Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Variability And Continuity Between Paleoindian Assemblages In The Northeast: A Technological Approach, Edward Cyrus Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Paleoindian record in Maine consists almost exclusively of stone artifacts. Of these artifacts, the fluted projectile point is the most widely recognized and researched, particularly its morphology. Very little is known of the technological strategies involved in the production of Paleoindian stone tools or whether these strategies were consistent between Paleoindian sites. This research examines stone tool production methods and technological organization between two Paleoindian sites in Maine (Janet Cormier and Nicholas) using remnant technological attributes observed on discarded artifacts. Both sites are located in southwestern Maine within the Little Androscoggin River. The sites are situated on elevated, well-drained …

Growth Increment Analysis Of Marine Bivalves From The North, Stephen D. Houk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aids in developing a sea surface temperature (SST) proxy with monthly temporal resolution using a combination of growth increment and stable isotope analyses of marine bivalves from the north coast of Peru. Faunal assemblages from the Siches and Ostra Base Camp archaeological sites contain shells of warm-tropical mollusks that currently live farther north in Ecuador. The presence of warm-tropical species in these sites and others as far south as 10"s latitude and dating prior to 5730 cal yr B.P. indicates a stable warm-water regime in the eastern tropical Pacific which subsequently changes to a modern temperate-water regime after …

Surficial Geology And Geomorphology Of The Western Olympus Range, Antarctica: Implications For Ice-Sheet History, Brett Vandenheuvel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A widespread erosion surface passes across bedrock and sedimentary deposits in the western Dry Valleys sector of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. The surface includes stoss-and-lee slopes, channels, potholes, scoured basins, and corrugated bedrock. These features have been taken to represent subglacial meltwater erosion beneath a greatly expanded East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) in the mid-Miocene (Denton et al. 1984, Marchant et al. 1993a). Sedimentary deposits that are typically associated with ice-sheet wastage, such as outwash, are not present on the erosion surface. The lack of these deposits indicates that the expanded ice-sheet postulated to be responsible …

Decadal Responses In Soil N Dynamics At A Paired Watershed Experiment In Maine, Sultana Sarvatara Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen is commonly thought of as the most limiting nutrient to plant growth, yet elevated N deposition can result in N accumulating in excess of biotic demand, a condition known as 'TI Saturation." Excess N can perturb soil microbial N transformations and may cause initial increases in net N mineralization rates followed by decreases in net N mineralization with concomitant increases in net nitrification. Along with increases in net nitrification and N loss, N saturation is often associated with a loss of forest productivity. Understanding nitrogen dynamics in soil under enhanced N deposition is key to predicting future forest health. …

Magmatic Enclaves And Evidence For Magma Mixing In The Oak Point Granite, Deer Isle, Maine, Usa, Ben Johnston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Coastal Maine Magmatic Province (CMMP) consists of over 100 post tectonic plutons with ages varying from Silurian to Carboniferous. Predominately, plutons are either felsic or mafic with little intermediate material. Several plutons within the CMMP show evidence for direct interaction of contemporaneous mafic and felsic magmas. These are classified as Mafic and Silicic Layered Intrusions (MASLI), a specific group of plutons with characteristics indicative of mafic magma replenishment into silicic magma chambers. While the Maine coast contains several MASLI type plutons, other plutons in the CMMP contain less definitive, more cryptic evidence that suggests interaction of mafic and silicic …

Evolution Of Sprague Neck Bar, Machias Bay, Maine, Rebecca A. Nestor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sprague Neck Bar is a recurved barrier spit located in Machias Bay, Maine. Principle geomorphic features associated with Sprague Neck Bar include bedrock, coastal bluffs, till in grounding line (the Pond Ridge Moraine) and washboard moraines, mudflats, sand and gravel beaches, and a salt marsh. Sprague Neck Bar is attached to the western end of the Pond Ridge Moraine (Sprague Neck) and extends northward toward the head of Machias Bay for 845 meters before the system recurves to the southeast for 232 meters. The recurve system forms a broad tidal flat with evidence for northward and eastward migration of the …

