Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Investigating The Drought Sensitivity Of Intermontane-Basin Groundwater Systems In Western Montana Using Standardized Drought Indices, Daniel Buckley

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Drought is a worldwide phenomenon, and many metrics have been developed to help monitor and understand drought. In this study, the drought sensitivity of two different western Montana intermontane-basin groundwater systems were analyzed: the Bitterroot Valley and the Gallatin Valley. Different standardized meteorological drought indices, namely, the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), were compared against the Standardized Groundwater level Index (SGI) to better understand groundwater sensitivity to meteorological forcing. The SPI and SPEI were computed using precipitation and reference evapotranspiration data from the gridMET dataset. Groundwater level data from the Montana Bureau of Mines …

Characterizing The Engineering Properties Of Three Lithologies From Montana And Idaho Using Acoustic Emissions And Stress-Strain Measurements, Mary Humphreys

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

In this study, stress and strain measurements from unconfined compression tests were used to determine the peak stress, yield stress, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio of 20 specimens representing three lithologies (sandstone, norite, and argillite-quartzite mix) from Idaho and Montana. Along with traditional strength and deformation parameters, crack initiation (CI) and crack damage (CD) values were also interpreted, corresponding to the stress levels associated with the formation and coalescence of microcracks as a specimen is exposed to increasing stress levels. Acoustic emissions (AE) data were collected along with traditional stress-strain data as this has become a popular method for interpreting …

Investigation Of The Sheep Creek Carbonatites, Ravalli County, Montana, Sarah Risedorf

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Carbonatite-related REE-Nb mineralization in southern Ravalli County, Montana was first discovered in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Over 30 discontinuous carbonatite bodies occur in a ~ 10 km² area centered on Sheep Creek, a tributary to the headwaters of the West Fork of the Bitterroot River (WFBR). The deposits are contained in a belt that extends to the southeast into the Mineral Hill district of Lemhi County, Idaho. Country rocks include a deformed and metamorphosed bimodal igneous suite of diabase and A-type granite, both dated to 1.37 Ga by previous workers. These rocks are locally metamorphosed to amphibolite …

An Examination Of The Impacts Of Beaver Dam Mimicry Structures On Groundwater Surface-Water Interactions In Lower Mountain Riparian Systems, Mercedes D. Salazar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are a low cost, low disturbance stream restoration technique that may improve surface-water/groundwater interactions and wetland connectivity. BDAs are intended to imitate the effects of natural beaver dams by slowing stream velocity, promoting infiltration, increasing dry-season streamflow, aggrading the streambed, and capturing organic matter and other nutrients. This study was conducted to evaluate the degree to which these objectives were being met at a study site on Perkins Gulch, southwest Montana, USA. The Perkins Gulch study area can be summarized by four gauging sites that separate three reaches along the creek. By detailing background processes and …

Surface Water/Groundwater Interactions And Hydrogeochemical Characterization Of The Elkhorn Mine And Mill, Beaverhead County, Montana, Tyler Kamp

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The formation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and the contaminants associated with it have been described by some as the largest environmental problem facing the U.S. mining industry. Heavy metals associated with the drainage, such as copper, cadmium, and zinc affect the water quality of streams and can cause acute or chronic toxicity to invertebrates and fish (Martin, 1992& Padrillah et al., 2018). Elkhorn Creek in the Pioneer Mountains of southwest Montana is one of these impacted creeks. The historic Elkhorn Mine and Mill complex has historically attributed to the creek’s contamination and has undergone remediation. However, the problem has …

An Examination Of The Impacts Of Beaver Dam Mimicry Structures On Groundwater Surface-Water Interactions In Lower Mountain Riparian Systems, Mercedes D. Salazar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are a low cost, low disturbance stream restoration technique that may improve surface-water/groundwater interactions and wetland connectivity. BDAs are intended to imitate the effects of natural beaver dams by slowing stream velocity, promoting infiltration, increasing dry-season streamflow, aggrading the streambed, and capturing organic matter and other nutrients. This study was conducted to evaluate the degree to which these objectives were being met at a study site on Perkins Gulch, southwest Montana, USA. The Perkins Gulch study area can be summarized by four gauging sites that separate three reaches along the creek. By detailing background processes and …

