Date of Award
Spring 6-14-2026
Document Type
Thesis (Undergraduate)
Department
Earth Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Justin V. Strauss
Abstract
The identification of the hydrated mineral ikaite (CaCO3·6H2O) and its polymineralic pseudomorph, glendonite, within a sedimentary succession is frequently used as an indicator of cold-water temperatures during sedimentation deposition. In recent years, however, experimental work has shown that a variety of other factors, such as methane release, may drive metastable ikaite precipitation in marine sediments without requiring near-freezing temperatures. We recently found abundant well preserved glendonites throughout the type area of the Lower Cretaceous Mount Goodenough Formation in the Aklavik Range of Northwest Territories, Canada. In addition to being the first detailed report of these features in Cretaceous rocks of the Beaufort Sea area, the glendonites are also intimately associated with methane and/or hydrocarbon seep carbonates and local tephra horizons. Here, I first characterize the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Mount Goodenough Formation in its type area. Second, I present new whole-rock geochemical results from Mount Goodenough mudstone strata, as well as new carbonate carbon and oxygen isotopic data from the glendonites and seep carbonates. This study advances the understanding of the depositional history of the Mount Goodenough Formation, provides insight into the reliability of ikaite as a temperature proxy, and generates new paleoclimatic information for the Canadian Arctic margin in the Early Cretaceous.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Keegan Allen, "Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Geochemistry of Marine Glendonites in the Mount Goodenough Formation, Northwest Territories, Canada" (2026). Earth Sciences Undergraduate Senior Theses. 9.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/earthsciences_senior_theses/9
