Desert Stars -- Strikingly Curious Fe-Oxide Pseudomorphs of the White Desert, Farafra, Egypt

Presenter Information

Reid Herndon

Department

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Major

Geology

Research Advisor

Hogan, John Patrick

Advisor's Department

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Funding Source

National Science Foundation

Abstract

The purpose of this project is to determine the original and current mineralogy of the strikingly curious "Desert Stars" of Farafra, Egypt. The Desert Stars are Fe-oxide pseudomorphs. A pseudomorph is a crystal with the composition of one mineral with a crystal form that mimics a different mineral. The Desert Stars display spectacular crystal forms, including cubic, bladed, and stellate, thus the name Desert Stars. Once the mineralogy of these pseudomorphs has been established the conditions that led to the deposition of the original minerals followed by their replacement by another mineral need to be determined. Polygonal faulting, chalk lithology, and ionized fluids are considered depositional condition factors in Desert Star formation, which need to be investigated in this project.

Biography

Reid is a sophomore in Geology from Paducah, KY. He is an active member of Marching, Jazz, Concert band and is a member of the Orchestra. Along with his activity in the band he is also active member of the KKf../J Band Service Fraternity. Reid was added onto the project in early Spring 2013 to assist and continue Stephanie Deters work on the Desert Eyes team, a multi-university geology research project in Egypt focusing on structural geology, sedimentology, tectonics, and mineralogy (funded by NSF) Reid was brought onto the team for his proficiency in Mineralogy.

Research Category

Research Proposals

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Document Type

Poster

Location

Upper Atrium/Hallway

Presentation Date

03 Apr 2013, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Comments

Joint project with Stephanie Deters

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Apr 3rd, 1:00 PM Apr 3rd, 3:00 PM

Desert Stars -- Strikingly Curious Fe-Oxide Pseudomorphs of the White Desert, Farafra, Egypt

Upper Atrium/Hallway

The purpose of this project is to determine the original and current mineralogy of the strikingly curious "Desert Stars" of Farafra, Egypt. The Desert Stars are Fe-oxide pseudomorphs. A pseudomorph is a crystal with the composition of one mineral with a crystal form that mimics a different mineral. The Desert Stars display spectacular crystal forms, including cubic, bladed, and stellate, thus the name Desert Stars. Once the mineralogy of these pseudomorphs has been established the conditions that led to the deposition of the original minerals followed by their replacement by another mineral need to be determined. Polygonal faulting, chalk lithology, and ionized fluids are considered depositional condition factors in Desert Star formation, which need to be investigated in this project.