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Science Hall Colloquium

Juliana Olsen-Valdez (LU '18; PhD, University of Colorado-Boulder '25)
From microbes to climate: using microbialite stable isotopes to reconstruct ancient carbon cycling dynamics
Microbialites are powerful biogeochemical tools. These organo-sedimentary rocks are widely considered among the oldest traces of life on Earth. Their ubiquity across the geologic record and presence in diverse environments today also make them crucial archives for reconstructing the co-evolution of life and the climate throughout Earth history and into the future. We looked at the stable carbon isotopes of microbialites that formed in a small lake basin in Nevada over 50 million years ago. We were curious whether sampling distinct microbialite fabric components could disentangle carbon isotope signals related to photosynthesis versus global carbon cycling during one of the warmest periods in the Cenozoic era. Come by to see what we discovered!

Location:	Thomas Steitz Hall of Science 102 - Lecture Hall
Sponsor:	Science
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