Digital Commons Network^™

A Complex Record Of Last Interglacial Sea-Level History And Paleozoogeography, Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California, Usa, Daniel R. Muhs, Lindsey T. Groves, Kathleen R. Simmons, R. Randall Schumann, Scott A. Minor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Studies of marine terraces and their fossils can yield important information about sea level history, tectonic uplift rates, and paleozoogeography, but some aspects of terrace history, particularly with regard to their fossil record, are not clearly understood. Marine terraces are well preserved on Santa Rosa Island, California, and the island is situated near a major marine faunal boundary. Two prominent low-elevation terraces record the ~80 ka (marine isotope stage [MIS] 5a) and ~120 ka (MIS 5e) high-sea stands, based on U-series dating of fossil corals and aminostratigraphic correlation to dated localities elsewhere in California and Baja California. Low uplift rates …

Effects Of Lead Exposure On Birds Breeding In The Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District, Rebecka Brasso, Danielle Cleveland, Frank R. Thompson Iii, David E. Mosby, Kathy Hixson, Melissa Roach, Barnett A. Rattner, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Julia S. Lankton

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrations associated with mining. Exposure to soil-borne lead was correlated with elevated lead concentrations in tissues, inhibition of δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δALAD), and renal lesions in birds foraging on ground-dwelling invertebrates at contaminated sites (compared to reference sites) in …

Using Chemical Zoning In Minerals To Understand Magmatic Processes At Augustine Volcano, Alaska, Sloane Kennedy

WWU Graduate School Collection

The eruption behavior of a volcano is intrinsically linked to magmatic evolution. Augustine Volcano is an active stratovolcano in the Aleutian Arc (AK, USA), showing stratigraphic evidence that eruptions before 1,800 C.E. were more explosive, producing thick pumice deposits, compared to the six eruptions observed in the last 200 years. Tephra B, an understudied ~400-year-old pumice fall unit, represents the last more explosive style eruption at Augustine - making it ideal for studying how changes in magmatic evolution can result in changes in eruption style. For this thesis, I used textural zoning patterns and chemical variations (major and trace elements) …

Using Camera-Monitored Sediment Traps To Evaluate Sediment Availability And The Role Of Waves In Resuspending Seafloor Sediment, Bellingham Bay, Wa, Liam Horner

WWU Graduate School Collection

Understanding nearshore sediment budgets and processes is important for evaluating coastal hazards, habitats, and contaminant fate to enable informed decisions in coastal planning and management. I aimed to evaluate the role of waves in resuspending and redistributing sediments and by proxy contaminants in the urban/estuarine Bellingham Bay, and better understand the transport and rate of fluvial sediment moving through the nearshore. I integrated analyses using camera-mounted sediment traps, seafloor grain-size data, short-lived radioisotopes, and other fluvial, physical oceanographic, and wind data. I paired cameras with sediment traps, to identify the timing and rate of sedimentation on the seafloor at hourly …

Modeling The Effects Of Projected Climate Warming On Stream Temperatures In The Stillaguamish River Basin, Emily Esther Gebheim Smoot

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Stillaguamish River is a snow-and-rain mixed basin and the fifth largest river in the Puget Sound basin. Elevations in the 1700 km² Stillaguamish River basin reach roughly 2000 m and historically a snowpack is sustained above 1000 m. Snowmelt in the basin is important for sustaining spring and summer streamflow and buffering stream temperatures. Stream temperature increases are of significant concern because of the threatened Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) population.

