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Reservoir Characterization Of The Utica Shale Play Using Well Log Data In Columbiana, Ohio, Tyler L. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Ordovician Utica shale play is rapidly developing throughout the Appalachian Basin. The play is a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic system that grades from primarily carbonates at its base in the Lexington/Trenton limestones into primarily shale within the Utica shale. As of January 2021, it is the third highest-producing dry shale gas play in the contiguous U.S., although it is known to produce wet gas and oil in various parts of the basin. In addition to being an unconventional reservoir, the Utica shale, an informal unit in Ohio where the main fairway is located, is a known source rock for much of …

Unearthing The Effects Of European-American Settlement On A Northeast Ohio Kettle Lake Through Diatom Stratigraphy, Justine Paul A. Berina

Senior Independent Study Theses

Recently, wetland conservation has highlighted the necessity for assessing limnological changes following European-American settlement. A prior study at Brown's Lake (northeast Ohio) identified a stratigraphic sequence that shows an abrupt transition from organic-rich muds to several centimeters of a bright loess layer, then a recovery to organic-rich sediments near the top. Based on ²¹⁰Pb dates, the loess deposition occurred before 1846 CE, when a growing population cleared trees and farmed intensively. Likewise, organics had recovered after 1950 CE, when people abandoned farmland and practiced conservation tillage. However, the effects of settlement on limnology are poorly known. Diatoms (microscopic algae; …

Geochemical Characterization Of The Utica Shale Play Using Xrf-Based Chemostratigraphy In Ohio, Barbara Kemeh, Julie M. Bloxson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Utica shale is an extensive gas shale play within the Appalachian Basin, expanding from Quebec through New York, into Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Currently a target for gas exploration, it is also the source rock for much of the Paleozoic reservoirs throughout the basin. However, the Utica-Point Pleasant lithology varies significantly across the Appalachian Basin which can make it challenging to characterize.

The Utica shale Play consists of the Trenton/Lexington Limestones, Point Pleasant Formation and Utica shale. The Point Pleasant Formation and Utica shale are often grouped together, especially in Ohio because they are difficult to visually distinguish …

Lead In Tap Water Of Public Schools Near Dayton, Ohio, Baylee Stark

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Lead (Pb) is a human-health concern, especially with regard to exposures of children. Lead contaminated drinking water is a primary route of exposure for children; however, water sampling for Pb is voluntary in schools with a public water supply. This study examined Pb in tap water from public schools around Dayton, OH. Schools were selected to span a range of ages (construction year) and community socioeconomic status. Of the 28 schools contacted, seven responded "affirmatively" to sampling, two responded "negatively", and 19 did not respond. None of the schools that were sampled had Pb concentrations exceeding the U.S. EPA guidelines …

Full-Waveform Inversion With Scaled-Sobolev Preconditioning Applied To Vibroseis Field Data, Benjamin Paul Consolvo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

I present an application of a high-resolution subsurface imaging technique known as “full-waveform inversion” (FWI) to a vibroseis seismic dataset from eastern Ohio, USA. The data were collected over a crooked line with rough topography, 3.5 km maximum offsets, and no significant frequency content below 12 Hz. These parameters present challenges to obtaining quality images from FWI. The use of a preconditioner–the ‘scaled-Sobolev preconditioner’ (SSP - Zuberi and Pratt, 2017)–on the gradient of the misfit functional was key to obtaining low wavenumbers without discarding high wavenumbers. The results represent the first successful application of FWI with the SSP to a …

Methylmercury Bioaccumulation In Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Southern Ohio, Rachel Alex Walker

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Mercury (Hg) is a volatile element increasing in concentration in the environment as a result of anthropogenic emissions. Microorganisms can transform mercury into monomethylmercury (MMHg), the form of Hg that bioaccumulates, biomagnifies, and can harm humans and wildlife. Most studies of MMHg bioaccumulation in wildlife have focused on aquatic organisms due to consumption of fish being the primary route of human exposure to MMHg. However, organisms in terrestrial ecosystems also are exposed to MMHg that may impact ecosystem biodiversity, food-web dynamics, and organisms and ecosystem health. I investigated bioaccumulation and maternal transfer of MMHg in spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) captured …

Glacial Drift Thickness And Vs Characterized Using Three-Component Passive Seismic Data At The Dominion Stark-Summit Gas Storage Field, North Canton, Ohio, Cheryle Ann Boggs

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The Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) of broadband seismometer recordings, was explored in this study as a means of characterizing the varying depth to bedrock beneath a glacial drift surface layer. Data were collected using fifteen Guralp CMG-3ESPCD 3-component seismometers deployed from January 15, 2010 to March 16, 2010 over the Stark-Summit gas storage field of Dominion East Ohio. Using Antelope seismic analysis software, I used the HVSR of these seismic data to evaluate the apparent resonance frequency of the glacial drift surface layer and its dependency upon the thickness and shear velocity of the glacial drift. I also …

