Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Reducing Exposures To Mercury, Sharon P. Mclelland

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Mercury is an environmental contaminant affecting neurological development, the immune system and cardiac health. Air emissions become environmental pollutants impacting air, water and land. Consumption of mercury-contaminated fish can create public health concerns, primarily to pregnant women and their fetuses. New York State's public policy response addresses incidental exposures with annual fish advisories and restrictions on mercury emissions and products sold or used. Additional public policy responses to the mercury problem can include: direct notification of advisories to fish consumers, enhanced public health notification of benefits and risks of consuming fish, labeling requirements on mercury-containing products, and expanded scientific data …

Salamanders Of The Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee., Grant Stanley Boardman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Screening efforts at the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, have yielded a unique and diverse salamander fauna for the southern Appalachian Mio-Pliocene; including at least five taxa from three modern families (Ambystomatidae, Plethodontidae, and Salamandridae) supporting the woodland-pond interpretation of the site. All specimens represent the earliest record of their respective families in the Appalachian Mountains; with the Notophthalmus sp. vertebrae being the only Mio-Pliocene skeletal fossil known for the family Salamandridae in North America. Three types of plethodontid salamander are present, with one type representing the earliest known desmognathine. The desmognathine fossils lend credence to the 'Appalachian' origin …

Numerical Modeling Of Fracturing In Non-Cylindrical Folds: Case Studies In Fracture Prediction Using Structural Restoration, John Ryan Shackleton

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis contains several distinct studies aimed at better understanding fracturing in compressional fault-cored folds. At outcrops of growth strata in the Oliana anticline in the Spanish Pyrenees, the relationship of two joint sets may reflect changing mechanical properties (i.e. via diagenesis) during the folding process. Using a Schmidt hammer, I assess the rigidity contrast between the individual units and suggest that late-stage, throughgoing joints formed in strata with conditions similar to those of the present day and that early, bed-contained joints formed when the rigidity contrast between beds was significantly greater than the present day contrast. Modeling algorithms that …

Eastern Mediterranean Pore Waters: Clues Into The Geochemical Pathways From Evaporated Seawater To Basinal Brines, Jessica A. Mumphrey

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Using Real-World Data As A Basis For Problem-Based Learning: Investigating Preservation Biases Of Fish In Fossil Butte National Monument, Blair Larsen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project examined the design and development of an online problem-based learning module to teach earth-system science to K-12 educators. The module revolved around identifying earth sphere (lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere) interactions needed to produce mass fish mortality layers found in the Green River Formation at Fossil Butte National Monument. Students investigated the unique earth sphere combinations needed to produce mass fish mortality layers, reflected on the formation of such deposits, and examined the impact of these earth spheres on the earth system. As a supplement to the course, the students also analyzed data on fossils collected from a …

Investigations Into Mapping Lava Flows In The Snake River Plain, Idaho, Vinita Ruth Hobson-Broko

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The origin of the Snake River plain continues to be debated, but the plume model is most popular at the current time. Some theories, such as meteorite impact, have been excluded, but the remaining theories require more scrutiny.

Various methods of examining phenomena in the Snake River Plain were employed. Unsupervised classification of Landsat ETM data indicates that spectra can be used to differentiate between flows. However, photographs of flows at Craters of the Moon National Monument show wide variations in texture and color within a single flow. Vegetation grows preferentially on the smoother pahoehoe slabs and significantly impacting the …

Numerical Modeling Of Time-Lapse Seismic Experiments To Monitor Co2 Sequestration In A Layered Basalt Reservoir, Murari Khatiwada

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Instead of allowing carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated from the burning of hydrocarbons to escape into the atmosphere, CO₂ can be captured and stored. For the long term mitigation of the increasing amount of CO₂ emissions, its sequestration in geological formations is promising. As a measure, its short and long term monitoring is equally important for environmental and health safety issues. The seismic method is proposed as a non-invasive monitoring technique for geological sequestration of CO₂. Based on the positive results obtained from reservoir monitoring during enhanced oil recovery with CO₂ floods, geoscientists plan …

