SGER:Exploratory Research on the Timing of Early Paleozoic Orogenesis along Gonwana's Paleo-Pacific Margin, Queen Maud Mountains, Antarctica

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This Small Grant for Exploratory Research investigates the origin of the Queen Maud Mountains, Antarctica, to understand the geodynamic processes that shaped Gondwana. Ages of various rock units will be determined using LA-MC-ICPMS analyses of zircons and 40Ar-39Ar analyses of hornblende. The project?s goal is to time deformation , sedimentary unit deposition, magmatism, and regional cooling. Results will be correlated with related rock units in Australia. By constraining the length and time scales of processes, the outcomes will offer insight into the geodynamic processes that caused deformation, such as slab roll-back or extension. In addition, dating these sedimentary units may offer insight into the Cambrian explosion of life, since the sediment flux caused by erosion of these mountains is conjectured to have seeded the ocean with the nutrients required for organisms to develop hard body parts. The broader impacts include support for undergraduate research.