Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The East Jhomolari Fault System And The Timing Of East-West Extension In Northwest Bhutan, John Matthew Cannon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This investigation documents a little known, regionally significant, high angle, southeast dipping, system of normal faults in northwest Bhutan, the East Jhomolari Fault System (EJFS). The EJFS trends parallel to the Yadong Gulu rift (YG) and can be traced from Mt. Jhomolari to the northern border with Tibet. This fault zone has been demonstrably active since the last glacial maximum and there is geomorphic evidence of Holocene activity on some fault segments. The structurally lowest EJFS fault, the Lingshi fault appears on some published maps, but the full geographic extent, displacement, onset of faulting, and most recent activity have not …

Seasonal Changes In The Sinking Particulate Flux And In The Nitrogen Cycle Within The Euphotic And Twilight Zones Of The Cariaco Basin, Venezuela, Enrique Montes-Herrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the effects of seasonal variability on the geochemistry of sinking pthesiss and on the nitrogen cycle of the Cariaco Basin. Pthesis fluxes were measured at the base of the euphotic zone (the depth of 1% of photosynthetically active radiation - PAR) with drifting sediment traps during months of upwelling and non-upwelling regimes from March 2007 to November 2009. Flux estimates were analyzed in the context of seasonal variations in sea surface temperature, primary productivity, and chlorophyll a concentrations using data generated by the CARIACO Time-series Program as well as satellite data. Additionally, nine years (1996-2000 and 2004-2007) …

A Sedimentary Record Of Regional Land-Use And Climate Change In The Manatee River, Manatee County, Florida, Patrick Schwing

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Manatee River Watershed (Manatee County, FL) has experienced heavy anthropogenic development over the last 100 years and was relatively pristine previous to this development. The population growth within the watershed has surpassed the national trends and has doubled in the last 30 years. The heavy anthropogenic development has led to depletion in natural resources, nutrient loading, coastal erosion, and increased pollution. This study constructs records of sedimentological processes to compare the pre-development records to the past 100 years of anthropogenic development. The first portion of this study identifies specific changes in sedimentation attributed to anthropogenic activity in the Manatee …

Identifying Potential Geothermal Resources From Co-Produced Fluids Using Existing Data From Drilling Logs : Williston, North Dakota, Anna M. Crowell

Theses and Dissertations

With the current need for technology that will allow for environmentally-friendly power generation, geothermal power has become an attractive resource given its low environmental impact and potential cost savings. One specific resource is co-produced water from oil wells that are not currently producing, but can yield formation waters that are both high enough in temperature and fluid volume to operate the turbines of binary geothermal power systems. The data required to identify sites, i.e. bottom-hole temperatures (BHT), latitude, longitude, total depth of hole (TD) in meters, the identification number, and the amount of water produced in gallons, can be mined …

First Year Sedimentological Characteristics And Morphological Evolution Of An Artificial Berm At Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Katherine Brutsche

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dredging is often conducted to maintain authorized depths in coastal navigation channels. Placement of dredged sediment in the form of nearshore berms is becoming an increasingly popular option for disposal. Compared to direct beach placement, nearshore berms have fewer environmental impacts such as shore birds and turtle nesting, and have more lenient sediment compatibility restrictions. Understanding the potential morphological and sedimentological evolution is crucial to the design of a nearshore berm. Furthermore, the artificial perturbation generated by the berm installation provides a unique opportunity to understand the equilibrium process of coastal morphodynamics.

Matanzas Pass and Bowditch Point, located on the …

Using Temperature Profiles To Investigate The Hyporheic Zone In An Agricultural Drainage Ditch, Richard A. Suggs

Theses and Dissertations

During the last three decades, there has been much research on ground water/surface water interaction and hyporheic zone processes in natural rivers and streams. Research into natural systems has revealed significant ground water/surface water interaction and a complex variability that depends primarily on surface conditions, subsurface composition, and seasonal influences. Hyporheic zone interaction is an important factor contributing to water quality of both surface water and ground water systems.

