REU Site: Digital Mapping and Strain Analysis of Deformed Veins and Intrusions

University Of Southern Maine, Portland ME

Investigators

Abstract

The PI's will work with 9 undergraduates/year using the latest digital survey instruments to develop a series of high-resolution analytical base maps of crustal deformation processes visible in outcrops of coastal Maine. This two-year summer research program of precision mapping and strain analysis will document the complex structural history of two key outcrop areas in relation to regional strain accommodation due to strike-slip shearing on the Norumbega fault zone as depicted in the geometry of deformed veins and intrusions. Both selected sites offer extensive exposure and complex strain histories associated with two newly recognized areas of shear wihin the southeast flank of the main Norumbega fault zone. Detailed geometries of deformed structural features will be mapped into a geographic information system (GIS) using global positioning systems (GPS) and electronic total stations for data collection. The project will include a six-week summer research session, and a fall semester independent study culminating with collaborative work on abstracts and posters for presentation of results at a professional meeting.