Sediment transport processes of modern beach sediments revealed by magnetic anisotropy fabrics
Research Mentor(s)
Housen, Bernard Arthur
Description
The physical alignment of minerals reflects many different geological processes. In sediments and sedimentary rocks, mineral alignment is directly related to the transport of mineral grains as detritus carried by moving water. By studying mineral alignment in modern depositional environments, with known sediment transport directions, we can develop tools to study the records of these same processes that are preserved in ancient sedimentary rocks. For this project, students in the Winter 2018 Geology 454/554 Magnetic Fabrics class collected sediments from several locations at Squalicum Beach, on the Bellingham shoreline. Measurements of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) were made on the collected samples. While several samples had AMS fabrics that were too weak to detect, many of the sample had well-defined AMS fabrics. These mineral fabrics differ according to the modern depositional environment, and these results will be presented in detail on the poster.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
17-5-2018 12:00 AM
End Date
17-5-2018 12:00 AM
Department
Geology
Genre/Form
student projects, posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Paleomagnetism; Sedimentation and deposition
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Sediment transport processes of modern beach sediments revealed by magnetic anisotropy fabrics
The physical alignment of minerals reflects many different geological processes. In sediments and sedimentary rocks, mineral alignment is directly related to the transport of mineral grains as detritus carried by moving water. By studying mineral alignment in modern depositional environments, with known sediment transport directions, we can develop tools to study the records of these same processes that are preserved in ancient sedimentary rocks. For this project, students in the Winter 2018 Geology 454/554 Magnetic Fabrics class collected sediments from several locations at Squalicum Beach, on the Bellingham shoreline. Measurements of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) were made on the collected samples. While several samples had AMS fabrics that were too weak to detect, many of the sample had well-defined AMS fabrics. These mineral fabrics differ according to the modern depositional environment, and these results will be presented in detail on the poster.