Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Stable Isotopes And Xrd Investigation Of Gold Mineralization At The Syenite-Hosted Young-Davidson Deposit, Matachewan, Ontario, Niloufar Naderi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Young-Davidson mine is a syenite-hosted orogenic gold deposit at the western end of the Cadillac-Larder-Lake deformation zone in the southern Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada. This study utilized oxygen isotopes to assess the sources of the fluids and evaluate the role of magmatic and metamorphic fluids in gold mineralization. XRD analyses completed on whole-rock powder samples combined with petrography provides a better understanding of the distribution, timing, and nature of alteration patterns and their relationship to gold mineralization.

Temperatures calculated from mineral separates oxygen isotope thermometry indicate the fluids ranged from approximately 322 ± 25° to 431 ± 30°C. The …

Estimating Subsurface Anisotropy: Combining Waveform Tomography And Simulated Annealing, Michael Victor Afanasiev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Crosshole seismic tomography has been used by Vale to provide geophysical images of mineralized massive sulphides in the Eastern Deeps deposit at Voisey's Bay. High resolution seismic images are presented by applying acoustic waveform tomography to these data. In waveform tomography, an initial model is required which predicts the first arrival traveltimes to within a half-cycle of the lowest frequency in the data. Because seismic velocity anisotropy can be significant, the initial model must quantify the anisotropy, as well as the velocity, in order to meet the half-cycle criterion.

In our case study, difficulties were encountered in generating an accurate …

Calculation Of A Synthetic Gather Using The Aki-Richards Approximation To The Zoeppritz Equations, Graham Ganssle

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A synthetic seismic gather showing amplitude versus offset can be analyzed by the interpretive geophysicist to predict rock properties useful in oil exploration. Reflection coefficients derived from measured well log data are convolved with a Ricker wavelet to create a synthetic seismic trace. The Zoeppritz equations describe the propagation of an acoustic wave across an interface between two viscous media of different acoustic impedances with respect to increasing offset angle. The Aki-Richards linear approximation is used to create a synthetic seismic gather with offset angles up to fifty degrees. This gather is compared to a synthetic gather created using commercially …

Geomorphologic Evolution Of A Rapidly Deteriorating Barrier Island System With Multiple Sediment Sources: Eastern Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, 1887 To 2006, Benjamin T. Kirkland

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Trinity, East, and Wine Islands make up the eastern half of the Isles Dernieres barrier arc in south-central Louisiana. Formed following the abandonment of the Lafourche delta complex, subsidence and storm erosion have led to rapid deterioration of the system. Since 1887, the land area of the islands has decreased seventy-seven percent, and the gulf shoreline has retreated landward more than a kilometer. Wave ravinement on the shoreface of the islands is responsible for the most sediment loss; liberated sediment travels longshore to tidal inlets. The dominant ebb tidal currents then transport the sediment to where it is deposited in …

Geochemical Evidence For Vertical Migration Of Deep Formation Fluids Through The Baton Rouge -Denham Springs Fault System, Lesley C. Prochaska

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Accumulations of brackish groundwater exist across south Louisiana within the shallow, south-dipping Pleistocene to Upper Miocene Baton Rouge Aquifer System (BRAS). This research investigates the source of brackish groundwater through geochemical analysis of representative groundwater samples by comparing the following geochemical ratios along with other trace elements. Low Bromide (Br)/Chloride (Cl) and Potassium (K) /Cl ratios, high Sodium (Na) /Cl ratios, trace Magnesium (Mg) concentrations, and low Strontium (Sr) ⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ in brackish waters from the BRAS are inconsistent with in situ saline water from marine formation fluids of similar age. The ratios are consistent with in situ saline-water …

Crystal Structure And Al/Si Cation Ordering In "Fassaite": A Combined Single Crystal, 27al And 29si Nmr Study, Monika M. Haring

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Al-,Ti-rich diopside, referred to herein as fassaite, occurs in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. The composition of fassaite, Ca(Mg,Al)(Si,Al)₂O₆, makes it ideal for Al/Si cation ordering studies. In this study, crystal XRD, ²⁷Al and 29Si MAS NMR as well as ²⁷Al 3QMAS NMR is used to study cation ordering in extraterrestrial fassaite from Allende CAIs and a terrestrial analogue from Fassa Valley Italy. From ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si spectroscopy, fassaite from Allende CAIs is found to have more local Al/Si cation ordering than terrestrial Fassaite. Both terrestrial and extraterrestrial have C2/c …

