Current Abstract
March 14th, 2023 Meeting Abstract
“Student Night!”
Biography and Abstract:
Briana Acevedo (Poster)
Bio: Briana Acevedo is a current graduate student at CSU Bakersfield who is studying a lunar
meteorite (NWA 11788) that is classified as a lunar regolith breccia. The goal of her research is
to characterize the different rock types present in the sample and what implications this has on
current lunar geological processes. She will be graduating from the masters program in early fall
of this year and plans to find a job in the Bakersfield area that will allow her to expand on the
knowledge and skills she has acquired through her time as a graduate student.
Abstract: Samples acquired by the Apollo and Luna missions were the first physical evidence
that provided insights into the processes that formed the Moon. The findings from these
samples led to our current understanding of the Moon and its history, such as the Lunar Magma
Ocean model (LMO; e.g. Wood et al., 1970, Snyder et al., 1992, Elkins-Tanton et al., 2011). The
LMO model describes a process of crystal fractionation that results in the formation of the
Moon’s primordial crust that are described as ferroan anorthosites (FANs). The remaining
magma is enriched in incompatible elements such as potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE)
and phosphorous (P; KREEP). This model of the Moon’s geological history was expanded with
remote sensing data from the Lunar Prospector and Clementine missions. Data from those
missions showed that rocks collected at the Apollo and Luna sites were not well representative
of the lunar crust and that the LMO model should be updated (Gross et al., 2014 and references
therein). This project aims to characterize rock types within a new lunar meteorite known as
Northwest Africa 11788 (NWA 11788) to distinguish different parental melts and investigate
possible relationships with Luna 20 soil samples. This will be the second in-depth analysis of this
sample ever performed. Analytical methods performed for this study involve electron
microprobe (EMP) analysis, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-
ICP-MS) analysis, and petrographic microscope analysis.
Craig Hulsey (Poster)
Biography: My name is Craig Hulsey and I graduated from CSUB in 2022 with a Master’s degree
in Geology. My research was focused around using the major and trace element geochemistry
of lunar meteorites to gain insights about the geothermal evolution of the interior of the Moon
and geochemical diversity in the lunar crust. Outside of my academic pursuits I have been
working in the petroleum industry for 9 years. I attended undergrad and graduate school while
working full-time at Aera Energy LLC as a geoscience technician and am now enjoying my new
role as the reservoir surveillance geologist for San Ardo & Coalinga fields.
Abstract: Thorough geochemical and petrological analyses of new lunar meteorite NWA 11788
were conducted with the aim of better understanding the diversity of lunar rock types. NWA
11788 is a newly recovered feldspathic breccia that had not been previously analyzed. NWA
11788 is comprised of a variety of lunar lithologies including anorthositic, troctolitic, noritic, and
basaltic clasts. Many of these clasts display minimal alteration from impact-related secondary
thermal processes making them excellent subjects of study to investigate lunar crustal
compositions. Petrography, microcomputed tomography, electron probe microanalysis, and
laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry were employed to analyze
mineralogic/elemental makeup, petrologic profile, melt history, and inferred composition of
the lunar mantle(s) from which the crystals in this sample originated from. Several clasts in
NWA 11788 are geochemically similar to the Apollo magnesian suite (Mg-Suite) but lack the
characteristic KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, phosphorus) component typically
associated with the Mg-Suite. Most of the anorthositic clasts are Mg-rich compared to the Fe-
rich Apollo samples. Results of this study support the conclusion that Mg-rich, KREEP-poor
crustal material appear to be a more common component of lunar crust than Apollo ferroan
anorthosite. Geochemical maps of the lunar surface were generated to constrain lunar launch
locations for NWA 11788. Potential launch locations are concentrated in the outer rims of
impact basins on the lunar nearside/farside border territory. The bulk meteorite chemistry of
NWA 11788 and its potential launch locations highly suggest a direct petrogenetic relationship
with regolith samples returned from the Luna 20 mission.
Johnathann C. Renna Reyes (Poster)
Biography: Currently a Masters of Geology student at California State University of Fresno
under the advisement of John Wakabayashi. Geo-technical lab intern at RMA Geoscience. My
goal is to graduate with my Masters of Geology and pursue a career in industry. Concurrently
doing more research with Dr. John Wakabayashi and Dr. Chris Pluhar to publish more scientific
papers and develop a resume for applying to PhD programs.