This research expands on the concept of using heat transport, as revealed by temperature variation, as an analogue for water movement within a surface water/ground water system to include the man-made …

Geochemistry, Geothermobarometry And Geochronology Of High-Pressure Granulites And Implications For The Exhumation History Of Ultrahigh-Pressure Terranes: Dulan, Western China, Benjamin David Joseph Christensen

All Master's Theses

The Dulan ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks of the North Qaidam terrane, Western China, represent continental crust that has been subducted ~100 km during continental collision. Adjacent granulites representing burial to ~50 km could either be overprinted eclogites or a separate high-pressure-high-temperature (HP-HT) granulite unit. Overprinted eclogites and HP-HT granulites imply different P-T-t paths for UHP rocks. Metamorphic conditions for the granulites are 750–880 °C and 14–17 kbar. Zircon U-Pb geochronology, REE patterns and Ti-in-zircon thermometry indicate an increase in temperature from ~800 °C (449 Ma) to ~900 °C (418 Ma). This temperature increase could explain the presence of granulite leucosomes and …

Plurigaussian Simulation Of Rocktypes Using Data From A Gold Mine In Western Australia, Robin Dunn

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Stochastic simulation of rocktypes, or the geometry of the geology, is a major area of continuing research as earth scientists seek a better understanding of an orebody as a precursor to the assignment of continuous rock properties, allowing more economically appropriate decisions regarding mine planning. This thesis analyses the suitability of particular geostatistical rock type modelling algorithms when applied to the five rocktypes evident in drill hole data from the Big Bell gold mine near Cue, Western Australia. The background of the geostatistical theory is considered, in particular the concept of the random function model and the link between the …

Late Cretaceous Faunal Dynamics In The Western Interior Seaway: The Record From The Red Bird Section, Eastern Wyoming, Joshua Stephen Slattery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies examining bioevents (e.g., mass extinctions, faunal turnovers, diversification events) usually only scrutinize a short interval prior to such events, however, understanding their actual paleobiological implications requires a thorough understanding of the background conditions. The objective of this study is to document the background biodiversity dynamics in a single lithofacies of the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale that was deposited in an offshore setting of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS) and to place these changes into an environmental context. To assess the background biodiversity dynamics, the concretionary faunas of the Baculites eliasi through B. clinolobatus biozones of the Pierre Shale in …

Initial Ablation Of The Laurentide Ice Sheet Based On Gulf Of Mexico Sediments, Elizabeth A. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this project is to reconstruct a picture of initial Laurentide Ice Sheet retreat at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using geochemical proxies in Gulf of Mexico sediments, and place the reconstruction into global perspective. The project asks two questions. (1) Can a time frame be established for initial retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet? (2) If so, how does the timing compare to that of other large ice sheets and mountain glaciers in both hemispheres?

Sediment core MD02-2550 from the anoxic Orca Basin offers excellent preservation and a high sediment accumulation rate. Twelve accelerator …

A Gis Investigation Of Regional Geologic Controls On Mercury Deposits In The Southwest Region Of Arkansas, Lindsey Carol Langsdon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The mercury district of southwest Arkansas, located within Clark, Pike, and Howard counties, contains 77 mapped mercury deposits, primarily in the form of cinnabar, found within the sandstones and shales of the Stanley and Jackfork Formations. The geographic locations of the majority of the deposits tend to form an east-northeast alignment in map view. Utilization of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools provided insight to the regional controls on the spatial distribution of the mercury deposits by examining the proposed relationships between mercury deposits and regional faults or changes in lithology, both of which have been suggested (Clardy and Bush, 1976) …

Sequence Stratigraphy And Source Rock Characterization Of Organic-Rich Shales Within The Jurassic Smackover Formation, Conecuh Embayment, Alabama, U.S.A., Patrick W. Niemeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation is a prolific producer of hydrocarbons known throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast region, and typically consists of carbonate lime mudstones, ooid grainstones, microbial boundstones, and dolostones. Recent exploration efforts in the Conecuh Embayment of southwest Alabama revealed the presence of two black, siliciclastic shale layers containing abundant terrestrially derived organic matter within the Smackover Formation. The shale layers provide interesting insight into the sequence stratigraphy and paleoclimate of the Conecuh Embayment, and the source of the hydrocarbons accumulated there. The two shale layers reach a maximum thickness of 50 feet along the longitudinal axis of …

