Research Projects
From uncovering ice sheet histories in Antarctica to establishing records of pre-historic tectonic events in California or Japan, the AGES lab probes important geochronologic questions around the globe.
Learn more below!
II. Fault Dating
The geologic record preserves evidence of past earthquakes which can be measured using various geochemical techniques. Biomarkers - organic molecules produced by living organisms - are systematically altered during heating related to fault slip/rupture and can thus be used to estimate the temperature rise produced during faulting. Fault gouge clays rich in potassium can be used to determine the timing of large earthquakes, as the elevated temperatures during fault rupture reset their geologic ages. We incorporate K/Ar dating with clay mineralogy analyses, aiming to establish a more accurate record of prehistoric seismic events.
