Blue Grade Outcrop
Fossil and stratigraphy work, Blue Grade (Silva, Mehra, Kester, Wilson)
Blue Grade Outcrop
Blue Grade Outcrop
Climate or Tectonics?
Unraveling a Geologic Turning Point in Washington’s History
Between 40 and 32 million years ago, central Washington underwent significant environmental changes. My senior thesis explores whether these shifts were primarily driven by global climate cooling or local tectonic activity. I compare the Eocene Chumstick and Oligocene Wenatchee Formations using stratigraphy, fossil leaves, isotopes, and detrital zircon dating to track changes in climate and sediment sources over time. This research helps demonstrate how both climate and tectonics influenced Earth’s surface during an important period in geologic history.
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This work is part of my senior thesis at the University of Washington under the mentorship of Dr. Akshay Mehra, Dr. Jody Bourgeois, and Dr. Paige K. Wilson Deibel.
Timing the Cascade Rain Shadow
Using Modern and Ancient Hydrogen Isotopes to Track Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest
This project investigates how and when the Cascade Mountains started casting a rain shadow across Washington, a shift that altered precipitation patterns and left a chemical signature in the geologic record. I’m using hydrogen isotope (δ²H) data from the Online Precipitation Isotope Calculator (OPIC) to examine how modern precipitation patterns reflect the rain shadow effect. My aim is to understand what this pattern looks like today so we can identify similar signals in the past.
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In parallel, I’m analyzing δ²H values from plant leaf waxes (n-alkanes) preserved in sedimentary rocks to see if those ancient records indicate a developing rain shadow and, by extension, tectonic uplift of the Cascades. Through literature review, provenance analysis, and statistical modeling, I’m working to refine the timing of rain shadow onset and improve how we interpret isotope-based paleoclimate data in tectonically active regions.
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This project was developed through the NSF-funded IBIS program, in collaboration with Dr. Akshay Mehra, Dr. Julian Sachs and graduate student Hope Sisley.
