Digital Commons Network^™

Wettability Dynamics Of Kerogen: Insights From Molecular Dynamics Simulations On Thermal Maturity And Reservoir Temperature Impact, Wei Liang, Xin Chen, Rajat Sharma

Publications and Research

This comprehensive review explores the multifaceted role of kerogen in organic-rich mudrock reservoirs, focusing on its impact on porosity, hydrocarbon storage, and transport pathways. The dominance of kerogen-hosted pores is underscored as a critical determinant of reservoir dynamics, with an emphasis on the wettability of kerogen as a pivotal parameter. The intricate relationship between kerogen wettability and petrophysical properties, including water saturation and electromagnetic characteristics, is elucidated, emphasizing the broader implications for reservoir management and hydrocarbon recovery.

The study delves into the thermal maturation of kerogen, unraveling the chemical evolution from hydrogen-rich organic matter to hydrogen-poor residual carbon. The Van …

Landscape/Atmosphere Interactions And Carbon-Dioxide Dynamics In The Great Onyx Groundwater Basin, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Meghan Raines

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An increase in atmospheric CO2 since the Industrial Revolution has altered rates of global climate change and has motivated a need to better quantify the flux of carbon between Earth’s reservoirs. Attempts to quantify the exchange of atmospheric carbon between sources and sinks have led to an increasing interest in the terrestrial landscape, including the continental carbon sink associated with carbonate-mineral dissolution. This research sought to better inform an understanding of karst landscapes and their relationship with global climate change through carbon cycling. The study utilized high-resolution data collection of pH, temperature, and specific conductance of waters in the Cascade …

Using Trace Element Concentrations In Volcanic Ash To Elucidate Magma Sources To Koma Kulshan’S (Mount Baker) Most Recent Explosive Eruption – The 6.7 Ka Ba (Black Ash) Tephra, Stone Machel

Geology Graduate and Undergraduate Student Scholarship

Koma Kulshan (Mount Baker) is an active stratovolcano in the northern Washington Cascades. Kulshan’s most recent magmatic eruption at 6.7 ka was explosive, producing the ~0.2 km³ BA tephra (black ash) from the edifice (Scott et al. 2019). Comprehensive geochemical data for the BA tephra were previously limited to major elements from one whole rock lapillus (silicic andesite) and several in situ glass analyses (dacite), despite being Kulshan’s most voluminous Holocene tephra. Here, I present the first extensive major and trace element study of the pyroxene- and plagioclase-bearing BA tephra glass to determine magma source and eruption processes. My …

Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Biomass Wastes: Sustainability And Geochemistry, Michael A. Kruge, Teresa A. Centeno, Alvaro Amado-Fierro, José Manuel González-Lafuente, Ruben Forjan-Castro, José Luis Gallego

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Introduction. To reduce the stream of solid waste going to landfills, innovative means for beneficial use are essential. The diversity and volume of organic wastes pose singular problems and opportunities for recovery and circularity. Common processes for organics include conversion to biofuels and carbonization to biochar, typically done by torrefaction (dry pyrolysis). Research on biochar explores its potential as pollutant adsorbent, agricultural or polluted soil amendment, biofuel (directly or as feedstock), and for carbon sequestration (Ighalo et al., 2022; Cavali et al., 2023). Recently, other processes at lower temperatures such as hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) offer new possibilities (Seshadri et al., …

Rift-Induced Disruption Of Cratonic Keels Drives Kimberlite Volcanism, Thomas M. Gernon, Stephen M. Jones, Sascha Brune, Thea K. Hincks, Martin Palmer, John C. Schumacher, Rebecca M. Primiceri, Matthew Field, William L. Griffin, Suzanne Y. O'Reilly, Derek Keir, Christopher J. Spencer, Andrew S. Merdith, Anne Glerum

