Cindy D. Hansen
M.Sc. student, Earth Sciences
About Me
I graduated with a B.Sc. from SFU in 1998, three courses short of a double major in Physical Geography and Earth Sciences. I was most drawn to sedimentology, especially after a research assistant position I held with Dr. James MacEachern following completion of the second year sed/strat course. After graduating from SFU I took a position at Douglas College as a lab instructor, a position that I have enjoyed immensely. In the Fall of 2003 I returned to SFU to begin a Master's project under the supervision of Dr. James MacEachern (he had made quite a positive impression on me as an undergrad and I couldn't imagine doing a project under anyone else). I have remained working full-time as a lab instructor (and one term as contract Faculty) at Douglas during my Master's (except of course during the summer of data collection in Calgary); the result has been a much longer timeline for thesis completion. I estimate that I will finish my thesis chapters and defend Summer 2007.
Supervisory Committee:
Ichnolab Chums:
Aaron J. DesRoches
M.Sc. RESEARCH PROJECT
The purpose of my study is to establish the facies distributions of deposits from an ancient wave-influenced delta lobe, and to ascertain if the results strengthen and enhance the currently proposed asymmetric delta model that is based on a small number of modern analogues. The study uses a subsurface dataset of facies that are widely accepted as wave-influenced deltaic deposits. Cycle G of the Campanian-aged, basal Belly River Formation, from central Alberta, was selected as the ancient analogue due to the previous identification of both wave- and river-influenced deltaic successions in the interval (Coates, 2001; Coates and MacEachern, 2007), the extensive core coverage that exists for this cycle, and the general paucity of detailed sedimentological and ichnological research concentrating on the basal Belly River Formation.
OBJECTIVES
• To describe the along-strike variations of facies, interpreted as having been deposited in a mixed wave- and river-influenced deltaic setting.
• To attempt the integration of ichnological and sedimentological criteria for the prediction of distributary mouth proximity within ancient, wave-influenced deltaic successions. As distributary channel fills commonly constitute one of the most productive deltaic reservoir types, proximity indicators that enhance the accuracy of locating these channel-fill deposits, may have profound implications for hydrocarbon exploration and field development.
• To compare the results of an extensive, ancient, subsurface dataset to a modern data set and the asymmetric delta model of Bhattacharya and Giosan (2003).
PUBLISHED MATERIALS
Hansen, C.D, and MacEachern, J.A. In press. Application of the Asymmetric Delta Model to Along-Strike Facies Variations in a Mixed Wave- and River-Influenced Delta Lobe, Upper Cretaceous Basal Belly River Formation, Central Alberta in MacEachern, J.A., Bann, K.L., Gingras, M.K., and Pemberton, S.G., eds., Applied Ichnology Short Course #11 Notes, AAPG and SEPM Conference, Calgary, Alberta, June 18, 2005, 16p.
Mustard, P.S., Hora, Z.D., and Hansen, C.D. 2003. Geology Tours of Vancouver's Buildings and Monuments. Geological Association of Canada, Misc. Paper 1.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS
2005 Third place student poster at the annual AAPG/CSPG Convention
2005 Petro-Canada Graduate Scholarship in Earth Sciences
2004 CSPG Western Canada Graduate Scholarship
2004 NSERC Industrial Postgraduate Scholarship, tenable May 2004 – Dec. 2005.
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Co-led, with Dr. Peter Mustard, a geology walking tour of Vancouver's Dimension Stone. Association for Mineral Exploration, RoundUp 2007 Convention Field Trip #3.
RELATED GEOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE
Upcoming Poster presentation at an Ichnology Research Conference (Ichnological (May 2007) Applications to Sedimentological and Sequence Stratigraphic Problems), Price, Utah. Abstract
June 2005 Field Seminar in Fort McMurray: Geology of the Athabasca Oil Sands
-A 3 day field excursion to observe outcrops of the Athabasca oil sands along the Christina and Steepbank Rivers. Also included a tour of the operating Syncrude Mine focused on the engineering and mining technology related to recovery of the bitumen.
June 2005 Presented a core display at a CSPG Ichnology Workshop.
June 2005 Presented a poster at the AAPG/CSPG conference, Calgary, Alberta.
June 2005 Conducted a 3hr core workshop for employees of EnCana Corporation.
March 2005 Fieldwork along coastal outcrops at Pebbley Beach, Australia and along the modern tidal flats at Moreton Bay, Australia.
-Assisted a team of researchers collect ichnological/sedimentological data.
Feb. 2005 Presented a poster at the 8 th International Ichnofabric Workshop, Auckland, New Zealand.
Sept, 2004 Field Seminar in Utah: Sequence stratigraphy, facies architecture and reservoir characteristics of fluvial, deltaic, and strandplain deposits
-A 7day field course for EnCana geologists, geophysicists, and engineers relating outcrop to core, logs, and reservoir quality
