Me (2nd to the left) and my research group enjoying lunch on a granulite outcrop!

Author: Olivia Wylie | Majors: Geology, Physics | Semester: Fall 2024

Hello! My name is Olivia Wyllie, and I’m an honors student at the University of Arkansas. I’m majoring in Geology and Physics, under the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. My mentor is Dr. Gregory Dumond, from the geosciences department at the University of Arkansas. This blog is focused on my research during the Fall 2024 semester. This semester I got hands-on experience preparing rock samples that I had collected on my research trip for thin sections, and next semester I hope to receive my samples from the processing companies they were shipped to so I can begin analysis on them.

The goal of my research is to constrain mechanisms of formation and evolution of the lower continental crust by analyzing mainly garnet from the lower Athabasca granulite terrain. Among geologists, there is a consensus that lower crust formation begins when melts of the mantle rise from within the mantle to the boundary between the crust and mantle. It is assumed at this point that the interaction between the melt and the existing crust results in the formation of the lower continental crust, but what that interaction entails and what conditions are required are still unknown.

The lower Athabasca granulite terrain is unique geologically in that it is where lower continental crust is exposed at the surface, and exhibits minimal deformation since its exposure, making it an analog for the lower crust within the Earth at the time of formation. The first year of my research involved analyzing garnet, as well as hornblende and clinopyroxene from samples of the terrain taken previously by my professor; I looked for strain and ultra-high temperature metamorphism in those samples, and over this past summer I visited the terrain to re-sample areas where I had noticed the clearest indicators of strain and metamorphism. This past semester, I learned how to prepare my samples to be sent off to be made into thin sections. This included learning to use a rock saw, learning how to choose what parts of a sample to preserve, how to make billets, and even how to sort garnet grains under a microscope for geochemical analysis.

I was able to send my samples out this semester, and am expecting them back next spring. Along with more thin sections, my samples are being sent out to be analyzed for geochemical data and isotopic dating which will allow me to make a geophysical model of lower crustal conditions. I have tentative plans to travel to Washington State next summer to conduct further analysis at their university. From the modeling, data, and evidence in thin sections, I aim to determine what processes occurred as the lower crust developed.

I chose my research topic by first considering what classes I liked the most, and what topics interested me the most from those classes. I’ve always been interested in tectonics and crustal development, and I enjoyed Dr. Dumonds class, so when I saw on UArk’s website that Dr. Dumond had an active research project relating to those topics, I set up an appointment to learn more about the project.

The hardest challenge of this project for me was getting the motivation to read scientific papers and making time to get myself to the lab. Especially when I’m having a rough semester, finding the energy for research on top of my classes can be difficult. The best thing I did to combat this was to create a schedule of when I would work on my research project each week. Having a schedule helped me prevent procrastinating, and allowed me to stay on top of my research. My mentor was also very accommodating, and set up a group schedule so everyone in the research group would be able to use the lab and have a meeting with him during the week, which helped everyone maximize efficiency when using the lab.

Through this research project I’ve been able to learn more about a subject that interests me, and gain valuable experience in the field and in the lab that furthers my professional development and allows me to learn about myself as a student researcher!