Geological Engineering Commons^™

Using Unmanned Aircraft System (Uas)-Borne High-Resolution Hyperspectral Imaging And Gamma Radiometry For Rare Earth Element Exploration In The Bearpaw Mountains, Montana Usa, Emma Kamp

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The radiometric signature of thorium, in combination with the hyperspectral signature of carbonate minerals, can be a useful indicator of rare earth mineral occurrences in air-borne geophysical exploration. Recent technological advancements have allowed unmanned aircraft system (UAS)--borne spectral imaging and gamma-ray spectroscopy systems to acquire high-spatial-resolution data. In this study, we attempted to define and map an area of interest for rare earth mineral exploration using UAS-borne spectral and gamma-ray spectroscopy systems. Gamma-ray spectroscopy data were used to define an area of interest. Short-wave infrared imagery was used to detect and map carbonate minerals within the area of interest. Gamma-ray …

Predicting The Damage Behavior And Fracture Propagation In A 3d-Printed Synthetic Rock Material With The Distinct Element Method (Pfc3d) And Hybrid Finite-Discrete Element Method (Irazu3d), Frankie Johnston

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The ability to monitor and predict the evolution of rock damage and fracture is key for creating reliable and sustainable civil infrastructure. Rock crack propagation is a complex process that is dependent on material properties such as tensile strength, compressive strength, density, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, friction coefficient, cohesion, and specimen conditions such as preexisting microcracks, particle size distribution, and mineral distribution. In conjunction with the 56th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, researchers primarily at Purdue University organized the Damage Mechanics Challenge to determine the current state and future direction of the rock modeling community’s ability to simulate rock crack formation. …

Correlations Of Subsurface Geotechnical And Geophysical Parameters In Central Montana, David Barrick

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

This paper summarizes the results of a suite of tests performed in conjunction with a site investigation for the replacement of six timber bridges in Central Montana and four investigative geotechnical boreholes from a nearby ranch. The sites at the six timber bridges consist of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks (shale with stratified sandstone), overlain by thin layers of residual clays or Quaternary alluvium. The geology at the nearby ranch consists of either Quaternary vuggy travertine or Quaternary alluvium/colluvium deposits overlying residual shale of the Mississippian Heath Formation. In total, 49 samples were collected ranging from three Quaternary travertine HQ core samples, …

Treatment Of Mine Tailings Through Two Methods Of Calcite Precipitation: (I) Using Natural Mineral Trona, (Ii) Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation Via Denitrification, Nathaniel Small

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Mine tailings not only pose environmental risks such as dust emission and acid mine drainage but also present geotechnical risks in cases of tailings dam failures which could lead to loss of human life and severe damages to infrastructure. In-situ cementation of tailings has the potential to reduce the risks associated with such failures as well as the related environmental problems. Over the years, different methods of chemically and microbially induced cementation of tailings have been examined many of which have shown promising results on a laboratory scale and some even on a ϐield scale. In this paper, a new …

Characterizing Hydrostratigraphic Communication Of The Semi-Consolidated Sediment Aquifers Of The Flathead Valley In Northwestern Montana Through Hydrogeophysical Surveys, Elizabeth Katherine Breitmeyer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

To accurately forecast the cascading effects of increased stress to a hydrologic system, characterization of the continuity and permeability of the primary confining layer (PCL) separating the shallow and deep intermontane alluvial aquifers is required. Geophysical methods provide a faster cost-effective alternative to drilling to acquire additional information on the changes of hydrostratigraphy with depth. Geoelectric resistivity models recovered through inversion of TEM central loop sounding data to delineate changes in geoelectric properties with depth, providing information on the depth, thickness and resistivity of the hydrostratigraphy. Comparison of geoelectric resistivity models with well completion report lithologies yield information about the …

Investigating The Possibility Of Using Smelted Water-Cooled Copper Slag Regolith As A Terrestrial Based Lunar Regolith Simulant, Scott A. Morley

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

There is a need for a stable, efficient, and cost-effective option of a terrestrial lunar regolith simulant that can be easily made and at a lower cost to the consumer. A lunar regolith is the layer of unconsolidated rocky material covering bedrock that is on planets. All simulants fabricated for the moon, are based off three types of lunar regolith areas. The first is the lunar highlands which are the high areas of the moon, these areas are anthracitic. The second is lunar mare which is the meteoroid bombarded areas of the moon that look like dark grey areas from …

Revised Draft Final Butte Reclaimed Areas Maintenance And Monitoring (M&M) Plan In Accordance With Butte Reclamation Evaluation System (Bres), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Phytoremediation Of Mining Contaminated Soil And Groundwater By Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) And Locally Adapted Native Plants, Nathan Carpenter

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method of using plants to remediate soils and groundwater by extracting and accumulating contaminants in their tissues. Using locally adapted native plants is preferable to non-native species due to native species being accustomed to the environmental conditions allowing for increased plant growth and fitness. It is typical to use hyperaccumulator plant species since they will grow in soils with very high concentrations of metals and metalloids and show efficient ability to recover (phytoextraction potential) and accumulate (bioconcentration factor) the contaminants in its tissues.

