In October, BME Research Fellow Amanda Oehlert traveled to western Australia to conduct fieldwork in Hamelin Pool, Shark Bay, with colleagues Dr. Erica Suosaari (Bush Heritage) and Cat Cushenan (University of Algarve). During this productive field season, Amanda and Erica accomplished several project goals, including collecting samples of the surface waters of Hamelin Pool, sampling ground waters using piezometers around the margins of Hamelin Pool, and collecting sediment samples. Water sample collection was supported by Bush Heritage Australia who provided the use of their scientific research vessel, the Hamelin Explorer, which was captained by Tony Loechte.
These samples will be analyzed for a variety of geochemical parameters including isotope composition, rare earth element geochemistry, and trace element concentrations. The data produced by these analyses will help constrain the sources and sinks of rare earth elements in Hamelin Pool stromatolites, sediments, and waters, which will provide modern calibration for interpretation of rare earth element patterns in stromatolites throughout the geological record. In addition, Amanda and Erica are interested in understanding seasonal variation in the chemistry of Hamelin Pool surface waters and how that impacts stromatolite formation.
