Studies of clastic sediment and sedimentary rocks, particularly shallow-marine storm deposits and sedimentary structures produced in a recirculating sediment flume. This research is conducted by Rick Cheel.
The study of geologic (natural hazards) and environmental processes and their influence on human activity, and the impact of human activity on the natural environment. Departmental research is conducted by Uwe Brand (watershed studies, climate change in the geologic past), and Francine McCarthy (climate change of the Quaternary).
This involves the application of chemistry to the solution of geological problems, which requires knowing the distribution of chemical elements in the Earth and the solar system, and to assemble this information into geochemical cycles and processes and understand how these may have operated in the geologic past. Research is undertaken by Uwe Brand (low-temperature geochemistry).
Studies into glacial environments in terms of sediments and landforms with special relevance to the Laurentide Ice Sheet that covered most of Canada until about 10,000 years ago. Allied to this work is detailed ongoing research into subglacial environments, and subglacial landforms and landscapes. A major component is research into glacial sedimentology including the technique of micromorphology linked to glacial diamictons (tills). This research is conducted by John Menzies.
A variety of landscape mitigation practices with a focus on understanding the hydrological and hydrochemical impact of those practices. How can we effectively restore the hydrological functioning of degraded ecosystems to improve our water resources?
Current projects of Kelly Biagi:
Ecosystem reclamation in the Athabasca oil sands region, Wetland restoration in the Niagara Region, Lower Great Lakes nutrient loads from headwater streams with the aim of understanding which mitigation strategies to target and where to implement them to limit excess nutrients. Approaches: Field and laboratory-based studies in hydrology and biogeochemistry. Hydrologic modelling and mapping.
Igneous petrology is the study of the evolution of magma systems including their mineralogy and geochemical composition. Volcanic eruptions sample deep magma systems. By investigating the eruptive and compositional history of volcanoes, we track how magma systems evolve over time in order to interpret igneous processes, such as deep crustal contamination or fractional crystallization. In addition, the style of volcanic eruption is influenced by tectonic and environmental factors. Research on igneous petrology and volcanology in this department is focused on the Cascade Arc of western North America, the Rio Grande Rift of New Mexico, and Mars. This research is conducted by Mariek Schmidt.
Palynology is the study of acid-insoluble microfossils and their modern counterparts, including pollen, spores, dinoflagellate cysts, and acritarchs. Marine deposits are palynologically investigated by the research groups of Martin J. Head (mostly Eocene to present) and Francine McCarthy (Quaternary).
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, at about 1.5 times the Earth to –Sun distance. It is a small planet with a mean radius of approximately 3,396 km, compared to Earth’s radius of 6.378 km. Today Mars is clearly a very different planet from the Earth. By studying the geology of Mars, we try to understand the evolution not only of Mars but also the terrestrial planets in general from orbital and in situ observations. Research into Martian geology is conducted by Frank Fueten and Mariek Schmidt.
A technique to investigate the microsedimentology, microtectonics and microstructural geology of in situ sediments. Brock University has one of the few micromorphology labs in the world. Over the past decade a vast collection of sediment thin sections have been built-up permitting a detailed broad understanding of both glacial and non-glacial sediments. This research, conducted by John Menzies and colleagues, has generated a world-wide demand for micromorphological expertise, with applications in Antarctica, Europe, Australia and North America. Allied to this work are ongoing international workshops run in various parts of the world to share this expertise.
Microfossils offer unique insights into environmental change within the geological record. Francine McCarthy studies planktonic foraminifera and thecamoebians respectively in reconstructing marine and freshwater paleoenvironments for the Quaternary.
The Quaternary represents the crucial past ca. 2.6 Ma of Earth history. The following faculty and their research groups are involved in this research: Uwe Brand (geochemistry), Martin J. Head (marine palynology, stratigraphy), Francine McCarthy (marine and terrestrial palynology, micropaleontology) and John Menzies (glacial geology, micromorphology).
Rocks deform as the result of any number of conditions imposed upon them. Those conditions can vary from the relatively slow collision of continents to the very fast deformation imposed during meteorite impacts. During deformation the rocks respond in a variety of ways, such as by the bending of originally straight layers or fracturing of intact rocks. Deformation can be observed on the microscopic mineral grain scale or on the crustal scale, involving thousands of cubic kilometers. Structural geology is the branch of geology that seeks to describe, analyze and understand the deformation of rocks at all scales. Structural geology research is conducted by Frank Fueten.
