97

Associate Professor (with tenure), Department of Geology, 10/77 - 8/94  

Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, 9/75 - 9/77

Thiel College, Greenville, PA

Assistant Professor, Department of Geology, 8/72 - 8/75 

Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Geology, 1/71 - 8/72

 TEACHING

Courses recenty taught included Physical Geography (SU) , Physical geology, Geography of Alabama, Geology for Engineers, Regional Geography of North America, Word Regional Geography and Human Population and the Earth’s Environment (UAB). 

Recipient, President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, 1994

SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES

Research Interests

 Physical geography of Alabama,   Environmental problems in Alabama

Peer-reviewed Publications and Abstracts

Neilson, M.J., & Bearce, D.N. (1998) Seasonal variation in water table elevations in the surficial aquifer, Birmingham Valley.  Alabama Academy of Science Journal, 69, 3, 175-182.

Drummond, M.S., Neilson, M.J., Allison, D.T., & Tull, J.F. (1997) Igneous petrogenesis and tectonic setting of granitic rocks from the eastern Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont, Alabama Appalachians, in Sinha, A.K., Whalen, J.B., & Hogan, J.P., eds. The nature of magmatism in the Appalachian Orogen: Geological Society of America Memoir 191, 147-164.

Neilson, M.J., Seal, T.L., & Kish, S.A. (1996) Two high-silica gneisses from the Dadeville Complex of Alabama’s Inner Piedmont. Southeastern Geology 36, 3, 123-132.

Barrick, R.E., Showers, W.J., Brande, S., Neilson, M.J., & Turner, M. (1995) The body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex.  Science 267, 1668.

Guthrie, G. M., Neilson, M. J., & DeJarnette, S., (1994) Evaluation of ground-water yields in crystalline bedrock of the Alabama Piedmont.  Geological Survey of Alabama Circular 176, 89.

Bearce, D.N., Neilson, M.J., & Carter, S.A. (1994) Preliminary water table map of surficial aquifer, Birmingham-Bessemer, Alabama from ADEM environmental assessment database. Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 26, 3, 4.

Drummond, M.S. & Neilson, M.J. (1993) Quantitative estimates of metamorphic equilibria: Tallassee synform, Dadeville Belt, Alabama's Inner Piedmont.  Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 25, 4, 13.

Guthrie, G.M., Neilson, M.J., & DeJarnette, S. (1993) Ground water in rocks of the Alabama Piedmont - a preliminary evaluation.  Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 25, 4, 20.

Neilson, M. J., & Bearce, D. N., (1993) Cave development by seepage weathering in Pottsville sandstone, Birmingham, Alabama. Alabama Academy of Science Journal, 64, 183-193.

Neilson, M.J., Seal, T.L., & Kish, S.A. (1992) Contrasting high-silica felsic gneisses, Dadeville Complex, Alabama's Inner Piedmont.  Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 24, 2, 55.

Steltenpohl, M., Neilson, M., Bittner, E., Cook, R., & Colberg, M. (1990) Geology of the Alabama Inner Piedmont Terrane, Geological Survey of Alabama Bulletin 139, 80.

Steltenpohl, M.G., Neilson, M.J., & Kish S.A. (1990) Tectonometamorphic development in the southernmost Inner Piedmont, in Geology of the Southern Piedmont, Alabama and Georgia eds. Steltenpohl, M.G., Kish, S. A., & Neilson, M.J. A Guidebook for Field Trip VII, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1-13.

Neilson, M.J. & Bittner, E.I. (1990) General lithology and petrology of the Dadeville Complex, in Geology of the Southern Piedmont, Alabama and Georgia eds. Steltenpohl, M.G., Kish, S.A., & Neilson, M.J. A Guidebook for Field Trip VII, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 65-76.

Bittner, E.I. & Neilson, M.J. (1990) Structural and metamorphic evolution of the Dadeville Complex, emphasizing the Dadeville and Agricola shear zones, in Geology of the Southern Piedmont, Alabama and Georgia eds. Steltenpohl, M.G., Kish, S.A., & Neilson, M.J. A Guidebook for Field Trip VII, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 91-98.

