Allison Mckeown

With the FAST grant funds we were awarded, Dr. Sumrall led our small research team to the Upper Peninsula in the northernmost portion of Michigan. Our particular project was designated with two separate parts; fieldwork and data collection (part one) and sample prep and laboratory analysis (part two). Our field sites were located in the Hiawatha National Forest (HNF).

Once we arrived in HNF, we set up basecamp 60 feet from the northern shore of Lake Michigan. The next day, we were given a tour of a portion of the HNF by Dr. Larson, colleague of Dr. Sumrall from Shawnee State University. Dr. Larson introduced us to the various research sites that we would soon become familiar with; Scott’s Quarry, various grike locations, the Niagara Escarpment, and a few boulder fields. This was an exciting day because it allowed me visualize the geology of the area I have read so much about in the previous months. The remainder of our time in Michigan was dedicated to fieldwork and data collection. Field collection included: drilling core samples, measuring transects for geomorphology, measuring stratigraphic column, collecting attitude data on rocks, measuring dissolution features, and developing a better idea of the local geology. We also met with the forestry service

When we got back to SHSU, I started the process of analyzing our samples. I was tasked with using an X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) to illuminate different identifying peaks of particular minerals we were interested in finding. We needed to know if there was more than 1% calcite in the sample before proceeding forward with additional analysis. I separated two sets of each sample, one to be sent off for isotope work and one for trace element analysis at the TRIES lab. At TRIES, we reacted our powdered samples to be analyzed using ICP-OES. Working in the field with Dr. Sumrall, Dr. Larson, and the three other student researchers was an excellent experience. A classroom can never precisely simulate the environment of working on a field research team. It was a challenge to apply what I had learned in a classroom and to orient myself to an environment and surroundings I had quite literally never been introduced to. Team building and communication skills were absolutely necessary for efficiency and success of every step the project. Though I had never studied karst before, I’m so glad this opportunity was so involved with carbonate rocks; I’ve certainly gained an interest in a field that was previous unknown to me. I’ve also never had to opportunity to apply XRD or ICP-MS methods to carbonates before so analyzing those results were unfamiliar and exciting to look at!

My final task was incorporating field measurements of stratigraphy with the chemical dataset derived in our lab analyses. There exists several trace element markers that are useful for relating rock layers across the HNF. It is pretty exciting to be able to contribute new information to a question that hasn’t been answered yet. This entire process has really pushed me to continue my geology education in graduate school. I know this project helped me make important decisions about my future career, while peaking my interest in research.