Anthropogenic Influences And Meteorological Effects: How They Are Changing The Sand Beaches In Southern Maine, Heather W. Heinze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although sand beaches in southern Maine comprise only a small segment of the coastline, they are economically important to the state. From September 1999-March 2001, volunteers made monthly topographic profiles along nine beaches in southern Maine to monitor changes. The volunteers used the Emery Method of beach profiling to take simultaneous measurements at spring low tide. The beaches are significantly different with respect to physiography, incident wave energy and direction, available sediment supply and extent of development. An average of the profiles for each category demonstrates that the undeveloped beaches experienced regular seasonal fluctuations and a consistent berm elevation from …

Can A Little Ice Age Climate Signal Be Detected In The Southern Alps Of New Zealand?, Jessica L. Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a late Holocene interval of climate cooling registered in the North Atlantic region by expansion of alpine glaciers and sea ice (Grove, 1988). Here the LIA includes an early phase from about AD 1280 to AD 1390, along with a main phase from about AD 1556 to AD 1860, followed by warming and ice retreat (Holzhauser and Zumbiihl, 1999a). It has recently been demonstrated from records of North Atlantic ice-rafted debris that the LIA is the latest cooling episode in a pervasive 1500-year cycle of the climate system that may lie at the heart …

Late Maritime Woodland (Ceramic) And Paleoindian End Scrapers: Stone Tool Technology, Pamela J. Dickinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Archaeologists tend to view lithic assemblages from a predominately morphological perspective, stressing the importance of the fluted point as the defining characteristic of the Paleoindian culture period (ca. 10,000 years B.P.). In applying such a characteristic, Paleoindian sites have been identified throughout the Northeast. However, there are no identified Paleoindian sites in New Brunswick. It is possible that some sites are largely ignored or thought to lack a Paleoindian component if a fluted point is absent. If such sites are being overlooked, then the database may under represent the Paleoindian culture period. Spurred end scrapers commonly occur in known Paleoindian …

Lithic Analysis Of Chipped Stone Artifacts Recovered From Quebrada Jaguay, Peru, Benjamin R. Tanner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quebrada Jaguay, a Terminal Pleistocene to Early Holocene archaeological site in Southern Peru, is recognized as one of the few sites in the Americas that features evidence of a Paleoindian maritime adaptation. Faunal remains from this multicomponent shell midden include shellfish, fish, crustaceans, and shorebirds. Lithic remains recovered from the site over the course of two field seasons (1996 and 1999) provide information about the technology of the site's inhabitants and afford comparisons with other contemporary sites. These lithic materials provide answers to questions dealing with lithic procurement and production strategies and questions about relationships with other groups along the …

Isotopic And Geochemical Study Of Groundwater In The Eastern Province Of Kenya, Martin Peter Mwangi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern Province of Kenya has both arid and semi-arid climatic conditions and drought-related problems are common. The isotopic and geochemical compositions of surface water and groundwater of the province were surveyed in an attempt to identify the sources and nature of groundwater recharge and groundwater flow directions.

The isotopic data is characterized by a large scatter in 6180, 6D, and tritium levels. The variations are due to differences in altitude and climate (temperature and rainfall) of the recharge areas.

Differences in groundwater chemistry are also evident and as in the case of isotopic composition, are the result of differences …

Seepage Of Groundwater Into The St. Clair River Near Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, Sharon A. Mason

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objectives of this research program were to determine the quantity, quality and source(s) of groundwater seepage from the streambed into the St. Clair River in the vicinity of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Seventeen survey lines were installed on the bed of the St. Clair River in a 100 m by 7 km band between Sarnia Bay and the Sarnia Indian Reserve. The survey lines extended 100 m from shore at an angle of approximately 90° to the shore. Soil cores were collected along the survey lines in conjunction with river bottom descriptions to characterize the river bed. On the …

The Effect Of Cultivation On Certain Chemical And Physical Properties Of Some South Dakota Soils, Oscar E. Olson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil Nutrient losses have followed closely in the paths of advancing frontiers in agriculture. Remedies for depletion as the result of overcropping were sought by George Washington, whose interest and investigation of soil nutrient losses probably represent the earliest attention given to land exploitation in the United States, which at the present time has become a problem of national concern. Soil losses have been attributed to a number of causes , among which are cropping, erosion, leaching, burning, and rapid oxidation of organic matter in the soil. Associated with soil nutrient losses, certain significant physical and chemical changes may occur …