2009 Internship Awards
Amy Chen, Ludwig Maximilians University
Quantification of magnetofossils in sediments deposited during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)
Sarah Ivory, University of Arizona
Vegetation response to climate change at Lake Malawi, Southeast Africa over the last 400,000 years
Robyn Shaw, University College London
Physical & Mechanical Characterization of Core Material from Stromboli and the Campi Flegrei Deep Scientific Borehole: A Proof of Concept Study
2008 Internship Awards
Melissa Berke, University of Minnesota
Thermal and Hydrologic History of the East African Rift Valley
For my Ph.D. at the Large Lakes Observatory/University of Minnesota, I propose to create a regional reconstruction of the thermal and hydrologic history of the East African Rift Valley, focusing mainly on the time since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) -20 ka to present. However, I would like to supplement these analyses with a much longer temperature record going back ~150 ka, derived from the Lake Malawi Drilling Project sediment core 1C. I propose to compare this record with high-resolution temperature records that I am recovering from existing cores from four lakes in the East African Rift Valley (Turkana, Albert, Malawi, and Victoria). The cores span a large geographic area, ranging from 30 deg N to 11 deg S latitude. These previously collected cores are well-dated through the Holocene, and are available for this study.
Melissa sampling sediment on Lake Tanganyika
Margaret Blome, University of Arizona
East African Paleoclimate and Human Dispersal
I am currently examining East African lake records to investigate African paleoclimate history during the Pleistocene. Once I have generated a paleoclimatic record for the region, I intend to review the anthropologic database for coincidence of the timing of human dispersal with observed shifts in climate. In order to generate the paleoclimate record for East Africa I plan to analyze samples from the ~380-meter drill core collected by the Lake Malawi Scientific Drilling Project, in collaboration with DOSECC, from Lake Malawi. Estimates on the total time duration covered by the core are still under debate, ranging between 0.5-1.5 Ma. Therefore this core could potentially be one of the oldest terrestrial climate databases in Africa, which has broad implications for others in the paleoclimate research community. This summer I will concentrate on a coarse analysis of screen wash samples from the core at a sampling interval of 16 centimeters (~300 year resolution).
Margaret at Lake Mead
Kelly Bradbury, Utah State University
Physical and Chemical Processes active within the SAFOD Fault Zone
The objectives of this project are to investigate rock properties at ~3 km depth from drilling data obtained during Phase 2 and 3 of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) borehole to determine the physical and chemical processes active within the fault zone at the depths at which earthquakes occur. The focus of my research is to quantitatively merge geological information with geophysical parameters within the sub-m to m scale, the scale at which fault zone processes transmit seismic energy and control fluid flow.
2007 Internship Awards
Melissa Wolfe, University of Kansas
Calibraiton of rutile (U-Th)/He thermochronongy: assessing the thermal evolution of the KTB drill hole in Germany and the adjacent Bohemian Massif
Rutile is a promising candidate as a thermochronometer since it is a U- and Th- bearing oxide (TiO2), resistant to weathering and a common accessory mineral in alkali-rich magmatic rocks, siliciclastic rocks, and high-grade metamorphic rocks, with an estimated He closure temperature of ~220ºC. The main attraction of rutile as a thermochronometer is its presence in high-grade metamorphic rocks (HP and HT). In the past, T-t histories of metamorphic rocks have been primarily constrained by the 40Ar/39Ar method, but for HP metamorphic rocks excess radiogenic 40Ar is consistently a problem.
Melissa in southern Utah
Jaime Escobar, University of Florida
Reconstruction of Lowland Central American Climate During the Last Glacial Maximum
My objective for the summer internship is to reconstruct a high-resolution LGM paleoclimate record by measuring stable oxygen isotopes in ostracod and gastropod shells taken from 6 cores in Lake Peten-Itza.
Jaime (right), with Dave Hodell aboard the GLAD800 on Lake Peten Itza, 2006
Kinuyo Kanamaru, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Origin and composition of marine sediments from Saanich Inlet, BC
This project will examine the origin and composition of marine sediments from Saanich Inlet, BC, a silled fjord on southeastern Vancouver Island, in order to help understand the impact of seismic activity on the long-term sediment flux. I hypothesize that the physical properties (grain size, and sediment structure), and chemical composition of annually laminated sediments are strongly influenced by the atmospheric and deepwater circulation in Saanich Inlet.
Kinuyo on the Bering Sea.
