57th Annual Report on Research 2012 Under Sponsorship of the ACS Petroleum Research Fund

Carbon isotopes were first shown to be effective for stratigraphic correlation in Neogene and Paleogene sections (e.g., Cramer et al., 2003; Dupuis et al., 2003; Woodruff and Savin, 1991). d¹³C stratigraphy is now recognized as critical in older records, especially where magnetobiostratigraphy is insufficient to accurate correlate high-resolution datasets (e.g., Cramer and Saltzman, 2005; Grocke, 2006; Muttoni et al., 2004; Weissert et al., 1998). My grant research focuses on identifying d¹³C events and trends recorded in marine carbonates and organic carbon that can be used for correlation in Triassic sections.

Graduate student David Mosher, supported by this grant, completed his M.S. degree in Dec. 2011, finishing his project and his degree a semester earlier than anticipated.  With his early depature, there was labwork and geochemical analyses still to be done, with associated papers still to be written.  My post-doc Samantha Langton stepped in complete the labwork and analyses, manage datasets, draft figures, and contribute towards writing the several papers that she and I are working on with collaborators.  Her expertise in geochemistry has been an asset to the projects.

The carbon isotope analyses have been completed.  We did a small pilot study of Sr-isotope analyses, with excellent results.  We have samples queued up for another pilot study, which will focus on nitrogen isotopes.  I anticipate using these pilot studies in a follow-up proposal.

In the first 2 years of this project this project, I established new collaborations with Dennis Kent (Rutgers U.), Giovanni Muttoni (Univ. of Milan), and Atle Mørk (SINTEF Petroleum Research, and Norwegian University of Sciences and Technology), in addition to renewing an old collaboration with Allen Milligan (Oregon State University), on a new research topic.  Over this past year, I have begun additional new collaborations with Manuel Rigo (Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy) and Linda Godfrey (Rutgers U.), along with my post-doc Samantha Langton.  At present, we have 5 projects in various stages of the writing process.

High-Resolution Triassic carbon isotope stratigraphy – Katz, Kent, Langton, Mosher, Muttoni

Triassic Carbon Isotope Stratigraphy – Correlations between Panthalassic and Tethyan Sections - Katz, Mørk, Milligan

Pignola-Abriola section as candidate for the GSSP of the Rhaetian stage. Rigo, Katz, Godfrey, Muttoni, Maron, Gattolin, Sprovieri, Bertinelli.

Perturbation of organic carbon across the Norian/Rhaetian boundary. Rigo, Katz, Godfrey, Muttoni, Gattolin.

Biostratigraphy, geochemistry, and paleomagnetism of the Ladinian to Norian Aghia Marina section, Hydra Island, Greece. Muttoni, Mazza, Katz, Kent, Mosher, Balini, Nicora.