Paleoenvironment And Paleoclimate Of Coastal East Antarctica During The Middle Miocene : Particle Size Results Of The Andrill Southern Mcmurdo Sound Project, Candice Joy Falk

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The ANDRILL Southern McMurdo Sound (SMS) Project was carried out in December of 2007 by an international interdisciplinary team. The AND-2A core recovered the most complete Neogene stratigraphic record from Antarctica, spanning the past 20.2 million years. Analyzing particle size distributions of samples throughout the core can determine environmental conditions of the past, such as the advance or retreat of glaciers and the rise and fall of sea level. Over 300 samples were taken at approximately 3 m intervals from the 1138.54 m AND-2A core. Samples were processed and analyzed using a Malvern Instruments Mastersizer 2000, laser diffractometer which has …

A River Transformed: Historic Geomorphic Changes Of The Lower Rio Grande In The Big Bend Region Of Texas, Chihuahua, And Coahuila, David James Dean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the last century, the construction and management of large dams and stream-flow diversions, and periodic drought have resulted in significant declines in stream flow of the lower Rio Grande in the Big Bend region. Reductions in mean annual flow and peak discharge have resulted in channel narrowing by the formation of vertically accreting inset floodplains. Narrowing has been temporarily interrupted by infrequent large dam releases greater than 1000 m³/s that have temporarily widened the channel; however, after each of these events, narrowing has resumed. Prior to 1942, floods of this magnitude occurred approximately once every 4 years …

Evolution Of The Lower Cretaceous Chifeng Half-Graben Basins, Inner Mongolia, China, Scott Joshua Friedman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As a result of complex extensional tectonics in northeast China and southern portions of Mongolia, some workers have interpreted the Cretaceous Maanshan Uplift and associated Chifeng basins as metamorphic core complex. Previous work has relied solely upon kinematic indicators to determine the structural origin of these basins. To fully understand the creation of these basins, the sedimentiological record was analyzed in this study. The early Cretaceous sedimentary fill of these basins was analyzed to determine if it is synextensional in nature, and if so what manner of extension was in progress during that deposition.

The Chifeng basins are filled with …

Fluvial Systems Tied Together Through A Common Base Level: The Geomorphic Response Of The Dirty Devil River, North Wash Creek, And The Colorado River To The Rapid Base Level Drop Of Lake Powell, Adam L. Majeski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fluvial adjustment to base level change has its roots in the fundamental concepts of geomorphology. This thesis explores the rate of erosion and sedimentation on the Colorado and Dirty Devil rivers and North Wash Creek under the current base level changes related to the drawdown conditions of Lake Powell. Through cross section and long profile resurveys, the current state of each system is captured and added to the historic record of sedimentation in Lake Powell. All three systems are generally forming narrow and deep incised channels driven by the rapid rate of base level fall. Cross sections that deviate from …

Soil Organic Carbon And Site Characteristics In Aspen And Evaluation Of The Potential Effects Of Conifer Encroachment On Soil Properties In Northern Utah, Mical K. Woldeselassie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the Intermountain West, aspen (Populus tremuloides) has declined mainly due to a combination of successional processes, fire suppression and long-term use of ungulates which has led to replacement by conifers, sagebrush or other shrub communities. Conifer encroachment is believed to cause critical changes in the ecosystem properties. In order to understand the impacts of conifer encroachment on soil properties such as soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, soil morphology, and soil chemical properties, and the implications of such changes, it is very important to assess the soil properties under the two vegetation types. The objectives of this study …

