Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Archaeological Investigation Using Geophysical Methods To Locate Historic Byram's Ford Road, Marshall Seth Foster

Masters Theses

"Ground penetrating radar, a time domain electromagnetic metal detector and a frequency domain electromagnetic metal detector were used with the goal of locating a section of the Byram's Ford Road believed to be intersecting the historic Big Blue Battlefield in the Westport area of Kansas City, Missouri.

Ground penetrating data were acquired at three sites, Site A, Site B, and Site C. The time domain EM metal detector was used to acquire data at Site A, where subsequent ground truthing was conducted using the frequency domain EM metal detector and an excavation tool. Significant anomalies were visible on both the …

Aeromagnetic, Gravity, And Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar Analyses Reveal The Causative Fault Of The 3 April 2017 MW 6.5 Moiyabana, Botswana, Earthquake, Folarin Kolawole, Estella A. Atekwana, S. Malloy, Dorothy Sarah Stamps, Raphael Grandin, Mohamed G. Abdel Salam, Khumo Leseane, Elisha M. Shemang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

On 3 April 2017, a M_w 6.5 earthquake struck Moiyabana, Botswana, nucleating at >20 km focal depth within the Paleoproterozoic Limpopo-Shashe orogenic belt separating the Archean Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal Cratons. We investigate the lithospheric structures associated with this earthquake using high-resolution aeromagnetic and gravity data integrated with Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) analysis. Here we present the first results that provide insights into the tectonic framework of the earthquake. The ruptured fault trace delineated by DInSAR aligns with a distinct NW striking and NE dipping magnetic lineament within the Precambrian basement. The fault plane solution and numerical modeling …

St. Louis Area Earthquake Hazards Mapping Project: Seismic And Liquefaction Hazard Maps, Chris H. Cramer, Robert A. Bauer, Jaewon Chung, J. David Rogers, Larry Pierce, Vicki Voigt, Brad Mitchell, David Gaunt, Robert A. Williams, David J. Hoffman, Gregory L. Hempen, Phyllis J. Steckel, Oliver Salz Boyd, Connor M. Watkins, Kathleen B. Tucker, Natasha S. Mccallister

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present probabilistic and deterministic seismic and liquefaction hazard maps for the densely populated St. Louis metropolitan area that account for the expected effects of surficial geology on earthquake ground shaking. Hazard calculations were based on a map grid of 0.005°, or about every 500 m, and are thus higher in resolution than any earlier studies. To estimate ground motions at the surface of the model (e.g., site amplification), we used a new detailed near-surface shear-wave velocity model in a 1D equivalent- linear response analysis. When compared with the 2014 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Model, which uses …

Seismic-Hazard Map Of Southeast Missouri And Likely Magnitude Of The February 1812 New Madrid Earthquake, Jaewon Chung, J. David Rogers

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The New Madrid seismic zone lies beneath the upper Mississippi Embayment, straddling the border between southeastern Missouri and northwestern Tennessee. In late 1811 and early 1812, it produced five earthquakes of magnitudes >6.5, violently shaking the central and eastern United States (CEUS). Its magnitude and recurrence are of concern to today's central United States regions. By considering the effects of local geology, deterministic scenario maps (M_w 7.3 and 7.7) were produced for ground motions intended to simulate the 7 February 1812 event (NM3), which was the largest felt. These maps include spatial estimates of peak ground acceleration and of …

Magnetic Susceptibility As A Proxy For Investigating Microbially Mediated Iron Reduction, Farag M. Mewafy, Estella A. Atekwana, D. Dale Werkema, Lee D. Slater, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Andre Revil, Magnus E. Skold, Geoffrey N. Delin

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We investigated magnetic susceptibility (MS) variations in hydrocarbon contaminated sediments. Our objective was to determine if MS can be used as an intrinsic bioremediation indicator due to the activity of iron-reducing bacteria. A contaminated and an uncontaminated core were retrieved from a site contaminated with crude oil near Bemidji, Minnesota and subsampled for MS measurements. The contaminated core revealed enriched MS zones within the hydrocarbon smear zone, which is related to iron-reduction coupled to oxidation of hydrocarbon compounds and the vadose zone, which is coincident with a zone of methane depletion suggesting aerobic or anaerobic oxidation of methane is coupled …

Temporal Geophysical Signatures From Contaminant-Mass Remediation, Vukenkeng Che-Alota, Estella A. Atekwana, Eliot A. Atekwana, William August Sauck, D. Dale Werkema

