Research theme 1. How Did We Meet?

Project 1. The anatomy of a Neoproterozoic (900-500 million year old) mountain belt: Using ultramafic rocks to understand the southern Brasiliano Orogen**

• Aim: understand the origin and tectonic significance of the ultramafic rocks, and place this origin within the context of the broader formation of the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano Orogen.
• How? Collect samples and document field relationships in southern Brazil; document the petrographic characteristics of the collected samples using an optical microscope; characterize the chemistry of the spinel-group minerals using the scanning electron microprobe; and (time dependent) characterize the bulk-rock geochemistry using the XRF and ICP-MS.
• Collaborators: Dr Vinicius Tieppo Meira (University of Campinas) and Dr Guiseppe Betino de Toni (Federal University of Pampa).
• Fieldtrip notes: The fieldtrip will be approximately 2 weeks and will involve visiting multiple suites of ultramafic-mafic rock preserved in the southernmost state of Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul), alongside our Brazilian collaborators.

Project 2. The end of the road. Understanding the formation of the southernmost Appalachian mountains using spinel-group minerals.

• Aim: Interpret the magmatic origin and metamorphic evolution of the ultramafic rocks, and place these interpretations within the context of the formation of southern Appalachians 500 million years ago.
• How? Document the petrographic characteristics of a suite of previously collected ultramafic rocks using optical microscopy; characterize the composition of spinel-group minerals using the scanning electron microscope; compare these data to other occurrences of ultramafic rock from throughout the Appalachian-Caledonian orogen.
• Collaborators: Naomi Becker (USGS). 

Project 3. Understanding the magmatic and metamorphic origin of mafic rocks from New York City and Northern Virginia.

• Aim: Assess the origin(s) of several small bodies of mafic rock collected from the areas in and around Washington, D.C. and New York City, and establish whether any of these occurrences are related to better constrained mafic bodies in the Appalachian orogen.
• How? Document the petrographic characteristics of a suite of previously collected mafic rocks using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; characterize the bulk-rock geochemical signatures of the mafic rocks using the XRF and ICP-MS at Towson University; and U-Pb zircon geochronology to obtain crystallization ages of the studied rocks.
• Collaborators: Naomi Becker (USGS); Dr. Steven Jaret (CUNY); Dr. Daniel Viete (JHU)

Research Theme 2. Were all oceans made the same?

Project 4. Unravelling the tectonic processes recorded by lavas of the Jormua Ophiolite, Finland.

• Aim: Establish the tectonic setting(s) responsible for the formation of basalts preserved in this 1.9 billion year old ophiolite, and compare these interpretations to younger ophiolites.
• How? Establish the geologic context using drillcore logging in the Geologic Survey of Finland's drillcore facility and targeted field excursions; document the petrographic characteristics using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; and characterize the bulk-rock geochemistry using the XRF and ICP-MS.
• Collaborators: Dr Tuomo Tormanen and Dr Kathryn Cutts (Geologic Survey of Finland).

Project 5. When and How? Nature and timing of volcanism recorded by the 1.9 billion-year-old Flin Flon Belt, Manitoba (Canada).

• Aim: Establish the nature and timing of volcanism recorded by basalts of the 1.9 billion year old Flin Flon Belt.
• How? Document the petrographic characteristics using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; interpretation of existing bulk-rock geochemical data; and U-Pb zircon geochronology to obtain crystallization ages of the studied rocks.
• Collaborators: Dr Daniel Viete and Supratik Roy (JHU).

Research Theme 3. How did Earth work 3 billion years ago?

Project 6. Are you related? Using mafic rocks to decode 3 billion years of magmatic and metamorphic evolution in NW Scotland.

• Aim: Establish whether the mafic rocks are associated with any of the other phases of mafic magmatism recorded by the 3 billion year old Lewisian Gneiss Complex, or whether a new phase of magmatism needs to be defined.
• How? Document the petrographic characteristics using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; collect bulk-rock geochemical data using the XRF and ICP-MS; and (time dependent) separate zircon grains for U-Pb geochronology, to obtain crystallization ages of the studied rocks.