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Articles 1 - 20 of 20
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Hydrologic And Geomorphic Investigations Of Two Engineered Stream Crossings Under Interstate 90 In Washington State, Catherine Mast
Hydrologic And Geomorphic Investigations Of Two Engineered Stream Crossings Under Interstate 90 In Washington State, Catherine Mast
All Master's Theses
The importance of stream restoration in providing a healthy ecosystem is widely recognized. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has implemented environmental changes to facilitate habitat restoration and wildlife passage along the Interstate 90 Highway (I-90) corridor where it passes over the Cascade Mountains. Prior to the I-90 corridor expansion, Price and Noble Creeks passed under the highway though culverts, limiting passage of aquatic species or wildlife below the highway. In 2019 the stream channel crossings were expanded, and the size/shape of these creeks were engineered to mirror what would be seen in a natural environment. Since construction, erosion …
Geomorphic History And Preservation Of Archaeologically Significant Areas In The Hanford Reach Of The Columbia River, Washington State, Benjamin Deans
Geomorphic History And Preservation Of Archaeologically Significant Areas In The Hanford Reach Of The Columbia River, Washington State, Benjamin Deans
All Master's Theses
Archaeological sites near rivers may be preserved through burial, altered by exposure, or destroyed through erosion. Preserved because of the unusual needs of the Manhattan Project, the Hanford Reach is the only remaining free-flowing reach of the Columbia River and ideal for research into the geomorphic settings of archaeological sites along this river. The 1894 (742,000 cfs [20,900 m3/s]) and 1948 (690,000 cfs [19,000 m3/s]) floods were the largest in the historical record through the reach, but their relationship with geomorphic change and site preservation are less understood. To understand how floods have preserved and destroyed …
Long-Term Geomorphic Effects Of The Glines Canyon Dam Removal On The Elwha River, Washington, Usa, Alyssa D. Demott
Long-Term Geomorphic Effects Of The Glines Canyon Dam Removal On The Elwha River, Washington, Usa, Alyssa D. Demott
All Master's Theses
The Elwha River once provided vital habitat for a variety of salmonid species, but after two dams were emplaced on the river in the early 1900s, habitat diminished, and salmon populations declined. From 2011-2014, the dams were finally removed to restore the Elwha ecosystem. To understand the long-term geomorphic impacts of the Glines Canyon Dam removal on the Elwha River, I quantified changes in four parameters: in-channel large wood, main channel sinuosity, channel braiding, and sedimentation. High-resolution imagery from 2012-2020 was used to map large wood and digitize main and secondary river channels, and field surveys were completed at study …
Mapping And Modeling The Seattle Fault Tsunami Inundation In Puget Sound, David Bruce
Mapping And Modeling The Seattle Fault Tsunami Inundation In Puget Sound, David Bruce
All Master's Theses
Coastal communities of Puget Sound are susceptible to tsunami inundation from multiple sources. Two sources of potential tsunami hazard that threaten the region are earthquakes on crustal faults in the Puget Lowlands, or earthquakes originating on the Cascadia subduction zone. This study investigated two coastal marshes in Puget Sound, Deer Lagoon and Doe-Kag-Wats, for evidence of a paleotsunami record to combine with tsunami modeling, in order to predict how future events could inundate Puget Sound. A deposit, interpreted as a paleotsunami, is traceable thought the marsh stratigraphy near the modern day tidal inlet of Deer Lagoon, a site that has …
Late Holocene Paleoflood Hydrology Of The Snake River In The Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho, Kent C. Allen
Late Holocene Paleoflood Hydrology Of The Snake River In The Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho, Kent C. Allen
All Master's Theses
The Snake River watershed spans a large geographic region from the Rocky Mountains to the inland Pacific Northwest, and a comprehensive paleoflood chronology on the mainstem of the river is key to identifying the frequency and magnitude of large prehistoric floods within the region. We examined and compared four sites of slackwater deposits along a 20-km reach of the Lower Hells Canyon on the Snake River, Idaho. The sites contain evidence of up to 34 paleofloods within the last 1700 years. Stratigraphic breaks, soils, and in-situ plant or archaeological materials demarcate distinct layers that represent discrete paleoflood events. Radiocarbon dates …