This study focuses on using thirteen locally adapted native plant …

Hydrologic Response Of Headwater Streams Restored With Beaver Dam Analogue Structures, Evan Norman

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

In the semiarid and arid western United States, it is important to understand the potential effects of stream restoration on surface-water and groundwater. In this study, we evaluate the seasonal and annual hydrologic impacts of beaver-dam analogue (BDA) restoration in the Blacktail Creek (BTC) Watershed south of Butte, Montana. We monitored surface water flow, groundwater levels, temperature, and specific conductance primarily using a control-treatment study design. In treated reaches, groundwater levels were closer to the ground surface and showed less seasonal fluctuation. Changes in overall streamflow in the control reaches had stream losses and gains varying from -21.0 to 19.9 …

Mineralogy, Fluid Inclusion, And Stable Isotope Studies Of The Hog Heaven Mining District, Flathead County, Montana, Ian Kallio

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Hog Heaven mining district in northwestern Montana is unique in that it is a high-sulfidation epithermal system containing high Ag-Pb-Zn relative to Au-Cu, with a very high Ag to Au ratio (2,330:1). The deposits are hosted within the Cenozoic Hog Heaven volcanic field (HHVF), a 30 to 36 Ma suite that consists predominantly of rhyodacite flow-dome complexes and pyroclastic rocks. The HHVF is underlain by shallow-dipping siliclastic sediments of the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup. These sediments are known to host important SEDEX (e.g., Sullivan) and red-bed copper (e.g., Spar Lake, Rock Creek, Montanore) deposits rich in Ag-Pb-Zn-Cu-Ba. The HHVF erupted …

Nadir And Oblique Uav Photogrammetry Techniques For Quantitative Rock Fall Evaluation In The Rimrocks Of South-Central Montana, Micah Gregory-Lederer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

As our cities expand into geologically sensitive areas across the greater Rocky Mountain region and beyond, quantitative methods of assessment are increasingly critical for the development of evidence-based alternatives to avoid or mitigate geologic hazards. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry can improve these geologic investigations by enabling remote visual inspection, measurement, and spatial analysis while eliminating many of the physical access limitations that contribute to field sampling bias and human error. UAV photogrammetry technology was employed to evaluate fragmental rock fall hazards at two locations in the Rimrocks region of south-central Montana, Zimmerman Trail Road and Phipps Park. At these …

Mineralogy And Fluid Inclusion Study Of The Crystal Mountain Fluorite Mine, Ravalli County, Montana, Francis Grondin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Crystal Mountain Fluorite Mine, known for its vast amounts of massively grown fluorite and rare accessory minerals including fergusonite (YNbO₄) and thortveitite (Sc₂Si₂O₇), is located in the Sapphire Mountains 22 km east of the town of Darby, Montana. This site has been mined previously between the years of 1954 through 1973. The Taber collection of drill core, thin sections, mine maps and miscellaneous reports on Crystal Mountain was recently donated to the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology for future studies. The purpose of the present study has been to use …

Evaluating Volumetric Strain As A Predictor Of Yield And Peak Strength For The Multistage Triaxial Test: A Case Study With Utah Coal Specimens, Emmanuel Orilogi

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Failure envelopes used to characterize the shear strength of geological materials are generally obtained through conventional triaxial testing of multiple specimens and most of the specimens are heterogonous and expensive to obtain. Therefore, the multistage triaxial test was introduced to make use of a single specimen for material strength characterization, compared to the conventional triaxial test that requires at least three specimens. In the multistage triaxial test, the challenge to obtaining meaningful data is identifying when to terminate each loading stage. The goal is to be as close to the peak strength of the material but below the stress threshold …

Investigation Of The Toppling Of Rectangular Rigid Blocks Using A Shake Table And Distinct Element Models, Sara Magallon

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Understanding the engineering principles of failure modes in rock formations from seismic activity continues to be a challenging problem for engineers and geologists. The complexity of the geology, geometry, discontinuities, and earthquake ground motions contribute to the difficulty in estimating the stability of rock slopes. In this study, one classic rock slope failure mode is examined: the toppling behavior of a single rigid rectangular block under dynamic loading. An investigation employing experimental and numerical modeling techniques was performed to observe the response of wooden blocks with different aspect (width/height) ratios subjected to loading at the base and compared to established …

