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September 09 Issue - Employee Monthly Magazine Fieldwork unearths secrets of ancient volcanic provinceLos Alamos researchers lead Earthwatch geophysics project
Left: Aviva Sussman operates a paleomagnetic drill to collect rock cores. Right: Emily Schultz-Fellenz measures the rock’s compressive strength using a Schmidt hammer. Photos by Sandra Valdez Early last year, Aviva Sussman and Emily Schultz-Fellenz were awarded a research grant for the Earthwatch Institute’s Student Challenge Awards Program, paving the way for several girls from across the United States to experience the wonders of geophysics. With additional funding from the Lab’s Community Programs Office and Los Alamos National Security, LLC, the two researchers from the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division recently set off with a team of high school students on an Earthwatch Expedition through parts of Colorado. Along with University of New Mexico graduate student Stephanie Mason, Sussman and Schultz-Fellenz lead a project that is studying the tectonic evolution of the Rio Grande Rift, which extends north from Mexico, near El Paso, Texas, through New Mexico into central Colorado. The Rio Grande Rift generally is considered to be a “failed” rift valley, which was once more active than it is today, and it would prove to be an ideal classroom for the students. Their fieldwork took place in southern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains—an ancient volcanic province. The team collected rock samples along the rift to determine rock compositions and to distinguish between the different volcanic units. They also used advanced paleomagnetic technology at the University of New Mexico to determine the magnetism of their samples. Results will be used to determine how fault geometry within the rift affects regional water flow. “We study the geological faults and volcanoes of the past to determine what that holds for the future, such as the possibility of further earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,” said Schultz-Fellenz. Sussman noted that the research is an extension of a project funded by the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics and on which she worked with former Los Alamos scientist Claudia Lewis. In addition to regional implications, the research also is important to Department of Energy missions in the areas of homeland security and energy, Sussman said, pointing to research on carbon-sequestration, geothermal power, and tunnel detection. “This is a fantastic opportunity to simultaneously help build the next generation of scientists and make progress in our research objectives,” she added. — Erika L. Martinez Other Headlines
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