Research
U-Th-Pb Geochronology
A cornerstone in the fields of geochronology and geochemistry is how atmospheric oxygen levels have changed through time and how this couples with the evolution of complex life.
The trajectory of atmospheric oxygen throughout Earth history
Through U-Th-Pb geochronology, my research will provide novel insight into fluctuations during important time intervals in the atmospheric oxygen trajectory. By determining the timing of the shift from a largely anoxic atmosphere to an oxic atmosphere, we can constrain the environments available on the Earth surface.
Dating the timing of formation of The Great Unconformity
I am assessing if The Great Unconformity at the boundary of the ~1.73 Ga Payson Ophiolite and the Cambrian Tapeats sandstone, Arizona, is consistent with its formation due to intensive physical weathering associated with the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth events. I will determine the age of formation of The Great Unconformity using whole-rock geochemistry and U-Th-Pb geochronology.
