Student from Moorpark Community College and Santa Barbara Community College, will be presenting:
ABSTRACT: "Fossil identification and depositional history of the unnamed fossil layer of Isla Vista, California."
This project aims to compile a fossil database for marine invertebrates recorded in an unnamed Pleistocene layer exposed along the Isla Vista sea cliffs in Goleta, CA. This fossiliferous layer is poorly documented in the published literature, however, this layer preserves a diverse paleoecological marine environment. The ultimate goal for this project is to develop a new fossil guidebook available as a free online educational resource, for any individual to collect in situ samples, identify organisms, and determine the paleoecology and age of the layer based on fossil age correlation. The seacliff along the Isla Vista coast exposes the Miocene Sisquoc Formation at the base of the outcrop. The unnamed fossiliferous layer sits unconformably above the Sisquoc formation and is a laterally continuous ~1000 meter stretch of the exposed sea cliffs and roughly 2 meters thick. Three sampling locations were chosen along the exposed outcrop and at each location, 5 gallons of material were collected and sorted for fossils, tar, and clastic material. This project is still ongoing, but currently over 1500 fossils have been identified and include over 30 unique species of Gastropoda and Bivalvia ranging across various paleoecological environments.
BIO:
Sandra Jensen is a student living in Seattle, WA and has been involved with the Geology program of Santa Barbara City College since 2018. She discovered her love of earth science while attending an Environmental Geology class at SBCC. Since then she has attended most field courses the program has to offer, been an officer of the Geology Club on campus, and taken the upper level Petrology/Mineralogy series with the college. She moved to Washington in the summer of 2020 and hopes to attend the University of Washington in the fall. She has been remotely involved with this project and has been able to receive samples and necessary equipment from Santa Barbara in order to identify specimens that have travelled from over 1000 miles away.
Cody Atwood grew up in the Sierra Nevada and has always been fascinated by the physical environment. In 2018, he moved to Santa Barbara to pursue geological sciences with a dream of one day obtaining a master's or Ph.D. Since then, he has taken many courses the Earth and Planetary Sciences department at SBCC offers. These include oceanography, dynamic geology, historical geology, and field courses in the Eastern Sierra, Death Valley, and the Colorado Plateau. He found historical geology and the Colorado Plateau courses to be incredibly fascinating. Cody is excited for the opportunity to be involved in a research project and to get his hands dirty while learning new skills in the field of geology.
Lydia Kaestner is a Santa Barbara native and took her first Geology class in 2018 at Santa Barbara City College, when Jeff Meyer got her hooked on Dynamic Earth. She has since gone on almost all field courses at SBCC, including the Summer Field and Colorado Plateau trips. She has taken most of the courses the department has to offer as well, and especially enjoyed Historical Geology and Petrology. Lydia has been very involved in the department as a GeoClub officer the past two years, engaged with organizing overnight trips, professional development activities, and rock swaps. She is excited to be working on this project on many levels, from collecting samples in the field to identifying species and comparing them to their present-day analogs.
ABSTRACT: "Minerals needed for renewable energy technology."
The focus of the study is to examine specific minerals needed to supply the increasing global demand for commonly used renewable energy technologies. Those of interest are wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. The aim is to research and examine specific rare materials that are vital to these technologies, examine what minerals are associated with their extraction, and how and where these minerals are found and mined. While the majority of these rare materials are found and sourced primarily outside of the United States, the study puts a geographic emphasis on these mineral resources that are found within the U.S. and California in particular.
BIO:
Tristan born in Santa Barbara County, CA, and was raised in an environment in which he grew an immense appreciation for the outdoor spaces in Santa Barbara County. Tristan is working towards his undergraduate in geology at SBCC with a goal to transfer to UCSB. Geology remains the focus of his academic studies, but over time became interested in the renewable energy industry, and how renewable energy technology can help our society moving forward.
ABSTRACT: "Homogeneity in the Orientation and Mineralogical Characteristics of Dikes Across the Conejo Volcanic Suite."
The Conejo Volcanic Suite is a group of basaltic andesite-to-dacite rocks created by volcanism caused by transtensional tectonics during the middle Miocene. A series of hypabyssal dikes were associated with this volcanic activity. This study sought to validate prior observations on the dikes’ origin and composition by evaluating their orientations and mineralogy. The strikes and dips of thirty-one dikes across the suite were assessed. A strong correlation in dike orientation was observed throughout the region, suggesting that they came from a similar source. They display similar porphyritic texture with plagioclase phenocrysts, have similar mineral modes, and notably possess few Al-rich minerals suggesting little crustal contamination. The presence of kaolinite indicates that hydrolysis is weathering the dikes where exposed to ground and surface water, yet the dikes form ridgebacks throughout the region indicating greater resistance to weathering than the rock they are hosted in.
BIO:
Brittany Bailey is a current Junior at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with an emphasis in Geophysics. In 2020, she obtained five Associate of Science degrees— AS in Geology, AS-T in Geology, AS in Mathematics, AS in Physics, and AS in General Studies with an Emphasis in the Natural Sciences— at her former institution, Moorpark College. She is a member of the Coast Geological Society and has been attending CGS meetings since 2018. She plans on achieving a Master of Science in Geophysics and devoting her time to thoughtful and innovative research to further understand and develop the field of Earth science.
Abigail Travers is a junior at California State University- Northridge (CSUN) where she is working towards her Bachelor of Science in Geophysics. Ms. Travers received the John Woolley Award from the Coast Geologic Society in 2018 and graduated from Moorpark College in 2020 with an AS in Geology, AA in Natural Sciences, AS-T in Physics, and an AS-T in Geology. Her goals include becoming a researcher and university professor, where she hopes to inspire the next generation of geoscientists and contribute new ideas to the field. Currently she is working as a research assistant to one of her professors looking into oceanic deformation caused by the 1964 Great Alaskan Earthquake.
Joshua Stapel obtained his Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Art from California State University Channel Islands in 2017. He has been studying geology since 2017 and attending Coast Geological Society meetings since 2018. He has designed costumes for over twenty local theatre productions, most recently with Actors' Repertory of Simi. He has volunteered with Spectrum Arts Collaborative, a free arts program for youth in Simi Valley since 2018. He plans to achieve a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America and looks forward to continuing to work with gems and minerals throughout his career.
