Geology

Session I

Kayla Jones, "The Origin and Influence of Hydrothermal Fluids on Kyanite Quartzite Deposits in the Virginia Piedmont"

Kyanite (Al2SiO5) is an aluminosilicate mineral found in concentrated deposits within the Virginia Piedmont. It appears most often within quartzites or schists from the meta-igneous and meta-sedimentary rocks of the Chopawamsic terrane. Preliminary oxygen isotope analysis shows regional variations in the chemical fingerprint of the kyanite between different deposits. Hydrothermal fluids, superheated liquids that move through the Earth’s crust, have the potential to influence metamorphic environments and cause such variations. Fluids emerging from meteoric or mantle sources will have different δ18O values, thus leaving behind unique isotope signatures. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) analysis will enable us to measure in situ δ18O values from kyanite and quartz from Mt. Willis and neighboring outcrops in Buckingham County, VA. Quantifying the gradients across regions of kyanite zonation and along kyanite-quartz grain boundaries will allow us to estimate evolving conditions at the time of formation, including temperature, protolith composition, and hydrothermal fluid origin.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Geology Major, Marine Science Minor

Advisor: Dr. Clementine Hamelin

Abby Wyatt, "Interactions Among Redlining, Tree Biodiversity, and the Urban Heat Island Effect in Richmond, VA"

The urban heat island effect causes urban areas like Richmond, Virginia to experience higher temperatures than surrounding regions, leading to increased health risks for residents. This effect has been found to disproportionately impact low income communities of color due to the legacy of historic racist policies like redlining. A contributing factor to this inequity is disinvestment in greenspaces in redlined areas. Trees provide heat mitigation which means lower tree cover leads to higher temperatures. High urban tree biodiversity supports increased cooling and climate change resilience. The goals of this research are to determine differences in the biodiversity of tree communities and temperatures between neighborhood grades. I hypothesize redlined neighborhoods have lower tree biodiversity and higher temperatures than non-redlined neighborhoods. Street tree biodiversity and temperature data were collected along street segments across neighborhood grades. Findings of this project will be useful to inform urban planning in Richmond to address disparities and build resilience to climate change.

Student Major(s): Geology and Environment & Sustainability

Advisor: Dr. Dominick Ciruzzi

Session II

Marina Ashurkoff, "Quartz Formation at Montpelier Plantation, VA: A Geologic Mystery with Anthropologic Connections"

Quartz crystal artifacts discovered at James Madison’s Montpelier in north-central Virginia provide an opportunity to improve the regional geologic understanding of Virginia’s Blue Ridge and provide context for an ongoing anthropologic story. These artifacts were discovered in Montpelier’s Burial Ground of the Enslaved. Two major geologic units underlie Montpelier, the Catoctin Formation (a rock formation of lava that was later metamorphosed by the addition of fluids) and sedimentary rocks in the Barboursville basin. We hypothesize that these quartz crystals formed in the Catoctin Formation when it was metamorphosed. Quartz from samples of the Catoctin greenstone and Barboursville Basin were analyzed and compared to the quartz crystal artifacts through sample imaging and oxygen isotope analysis. Together, these datasets contribute insights to where the quartz crystals formed. Determining the process through which the quartz crystal artifacts formed has implications for understanding regional geologic conditions. 

Student Major(s): Geology & English

Advisor: Dr. Clementine Hamelin

Addison Greenfeld, "Investigating Water Tracks and Their Impact on Channel Networks and Permafrost Landscapes"

Sediments in permafrost landscapes, where frozen ground inhibits decomposition, contain double the carbon that is currently in the atmosphere . Understanding how and how fast these sediments are thawing and eroding is significant to our understanding of the global carbon cycle and to the rate at which the global climate is changing. This study will investigate permafrost water tracks, which are small linear depressions that route shallow, non-erosive groundwater flow, and their effect on the density of erosive channels on the landscape, called drainage density.

