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Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Marissa Tremblay

Assistant Professor Marissa Tremblay

tremblam@purdue.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Associated website(s):

Research Group Website , Google Scholar , Geology and Geophysics , Planetary Sciences

Education

  • 2017 PhD, Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley
  • 2012 BA, Environmental Science, summa cum laude , Barnard College of Columbia University


Research Interests

I am a noble gas geochemist interested in understanding the physical and chemical processes that shape the surface of the Earth and other planetary bodies. My research centers on the development and application of geochemical techniques involving noble gases to understand:

  • how the Earth’s climate changed in the geologic past
  • how tectonic and geomorphic processes interact to create topography
  • the impact history of the Moon and other planetary bodies in the inner Solar System
  • rates of volcanism and its interactions with Earth's climate system

I also conduct basic experimental research on the kinetics of noble gas diffusion in minerals, which has broad significance across both Earth and planetary science disciplines.


Selected Honors

  • 2023 Antarctica Service Medal
  • 2022 Sloan Research Fellowship
  • 2020 Marion Milligan Mason Award for Women in the Chemical Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • 2020 Doris M. Curtis Outstanding Woman in Science Award, Geological Society of America
  • 2018 Citation for Excellence in Refereeing, American Geophysical Union
  • 2018 Charles and Nancy Naeser Prize, International Standing Committee on Thermochronology
  • 2017 The Royal Society Newton International Fellowship

