Schmitz publishes on Grand Canyon geological record

This work is a product of an interdisciplinary National Science Foundation grant, "Collaborative Research: Constraining the Tempo and Dynamics of Cambrian Earth Systems in Western Laurentia," led at Schmitz's Isotope Geology Laboratory at Boise State. Co-investigators include researchers from Utah State University, the University of New Mexico, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Other recent and forthcoming publications resulting from this project have been led by Boise State graduate student, Thomas Farrell, as part of his doctoral dissertation on the geochronology of the Grand Canyon and the Cambrian Period of Earth's history. The Cambrian Period is important for hosting the rapid evolution of diversity and body plans of multi-cellular animal life - often referred to as the "Cambrian Explosion." A significant part of this record is found in the sedimentary rocks that formed as ancient oceans transgressed across the continents. These sandstones, shales and limestones form a key portion of the dramatic vistas of the Grand Canyon.

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