Dr. P.W. Fralick

Personal Information

Research Interests

Active research programs with research students continue in the following areas for which Lakehead University is particulary well situated.

1. Evolution of ocean-atmosphere geochemistry through the Precambrian.
2. Tectonic influences on basin formation and development in Precambrian sequences (see Eriksson et al, 1994, 1997).
3. Genesis of iron formations (see Fralick and Barrett, 1995). Work on genesis of iron formations centers on understanding the shelf or deep marine hydrodynamic and chemical processes which led to the precipitation of these odd sediments.
4. The use of depositional environment and provenance to ascertain the basin-fill architecture of sedimentary units in Mesoproterozoic to Mesoarchean terrains. Categorization of basin-fill processes, combined with the use of geochemistry (see Fralick and Kronberg, 1977) and single zircon U/Pb geochronology to identify sediment source areas allows models to be proposed for tectonically-linked basin formation processes.

Selected Publications

NOTE - Former students underlined

1. Fralick, P.W., and Pufahl, P.K., 2006.  Iron formation in Neoarchean deltaic successions and the microbially mediated deposition of transgressive systems tracks.  Journal of Sedimentary Research, vol. 76.
2. Poulton, S.W., Fralick, P.W. and Canfield, D.E., 2004.  The transition to a sulphidic ocean ~1.84 billion years ago.  Nature, vol. 431, p. 173-177.
3.   Eriksson, K.A., Krapez, B. and Fralick, P.W., 1994.  Sedimentology of Archean greenstone belts: signatures of tectonic evolution.  Earth Science Reviews, vol. 37, p. 1-88.
4. Pufahl, P.K. and Fralick, P.W., 2004.  Depositional controls on Paleoproterozoic iron formation accumulation, Gogebic Range, Lake Superior region, U.S.A. Sedimentology, vol. 51, p. 791-808.
5. Fralick, P.W., 2003. Geochemistry of clastic sedimentary rocks: ratio techniques. In ed. D. Lentz, Geochemistry of Sedimentary Rocks. Geol. Assoc. Can., Geotext 4, p. 85-103.
6. Fralick, P.W., Davis, D.W. and Kissin, S.A., 2002. The age of the Gunflint Formation, Ontario, Canada: single zircon U-Pb age determinations from reworked volcanic ash. Can. Jour. of Earth Sciences, 39, p. 1085-1091.
7. Fralick, P.W. and Barrett, T.J., 1995. Depositional controls on iron formation associations in Canada. In, G. Plint (Ed.), Sedimentary Facies Analysis, International Association of Sedimentologists, Spec. Pub. 22., p. 137-156.