Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station

11 Mar, 12 PM - 21 Mar, 04 PM

The island of Moorea provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the subaerial and submarine evolution of a volcanic island. A travel grant from the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) is funding four graduate student researchers to investigate this unique geologic setting. The primary goals of this trip are to meet with collaborators at the Moorea Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Center, collect sediment and volcanic rock samples to contribute to the Earth Science Department s teaching collection at UCSB, and to develop a geologic field-trip guidebook. We also plan to use a digital elevation model (DEM) to make stream profile analyses. Stream profiles and anomalous steep reaches of streams may be used to infer past changes in sea level. We will field check stream elevations with a GPS unit as part of this analysis. Samples will be collected to help develop the carbonates portion of the Earth 122 class (Sedimentology and Stratigraphy) as well as igneous petrology. The guidebook will be developed for any future geologic studies and/or field-trips to Moorea. This trip will allow graduate students at UCSB to gain important insights into the feedback mechanisms between surface processes, ocean chemistry, carbonate sedimentology, biology, and the response of a uniquely diverse carbonate system to environmental pressures. We hypothesize that erosion rates and stream profiles have responded to sea level changes over the last 1000 years, and that by performing this type of analysis, we may gain important insights into the geologic evolution of the island, as well as how sediment has affected the carbonate reef system.

Visit #43244 @Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station

Approved

Under Project # 31817 | Research

Field Studies on a Volcanic Island: the Geology of Moorea's Carbonate Reef Systems

graduate_student - University of California, Santa Barbara

Reservation Members(s)

aaron hill Mar 11 - 21, 2016 (11 days)
Jackson Mitchell Mar 11 - 21, 2016 (11 days)
John Bentz Mar 11 - 21, 2016 (11 days)
Paul Alessio Mar 11 - 21, 2016 (11 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Dorm 1 2 Mar 11 - 21, 2016
Bed in shared room 2 Mar 11 - 21, 2016
Waterfront bungalow 8 2 Mar 11 - 21, 2016
Waterfront bungalow 9 2 Mar 11 - 21, 2016