Project Description
The objectives of this research are to assess how the composition and mineralogy of underlying sediment predicts (or dictates) the mineralogy of evaporite minerals precipitated at the surface in a modern evaporitic environment. Since the surface deposit is all that can be seen from remote sensing platforms (e.g., satellite-mounted spectrometers), being able to relate surface evaporites and their underlying substrates could allow us to better infer overall composition from remotely sensed surface data, which could in turn help us understand planetary surfaces for which we do not have in-situ compositional information. To this end, we collected three ~1 meter cores of sediment from modern evaporite basins at Tecopa and Panamint Valley in California, along with surface evaporite samples. By assessing the mineralogy and major element geochemistry of these sediments at 2-cm intervals, we can assess the abundance of evaporite minerals and detrital minerals, and how this changes with depth. Are evaporites limited to the surface, or are they present throughout the underlying sediment? How representative of the whole core would the shallowest samples be? Can the composition of the surface evaporite be used to predict the mineralogy and geochemistry of the sediment at depth?
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will be responsible for collecting samples from the cores at appropriate intervals and preparing them for X-ray Diffraction (XRD, for mineralogy) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF, for geochemistry). The student will run these samples using our XRD and XRF instruments, and use this data to reconstruct the mineralogy of each sample, identifying evaporite and non-evaporite minerals. The student will compare surface, shallow, and deep samples from the cores (to track changes with depth), and between cores with different surface evaporite mineralogy (to track changes with fluid composition).
Desired Qualifications
None