Geochemistry Of Metals And Nutrients In Fine-Sediment Pore Water In Blacktail And Silver Bow Creeks, Butte, Montana, Robert Radar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Historical mining in Butte, Montana has impacted surface and groundwater in the area. Although most of the known sources of contaminants of concern have been removed or remediated, metal loading continues to occur in lower Blacktail Creek and upper Silver Bow Creek. Possible sources of metals include upwelling groundwater and interaction between the stream and metal-rich sediment in the stream bed. To assess the importance of fine sediment as a source (or sink) for metals, this investigation used sediment pore water diffusion samplers (“peepers”). Peepers are ideal for capturing cm-scale vertical gradients in pore water chemistry across the sediment-water interface. …

The Geology And Geochemistry Of The Golden Chest Gold Deposit, Murray, Idaho, Alexander Brown

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Golden Chest Au-W Mine has been intermittently mined since the 1880’s. Mineralized quartz veins have been deposited into the Upper Prichard Formation of the Proterozoic Belt Supergroup. The Golden Chest is located in the Summit Mining District within the Murray Gold Belt region of the greater Coeur d’Alene (CdA) Mining District. A modern geochemical study of the Golden Chest has never been conducted at the Golden Chest.

This thesis investigates, with the collaboration of New Jersey Mining Company (NJMC), the paragenesis of ore forming minerals, the mineralogy of the deposit and the genesis of the ore forming processes. A …

Development Of A Methodology For The Evalutation Of Uav-Based Photogrammetry: Implementation At An Underground Mine, Rachel Becker

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Autonomous systems in underground mining are increasingly being implemented as tools to collect data in inaccessible areas and improve the safety of mine personnel. There are many areas in the underground mining environment that cannot be accessed by personnel due to the high potential for ground fall and insufficient ground support. By combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with technologies such as photogrammetry and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanners, 3D point clouds can be created for inaccessible sites. A 3D digital point cloud can provide valuable geotechnical information such as the ability to measure discontinuities, inspect rock conditions, generate accurate …

Raspberry Pi Cluster For Parallel And Distributed Computing, Ngoc Ha

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Parallel and distributed computing have become an essential part of the ‘Big Data’ processing and analysis, especially for geophysical applications. The main goal of this project was to build a 4-node distributed computing cluster system using the Raspberry Pi single-board computers for educational and research purposes. After assembling together the system, a standard test was performed to check the system functionality. A Monte Carlo simulation to calculate π (pi) was used to demonstrate the advantages and drawbacks of parallelization and distribution of tasks and data within the cluster. Challenges encountered during installation of the software and testing phase, and their …

Resource Estimation And Simulation At West Butte In The Mcdonald Gold Deposit Near Lincoln, Montana, Jonathan Szarkowski

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The McDonald gold deposit is located in Lewis and Clark County near Lincoln, Montana and is divided into two regions: East Butte and West Butte. Approximately 90% of gold mineralization at McDonald is hosted by quartz-adularia-altered lithic tuff. Low-grade, stratabound, disseminated mineralization within permeable volcanic tuff is the dominant style of mineralization at McDonald. Higher-grade mineralization at West Butte is interpreted to be controlled by subvertical, intersecting vein systems that occur along the 9800’ E-W fault. Preliminary gold estimates at West Butte indicated the possibility of a 500 koz gold orebody at an average grade of 7.2 grams per ton …

An Evaluation Of The Deployment Of A Distributed Strain And Temperature (Dst) Fiber Optic Sensing System In An Underground Facility, Calvin Kammerer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

In an effort to further mine safety and utilize the recent advances in fiber optic sensors’ distributed sensing capabilities, a research project at Montana Tech has deployed fiber optic sensors in an underground environment. The method of Brillouin scattering that has documented success in a mining environment will be used because it shows the greatest potential for detecting both temperature and strain in the deployed environment, as well as the ability to differentiate between the two. The primary objective of the Montana Tech research is to create a scenario where the distributed sensing technology can be evaluated for its sensing …

Stratigraphy And Sedimentology Of The Black Lion Conglomerate, Eastern Pioneer Mountains, Beaverhead County, Southwestern Montana, Vincent Spinazola

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the age and depositional setting of the Black Lion Conglomerate in the Eastern Pioneer Mountains of southwest Montana. Located at Section 5, T3S, R11W, Beaverhead County, Montana, the Grace Lake field site is the primary focus of this study. Other field sites include Hecla, Black Lion Lake, Black Lion Creek, and Sheep Mountain. Previous studies suggested the Black Lion Conglomerate is either Cambrian or Proterozoic in age. The base of the Black Lion Conglomerate is not exposed at any location. The Black Lion Conglomerate is at least 120m (394ft) thick.

