
Amy Hsieh
PhD Student Member
Ms. Amy Hsieh is a cotutelle-PhD candidate working jointly between the Dpt. of Earth Sciences at Simon Fraser University and the Dpt. of Geosciences at National Taiwan University. Her project is focused on resolving paleoclimate records in Pliocene strata in the Western Foreland Basin, Taiwan.
Projects & Publications
#1: Dominant Depositional Processes in the Pliocene Taiwan Strait

The Western Foreland Basin underlies the Taiwan Strait. In project 1, we used outcrop descriptions and sediment geochemistry (Carbon-13 of organic carbon in mudstone) to determine the dominant controls on sedimentation in the Pliocene. From this work, we developed a theoretical model for the tropical cyclone (typhoon) beds in the strait, and showed that typhoons completely dominate sedimentation in shallow-marine positions in the strait.
Publications
2. Dashtgard, S.E., Löwemark, L., Wang, P.-L., Setiaji, R.A., Vaucher, R., 2021. Geochemical evidence of tropical cyclone controls on shallow-marine sedimentation (Pliocene, Taiwan). Geology 49, 566-570. https://doi.org/10.1130/G48586.1
1. Dashtgard, S.E., Löwemark, L., Vaucher, R., Pan, Y.-Y., Pilarczyk, J.E., Castelltort, S., 2020. Tropical cyclone deposits in the Pliocene Taiwan Strait: Processes, examples, and conceptual model. Sedimentary Geology 405, 105687.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2020.105687
#2: Paleoclimate Signals in Early Pleistocene Shallow-Marine Strata, Taiwan

In this work, we use cyclostratigraphic analysis of Early Pleistocene shallow-marine records to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to preserve precession signals through the Early Pleistocene. This is possible through the use of detailed outcrop logging, and high-resolution paleomagnetic and biostratigraphic controls on depositional age.
Publications
1. Vaucher, R., Dashtgard, S.E., Horng, C.-S., Zeeden, C., Dillinger, A., Pan, Y.-Y., Setiaji, R.A., Chi, W.-R., Löwemark, L., 2021. Insolation-paced sea level and sediment flux during the early Pleistocene in Southeast Asia. Scientific Reports 11, 16707. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96372-x