Characterization Of The Red Bluff Landslide, Greater Cascade Landslide Complex, Columbia River Gorge, Washington, James Robert Randall

Dissertations and Theses

Located in the Columbia River Gorge, The Red Bluff Landslide (18.8 km2) is one of four large landslides that make up the Cascade Landslide Complex. In its current form, the Red Bluff Landslide is a post-Missoula Flood feature made up of two components: an active upper lobe (8.6 km2) that is translational, creeping to the south at 25 cm/yr and spreading laterally to the east at 6 cm/yr over a semi-fixed portion (10.2 km2) of the Red Bluff Landslide area that has been "smoothed" by Missoula Floods. The upper active lobe is the landslide debris accumulated since Missoula Flood time …

Arctic Cold Spring Mineralogy As An Indicator Of Spring Deposits, Water, And Habitable Environments On Mars, Melissa M. Battler

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Springs exist in many terrestrial settings and have supported microbial communities throughout Earth’s history. There is mounting evidence for spring deposits on Mars from Noachian age to present, implying that water may be circulating in Mars’ subsurface despite current cold, arid conditions. Current datasets for most of Mars are limited to mineralogy via orbital spectroscopy and geomorphology from visual imagery and laser altimetry. Much is known about terrestrial spring morphology, but few springs exist in Mars analogue settings, and of those, few have been investigated for mineralogy. This study reports on two sets of cold spring sites in the Canadian …

Topographic Influences On Trends And Cycles In Nutrient Export From Forested Catchments On The Precambrian Shield, Samson G. Mengistu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation explored topographic controls on spatial and temporal patterns in water yield and nutrient (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) export from forested headwater catchments in the Turkey Lakes Watershed in central Ontario, where other factors contributing to differences in water yield and nutrient export, including climate, geology, forest, and soils, are relatively constant. Topographic characteristics, including (a) hydrological flushing potential (expansion of water table into nitrate-N producing areas); (b) hydrological storage potential (area of wetlands, which can alternatively allow water and nutrients to bypass wetlands when storage capacity is filled with water or to trap them when not filled); and …

Strength, Elasticity And Phase Transition Study On Nacl And Mgo-Nacl Mixture To Mantle Pressures, Zhongying Mi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Rheological properties of the Earth control most of the important geological processes, such as mantle convection, plate tectonics, earthquakes and nature of thermal evolution. Most parts of the Earth consist of multi-phase polycrystalline aggregates with various composition and compressibility. Therefore, deformation studies on multi-phase materials are important to understand the rheological properties and convection of the Earth. NaCl and MgO with large contrast in elastic properties are excellent analogue materials for modelling the Earth that is generally made of both strong and weak materials. In addition, NaCl and MgO are widely used as pressure transmitting medium and pressure calibration standard …

A Study Of The Bioherms Of The Early Ordovician Garden City Formation And A Literature Review Of Early Ordovician Organic Buildups, Heidi Pearce

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

During the Early Ordovician organic buildups formed in shallow seas across the world. This project contains a literature review on these organic buildups with a focus on those occurring in the warm, shallow seas of North America, but also includes a study on organic buildups formed in the cold water region of Russia. The goal of the study was to characterize these Early Ordovician organic buildups in order to identify similarities and differences in their occurrence. The second part of this project is a preliminary study on organic buildups occurring in the Early Ordovician Garden City Formation in Boss Canyon, …

Determining Temperatures Of Deformation In Mylonites From The Scandinavian Caledonides, With Implications For The Thermal And Kinematic Evolution Of Orogens, Andrea Marilina Wolfowicz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Titanium-in-quartz (TitaniQ) thermobarometer was evaluated in ductilely sheared rocks (mylonites) from the Scandinavian Caledonides in comparison with several other thermometric methods, including: (1) TitaniQ thermometry in cross-cutting quartz veins, (2) garnet-biotite Fe-Mg exchange thermometry, (3) metamorphic phase equilibria, and (4) quartz microstructures as calibrated experimentally and empirically. In all instances, quartz vein temperatures mimic TitaniQ temperatures of the host rocks. Similarly, TitaniQ temperatures of dynamically recrystallized quartz, ranging from ~210°C at the thrust front to 475°C at the deepest structural levels, reflect the best estimate of the final temperature of deformation. Higher temperatures are also preserved locally and more …

Megathrust Splay Fault Geometry In Prince William Sound, Alaska, Shaun Patrick Finn

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

I present marine seismic reflection results from Prince William Sound, Alaska that document the location of active faults related to the subduction zone processes.

