Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Provenance Study Of The Westwater Canyon And Brushy Basin Members Of The Morrison Formation Between Gallup And Laguna, New Mexico, Ruben Martinez

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The objective of this investigation is to study the provenance of the Westwater Canyon and Brushy Basin Members of the Morrison Formation between Gallup and Laguna, New Mexico. The coarse, subarkosic Westwater Canyon Member is separated from the quartzitic sandstones of the underlying Recapture Member by an unconformity that provides a recognizable datum for correlation and a definite base for the Westwater Canyon Member.

The very pale orange, cliff-forming Westwater Canyon Member consists of Oto 137 m of very coarse- to very fine-grained, poorly sorted, subrounded to angular, arkosic to quartzitic sandstone with numerous lenses of arkosic granules and pebbles …

Petrogenesis Of Orbicular Rock, Tijeras Canyon, Sandia Mountains, New Mexico, Kathleen Affholter

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

A new occurrence of orbicular rock is located in the Sandia Granite at W. long. 106° 25' 30", N. lat. 35° 04' 55" close to the granite-gneiss contact near Tijeras Canyon, Sandia Mountains, New Mexico. The orbicules, set in an aplite-pegmatite granitic matrix, have magmatic and metamorphic cores surrounded by a white plagioclase shell and one or two salmon-colored potassium feldspar shells. The outcrop occurs in two dike-like masses with thicknesses of 1 to 4 m trending N. 5° W. and N. 35° E. for exposed lengths of 16m and 46 m, and is surrounded by biotite syenodiorite and biotite …

Analysis And Interpretation Of The 5,000 Ft (1,538 M) Red-Bed Sequence Encountered In The Sparks Et Al. #1-8 (Michigan Basin Deep Borehole), John H. Fowler

Masters Theses

A 5,000 ft (1,538 m) pre-Mt. Simon (Upper Cambrian) red-bed sequence, encountered in the Gratiot County deep borehole (Sparks et al. #1-8) and herein named the North Star Formation, consists of undeformed recurring beds of immature arkosic sandstone 2 to 34 in (5 to 85 cm) thick. These beds grade upward from erosional basal contacts into mudstone units 1 in to 12 ft (3 cm to 3.8 m) thick. Within the sandstones, grading, horizontal lamination, and crossstratification define Bouma intervals "a", "b", and "c", which combine to form incomplete Bouma sequences. Mudstones exhibit abundant horizontal laminations. Secondary sedimentary structures (load …

Geology Of The Cerro Del Grant Area, Rio Arriba County, North-Central New Mexico, John Richmond Lawrence

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The present study undertook the geologic mapping and investigation of the stratigraphy, structural geology, igneous petrology and mineral resources of the Cerro del Grant area, a 75- (190 ) region near Coyote, Rio Arriba County, north-central New Mexico. The area is situated at the junction of three geologic provinces: the Chama platform, the Española Basin of the Rio Grande rift, and Jemez volcanic field.

Sedimentary rocks include 2,500 ft (830 m) of sandstone, shale, conglomerate and limestone of Late Triassic to Quaternary age. These strata are unconformably overlain by several hundred feet of mafic, intermediate and rhyolitic lavas which make …

Structural And Petrologic Comparison Of The Southern Sapphire Range, Montana With The Northeast Border Zone Of The Idaho Batholith, Stacy Lon Clark

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Rubidium-Strontium And Related Studies Of The Salado Formation, Southeastern New Mexico, Joseph K. Register Jr.