2006 Internship Awards
Kristen Marra, University of Oklahoma
Kristen’s project will examine the origin, composition, and depositional history of sediment fill within Unaweep Canyon, CO in order to help constrain the canyon’s unresolved genesis. The fill from the inner canyon includes a thick lacustrine section that will provide a high resolution climate record for an upland setting for the early and mid Pleistocene. Sedimentological and geochemical analyses will be conducted on core collected from the canyon’s inner gorge in June, 2004. Her faculty sponsors are Dr. Michael J. Soreghan and Dr. G.S. (Lynn) Soreghan.
Kristen in the late afternoon sun of Oklahoma.
Brandon Mijal, Western Washington University
Brandon is studying Holocene glaciation of central Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. His study involves intensive glacial mapping and alpine lake sediment coring throughout the Redfish Lake drainage. By linking outwash sediments to moraine sequences, lake core sediments can provide a proxy record of glacial fluctuations of the range. Lake sediment stratigraphy, 14C AMS radiocarbon, and tephra analysis from each core will outline glacial fluctuations throughout the area, leading to the first detailed Holocene glacial chronology for the range. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Douglas Clark.
Brandon at Abel Peak
Andrew Kulpecz, Rutgers University
Andrew’s study will evaluate the post-impact stratigraphic evolution of the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay Impact Structure using integrated sequence stratigraphy. Lithologic, Sr-isotopic, and biostratigraphic analyses will be used to establish temporal hiatuses and determine sequence distribution within the crater. One-dimensional backstripping will be used to quantify in-crater tectonics and allow for an evaluation of the processes that control sequence distribution (eustasy, tectonics, sediment supply) across the mid-Atlantic coastal plain. This study will use core from the DOSECC/USGS/ICDP Eyreville-1 corehole, the USGS Langley and Exmore coreholes, and regional geophysical logs. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Kenneth G. Miller.
Andy rockin’ the Springsteen tee (and a really big hammer.)
2005 Internship Awards
Sarah Draper, Utah State University
Sarah’s project will study the lithological and deformation characteristics of core from Phases 1 and 2 of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). The analysis of these cores is an important step in the analysis of fault processes and will contribute to planning coring for Phase 3 of the project. Sarah’s faculty sponsor is DOSECC Board Member Dr. James Evans.
Sarah measures up to the drill pipe at SAFOD, August 2005 (photo courtesy of USGS)
Sylvia Nordfjord, University of Texas at Austin
Sylvia’s project is a study of the paleohydrodynamic and paleoenvironmental history of incised valleys on the outer New Jersey shelf that have been the focus of UTIG investigations under ONR sponsorship since the late 1980’s. It involves the use of very high-resolution chirp data which was collected abord the R/V Endeavor in 2001, coupled with cores collected using DOSECC’s AHC 800 drilling rig from the R/V Knorr in 2002, in order to understand the complicated pattern of high-frequency sea-level fluctuations. The faculty sponsors are Drs. James Austin, Jr. and John Goff.
Jason Flaum, Northwestern University
Jason’s study will evaluate the sources and fluxes of the nutrient phosphorus (P) to the Cretaceous Western Interior Basin (KWIB) of North America and determine how they may have modulated primary productivity during the deposition of organic carbon and carbonate-rich facies of Cenomanian - Campanian age. The study will use archived samples from core holes distributed throughout the western US. Jason’s faculty sponsor is Dr. Bradley Sagemen.
2004 Internship Awards
Angela Isaacs, Utah State University
Angela’s project involved characterizing brittle deformation and damage parameters in fault zones: Insights from drillhole data from the Chelungpu and Mozumi fault zones. Her faculty sponsor is DOSECC Board Member Dr. James Evans.
Angela (left) having fun at the drillsite in Taiwan with Taiwanese PhD student Li-Wei (photo by Keegan Fengler-Opp)
Anna Leigh Wagner, University of Colorado
Anna performed in-depth grain size and diatom analysis on a sub-annual scale from Iceland core to about 7,000 BP from climatic changes. Her sponsor is Dr. Gifford Miller.
Anna writes: I am entering into my fifth year at the University of Colorado. I have completed a degree in environmental studies and am finishing up my geology degree. I have started to look into graduate programs involving paleoclimate research. I am also beginning some follow up research to my already completed honors thesis which was done on stratigraphy of varved sediment from a proglacial lake in Iceland. Thanks again for the internship and inviting me to the annual DOSECC meeting, I really thought that was great.
Anna rests upon cross bedded Navajo sandstone
Canyonlands, Utah, March 2005.
Jason Ressler, University of Rhode Island.
Evaluation and comparison of piston core geotechnical qualities using controlled rate of strain consolidation testing. His sponsor is Dr. Kate Moran.
