Desert Stars -- Strikingly Curious Fe-Oxide Pseudomorphs of the White Desert, Farafra, Egypt
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
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.
Comments
Joint project with Stephanie Deters