Weathering and erosion in carbonate-dominated terrain

rivers, labwork, geology, earth science, environmental science

Research Mentor: Dr. Maya Stokes, she/her
Department, College, Affiliation: EOAS, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: mfstokes@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:

Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Geology or environmental science preferred, Open to all majors
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5, During business hours
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Wednesday, September 6, 1:30 - 2:00 PM , https://fsu.zoom.us/j/7735819784
Friday, September 8, 12:30 - 1:00 PM, https://fsu.zoom.us/j/7735819784

Project Description

The surface of the Earth is shaped by physical and chemical processes. Rivers sweep away material from landscapes, carving out valleys and canyons. Meanwhile, chemical weathering slowly turns rock into soil. In most landscapes, physical erosion is the dominant process. However, in landscapes underlain by carbonate rocks (e.g. limestone), chemical weathering can dominate over physical erosion. In this project, students will work with river sediments and water chemistry data collected from northern Alabama to investigate the balance of physical and chemical processes in shaping the landscape. Research will primarily involve labwork and data analysis. Extensions could include GIS, computational simulations, or literature review depending on interests of the researcher.

Research Tasks: laboratory analyses, literature review, data analysis

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: No specific skill required