Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Transformer-Based Classification System For Volcanic Seismic Signals, Anthony P. Rinaldi, Cindy Mora Stock, Cristián Bravo Roman, Alexander Hemming

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Monitoring volcanic events as they occur is a task that, to this day, requires significant human capital. The current process requires geologists to monitor seismographs around the clock, making it extremely labour-intensive and inefficient. The ability to automatically classify volcanic events as they happen in real-time would allow for quicker responses to these events by the surrounding communities. Timely knowledge of the type of event that is occurring can allow these surrounding communities to prepare or evacuate sooner depending on the magnitude of the event. Up until recently, not much research has been conducted regarding the potential for machine learning …

Fluid Inclusion Analysis Of Halite: A Snapshot Of The Cambrian Explosion, Amy R.A. Lefebvre

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research focused on obtaining a brief overview of information preserved within evaporite samples formed during the Early Cambrian. With the help of halite screening methods, fluid and gas analysis, through a micro thermometer and mass spectrometer, respectively, as well as trace element analysis conducted by Act Labs, results reflecting Earth's climate over 500 million years ago were obtained. These indicated the approximate weather conditions, and atmospheric composition, during this time period, within an intracontinental dessert location. Specifically, these results reflects a global warming period, with daily variations. Although much more research is needed in order to validate this summer's …

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.

Investigation Of Key Factors To Earthquake Insurance Take-Up Rates In Quebec And British Columbia Households And Prediction Model Building, Yongcheng Jiang

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Maintaining an adequate level of earthquake take-up rate could protect the insurance industry from systemic failure. Past research has shown that British Columbia and Quebec have significant differences in earthquake insurance take-up rate. This report investigates key factors from the structure (default options and various types) of the insurance plan and personal characteristics along with socioeconomic/demographic profiles that affect the demand for earthquake protection in the form of insurance. The report also provides a prediction model for earthquake insurance take-up rate. The results show an importance ranking of key factors of earthquake insurance take up, the most important three are …

Using Stable-Isotopes To Determine The Effects Of Land-Use Change On Carbon Storage, Morgan Basile

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Over the last century, there has been drastic conversion of natural vegetation to agriculture. The decomposition of plant tissue is transformed into soil organic matter that is rich in carbon and stored within soil aggregates. This research examines the effects of land-use change on carbon storage by using stable-isotopes of organic matter. The stable-isotopes of organic matter within aggregates will be used to quantify the amount of carbon that has been added to the soil after a change in land-use (e.g. restoration of agricultural land to grassland).

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 …

A Pressure And Stress Study Of Reidite, Gillian G. Noonan

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Zircon is a mineral that can commonly be found in many rocks in the Earth’s crust and other planetary bodies. Meteorite impact sites have also been shown to contain zircon and its high-pressure polymorph, Reidite.

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 …

Exploring The Use Of Covellite As A Proxy For Corrosion Of Native Copper By Sulphur Reducing Bacteria, Manan K. Joshi

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

We are analyzing the effect of sulphate reducing bacteria on native copper, and using that evidence to further support the initiative of having a deep geological repository to store nuclear material. Sulphate reducing bacteria are a concern for the deep geological repository as they cause the corrosion of regular copper. However native copper has gone billions of years without corrosion, which could either mean that it had not been exposed to sulphate reducing bacteria over the billions of years, or native copper is able to withstand corrosion despite the contact of sulphate reducing bacteria. We can find out by trying …

The Impacts Of Mid-Holocene Warming On Water Quality In A Southwestern Ontario Kettle Pond, Morgan E. Peicheff

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

Tsunami Early Warning, Yao Li

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This study uses both the traditional attributes, which are earthquake magnitude and location and pluses the tsunami height collected by detecting stations to estimate the height of a tsunami on the coast. The resulting accuracy indicates the tsunami height data collected by the off-shore stations could be used to estimate reliable and robust tsunami source models for tsunami warning purposes.

The Application Of Machine Learning To Help Identify Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 In Shales, Marc Mechem

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

No abstract provided.

A Transformer-Based Classification System For Volcanic Seismic Signals, Cristian Bravo Roman, Cindy Mora Stock, Alexander James Hemming

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Volcanic seismic signals are a key element in volcano monitoring to assess the state of unrest and a possible eruption style and timing. Different sources such as brittle fracture (volcano-tectonic - VT) or fluid movement (long period - LP) generate signals with distinct characteristics in frequency content and shape, but site effects such as attenuation or background noise make their determination difficult to the untrained eye. In cases of unrest or an eminent eruption, the amount of data would require a fast and reliable source of pre-classification to classify and catalogue to aid in the job usually done by a …

Developing A Bytownite Calibration Curve As A Lunar Analogue, Trevor W. Matterson

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Planetary analogue materials are useful to help interpret and predict planetary processes on other planetary bodies that we cannot observe directly. Lunar analogue materials include terrestrial rocks and minerals with compositions and textures like those on the moon. This project investigates the lunar analogue mineral bytownite to quantify shock effects on the moon using strain related mosaicity determined through micro x-ray diffraction (µXRD). Calibrating strain information as a function of shock pressure for these minerals will enable us to extract peak shock pressures (in GPa) from naturally shocked materials, such as lunar meteorites and Apollo samples, using µXRD

You Are What You Eat: Micro-Ct Analysis Of Early Triassic Coprolites, Olivia N. Benest

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Poster summarizing coprolite research, micro-CT analysis results, and future studies.

Detrital Zircon Geochronology Of Paleoproterozoic Sedimentary Rocks From The Upper Huronian Supergroup, Canada, Carolyn M. Hill, Don W. Davis, Patricia L. Corcoran

Western Research Forum

The Huronian Supergroup is a well-known succession of primarily sedimentary rocks exposed north of Lake Huron. Deposition of the succession is constrained between 2450 and 2220 Ma (million years), which corresponds with Earth’s rise of atmospheric oxygen, however the depositional timing of the uppermost formations cannot be refined further due to a lack of interbedded volcanic rocks. A geochronological study of detrital zircon grains from sandstone and claystone beds from the two youngest Huronian formations, the Gordon Lake and Bar River formations, was completed in order to confine the maximum age of deposition.

Zircon is a mineral that commonly forms …

Seismic Landslide Hazard Mapping For Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Ali Fallah Yeznabad, Sheri E. Molnar, Hesham M. El Naggar

Western Research Forum

The lower Mainland of southwest British Columbia (BC) hosts about 3.5 million people and significant infrastructures of national importance. Southwestern BC has the highest seismic risk in Canada with significant potential to cause earthquake-induced hazards including tsunamis, liquefaction and landslides. A Cascadia mega-thrust (M_W 9) earthquake is predicted to generate $75 billion Canadian dollars in losses. This damage can be resulted from ground shaking or its secondary phenomena like landslides; ground shaking during earthquakes may trigger landslides that can damage or destroy buildings, bury roads and highways and kill and injure people. In Canada, during the past century and …