The Cape Breton Sedimentology Research Group (CBSRG)

The Cape Breton Sedimentology Research Group (CBSRG), headed by Dr. Ted Matheson, is operated out of Cape Breton University in beautiful Unima'ki (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada). Ted is an assistant professor of geology in the Department of Math, Physics and Geology at Cape Breton University. His research expertise lies in chemical sedimentology. But the CBSRG is more than him. It is an amazing and constantly evolving group of students, postdocs, and collaborators who are involved with this research together.

The Cape Breton Sedimentology Research Group combines sedimentology, stratigraphy, diagenesis, and geochemistry into holistic models of chemical sedimentation. This research is used to reconstruct the evolution of the Earth system, particularly the oceans, through geologic time and provide foundational models for resource exploration and extraction in these unique chemical sediments. 

What does this mean? It means we try to paint a picture of what the Earth and its oceans looked like hundreds of millions of years ago. It means we try to better understand ancient climate change. It means we work to understand the distribution of important resources like potash today. It means we reconstruct the flow of water through the Earth and how it has modified the rocks beneath our feet. And we do so much more!

 Our research group focuses on carbonates, evaporites, and metalliferous sedimentary rocks (ironstones, manganiferous carbonates, and iron formations) but has also worked on siliciclastics, phosphorites, chert, and more. We cover the gamut of sedimentary rocks!

Despite our name, we conduct research not just across Cape Breton, but across the Maritimes, Canada, and the world! Check out our members, recent papers, and student presentations.