Eclogite-bearing olistostrome horizon(s) in quartz-rich blueschist of the Skaggs Springs schist:
Exhumation and deposition of high-pressure metamorphic material early in Franciscan subduction history
Johnathann C. Renna Reyes1, and John Wakabayashi2
1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, California State University of Fresno,
5241 N Maple Ave, Fresno, CA 93740, JCRenna@mail.fresnostate.edu
2Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, California State University of Fresno,
5241 N Maple Ave, Fresno, CA 93740, jwakabayashi@csufresno.edu
Abstract: The mechanisms of mixing blocks into a mélange are still strongly debated and
detailed studies of block-matrix relationships in the Franciscan Subduction Complex (FSC) have
been confined to units with non-recrystallized to partly recrystallized matrix. The Skaggs Springs
Schist (SSS) of the FSC is composed primarily of completely recrystallized quartz-rich
glaucophane-lawsonite-phengite schist. Jadeitic clinopyroxene and garnet are present in some
samples and epidote relics in lawsonite are common. The primary exposure belt of the SSS
extends along strike for 70 km with a width of up to 3 km in Sonoma County of the northern
California Coast Ranges. The SSS is the oldest FSC unit of significant size with Ar-Ar phengite
ages of approximately 132 Ma and a maximum depositional age of 144 Ma (based on a single
zircon). The SSS had been proposed as a recrystallized olistostromal matrix based on the large
concentration of high-grade (eclogite, amphibolite, coarse blueschist) exotic blocks within the
Cazadero area (separate from the main outcrop belt), but block-matrix contacts were not
found. Recent fieldwork has identified SSS exposures of the main exposure belt above Warm
Springs Creek that are made up of conglomerate with a variety of clasts and blocks up to .5 m in
a matrix composed of SSS. The conglomerate horizon is approximately 1 m thick, whereas most
of the 2 km thickness of the SSS along the Warm Springs Creek transect lacks exotic blocks. The
SSS is interpreted as subducted trench fill consisting of sandstones and shales (block-free parts)
with olistostromal conglomerate horizons. The field relationships suggest exhumation of high-
grade Franciscan material (high-grade metamorphic ages of approximately 176 – 155 Ma) to
the sea floor by 144 to 132 Ma.
Maya Zepeda (Poster)
Biography: Maya Zepeda is a junior undergraduate student at Fresno State located in Fresno,
California. Maya is under the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at her institution.
Maya has interned for three summer programs through the National Science Foundation
including aquaculture for Savannah State University in Georgia, tropical studies in Costa Rica,
and recently honey bee biology research in Greece. She has presented work at the Society for
Integrative and Comparative Biology (SCIB) biology conference in 2023. Maya also volunteered
at her local animal shelter (CSPCA) and for about a year working as a vet clinic assistant for a
mobile veterinarian company. When she has free time, Maya integrates photography with her
outdoor experiences.
Using CPR to Study Associated Weight Preference of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) in Comparative Psychology
Abstract: Honey bees are vital pollinators for many land ecosystems. However, the current
colony collapse disorder phenomena have threatened their species. This puts even more
pressure on humans to understand honey bee behavior and their social networks to help
understand this collapse. Components of bee foraging behavior include searching, memorizing,
identifying, carrying food, and communicating with other bees. This comparative psychology
experiment provides insight into studying honey bees and their unique learning mechanisms
through a cap-pushing response (CPR) technique. CPR was used to analyze behavioral
responses where free-flying bees were trained to push a cap and reveal a reward. Previous
research has been conducted using CPR and physical punishment, shaping, recall, and scent
through observation. These manipulated techniques allowed researchers to identify honey bee
weight preferences using CPR. The current experiment looked at choice preference between
heavy versus light weighted caps to obtain a food reward. Collected experimental data on CPR
experiments looked to see if there was a significant preference for a bee pushing a lighter cap.
Overall, the results were significant for all tested groups meaning that honey bees had no
choice preference when choosing to push a heavy or light cap to obtain a reward. These
findings tell us that honey bees are able to adapt and have no preference between different
weighted caps, being able to push an object weighing around thirty times their own weight.
