Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Exploratory Statistical Analysis Of The Ground Water In The Abbotsford-Sumas Aquifer, Sharon Gelinas

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer is a primarily unconfined aquifer, located in Whatcom County, WA, with a history of nitrate contamination. Whatcom County is a large producer of raspberries and contains numerous dairy farms. Both of these agricultural practices involve large quantities of nitrates being produced or used for fertilization. A two-year ground water monitoring program was conducted in 1997 and 1998 by Western Washington University in order to determine the spatial and temporal extent of the nitrate contamination. Possible trends in nitrate concentrations may be associated with ground water movement, chemical and biological nitrate reduction processes, seasonality and land use. Exploratory …

Glacial Chronology And Paleoclimatic Significance Of Cirque Moraines Near Mts Baker And Shuksan, North Cascade Range, Wa, Robert A. (Robert Allen) Burrows

WWU Graduate School Collection

Moraines of at least two ages occur in alpine cirques near the Mt. Baker volcano in the North Cascades Range, WA. The south Swift Creek cirque preserves a distinct sequence of moraines representing the two primary age groups. In south Swift Creek cirque, the upper group of moraines (1450-1550 m) has little soil development and vegetation. Increment borings of the oldest trees growing on the upper moraines suggest that they were formed between the late 1800s and early 1900s. This age range correlates with numerous late Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines elsewhere in the Cascade Range. The south Swift Creek …

Late Holocene Aggradational Processes And Rates For Three Alluvial Fans, Cascade Foothills, Washington, John Delachapelle

WWU Graduate School Collection

Aggradation histories going back to the mid Holocene were compiled by subsurface investigation for three alluvial fans in the Cascade foothills, northwest Washington. Sygitowicz, Radonski, and Hardscrabble Creeks originate on the east slope of Stewart Mountain in steep, wooded watersheds (0.36 to 5.5 km²) and drain to the South Fork Nooksack River valley where they have built small (0.28 to 0.61 km²) post-Pleistocene alluvial fans. Ten trenches, excavated to a depth of 3 to 5 meters on the three fans, exposed well-preserved strata and paleosols.

The processes of strata deposition were identified by correlation with the …

Hydrostratigraphy, Groundwater Flow, And Nitrate Transport Within The Abbotsford Sumas Aquifer, Whatcom County, Washington, David V. (David Vaughn) Stasney

WWU Graduate School Collection

From April 1997 to January 1999, a water quality study in a four square mile area in northern Whatcom County was conducted by the Geology Department and the Institute for Watershed Studies at Western Washington University. As part of this study, this thesis focused on characterizing the hydrostratigraphy, groundwater flow directions and flow velocities and developing a groundwater model using MODFLOW and Boss GMS version 2.0 (GMS) to simulate groundwater flow and nitrate transport within this area. Monthly groundwater levels and water quality data were collected and analyzed from 21 domestic wells and one piezometer in the field and at …

Structural And Tectonic History Of The Eastern San Juan Islands, Washington, Rynn Marie Lamb

WWU Graduate School Collection

In order to address the heterogeneous character of the Decatur terrane, the rocks that occur within the easternmost San Juan Islands, Washington, are described and compared with respect to lithology, metamorphism, and structure. Based on these observations, a local structural and tectonic history is proposed.

The exposed bedrock in the south part of the study area (Guemes, Huckleberry, Hat, Dot, and Saddlebag Islands) consists primarily of an arc-volcanic intrusive complex (diorite with crosscutting mafic to felsic dikes) as well as ultramafic cumulates of dunite, Iherzolite, and wehrlite. Most of the igneous rocks have no deformational fabric and are relatively unmetamorphosed, …