I reexamined projected stream temperatures in the Stillaguamish River by forcing the coupled Distributed Hydrology Soil Vegetation Model and River Basin Model with dynamically downscaled meteorological …

Does Sediment Supply Impact The Threshold For Initial Sediment Motion In Natural, Gravel Bedded Streams?, Emily Loucks

WWU Graduate School Collection

Sediment transport in river channels control channel morphology, streamflow, and benthic ecosystems. Predicting sediment transport rates through a channel is required for sediment management for stream restoration and aquatic habitat assessment. The critical Shields stress (τ*_c), is a dimensionless parameter used in sediment transport models that characterizes the river bed surface shear stress required to initiate sediment motion. The τ*_c is typically assumed constant in transport models, yet compilations of field data have shown that τ*_c can vary wildly, causing sediment transport models to over- or under-predict fluxes by an order of magnitude or more. Understanding …

Modeling 21st Century Peak Flows In The Nooksack River Basin In Northwestern Washington State Using Dynamically-Downscaled Global Climate Model Projections, Evan A. Paul

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Nooksack River in northwestern Washington State provides freshwater for agriculture, municipal, and industrial use and serves as a vital habitat for endangered salmon, a resource that is of cultural and economic importance to the Nooksack Indian Tribe and the surrounding region. As more landscape becomes exposed to rain rather than snow and heavy winter precipitation events intensify (i.e., atmospheric rivers), peak flows and sediment delivery to streams will increase due to rapid runoff, resulting in salmon habitat degradation and increased flood risk. Thus, anticipating the effect of climate change on peak flows is crucial for salmon habitat restoration efforts …

In-Situ Weathering Of Calcium Bearing Minerals In Forested Ecosystems, Victoria Treto

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Timber harvests in the northeastern United States are integral to its economy but shifts in land management, biotic stresses, and nutrient limitations are diminishing forest productivity levels. The effects of harvesting severity and repeated harvests result in net losses of base cation nutrients which decreases woody biomass, potentially as much as 20%. Calcium (Ca) serves to regulate critical processes linked to tree growth and ecosystem health, but it is the quickest depleting base cation from northeastern forest soils. As a result, the quantification of nutrient-bearing minerals in forest soils is fundamental in predicting long-term sustainability of wood production. Further, the …

A Study Of Accidental Daughter Crystals In Fluid Inclusions In Bedded Halite From The Permian Opeche Shale And Cedar Hills Sandstone Of The Midcontinental United States, Ryan James Prchlik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Ancient acid-saline lakes of the midcontinental United States deposited bedded halite during Permian time. These deposits are not typically preserved at the surface, but drill cores of the Opeche Shale of North Dakota and Cedar Hills Sandstone of Kansas contain preserved beds of halite. Halite from these ancient lakes have primary fluid inclusions that contain Permian lake water. Also included are accidental daughter crystals that were trapped inside the fluid inclusions at time of halite precipitation. Both the fluid and daughter crystals inside bedded halite can tell us about the geochemistry of original lake waters of Pangea.

Petrography and laser …

Timing Of Diversification, Dispersal, And Biogeography Of Parrots In The Genus Amazona (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) Throughout The Caribbean, Visualized In Gis, Christopher Kingwill

Master's Theses

Avian fossil records from across the Caribbean (Greater and Lesser Antilles) demonstrate higher avian diversity prior to extinction events due to climate change at the end of the Pleistocene and human impact across the Caribbean throughout the Holocene. Amazon parrots (Amazona) are a diverse genus of New World parrots found throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Their phylogeny and evolutionary history, specifically for Caribbean species, has been debated in terms of source areas in Central and South America and the timing of and number of colonization events to different islands that preceded diversification into …

Developing The Housing Attribute And Spatial Index (Hasi) Tool To Identify Characteristic Neighborhoods Using Variable Importance Factors Calculated Utilizing Random Forest Regression Modeling In Arcgis Pro, William A. Wallace

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine the functionality in utilizing Random Forest Regression (RFR) Variable Importance (VI) values in characterizing neighborhoods based on the attributes of existing housing units by creating an automated GIS tool. An important concept that has been implemented in the past in real-estate valuation is the concept of Hedonic Price Modeling (HPM), which uses regression techniques to identify the impacts that individual attributes have on the cost of a good in a heterogenous market outside of mere utility. The benefit of this research is to produce a tool that automates the RFR process such …

