Adriana Olvera, PSM Candidate

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At the end of last school year, I had made the decision to switch from Geology M.S. to Geology PSM program. I am still pursuing my masters in geology, but now through the Professional Science Masters (PSM). In the PSM program, two certificates must be completed, the two certificates that I am pursuing are an environmental geology certificate and an engineering geology certificate. I have gained a greater interest in mapping landslides and geotechnical engineering through this program.

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Brittni Bishop, Masters Candidate

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The purpose of my research is to constrain the spatial and temporal evolution of the Harney Basin along with providing a better understanding of the tectonic and structural history of the region. Thickness maps of significant stratigraphic units will be modeled using a variety of data including oil and gas wells, water-wells, and potential fields data. The isochore maps will illustrate the depocenter evolution from the late Oligocene to the modern depositional basin.

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Javaria Aziz, Masters Candidate

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My masters thesis focuses on understanding the eruptive history of Three Fingered Jack, a mafic composite volcano in the central High Cascades of Oregon. Three Fingered Jack is located 21km south of Mount Jefferson, near the town of Sisters, Oregon. For this study, I have conducted detailed field investigation, collected geochemistry and SEM data, and age dated samples using Ar/Ar geochronology.

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Cody Wilbur, Masters Candidate

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The hillslope processes that shape the mountainous terrain of the Pacific Northwest have contributed significant changes to the region’s river systems. In September 2017, a large wildfire burned the mountainous terrain cradling Eagle Creek, a tributary to the Columbia River. Since the fire, Eagle Creek has begun the process of recovery. Previous post-fire research has found that the characteristics of hillslope processes are altered by wildfire but expected to return over time, however stream process responses are less understood. This study looks to quantify the changes and downstream impacts these processes have had on Eagle Creek following the fire.

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Natalie Culhane, Masters Candidate

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Thesis Proposal:

Immediately south of Mount Hood, OR, the Twin Lakes fault cuts off several drainage channels, forming a series of basins. The fault's relatively sharp topographic expression suggests earthquakes have ruptured at its surface since the region’s last glacial retreat. The presence of basins imply multiple fault ruptures in recent geologic time, deeming it a potential seismic hazard. My thesis investigates sediment from two of the fault-dammed basins, Lower Twin and Frog Lakes. I aim to determine how recently and how frequently the Twin Lakes fault has ruptured since basin formation, filling a gap in the region’s seismic risk analysis.

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Vincent Mugica, Masters Candidate

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Hypervelocity impacts are the most fundamental process in Geology. Throughout the “deep time” of solar system history impacts have played a role in the formation of planets, modification of the surfaces of planetary bodies, and terrestrial mass extinctions. The goal of this Master's thesis project is to reconstruct the impact conditions via a battery of novel electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) methods and shock thermobarometry of a suite of similarly shocked L-chondrites.

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Benjamin Botwe' Agyemang, Maste Candidate

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What processes may have formed/controlled the fabrics in ureilites?

Ureilites is a type of meteorite which formed from the disruption of an asteroid. It consists of minerals such as olivine, pigeonite, troilite, and high-pressure carbon phases like graphite and diamond. These meteorites, which are linked to magmatic origins, show signs of shock impact deformation, with their minerals arranged in preferred patterns or orientations called fabrics. However, the mechanisms and processes behind the formation of these fabrics remains uncertain.

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Daniel Sheikh, PhD Candidate

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My dissertation is focused on using a combined chemical-crystallographic technique (using the EDS and EBSD detectors on the scanning electron microscope) to evaluate the petrogenesis and shock deformation histories of lithic clasts in lunar meteorites. My big picture research goals are to be able to disentangle effects of shock deformation in lunar samples in order to properly evaluate primary chemical signatures obtained during crystallization within the Moon. The three lithic clast lithologies I am investigating are: 1) dunites, 2) spinel-rich rocks, and 3) felsites (granites).

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Alyssa Smith PhD Candidate

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My doctoral work focuses on understanding the chemical evolution of mafic (basalt and basaltic andesite) lavas in the central Oregon High Cascades. My overarching tasks are to 1) describe the distribution of mafic lavas in the Oregon High Cascades, 2) determine why basaltic andesites in particular are so abundant in this part of the Cascades, and 3) examine how the chemistry of individual volcanic centers compare to those in close proximity. I am using a combination of bulk rock geochemistry, new geologic dates, petrography, and eventually isotopes to answer these outstanding questions. 

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