Subduction zones along convergent margins experience large earthquakes, magnitude >8, with recurrence intervals on the order of centuries. Smaller magnitude earthquakes with shorter recurrence intervals are probable along the same subduction zone fault zones. Convergent margin earthquakes also are associated with high uplift rates and tsunami generation, yet the location and uplift history of most tsunamigenic faults are unknown. In this thesis, I present the processed results of high resolution marine seismic reflection data of Prince …

Assessing Eolian Dust Inputs To Soils In Dry Creek Experimental Watershed, Sw Idaho, Brian Jameson Stark

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A geochemical investigation of upland soils in the Dry Creek Experimental Watershed (DCEW) near Boise, Idaho was conducted to assess the potential contributions of eolian dust. Major and trace element compositions of soils within the watershed, loess deposits in the adjacent Western Snake River Plain (WSRP), and underlying granodiorite bedrock were evaluated. Multiple lines of evidence suggest a significant contribution of dust in the soils. Plots of Co/Ti, V/Ti and Cr/Ti indicate that the loess and bedrock occupy distinctly different compositional spaces and that the soils are of intermediate composition, suggesting that the soils are a mixture of the loess …

Faunal Distribution And Relative Abundance In A Silurian (Wenlock) Pinnacle Reef Complex - Ray Reef, Macomb County, Michigan, Jennifer L. Trout

Masters Theses

Niagaran (Silurian) reefs are important sources of hydrocarbons in the Michigan Basin. In addition, some of these reservoirs have been used for gas storage and may be potential CO2 sequestration sites.

Despite extensive research on Niagaran reefs, most studies concerning faunal abundance and distribution have been qualitative studies conducted by paleontologists with an emphasis on taxonomy, paleoecology, and evolution.

This study is the first quantitative study of relative abundance and general distribution of fauna throughout a single Wenlock reef located in the southern trend of the Michigan Basin. This study will build on previous work done by WMU students and …

Stratigraphic Framework For Deposits Of The Saginaw Lobe, Barry And Calhoun Counties, Michigan, Usa, Stephanie K. Ewald

Masters Theses

Between 2006 and 2012, twelve rotasonic borings were drilled in Barry and Calhoun Counties, south central Michigan, as part of several Great Lakes Geological Mapping Coalition projects. Natural gamma ray logs were collected at every location and a detailed description and textural analysis was completed for seven of these cores. Five of the seven analyzed cores reached bedrock. Six of the seven borings were drilled north of the Kalamazoo Moraine of the Saginaw Lobe, which was constructed during retreat of the lobe after the Late Glacial Maximum. Five borings, drilled in tunnel valleys, indicate an increase in depth of tunnel …

Characterizing The Internal Architecture Of Upper Bone Spring Limestone Turbidites And Mass-Transport Deposits (Mtds) Utilizing High-Resolution Image Log Technology, Jason J. Asmus

Masters Theses

Characterization of reservoir scale (less than 1 meter thick) turbidites and mass-transport deposits (MTDs) using conventional subsurface data is complex, due to millimeter-centimeter scale architectural heterogeneity exhibited by these deposits.

Limited studies of the Bone Spring carbonate turbidites and MTDs within the Delaware Basin subsurface emphasized the use of conventional wire-line log and seismic data to evaluate reservoir potential of such strata. As a result, limited resolution offered by these data sets do not allow for accurate characterization of reservoir, and sub-reservoir scale, architectural and compositional variations.

