Author(s): Advisor(s): Mark Krekeler, Department of Geology Liannie Velazquez- Santana, Wilnelly, Ventura-Valentine
B57: Functional Trait Evolution of Mesozoic Marine Gastropods
Over the Mesozoic period, marine gastropods continued to evolve favored specific functional traits. More active motility, a surface-dwelling living habit, and a wide variety of feeding habits tended to be preferred. As time progressed, marine gastropods became vulnerable, with increasing amounts of ecological niches being occupied by fewer species. Despite the abrupt extinction event at […]
B58: Applications for 3D Scanned Ordovician Marine Fossils
The Ordovician period was distinguished by its diverse marine life and the development of invertebrate fauna, such as brachiopods and trilobites. This research aims to create 3D scans of Ordovician Marine invertebrate fauna to be used for educational purposes in a few different mediums. The specimens that were chosen for scanning are well-preserved and fully […]
B59: Initial Mineralogical and Geochemical Evaluation of Talc Crayons from China
Talc products are of interest both in the context of consumer and occupational exposure to asbestos and toxic metals. One product that has not been investigated in detail is talc crayons used for marking in manufacturing. An unopened box of talc based industrial crayons originating from China were analyzed. Twenty crayons were manually powdered, then […]
B60: Initial Trace Element and Pollution Analysis of Road Sediment Associated with the AES Power Plant, Guayama, Puerto Rico
Road sediments have the potential to accumulate heavy metals and other toxic pollutants that come from vehicular emissions, tire and brake wear, pavement degradation, and other man-made sources. Ten (n=10) Road sediment samples were collected from areas near an industrial power plant site, AES Power Plant, Guayama, Puerto Rico in order to evaluate potential contaminant […]
BII-03: The Bright Future of Solar Panel Recycling
Demand for sustainable energy methods, especially solar panels, has been on the rise in recent years as awareness of the depletion and impact of fossil fuels grows. However, these panels are posing a new challenge of their own- finding what to do with the first generation of solar panels that are now reaching the end […]
B23: Surficial Geologic Map of the Miami University Natural Areas near Oxford, Ohio
This project examined the surface geology of the primary floodplain in Harkers Run, located in Oxford, OH. The primary focus for this project was to determine and map the surface and subsurface geology of Harkers Run. For this study, a team of students in Geoenvironmental Field Methods (GLG 311VA) used topographic base maps and GPS […]
A44: HVSR Analysis of Heterogenous Buried Glacial Valley Deposits, Southwestern Ohio
This study presents the results of a detailed Horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) passive-seismic recording program in glacial filled-valley deposits in southwestern Ohio. Study goals were to evaluate the sensitivity of the HVSR method and best practices regarding field sampling techniques and data analysis. The study was conducted in the valley of Four Mile Creek near […]
A35: Comparing PT Paths of Metamorphic Rocks Determined by Quantitative and Semi-quantitative Approaches: A Case Study from the Monviso Ophiolite, Italy
Historically, the field of metamorphic petrology has advanced largely due to the implementation of techniques for quantifying the chemical compositions of rocks in situ. Today, concentrations of major and trace elements are routinely measured on the micrometer scale with instruments like the Electron Probe Microanalyzer (EPMA) and others. Quantitative chemical maps of minerals produced by […]
A33: What Can Symplectites Tell Us About Geological Processes on the Moon and Mars?
The work presented here reports findings from a detailed microscopic study of symplectites in lunar samples, specifically in basalts from the Apollo 15 mission and meteorites collected from Antarctica in 2018-2019. The symplectites studied are consistently composed of the same three minerals, olivine (olv), clinopyroxene (cpx), and silica (si). They represent the products of breakdown, […]