Regional Structural Geology of Earth and Mars

Citation

Quinn, Daven Patel (2018) Regional Structural Geology of Earth and Mars. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/9enj-wn23. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:05282018-115947263

Abstract

This thesis explores the geologic context around several key environmental transitions on Earth and Mars which are expressed at continental margins. Regional mapping techniques are applied to build links between methodologies used to explore rock samples and units — stratigraphy, structural geology, remote sensing, geochemistry, petrology, and geodynamic modeling. Four research projects are presented: Chapter 2 explores the tectonic context of xenoliths beneath the western margin of North America and illuminates the structural history of the lithospheric underpinnings of the California coast. In Chapter 3, we undertake a structural study of the southern Naukluft Mountains, Namibia, and re-interpret its tectonic context and age. Chapter 4 builds a new method for applying statistical errors to remotely measured planar orientations, and Chapter 5 applies this method to mapping the 3D structure of a globally significant stratigraphy on Mars. We find a long history of interaction with water at the margin of Isidis Basin. Together, these projects demonstrate the application of structural techniques to continental margins on Earth and Mars, and the creation of new techniques to support geological analysis from remotely-sensed data, where structural measurements may be poorly resolved.

Thesis Files