The present investigation integrates high-resolution (centimeter scale) electrical borehole image logs with conventional …

Integrated Approach For Hydrogeologic Investigations In Africa: Inferences From Space-Borne And Land-Based Gravity, Aeromagnetic, Gis, And Remote Sensing Data, Mohamed El Sayed Ahmed Ahmed

Dissertations

An integrated (space-borne and land-based gravity, aeromagnetic, GIS, and remote sensing) approach was developed, tested, and applied to investigate the following on regional scales (Africa) or local scales (El Qaa Plain, Sinai): (1) assess the capability of GRACE data (04/2002 to 08/2011) for monitoring elements of hydrologic systems on the sub-basin level (Task 1); (2) address the nature and the controlling factors (e.g., climatic and/or human pressure-related) affecting the inter-annual GRACE-derived Terrestrial Water Storage (TWS) trends over a large suite of hydrologic systems and domains in (Africa) (Task 2); and (3) identify the structural, geologic and hydrologic settings as well …

A Watershed Scale Evaluation Of Selected Second Generation Biofeedstocks On Water Quality, Gurdeep Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study compares a novel simulation approach to the conventional Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeler's approach for targeting biofuel crop production on marginal lands. In conventional SWAT modeling approach, non-spatial definition of hydrological response units (HRUs) results in the simulation of biofuel crops on both marginal and non-marginal land. This study provides an alternative approach in which a marginal-land raster was integrated into the land use and land cover (LULC) raster in such a way that the land uses were divided into marginal and non-marginal components. This modified LULC was used for model setup which resulted in marginal …

Penetration Forces For Subsurface Regolith Probes, Ahmed Elshafie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating planetary bodies using penetrometers can provide detailed information about its history and evolution. An estimation of subsurface density and porosity can be made from the shape of the penetration curve. Using penetrometers mounted on planetary platforms could be challenging due to the uncertainty of the subsurface composition and since the maximum allowed force for penetration is the weight of the lander or rover on the surface. Estimation of penetration forces can provide a reliable constraint on the maximum reachable depth without endangering the whole mission. Therefore, knowledge of the required penetration force to specific depths can be helpful in …

Interpreting The Paleoenvironmental Context Of Marine Shales Deposited During The Cambrian Radiation: Global Insights From Sedimentology, Paleoecology, And Geochemistry, Tristan Kloss

Theses and Dissertations

Many Cambrian marine shales are traditionally thought to have been deposited under dysoxic or anoxic conditions based upon interpretations of sedimentological and ichnological fabrics. Recently a number of geochemical studies have suggested the opposite, that some Cambrian marine shales were deposited under slightly oxic to well-oxygenated conditions. Despite the significant implications redox conditions have for the paleoenvironment, paleoecology, and taphonomy of Cambrian shales, rarely are these disparate sedimentological and geochemical approaches combined for direct comparisons in a singular study of Cambrian shales. A multidisciplinary approach is used here, combining sedimentological, paleoecological, and geochemical approaches, for re-interpreting the paleoenvironmental conditions of …

Modeling Lithospheric Rheology From Modern Measurements Of Bonneville Shoreline Deformation, Eric P. Beard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Here I develop a new method for estimating differences in elevation between pairs of paleo-lake shoreline features. This method is applied to Lake Bonneville, a large lake that inundated nearly 1/3 of the state of Utah as well as parts of Nevada and Idaho from 34 to 11.5 thousand years ago. Under the weight of the lake water load, the surface of the Earth was depressed by up to 75 m. This occurred as Earth mantle rock at depth flowed outward in response to the weight of the lake. I use this new methodology to compile here a denser sample …

Ecological Interactions Affecting Diatom Climate Reconstructions In Prairie Saline Lakes Of The Northern Great Plains (Usa), Courtney R. Wigdahl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sedimentary diatom profiles from saline lakes are frequently used to reconstruct lakewater salinity as an indicator of drought. However, diatom-inferred salinity reconstructions (DI-salinity) from geographically-close sites in the Great Plains (USA) have yielded disparate results. Here, I explore how within-lake ecological processes, such as physical changes in lake habitat and zooplankton grazing pressure, may affect the accuracy of diatom-based salinity reconstructions. I examined how relationships differed among drought, lake-level change, and diatom community structure over the last century by developing three-dimensional models of planktic:benthic habitat (P:B) relationships with lake level change. I explored the potential for zooplankton grazing influence by …