Phosphorus Mass Balance For Hypertrophic Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio, Astrea Taylor

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A phosphorus (P) budget was created for Grand Lake St Marys (GLSM), a hypertrophic lake in Ohio with a highly agricultural watershed. Inputs totaled 71,200 ± 8,400 kg P, with tributaries contributing the majority of P inputs at 60,100 ± 4,500 kg P (84%). Other inputs included benthic flux at 9% (internal loading), point-source discharges into streams at 5%, and atmospheric deposition at 1%. Rainfall in 2011 was greater than average, which may affect results when comparing this P budget to years with average rainfall. Transport of P by two rivers draining GLSM was approximately three times greater than benthic …

The Biogeochemistry Of Carbon Isotopes In Local Lakes, Stephen Edward Sadurski

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Photosynthesis, respiration, and decay of organic matter all involve the transfer of carbon among the carbon-bearing species in the systems. These biogeochemical processes also fractionate the carbon isotope composition, which results in changes to the carbon isotope composition of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) pool. This thesis presents two separate, but related studies regarding the influence of biogeochemical processes on carbon isotopes in local lakes. Crystal Lake is a small but deep glacial lake (12.5 acres, 11.9 meters). The study shows that during thermal stratification, the heaviest carbon can be found in the epilimnion near the surface, where photosynthesis dominates …

Marine Vertebrate Remains From Middle-Late Devonian Bone Beds At Little Hardwick Creek In Vaughns Mill, Kentucky And At The East Liberty Quarry In Logan County, Ohio, John M. James

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Stratigraphic, lithologic, faunal and condont biozone analysis will provide insight to whether or not East Liberty Bone Bed, in Logan County, Ohio, and Little Hardwick Creek Bone Bed C, in Vaughns Mill, Kentucky, are chronostratigraphic correlations to one another; they are separated by 370 kilometers (230 miles). Material from each bed was collected and broken down in acid and analyzed. Remaining residue after acid treatment was analyzed under a dissecting microscope for lithological and fossil contents, identified from previous fossil vertebrate findings at other locations.

Final analysis of these beds showed that lithologically and faunally they are very similar. However, …

Trace Metal Fluxes In Southwest Ohio Watersheds, Avani Naik

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Land-use and watershed characteristics affect the cycling and transport of trace metals in rivers. I investigated the influence of different land uses and water physicochemistry on loadings, partitioning, and speciation of Hg, Zn, Cr, Ni, V, Cd, Cu, and Pb in three contrasting watersheds near the Dayton, Ohio metropolitan area over a 13-month period; Wolf Creek (urban/residential), Holes Creek (urban/residential), and Little Miami River (agricultural). Metal concentrations were related positively to discharge in each stream. Dissolved organic ligands appear to influence trace-metal partitioning between filtered and particle phases, however, particle-associated metals were dominant in each site. Total Hg concentrations and …

Hydrogeochemistry And Water Quality Of Echo Hills, Joel M. Kimball

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Ground water of the Echo Hills area in Clark County, Ohio was investigated for common water contaminants such as nitrate and coliform bacteria. Thirty-four water samples were collected from locations including private wells, streams and a spring. Nine of those samples were selected for nitrogen isotope analysis. Three locations were chosen for a tracer test. Additionally, well log data, historical water quality data, and GIS data were obtained from the Clark County Health Department in Springfield, Ohio. Results show that local agriculture likely has the greatest impact on ground water quality in Echo Hills especially the north-eastern portion, with local …

Paleoenvironmental History Of The Middle Ordovician Rugosa Of Eastern North America, Gretchen Hampt Andreasen

Honors Papers

Our understanding of the structure and function of biological systems can be increased when viewed in the context of their evolutionary history on a geological time scale. Generally, both paleoecology and ecology have focused on the interrelationships of organisms and their environments in short time frames. For instance, a paleoecologist might study the fossil communities of the Columbus Limestone reefal environment at Marblehead, Ohio, or an ecologist might attempt to characterize the interrelationship of glacier lilies and their pollinators. Both workers may realize that the organisms they study evolved in response to ecological pressures, yet neither, most likely, considers that …

Petrology Of The Upper Marietta And Hundred Sandstones In Southeastern Ohio, Wayne Dudley Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

A petrographic study was made of two Lower Permian (Dunkard Series) sandstones in southeastern Ohio. The sandstone members with which the investigation was concerned are the Upper Marietta sandstone and the Hundred sandstone. The study was made in order to determine the origin of the sandstones and the practicability of applying geologic methods to the grindstone industry. The results of the study indicate that although some of the constituents of these sandstones were derived from igneous and sedimentary source rocks, a relatively large amount of material was derived from metamorphic rocks. The detritus was transported from the east and deposited …