LE3 .A278 2023

2023

Snyder, Mo

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Earth and Environmental Science

Earth & Environmental Sciences

The Meguma Terrane, in southern Nova Scotia, is host to the metasandstone rich Goldenville Group. This Cambrian unit contains many sedimentary structures, including but not limited to, flute casts, wave and current ripples, sand volcanoes, and large enigmatic groove casts. The origin of these large groove casts is currently unknown. The rocks within the Goldenville Group have been strained. Reversing strain is an important step in determining the origin of the large groove casts. Three methods of strain analysis are applied to the rocks, 1. The Fry plot method, 2. Tangent line analysis, 3. Direct strain analysis. The results of these methods suggest a strain ratio of approximately 1.5. Using this strain ratio and linear algebra, we can undeform the groove casts to show their original shape. Once the pre-strained orientation of the sedimentary structures is determined, we can then interpret their origin. The results of this investigation have implica-tions including regional geology, depositional environments, and possibly the size and abundance of organisms from the Cambrian of Nova Scotia.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3967