Acquisition of a Carbon/Sulfur Determinator System for Sedimentary Materials

Auburn University, Auburn AL

Investigators

Abstract

0139790 Savrda With funds from this grant, the Department of Geology and Geography at Auburn University will acquire a carbon/sulfur determinator system for the analysis of organic carbon and sulfur components in sediments and sedimentary rocks. Acquisition of this equipment, which will replace a now-inoperative and obsolete carbon analyzer, will help maintain and enhance existing research and teaching programs that involve detailed characterization of fine-grained sedimentary materials and evaluation of their depositional environments and their hydrocarbon-source potential. The principal investigator and his students are and will be involved in research programs that will benefit significantly from accurate measurement of sedimentary organic carbon and/or sulfur contents. These programs involve (1) reconstruction of marine basin paleo-oxygenation histories; (2) evaluation of causal mechanisms for depositional cyclicity in rhythmically bedded pelagic carbonate sequences; (3) sequence stratigraphy of passive-margin successions and interpretation of sea-level dynamics; and (4) analysis of ancient nearshore and marginal marine environments and processes. ***