COMPARISON OF CARBONIFEROUS AND CRETACEOUS OCEANIC ANOXIC EVENT (OAE) GEOCHEMISTRY AND RELATION TO PALEOECOLOGY
Mentor 1
Rex Hanger
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
24-4-2015 3:45 PM
Description
Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE) are time periods when oxygen levels of ancient oceans dropped to levels that were lethal to marine organisms. Occurring throughout the fossil record, OAE are recognized by distinctive geochemical signatures (high ratios of Th/U, Ni/Co, Ce anomaly), and their effects on ancient organisms (size reduction, decreased relative abundance, unique preservation types, and extirpation or complete extinction.) My research will focus on regional scale OAE from two time periods at two localities, the Upper Carboniferous (~ 307-304 million years ago) in southeastern Nebraska and the Middle Cretaceous (~113-100 million years ago) in central Texas, studying and comparing the geochemistry and paleoecology as indicators of oxygen levels during pre-, during- and post-OAE. With this data a simple model can be created for a regional OAE and expand this to a larger model. This model would be useful because it will be able to predict what these Oceanic Anoxic Events can do during global mass extinction events during other geologic time periods.
COMPARISON OF CARBONIFEROUS AND CRETACEOUS OCEANIC ANOXIC EVENT (OAE) GEOCHEMISTRY AND RELATION TO PALEOECOLOGY
Union Wisconsin Room
Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE) are time periods when oxygen levels of ancient oceans dropped to levels that were lethal to marine organisms. Occurring throughout the fossil record, OAE are recognized by distinctive geochemical signatures (high ratios of Th/U, Ni/Co, Ce anomaly), and their effects on ancient organisms (size reduction, decreased relative abundance, unique preservation types, and extirpation or complete extinction.) My research will focus on regional scale OAE from two time periods at two localities, the Upper Carboniferous (~ 307-304 million years ago) in southeastern Nebraska and the Middle Cretaceous (~113-100 million years ago) in central Texas, studying and comparing the geochemistry and paleoecology as indicators of oxygen levels during pre-, during- and post-OAE. With this data a simple model can be created for a regional OAE and expand this to a larger model. This model would be useful because it will be able to predict what these Oceanic Anoxic Events can do during global mass extinction events during other geologic time periods.