Correlation, Paleogeography, And Provenance Of The Neoproterozoic Eastern Uinta Mountain Group, Goslin Mountain Area, Northeastern Utah, Daniel J. Rybczynski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Geologic mapping, facies analysis, sedimentary petrography, and detrital zircon analyses of undivided eastern Uinta Mountain Group stratigraphy are presented to better understand the depositional environments and tectonic setting of the Uinta Mountain Group basin. Subdivided units have been modified and correlated from previous work and include the Red Pine Shale, Hades Pass, Crouse Canyon, Outlaw Trail, and Diamond Breaks formations. Three lower-order maximum flooding surfaces associated with the lower Outlaw Trail formation, lower Hades Pass formation, and Red Pine Shale are interpreted. The relative magnitude of each lower-order transgression increases up section along with increasing diversity of palynomorph assemblages found …

A Geologic And Hydrochemical Investigation Of The Suitability Of Central Utah's Navajo Sandstone For The Disposal Of Saline Process Water And Co2, Kevin L. Randall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Salt water is produced from the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in central Utah as part of the production of coalbed methane (CBM) and is disposed of by injection predominantly into the Navajo Sandstone between 4,500 feet to 7,300 feet and is considered to be a hazardous waste. Local government agencies are concerned about the potential impacts on shallow groundwater because of this disposal method.

Water samples were gathered from four shallow water-supply wells, and nine salt water disposal (SWD) wells to compare hydrochemistries as an indicator of potential mixing. Shallow water-supply wells are likely recharged by local …

Geochemical Provenance Of Clastic Sedimentary Rocks In The Western Cordillera: Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, And Oregon, John Aaron Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sedimentary rocks are an important source of information about previous orogenic conditions and the composition of which may describe the evolution of provenance and tectonic setting. Many factors influence sediment composition, namely, source rock composition, chemical weathering, climate, transport burial, and diagenesis. As the sediment composition changes through time, the geochemical characteristics of the sediment can be used to understand its geologic history.

The geochemical characteristics of clastic sedimentary rocks are useful in determining the depositional setting and its associated provenance. Although many different studies have used geochemical discriminants to evaluate provenance and tectonic settings, none have used a defined …

Monitoring Protocol For Two New Jersey Ponds With Littoral Zone Vegetative Restoration, Michael Wilson

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Restoration projects are becoming more frequent and commonplace because of increased regulations on development to replace lost ecosystems. Many of these projects have marginal success and rarely achieve the desired results. The mistakes and oversights are sometimes in the planning stages, but more often are made during the installation, primarily due to improper horticultural technique, poor monitoring, education, or lack of follow-up maintenance. Wetland restoration is even more difficult, due to the variable hydrologic patterns and reliance on environmental conditions. The most difficult type of wetland plant to establish is the emergent aquatic that typically grows in water up to …

Ridge Subduction Volcanism In The Zeballos Complex, Southern Patagonian Andes, Michael Joseph Dasilva

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Zeballos Complex (47.0°S, 71.4°W) lies on the western side of Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires (MLBA) in the southern Andean backarc region, southeast of the Chile Triple Junction and east of ridge collision that occurred at 6 Ma. The Zeballos Complex is a bimodal, alkaline volcanic complex consisting of multiple lava flows, dikes, volcanic necks, and sub-volcanic intrusives that range from basalt to trachybasalt (47-50% SiO₂; 5-7% Na₂O+K₂O; 3-7% MgO) to highly differentiated trachyandesite, trachydacite, and trachyte (58-65% SiO₂; 8-12% Na₂O+K₂O). Intermediate compositions are relatively rare, but …

A Sedimentary Investigation Of Lineation Patterns Found In The Pinelands Of New Jersey, Jennifer Lynn Lapoma

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Late Pleistocene (-15,000 years ago) geomorphic processes in the Pinelands of southern New Jersey were investigated after odd lineations were found on an Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) survey during the construction of a runway expansion at Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station. These lineations roughly matched up with alternating high and low albedo lineations identified on a 1931 aerial photomosaic approximately 17 kilometer (km) south of Lakehurst Navy Base in Davensport Branch, New Jersey. These lineations were initially hypothesized to be relicts from strong katabic winds flowing off the Laurentide Ice Sheet that would have been capable of winnowing magnetic sands from …