Calcite Cementation Of Sixty-Five-Year-Old Aragonite Sand Dredge Pile, Nathan M. Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dredging of the harbor at Stocking Island, Bahamas (23°31'45"N, 75°49'41"W) in 1942 produced four dredge piles of cross-bedded aragonite skeletal sand. The spoils piles are on the leeward (western) shore of the island, where they are subject to minimal wave energy. Collectively they are 350 x 50 m in plan view and 2 m high. The surface is very well cemented, which requires a hammer and chisel for sampling. Samples were collected from six sites at various locations of the dredge pile. Samples were analyzed for both chemical and physical properties using thin-section examination, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, bulk density …

Dispersion Geochemistry At Different Scales At The Nopal I Deposit, Peña Blanca Uranium District, Chihuahua, Mexico, Katrina Pekar-Carpenter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Nopal I mine in the Peña Blanca Uranium District, Chihuahua, Mexico is a natural analog for the geologic storage of nuclear waste. This dissertation presents data from two sites within Nopal I: 1) the PB-1 core, which was drilled along the extent of uranium mineralization in the Nopal I mine; and 2) a high-grade stockpile boulder from the mineralized Nopal tuff.

The PB-1 core allowed an investigation into the mineralogical and geochemical changes that are important to research on a nuclear waste repository. Five zones were determined to control these changes: 1) Zone 1, the primary uranium mineralization (quartz-uraninite-pyrite-kaolinite-ilmenite); …

Surface Wave Inversion Of The Upper Mantle Velocity Structure In The Ross Sea Region, Western Antarctica, James D. Rinke

All Master's Theses

The Ross Sea in Western Antarctica is the locale of several extensional basins formed during Cretaceous to Paleogene rifting. Several seismic studies along the Transantarctic Mountains and Victoria Land Basin’s Terror Rift have shown a general pattern of fast seismic velocities in East Antarctica and slow seismic velocities in West Antarctica. This study focuses on the mantle seismic velocity structure of the West Antarctic Rift System in the Ross Embayment and adjacent craton and Transantarctic Mountains to further refine details of the velocity structure.

Teleseismic events were selected to satisfy the two-station great-circle-path method between 5 Polar Earth Observing Network …

Relationships Between Snake River Paleofloods, Occupational Patterns And Archaeological Preservation At Redbird Beach Archaeological Site In Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho, Tabitha Trosper

All Master's Theses

The Snake River basin drains 282,000 km² of the northwestern U.S. and is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. Redbird Beach, an archaeological site located in the lower Hells Canyon reach of the Snake River, contains extensive vertical exposures of archaeological materials interbedded with Snake River flood sediments. Redbird Beach formed in the lee of the Redbird Creek debris fan, is composed of interfingering deposits from large floods on the Snake River and locally-derived alluvial sediments from Redbird Creek. Through stratigraphic analyses of slackwater deposits, this study compares the temporal and spatial patterns of human occupation at Redbird …

High-Resolution Event Stratigraphy Of Mm-Scale Laminated Sediments From Coastal Salt Ponds: St. John, Us Virgin Islands, Rebekka Amie Larson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A multi-proxy approach is utilized on mm- to cm-scale laminated sediment records in coastal salt ponds on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands to characterize the sediments, identify their sources and depositional processes/events (heavy rainfall, tropical cyclones, tsunamis). Historical records are combined with high-resolution geochronology (short-lived radioisotopes, ²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁷Be) and scanning elemental techniques (XRF and LA-ICP-MS) to link depositional events to how they are manifested in the sedimentary record. Volcanic rocks are the terrigenous sediment source and the sedimentary signature of terrigenous sediment in the geologic record consists of higher amounts of Al, Fe, Ti, Co, and …

The Search For The Missing Mantles Of Differentiated Asteroids: Evidence From Taxonomic A-Class Asteroids And Olivine-Dominated Achondrite Meteorites, Michael Peter Lucas

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The apparent rarity of taxonomic A-class asteroids poses a significant paradox for understanding asteroid differentiation and the dynamical evolution of the early solar system. Based on results from asteroid taxonomic surveys, and on the abundances and mineralogy of different achondrite meteorites, it appears that olivine-dominated mantle remnants are missing from both the asteroid population and in meteorite collections. Several scenarios to explain this paradox have been proposed: (1) olivine mantle material has been stripped away by collisions and only remains as small fragments (< ~5 km), (2) A-class asteroids are abundant but have been altered in some way masking their presence, or (3) differentiated asteroids did not form thick olivine-rich mantles.

