Geology Commons^™

The Origin And Evolution Of Impact Crater Lakes: A Case Study Of The Ries Impact Structure, Germany, Matthew J. O. Svensson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Impact events are known to generate hydrothermal systems, which can subsequently vent into an overlying crater lake and potentially create ideal conditions for some microbial life-forms. Thus, early post-impact sedimentary deposits would be excellent targets for Mars sample return, and as such, the robust characterization of such deposits on Earth is critical. In this thesis, we establish an improved understanding of how the Ries crater lake formed, and how an active impact-generated hydrothermal system influenced its early evolution. The ~14.8 Ma Ries impact structure hosts the majority of its paleolake deposits within the structure's central basin with some deposits situated …

Uncovering The Mysteries Of Retention Ponds: Comparing The Abundance And Type Of Microplastics In Storm Water Ponds In London Ontario, Natalie Rose Minda

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Microplastics are plastics <5 mm (Liu, 2019; Arthur et al., 2009). They are created in two ways: Intentionally or from the fragmentation of larger pieces of plastic (National Ocean Service, 2021). They can negatively impact human, wildlife and ecosystem health in many ways depending on the exposure, type, size, and shape of the microplastic (Campanale, 2020). Retention ponds are often created in neighborhoods to collect water in order to prevent flooding. They also often serve as habitat for wildlife. Sediment samples were collected in two ponds in London Ontario both dredged in 2016. Samples were processed in the lab and further analyzed under the microscope to isolate the microplastics. Results have not been determined yet, but the abundance and type of microplastic varies in both ponds. Plastic pollution in retention ponds should be considered more, as it poses a threat to human and ecosystem health.

Meteorite Investigation And Classification, Olivia N. Benest

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Several meteorites arrive on Earth every day, but only a small percentage of them are found. They are easiest to spot on deserts or frozen ice. Western has a large number of unclassified meteorites found in the Northwest Africa (NWA) and Oman deserts. These meteorites include chondrites, achondrites, irons, and even Lunar and Martian meteorites. Classifying a meteorite requires detailed examination by optical microscopy, as well as micro X-ray diffraction (µXRD), and Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA), to observe their mineralogy (metal, oxide, sulfide, and silicate mineral phases), textures (e.g. chondrules, CAIs) and composition, in order to classify their petrologic type …

Updating The Outdated Apollo Mission Lunar Impactite Classifications, Marc Mechem

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

NASA's Apollo program had six manned missions that successfully landed on the Moon, in which all returned with lunar material. Included in this lunar material were lunar impactites, being described as lunar rocks that have been affected by one or more impact events. These samples were classified about 50 years ago and have not been updated since, despite our knowledge regarding both terrestrial and lunar impactites having grown. This study aims to suggest updated classifications for the 43 total Apollo mission lunar impactite samples the University of Western has currently in their possession. This study could help develop future lunar …

Characterization Of Some Natural Copper Samples From The Keweenaw Peninsula Of Lake Superior Using Electron Microscopy And X-Ray Tomography Techniques, Emilie Mk Landry

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Copper corrosion is of interest to Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization as it relates to their multi-barrier system for nuclear waste disposal in deep geologic repositories. Spent fuel canisters coated with a thin copper layer must persist for up to one million years. Natural copper from the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan, USA, has persisted for over 1 billion years and is here characterized to understand copper corrosion over geological time. Copper samples representing three rock types were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy techniques (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction), and micro-computed X-ray tomography (microCT) to establish …

Complex Unicellular Microfossils From The 1.9 Ga Gunflint Chert, Canada, Ana L. González Flores

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The presence of eukaryotic life during the early Paleoproterozoic has been a matter of debate because well-preserved fossils older than 1.8 Ga rarely exhibit eukaryotic cellular microstructures. In this study, microfossils from the 1.9 Ga Gunflint Chert were studied using the extended-focal-depth imaging technique, combined with scanning electron microscopy, resulting in recognition of three types of large (10–35 μm diameter) complex unicellular bodies (CUBs) and one type of “multicellular body” (< 50 μm diameter). The CUBs show the following eukaryotic cyst-like structures: (1) radially arranged internal strands similar to those in some acritarchs and dinoflagellates; (2) regularly spaced long tubular processes, stubby pustules, and/or robust podia on the cell surface; (3) reticulate cell-wall sculpturing such as pits, ridges, and scale-like ornaments; and (4) internal bodies that may represent membrane-bounded organelles. These morphological features provide strong evidence for the presence of protists in the late Paleoproterozoic.