Geochemical And Petrographic Signatures From Marie Byrd Land And Larsen-B Ice Shelf Sediments : Implications For Provenance Tracing, Cathleen Lauren Dale

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The goal of this study is to trace ice rafted debris in the Southern Ocean back to its most probable terrestrial source from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), or the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Cap (APIC) in order to identify past ice sheet collapses in the geologic record. The bedrock in these areas have characteristic petrographic and geochemical signatures that are preserved in glacially transported and deposited sediment. These signatures may allow us to identify ice rafted debris and fine-grained sediment that originate from these three areas, which have undergone recent ice shelf retreat and …

Stratigraphy And Geochemistry Of Squantum Tillite, Boston Bay Group : Using Field Log And Icp Analysis, Efe Junior Erukanure

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The Squantum Tillite has been studied in order to ascertain its depositional history. The Squantum Tillite is part of the Neoproterozoic Boston Bay Group, located in the Boston Basin. Researchers have proposed contradicting hypotheses about the origin of the rocks in the area for over a century. While some believe that the rocks were deposited by glaciers along a prograding submarine margin, others believe the rocks are of volcanic or tectonic origin. Many scientists are inclined to believe the rocks are of tectonic origin because the Squantum Tillite is located in a tectonic Basin (the Boston Basin).

Field logging was …

Construction Site Sedimentary Pollution In A Watershed, Imo Okwu

Theses and Dissertations

In the study of sediment pollution on and near a construction site, it is necessary to remember that sediment movement and deposition are part of the natural environment before the intervention of construction. As with many hydrologic problems, most sedimentation problems have visual impacts for relatively short periods, because they are rainstorm-related. Perhaps the most serious sedimentation problem is general deterioration of the total environment, a condition usually not recognized by the public. This research presents an analytical evaluation of five construction sites. The analytical framework categorized the life cycle of construction sites into three stages in order to facilitate …

Substrate Monitoring, Contaminant Monitoring, And Educational Outreach On Quagga Mussels (Dreissena Bugensis) In Lake Mead, Nevada, Sara Ann Mueting

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The invasive species, the quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis, was found in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA on January 6, 2007. Since then, researchers have been attempting to quantify the amount of damage these mussels will cause to the lower Colorado River basin. Three projects were implemented in this thesis to research the quagga mussel in Lake Mead. First, a study to determine which types of substrates quagga mussels will grow on preferentially was conducted. Six different substrates, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, Concrete Underlayment Board (CUB), aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass, were placed in the Boulder …

The Sheep Pass Formation, A Record Of Late Cretaceous And Paleogene Extension Within The Sevier Hinterland, East-Central Nevada, Peter Alexander Druschke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sevier hinterland of western North America is considered by many to be an ancient proxy for the modern Andean Puna-Altiplano or Tibetan Plateau. However, controversies exist as tectonic setting and overall paleogeography of the Sevier hinterland during the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene. The Sheep Pass Formation type section within the southern Egan Range of east-central Nevada comprises a > 1 km thick sedimentary succession spanning the latest Cretaceous to Eocene, and provides a rare opportunity to test prevailing tectonic and paleogeographic models for the Sevier hinterland. New 1:12,000 scale field mapping inthe southern Egan Range indicates that up to three …

Uncertainty, Sensitivity And Geostatistical Studies Of Flow And Contaminant Transport In Heterogeneous Unsaturated Zone, Feng Pan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objectives of this study are: (1) to develop a methodology of estimating probability density functions (PDFs) of unsaturated hydraulic parameters when field samples are sparse, (2) to evaluate the predictive uncertainties in flow and contaminant transport due to parameter uncertainties in the layer- and local-scale heterogeneities of hydraulic parameters in unsaturated zone (UZ), (3) to investigate the contributions of the parameter uncertainties to the flow and transport uncertainties, and (4) to estimate the spatial correlation structures of hydraulic parameters by incorporating prior information and site measurements.

