Jesse's Fieldwork in Greece
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Jesse Walters and I am a doctoral student in geology at the University of Maine. I study how elements interact between different spheres of the Earth, with an emphasis on how sulfur is exchanged between Earth's surface and deep interior. The goal of this crowdfunding campaign is to support sample collection this fall on the island of Syros in Greece. Please see below for more information about my research and how you can help! I also want to make sure all of my donors get something from this funding campaign, so see below for prizes and ways I will communicate my field experience with you!
Why Sulfur?
Sulfur is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and plays a pivotal role in geologic, biologic, and environmental spheres. For example, it is a required element for our skin, muscles, and bones to function properly. Additionally, sulfur-bearing minerals host many economically important elements, such as gold, silver, copper, and lead.
Like other elements, such as carbon, sulfur travels between Earth’s oceans, rivers, plants, animals, rocks, and minerals in a phenomenon known as the global sulfur cycle. A poorly characterized, but important, long-term part of this global cycle is the exchange between the surface and interior of the Earth at subduction zones, where oceanic plates are driven underneath continental (or other oceanic) plates. Currently, the mechanisms that mobilize sulfur during subduction, as well as the volume of sulfur lost by the down going plate, are unconstrained. This project aims to quantify these unknowns.
Above: A photograph of the sulfur-bearing mineral Pyrite (aka "fools gold"). Pyrite is a common constituent in oceanic plates.
Why Syros?
Syros is a small Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea, and is the location of a ~40 million year old extinct subduction zone. Here, rocks that were once part of a subducting oceanic plate have been brought back to the surface, and exposed by erosion. Through collecting these rocks, we can examine the chemical reactions between different minerals that mobilize sulfur during subduction. While these types of rocks occur elsewhere, Syros is one of the best studied examples in the world, and thus provides excellent context and collaborative potential for my study. The sampling campaign will be lead by Dr. Horst Marschall, an expert on Syros geology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
Above: High pressure subduction zone rocks are scattered across the sparsely vegetated island of Syros. Photograph by Dr. Horst Marschall.
What comes next?
Upon returning to the University of Maine, I will prepare the collected samples for analysis. These samples will be examined chemically in our labs, using instruments such as the electron probe microanalyzer and laser-ablation mass spectrometer. Mineral reaction textures preserved in the rocks will also be characterized using our optical and electron microscope facilities. By examining mineral chemistry and texture, we can identify specific reactions involving sulfur. In addition, these data will be combined with theoretical calculations to estimate the volume of sulfur mobilized during subduction.
Above: The laser ablation lab at the University of Maine. Photograph taken by Dr. Alicia Cruz-Uribe.
The GoFundMe
By donating, you are helping to cover the costs of fieldwork, including airfare, transportation to Syros from Athens, accommodations, food, and sample transportation.
If funded, I plan to share my field experience with you through a series of blog posts, videos, and articles ( such as the one I wrote for traveling geologist.com ). For those who donate $100 or more, I will send you postcards with personalized thank you's made from my field and microscope photography. If you donate $250 or more, I will send you a slice of a rock from Syros! This will be limited to the first 5 people, as shipping rocks back is a large expense.
Why Sulfur?
Sulfur is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, and plays a pivotal role in geologic, biologic, and environmental spheres. For example, it is a required element for our skin, muscles, and bones to function properly. Additionally, sulfur-bearing minerals host many economically important elements, such as gold, silver, copper, and lead.
Like other elements, such as carbon, sulfur travels between Earth’s oceans, rivers, plants, animals, rocks, and minerals in a phenomenon known as the global sulfur cycle. A poorly characterized, but important, long-term part of this global cycle is the exchange between the surface and interior of the Earth at subduction zones, where oceanic plates are driven underneath continental (or other oceanic) plates. Currently, the mechanisms that mobilize sulfur during subduction, as well as the volume of sulfur lost by the down going plate, are unconstrained. This project aims to quantify these unknowns.
Above: A photograph of the sulfur-bearing mineral Pyrite (aka "fools gold"). Pyrite is a common constituent in oceanic plates. Why Syros?
Syros is a small Greek island situated in the Aegean Sea, and is the location of a ~40 million year old extinct subduction zone. Here, rocks that were once part of a subducting oceanic plate have been brought back to the surface, and exposed by erosion. Through collecting these rocks, we can examine the chemical reactions between different minerals that mobilize sulfur during subduction. While these types of rocks occur elsewhere, Syros is one of the best studied examples in the world, and thus provides excellent context and collaborative potential for my study. The sampling campaign will be lead by Dr. Horst Marschall, an expert on Syros geology at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
Above: High pressure subduction zone rocks are scattered across the sparsely vegetated island of Syros. Photograph by Dr. Horst Marschall.
What comes next?
Upon returning to the University of Maine, I will prepare the collected samples for analysis. These samples will be examined chemically in our labs, using instruments such as the electron probe microanalyzer and laser-ablation mass spectrometer. Mineral reaction textures preserved in the rocks will also be characterized using our optical and electron microscope facilities. By examining mineral chemistry and texture, we can identify specific reactions involving sulfur. In addition, these data will be combined with theoretical calculations to estimate the volume of sulfur mobilized during subduction.
Above: The laser ablation lab at the University of Maine. Photograph taken by Dr. Alicia Cruz-Uribe. The GoFundMe
By donating, you are helping to cover the costs of fieldwork, including airfare, transportation to Syros from Athens, accommodations, food, and sample transportation.
If funded, I plan to share my field experience with you through a series of blog posts, videos, and articles ( such as the one I wrote for traveling geologist.com ). For those who donate $100 or more, I will send you postcards with personalized thank you's made from my field and microscope photography. If you donate $250 or more, I will send you a slice of a rock from Syros! This will be limited to the first 5 people, as shipping rocks back is a large expense.
Organizer
Jesse Walters
Organizer
Orono, ME