We have approached these questions through the collection of taxonomic and observational data on known A-class …

Modeling Direct Runoff Hydrographs With The Surge Function, Denis Voytenko

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A surge function is a mathematical function of the form f(x)=ax^pe^-bx. We simplify the surge function by holding p constant at 1 and investigate the simplified form as a potential model to represent the full peak of a stream discharge hydrograph. The previously studied Weibull and gamma distributions are included for comparison. We develop an analysis algorithm which produces the best-fit parameters for every peak for each model function, and we process the data with a MATLAB script that uses spectral analysis to filter year-long, 15-minute, stream-discharge data sets. The filtering is necessary to locate the …

Alternative Statistical Methods For Analyzing Geological Phenomena: Bridging The Gap Between Scientific Disciplines, Joseph Frank Van Gaalen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When we consider the nature of the scientific community in conjunction with a sense of typical economic circumstances we find that there are two distinct paths for development. One path involves hypothesis testing and evolution of strategies that are linked with iterations in equipment advances. A second, more complicated scenario, can involve external influences whether economic, political, or otherwise, such as the government closure of NASA's space program in 2011 which will no doubt influence research in associated fields. The following chapters are an account of examples of two statistical techniques and the importance of both on the two relatively …

Receiver Function Studies Of Crustal Structure, Composition, And Evolution Beneath The Afar Depression, Ethiopia, Sattam A. Almadani

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation utilizes a set of sophisticated computer programs developed at the Geophysics group at Missouri S&T to characterize crustal properties beneath the Afar Depression in Ethiopia where extensional tectonics dominates. In this study, measurements of crustal thickness (H), crustal mean Vp/Vs [which is related to Poisson's ratio (Σ)], and the sharpness of the Moho (R) were determined using teleseismic data from 18 broadband seismic sensors that we deployed along a profile of 250 km long with a station spacing of ~ 10 km. The stations had been recording continuously for an entire year from December 2009 until December 2010. …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Data For Lithological Mapping In Arid Regions: A Quantitative Approach With Examples From The Makkah Neoproterozoic Region, Saudi Arabia, Nawwaf Awad Al Muntshry

Masters Theses

"This work quantitatively evaluates the effectiveness of multi-spectral remote sensing data for geological mapping in arid regions. For this, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data covering part of the Neoproterozoic Arabian Shield around the Makkah region in Saudi Arabia are used. The Makkah region is dominated by a variety of layered and intrusive rocks covered by unconsolidated sediments. The Landsat TM data have six spectral bands in the visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) with thirty meters spatial resolution.

The Optimum Index Factor (OIF) has been computed to determine the best Red-Green-Blue (RGB) band combination emerging from the …

Magnetic Properties Of The Bishop Ash In The San Andreas Fault Borderlands, Becky Strauss

Honors Papers

The San Andreas Fault marks one of the most tectonically active regions of the United States, producing frequent earthquakes that have decimated major population centers throughout central and southern California. Its northern regions have been thoroughly studied, but the complex behavior of the southeast portion of the fault is often neglected, in spite of its potential to nucleate a major earthquake within the next few centuries. In this study, I examined the magnetic traits of the Bishop Ash, a well-dated marker horizon of volcanic ash, to assess deformation adjacent to this part of the fault at hand-sample scale. To this …

Morpho-Tectonic Analysis Of The Tekeze And The Blue Nile Drainage Systems Of Northwestern Ethiopian Plateau, Ethiopia, Elamin Hassan Dai Ismail

Masters Theses

"This study examines the morpho-tectonic evolution of the drainage system in the northwestern Ethiopian plateau by focusing on the Tekeze and the Blue Nile Rivers. The plateau is underlain by Precambrian crystalline rocks, overlain by Mesozoic sedimentary section that is topped with a 1-3 km thick pile of Oligocene-Quaternary volcanic rocks. It is bounded in the east and southeast by the Afar Depression (AD) and the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Satellite derived Digital Elevation Models are analyzed using ArcGIS and RiverTools to extract morpho-tectonic parameters of tributaries of the Tekeze and Blue Nile Rivers including Normalized Steepness Index (K_{sn …}

The Origin Of Quartz Glomerocrysts: Insights From The Rhyolite Dike At Medicine Park, Ok, Sedeg Ahmed E. Ahmed