Mineralogy, Isotope Geochemistry And Geothermometry Of The Lowry Deposit, Black Butte Copper Project, Meagher County, Montana, John Allard

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Black Butte Copper Project is a sedimentary rock hosted, Cu-rich massive sulfide deposit hosted in rocks of the ca. 1.5-1.325 Ga Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup. Copper-bearing sulfides, mainly chalcopyrite and tennantite, are hosted in debris flows, black shale, dolostone and sedimentary pyrite layers of the Newland Fm. of the Lower Belt Group in the Helena Embayment, an E-W striking limb of the greater NNW trending Belt Basin. Mineralization is hosted within two separate but contemporaneous deposits, Johnny Lee, which hosts Cu sulfides in an upper and lower sulfide zone within sedimentary pyrite and debris flow conglomerates, and Lowry, where Cu …

Geology And Geochronology Of The East Dome Complex Within The Hog Heaven Volcanic Field, Flathead County, Montana, Ethan Coppage

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

This study describes the style and timing of volcanic activity and mineralization in the East Dome Complex (EDC) of the 55-km2 Eocene-Oligocene Hog Heaven Volcanic Field (~36-30 Ma; HHVF) located in northwestern Montana. The HHVF consists of three NE-aligned, predominantly high-K rhyodacitic dome complexes (1.8-4.9 wt. % K2O; 63.2-72.9 wt. % SiO2) formed near the crest the Purcell Anticlinorium, a major Cordilleran fold-thrust belt structure deforming metasedimentary rocks of the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup. Dome emplacement was controlled by a NE-striking fault associated with a pull-apart basin formed between two overlapping, NW-trending dextral oblique-slip faults. The objective of this study is …

Mineralogy And Fluid Inclusion Study Of The Marget Ann Mine Of The Butte Mining District, Silver Bow County, Montana, Tiffany Ostenburg

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Butte, Montana, is a famous example of a zoned, polymetallic, porphyry-lode deposit. Whereas over a century of previous work has focused on the porphyry-style mineralization and centrally located, copper-rich lode deposits, relatively little has been written on the outer, silver-rich veins. The Marget Ann mine, in the northern portion of the district, was chosen for this study because of ease of access to the mine dumps as well as archived samples of high-grade vein mineralization. In addition, the Marget Ann mine is somewhat unique in Butte because gold has been found there and previously recorded in the veins. The main …

Quaternary Geology Of Portions Of The Mcgregor Peak, Murr Peak, Marion, And Hubbart Reservoir, 7.5’ Quadrangles, Flathead County, Montana, Carlos Montejo

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Quaternary deposits in the northern Little Bitterroot River watershed record the advance and retreat of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, transgression of Glacial Lake Missoula, and at least one partial or complete drainage of Glacial Lake Missoula during the last Pleistocene glaciation. New geologic mapping at a scale of 1:24,000 in portions of the McGregor Peak, Marion, Murr Peak, and Hubbart Reservoir quadrangles with a focus on Quaternary deposits has refined boundaries for where the Cordilleran Ice Sheet and Glacial Lake Missoula coincided. Stratigraphic analysis of three measured sections within Glacial Lake Missoula sediments along with three optically stimulated luminescence ages …

Monitoring The 2018 Eruption Of Kīlauea Volcano Using Various Remote Sensing Techniques, Ninad Bhagwat

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Monitoring the regions that are prone to natural hazards is essential in disaster management to provide early warnings. Airborne and space-borne remote sensing techniques are cost-effective in accomplishing this task. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is an advanced remote sensing technique used to detect and measure the changes in the Earth’s topography over time. Spaceborne InSAR is a precise (~mm accuracy) way to measure the land surface altitudinal changes. Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) is a powerful method of differential SAR interferometry that processes the InSAR data by automatically selecting the persistent scatterers in the region. In this thesis, I developed …

