Landscapes of Deep Time in the Red Earth of France: Research Training in Paleoclimate

This post originally appeared in the Summer 2018 edition of Earth Scientist. To see more from Earth Scientist, head over the the School of Geology & Geophysics.

Drs. Lynn and Mike Soreghan, together with Ph.D. student Lily Pfeifer, are leading an International Research Experiences for Students summer program funded by the National Science Foundation involving undergraduates from underrepresented groups – especially Native Americans and first-generation college students. This summer’s research focuses on detecting tropical climate conditions in eastern equatorial Pangea in the Late Paleozoic (300 Ma) and entails study of red bed and associated sediments from this time. The red beds are remarkably similar to the ubiquitous Permian red mudstone of western Oklahoma, and indeed, France forms the paleoequatorial antipode to Oklahoma, representing eastern and western equatorial Pangea, respectively.