The Relationship Between Climate Social Vulnerability And Asthma, Diane Nunez

Master's Theses

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects millions of people worldwide, the incidence and severity of asthma is influenced influenced by various factors, including air masses, and weather conditions. Asthma can also disproportionately affect different sociodemographics groups, leading to inequalities and injustices. This study used statistical analysis and GIS to analyze the spatial distribution of asthma calls and their relationship to sociodemographic traits in Wichita, KS, Tulsa, OK, and Oklahoma City, OK, and the seasonal distribution of asthma calls and their relationship to air masses. Results show that the relationship between asthma prevalence is higher among certain sociodemographic groups, …

Influence Of Land Use, Precipitation, And Seasonality On Surface Water Quality In The East And Upper South Branches Of The Kishwaukee River Watershed (Esbkr), Ashley Irene Broussard

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The East and Upper South Branches of the Kishwaukee River Watershed (ESBKR) are two HUC-10 watersheds that cover approximately 221.8 mi2 (574.5 km2) in north-central Illinois. Segments of the Kishwaukee River within the ESBKR are in the ILEPA’s 303(d) list of impaired waters for fish consumption and aesthetic quality. To protect and improve stream health, we must better understand the impact of diverse land use on non-point source (NPS) pollution and water quality. The primary goal of this study was to determine how different land uses impact the surface water quality within the ESBKR. To address this goal, surface water …

Methods For Investigating Geo-Stem Learning Ecosystems: A Case-Study Of Illinois Earth Science Teachers, Cheryl L.B. Manning

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The complex interactions between people and resources in communities that foster innovation can be thought of as ecosystems. These ecosystems have the potential to broaden participation in the geoscience community if we invest in collaborations that map out long-term solutions and career pathways for young community members. Geo-STEM learning ecosystems (GLE) engage local communities in sustainable programs that promote geoscience literacy and inspire people to learn the geosciences. A goal of GLE is to leverage existing social systems and accelerate geo-STEM solutions for society. Thus far, few studies in the geosciences have interrogated what is meant by a “learning ecosystem” …

Berriasian–Valanginian Geochronology And Carbon-Isotope Stratigraphy Of The Yellow Cat Member, Cedar Mountain Formation, Eastern Utah, Usa, Robert M. Joeckel, Celina A. Suarez, Noah M. Mclean, Andreas Möller, Gregory A. Ludvigson, Marina B. Suarez, James I. Kirkland, Joseph Andrew, Spencer Kiessling, Garrett A. Hatzell

Conservation and Survey Division

The Early Cretaceous Yellow Cat Member of the terrestrial Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah, USA. has been interpreted as a “time-rich” unit because of its dinosaur fossils, prominent paleosols, and the results of preliminary chemostratigraphic and geochronologic studies. Herein, we refine prior interpretations with: (1) a new composite C-isotope chemostratigraphic profile from the well-known Utahraptor Ridge dinosaur site, which exhibits δ¹³C features tentatively interpreted as the Valanginian double-peak carbon isotope excursion (the so-called “Weissert Event”) and some unnamed Berriasian features; and (2) a new cryptotephra zircon eruption age of 135.10 ± 0.30/0.31/0.34 Ma (2σ) derived from the CA-ID-TIMS …

2023 Nebraska Water Leaders Academy, Mark E. Burbach, Robert Matthew Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division

Eighteen participants completed the 2023 Water Leaders Academy bringing the total number of graduates to 186 since the inception of the program in 2011. Assessments of participants’ transformational leadership skills, champion of innovation skills, water knowledge, engagement with water issues, civic capacity, entrepreneurial leadership behaviors, boundary spanning skills, and curiosity increased significantly over the course of the year, according to both the participants and their raters. Feedback from the participants was highly positive and constructive. Academy planners are addressing participant concerns. Results of the program assessment indicate that the curriculum is meeting the Academy’s objectives. Therefore, only minor changes are …

Dynamics And Timescales Of Magmatic Processes At Cerro Uturuncu, Bolivia, Sarah Jane Rasor