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Kimberlites are volatile-rich, occasionally diamond-bearing magmas that have erupted explosively at Earth’s surface in the geologic past^1,2,3. These enigmatic magmas, originating from depths exceeding 150 km in Earth’s mantle¹, occur in stable cratons and in pulses broadly synchronous with supercontinent cyclicity⁴. Whether their mobilization is driven by mantle plumes⁵ or by mechanical weakening of cratonic lithosphere^4,6 remains unclear. Here we show that most kimberlites spanning the past billion years erupted about 30 million years (Myr) after continental breakup, suggesting an association with rifting processes. Our dynamical …

Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown Modulation Of Physico-Chemical Parameters Of Surface Water, Karamana River Basin, Southwest India: A Weighted Arithmetic Index And Geostatistical Perspective, S. P. Prasood, M. V. Mukesh, K. S. Sajinkumar, K. P. Thrivikramji

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

The coronavirus disease or COVID-19 pandemic continues imposing restrictions on the human population from full-scale normal/routine activities all over the world. This study primarily spotlights the consequences of the COVID-19-pandemic-lockdown on physicochemical parameters of water (samples) of the Karamana river system (KRS) during the pre-monsoons (or January) of 2021 and 2022, using the Weighted Arithmetic Index method and Geostatistical analysis (ArcMap 10.2). Even though the Karamana river supported the water needs of the people during the past several decades, the quality of water deteriorated due to the rising population and consequent anthropogenic activities. Hence, it is imperative to evaluate the …

Modeled Uranium Series Disequilibria In A Heterogeneous Mantle Underlying Iceland, Dana Andersen

Honors Theses

Regional lithologic heterogeneities in Earth’s mantle may significantly contribute to variations in magma productivity and crustal generation. Such heterogeneities may be a key factor in the anomalously high rates of magmatism and thickened crust of Iceland, which are not fully explained by the presence of a mantle plume. However, the exact lithologic composition of the mantle underlying Iceland is largely unknown. Recent trace element modeling has suggested a two-component melt source beneath Iceland, consisting of a typical upper mantle peridotite mixing with one of several compositions of pyroxenitic material. This study further investigates these potential melt sources by calculating U-series …

Comparing Igneous Geochemical Data From Hawaii And Southern California Via Machine Learning, Miro Manestar

MS in Computer Science Project Reports

Bi-plots are commonly used in geochemical analyses. However, their use can become cumbersome in the case of multi-variate analyses. Therefore, this thesis explores the application of unsupervised machine learning techniques, specifically PCA and K-Means, to analyze large geochemical data sets from two distinct regions, Hawaii and the \acrfull{prb} in Southern California. The IBM Foundational Methodology for Data Science was utilized to ensure proper data preparation and analysis. PCA provided dimensionality reduction, revealing which features correlated most strongly with variances within the data. K-Means clustering allowed for deeper interpretation of the data. The analysis yielded valuable insights into the composition and …

The Role Of Volatile Enrichment In The Radiogenic Heating And Thermal Evolution Of Rocky Exoplanets, Ula Jones, Asmaa Boujibar

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Internal heating in terrestrial planets is a fundamental physical process controlling the internal structure of a planet, mantle convection, volcanic activity, and the generation of magnetic fields. Internal heating results from various processes including radioactive decay and accretional energy, as well as additional irradiation and tidal heating in planets with short orbital periods. The largest long-term heat source for terrestrial planets is radioactive heating, especially from the decay of uranium (U), thorium (Th), and potassium (K) isotopes. K is a moderately volatile element, while U and Th are refractory elements; during planetary accretion volatiles are depleted relative to refractory elements, …

Silicon And Oxygen In Earth’S Core: Applications Of Machine Learning To Metal-Silicate Equilibria And Core Formation, Ruben Keane

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Within Earth’s core, light elements (Si, O, C, S, N, H) are known to make up a small fraction of the total mass of the core with respect to heavy elements. The degree to which these elements exist in the cores of terrestrial planets have geophysical and geochemical implications, most notably the presence of core convection and a geodynamo, thermal conductivity within the core, and core temperature. Comparison of the composition of chondrites to Earth’s mantle composition and the Preliminary Reference Earth Model have given an estimation of about 10 % light elements in Earth’s core. The concentrations of each …