Exploring The Surface Liquid And Lake Regions Of Titan With Laboratory Experimentation And Cassini Spacecraft Data, Felix Casimir Wasiak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The surface liquids and lake regions of Titan are studied utilizing three unique techniques, the results of which are reported in this dissertation. The development of a facility to simulate the surface conditions of Titan, and to conduct experiments on samples within that facility, brings an understanding of Titan's surface not possible through observation and modeling alone. The properties of this facility are presented, including conceptual methodology, design, implementation, performance, and experimental results. The facility, the main component of which is a simulation chamber, allows for Titan temperatures of 90 - 94 K and a 1.5 bar N2 atmosphere. The …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Absorption Field Product Architecture Type On Effluent Dispersal And Soil Chemical Properties In A Profile-Limited Soil, Nina J.M. Prater

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) are commonly used by households in areas of low population density to treat household wastewater and recycle it back to the environment. The traditional absorption field product used in OWTSs is a pipe-and-gravel architecture type, which has been used for decades and is the basis for most design regulations. However, new products of differing architecture types including chambers, polystyrene-aggregate, pipe-and-tire-chip, and gravel-less-pipe systems have recently become available. A three-year field study was conducted in Bethel Heights, AR to assess the performance of several newer products and to compare different architecture types to the traditional pipe-and-gravel …

Diagenesis And Reservoir Characterization Of The Pennsylvanian Middle Atoka Formation, Sebastian And Logan Counties, West-Central Arkansas, Elvis Chekwube Bello

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Middle Atoka Formation evolved from a stable passive margin during the early Pennsylvanian time to a rapidly subsiding basin, with the sedimentary fill thickening greatly southward during the middle Pennsylvanian time. The basin dips in north-south direction. An east-west anticlines and synclines were observed.

The purpose of this study is to establish the stratigraphic units, reservoir geometry and distribution, and infer the depositional environments and reservoir quality. Well correlation and petrographic studies are used to achieve the goals.

Sandstone Point Count method was used. The Point Counts was divided into five categories. They include the framework grains (quartz, feldspar, …

Stratigraphic Variations In The Carboniferous Section Across The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line Arch, Tyler Dean Engelhardt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State Line Arch is represented by a structural high that trends through the study area in a loose alignment with the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Evidence of the arch extending further to the north includes a structural high and stratigraphic variation at an outcrop on Highway 59 near Evansville Mountain in Crawford County, Arkansas. The exact timing of the formation of the arch remains undetermined, but upper Devonian thinning at the top of the arch indicates the structure is pre-Mississippian. The reason for the development of the arch is poorly understood, but evidence linking Mississippian-aged Waulsortian mounds to Precambrian Spavinaw …

Assessing The Impacts Of Surface Water Removal For Use In Natural Gas Extraction On A Watershed Level, Carrie Ann Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the Soil and Water Assessment Test (SWAT) was used as a tool to predict whether diffuse water removal from the Cadron Creek watershed for use with natural gas development would have an impact on downstream flow within the watershed. Cadron Creek watershed expands across four counties within Arkansas and is located in the Fayetteville Shale Gas region. This region is experiencing significant growth in natural gas development. Successful development of shale gas depends on the identification of what water supplies are available for production without interfering with community and environmental needs. The SWAT model used to evaluate …

Long-Term Effects Of Rice Rotation, Tillage, And Fertility On Near-Surface Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycling, Jill Marie Motschenbacher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-based cropping systems are different from other row crops due to the flood-irrigation scheme used from about one month after planting to a few weeks prior to harvest. The frequent cycling between anaerobic (i.e., flooding during the growing season) and aerobic (i.e., generally, the remainder of the year) conditions can influence the rate of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, which can greatly influence carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage and sequestration in the soil over time. Therefore, a study was conducted on a silt-loam soil (fine, smectitic, thermic, Typic Albaqualf) at the Rice Research and Extension Center …

Hydromechanical Well Testing Using A 3d Fiber Optic Extensometer, Glenn Skawski

All Theses

Some fractured rock formations hold important resources, such as water, hydrocarbons or heat, whereas others are good candidates for waste disposal. Hydromechanical well tests have been developed to improve characterization of formation properties and parameter distributions by measuring displacement along with pressure while stressing a well. The displacement that occurs during a well test depends on the geometry of fractures or other sources of permeability, as well as the distribution of compliance or elastic modulus. Current methods of hydromechanical well testing, measures axial displacements along a wellbore, which may cause ambiguity in interpretations when 3-D components of deformation are present. …