Confining the Date of the Decaturville Structure
Department
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Major
Geology and Geophysics
Research Advisor
Hogan, John Patrick
Chapman, Alan D.
Advisor's Department
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Funding Source
OURE
Abstract
The Decaturville Structure on Highway 5 in Missouri was established as a meteor impact site in 1979 by a USGS study funded by NASA. While this report di give an age range, the range was about 250 million years. By using Apatite-He thermochronology, which looks at the decay of U/Th into He inside the apatite minerals. The purpose of this study is to: find a new age range, add more evidence to the theory of Decaturville being an impact site, and to test the above method for dating craters. One of the features of an impact site is an uplifted block at the center, similar to rain drops hitting a still surface. This uplifted block was displaced nearly 300m at Decatureville and exposed tourmaline schist and pegmatitic granite. While these rocks where being displaced, the apatite minerals passed through their blocking temperature and started the clock by trapping He.
Biography
Tyler Sundell is a senior in Geology and Geophysics at Missouri S&T whom is interested in planetary geology. He attended High School in Waynesville Missouri, graduating in May 2012. His extracurricular activities include: volunteering at Truman Elementary’s Outdoor Classroom, Rolla Apartments retirement home, hiking, and reading.
Research Category
Research Proposals
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Award
Research proposal poster session, First place
Location
Upper Atrium/Hall
Presentation Date
15 Apr 2015, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Confining the Date of the Decaturville Structure
Upper Atrium/Hall
The Decaturville Structure on Highway 5 in Missouri was established as a meteor impact site in 1979 by a USGS study funded by NASA. While this report di give an age range, the range was about 250 million years. By using Apatite-He thermochronology, which looks at the decay of U/Th into He inside the apatite minerals. The purpose of this study is to: find a new age range, add more evidence to the theory of Decaturville being an impact site, and to test the above method for dating craters. One of the features of an impact site is an uplifted block at the center, similar to rain drops hitting a still surface. This uplifted block was displaced nearly 300m at Decatureville and exposed tourmaline schist and pegmatitic granite. While these rocks where being displaced, the apatite minerals passed through their blocking temperature and started the clock by trapping He.