MSU Graduate Theses

Between 12-25°S latitude there is prolific volcanism fueled by the Altiplano-Puna Magmatic Body (APMB), a mid-crustal magma body above the 30° angle subduction of the Nazca plate and within 60-70 km thick South American crust. Cerro Uturuncu, a stratovolcano constructed above the center of the APMB, can provide insight to the evolution of the APMB over time. Previous research suggests that the APMB is more homogenous near its center as opposed to its edges. However, the processes that led to greater homogenization as well as the structure of the magma body below Cerro Uturuncu remain unknown. This research contributes greater …

Historical Channel Evolution And Human Modifications Of Blue River Near Kansas City Missouri, Katie Ann Grong

MSU Graduate Theses

Channel form can respond to changes in flood regime and sediment load caused by land use and climate disturbances. In the eastern United States, widespread soil and vegetation disturbances in the 1800s during agricultural expansion increased runoff rates, flood magnitude and frequency, and sediment loads often causing major changes in channel activity and floodplain sedimentation in local streams. Investigating the historical evolution of a stream channel system including its floodplains can help to advance geomorphological theory and benefit environmental managers. This study documents human impacts on historical changes in channel and floodplain widths since the early to middle 1800s in …

Magmatic Evolution Of The Chasca Orkho Lava Series And Its Magmatic Enclaves, Volcán Ollagüe, Central Andes, Nathaniel W. Lenhard

MSU Graduate Theses

Magma mixing is a common factor in the creation of intermediate composition magmas and a potential instigator of a volcanic eruption. Magmatic enclaves, physical evidence of magma mixing within a volcanic system, are a phenomenon whose mechanisms remain unclear and debated. Common hypotheses explaining the occurrence of magmatic enclaves within a host lava range from the repeated injection of a new magma into a shallow reservoir to the disruption of equilibrium within a stratified magma chamber. Within the Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), the occurrence of magmatic enclaves yields similar geochemical compositions to their respective host rocks, bringing more difficulty …

3d Hydrostratigraphic And Hydraulic Conductivity Modeling Using Supervised Machine Learning, T. A. Tilahun, Jesse T. Korus Dr.

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Telescopic Megafans On The High Plains, Usa Were Signal Buffers In A Major Source-To-Sink System, Jesse T. Korus Dr., Robert Matthew Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Applied Geochemistry, Geochronology And Biostratigraphy: Case Studies From The 38th Parallel Structures In Missouri And Orange Basin, Offshore Western South Africa, Marissa Kay Spencer

Doctoral Dissertations

"The unique alignment of the Decaturville, Crooked Creek, and Weaubleau geological structures in central Missouri, three of nine known such structures along the 38th parallel in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas, has puzzled geoscientists for decades. Research using palynology (palynomorphs and particulate organic matter) and radiometric dating of impact spherules were used to constrain age and a relationship between these enigmatic structures and infer their paleoenvironmental conditions. Novel melting damages, unique to impact, were documented in the palynomorphs in all the three structures. Early Ordovician acritarchs with melted processes correlate with ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar stepwise heating age of impact spherules …

Use Of Carbonation For Treatment Of Coal Mine Drainage To Increase Limestone Dissolution And Generate Alkalinity, Dietrich Henry Kuhlmann Iv

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Abstract

Use of Carbonation for Treatment of Coal Mine Drainage to Increase Limestone Dissolution and Generate Alkalinity

Dietrich Kuhlmann IV

Anoxic limestone drains (ALDs) are a common component used within passive treatment systems for coal mine drainage (CMD). Contact between limestone aggregate and CMD results in limestone dissolution, producing carbonate alkalinity. Though ALDs are one of the least expensive CMD treatment technologies, alkalinity generation is limited by limestone solubility. This necessitates a long retention time (>12 hours) and sometimes results in net acidic effluent which requires additional alkalinity generation steps downstream. One way to increase calcite dissolution and alkalinity …