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Salado Formation, a member of the Ochoa Series, is a bedded salt deposit which is found in the Delaware Basin southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. It is comprised primarily of halite and sylvite with minor amounts of sulfate minerals. Rubidium-strontium age determinations of the evaporite minerals in the Salado indicate an age of final equilibration of 214 15 m.y. This age is fairly consistent with the geologic age of the formation, precluding substantial alkali-alkaline earth migration since deposition. Polyhalite and anhydrite samples from the Salado give / values of about .7078, which are consistent with reported valued for …

Oxygen Isotopic Analysis Of Silicates And Oxides Using Both Bromine Pentafluoride And Fluorine Gas As Reagents, Harold Roy Northrop

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

In recent years the preferred analytical procedure for the extraction of oxygen from silicates and oxides for oxygen isotope analysis has been the oxidation of the samples with either fluorine (F2) or bromine pentafluoride (BrF5) to produce oxygen. Several standards are available for monitoring the extraction procedure, and one in particular (NBS-28) is used in many laboratories. The oxygen-18 oxygen-16 ratios obtained for NBS-28 vary by as much as one permil between laboratories. The major cause of this variation lies in the extraction procedure used. Extraction of oxygen from iron bearing minerals and whole rocks (and minerals containing certain other …

The Matrix Of Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrites: Implications For The Origin And Subsequent History Of Chondrites, Gary Robert Huss

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The matrices of fourteen unequilibrated (type 3 and 3, 4) ordinary chondrites (all witnessed falls) were analyzed using transmitted and reflected light microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and instrumental neutron activation analysis. The matrix is defined as the fine-grained silicate material between chondrules, chondrule fragments, other distinct silicate grains, and Fe-Ni and troilite grains. It makes up about 13 percent of each meteorite. Although all meteorites in this study have been altered to some extent since their formation, those with least alteration indicate that the unaltered matrix had submicron grain size, a clastic texture, and was friable even though interstitial pore …

Geology Of The Galisteo Formation, Hagan Basin, New Mexico, Timothy Walker Gorham

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

In north-central New Mexico the Hagan basin contains the thickest (261 to 1,295 m) and least deformed section of the Eocene Galisteo Formation. The Galisteo unconformably overlies sandstone and carbonaceous shale of the Mesaverde Group (Upper Cretaceous) and provides a record of late Laramide (Eocene) tectonics in this part of the Rocky Mountains.

The Galisteo Formation contains a complex fluvial sequence of abundant red to green mudstone, with varying amounts of red to white laterally continuous and discontinuous sandstone, and buff to white conglomeratic sandstone. Sedimentary structures and facies relationships in seven coarse-grained Galisteo members indicate that the Galisteo Formation …

Structural Geology Of Eastern Part Of James Peak Quadrangle And Western Part Of Sharp Mountain Quadrangle, Utah, Steven L. Rauzi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A detailed study was made of the James Peak-Sharp Mountain area, in the southern part of the Bear River Range, Utah. The mapped area is located in north-central Utah between lat. 41°22'30" N. and lat. 41°30' N. and long. 111°42'30" W. and long. 111°46' W. It measures about 3.8 miles in the east-west direction and 8.7 miles in the north-south direction. The area is centered about 22 miles south-southeast of Logan, Utah.

Stratigraphic units of late Precambrian to Mississippian age underlie the mapped area. The Precambrian units include the Mutual and Browns Hole Formations. The Brigham, Langston, Ute, Blacksmith, Bloomington, …

Petrology And Mineralogy Of Quaternary Basalts, Gem Valley And Adjacent Bear River Range, Southeastern Idaho, William D. Perkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Quaternary basalts of Gem Valley, Idaho, are present as valley fill (Group 1) and as well defined flows in the Bear River Range (Group 2) east of Gem Valley. Minerals present in both groups of basalts include olivine (Fo₇₃ -Fo₃₉), augite (Wo₄₁ En₃₉ Fs₂₀), plagioclase (An₇₅ -An₄₀), and Fe-Ti oxides. Coexisting pairs of magnetite and ilmenite, and olivine and clinopyroxene in several samples indicate temperatures of crystallization from 958°c to 1167°c. The Group 2 basalts exhibit a cumulate texture with abundant large (2 cm) phenocrysts of plagioclase.

