Maziyar Nazemi

Areas of interest

My Ph.D. project entails building a 3D model of the Nanaimo Group in the Georgia Basin that can be used to re-evaluate its depositional history, potentially resolve the evolution of the basin through forward modeling, and to identify and map geohazards across the basin. The 3D model will incorporate digital elevation models (DEMs), geological maps, well logs, stratigraphic sections, age constraints (e.g., biostratigraphy, detrital zircon, etc.), and possibly seismic data. Of particular importance to British Columbians will be the identification and mapping of local-scale faults within the Nanaimo Group. At present, the distribution of small-scale faults across Vancouver Island is poorly understood, yet each of these surfaces represents potential slip faces that could be reactivated during earthquakes. Knowing the location of these surfaces provides city planners and residents with the necessary data to prepare for a ground movement that may occur, and to know the geohazards that exist near their homes.

The 3D geomodel will also act as a repository for geological information upon which future geoscientists can build. In particular, the model can be manipulated, refined, and updated as new information is acquired, and this information can be used to inform future decisions on the geohazards associated with housing developments and/or exploitation of Nanaimo Group strata. In short, it will fundamentally change British Columbian’s understanding the of rocks beneath their feet.