Freshman class II
Stone page
Yvette D. Kuiper, associate professor of geology
Ph.D., University of New Brunswick
Specialization: Plate tectonics and mountains
Representative publication: "Isotopic Age Constraints from Electron Microprobe U-Th-Pb Dates, Using a Three-Dimensional Concordia Diagram," American Mineralogist
To me it is fascinating to read back billions of years into the earth’s history just by looking at the rocks that are exposed at the earth’s surface today. Mountains form as a result of the movement of, and especially the collision between, geological continents—a process called plate tectonics. For example, the Himalayas formed as a result of the collision between India and Asia. Today India is still pushing to the north and the Himalayas are still growing.
In the Canadian interior and southern Greenland, plate movement and mountain formation occurred so long ago that the mountains have eroded away. Nevertheless, it is still possible to read from the rocks what happened billions of years ago. When mountains are created, rocks deform by processes such as folding and faulting and certain new minerals grow. By examining the structures that form and applying radiometric dating techniques to the newly grown minerals, I try to derive the geological histories of North American regions. Clarifying how plate tectonics, mountain building, and deformation of rocks occurred throughout history is interesting not only from an academic perspective: It also helps us understand the distribution of important earth resources such as oil, gas, and gold.