Geochemical Analysis Of Recent Volcanic Ash Blanketing Barbados And Constraints On Magma Composition (V32e-0112), Nazrul I. Khandaker, Krishna Mahabir, Surendranauth Mahabir, Lloyd Kiefer, Juan C. Campo, Andrew M. Singh

Publications and Research

Preliminary field and geochemical investigations were conducted on ash samples from Barbados to chemically characterize and decipher magma chemistry associated with a recent volcanic event. A thick plume of volcanic ash from the La Soufriere Volcano in St Vincent, which erupted on April 9, 2021, caused lower visibility due to ash clouds which engulfed the region for some time. Three authors from the research team visited Barbados during the summer subsequent and completed a reconnaissance investigation on recent ashfall. St Vincent is a small volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean and lies in the southern part of the Lesser Antilles …

Local Production And Developing Core Regions: Ceramic Characterization In The Lake Pátzcuaro Basin, Western Mexico, Anna S. Cohen, Amy J. Hirshman, Daniel E. Pierce, Jeffrey R. Ferguson

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

A core region is the first place for expected shifts in archaeological materials before, during, and after political changes like state emergence and imperial consolidation. Yet, studies of ceramic production have shown that there are sometimes limited or more subtle changes in the ceramic economy throughout such political fluctuations. This article synthesizes recent efforts to address political economic changes via geochemical characterization (neutron activation analysis; NAA) in the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin in western Mexico. This region was home to the Purépecha state and then empire (Tarascan; ca. AD 1350-1530), one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Americas before European …

Possible Bipolar Global Expression Of The P3 And P4 Glacial Events Of Eastern Australia In The Northern Hemisphere: Marine Diamictites And Glendonites From The Middle To Upper Permian In Southern Verkhoyanie, Siberia, V. I. Davydov

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three intervals of glaciomarine diamictites with extensive glendonites in middle to upper Permian sediments were found in the Kobyume River, southern Verkhoyanie, Russia. The successions are biostratigraphically constrained as middle to upper Permian. The middle Permian diamictite horizons extend over a large area with a lateral distance of >1000 km. The upper Permian diamictites developed only locally. The diamictites are interpreted as glaciomarine sediments containing ice-rafted debris. Two glacial episodes in Siberia temporally correspond to the P3 (middle Permian) and P4 (late Permian) glacial events of eastern Australia, strongly suggesting a global bipolar climate and well-developed climatic belts during the …

The Role Of Carbonate Factories And Sea Water Chemistry On Basin-Wide Ramp To High-Relief Carbonate Platform Evolution: Triassic, Nanpanjiang Basin, South China, Daniel J. Lehrmann, Leanne M. Stepchinski, Hannah E. Wolf, Liangzi Li, Xiaowei Li, Marcello Minzoni, Meiyi Yu, Jonathan L. Payne

Geosciences Faculty Research

The end-Permian extinction and its aftermath altered carbonate factories globally for millions of years, but its impact on platform geometries remains poorly understood. Here, the evolution in architecture and composition of two exceptionally exposed platforms in the Nanpanjiang Basin are constrained and compared with geochemical proxies to evaluate controls on platform geometries. Geochemical proxies indicate elevated siliciclastic and nutrient fluxes in the basal Triassic, at the Induan—Olenekian boundary and in the uppermost Olenekian. Cerium/Ce* shifts from high Ce/Ce* values and a lack of Ce anomaly indicating anoxia during the Lower Triassic to a negative Ce anomaly indicating oxygenation in the …

Volumetric Extrusive Rates Of Silicic Supereruptions From The Afro-Arabian Large Igneous Province, Jennifer E. Thines, Ingrid A. Ukstins, Corey Wall, Mark Schmitz

