The following projects are examples of potential M.S. or Ph.D. studies in clastic sedimentology at UAF. These projects include studies in both northern Alaska and in western Canada and Nova Scotia. While these projects reflect the current interests and research focus of the UAF faculty, students can work with their supervisor to design other projects that incorporate the individual student's interests.
Paleopedology, alluvial architecture and nonmarine sequence stratigraphy of the Nanushuk Group, Brooks Range foothills, Alaska
Paul McCarthy, supervisor
This project is being carried out in collaboration with Dr. D. LePain at the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). This research focuses nonmarine rocks in the Nanushuk Group with particular attention to systematic vertical and lateral changes in fluvial style combined with paleosol characterization. Careful analysis of these changes will allow the recognition of subtle accommodation changes and cryptic or amalgamated nonmarine paleosurfaces that will ultimately permit the recognition of sequence boundaries, flooding surfaces and systems tracts within these rocks. Another goal of this project is to reconstruct details of the Cretaceous arctic paleoenvironment from detailed paleopedological studies.
Paul McCarthy and/or Michael Whalen supervisor
Detailed understanding of the poorly constrained, pre-collision configuration of the late Paleozoic- early Mesozoic passive margin of Arctic Alaska is necessary to accurately model its subsequent deformation in the Brooks Range orogen. This study will involve surface and subsurface correlation of stratigraphic and sedimentologic data from the North Slope and Brooks Range in order to evaluate paleogeographic models for this passive margin.
Paul McCarthy, supervisor
Application of sequence stratigraphic methods to terrestrial deposits is a relatively recent development, and recognizing subtle changes and cryptic or amalgamated paleosurfaces is critically important to this endeavor. A detailed sequence stratigraphic framework is now in place based on detailed stratigraphic, sedimentological and paleopedological studies in the Dunvegan Formation.
Future research will examination of several interfluve paleosols bounding key sequences along the Pine River in NE British Columbia, Canada. This new research will be added to earlier data derived from the Dunvegan Formation in order to characterize and quantify downdip changes in pedological expression on ancient interfluves. This work is important for understanding how nonmarine sequence boundaries form and how they relate to coeval sequence boundaries in the shallow marine realm.
Paul McCarthy, supervisor
Joggins, Nova Scotia is a world-class fossil site and the subject of an application for UNESCO World Heritage listing. Early discoveries at Joggins were made during the first Geological Survey of Canada project in the 1840s by Sir William Logan, Sir Charles Lyell and J.W. Dawson. Joggins is famous for hundreds of standing trunks of tree ferns and early conifers exposed for more than 1 km in the cliffs along the Bay of Fundy. Tetrapod bones have been found within 18 trunks since 1853 and include those of the earliest known true reptiles.
Ongoing and future research will develop a detailed characterization of floodplain sedimentology and enhance the paleoenvironmental analysis of this classic section. Current research is being conducted in collaboration with a team of sedimentologists and paleontologists from Canada and the U.K. The overall goal of this collaborative effort is to develop the most complete documentation to date of an ancient terrestrial/coastal ecosystem.
For more information on any of these projects, contact Dr. Paul McCarthy
Current news
|Research
disciplines|
People|Current
Research Topics|
Student Research
Opportunities|Analytical
Facilities|
Publications | Home
Page
This site is maintained by C. L. Hanks
Catherine.Hanks@gi.alaska.edu
Last updated on January 2006