Sarah P. Slotznick
Assistant Professor
Appointments
Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences
Area of Expertise
Earth History,
Paleo-, Rock, and Environmental Magnetism,
Precambrian Geology,
Sedimentary Petrology
Biography
Iron is the most abundant transition metal in the Earth's crust; as such, it is a key player in the planetary redox budget and it utilized by nearly all life. Iron is present in a diverse suite of minerals and is the crucial component in magnetic minerals such natural "permanent" magnets. The research in my group centers on using iron minerals to understand the (co)evolution of Earth's surface environments and life and the fidelity of the rock record in preserving ancient bio- and environmental signatures. Integrating magnetic, textural, and geochemical tools with field observations, we probe questions spanning geologic time from the Modern to the Archean, with each time period providing distinct perspectives into the interaction of the biosphere and the Earth.
Education
S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009
M.S. California Institute of Technology, 2012
Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, 2016
Publications
Slotznick, S. P., Swanson-Hysell, N. L., Zhang, Y., Clayton, K. E., Wellman, C. H., Tosca, N. J., Strother, P. K. (2024) Reconstructing the paleoenvironment of an oxygenated Mesoproterozoic shoreline and its record of life. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 136 (3-4), 1628–1650. https://doi.org/10.1130/B36634.1
Slotznick, S. P., Egli, R., Lascu, I. (2023) Magnetofossils: Relicts and Records of Deep Time and Space. Elements. 19 (4), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.2138/gselements.19.4.215
Slotznick, S. P., Johnson, J. E., Rasmussen, B. Raub, T. D., Webb, S. M., Zi, J.-W., Kirschvink, J. L., Fischer, W. W. (2022) Re-examination of 2.5-Ga "Whiff" of Oxygen Interval Points to Anoxic Ocean Before GOE. Science Advances. 8, eabj7190. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abj7190
Slotznick, S. P., Sperling, E. A., Tosca, N. J., Miller, A. J., Clayton, K., van Helmond, N. A. G. M., Slomp, C. P., Swanson-Hysell, N. L. (2020) Unraveling the mineralogical complexity of sediment iron speciation using sequential extractions. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 20, e2019GC008666. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GC008666
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