Publications

  1. Colleps, C.L., van der Beek, P., Amalberti, J., Sobel, E., Tremblay, M.M. , and Bernard, M., 2025, Evaluating the resolving power of apatite 4 He/ 3 He thermochronology: Insights from the Fish Canyon Tuff. Geology , doi: 10.1130/G53000.1
  2. Blevins, A.M., Minton, D.A., Huang, Y.H., Du, J., Tremblay, M.M. , and Fassett, C.I., 2025, Constraining the source craters of Apollo impact melts. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets , v. 130(8), e2025JE009137. doi: 10.1029/2025JE009137.
  3. Tremblay, M.M. , Fayon, A.K., Guo, H., Zeitler, P.K., and Idleman, B.D., 2025, Deformation modulates helium diffusion in apatite. Geochemical Perspective Letters, v. 35, p. 49-54. doi: 10.7185/geochemlet.2523
  4. Mijjum, M., and Tremblay, M.M. , 2025, Helium diffusion kinetics in enstatite, kamacite, and albite, with implications for the cosmic ray exposure ages of enstatite (E) chondrites. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry , v. 9(7), p. 1881-1892. doi: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.5c00112
  5. Guo, H., Tremblay, M.M., Zeitler, P.K., Idleman, B.D., and Fayon, A.K., 2025, Systematics of helium diffusion sinks in apatite demonstrated by 4 He/ 3 He degassing experiments and modeling. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , v. 400, p. 115-128. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2025.05.036
  6. Blevins, A.M., Minton, D.A., Huang, Y.H., Du, J., Tremblay, M.M. , and Fassett, C.I., 2025, Apollo Impact Melts Record a Rapidly Declining Impact Rate in the Late Imbrian. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, v. 130, e2024JE008722. doi: 10.1029/2024JE008722
  7. Mijjum, M., Bristol, K.E., Bono, R.K., Sprain, C.J., Lifton, N., and Tremblay, M.M. , 2025, A model framework for scaling pre-Quaternary cosmogenic nuclide production rates. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems , v. 26(1), e2024GC012020. doi: 10.1029/2024GC012020
  8. Mijjum, M., Andrews, B., McCoy, T. Corrigan, C., Caffee, M.W., and Tremblay, M.M. , 2025, Using micro-computed tomography (μCT) to determine subsample-specific cosmogenic noble gas production rates of enstatite (E) chondrites. Meteoritics and Planetary Science , v. 60(3), p. 442-463. doi: 10.1111/maps.14309
  9. Tremblay, M.M. , Mark, D.F., Barfod, D.N., Cohen, B.E., Ickert, R.B., Lee, M.R., Tomkinson, T., and Smith, C.L., 2024, Dating of recent aqueous activity on Mars. Geochemical Perspective Letters. v. 32, p. 58-62. doi: 10.7185/geochemlet.2443
  10. Singer, B.S., Moreno-Yaeger, P., Townsend, M., Huber, C., Cuzzone, J., Edwards, B.R., Romero, M., Orellana-Salazar, Y., Marcott, S., Breunig, R., Ferrier, K., Scholz, K., Coonin, A.N., Alloway, B.V., Tremblay, M.M. , Stevens, S., Fustos-Toribio, I., Moreno, P.I., Vera, F., and Amigo, A., 2024, New perspectives on ice forcing in continental arc magma plumbing systems. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. v. 455, 108187. doi: 10.1016/j/jvolgeores.2024.108187
  11. Fink, J., Tremblay, M.M. , Tobin, T., Stockli, L.D., Stockli, D.F., and Ickert, R.B., 2024, Diagenesis of fossil gar fish scales with implications for geochronology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2024.03.004
  12. Colleps, C.L., van der Beek, P.A., Amalberti, J., Denker, A., Tremblay, M.M. , Hajdas, W., Bernard, M., Dittwald, A.H., and Bundesmann, J., 2024, Improving the accessibility and efficiency of proton irradiations for 4 He/ 3 He thermochronology. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems , v. 25(2), e2023GC011334. doi: 10.1029/2023GC011334
  13. Guralnik, B., Tremblay, M.M. , Phillips, M., Sellwood, E.L., Gribenski, N., Presl, R., Haberkorn, A., Sohbati, R., Shuster, D.L., Valla, P., Jain, M., Schindler, K., Hippe, K., and Wallinga, J., 2024, Three centuries of snowpack decline at an Alpine pass revealed by cosmogenic paleothermometry and luminescence photochronometry. Geophysical Research Letters , v. 51(2), e2023GL107385. doi: 10.1029/2023GL107385
  14. Gribenski, N., Tremblay, M.M. , Valla, P.G., Guralnik, B., Balco, G., and Shuster, D.L., Cosmogenic 3 He paleothermometry on post-LGM glacial bedrock within the central European Alps. Geochronology , v. 4, p. 641-663. doi: 10.5194/gchron-4-641-2022.
  15. O’Brien, A.C., Hallis, L.J., Regnault, C., Morrison, D., Blackburn, G., Steele, A., Daly, L., Tait, A., Tremblay, M.M. , Telenko, D., Gunn, G., McKay, E., Maria, N., Salik, M.A., Ascough, P., Toney, J., Griffin, S., Whitfield, P., and Lee, M., Using Organic Contaminants to Constrain the Terrestrial Journey of the Martian Meteorite Lafayette. Astrobiology , v. 22(11), doi:10.1089/ast.2021.0180
  16. van Zalinge, M.E., Mark, D.F., Sparks, R.S.J., Tremblay, M.M. , Keller, C.B., Cooper, F.J., and Rust, A., 2022, Timescales for pluton growth, magma chamber formation and super-eruptions. Nature , v. 608, p. 87-92. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04921-9
  17. Dai, J., Fox, M., Han, X., Tremblay, M.M. , Xu, S., Liu, B., Li, H., Shuster, D.L., and Wang, C., 2021, Two stages of accelerated exhumation in the middle reach of the Yarlung River, southern Tibet since the mid-Miocene. Tectonics , v. 40, e2020TC006618. doi:10.1029/2020TC006618