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The main phase of silicic volcanism from the Afro-Arabian large igneous province preserves some of the largest volcanic eruptions on Earth, with six units totaling >8,600 km³ dense rock equivalent (DRE). The large volumes of rapidly emplaced individual eruptions present a case study for examining the tempo of voluminous silicic magma generation and emplacement. Here were report high-precision ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U zircon ages and show that the largest sequentially dated eruptions occurred within 48 ± 34 kyr (29.755 ± 0.023 Ma to 29.707 ± 0.025 Ma), yielding the highest known long-term volumetric extrusive rate of silicic volcanism on …

The Sedimentary Geochemistry And Paleoenvironments Project, Úna C. Farrell, Rifaat Samawi, Savitha Anjanappa, Roman Klykov, Oyeleye O. Adeboye, Heda Agic, Anne Sofie C. Ahm, Thomas H. Boag, Fred Bowyer, Jochen J. Brocks, Tessa N. Brunoir, Donald E. Canfield, Xiaoyan Chen, Meng Cheng, Matthew O. Clarkson, Devon B. Cole, David R. Cordie, Peter W. Crockford, Huan Cui, Tais W. Dahl, Lucas D. Mouro, Keith Dewing, Stephen Q. Dornbos, Nadja Drabon, Julie A. Dumoulin, Joseph F. Emmings, Cecilia R. Endriga, Tiffani A. Fraser, Robert R. Gaines, Richard M. Gaschnig, Timothy M. Gibson, Geoffrey J. Gilleaudeau

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Detrital Zircon Geochemistry To Study Deep Arc Processes: Ree-Rich Magmas Mobilized By Jurassic Rifting Of The Sierra Nevada Arc, D. Clemens-Knott, Kathleen Degraaff Surpless, A. P. Barth, J. L. Wooden

Geosciences Faculty Research

Anomalous trace element compositions of Middle to Late Jurassic detrital zircon separated from Sierra Nevada forearc and intra-arc strata reveal processes of differentiation occurring within the deep arc lithosphere. REE-Sc-Nb-Ti-Hf-U-Th covariations define three populations of atypically REE-rich grains that we interpret as crystallizing from (1) differentiates produced by olivine+clinopyroxene+plagioclase+garnet±ilmenite fractionation; (2) mixing between mafic arc magmas and partial melts of Proterozoic Mojave province crust; and (3) compositionally transient, low Gd/Yb magmas generated by hornblende resorption during decompression. We interpret a fourth population of Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous zircons having REE contents similar to “typical” arc zircon but with atypically …

Barriers To And Uncertainties In Understanding And Quantifying Global Critical Mineral And Element Supply, Brian A. Mcnulty, Simon M. Jowitt

Geoscience Faculty Research

The critical minerals and elements are natural substances that are essential to modern life but have insecure supply. This lack of a secure supply clashes with the increasing importance of these elements, especially given their use in technologies needed to reduce global CO2 emissions and mitigate against anthropogenic climate change. In this contribution we review the by-product nature of the critical minerals and elements and the inherant uncertainties in reported critical mineral and element annual production as well as the relationships between these commodities and main-product metals and associated concentrates. We explore the geological and geographical barriers to critical mineral …

Research Productivity Of Wadia Institute Of Himalayan Geology, Devendra Singh Rawat, Kunwar Singh, Madan Singh, Avadhesh Kumar Patel, Ayush Kumar Patel

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Bibliometric analysis was used to assess the research productivity of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geological (WIHG) during 1991-2020. Data was collected from the Scopus database, and VOSviewer software used for visualization. The study focused on various bibliometrics parameters like year-wise research growth, Authors productivity, Growth rates measures (AGR, RGR, Dt), Collaboration measures (DC and CC), subject-wise distributions, most prolific authors, highly collaborative institutions, most cited documents, top funding agency, types of documents, etc. The results showed that the maximum number of documents, 93 (7.21%), were published in 2017. India and the United States of America contributed the highest numbers …

A Collection Of Early Holocene Flaked-Stone Crescents From The Northern Great Basin, Matthew T. Boulanger, G. Logan Miller, Philip Fisher