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have previously documented changes in bulk electrical conductivity, self-potential (SP), and ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) reflections in a field setting caused by biogeochemical transformations of hydrocarbon-contaminated media. These transformations are associated with hydrocarbon biodegradation. The results of surface geophysical surveys acquired in 1996, 2003, and 2007 document changes in geophysical signatures associated with removing hydrocarbon mass in the contaminated zone. Initial investigations in 1996 showed that relative to background, the contaminated area was characterized by higher bulk electrical conductivity, positive SP anomaly, and attenuated GPR reflections. Repeated surveys in 2003 and 2007 over the contaminated area showed that in 2007, the …

The Microbial Community Structure In Petroleum-Contaminated Sediments Corresponds To Geophysical Signatures, Jonathan P. Allen, Estella A. Atekwana, Eliot A. Atekwana, Joseph W. Duris, D. Dale Werkema, Silvia Rossbach

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The interdependence between geoelectrical signatures at underground petroleum plumes and the structures of subsurface microbial communities was investigated. For sediments contaminated with light non-aqueous-phase liquids, anomalous high conductivity values have been observed. Vertical changes in the geoelectrical properties of the sediments were concomitant with significant changes in the microbial community structures as determined by the construction and evaluation of 16S rRNA gene libraries. DNA sequencing of clones from four 16S rRNA gene libraries from different depths of a contaminated field site and two libraries from an uncontaminated background site revealed spatial heterogeneity in the microbial community structures. Correspondence analysis showed …

Active-Passive Array Surface Wave Inversion And Comparison To Borehole Logs In Southeast Missouri, Alexei A. Malovichko, Neil Lennart Anderson, Dmitriy A. Malovichko, Denis Yu Shylakov, Pavel G. Butirin

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In May 2002, both active- and passive-source surface wave data were acquired using 4-channel arrays at six selected bridge sites in southeast Missouri. Processing of acquired data (increase of signal-to-noise ratio, estimation of phase velocities) was carried out and dispersion curves of Rayleigh wave phase velocities were constructed. Each fundamental mode dispersion curve was then inverted by linearised optimization to a layered shear-wave velocity profile to depths of up to 60 m. The estimated shear-wave velocity profiles were compared to other geotechnical data that had been previously acquired at each test site for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) including …

Hydrogeophysical Investigation At Luxor, Southern Egypt, Ahmed Ismail, Neil Lennart Anderson, J. David Rogers

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Over the past 35 years, the exposed stone foundations of the ancient Egyptian monuments at Luxor have deteriorated at an alarmingly accelerated rate. Accelerated deterioration is attributable to three principal factors: 1) excavation and exposure of foundation stone; 2) construction of the Aswan High Dam; and 3) changes in the regional groundwater regime. In an effort to better elucidate the hydrostratigraphy in the Luxor study area that extends from the River Nile to the boundaries of the Nile Valley and covers about 70 km², a geophysical/hydrological investigation was conducted. Forty Schlumberger vertical electrical soundings (VES), two approximately 6 …

Field Evidence For Geophysical Detection Of Subsurface Zones Of Enhanced Microbial Activity, Eliot A. Atekwana, Estella A. Atekwana, Franklyn D. Legall, R. V. Krishnamurthy

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Geochemical data from closely spaced vertical intervals in a hydrocarbon-impacted aquifer were used to assess the relationship between bulk conductivity and zones of enhanced microbial activity. The bulk conductivity was measured using in situ vertical resistivity probes. Microbial activity was verified using terminal electron acceptors (nitrate, sulfate, iron, and manganese), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and major ion chemistry. Peaks in bulk conductivity in the aquifer overlapped with zones where nitrates and sulfates were depleted, total petroleum hydrocarbon, iron, manganese, dissolved ions, and DIC were elevated, suggesting a link between higher electrical conductivity and zones of enhanced microbial activity stimulated by …

Significant Crustal Thinning Beneath The Baikal Rift Zone: New Constraints From Receiver Function Analysis, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu, Chizheng Chen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thinning of the crust of more than 10 km is a major feature of typical continental rifts such as the East African (EAR) and Rio Grande (RGR) rifts. However, numerous previous studies across the Baikal rift zone (BRZ), which has similar surface expressions and tectonic history, and more active seismicity relative to EAR and RGR, have resulted in contradicting amount of thinning, ranging from almost none to more than 10 km. We measure crustal thickness by stacking teleseismic receiver functions beneath 51 sites on the southern and central parts of the BRZ and adjacent Siberian Platform and Sayan-Baikal-Mongolian Foldbelt. Our …

Effects Of Microbial Processes On Electrolytic And Interfacial Electrical Properties Of Unconsolidated Sediments, Gamal Z. Abdal Aal, Estella A. Atekwana, Lee D. Slater, Eliot A. Atekwana

