Collaborative Research: REU Site Project--Evolution of Precambrian Rocks in Yellowstone National Park

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Research in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) will characterize the geology, geochemistry and geochronology of the Precambrian rocks that underlie the northern part of the Park. REU students will participate in three major activities that will constitute a complete research experience: 1) Field studies, conducted in YNP will include geologic mapping and sampling of the Precambrian basement of YNP; formulation of testable research questions by smaller working groups; and mapping and sampling projects to address these research questions; 2) Analytical studies, starting with sample preparation immediately following field work at Montana State University; petrographic analysis at the students' home institutions; a week-long visit to analytical laboratories to conduct follow-up studies by small research groups during the academic year (University of Florida for geochemistry and geochronology; Louisiana State University for electron microprobe analysis); 3) Communicating results, each working group will submit an abstract to the following Geological Society of America Rocky Mountain sectional meeting as a first step towards formalizing the research results, including a writing workshop to encourage collaborative writing towards a peer-reviewed journal article. This REU site project will be conducted over two years with a focus on the anomalously low-grade metasedimentary rocks in the first year and (meta)igneous rocks in the second year. In aggregate, the research results will provide important insights into the petrogenesis, architecture, and evolution of the Precambrian rocks of YNP.The research results will contribute to a more complete understanding of the natural history of YNP. The geologic maps and sampling locations will be GIS-based and will be transmitted to the YNP Research Office for inclusion in their database to help inform further research and management in YNP. Students who participate in this project will gain valuable research experience through participating in the full range of activities including hypothesis formulation and testing, field mapping and sampling, sample preparation, analytical studies on modern instrumentation, communicating results at a professional meeting and engaging collaborative writing towards a peer-reviewed journal article. A research on learning component will document the cognitive and affective impacts of the field experience on the participating students to help document best instructional practices in field instruction for use by the larger geoscience education community.