Speciation Events: A Geological Application of That Phenomenon

Invited Speaker: John Delano

In collaboration with biostratigraphers at the University of Buffalo, University of Rochester, and SUNY Fredonia, speciation events (among graptolites) were used to determine the relative ages and ancient environments in rocks of Middle Ordovician age (~450 million years old)exposed throughout upstate New York. This research, which was funded bythe National Science Foundation, involved geochemical analysis (‘fingerprinting’ of volcanic ash layers) and biostratigraphic analysis of black shales (deep water environments) and limestones (near-shore environments) to show the usefulness of speciation events for positioning rocks in geological time.

John Delano earned a Ph.D. in geochemistry at Stony Brook University, and is currently a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the University at Albany. He is the Associate Director of the New York Center for Astrobiology, which is a member of the NASA Astrobiology Institute program. Professor Delano has served on numerous scientific advisory panels for NASA and the National Science Foundation. He was a recipient of the 2005 STANYS Executive Award.