Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Science Plan For Potential 2008 Experimental High Flow At Glen Canyon Dam, Grand Canyon Monitoring And Research Center

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Extending The Season For Sustainability In Utah, Britney Hunter

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The importance of providing fresh produce on a local level is becoming a widespread consideration among people concerned with the character of their food. For regions without an opportune growing climate, extending the growing season can drastically advance productivity. High tunnels are one way to effectively and profitably extend the growing season in cold climates. The benefits of growing in a high tunnel go beyond raising the temperature. High tunnels contribute to higher quality small fruits and vegetables. The benefits of growing in high tunnels have been explored in other states and could be exploited by Utah growers. Utah's climate …

Structural Characterization Of Three Southeast Segments Of The Clark Fault, Salton Trough California, Benjamin E. Belgarde

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We examine the structural complexities of a 28-km long part of the Clark fault of the San Jacinto fault zone in southern California in order to better document its lateral extent and the style of deformation of its southeast end. Changes in structural style are observed as the Clark fault’s damage zone widens from ~ 1-2 km in crystalline rocks of the Peninsular Ranges southeastward to ~ 18 km in the sedimentary rocks of the San Felipe-Borrego subbasin of the Salton Trough. The Clark fault extends into the San Felipe-Borrego subbasin as the Arroyo Salada segment for ~ 11-12 km …

Quaternary Evolution Of The Colorado River At Lees Ferry, Arizona, William Scott Cragun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A well-exposed suite of Colorado River fill terraces preserved at Lees Ferry records the oscillating history of this major river superimposed on its overall downcutting of the Colorado Plateau. Detailed mapping, sedimentology, cross-sectional surveys, and the use of two geochronometers have been used in order to establish a detailed chronostratigraphy for the area. Eight distinct deposits have been identified along the Colorado River (Ml -M7, and S3), and four deposits have been identified along the Paria River (Pl -P4).

Geochronology of six of these deposits using optically stimulated luminescence and cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure techniques indicates a long-term average bedrock …

Does The Southern Farmington Canyon Complex Record A Late Archean/Early Proterozoic Accretionary Complex?, Kyle C. Andreasen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Farmington Canyon Complex, situated along the Wasatch front in northern Utah, has been the target for many studies. The FCC has been interpreted to be a passive margin sedimentary wedge. Previous studies have yielded isotopic ages that broadly support an Archean age of formation, and a prominent mid-proterozoic amphibolite grade metamorphic event.

Based on this study, a new interpretation for the FCC is presented. Field relations and whole-rock geochemistry as well as recent advances in understanding Archean crustal processes have resulted in the FCC to be considered as an accretionary complex that formed along the SW margin of the …

Effects Of Quaternary Climate Change On Tributary Sedimentation And Geomorphology In Eastern Grand Canyon, Benjamin D. Dejong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Climate variability has had a dramatic impact on eastern Grand Canyon tributaries over the past ~100 ky. This is readily observed in the Lava Chuar and Comanche catchments, which host well preserved colluvial remnants and river terraces that resulted from several climate-induced cycles of aggradation and incision. This study investigates these climate responses using surveying, sedimentology, and luminescence geochronology methods to investigate the mechanisms and timing of their deposition.

The survey data demonstrate that the concavity of terrace treads is lower than modern drainages. The sedimentology suggests the prevalence of stream-flow reworking of debris flow deposits and portrays an expected …

The Geologic History Of Subsurface Arkosic Sedimentary Rocks In The San Andreas Fault Observatory At Depth (Safod) Borehole, Central California, Sarah D. Draper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aim of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) project, a component of the NSF Earthscope Initiative, is to directly observe active fault processes at seismogenic depths through the drilling of a 3 km deep (true vertical depth) inclined borehole across San Andreas fault. Preliminary subsurface models based on surface mapping and geophysical data predicted different lithologies than were actually encountered. At 1920 meters measured depth (mmd), a sequence of well-indurated, interbedded arkosic conglomerates, sandstones, and siltstones was encountered. We present a detailed lithologic and structural characterization as a step toward understanding the complex geologic history of this …

The Marriage Of Eolian Rock Properties And Deformation Of The Nugget Formation; Anschutz Ranch East Field: Northeast Utah And Southwest Wyoming, Dustin J. Keele

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Nugget Formation in the Anschutz Ranch East field, northeast Utah and southwest Wyoming, provides an exceptional example of how primary eolian rock properties have a considerable influence on the style of structural deformation. Both new and existing subsurface data were integrated for an overall characterization of sedimentologic and diagenetic heterogeneities, which demonstrate relationships with different styles of structural compartmentalization in reservoirs. The Anschutz Ranch East field is a large asymmetric anticlinal trap in the Utah-Wyoming thrust belt. Three cores were analyzed in order to investigate brittle deformation in eolian facies: dune, apron, and interdune. Selected cores are located along …