  18. Domingos, R., Tremblay, M.M. , Militzer, B., and Shuster, D.L., 2020, Simulations and experiments reveal effect of nanopores on helium diffusion in quartz. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry , v. 4(11), p. 1906-1912. doi:10.1021/acsearthspacechem.0c00187
  19. Carter, J.N., Ickert, R.B., Mark, D.F., Tremblay , M.M., Cresswell, A., and Sanderson, D.C.W., 2020, Production of 40 Ar by an overlooked mode of 40 K decay with implications for K-Ar geochronology. Geochronology , v. 2, p. 355-365. doi:10.5194/gchron-2-355-2020
  20. Tremblay, M.M. , and Cassata, W.S., 2020, Noble gas thermochronology of extraterrestrial materials. Elements , v. 16(5), p. 331-336. doi:10.2138/gselements.16.5.331
  21. Zeitler, P.K., and Tremblay, M.M. , 2020, Measuring noble gases for thermochronology. Elements , v. 16(5), p. 343-344. doi:10.2138/gselements.16.5.343
  22. Carter, J.N., Tremblay, M.M. , and Mark, D.F., 2020, A Bayesian approach to the deconvolution of 40 Ar/ 39 Ar data from mineral mixtures. Chemical Geology , v. 554, 119784. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119784
  23. Park, Y., Swanson-Hysell, N.L., MacLennan, S.A., Maloof, A.C., Gebreslassie, M., Tremblay, M.M. , Schoene, B., Alene, M., Antilla, E.S.C., Tesema, T., Condon, D.J., and Haileab, B., 2019, The lead-up to the Sturtian Snowball Earth: Neoproterozoic chemostratigraphy time-calibrated by the Tambien Group of Ethiopia. Geological Society of America Bulletin . v. 132(5-6), p. 1119-1149. doi:10.1130/B35178.1
  24. Tremblay, M.M. , Shuster, D.L., Spagnolo, M., Renssen, H., and Ribolini, A., 2018, Temperatures recorded by cosmogenic noble gases since the last glacial maximum in the Maritime Alps. Quaternary Research , p. 1-19. doi:10.1017/qua.2018.109
  25. Dygert, N., Jackson, C.R.M., Hesse, M.A., Tremblay, M.M. , Shuster, D.L., and Gu, J.T., 2018 Plate tectonic cycling modulates Earth’s 3 He/ 22 Ne ratio. Earth and Planetary Science Letters , v. 498, p. 309-321. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2018.06.044
  26. Ingalls, M., Rowley, D., Olack, G., Currie, B., Li, S., Schmidt, J., Tremblay, M. , Shuster, D.L., Lin, D., and Colman, A., 2017, Paleocene to Pliocene low-latitude high elevation of southern Tibet: Implications for tectonic models of India-Asia collision, Cenozoic climate, and geochemical weathering. Geological Society of America Bulletin , v. 130(1-2), p. 307-330. doi:10.1130/B31723.1
  27. Tremblay, M.M. , Shuster, D.L., Balco, G., and Cassata, W.S., 2017, Neon diffusion kinetics and implications for cosmogenic neon paleothermometry in feldspars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , v. 205, p. 14-30. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2017.02.013
  28. Garrick-Bethell, I., Weiss, B.P., Shuster, D.L., Tikoo, S.M., and Tremblay, M.M. , 2017, Further evidence for early lunar magnetism from troctolite 76535. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, v. 122(1), p. 76-93. doi:10.1002/2016JE005154
  29. Schmidt, J.L., Zeitler, P.K., Pazzaglia, F.J., Tremblay, M.M. , Shuster, D.L., and Fox, M., 2015, Knickpoint evolution on the Yarlung Tsangpo, southern Tibet: Evidence for a regional late Cenozoic base level adjustment. Earth and Planetary Science Letters , v. 430, p. 448-457. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.08.041
  30. Tremblay, M.M. , Fox, M., Schmidt, J.L., Tripathy-Lang, A., Wielicki, M.M., Harrison, T.M., Zeitler, P.K., and Shuster, D.L., 2015, Erosion in southern Tibet shut down at 10 Ma due to enhanced rock uplift within the Himalaya. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , v. 112(39), p. 12030-12035. doi:10.1073/pnas.1515652112
  31. Swanson-Hysell, N.L., Maloof, A.C., Condon, D.J., Jenkin, G.R.T., Alene, M., Tremblay, M.M. , Tesema, T., Rooney, A.D., and Haileab, B., 2015, Stratigraphy and geochronology of the Tambien Group, Ethiopia: Evidence for globally synchronous carbon isotope change in the Neoproterozoic. Geology , v. 43(4), p. 323-326. doi:10.1130/G36347.1
  32. Breecker, D.O., Bergel, S., Nadel, M., Tremblay, M.M. , Osuna-Orozco, R., Larson, T.E., and Sharp, Z.D., 2015, Minor stable carbon isotope fractionation between respired carbon dioxide and bulk soil organic matter during laboratory incubation of topsoil. Biogeochemistry , v. 123, p. 83-98. doi:10.1007/s10533-014-0054-3
  33. Tremblay, M.M. , Shuster, D.L., and Balco, G., 2014, Diffusion kinetics of 3
    He and 21Ne in quartz and implications for cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta , v. 142, p. 186-204. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.08.010
  34. Tremblay, M.M., Shuster, D.L., and Balco, G., 2014, Cosmogenic noble gas paleothermometry. Earth and Planetary Science Letters , v. 400, p. 195-205. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2014.05.040
  35. Straub, M., Tremblay, M.M. , Sigman, D.M., Studer, A.S., Ren, H., Toggweiler, J.R., and Haug, G.H., 2013, Nutrient conditions in the subpolar North Atlantic during the last glacial period reconstructed from foraminifera-bound nitrogen isotopes. Paleoceanography , v. 28, p. 79-90. doi:10.1002/palo.20013


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