Identifying Key Factors Affecting Translational Landslides In Part Of The Yakima Fold And Thrust Belt, Washington State, Joseph Schilter
Identifying Key Factors Affecting Translational Landslides In Part Of The Yakima Fold And Thrust Belt, Washington State, Joseph Schilter
All Master's Theses
Washington has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation, and unfortunately also is among the most landslide-prone states. With increased population density and urban sprawl, the need for landslide hazard assessment grows. On the Columbia Plateau in central Washington, the smooth rigid, inclined surfaces of the Columbia River Basalts (CRBs) with loose sediment layers between them induces landslides of large blocks of bedrock. These hazards remain poorly understood, but their significance was heightened by the 2017 Rattlesnake Hills Landslide that currently threatens a community and an interstate highway south of Yakima, Washington. I propose that the strongest influences …
Holocene Periods Of Aggradation And Incision, Hanson Creek, Washington, Levi Earl Windingstad
Holocene Periods Of Aggradation And Incision, Hanson Creek, Washington, Levi Earl Windingstad
All Master's Theses
The causes and timing of cycles of aggradation and incision in the Hanson Creek drainage in central Washington provide insight into changes in channel morphology and paleoenvironment within the region over the last 8000 years. Stratigraphically and spatially coincident archaeological evidence reveals information related to human occupation during the latter half of the epoch. Using LiDAR imagery and field surveys, recent processes such as degree of modern channel incision, accumulation of valley floor sediment, channel morphology and gradient were evaluated. The spatial distribution of these channel characteristics was assessed in relation to proximal landforms such as colluvial deposits, basalt outcrops, …
Assessing The Use Of Tsunami Simulations As A Tool To Predict Source Magnitudes And Locations Of Paleoearthquakes In Chile, Rebeca Isabel Becerra
Assessing The Use Of Tsunami Simulations As A Tool To Predict Source Magnitudes And Locations Of Paleoearthquakes In Chile, Rebeca Isabel Becerra
All Master's Theses
A long-term goal of paleotsunami studies is the ability to predict paleoearthquake parameters based on tsunami deposits found on land. Chile provides an exemplary location for testing methods of making these predictions because the historical record includes 41 major earthquakes as far back as 1562 AD, and there are many known paleotsunami deposits throughout the region. Using these records as a comparison tool, I evaluated simulated tsunami wave heights and inundation extent with the tsunami model GeoClaw for nine hypothetical tsunamigenic large earthquakes (Mw 8.6, 8.8, and 9.0) in south-central Chile with epicenters at -35.1º, -38.8º, and -42.9º. As …
Hazard Identification And Coastal Stratigraphy In Crescent Harbor, Northeast Whidbey Island, Washington, Brian Ostrom
Hazard Identification And Coastal Stratigraphy In Crescent Harbor, Northeast Whidbey Island, Washington, Brian Ostrom
All Master's Theses
Crescent Harbor marsh, on northeastern Whidbey Island, records evidence of co-seismic land-level change 1825 to 1925 cal. yrs. BP. The lithostratigraphy and diatom microfossil assemblages reveal a marsh peat abruptly overlain by intertidal mud, indicating rapid subsidence. Analysis of the modern-day position of depositional facies indicates subsidence from a high marsh to a tidal-flat environment representing an estimated 1.7 m elevation change. The timing of subsidence fits within the dates of a rupture found on the nearby Utsalady Point fault between 1,100 and 2,200 years BP (Johnson et al. 2004). Likely, the stratigraphy at Crescent Harbor records the same event …
Investigating Taphonomic Changes Of Deposits And Modeling Of The 2010 Earthquake And Tsunami In South-Central Chile, Alexandra Carranco Ruiz
Investigating Taphonomic Changes Of Deposits And Modeling Of The 2010 Earthquake And Tsunami In South-Central Chile, Alexandra Carranco Ruiz
All Master's Theses