Among the three types of CUBs from the Gunflint microbiota, a new species, Germinosphaera gunflinta sp. nov., was recognized. This species has the diagnostic characteristics of Germinosphaera, such …

White Micas As A Tool For Tracking Pegmatite Evolution And Its Use In Li Exploration. A Case Study Of Wekusko Lake, Manitoba, Canada., David N. Benn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Wekusko Lake pegmatite field is part of the Green Bay Group of pegmatites located near Snow Lake, Manitoba, Canada. Within this field, there are at least 13 spodumene-bearing pegmatites of varying degrees of mineralization. The abundance of white micas and the chemical affinity to incorporate Li and other trace elements into its crystalline structure makes white micas an ideal indicator mineral. The evolution of a melt can be tracked using trace elements in white mica. The K/Rb ratio vs Cs is used to determine a link between increasing evolution and increased Li contents of both the white mica and …

Deformation Conditions Of Quartz-Rich Mylonites Of The Grenville Front Tectonic Zone And Application To The Crustal Strength, Xueke Chang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis analyzes a suite of mylonites from the Grenville Front shear zone exposed southeast of Sudbury, Ontario. Lattice preferred orientations, titanium-in-quartz thermometer, and dynamically recrystallized grain size piezometer measurements were applied to obtain the deformation mechanisms, deformation temperatures (T), and differential stresses (σ), respectively. Results show that these mylonites were formed in the shear zone during the terminal stage of the Grenville Orogeny. The dominant deformation mechanism is by regime 2 dislocation creep. The deformation temperature is between 425-567 °C, and the differential stress is between 56-133 MPa. These results are discussed in the context of wet quartzite flow …

Differentiating Fissure-Fed Lava Flow Types And Facies Using Radar And Lidar: An Example From The 2014–2015 Holuhraun Lava Flow-Field, Gavin Douglas Tolometti, Catherine D. Neish, Christopher W. Hamilton, Gordon R. Osinski, Antero Kukko, Joana R.C. Voigt

Earth Sciences Publications

Distinguishing between lava types and facies using remote sensing data is important for interpreting the emplacement history of lava flow-fields on Earth and other planetary bodies. Lava facies typically include a mixture of lava types and record the collective emplacement history of material preserved at a particular location. We seek to determine if lava facies in the 2014–2015 Holuhraun lava flow-field are discernible using radar roughness analysis. Furthermore, we also seek to distinguish between lava types using high resolution Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. We extracted circular polarization ratios (CPR) from the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar and …

Modeling Of Fluid Injection-Related Processes In Hydrocarbon Reservoirs In Alberta, Canada, Negar Nazari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the last decade, with the development of horizontal drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing technology, extraction of unconventional resources has significantly increased in western Canada. These industrial activities have been associated with the rise in the seismicity rate. This thesis aimed to improve the quality of the available geomechanical models of the injection-induced seismicity in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, by incorporating detailed geoscience characterization for two unconventional reservoirs of the Duvernay Formation in the Fox Creek area and the Cardium Formation in West Pembina. Hydraulic fracturing has induced seismicity in the first area, but no induced seismicity has been …

Stable Carbon And Oxygen Isotopes Of Early Silurian Pentameride Brachiopods From Québec, Ontario, And Nunavut, And Paleoenvironmental Implications, Jordan N. Siewnarine

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Analysis of low-Mg calcite brachiopod shells for δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C signatures provide quantitative independent geochemical data for paleoenvironmental interpretations. We analyzed 59 brachiopod shells from lower Silurian carbonate rocks of Anticosti Island, the Hudson Bay Lowlands and Niagara regions for spaciotemporal isotopic trends for the early Silurian. Screening tests using scanning electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence and trace element analysis demonstrate exceptional preservation, suggesting retention of primary isotopic values.

δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of shells range from 0.2‰ to 2.9‰ and -6.9‰ to -4.3‰ (VPDB), respectively. Temporally, increases in δ¹³C and δ …

Hot Rocks: Constraining The Thermal Conditions Of The Mistastin Lake Impact Melt Deposits Using Zircon Grain Microstructures, Gavin Douglas Tolometti, Timmons M. Erickson, Gordon R. Osinski, Cyril Cayron, Catherine Neish

Earth Sciences Publications

The production of superheated melt during hypervelocity impact events has been proposed to be a common occurrence on terrestrial planetary bodies. Recent direct evidence of superheated impact melt temperatures exceeding >2370°C from the Kamestastin (Mistastin Lake) impact structure, Canada, was based on a single impact glass sample. Such high superheated melt temperatures have strong implications for the evolution of crustal material, the thermal history of impact cratering events, and the rheology of impact melt. However, although widely predicted in previous studies, with the exception of the Mistastin Lake impact glass, there is little direct evidence for superheated temperatures in multiple …

Effects Of Glutamine Deamidation On The Oxygen Isotope Compositions Of Bone Collagen, Curtis W. Russell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The oxygen (O) isotope composition of mammalian collagen has the potential to provide information about the drinking water and hence geographic location and climate during the life of modern and ancient animals. An accurate and reproducible O-isotope analysis of collagen, however, has been elusive. Here, the O-isotope compositions of collagen from cortical bone of four megaherbivores were compared using two extraction procedures: the traditional Longin (HCl) method and the less commonly employed EDTA method. Preservation of O-isotope compositions was evaluated by measuring collagen peptide-chain masses, specifically the glutamine deamidation level (GDL). The EDTA method yielded collagen with a GDL of …