Patricia L. Corcoran

Cathodoluminescence Spectroscopy and Imaging Facility

Research Interests

Dr. Corcoran investigates Earth's surface and atmospheric processes using the sedimentary rock record. A primary objective of her long term research program is to better understand the effects of climate, transport and recycling on sedimentary textures and composition from the granular level upward. Examining the evolutionary system controlling the nature of sedimentary deposits requires a combination of field observations, microscopic and high resolution sub-microscopic laboratory analysis of collected samples.

Dr. Corcoran has applied this approach to a range of geological problems from ancient to modern depositional sequences. Examples include studies yielding information on i) harsh Archean atmospheric compositions inferred from Canadian sedimentary successions in the Slave Province, Northwest Territories, ii) high rates of chemical weathering and recycling in tectonically active Cretaceous-Pliocene sequences from New Zealand, and iii) the degradation and ultimate fate of plastic debris found on Hawaiian beaches.

In order to extract the evolution of Earth surface processes from sedimentary deposits, Dr. Corcoran integrates several techniques, which include: 1) field work, 2) major, trace and REE geochemistry of bulk sediment samples, 3) REE geochemistry of individual minerals, 4) compositional analysis of amorphous grains and polymers using FTIR and SIMS, 5) depth profiling of grains using XPS and 6) textural analysis of grains using SEM. Thorough analysis using these techniques provides better constraints on the ancient atmosphere, sediment residence times in modern settings, and degradation of manufactured grains such as plastics and industrial glass that litter beach environments.

Selected Publications

Corcoran, P.L., Packer, K., and Biesinger, M.C. First-cycle grain weathering processes: compositions and textures of sea glass from Port Allen, Kauai. Submitted to the Journal of Sedimentary Research.

Courses Taught

Earth Sciences 2200A: Plate Tectonic Theory, Environments and Products
Earth Sciences 2250Y: Introductory Field Mapping Techniques
Earth Sciences 3314B: Sedimentary Petrology
Earth Sciences 4400A: Earth Evolution
Earth Sciences 4458A: Selected Topics (Hike the Bruce Trail)

Geology 9523: Physical Volcanology
Geology 9524: Advanced Sedimentary Petrology

Students

Current Graduate Students:

09/2010 - present Hiba-Tul Naseer, M.Sc. candidate
09/2008 – present David Cooper, Ph.D. candidate
09/2008 – present Matt Zbyszewski, M.Sc. candidate

Projects Currently Available:

Factors controlling the composition of quartz arenite successions in the Paleoproterzoic Huronian Supergroup. (Ph.D. and M.Sc.)

Stable isotope geochemistry of Cretaceous-Pliocene weathering on the South Island of New Zealand (to be co-supervised with Fred Longstaffe). (M.Sc.)

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