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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />
The completion <strong>of</strong> this <strong>thesis</strong> was made possible through the financial<br />
support from the National Science Foundation (EAR-0810039, EAR-0911150,<br />
and MRI-0820946), the Society <strong>of</strong> Economic Geologists, and <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Maine</strong><br />
Graduate Student Government. I thank my advisor, Scott E. Johnson, for the<br />
opportunity to work on a unique project and to allow me the freedom to pursue<br />
my own interests within the project. My research and my development as a<br />
scientist benefited greatly from discussions with my advisory committee<br />
members Peter Koons, Christopher Gerbi, and Zhihe Jin. The pr<strong>of</strong>essional<br />
attitude <strong>of</strong> my committee and the openness <strong>of</strong> discussions stemming from my<br />
research gave me the direction I needed to keep on track. I would also like to<br />
thank the Department <strong>of</strong> Earth Sciences, which has been an integral part <strong>of</strong> my<br />
life both in my undergraduate and graduate career. I am thankful for the positive<br />
support given by the faculty, staff, and my fellow graduate students. I want to<br />
thank all <strong>of</strong> my friends for the wonderful memories and experiences in and out <strong>of</strong><br />
the classroom. Most importantly, I want to thank my fiancée Teagan for putting<br />
up with my eccentricities. I couldn’t have made it this far without her love and<br />
support!<br />
iv