Anthropology Research

Several flaked-stone crescents from the northern Great Basin were recently identified within the James M. Collins artifact collection held in the Archaeological Research Collections, Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University. These artifacts are morphologically and technologically consistent with other pre- Columbian crescents reported from the region. The two obsidian crescents in the collection exhibit compositions that are consistent with obsidian from the Whitehorse/Double H source, located immediately south of where the artifacts were reportedly obtained. Analysis of the crescents for use wear suggests that they were used in a manner consistent with transversely hafted projectiles. Data reported here add to …

Pathways To Detection Of Strongly-Bound Inorganic Species: The Vibrational And Rotational Spectral Data Of Alh2oh, Hmgoh, Alh2nh2, And Hmgnh2, Alexandria G. Watrous, Megan C. Davis, Ryan C. Fortenberry

Faculty and Student Publications

Small, inorganic hydrides are likely hiding in plain sight, waiting to be detected toward various astronomical objects. AlH2OH can form in the gas phase via a downhill pathway, and the present, high-level quantum chemical study shows that this molecule exhibits bright infrared features for anharmonic fundamentals in regions above and below that associated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. AlH2OH along with HMgOH, HMgNH2, and AlH2NH2 are also polar with AlH2OH having a 1.22 D dipole moment. AlH2OH and likely HMgOH have nearly unhindered motion of the hydroxyl group but are still strongly bonded. This could assist in gas phase synthesis, where …

Scientometric Analysis Of Authorship Trends And Collaborative Research In Geochemistry, Ranganathan Chandrakasan, Sumathi Meyyar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study deals with the Scientometric study on the publication of "Geochemistry". The records are collected from Web of Science Databases for the period of 1989-2020. A total of 2603 papers were identified in Web of Science database. The study reveals that, most of the researchers preferred to publish their research results in journal and more numbers of articles were published in the year 2019. The authorship trend shows that, out of total 2603 literature published, 92.5% of the publication published under the joint author. Four thousand three hundred and eighty nine authors have contributed the total of 2603 articles. …

A Record Of Vapour Pressure Deficit Preserved In Wood And Soil Across Biomes, Adrian Broz, Gregory J. Retallack, Toby M. Maxwell, Lucas C.R. Silva

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The drying power of air, or vapour pressure deficit (VPD), is an important measurement of potential plant stress and productivity. Estimates of VPD values of the past are integral for understanding the link between rising modern atmospheric carbon dioxide (pCO₂) and global water balance. A geological record of VPD is needed for paleoclimate studies of past greenhouse spikes which attempt to constrain future climate, but at present there are few quantitative atmospheric moisture proxies that can be applied to fossil material. Here we show that VPD leaves a permanent record in the slope (S) of least-squares …

Geochemistry Of Eocene To Miocene Rocks In A Rear-Arc Setting, Central Cascades, Washington, Audrey V. White, Jeffrey Tepper

Summer Research

Lavas and shallow intrusions near Wenatchee, WA, provide a unique opportunity to study a diverse array of samples that erupted over a 30+ Ma interval in the Cascadia rear arc. Included are two Eocene units, the Wenatchee Pinnacles and Sugarloaf Peak, two Miocene units, Eagle Rock and Burch Mountain, and an undated andesite at Peoh Point. Goals of this study are to use trace and major element data to determine the tectonic setting and petrogenesis of these rocks and identify any compositional differences between there rear-arc sites and the Cascade arc as a whole.

Geochemical Study Of The Early Cretaceous Fahliyan Oil Reservoir In The Northwest Persian Gulf, Abbas Khaksar Manshad, Reza Sedighi Pashaki, Jagar A. Ali, Stefan Iglauer, M. Memariani, Majid Akbari, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Three crude oil samples from the Fahliyan Formation in ‘KG’ and ‘F’ fields in the northwest Persian Gulf, namely KG-031, F9A-3H and F15-3H for the geochemical study. In this study, the physicochemical properties, gas chromatography (GC, GC Mass) and (Detailed Hydrocarbon Analysis) DHA analyses for the collected Fahliyan oils were carried out. The API, Trace Element (Ni, V) and S% parameters indicated that the Fahliyan oil was generated from a source rock which deposited in reducing environment condition with a carbonate-shale compound lithology. Moreover, low pour point, higher S% and low viscosity parameters of “KG” sample confirmed the existence of …