At layer scale, the uncertainty assessment of flow and contaminant transport in UZ …

Temporal Variations In Spring Water Chemistry And Comparison Of Variable Paleozoic Aquifer Discharges In The Ridge And Valley Province Of Northwestern Georgia, Oliver Wood Costello

Geosciences Theses

The fluctuations in solute concentrations from eight springs in the Ridge and Valley Province in northwestern Georgia were used to determine flow types and to measure each aquifer’s ability to remove contamination. The target springs are located along a northeast trending line in the Ridge and Valley Province of northwest Georgia. This study determined and interpreted the fluctuations in chemistry of each of the sampled spring’s water based upon temporal variations of precipitation in the area and variations in the chemistries measured at each weekly sampling event. Analysis determined that carbonate springs that showed characteristics of diffuse flow, including stable …

Race, Place, And Identity: Examining Place Identity In The Racialized Landscape Of Buckhead, Atlanta, Robert Edward Cochran

Geosciences Theses

This thesis examines the role of racialized practices in the discourses and processes that alter place identity. Drawing on ethnography from the East Village of Buckhead, a once vibrant nightlife district in Atlanta, I examine how discourses of danger, colorblindness, and the race card have been employed to “whitewash” the discussions about the redevelopment of the Village. In effect, the business and civic elite of Atlanta (and Buckhead) deployed racialized conceptualizations of group identity. In particular, they utilized “public safety” discourses to influence the Atlanta city government to support the redevelopment effort. This led to the elimination of the establishments …

Analysis Of Stream Runoff Trends In The Blue Ridge And Piedmont Of Southeastern United States, Usha Kharel

Geosciences Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine the temporal trends of three monthly variables: stream runoff, rainfall and air temperature and to find out if any correlation exists between rainfall and stream runoff in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont provinces of the southeast United States. Trend significance was determined using the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test on a monthly and annual basis. GIS analysis was used to find and integrate the urban and non-urban stream gauging, rainfall and temperature stations in the study area. The Mann-Kendall test showed a statistically insignificant temporal trend for all three variables. The correlation of 0.4 …

The Spaces Of Encounter Of Female Middle Eastern And Muslim Immigrants In Atlanta, Georgia, Tara Diana Prizito

Geosciences Theses

This study analyzes identity, class, religiosity, and belonging as they affect the experiences of female Middle Eastern and Muslim immigrants in various spaces within the context of the Atlanta, Georgia area and draws attention to the ‘othering’ of immigrants in American society. The exploration of immigrants’ experiences in various spaces includes public and semi-public, employment, educational and organizational spaces. Interviews were conducted on 24 female immigrants in the Atlanta area who possess various backgrounds. While female immigrants who wear the hijab experienced more, and more direct, discrimination than those who wear Western styles, the women who wear hijab were not …

Clay Mineralogy And Illite Crystallinity In The Late Devonian To Early Mississippian Woodford Shale In The Arbuckle Mountains, Oklahoma, Usa, Richard Allen Whittington Ii

Geosciences Theses

Commonly the thermal maturity of the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian Woodford shale found on the flanks of the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma is determined by vitrinite reflectance, values ranging from 0.3-1.5%. Using phyllosilicate minerals, specifically diagenetic mixed layer illite/smectite and diagenetic illite, an understanding of the extent and processes leading to the thermal maturation may be developed. Analysis by XRD of the clay mineralogy of the Woodford shale found kaolinite and mixed layer illite/smectite with <5% smectite and R≥3 stacking order. Modeling of the Woodford shale also suggests the percentage of smectite present in mixed layer illite/smectite to be <5% and commonly <2.5%. Deconvolution of the illite (001) peak supports the low smectite content and high illite crystallinity. The long range ordered illite, R≥3, and high illite crystallinity values are indicative of diagenesis to anchizone conditions suggesting a higher thermal maturity relative to previously measured values of vitrinite reflectance.

The Storm 2.0 Project Next Generation Hurricane Data Collection, Santhana Krishnan Balaji

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.