Structural Analysis And Slip Kinematics Of The Keweenaw Fault System Between Bête Grise Bay And Gratiot Lake, Keweenaw County, Michigan, Daniel J. Lizzadro-Mcpherson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw fault is perhaps the most significant geologic structure on the Keweenaw Peninsula, with an estimated 7-11 km of reverse slip juxtaposing volcanic strata of the ~1.1 Ga Portage Lake Volcanics above ~1.0 Ga Jacobsville Sandstone. The fault has been interpreted as a rift-bounding normal fault later inverted by compressional pulses of the Grenville Orogeny or, more recently, as part of a detached thrust fault system unrelated to an earlier normal fault. The fault is shown on published maps as a single continuous fault trace whose sinuosity implies multiple fault segments and complex slip dynamics. Mapping along Bête Grise …

Age And Chemistry Of Bell Creek Batholith, Elana G. Barth

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Southern Complex, located near Marquette, Michigan is in the southernmost portion of the Superior Province. This complex consists of granitoids and granitic gneiss that vary in composition. In twentieth century research, Hoffman (1987) and Tinkham (1997) concluded that the Southern Complex contained two units in which the granitoid was emplaced in the granitic gneiss. Recent research conducted by Petryk (2019) determined that the Southern Complex has a U-Pb zircon age of 2600 Ma. Dalle Fratte (2020) concluded that the granitic gneiss migmatite texture was the result of a felsic magma mixing with several generations of mafic intrusions that were …

Hydrogeologic Field Trip Of Northeast Nebraska, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Kathleen Cameron, Matt Marxsen

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Datasets From: Application Of Aerial Insar To Measure Glacier Elevations, Bryce Glenn, Andrew G. Fountain, Delywn Moller

Geology Faculty Datasets

In September 2016 NASA flew an interferometric synthetic aperture radar (GLISTIN) over most of the glacier-covered regions of the coterminous USA for the purpose of mapping the surface elevation of the glaciers. Where multiple passes were flown over the same ground track, the data were mosaiced together to improve data coverage and elevation accuracy. These data are to be used with elevations collected by past and future efforts to calculate volume change of glaciers.

The data were the basis for:

Glenn, Bryce Allen, "Assessing Airborne Radar to Map Glacier Elevations in Alpine Terrain Including Estimated Glacier Volume Change …

Data From: The Geography Of Glaciers And Perennial Snowfields In The American West, Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Glenn, Hassan J. Basagic

Geology Faculty Datasets

A comprehensive mid-20th century inventory of glaciers and perennial snowfields (G&PS) was compiled for the American West, west of the 100° meridian. The inventory was derived from U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000 topographic maps based on aerial photographs acquired during 35 years,1955–1990.

Using Soil And Forest Type To Map Bedrock In Nemo, South Dakota, Madison R. Isaac

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Bedrock mapping can be used to locate economic deposits, assess natural disaster (e.g., mass wasting) risk, and decipher the geologic history of a region. This study examines a site at Nemo, South Dakota to assess whether two contrasting types of bedrock produce different soil that result in different types of forest cover. Although bedrock varied, other soil forming factors were uniform. Within an approximately 1 km² area, quartzite and metagabbro bedrock, ponderosa pine and quaking aspen forests were mapped. The soil above the quartzite bedrock is thinner and sandier and is dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). …

Textural And Mineral Analysis Of Pegmatites From The Pala And Mesa Grande Districts In San Diego, California, Gabrielle Potter

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

San Diego pegmatites of the Pala and Mesa Grande mining districts are world renowned for their gem-quality minerals and their Li-bearing mineral phases. Pegmatite genesis, especially in San Diego mines, has been a debated topic since the 1900’s (Morgan and London, 2012). Pegmatite genesis is caused by partial melting processes and fractional crystallization that form granitic melts with high concentrations of rare earth elements (REE), such as lithium. Assessing the exact mineralogy and determining the overall textures can provide insight into the crystallization history of pegmatites. In the San Diego pegmatites, lithium-bearing phases, such as lepidolite and pink elbaite (a …