Justin Arakaki (Presentation)
Biography: Justin Arakaki is an aspiring Geologist currently working as a Geoanalyst at Berry
Corporation in conventional and unconventional assets in the Uinta Basin, Utah. He received
his BSc in Geological Sciences from the California State University, Long Beach and is currently
in the late stages of completing his MSc in Geological Sciences at the same university. His thesis
work involved long walks on the beach to study outcrop-scale styles of deformation in the
Pismo Basin, truly a treacherous and rugged field area. His interests outside of work include
camping, hiking, fishing, and specialty coffee.
Formational-Scale Differences in Styles of Deformation and Implications for Petroleum Migration and the Structural Evolution of the Pismo Basin
Justin M. Arakaki (CSULB)
Nathan W. Onderdonk (CSULB)
Richard J. Behl (CSULB)
Ebbe Hartz (Aker BP)
Abstract: The Pismo-Huasna Basin is located in a Pliocene-Quaternary fold and thrust belt
between the Coast Ranges and the Western Transverse Ranges, central California. The Obispo,
Monterey, and Pismo formations deformed with different styles and intensities due to distinct
lithologies and mechanical layer thicknesses which had profound implications on the role of
deformation in the petroleum system. Structures in the Obispo and Monterey Formations
formed early in basin history and subsequently tilted into favorable orientations to remain
active during later stress regimes. Obispo Volcanics and the Edna Member of the Pismo contain
abundant shear bands which, in the Edna, exhibit fault sealing characteristics in the active
Arroyo Grande oil field. Edna shear bands formed during the current compressive stress regime,
after hydrocarbon charging. Quantitative image analysis of the grain sizes within the
deformation band and sandstone host rock finds up to a 33.2% decrease in average grain size
and a reduction in porosity from 32-22% to 17-4%, due to cataclasis. Scanning Electron
Microscope imagery shows that sand grains within the bands are sheared, fractured, spalled,
and locally coated in smectite clay. In contrast to the sealing shear bands in the bituminous
Edna Member of the Pismo Formation, faults and fractures in the underlying Monterey
Formation and tar sand injectites in the Miguelito Member of the Pismo Formation provide
conduits for migration of hydrocarbons through and out of otherwise low-permeability
lithologies.
Kenton Crabtree (Presentation)
Biography: My name is Kenton Crabtree, and I am currently working as a Geologist at Bry
Corporation where I have worked for 5 years as both a geology tech and analyst after receiving
my BSc in Geology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. I am also completing my master’s
degree in geology through California State University, Long Beach studying silica diagenesis.
Outside of work I enjoy a good stout, playing pickleball and board games with family.
Influence of tectonics, burial history and sediment composition on the temperature
and depth of diagenetic transition from opal-A to opal-CT in the subsurface San
Joaquin Basin, California
Kenton J. Crabtree, Richard J. Behl; California State University, Long Beach
Allegra Hosford Scheirer; Stanford University
Abstract: Previous studies of diagenetic changes in siliceous mudstones – from opal-A to opal-
CT to quartz silica phases – were either performed in strata that were one-directionally buried to
maximum depth or were uplifted completely to the surface. Together, these studies found
large, overlapping temperature windows for phase changes that make it difficult to predict the
depth of the transition zones. However, many subsurface occurrences of biosiliceous rocks with
different tectonic and burial histories have experienced more complex histories of burial and
uplift and have narrower temperature/depth transition zones. In the Belridge field, San Joaquin
Basin, the phase change can occur as much as 2000’ (610m) shallower than what would be
predicted from previous studies (c.f. Keller and Isaacs, 1985) with a simple burial history with a
constant heat flow. We created 1D models of the burial, uplift and erosional histories, and the
paleo- and present-day heat flows in 5 different wells from three structural positions on the
Belridge anticline to understand the full subsurface thermal history of these rocks and the
depths, temperatures, thicknesses, and character of the opal-A to opal-CT transition zones.
These wells contain opal-A to opal-CT transitions zones with tops from 1350’ to 2000’ in true
vertical depth and that range from 80’ to 170’ in thickness. To characterize the diagenetic
processes that occurred within phase change windows, we use SEM and XRD to identify opal-A,
opal-A’ and opal-CT, d-spacing, and related primary and authigenic minerals, as well as
processes including fragmentation, dissolution, precipitation, and replacement.