Organic Waste Compounds In Butte Area Surface Waters, Deliliah Friedlander

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

As human dependence on pharmaceuticals and household products containing a broad variety of organic compounds increases, so does the discharge of residual components of these compounds into surface and groundwaters. Organic wastewater chemicals (OWCs) result when human or animal discharge appears in the environment through a variety of waste disposal mechanisms. Historically environmental standards for organic wastewater chemicals have not been a concern when compared to biological hazards, metal contamination, acid/base hazards and radioactive hazards. At present, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have standards for organic wastewater chemicals for surface waters; it is imperative that research be …

A Geophysical Survey Near Blacktail Creek In The Thompson Park Area Near Butte, Montana, Guolong Wu

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Subsurface electrical information can be obtained by electrical and self-potential methods. These geophysical methods, compared to drilling, provide a much cheaper option for investigating the hydrogeological setting. In this project report, we carried out resistivity and self-potential survey along Blacktail Creek in the Thompson Park area near Butte, Montana to understand the hydrogeological setting.

Three geophysical methods have been used: 2D electrical resistivity, 3D electrical resistivity, and self-potential. The least-square inversion resistivity model results showed a general variation of resistivity with depth and delineated the extent of the ground water. The ERT results show three electrical layers, one of them …

Chemical Speciation In Silver Bow And Blacktail Creeks: Implications For Bioavailability And Restoration, Johnathan Feldman

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Silver Bow and Blacktail Creeks, contaminated with toxic elements from mining, present a need for remediation and restoration. Trace elements are present in elevated concentrations, particularly copper. Determining element speciation will allow informed consideration of effective restoration strategies, by providing a foundation for assessing bioavailability and toxicity. The three goals are: determine how speciation varies between seasons and sites in four impacted sites from the greater Butte Area One, an impacted downstream site known as Santa, and a control site on Upper Blacktail Creek known as Blacktail; how these variations influence bioavailability and toxicity; and what causes these variations. Total …

Limitations To Photosynthesis In Silver Bow And Blacktail Creeks, Isaiah Robertson

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Throughout Silver Bow Creek’s history, consideration of the photosynthetic communities that make heterotrophic life possible have often been overlooked since macroinvertebrates made up a majority of ecosystem health assessments. Silver Bow Creek has had minimal biological research outside of macroinvertebrate surveys, especially as it pertains to photosynthetic organisms. This study assessed the photosynthetic communities of Silver Bow Creek and their limitations by limiting available light and comparing uptake of nutrients during a 23-day incubation experiment conducted at four sites along the flow of Silver Bow Creek and Blacktail Creek. At each site, nine one-liter microcosms, filled with creek water and …

Quaternary Geology Of The Cabinet, Heron And Smeads Bench 7.5’ Quadrangles, With Emphasis On Glacial Lake Missoula Sediments, Emily Welk

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The primary scientific purpose of this project was to improve geologic knowledge of valley-fill units in the most downstream portion of the Clark Fork River valley in Montana. This was done to help understand the history of glacial Lake Missoula filling and draining cycles in the vicinity of the dam. The secondary purpose was to make a geologic map of the Cabinet, Heron and Smeads Bench 7.5-minute quadrangles and to resolve differences between detailed maps of Idaho (Lewis and others, 2008) and the old map of the Smeads bench, Heron and Cabinet quadrangles in Montana (Harrison and others, 1992; mapping …

Fault Mapping In 3d Seismic Reflection Data Using Seismic Attributes And Velocity Anisotropy: Example From West Virginia, Megan Valdez

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Fracture characterization is highly important in the oil and gas industry. Knowing the location of fractures allows for the assessment of reservoir quality, aids in well placement and planning, and helps identify locations of possible traps. Fracture locations can be determined using seismic data for attribute calculations and anisotropy analysis. Attribute calculations, such as coherence and curvature, identify subtle changes in the dataset that conventional seismic data interpretation might overlook. Anisotropy analysis looks at directionally dependent variations in the wave propagation velocity. Fractures slow the propagation velocity of a wave if the fractures are perpendicular to the wave direction. A …

The Geology And Geochemistry Of The Golden Chest Gold Deposit, Murray, Idaho, Alexander Brown

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Golden Chest Au-W Mine has been intermittently mined since the 1880’s. Mineralized quartz veins have been deposited into the Upper Prichard Formation of the Proterozoic Belt Supergroup. The Golden Chest is located in the Summit Mining District within the Murray Gold Belt region of the greater Coeur d’Alene (CdA) Mining District. A modern geochemical study of the Golden Chest has never been conducted at the Golden Chest.