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of microbial processes on electrical properties of unconsolidated sediments was investigated in a laboratory experiment consisting of biotic and abiotic sand columns. The biotic column (nutrient, diesel and bacteria) showed (a) temporal increase in the real, imaginary, and surface conductivity, and (b) temporal decrease in the formation factor. The abiotic columns (nutrient; and nutrient and diesel) showed no significant changes. Increase in microbial population numbers, decrease in organic carbon source, nitrate, and sulfate and increase in dissolved inorganic carbon and fluid conductivity were indicative of microbial activity in the biotic column. We also measure relative increase in the …

Field-Scale Estimation Of Volumetric Water Content Using Ground-Penetrating Radar Ground Wave Techniques, Katherine R. Grote, Susan Sharpless Hubbard, Yoram N. Rubin

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) ground wave techniques were applied to estimate soil water content in the uppermost ∼10 cm of a 3 acre California vineyard several times over 1 year. We collected densely spaced GPR travel time measurements using 900 and 450 MHz antennas and analyzed these data to estimate water content. The spatial distribution of water content across the vineyard did not change significantly with time, although the absolute water content values varied seasonally and with irrigation. The GPR estimates of water content were compared to gravimetric water content, time domain reflectometry, and soil texture measurements. The comparisons of GPR-derived …

Investigating The Geoelectrical Response Of Hydrocarbon Contamination Undergoing Biodegradation, D. Dale Werkema, Estella A. Atekwana, Anthony L. Endres, William August Sauck, Daniel P. Cassidy

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A newly proposed geoelectrical model for hydrocarbon contaminated sites predicts high conductivities coincident with the contaminated zone as opposed to the traditionally accepted low conductivity. The model attributes the high conductivities to mineral weathering resulting from byproducts of microbial redox processes. To evaluate this conductive model, in situ vertical conductivity measurements were acquired from a light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) contaminated site. The results showed high conductivities coincident with the zone of contamination and within the smear zone influenced by seasonal water table fluctuations. We infer this zone as an active zone of biodegradation and suggest significant microbial degradation under …

Temporal Variation Of Seismic B-Values Beneath Northeastern Japan Island Arc, Aimin Cao, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Analysis of a high quality seismic catalog reveals that the average of seismic b-values in the crust beneath most part of northeastern Japan island arc decreased from 0.86 between 1984 and 1990, to 0.73 between 1991 and 1995. The two areas with the largest decrease are found to be in the same areas where the coupling between the North American and the Pacific plates is the highest, as suggested by a recent geodetic study. In the same time period, the annual seismic moment release increased by 10 times. In addition, there seems to be a corresponding increase in volcanic activities …

Mantle Discontinuities Beneath Southern Africa, Stephen S. Gao, Paul G. Silver, Kelly H. Liu, Kaapvaal Seismic Group

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Seismic velocity discontinuities within the top 1000 km of the Earth beneath southern Africa are imaged by stacking about 1300 source-normalized broadband seismograms recorded by the Southern African Seismic Experiment. The Moho, 410, and 660 kilometer discontinuities are clearly detected. The mean mantle transition zone thickness is 245 km, essentially the same as the global average, suggesting that the transition zone is not anomalously warm. Thus, the lower-mantle 'African Superplume' beneath our study area has no discernible effect on transition zone temperature and is consequently confined to the lower mantle. Variations in transition zone thickness appear to be related to …

Vertical Resolution Of A Seismic Survey In Stratigraphic Sequences Less Than 100 M Deep In Southeastern Kansas, Richard Daniel J. Miller, Neil Lennart Anderson, Howard Randall Feldman, Evan K. Franseen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A 400-m long, 12-fold high-resolution common depth point (CDP) reflection seismic profile was acquired across shallow converging Pennsylvanian strata in the Independence area of southeastern Kansas. One of the principal objectives was to determine practical vertical resolution limits in an excellent shallow seismic-data area with borehole control. The dominant frequency of the CDP stacked data is in excess of 150 Hz based on peak-to-peak measurements. Interference phenomena observed on stacked seismic data incorporated with models derived from log and drill-hole information suggest a practical vertical resolution limit of about 7 m, or one-third of the dominant wavelength. The data suggest …

Westhazel General Petroleums Pool: Case History Of A Salt- Dissolution Trap In West-Central Saskatchewan, Canada, Neil Lennart Anderson, Dale A. Cederwall

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Westhazel General Petroleums (GP) Pool of west-central Saskatchewan, Canada, produces from the GP member of the Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group. This reservoir is structurally closed across the updip, eastern dissolutional edge of the underlying Middle Devonian rock salt of the Leofnard Member, Prairie Formation. The leaching of these salts occurred in post-Mannville time in the Westhazel area and caused the regional southwest dip of the General Petroleums member to be locally reversed.The Westhazel GP Pool, from a geophysical perspective, is characteristic of many of the shallow Lower Cretaceous pools situated along the dissolutional edge of the Prairie salt. The …