Geology, Evaporative Salt Accumulation, and Geoecology at Springvale historic gold mine,
Central Otago, New Zealand
Shanna Law
Forum on Education Abroad
Academic Achievement Abroad Award Recipient, 2016
• Sediment analysis• X-ray diffraction
(XRD)• Scanning electron
microscopy (SEM)
What did I do?• Made maps of:
• Geology
• Vegetation
• Water flow
• Sediment chemistry
• Conductivity
• pH
Relationships between geology, sediment chemistry,
and vegetation
What was I looking forat the abandoned gold mine?
Results
•There are both mechanical and chemical controls on halophyte habitat
•Vegetation patterns are constrained by geologic units
•This mine site has ecological diversity and supports endangered plants because of varied landscapes and geologic substrates
ImplicationCase Example: diverse landscapes and substrates
should be incorporated during mine remediation to enhance biodiversity and ecological recovery
ImplicationCase Example: diverse landscapes and substrates
should be incorporated during mine remediation to enhance biodiversity and ecological recovery
Photo credit: Bureau of Land Management & http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1828.htm
https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/how-does-soil-differ-across-earths-biomes-part-1/
How did I share this information?
•32 page report (sent to NZ Department of Conservation)
•Presented at a mining conference in New Zealand
•Published in an academic journal
•Citation: Law, S., Rufaut, C., Lilly, K., & Craw, D. (2016). “Geology, evaporative salt accumulation and geoecology at Springvale historic gold mine, Central Otago, New Zealand.” New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 59.3: 382-395.
•I gained inspiration, experience, and strong professional connections
•I am now working towards my M.S. in Geochemistry
Acknowledgements•Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment
•New Zealand Department of Conservation
•Scientists, colleagues, and mentors: Dave Craw, Cathy Rufaut, Kat Lilly, Damian Walls, Brent Pooley, and Sherri Law
•BCA, particularly Ashley Mountfort
•Juniata College’s Center for International Education, especially Carolyn Gibson
•The University of Otago’s International Office, especially Will Tregidga
•The Forum on Education Abroad
Thank You!