Mexican Obsidian On Maui: Hawaiian Connection, Harmonic Convergence, Or Hokum?, Matthew Boulanger

Anthropology Research

In 2014, the television show America Unearthed (A & E Networks) featured an episode discussing evidence for pre-Columbian contact between Polynesia and continental North and South America. Included in this “evidence” was a large spearpoint, allegedly found on the island of Maui. The show’s host argues that the spearpoint is made on obsidian from central Mexico, and therefore represents evidence for direct contact between Polynesian and Maya peoples prior to the sixteenth century CE. A detailed analysis of the spearpoint, including geochemical sourcing, reveals that it is indeed made of so-called Pachuca obsidian from central Mexico; however, the size, shape, …

Interpretations Of Lava Flow Properties From Radar Remote Sensing Data, Gavin Douglas Tolometti, Catherine Neish, Gordon R. Osinski, Scott S. Hughes, Shannon E. Kobs-Nawotniak

Earth Sciences Publications

The surface morphology and roughness of a lava flow provides insight on its lava properties and emplacement processes. This is essential information for understanding the eruption history of lava fields, and magmatic processes beneath the surface of Earth and other planetary bodies such as the Moon. The surface morphology is influenced by lava properties such as viscosity, temperature, composition, and rate of shear. In this work, we seek to understand how we can interpret the emplacement processes and lava properties of lava flows using remote sensing data. Craters of the Moon (COTM) National Monument and Preserve in Idaho hosts a …

Geochemical Characterization Of Base Metals In Stream Water And Sediments In The Caddo Lake Watershed, Cass, Harrison, And Marion Counties, Texas, Melinda S. Faulkner, Melanie L. Ertons, Joseph D. Watkins

Faculty Publications

The Caddo Lake watershed is located in northeastern Texas and encompasses much of Cass, Harrison, and Marion counties. The watershed is drained by major streams and tributaries flowing in an easterly direction over Eocene-aged rocks and sediments of the Wilcox and Claiborne groups, and empty into the western arm of Caddo Lake. Since 1995, Caddo Lake and some of its tributaries have been included on the State of Texas Clean Water Act 303(d) list by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for impairment due to mercury content in edible tissue, depressed dissolved oxygen, base metal concentrations, and low pH …

Investigating The Influence Of Environmental Factors On The Incidence Of Renal Disease With Compositional Data Analysis Using Balances, Jennifer M. Mckinley, Ute Mueller, Peter M. Atkinson, Ulrich Ofterdinger, Chloe Jackson, Siobhan F. Cox, Rory Doherty, Damian Fogarty, J. J. Egozcue, V. Pawlowsky-Glahn

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This research uses an urban soil geochemistry database of elemental concentration to examine the potential relationship between Standardised Incidence Rates (SIRs) of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of uncertain aetiology (CKDu), and cumulative low level geogenic and diffuse anthropogenic contamination of soils with PTEs. A compositional data analysis approach was applied to determine the elemental balance(s) of the geochemical data showing the greatest association with CKDu. The research concludes that both anthropogenic and geogenic factors may be contributing influences to explain high incidences of CKDu, up to 12 times greater in some Super Output Areas (SOAs) than would be expected for …

Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (Gc-Ms) And Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (Fticr-Ms) Measurements Of Seafloor Sediments Collected Aboard Multiple Cruises In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico From 2010-07-26 To 2014-06-28, Damien Weleschuk, Jagos Radovic

C-IMAGE data

This dataset contains gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) measurements of seafloor sediments collected aboard multiple cruises in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2010-07-26 to 2014-06-28. These 112 samples were selected based on the information available in the NOAA DIVER database, including location, depth, total extractable hydrocarbon amount, and the time of sample collection. The sediment samples were frozen in glass jars after collection. Upon request, a portion of the original frozen sediments was provided. The samples were then freeze-dried, processed, and the organic material was extracted. This was then separated into the …