Project Info
Permeability of sediments from the US Atlantic Margin offshore Massachusetts: constraints from experiments and borehole logging data
Brandon Dugan
dugan@mines.edu
Project Goals and Description:
In this project, we will perform sediment grain size analysis and permeability experiments of materials from the US Atlantic Margin offshore Massachusetts. These data will then be integrated with porosity, lithology, and borehole logging data to develop permeability models for the sediments of the continental shelf. The US Atlantic continental shelf is our study area as it is known to be an active hydrogeological system that has offshore freshened aquifers as well as active and widely distributed, yet transient, submarine groundwater discharge. Defining the permeability models for the margin is a critical step to understanding the rates of groundwater flow in response to geological and anthropogenic drivers.
More Information:
Grand Challenge: Provide access to clean water.
IODP3-NSF Expedition 501 New England Shelf Hydrogeology (https://iodp3.org/expedition/501/)
Micallef, A., Person, M., Berndt, C., Bertoni, C., Cohen, D., Dugan, B., Evans, R., Haroon, A., Hensen, C., Jegen, M., Key, K., Kooi, H., Liebetrau, V., Lofi, J., Mailloux, B.J., Martin-Nagel, R., Michael, H.A., Müller, T., Schmidt, M., Schwalenberg, K., Trembath-Reichert, E., Weymer, B., Zhang, Y., Thomas, A.T., 2021, Offshore freshened groundwater in continental margins, Reviews of Geophysics, 58, e2020RG000706, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000706.
Gustafson, C., Key, K., Evans, R.L., 2019, Aquifer systems extending far oIshore on the U.S. Atlantic margin. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 8709, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44611-7.
Siegel, J., Person, M., Dugan, B., Cohen, D., Lizarralde, D., Gable, C., 2014, Influence of Late Pleistocene Glaciations on the Hydrogeology of the Continental Shelf OIshore Massachusetts, USA, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 15, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GC005569.
Person, M., Defoor, W., Camille, A., Key, K., Evans, R., Dugan, B., Noyes, C., McIntosh, J., Solomon, D.K., Micallef, A., Willett, M., 2025, Testing different scenarios of freshwater emplacement on the New England continental shelf using hydrologic modeling constrained by electromagnetic, isotopic, and salinity data, GSA Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1130/B37466.1.
Primary Contacts:
Brandon Dugan dugan@mines.edu
Student Preparation
Qualifications
To succeed in this project, the student should have basic understanding of geology and geophysics, be comfortable with laboratory work, enjoy producing and working data through experiments and numerical models, and have a curiosity for learning more about Earth systems.
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
4-5 hours/week
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
The undergraduate researcher will learn laboratory techniques for determining sediment grain size as well as for evaluating permeability, how different geophysical techniques can be used to expand laboratory work to field measurements, and how to build geologically informed permeability models for hydrogeological problems. The researcher will also gain skills in defining research projects, refining hypotheses, and (in)formal research presentations.
MENTORING PLAN
Dugan and the undergraduate researcher will start with making sure that the student has clearly defined goals and a broad understanding for how their work will add to previous work. We will then develop a plan to expand basic knowledge while advancing our research. Dugan and the undergraduate researcher will meet weekly to make sure we have regular, small milestones that lead to the overall goal of the project. Dugan will also work with the student on written and oral communication skills with one goal to have the student present at an (inter)national conference.
Preferred Student Status
Sophomore
Junior
Senior