Scott Burns

Scott Burns is an Emeritus Professor of Geology and Past-Chair of the Dept. of Geology at Portland State University where he has taught for over 20 years.  Dr. Burns specializes in environmental and engineering geology, geomorphology, soils, and Quaternary geology. In Oregon, he has projects involving landslides and land use, environmental cleanup of service stations, slope stability, earthquake hazard mapping,  Missoula Floods, paleosols, loess soil stratigraphy, radon generation from soils,  the distribution of heavy metals and trace elements in Oregon soils and alpine soil development.  He has authored over 90 publications and has had over 25 research grants.  His first book, Environmental, Groundwater and Engineering Geology: Applications from Oregon, came out January of 1998. His second book, Cataclysms on the Columbia, the Great Missoula Floods came out in October of 2009 and is co-authored by Marjorie Burns, a friend and professor at PSU.