Fieldwork
Here is a brief overview of my current fieldwork and a look at some of my future research directions.
Geology
In collaboration with Sally McBrearty and Gail Ashley a series of eight geological trenches have been excavated in an NE-SW transect across the basin. Sediments were carefully described and sampled.
Correlations between trenches will be made on the basis of lithology, soil geochemistry and trace elements. The goal of this project is to create a model of facies change through time from about 509 - 550 ka. This model will illustrate how contemporary micro-environments within the basin fluctuated in form of lake levels, the presence or absence of fresh water in the form of a ground water fed spring and subaerial soil formation in the absence of any substantial water source.
Fossil Spring
During the target interval an extensive fossil spring would have provided a substantial and perennial source of fresh water that would have made the basin very attractive for a large variety of flora and fauna.
The spring deposit consists of tufa, a calcium carbonate precipitate rich in micro- and macrophytes, plant detrius, invertebrates, algae and bacteria. It appears as the distinctive white bed that I am pointing at in this picture.
