Current Projects
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1. Basaltic Sediments from Source-to-Sink
Chemical weathering and sediment generation in basaltic terrains can have a significant impact on Earth’s carbon cycle and is likely a key process operating during historical transitions in Earth's crustal evolution. However, our understanding of sedimentary processes in such terrains is incomplete, largely because Earth's crust is sourced from a granodioritic provenance. As such, the overarching goal of this research is to track geochemical and mineralogical changes to basaltic sediments from their generation in the headwaters of a fluvial network to depositional sites downstream, thus investigating sedimentation from SOURCE-to-SINK. Part A...ICELAND Volcanic rocks only represent ~ 8 % of the continental surface, and basalt is only a minor component of this subaerially exposed crust. Therefore, our field work takes us to basalt dominated regions of the world, with the first study site in southwest Iceland. Here we document how basaltic fluvial deposits evolve during weathering, erosion, and deposition. Part B...Idaho The second part of this project was conducted in northwest Idaho, exploring the Columbia River Basalts (CRB) and the generated sediments in two watersheds. While basalt is the overwhelming provenance in the region, this study was complicated by the mixing of mafic and felsic sources. Key sedimentary processes, such as: sorting, mixing, weathering, and early diagenesis all play a role in shaping the overall sediment composition. Part C...More Study sites to come!!! This project is expanding and we seek to explore additional study sites. This work will not only fill a knowledge gap on Earth, but also provide a terrestrial analog for basaltic sedimentation on other planetary bodies (see project 2 below). 
MSL Curiosity Rover taking a selfie at the Glen Etive Drill Site.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSS
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Tracking along the Hvítá River in southeast Iceland
 Columbia River in northwest Idaho, USA.
. 2. Terrestrial Analogs for the Paleoclimate of Mars.
As on Earth, sediments and sedimentary rocks are generated on the surface of Mars through chemical and physical weathering, and in some cases, produced in fluvial environments (e.g., rivers and lakes). However, we generally lack a terrestrial reference frame for the sedimentary mass of Mars because these planets are sourced from fundamentally difference rock types, i.e., granite vs. basalt. Complicating things further is a debate over the early climate of Mars, mainly riding on the two climate endmembers: (1) a warm and wet vs. (2) a cold and icy. Thus, this work compares our previous field work in basaltic terrains on Earth to data returned from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover, were we search for first order similarities in order to place better constraints on the paleoenvironment of Mars. 
MSL Curiosity Rover looking uphill to Mount Sharp, reflecting on a fluvial-deltaic terrain is traversed over the past 6 years.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSS
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3. The Mineralogy of Sedimentary Rocks on Mars from the Curiosity Rover.
As a newly minted member of the CheMin team and collaborator on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team, I get the exciting opportunity to work with data directly returned from the Curiosity rover. We are currently in an exciting section of Mount Sharp, Gale Crater, and exploring a unit dominated by clay minerals, as identified from orbit.
As a newly minted member of the CheMin team and collaborator on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team, I get the exciting opportunity to work with data directly returned from the Curiosity rover. We are currently in an exciting section of Mount Sharp, Gale Crater, and exploring a unit dominated by clay minerals, as identified from orbit.
Former Work and Research Adventures
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Linking Modern Microbial Mat Growth to Understanding Preservation of Biosignatures in Geological Record
Geobiology Field Course This was a unique opportunity to head into the field with an academically diverse group of experts, with specialities ranging from geology, to biology, to chemistry, to remote sensing, were we explored the growth of microbial mats. We tracked along Little Ambergris Cay, an uninhabited region that is part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, ultimately searching for the preservation of mats with depth but also documenting the diversity in mats from the shoreline to the interior of Ambergris. |
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In situ geochemistry and mineralogy for sample return by astronauts
"Boots on the Ground" In this study, we conducted field work at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in order to evaluate the techniques of using hand held devices to identify geochemistry and mineralogy of samples in the field. The goal was to test efficiency for astronauts and to develop a more scientific based sampling techniques for future planetary missions. |
On top of the Scarp looking down at the 1974 Kīlauea Flow
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