Jamison Brizendine
Senior Seminar
Meg Streepey
15 November 2005
North-Central Section, Geological Society Of America
Undergraduate Research Grants Program Application Form
INSTRUCTIONS: This application is to be completed by the student-applicant. The
information requested defines the criteria used for evaluation of the proposal. Mail the
original and 5 copies to:
Joseph Hannibal
Secretary, North-Central Section, GSA
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1 Wade Oval Drive
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1767
Applications must be submitted by: November 30, 2005
Awards will be announced by: April 1, 2005
Note: Applicant must be an undergraduate student associate of the Geological Society of
America. Provide GSA membership number in space below, OR provide certification
from faculty/staff sponsor that student has applied for membership. If awarded a grant
the applicant will also submit to the NC-GSA a short summary report (2-3 pages) upon
completion of the project. The NC-Section strongly encourages that the results of funded
research be reported at NC-Section Annual meetings, as well. The NC-Section routinely
provides Travel Grants for student members to attend the Section meetings and provides
awards for student papers presented.
I. Applicant’s Name: Jamison Brizendine
II. Department: Geosciences
III. School: Earlham College
IV. School’s Address:
Earlham College, Dept. Of Geosciences
801 National Road West
Richmond, Indiana
47374
V. Faculty/Staff Sponsor: Professor Meg Streepey
VII. Descriptive Title of Proposed Project: Re-examining The Late Devonian and Early
Mississippian Shales In Northeast Ohio
VIII. Objective Of Research: The overall objective of this research is to redefine the
mineralogical, geochemical, and thicknesses of these shale units in Northeast Ohio.
IX. Description of Proposed Research:
The Devonian Shales in Northeast Ohio are invaluable to many geologists. The
Chagrin Shale, the Cleveland Shale, and the Bedford Shale all have varying degrees of
thickness. A few papers have measured the various thicknesses of these beds, but
measurements are outdated and need to be reviewed. The aim of this research is to
enlarge and combine much of the old research of the Devonian shales of Northeast Ohio.
The oldest shale is the Chagrin shale, a blue-gray shale. What is the total
thickness of the Chagrin Shale? Is the Chagrin Shale a unique depositional environment
that is a local formation or is it a pinchout that continues until it disappears?
The younger Cleveland Shale Formation is a chocolate-brown organic rich shale.
Is the Cleveland Shale still being drilled for gas? If so how much does it produce on
average in Ohio?
The final shale unit that this proposal covers is the Bedford Shale, made up of
primarily blue-green shale until it transitions into a red-shale into the Mississippian Berea
Sandstone. The Bedford has always had two main shale units, should these have their
own unique names, or should they be ignored? Is the Bedford Formation like the Chagrin
and becomes a pinch-out throughout Ohio? Can the Bedford Formation be used in
making bricks like the Chagrin? Is the Bedford Formation in the Devonian or in the
Mississippian Period?
For measuring thicknesses, non-destructive methods like Geophysical Resistance
Werhner Pole arrays can measure small-scale resistance changes using two simple
wooden poles and sending an electrical current through the earth using a GEOHM-C
Voltmeter. The resistance readouts will then be completed using the Surfer program to
measure small changes in the earth. I will also measure thicknesses using a laser total
station and a surveyor rod to accurately measure thicknesses of these shale units.
A slightly more expensive option to measure thicknesses would be drilling test
cores and collecting samples where these units crop out such as in Garfield Heights,
Tinker’s Creek, Euclid Park and the Chagrin River. I will make about 200 thin sections of
each of these shale units that are about 1 inch thick to examine sedimentary structures. I
will also make about 50 microscopic thin sections of each shale member to examine the
mineralogical aspects of each of these shale units. Other experiments may include
sending some samples to Indiana University for a geochemical analysis test using X-Ray
Diffraction and use ovens to find the firing temperatures needed to make bricks. To
locate dating on the formations, it will be possible to obtain fossil species of brachiopods,
and other fauna to locate the time period of them.
A future direction for this project would be to make detailed maps and use the
ArcGIS program to plot certain shale units to see if some of the objectives can be
completed.
X. Location where problem will be studied:
Garfield Heights, Tinker’s Creek, Euclid Park, and other various Northeast Ohio
outcrops.
Date/duration of study: Research will begin by May 29, 2006 and end on July 3, 2006.
XI. Total Project budget, amount of grant request (up to $300), and designation of what
Section Grant will be used for:
Travel: $ 100
Outside services: None
(e.g., radiogenic dates, lab analyses)
Equipment: $ 100
Supplies: $ 100
Other:
Total: $ 300
XIII. Other grants (and amounts) supporting the research project.
A. Earlham College Geosciences Department, no funds allocated to this project
IVX. Brief vita of applicant:
I am a newly graduated student from Earlham College, with a Geosciences Degree. I
have taken Physical Geology, Interpreting Earth History, Sedimentology, Structural
Geology, Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Hydrogeology and Petrology.
Last year I was awarded the Kirtlandia Adopt-A-Student Internship through the
Cleveland Museum of Natural History with Dr. N’omi Greber, Curator of Archeology.
Our objective was to use non-destructive geophysical scanning equipment to study High
Bank Earthworks, Works East Earthworks and Frankfort Earthworks, which were built
by the Hopewell Native American two thousand years ago.
XV. Approval of this application by Faculty/Staff sponsor:
Signature:
Title:
Date:
XVI. Applicant's Signature:
Date:
A letter of endorsement from the faculty/staff sponsor MUST accompany this
application. The letter should include a brief discussion of the candidate's ability to
complete the project for which funds are being requested and certification of the
candidate's membership status.