Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Oxygen Speciation In Potassium Silicate And Potassium Aluminosilicate Glasses: Insights From X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Ryan Sawyer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In a geological context, glasses are useful analogues for silicate melts as they are more readily studied in the laboratory using a wide range of techniques that are impractical for molten liquids. Understanding the structure of binary silicate glasses can help us understand more about the magmatic processes that affect terrestrial planetary bodies.

Potassium silicate glasses ranging in composition from 10 mol% to 35 mol% K₂O were studied using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). From high resolution O 1s XPS spectra, Bridging Oxygen (BO) mole fractions were calculated and compared with those of previous ²⁹Si MAS NMR studies. …

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 …

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 …

Investigation Of Sulphide-Poor Gold Mineralization At The Deep A Zone, Kiena Complex, Québec, Stephanie A. Kobylinski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Kiena Complex is located halfway between Malartic and Val d’Or in Québec, within the Abitibi Greenstone belt in the Superior Province. This study examined mineralization at the Kiena Complex using detailed core logging, geochemical analysis of wall rock, petrography, EPMA, and gold deportment studies. The analysis and interpretations indicate that the unique sulphide-poor gold-rich quartz veins of the Deep A Zone at the Kiena Complex contain 500 μm²) are located at the contact of quartz and corroded albite grains, and fine gold grains (5-500 μm²) are hosted within the corroded albite.

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 …