Neilson, M.J., Goldberg, S.A., & Steltenpohl, M.G. (1990) Geologic research in the Inner Piedmont and its borders: progress 1970-1990, in Tectonometamorphic evolution of Alabama's Inner Piedmont and its borders, eds. Neilson, M.J., Steltenpohl, M.G., Bittner, E.I., & Goldberg, S.A. Guidebook, 27th Annual Field Trip, Alabama Geological Society, Tuscaloosa, AL, 1-12.

Neilson, M.J., Steltenpohl, M.G., Bittner, E.I., Goldberg, S.A., (1990) Tectonometamorphic development of the southernmost Inner Piedmont Terrane and its borders, Alabama, in Tectonometamorphic evolution of Alabama's Inner Piedmont and its borders, eds. Neilson, M.J., Steltenpohl, M.G., Bittner, E.I., & Goldberg, S.A. Guidebook, 27th Annual Field Trip, Alabama Geological Society, Tuscaloosa, AL, 13-50.

Bittner, E.I., and Neilson, M.J. (1989) The Dadeville shear zone, Alabama Inner Piedmont Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 21, 3, 4.

Neilson, M.J. (1988) The structure and stratigraphy of the Tallassee synform, Dadeville Belt, Alabama, Southeastern Geology, 29, 1, 41-50.

Neilson, M.J. (1987) The felsic gneisses of the Inner Piedmont, in Granites of Alabama ed. M. S. Drummond & N.L. Green, Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 9-16.

Neilson, M.J. & Stow, S.H. (1986) Geology and geochemistry of the mafic and ultramafic intrusive rocks from the Dadeville Belt, Alabama. Bulletin of The Geological Society of America, 97, 296-304.

Stow, S.H., Neilson, M.J., & Neathery, T.L. (1984) Petrography, geochemistry and tectonic significance of the amphibolites of the Alabama Piedmont. American Journal of Science, 284, 416-436.

Neilson, M.J. (1983) Structure and stratigraphy of the Dadeville Group within the Tallassee Synform, Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 15, 2, 110.

Stow, S.H., Neathery, T.L., Neilson, M.J., Schwarz, L.J., & Harris, J.L. (1982) Geochemistry of the amphibolites of the Alabama Piedmont. Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 24, 7, 626.

Stow, S.H., Neilson, M.J., Schwartz, L.J., and Harris, J.L. (1982) Geochemistry of mafic-ultramafic bodies, Dadeville Complex, Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 14, 1 and 2, 86.

Neilson, M.J. & Stow, S.H. (1980) Mafic and ultramafic rocks from the Dadeville Complex of Alabama's Inner Piedmont. Abstracts with Programs Geological Society of America, 12, 3, 203.

Neilson, M.J. & Brockman, G.F. (1977) The error associated with point counting. American Mineralogist, 62, 1238-1244.

Neilson, M.J. & Haynes, S.H. (1973) Biotites in Calc-alkaline Intrusive Rocks. Mineralogical Magazine, 39, 251-253.

Leitch, E.C., Neilson, M.J. & Hobson, E. (1969) Dorrigo-Coffs Harbour 1:125000 Series. New South Wales Geological Survey SH 56, 10 & 11.

Binns, R.A., & others. (1967) Geological Map of New England Tableland, Southern Part with Explanatory Text. University of New England Press.

Volumes Edited

 Steltenpohl, M.G., Kish, S.A., & Neilson, M.J. eds. (1990) Geology of the Southern Piedmont, Alabama and Georgia. A Guidebook for Field Trip VII, Southeastern Section, Geological Society of America, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Neilson, M.J., Steltenpohl, M.G., Bittner, E.I., & Goldberg, S.A. eds. (1990) Tectonometamorphic evolution of Alabama's Inner Piedmont and its borders. Guidebook, 27th Annual Field Trip, Alabama Geological Society, Tuscaloosa, AL.

Bearce, D.N., & Neilson, M.J. eds. (1990) Case studies in applied geology in the Southeastern United States.  Georgia Geological Survey Bulletin 122.

Drummond, M.S., Green, N.L., & Neilson, M.J. eds. (1987) The Granites of Alabama. Guidebook, 24th Annual Field Trip, Alabama Geological Society, Tuscaloosa, AL.