In this …

Fluid Inclusion And Stable Isotope Investigation Of Hydrothermal Talc And Chlorite Deposits In Southwest Montana, Garrett Hill

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Talc and chlorite deposits of southwest Montana formed as hydrothermal replacements of Archean and/or early Proterozoic dolomitic marble and quartzo-feldspathic gneiss. Although the hydrothermal replacement model is generally accepted, less is known about the temperature, composition, and origin of the fluids involved in talc and chlorite formation. The present study examines fluid inclusions in quartz associated with both talc and chlorite, stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of talc, chlorite, and quartz, and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes of carbonate minerals. The deposits being examined include the Yellowstone, Beaverhead and Willow Creek talc mines, and the Antler chlorite mine.

Fluid inclusion …

Characterization Of Peak Shear Strength Of Rough Rock Joints Using The Limited Displacement Multi-Stage Direct Shear (Ldmsd) Test Method, Michael Petro

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Current standardized direct shear test methods for rock joints do not account for damage caused to the individually unique asperity profiles of each sample. Current test methods require either a single sample to be sheared to large displacements under successive normal stresses, or the use of similar samples in multiple tests. Successive shearing of a single sample damages surface asperities and causes the overall roughness profile of the sample to change, reducing peak shear stress and consequently resulting in underestimation of friction angle and overestimation of joint shear intercept (cohesion). Obtaining joint surface specimens with identical roughness and geometry is …

Mountain Front Recharge In A Semi-Arid Climate, Southwest Montana, Charles Shama

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Groundwater recharge to regional valley benches originates largely from adjacent Mountain Front Recharge (MFR). The Madison Valley in Southwest Montana is a semi-arid cold climate that receives 31.75cm annual valley precipitation. In this study, two drainages are characterized and compared, looking at the hydrological processes between the stream and groundwater. North Meadow Creek is a high elevation stream dominated by snowmelt and contains reaches of gaining and losing surface water to groundwater. Daylight Creek is a spring fed disconnected stream. Methods used a surface water balance, temperature as an environmental tracer and two and three component mixing models to investigate …

Mineralogy And Sulfur Isotope Geochemistry Of The Apex And Bonanza Prospects At The Golden Sunlight Mine, Montana, Hamadou Gnanou

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Golden Sunlight mine, located 50 km to the east of the famous Butte porphyry/lode deposits, is the largest gold mine in Montana, and has produced over 3 million ounces of gold in its 35+ year history. Most of this gold has come from the Mineral Hill breccia pipe (MHBP), a west dipping, cylindrical body of brecciated latite and country rock fragments of the Precambrian LaHood and Greyson Formations. The breccia pipe is late Cretaceous in age (84±18 Ma, DeWitt et al., 1986), is silicified, pyrite-rich, and is mineralized with gold, silver, and minor base metals. Because the MHBP has …

Uav-Based Geotechnical Modeling And Mapping Of An Inaccessible Underground Site, Elizabeth Anne Russell

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Digital photogrammetry is becoming a more common method used for mapping geological and structural rock mass features in underground mining. The issue of capturing geological and structural data in inaccessible, unsupported areas of mines remains even when utilizing terrestrial photogrammetric methods; thus, geotechnical models of mines are left with incomplete datasets. Large unsupported underground voids, like stopes, have the potential to cause major failures, but by filling in the geotechnical data gaps in inaccessible areas, potential failures can be predicted through kinematic analysis of the area’s mapped discontinuities. Implementation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in underground mines and recent advances …

Geology And Mineral Resources Of Indochina, Au- Ngoc- Ho

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Located between the 100th and the 110th longitude east of Greenwich, between the 8th and 24th latitude north, Indochina is a peninsula known as "the balcony of Southeast Asia". It's three states Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam occupy an area as large as 770,000 square kilometers.

Correlation Of Ordovician And Silurian Formations Of Eastern Montana, Marvin A. Lanphere

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Correlation charts made from electric log data show the relationship of Ordovician and Silurian strata in eastern Montana. The Silurian sediments terminate westward in eastern Montana, but the Ordovician sediments are present westward into central Montana.

Paragenesis Of The Primary Ores Of The Norwich Mine, Edward E. Scheitlin

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The Norwich vein is thought to belong to the Anaconda vein system. It contains fairly large deposits of manganese. The study of 19 thin sections and 15 polished sections was made to determine the paragenesis of the vein minerals, which is: quartz-pyrite, rhodochrosite, quartz, minor rhodochrosite, quartz-pyrite-sphalerite, galena, freibergite and later quartz. Some supergene rhodochrosite was found and most of the silver minerals were found to be supergene origin.

Geology Of A Portion Of The Hand Mine, Argenta Mining District, Beaverhead County, Montana, John Thomas Richards

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The Hand Mine is located in the Argenta Mining District near the town of Argenta. The area surrounding the Hand Mine is characterized by intense thrusting, folding, and igneous activity. The area mapped by the author is in the southeast portion of the mine and differs from the rest of the mine in that no commercial ore has been found. The writer concludes that the steep faulting and flatlying bodies are of two different ages, and that intense oxidation has altered the ore minerals to plumbojarosite.