Katherine and I have opposite interests that we are trying to tie together when picking a project. Jefferson Chang has helped us pick a topic that may combine our thoughts. Looking at the volcanic ash layers that are found in Lee’s Ferry and their interaction with the sedimentary layers are very interesting to us.

By researching the Chinle formation, I have found interesting information on the environments of formations and the types of sedimentary layers. The enviroments of the sedimentary layers vary between freshwater and marine, which will be interesting to see how the enviroments change within the stratigraphic layers. ( NPS, Depositional )  The volcanic ash and volcanic deposits were formed by the bac-arc basin in the Triassic period, but if there is any evidence for other volcanic activity we would like to explore that. We would like to explore the sedimentary layers that are in contact with the volcanic layers and if they have evidence of erosion or fossils, and if those fossils are missing in the volcanic layers. ( Depositional ) The area is well known for fossils that are well preserved (NPS).We are hoping to make correlations with the fossils, mineralogy, structures, stratigraphy, and sedimentology to understand the significance of the volcanic ash in the area. Another area of interest that we will try to incorporate is the the break up of Pangea and how the climate change may have affected the sedimentology ( Depositional ).