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Emily Bush
Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts
Summer Intern at Washington University in St. Louis
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Advisor: Assistant Professor David Fike
Abstract
Biogeochemical cycles are the pathways and feedbacks that link biological systems together -- and to the geochemical environment. In the process, geochemical signatures of biological activity are produced and become incorporated into the rock record, where they are known as 'biosignatures'. Samples from Ordovician-aged strata from the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas were collected and analyzed for carbonate-associated sulfates. The results, when added to other work of similar nature, should provide insights into the effects of biogeochemical activity upon the terrestrial climate over geologic time periods. This work will inform investigations of biosignatures on early Earth or on Mars, where, unlike the Ordovician, there is no clear fossil record with which to compare the results.
Emily Bush is now a junior at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, majoring in French Studies with a minor in Geology. She is particularly interested in the use of stable isotope geochemistry in examining the interactions between geobiochemical activity and paleoclimates.
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