This thesis investigates, with the collaboration of New Jersey Mining Company (NJMC), the paragenesis of ore forming minerals, the mineralogy of the deposit and the genesis of the ore forming processes. A …

Using Groundwater Modeling To Assess Groundwater And Stream Connectivity In A River Restoration Application, John Joseph Lunzer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Historic placer mining operations along the Middle Fork John Day River (MFJD) north of Galena, Oregon have left the MFJD channel straightened, incised and lacking in riverbed structure. This lack of riverbed structure makes this stretch of the MFJD poor habitat for trout and migrating salmon. In order to restore this stretch of the MFJD to better serve aquatic species, Inter-Fluve Inc. (IF), United States Forest Service (USFS) and The Freshwater Trust (TFT) will be performing restoration to both the MFJD channel as well as Bear Creek, a tributary of the MFJD. The proposed restoration work will consist of re-routing …

Growth, Lipid Production And Biodiesel Potential Of Chromulina Freiburgensis Dofl., An Acidophilic Chrysophyte Isolated From Berkeley Pit Lake, June E. Mohler Mitman

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Microalgae remain a promising, but underdeveloped source of lipids for sustainable biodiesel. Some of the obstacles to cost-effective commercial-scale production have been culture contamination and expensive harvest methods. A chrysophyte isolated from Berkeley Pit Lake and identified as Chromulina freiburgensis, was found to grow rapidly in a pH 2.5 liquid medium and to amass numerous intracellular lipid bodies. This research addresses the scarcity of published knowledge on the topic of chrysophyte species as potential lipid sources for biodiesel. It investigates how growth phase, culture conditions, and harvest timing influence the quantity and composition of lipids produced by this alga. …

Raspberry Pi Cluster For Parallel And Distributed Computing, Ngoc Ha

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Parallel and distributed computing have become an essential part of the ‘Big Data’ processing and analysis, especially for geophysical applications. The main goal of this project was to build a 4-node distributed computing cluster system using the Raspberry Pi single-board computers for educational and research purposes. After assembling together the system, a standard test was performed to check the system functionality. A Monte Carlo simulation to calculate π (pi) was used to demonstrate the advantages and drawbacks of parallelization and distribution of tasks and data within the cluster. Challenges encountered during installation of the software and testing phase, and their …

Grove Gulch Stream Restoration Hydraulic Design, Alison Lunde

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Blacktail Creek (BTC) is a second order stream that joins Silver Bow Creek (SBC) within Butte’s watershed. This stream contained heavy metals since Butte’s mining boom in the 1900’s, the source of the contamination is seen today at a place known as the “BTC berm” (Tuccci, 2014). Grove Gulch is a tributary stream of Blacktail Creek and is located southwest of Butte, MT. The stream is approximately 6 miles long from its headwaters to its point of discharge into BTC. Historically, this stream discharged half a mile downstream from its current location and in the late 1800’s the stream was …

Integrated Geophysical Methods To Characterize Subsidence In Butte, Montana, U.S.A., Kristen Prudhomme

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Geophysical investigations, designed to characterize unique subsidence features of unknown natural origin, provide imaging analysis of potential causes of subsidence. Recent subsidence in the alluvial plain in Butte, Montana is unrelated to historic mining in the area. This study aims to utilize a combined application of shallow electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), self-potential (SP), and frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) methods in order to develop a better understanding of the particular set of hydrogeological and environmental conditions that contribute to this unique phenomena. Geophysical measurements provide lateral and vertical variations of electrical resistivity in the subsurface to a depth of 10 m while …

Hydrothermal Water-Rock Reaction Modeling With Microbial Considerations: Rabbit Creek Area, Yellowstone National Park, Wy, Shanna Law

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Water-rock reactions at depth are the main control on aqueous hydrothermal chemistries of hot springs and other thermal features. Thermophilic microbes living in the hydrothermal system are a secondary control on aqueous hydrothermal chemistries and are expected to have increasing influence as spring temperatures decrease. The Rabbit Creek area of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is an ideal case study for investigating the geologic and biologic controls on aqueous hydrothermal chemistries due to the proximity of the drill core Y-5 to geochemically diverse hydrothermal features (17.3⁰C to 92.2⁰C ± 0.1⁰C; field pH values 6.50 to 9.60 ± 0.05).

