Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Application Of 3d Seismic Signal And Geomechanical Attributes For Subsurface Fracture Characterization: A Case Study In Clearfield County, Central Pennsylvania, Iman F. Zulkapeli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Hydrocarbon exploration in unconventional reservoirs is highly risky due to the nature of the reservoirs and the variability in fractures and reservoir geomechanical properties in the subsurface. The reservoir needs to be fully characterized to avoid any complication such as frac hit, wellbore failure, blowout, or even a dry hole. The Clearfield reservoir produces an exceptionally low amount of gas, compared to the neighboring region in the proximity, which has been poorly understood. This raises the question as to what causes the reservoir to have low productivity.

This study focuses on the natural fracture characterization using high-quality 3D seismic signal …

Three-Dimensional Bedrock Channel Evolution With Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics, Nick Richmond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bedrock channels are responsible for balancing and communicating tectonic and climatic signals across landscapes, but it is difficult and dangerous to observe and measure the flows responsible for removing weakly-attached blocks of bedrock from the channel boundary. Consequently, quantitative descriptions of the dynamics of bedrock removal are scarce. Detailed numerical simulation of violent flows in three dimensions has been historically challenging due to technological limitations, but advances in computational fluid dynamics aided by high-performance computing have made it practical to generate approximate solutions to the governing equations of fluid dynamics. From these numerical solutions we gain detailed knowledge of the …

Conical Folds -- An Artifact Of Using Simple Geometric Shapes To Describe A Complex Geologic Structure, Avery Joseph Welker

Masters Theses

"Accurate representation of the 3D shapes of natural folds is essential to characterization of the dynamic models for fold formation. Geometrical analysis of folds commonly relies upon analyzing patterns defined by the variation in the orientation of poles to planar surfaces deformed by a shortening event when plotted using graphical calculators (e.g., stereogram, polar tangent diagrams) to interpret the shape of folds. Stereograms for which orientation data define small circles are classified as non-cylindrical regular folds and are interpreted as "conical folds," where the shape of the fold is represented by a cone that terminates at a point. Utilizing similar …

Geology Of The Middle Member Of The Bakken Formation In Divide County, North Dakota, Mandy Brewer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation of Williston Basin is a large unconventional oil and gas play consisting of a lower shale member, a middle member, and an upper shale member. The middle member is a production target because it contains porosity and petroleum expelled from the shale members around it. Variable production and sweet spots of the Bakken in the study area of Divide County, ND and 15 miles around Divide County in the USA prompted a closer look at middle member Bakken sediments. For this study, 606 wells were correlated and thin sections from two wells located 10.17 …

Geotechnical Properties Of The Travis Peak (Hosston) Formation In East Texas: A Compressive And Tensile Strength Analysis Using Regression Analysis., Pawan Kakarla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The estimation of rock mass strength is a key parameter in geotechnical engineering which is used in the design of geotechnical structures like tunnels, dams and slopes. Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering which works on the principles of soil and rock mechanics to evaluate subsurface conditions, stability of slopes, foundations of structures and construction of earthworks. The main focus of this study was to calculate the strength of Lower Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation rocks of East Texas and to check the accuracy by comparing it with Regression analysis. The parameters which were used were the Uniaxial Compression …

Automatic Fracture Orientation Extraction From Sfm Point Clouds, Jon Kissi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Geology seeks to understand the history of the Earth and its surface processes through charac- terisation of surface formations and rock units. Chief among the geologists’ tools are rock unit orientation measurements, such as Strike, Dip and Dip Direction. These allow an understanding of both surface and sub-structure on both the local and macro scale.

Although the way these techniques can be used to characterise geology are well understood, the need to collect these measurements by hand adds time and expense to the work of the geologist, precludes spontaneity in field work, and coverage is limited to where the geologist …

Automated Image Interpretation For Science Autonomy In Robotic Planetary Exploration, Raymond Francis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Advances in the capabilities of robotic planetary exploration missions have increased the wealth of scientific data they produce, presenting challenges for mission science and operations imposed by the limits of interplanetary radio communications. These data budget pressures can be relieved by increased robotic autonomy, both for onboard operations tasks and for decision- making in response to science data.

This thesis presents new techniques in automated image interpretation for natural scenes of relevance to planetary science and exploration, and elaborates autonomy scenarios under which they could be used to extend the reach and performance of exploration missions on planetary surfaces.

