24 Undergraduate Research Posters
This poster session highlights geoscience research conducted and presented by undergraduate students. Abstracts must be written by students (but may include non-student co-authors). Research topics may include any area of the earth sciences.
Thursday, 23 April 2026
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
LMH, 5th Floor Chapel
Petrogenesis of a Tremolitic Block Originating from the Franciscan Mélange, Catalina Island, CA
Paper number: 24-16
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:15 AM – 8:15 AM
Authors
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George MustoeWestern Washington University, Bellingham, WA
Abstract
Tremolite amphiboles are commonly found forming through metamorphic processes largely linked to metasomatic or tectonic processes that are perpetuated throughout subduction events within the accretionary wedge. There are alternative cases of tremolites occurring in environments such as intrusive contact metasomatism and regional shearing that can cause formation of similar material.
This work will focus on exploring the structural, textural, and formational histories of an undocumented block of suspected end-member tremolite found within a broader contextualizing picture of Franciscan mélange on Catalina Island, CA. By using multiple samples from both an insitu block and a metaconglomerate structure that seems to have picked up similar material, these occurrences can be linked to a greater story of block mechanics as a part of the surrounding Catalina Island petrologic story.
Analytical work for this project will include field photography and observations, optical petrography, microscopy, SEM-EDS, and XRD.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 3
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026CD-411052
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