Sequence Stratigraphy Of The Middle Cambrian Marjum Formation: Response Of Sedimentary Facies And Biota To Sea-Level Changes, Douglas D. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on the Marjum Formation provides insight into facies transitions in the House Range embayment of southwestern Utah during the Middle Cambrian. Sections of the Marjum Formation and equivalents were measured in strata representing shallow- (Drum Mountains), intermediate- (Wheeler Amphitheater), and deep-ramp (Marjum Pass) environments. This traverse across the embayment reveals strong litho- and biofacies changes. The Drum Mountains strata (343 m thick) are dominated by thick-bedded shallow-water limestone facies containing polymerid trilobites and stromatolites. The Wheeler Amphitheater locality (392 m thick) provides an example of intermediate deposits between deep-water and shallow-water environments and is characterized by limestone and subordinate …

Re-Evaluation Of The Jesse Ewing Canyon Formation: Implications For Neoproterozoic Paleogeography And Tectonic Setting Of Northeastern Utah, Andrew M. Brehm

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Detailed analysis of the basal unit of the Uinta Mountain Group, the Jesse Ewing Canyon Formation, of northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado, expands on previous work by further documenting the character of the unit and proposing a revision of the description of the formation and interpretation. The Jesse Ewing Canyon Formation is ~≤1,000 meters thick as opposed to ≤225 meters thick, and the dominant lithology is not conglomerate, but rather finer-grained facies. The Jesse Ewing Canyon Formation reveals multiple alluvial fan point sources feeding a shallow body of water in an active rift basin at ~781 Ma.

Stratigraphic mapping, measured …

Discharge Monitoring, Chemical Characterization, And Source Identification Of Springs Along The East Side Of Southern Cache Valley, Utah, Aric Alan Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Discharge monitoring and water sampling of springs in the southeastern portion of Cache Valley, Utah was performed in order to determine recharge sources and the cause of decreasing flows for some springs. The discharges of 43 springs were measured monthly from May or June of 2005 through March of 2006. Water samples from 36 of these springs plus an additional 10 were analyzed for major ions and trace metals. Twenty-one of the springs were analyzed for deuterium and oxygen-18 and 10 of these were analyzed for tritium.

The springs were divided into groups based on when they had their peak …

Scoping Report For The Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental Plan Environmental Impact Statement, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This report summarizes the issues raised during the initial scoping process for the Bureau of Reclamation's Long-term Experimental Plan for Glen Canyon Dam Operations and Other Management Actions Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This report describes the initial scoping process and presents the schedule, describes the scoping meetings, summarizes comments submitted by the public, and provides an overview of the relevant issues that Reclamation anticipates will be analyzed in the EIS.

Scoping is defined by the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as the process whereby lead agencies solicit input from the public on what the issues and alternatives …

Kerr-Mcgee's Bonanza Area Environmental Assessment And Biological Assessment, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

No abstract provided.

Paleomagnetic Dating Of Fault Slip In The Southern Rocky Mountains, Usa, And Itsimportance To An Integrated Laramide Foreland Strain Field, T. F. Wawrzyniec, Alexis K. Ault, J. W. Geissman, E. A. Erslev, S. D. Fankhauser

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The Laramide orogen of the U.S. Cordillera formed in the latest Cretaceous, and deformation lasted into the earliest Oligocene. Along and proximal to the eastern and northern margins of the Colorado Plateau, deformation associated with this event mainly took place along reactivated structures. Related tectonic models invoke some role for the plateau either as a stress guide transmitting compression to the foreland or as a freely rotating microplate. Models dominated by northward displacements of the Colorado Plateau also require covariance between timing and magnitude of dextral strike-slip deformation in the eastern domain and thrust deformation in the northern domain. Here …

Dendroarchaeology Of The Salt Lake Tabernacle, Utah, Matthew F. Bekker, David M. Heath

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

We examined tree rings from Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) timbers in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, constructed from 1863–1867 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A seismic upgrade to the Tabernacle initiated in 2005 required the replacement of wooden timbers with steel beams. Our objectives were to 1) determine cutting dates for the timbers to identify logs that may have been salvaged from previous structures, and consequently would have greater historical significance, 2) identify the species and provenance of the timbers, and 3) develop a chronology that could extend or strengthen the existing tree-ring record for environmental and …