Sr Isotopic Variances and Distribution in Croatan National Forest (2016)

Undergraduate: Phoebe Castelblanco

Faculty Advisor: Drew Coleman
Department: Geology

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Croatan National Forest is located on a pocosin, which is a coastal wetland consisting largely of peat and sand with acidic chemistry. The pocosin contains five Carolina Bay lakes and numerous streams and rivers cutting through. An earlier study revealed that the 87Sr/86Sr values of the water in the pocosin were higher than the surrounding water sources. Multiple new samples including hard rock, tree core, tree bark, and water were taken to determine the source of the elevated 87Sr/86Sr in the previous water analyses. Samples were analyzed for 87Sr/86Sr using a VG Sector 54 Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TIMS). The results from these samples were varied and further sampling needs to be done, including peat core samples of the pocosin formation and additional tree core samples.