Project Description
Recent work suggests that modern corals have the ability as they grow to record directional changes in Earth's geomagnetic field. Sediment particles become trapped by the biogenic part of the corals and are then incorporated into the solid calcium carbonate secreted by the animals. Magnetic particles partially aligned by Earth's field maintain this alignment as they become trapped. This project seeks to extend this work to stromatolites, ancient algae-like life-forms that share some similarities with corals in that they produce abiotic structures by trapping sediment particles within biologic filaments. The goals of this project are to 1) identify the magnetic minerals present and determine whether they are likely related to the stromatolite’s original formation or if they formed as a result of later alteration; 2) determine whether the stromatolites carry a stable magnetization.
Tasks and Responsibilites
Stromatolites of various ages from Mongolia are available from a UWM colleague. Student tasks include 1) subsampling the stromatolites; 2) measuring their natural remanent magnetization; 3) subjecting the samples to various magnetic protocols designed to identify the magnetic minerals present; and 4) interpretation of the data.
Desired Qualifications
None Listed