Masters Theses

"The origin of quartz glomerocrysts a distinctive petrographic feature of the rhyolite dike in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, was investigated using transmitted light and cathodoluminescence microscopy to determine if quartz glomerocrysts formed during quartz crystallization or during quartz dissolution. Quartz glomerocrysts are typically comprised of two to six individual phenocrysts of quartz and commonly exhibit subhedral partially embayed crystal forms with very rare euhedral phenocrysts in both glomerocrysts and individual quartz phenocrysts. The size range of the individual quartz phenocrysts are 0.08mm to 1.7mm while the size range is 0.08mm to 3.25mm for quartz glomerocrysts . Cathodoluminescence revealed that individual quartz …

A Detailed Petrographic Analysis Of The Mt. Sheridan Roosevelt Gabbro And Associated Rock Types, Daniel Russell Lasco

Masters Theses

"The Mt. Sheridan Roosevelt Gabbro of the Wichita Mountains igneous province in Southwestern Oklahoma underwent dynamic crystallization, resulting in three distinct gabbro zones with a range of pegmatite morphologies spread throughout. The three zones are informally named the lower, central, and upper zones. The lower zone consists of a quartz and alkali feldspar poor, plagioclase and pyroxene rich, poorly altered, gabbro cumulate. The central zone is comprised of a heavily altered quartz and alkali feldspar rich gabbro with few cumulate textures. The upper zone is mineralogically and texturally identical to the lower zone, distinguished only by its higher elevation. The …

Glacial And Geothermal Dynamics In Sherman Crater, Mount Baker, Washington, Melissa Park

WWU Graduate School Collection

Although quiescent since a significant thermal event in 1975, Mount Baker, in Washington, continues degassing from fumaroles in Sherman Crater, indicating the presence of a connection to an active magmatic system at depth. The apparent equilibrium condition of the crater glacier between 2003 and 2008, despite lying well above the regional equilibrium line altitude, suggests that melting of basal ice by heat flux from fumaroles and heated ground must balance the glacier's positive surface mass-balance. My investigation of glacial and geothermal dynamics in Sherman Crater between 2009 and 2010 provides the first rigorous quantitative assessment of the Sherman Crater glacier: …

H2o Contents In Olivine-Hosted Melt Inclusions From Primitive Magmas In The Northern Cascade Arc, Steven D. Shaw

WWU Graduate School Collection

The subducting Juan de Fuca plate is the hot endmember of slabs worldwide, and its unique thermal character prompts debate about the role of fluid-flux melting versus decompression melting in the Cascade arc. While slow subduction of this hot slab is expected to result in strong dehydration prior to reaching sub-arc depths, there is no consensus on whether the slab is entirely dehydrated at this point, or whether volcanism is the result of water-poor, decompression melting, or fluid-flux melting. I provide the first measurements of pre-eruptive volatile contents in olivine-hosted melt inclusions from primitive magmas in the northern region of …

Groundwater Response To Precipitation Events, Kalaloch, Olympic Peninsula, Washington, Casey R. Hanell

WWU Graduate School Collection

Tens of thousands of square kilometers of forestland in Washington are managed as working forests, primarily for timber production. The effects of timber harvesting on physical watershed processes continue to be the subject of intense research throughout the Pacific Northwest. Watershed analyses completed in Washington during the mid-1990s resulted in significant modifications to Washington's Forest Practices Act and Rules. These measures mandate rigorous evaluation of potential effects of timber harvesting on slope stability. Although timber harvesting has been linked to an increase in surface erosion and mass wasting in the Pacific Northwest, most studies have focused on shallow landslide processes. …

Holocene Glaciation Of The Green River Drainage, Wind River Range, Wyoming, Nigel Davies

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Wind River Range (WRR) has long been the focus of glacial investigations, yet the Holocene record remains poorly understood. Moraines in the Green River Lakes drainage, on the northwest end of the Wind River Range, preserve a remarkably complete moraine record of late-Pleistocene recession, late-glacial and late-Holocene advances. At last glacial maximum (LGM) the study area supported large valley glaciers that extended beyond the rangefront; in historic times, however, glaciers are restricted to high alpine cirques. The largest remaining active glacier (Mammoth Glacier) has retreated to 2 km2 and is the primary source of meltwater and outwash to the …