Jason writes: I was a former intern at DOSECC, and had done a study on sample disturbance, due to sampling proceedures. After and during my time working on that project, I have worked on many others, all at or afilliated with URI, including:
(1) Evaluation of Formation Strength from Geophysical Well Logs, Using Neural Networks (my master's thesis),
(2) Two spin off projects from that, same concept using well logs, but applied to marine clays and shales, and also using inovative algorithms to improve the depth resolution of measurements made on cores. One is published in GeoCongress 2006 and another is going to be published at the OTC, this coming spring/summer.
(3) A study on the prediction of porosity and acoustic properties of surficial sediments, based on multibeam backscatter intensity.
Since the time I was an intern, I have also graduated the URI with a master's in Ocean Engineering. I now work at a a geotechnical engineering consulting firm, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., in Vernon, CT. Although we do not generally design for marine structures, my experiences with projects at URI, such as the DOSECC internship, have helped me to gain insight into what it takes to see a project through to the end and realize a professional level of involvement.
Although I have graduated the URI, and am not a recearch engineer anymore, I am constantly looking for new ideas for papers and research. Upcoming topics may include an addendum to the sample disturbance study I completed with DOSECC, yet focusing on the length of each core barrel drive into the sediment as a basis for determining a disturbance index. I am also looking into researching innovative techniques of local and spatial mapping of subsurface strata using neural networks and/or expert systems techniques.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to update the scientific community on my research.
Thank you, Jason Ressler
2002 Internship Awards
John Solum, University of Michigan
John’s internship explored insights into fault mechanics from the San Andreas pilot hole: the role of mineral transformations. His sponsor was Dr. Ben A. van der Pluijm, Professor of Geology, University of Michigan. John is currently a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow at the USGS in Menlo Park, CA working on the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) project.
John writes: I was a 2002 DOSECC intern. My internship was very helpful in furthering my career since both as an intern and at present, I'm working on the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD). During my internship I worked on characterizing the mineralogy of samples from the SAFOD Pilot Hole. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2005, and am currently working as a Mendenhall Fellow with the Earthquake Hazards Team of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California. I'm currently working on the SAFOD Main Hole, which was drilled in the summers of 2004 and 2005, and successfully crossed the active San Andreas fault (as well as a number of other interesting fault zones). I'm characterizing the mineral assemblages of the major faults that were encountered during drilling, and collaborating with other groups who are measuring frictional behavior and constraining fault zone properties (fluid sources and abundances, for example).
Greg Balco, University of Washington. Dating and correlating early and middle Pleistocene glacial sediment sequences using cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be. His sponsor is Dr. John Stone, faculty member at University of Washington’s Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
Debbie Balch, University of Arizona. A detailed paleoclimatic study of the northeastern Great Basin using GLAD800 core GSL-004. Her sponsor is Dr. Andy Cohen, Professor at the University of Arizona Geology Department and DOSECC Board Member.
Holly Godsey, University of Utah. The history of Lake Bonneville through AMS dating of hand-picked charcoal from GLAD800 sediment core GSL00-1C. Her sponsor is Dr. Marjorie Chan, Professor at the University of Utah, Department of Geology and Geophysics.
2001 Internship Awards
Richard Heermance, Utah State University. His study analyzed core obtained from the Chelungpu fault, Taiwan, along with seismic and surface date to study fault properties. He spoke at the 2002 Workshop in Hilo. His sponsors are Dr. Zoe Shipton and Dr. James Evans, Professors of Geology at Utah State University.
Amy Gaffney, University of Washington. Her study is entitled "A geochemical investigation of the role of recycled crust in Hawaiian magmatism." Her sponsor is Dr. Bruce Nelson, University of Washington.
Rebecca Carey, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her study in entitled "Magnetostratigraphy of the Koolau Volcanic Series, Oahu, Hawaii" and provided a poster showing her results at the 2002 Workshop. Her sponsor is Dr. Michael Garcia, University of Hawaii.
2000 Internship Award
Angelique´ Emerson, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Congratulations to all of our Awardees!
Interns are encouraged to submit a photo and an update...we’d love to know what you’re up to these days - and a little shameless self-promotion never hurts!
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©2010 DOSECC All rights reserved
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0829286. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions
or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Nominations Now Being Accepted for DOSECC Board of Directors
and
Science Planning Committee
ICDP Training Course:
Lightening the Darkness: From Borehole Measurements to Earth Models
Workshop Report:
THE FUTURE OF CONTINENTAL SCIENTIFIC DRILLING:
U.S. PERSPECTIVE
13th Annual Continental Scientific Drilling Workshop
dates to be determined Salt Lake City, UT, USA