Geology 1202 Planet Earth
Assignment – Turbidity Currents
In Lecture Eight we learned that southern mainland
Nova Scotia is underlain by a sequence of rocks
called the Meguma Group. If you check the Nova
Scotia Geology Map you will see that the Meguma
Group is divided into the Halifax and Goldenville
Formations. These formations consist of the
metamorphic rocks slate (Halifax Fm.), and quartzite
(Goldenville Fm.)
But in this assignment we will not be investigating
these metamorphic rocks, but rather their protoliths
(the name we give to the original rock prior to
metamorphism). As we also learned in Lecture Eight,
the rocks of the Meguma Group were originally
sandstones (Goldenville Fm.) and shales
(Halifax Fm.) of Cambrian and Ordovician age.
Meguma Group
Halifax
N
0
km
100
Most of the sandstone layers in the Meguma Group
are believed to have been deposited by turbidity currents. The current-generated structures, such as ripple
marks found in the sandstones, indicate that much of the sediment came from the south. Therefore, the
sea-floor in the Cambrian Period must have sloped to the north. The sediment was transported from a
continent, roughly in the location of the present Atlantic Ocean, into a continental rise area that occupied
much of what is now southern Nova Scotia (Lecture Eleven).
What do I do?
The assignment is to write a short report (a couple of paragraphs) answering the following question.
What was the source of the sediment for the turbidity current that formed the Meguma Group
turbidites?
Turbidite is the term for strata that formed from sediment deposited by a turbidity current. You should
understand how and where turbidity currents form from the lecture. I want you to tell me where this
turbidity current came from, and so the source of the sediment that eventually ended up here in Nova
Scotia. The clues or information you need is in this preamble, the lectures, and in the Nova Scotia
Geology Map, you just need to pull it together.
What should be in the report?
Your report should only be a couple of paragraphs long, but should be in your own words. You should
formulate a hypothesis and then provide supporting evidence (remember the scientific method?).
You are not allowed to use the internet or outside sources – this must be based on the information sources
i listed above. – I will deduct points if you use any other sources!
Review the section on turbidity currents in Lecture Eleven. That, combined with some of the earlier
lectures, should provide enough material to come up with a reasonable answer
No cutting and pasting text from the lectures; you may borrow the graphics from the lectures though.
What should not be in the report?
It should not be a description of turbidity currents (unless you are using it in support of your hypothesis) that is not what was asked. This is the part of the course where you get to do some critical thinking, and
pull together concepts from the different lectures.
How should you format the report?
It should be either a MS Word file of a pdf submitted to the Assignment dropbox.
You should include at least one figure in your report. Paste figures directly into the document.
Don forget – Spellcheck!!

Purchase answer to see full
attachment