Two …

Design And Implementation Of An Rf Data Communication System, Aung K. Soe

Honors Theses

Located just 8 miles northeast of Union College is Ballston Lake, a unique lake, which offers excellent research opportunities for faculty and students. The south basin of the lake is permanently stratified, and there has been no intermixing between water layers for thousands of years. The lower water layers contain no oxygen (anoxic). The Union College Geology Department is interested in a ten year study of Ballston Lake. Currently, there is no commercially available automatic system for collecting and transmitting data from a sensor package at the bottom of the lake to the lake shore and finally to Union College …

A Study Of The Beneficiation Of Low-Grade Domestic Chromite, Darrell Edward Bodie

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Chromite, a strategic mineral, is being consumed in ever increasing quantities in the United States today. Although the United States imports practically all of the chromite that is being consumed, it is gradually becoming necessary to exploit the low-grade deposits that are located within the United States, and also the low-grade deposits of Canada.

An Attempted Determination Of The Approximate Chemical Composition Of The Livingston Volcanics By The Fused Bead Technique, Robert D. Geach

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Many fine-grained igneous rocks, basaltic and felsitic in character, are difficult to classify. In numer­ous cases, it is impossible to classify these types of rocks by quick methods of identification. It was hoped at the beginning of this study that refractive indices of glasses formed by quick artificial fusion of samples from selected suites of igneous rocks would show a close cor­relation in chemical composition.

Dispersing Agents In The Pipette Method Of Soil Analysis, Eugene W. Price

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

For many years the study of sediments has been a major problem in the field of geology. Especially is this true of the branch of sedimentology known as grain-size distribution. Throughout the years many classical experiments have been performed and procedures evolved from them, all with the purpose of a better and easier determination of the grain-size distri­bution of fine sediments, particularly the clays.

The Occurrences Of Non-Metallic Minerals In Montana, Samuel T. Mitchell

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

This thesis is essentially an abstract of the literature concerning occurrences in Montana of minerals with a non-metallic luster. The dis­cussions give a general description of the occurrences of minerals as reported by the various references, but is not complete as less than 40 percent of the non-metallic minerals known to exist in Montana are discussed.

Mineralogy Of The Silver King Mine Of Park City, Utah, Pierce D. Parker

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Except for the early work of Boutwell and Irving, little has been published on the geology of the Park City mining district. For this reason and because of the availability of a selected suite of ores from the Silver King mine of this area, this writer chose the mineralogy of the Silver King mine as a senior thesis for the de­partment of Geology of the Montana School of Mines.

Possible Mineral Resources University Land Grant, Montana School Of Mines Lands, Eugene S. Perry

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The following evaluation of the mineral resources of the University Land-Grant lands has been made from an office study of geologic maps and published reports, and from a rather thorough knowledge of the geology of the state by the writer after 23 years of experience in the state.

Possible Mineral Resources University Land Grant, Montana State University Lands, Eugene S. Perry

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The following evaluation of the mineral resources of the University Land-Grant lands has been made from an office study of geologic maps and published reports, and from a rather thorough knowledge of the geology of the state by the writer after 23 years of experience in the state.

Possible Mineral Resources University Land Grant, Montana State College Lands, Eugene S. Perry

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The following evaluation of the mineral resources of the University Land-Grant lands has been made from an office study of geologic maps and published reports, and from a rather thorough knowledge of the geology of the state by the writer after 23 years of experience in the state.

Possible Mineral Resources University Land Grant, Western Montana College Of Education, Eugene S. Perry

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The following evaluation of the mineral resources of the University Land-Grant lands has been made from an office study of geologic maps and published reports, and from a rather thorough knowledge of the geology of the state by the writer after 23 years of experience in the state.

A Preliminary Study Of The Ostracoda Of The Big Snowy Group, Mississippian, Of Montana., John C. Rabbitt

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

In the field, samples were taken vertically and horizon­tally along the various outcrops in different sections of central and south-central Montana. At important localities the samples were taken about every half-foot verti­cally; in other sections they were taken every few feet.

Age Relationships Of Ore Deposits Of Southwestern Montana (A Microscopic Study), Charles R. Trueworthy

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Although considerable work has been undertaken by some prominent geologists, the best known of which is that of Paul Billingsley and J. A. Grimes', in investigating the ore deposits of the Boulder Batholith and surrounding area, there has not been any complete microscopic investigation of these deposits, as a whole, published in the literature. With this in mind it was suggested to the writer by Professor Paul A. Schafer, of the Montana School of Mines, that a microscopic study of the ores of this region would be a worthwhile geologic problem.

It was thought that the mineral association and the …