South-central Chile has an extensive written catalog of historic earthquakes and tsunamis, but such records can be subject to inconsistencies. Dated tsunami deposits are more objective data that provide hard evidence of past tsunamis. The inland extent of deposits from past tsunamis (paleodeposits) can be used in tsunami modeling to reveal characteristics of the source earthquake, but these deposits may have undergone taphonomic processes since initial deposition. Therefore, to determine how tsunami deposits change during burial and preservation and the potential limitations of using paleodeposits in modeling, I investigated the modern 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake and tsunami as …
Quantifying Channel Responses To The Removal Of The Glines Canyon Dam In The Middle Reach Of The Elwha River, Washington, Bryon J. Free
Quantifying Channel Responses To The Removal Of The Glines Canyon Dam In The Middle Reach Of The Elwha River, Washington, Bryon J. Free
All Master's Theses
Four different study sites throughout the middle reach of the Elwha River were monitored before, during, and after the dam removal process over a period of two years from 2012-2014. The complexity of the river geometry was a major factor in the ability of the river to trap and accumulate the new influx of woody debris and sediment from the dam removal, which influenced the response of the river channel. The change that occurred was quantified by using repeat Terrestrial LiDAR (TLS), sediment distribution surveys, and large woody debris mapping techniques. The morphologic changes that occurred during this time were …
Field Observations And Modeling Of The 1957 Earthquake And Tsunami On The Islands Of The Four Mountains, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Frances R. Griswold
Field Observations And Modeling Of The 1957 Earthquake And Tsunami On The Islands Of The Four Mountains, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Frances R. Griswold
All Master's Theses
Due to a lack of research in the Aleutian Islands, a comprehensive history of the Aleutian subduction zone is not developed; however, this study indicates that the Aleutian subduction zone is capable of generating magnitude ~9 earthquakes or larger in addition to trans-Pacific tsunamis. Comparison of simulated runup and observed runup will help to determine the characteristics of rupture in the eastern Aleutians. A recent survey of the tsunami wrackline produced by the 1957 Great Aleutian earthquake (Mw 8.6) indicates runup up to 17.5 m in the Islands of the Four Mountains (presented here). Combined with other nearfield observations …
Geomorphology Of Deposits From The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Tamil Nadu, Southeastern India, Patrick Alan Johnston
Geomorphology Of Deposits From The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Tamil Nadu, Southeastern India, Patrick Alan Johnston
All Master's Theses
In low latitudes, geologically suitable repositories for tsunami deposits are not well defined. This project characterizes the geomorphic environments on the southeastern coast of India that preserved depositional evidence of the catastrophic tsunami created by the Mw9.0-9.3 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004. The Indian coast is particularly interesting because it is approximately 1300 km from the subduction-zone source of tsunamis across the Indian Ocean, and therefore only the largest events are capable of reaching it. The main objective of this study was to identify the settings where recognizable tsunami deposits from the 2004 event have been preferentially …
The Roles Of Humans And Climatic Variation On The Fire History Of Subalpine Meadows - Mount Rainer National Park (Washington), Michael Louis Lukens
The Roles Of Humans And Climatic Variation On The Fire History Of Subalpine Meadows - Mount Rainer National Park (Washington), Michael Louis Lukens
All Master's Theses
With the creation of Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) in 1899 came the active management of the park's landscapes and a heavy emphasis on fire suppression. Today managers at MORA have made returning fire to the park's landscapes a top priority. In order to achieve this goal, and to make more informed decisions in regard to the application of fire, land managers at MORA need to better understand past fire occurrences and the drivers of fire activity on the mountain. To address this problem, analysis of macroscopic charcoal preserved in lake sediments was used to reconstruct the fire history for …
Lidar Assessment Of Sediment Transport Related To The Removal Of The Marmot Dam, Sandy River, Oregon, Carl Daniel Matzek