The modeling program …

Moss Revegetation- A Process To Initiate Restoration And Repair Natural Resources Damaged By Mining, Arundeep Taduri

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Mosses are small plants within the phylum Bryophyta known for their ability to grow on acidic, metal laden soil. This project proposes the restoration of moss to barren mine waste areas which will stabilize the soil, thus reducing heavy metal contaminants released to the aquifer and the surrounding environment.

In general, the mine waste areas can be naturally recolonization by native and non-native vegetation as a remediation process. This process is very slow. The removal of the mine waste, capping and replacing it with clean soil, and subsequently replanting is a common remediation method. However, this approach is very expensive …

Analysis Of Clancy Drinking Water Contamination From On–Site Septic System Effluent, Matt Strozewski

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Clancy, a small unincorporated town in Montana, is situated 11 miles southwest of Helena at the confluence of Clancy and Prickly Pear Creeks. Currently Clancy residences have only on-site drinking water wells and septic systems. Drinking water testing in 2012 and 2017 found nitrate levels exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L in some of the residential drinking water wells. Elevated nitrate levels can cause a significant health concern for infants due to methemoglobinemia (Blue Baby Syndrome).

Due to the continued detection of elevated nitrate levels in Clancy’s on–site drinking water wells further research …

Mountain Front Recharge In A Semi-Arid Climate, Southwest Montana, Charles Shama

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Groundwater recharge to regional valley benches originates largely from adjacent Mountain Front Recharge (MFR). The Madison Valley in Southwest Montana is a semi-arid cold climate that receives 31.75cm annual valley precipitation. In this study, two drainages are characterized and compared, looking at the hydrological processes between the stream and groundwater. North Meadow Creek is a high elevation stream dominated by snowmelt and contains reaches of gaining and losing surface water to groundwater. Daylight Creek is a spring fed disconnected stream. Methods used a surface water balance, temperature as an environmental tracer and two and three component mixing models to investigate …

Environmental Restoration Database, Joao Nascimento

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Environmental restoration projects face many challenges. Public awareness, funding constraints, unpredictable weather, unknown biological/chemical factors and the uncertainty about how the targeted ecosystem will develop work against the planned and ideal restoration.

One way the projects’ efficiency can be improved is by using software tools for data and quality management systems, in order to share information, make field practice follow rules, keep track of maintenance tasks, measure results and, therefore, increase the rate of success by the amount of resources invested.

Since the conception of every project, all resources involved need to be focused and coherent to the final restoration …

Investigation On Relationships Between Optical Properties And Cell Concentrations Of Microalgae, Zhaoming Zhou

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Biofuel from microalgae is a very promising renewable energy resource. Growth of microalgae depends on ambient temperature, appropriate nutrients in water, and light condition for photosynthesis. As microalgae grow, the depth of light penetration decreases and the growing conditions at depth deteriorate. Monitoring of microalgae concentration during their growing phase is imperative to ensure efficiency in biomass production. Conventionally, cell concentration (number of cells per unit volume) of microalgae solution is estimated by taking images of samples under microscope and then counted and estimated using the Metallized Hemacytometer Hausser Bright-Linewe (MHHBL) method developed by Hausser Scientific. This method of measuring …

Climate Change Impacts On Hydrological Processes In Silver Bow Creek Watershed, William Howard George

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Climate change is expected to alter temperature and precipitation regimes across the globe and have varying effects on localized hydrological processes. For Silver Bow Creek (SBC), a headwater to the Clark Fork River in western Montana, the magnitude, duration, and frequency of spring runoff and summer base flow are dependent on the processes of snow accumulation and melt. Headwater hydrology and mountain streams will likely experience earlier snowmelt, increased spring flows, and decreased summer flows due to climate change.

A process-based hydrological model the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to evaluate the effects of climate change on …