This study will combine field data with remotely sensed imagery and elevation data to determine the impact of water tracks on drainage density. Using a ‘space for time’  analysis, this study will examine landscapes across a range of mean annual temperatures (MAT) to understand whether water tracks behave differently in different climates, and if so, to predict how landscapes will adapt to a rapidly warming Arctic.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Geology Major, GIS Minor

Advisor: Dr. Joanmarie Del Vecchio

Gabriel Imholte, "Quantifying the Hydrological and Microclimate Benefits of Urban Trees Using Leaf Area Index"

Trees offer many benefits to the urban environment, including their ability to capture and dispel stormwater via their canopies, reducing stormwater runoff, as well as provide shade to mitigate heating effects caused by paved surfaces. Furthermore, leaf area index (LAI), an index that quantifies the amount of light radiation blocked by leaves in a canopy, serves as a promising metric to estimate both the canopy water storage and the microclimate benefits provided by the shade of different tree species. By utilizing a light ceptometer to detect LAI under various parts of both an isolated urban tree and canopied pathways, this project seeks to find significant relationships between LAI and both throughfall and microclimate factors, namely temperature and humidity. The hypothesized results state throughfall will decrease with higher LAI, thus implying greater canopy water storage or funneling in these areas, while temperature and humidity will also decrease.

Student Major(s): Geology and Data Science

Advisor: Dr. Dominick Ciruzzi

Aayla Kastning, "Vegetation Disturbances in Arctic Water Tracks across Changing Permafrost Landscapes"

The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet (Rantanen, 2022). During summer, water flows along water tracks, stream-like paths above permafrost (frozen ground). Due to increased moisture and nutrient availability, water tracks appear greener than the surrounding landscape (Curasi, 2016). However, remote observations reveal browning trends in water tracks. Vegetation loss makes water tracks susceptible to erosion and collapse, having severe impacts downstream (Del Vecchio, 2024). This project explores the relationship between vegetation browning in water tracks and disturbances to the underlying permafrost, indicating future collapse. A field analysis of vegetation health and permafrost depth in “typical” and browning water tracks will improve remote assessments. Understanding the impacts of warming-induced change is crucial, as water tracks significantly contribute to nutrient transport and carbon storage in sensitive Arctic environments.

Student Major(s): Geology, Environment & Sustainability

Advisor: Dr. Joanmarie Del Vecchio

Connor McCloud, "Reevaluating Progressive Metamorphism in Dutchess County, New York, Using Novel Thermodynamic Modeling Methods and Tools"

Metamorphic rocks in Dutchess County, New York, show a well-known sequence of changes from unmetamorphosed shale to high-grade metamorphic rocks. Earlier research estimated that, during heating and burial, conditions ranged from about 475 °C and 3–4 kbar in the garnet zone to about 720 °C and 5–6 kbar in higher-grade zones. In this study, we revisited the sequence using modern analytical and modeling tools. Thin sections from several metamorphic zones were mapped for key elements using an electron microprobe. Data were processed with XMapTools 4.4 (Lanari et al., 2014; 2019) and modeled with Bingo-Antidote (Lanari & Hermann, 2020) and Theriak-Domino (de Capitani & Petrakakis, 2010) to determine temperature–pressure histories. Garnet-zone rocks record growth at about 490 °C and 3.4 kbar, peak conditions near 570 °C and 6.1 kbar, and later decompression to 540–560 °C and 2–3.5 kbar.

Student Major(s)/Minor: Geology Major, Chemistry Minor

Advisor: Dr. Clementine Hamelin

Katie Railsback, "Evaluating Channel Morphology and Hydrological Responses to Storm Events as Indicators of Stream Restoration Effectiveness, Strawberry Creek, Williamsburg, Virginia"

Strawberry Creek, a tributary of Lake Matoaka, experienced 25 feet of erosion over the last 25 years. Restoration practices were implemented in 2024 to limit erosion and associated sediment and nutrient drainage by improving the faulty retention pond and securing channel geometry. This project investigates how restoration practices impact channel stability by quantifying erosion and deposition through differencing cross-sectional surveys before and after storm events and evaluating the application of structure-from-motion photogrammetry in quantifying erosion and deposition. Additionally, this project examines how stream restoration impacts hydrology by characterizing groundwater-surfacewater interactions and creating a model that predicts stream behavior using precipitation, stream discharge (water flow in an area over time) and stream stage (water level measurements). Pre- and post-restoration comparison provides insight into the success of the stream restoration in stabilizing the channel geometry and dissipating water energy, which is an increasingly viable option to protect waterways from increasingly urban landscapes.

Student Major(s): Geology, Psychology

Advisor: Dr. Dominick Ciruzzi