Lidar Assessment Of Sediment Transport Related To The Removal Of The Marmot Dam, Sandy River, Oregon, Carl Daniel Matzek
All Master's Theses
Four Aerial LiDAR survey were used to examine the impacts of the 2007 removal of the Marmot Dam on the Sandy River, Oregon. Geomorphic Change Detection software was used to answer three project goals: 1) to investigate how the dam removal affected sediment distribution in the lower reach of the river, several km downstream of the dam, 2) to determine whether the pulse of sediment from the dam removal created a detectable, successive downstream accumulation of sediment through time, and 3) to assess the effect of natural high-flow events on the sediment distribution related to the dam removal. The results …
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 …
Lacustrine Sediment Record Of Multiple Quaternary Lava Dams On The Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Caitlin Anne Orem
Lacustrine Sediment Record Of Multiple Quaternary Lava Dams On The Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Caitlin Anne Orem
All Master's Theses
Multiple lava dams and correlating lakes impacted the Quaternary evolution of the Owyhee River. Sediment records from lava-dammed lakes were investigated to understand effects of the West Crater (WC) lava dam (~70 ka), the Saddle Butte 2 lava dam (~144 ka), and the Bogus Rim lava dam (~1.9 Ma). Evidence from the WC lava dam and related features indicates that dam duration consisted of five stages (1) dam and lake formation at ~70 ka; (2) dam overflow and lake sedimentation from ~70–46 ka; (3) removal of lava dam and lake termination from ~46 ka to at least 36 ka; (4) …
Comparison Of Landslides And Their Related Outburst Flood Deposits, Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Shannon Marian Othus
Comparison Of Landslides And Their Related Outburst Flood Deposits, Owyhee River, Southeastern Oregon, Shannon Marian Othus
All Master's Theses
Numerous landslides have entered the Owyhee River canyon north of Rome, Oregon. As the river flows through different lithologic units, the style of mass wasting changes from large slump events and small rock falls to large earthflows. The change in mechanism of mass wasting from upstream to downstream seems to depend on several factors: (1) the ratio of the basalt cap to the exposed underlying sediments, (2) the composition of underlying sediments, (3) the canyon geometry, and (4) the extent and frequency of mass wasting. All three mechanisms of mass wasting have the ability to block the river channel and …
The 2004 And 1861 Tsunami Deposits On Simeulue Island, Western Sumatra, Katherine Frances Whitlow
The 2004 And 1861 Tsunami Deposits On Simeulue Island, Western Sumatra, Katherine Frances Whitlow
All Master's Theses
Megathrust earthquakes and associated tsunamis along the subduction zone along western Sumatra represent a significant seismic hazard that is not well understood. I present the results of mapping, paleoseimologic, and geochronologic studies of tsunami deposits exposed on Simeulue Island, western Sumatra, to document the timing of past tsunamis. Three field sites were targeted to conduct these studies: Inor, Busong Bay, and Langi Bay. Stratigraphic relationships, geochronologic data, and grain size analyses from these field sites show evidence of a tsunami that occurred in 1861 following a Mw ~8.5 earthquake. A wood fragment collected from an excavation at Inor yielded an …
The Role Of Geomorphic Features And Hydrologic Processes On Sediment Clusters In Gravel-Bed Rivers, Washington: A Field-Based Approach, Ross Richard Hendrick
The Role Of Geomorphic Features And Hydrologic Processes On Sediment Clusters In Gravel-Bed Rivers, Washington: A Field-Based Approach, Ross Richard Hendrick
All Master's Theses
This project investigated the movement and evolution of sediment clusters after four separate flood events at two geomorphically different sites along the Entiat River, Washington. Clusters are defined as an obstacle or anchor clast(s) that impede the progress of two or more sediment particles, and are believed to be an important characteristic of the variable bed topography of gravel-bed rivers. Detailed field descriptions and digital photographs of clusters were used to determine the characteristics of clusters at chosen locations on gravel bars regularly covered by high flow events. Data were collected during low-flow conditions, and clusters were re- examined and …