Chemically, the Gem …

Structural Geology Of The Northern Part Of Oxford Quadrangle, Idaho, Jerrold N. Mayer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The northern part of the Oxford Quadrangle, Idaho, includes parts of the Bannock Range to the west and the Portneuf Range to the east. These ranges are separated by Marsh Valley to the north and Cache Valley to the south. Red Rock Pass, the outlet of glacial Lake Bonneville, divides the two valleys. The mapped area is north of Preston, Idaho, and south of Downey, Idaho. The north-south dimension of the mapped area is 5.2 miles and the east-west dimension is 6.4 miles.

The stratigraphic units, within the mapped area, are Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Cenozic in age. The oldest rock …

Postglacial Environmental History Of A Marl Lake Site In Kalamazoo County, Southwestern Michigan, Valerie A. Naeve

Masters Theses

The depositional and ecological history of Oakland Bog, a relic Wisconsinan (16,500+300 years B.P.) lake site is interpreted from pollen stratigraphy, molluscan faunal assemblages and sediment facies. The lake basin, which probably formed after the melting of a late Wisconsinan buried ice block in the Kalamazoo Moraine Complex, is irregular, steep-sided and floored by glacial till. The till is overlain by as much as 7.6 meters of lacustrine marls which extend over an area of nearly 0.5 km². Basal marls are characteristically medium gray, clayey, and contain abundant calcified stem fragments of charophytes; however, the overlying marls display …

Geology Of The Central Peloncillo Mountains, The North Third Of The Pratt Quadrangle, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, Dennis J. Gebben

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Two Upper Cretaceous Flysch Sequences In The Caribbean Mountains Of Venezuela And Their Relationship To Caribbean Tectonics, Stephen A. Meyer

Honors Papers

The Caribbean Mountains of Venezuela reach from the Venezuelan Andes to the Northern Ranges of Trinidad. Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene flysch units deposited in a marine euxinic basin are crucial in unraveling the evolution of the mountains. Two formations in the Acarigua region (near the termination in the Venezuelan Andes), the Rio Guache and Nuezalito formations, are the most complete sections of these flysch sequences. A sedimentary petrologic study was undertaken to determine the source areas for these formations, to put age brackets on the timing of uplift and rotation of portions of the Caribbean Mountains.

The mountains are divided …

Petrography, Mineral Chemistry And Microstructures Of Gabbros From The Mid-Cayman Rise Spreading Center, Frieda L. Malcolm

Geology Theses and Dissertations

The suite of gabbroic rocks collected by the DSRV ALVIN in 1976 and 1977 from the walls of the Mid-Cayman Rise spreading center were studied in detail to provide the best available data on plutonic rocks sampled directly from the ocean floor. The rock types studied include variably deformed and altered gabbros, orthopyroxene gabbros, olivine gabbros and troctolites, and a few amphibolites. Mineral chemical analyses suggest that the various rock types are representative of a fractionation trend from magnesian troctolites through olivine and clinopyroxene gabbros to iron-enriched orthopyroxene gabbros. Within many individual samples, the primary mineral phases are apparently chemically …

Geology Of The Mafic/Ultramafic Transition, Table Mountain, Western Newfoundland, Suzanne O'Connell

Geology Theses and Dissertations

A thin (<200 m.) mafic suite and well developed mafic/ultramafic transition zone are exposed above a flat lying peridotite contact on northwestern Table Mountain. The igneous layering and sedimentary features indicate mineral deposition under conditions which promoted adcumulate growth, were capable of minor transport, and were subjected to at least minor tectonic activity during consolidation. Feldspathic,. mafic, and ultramafic dikes and veins cross-cut the layering. Microscopic futures indicate deformation at elevated temperature and/or low strain rates. Deformation is best developed within the transition zone, but cataclastic zones are most common in the hornblende gabbros. Orientations of layering, foliation, and lineation indicate a variable mafic/ultramafic transition and macroscopic folding. Geometric analysis indicates three distinct fold axis orientations: an east-west horizontal fold axis, a northeast trending modestly plunging axis, and a vertical though poorly defined axis. Such features demonstrate that an apparently simple contact relationship may be extremely complex. This has important implications for ocean floor accretion. The relatively simple ocean floor seismic stratigraphy masks very complex petrological and structural processes. Such processes may involve deposition in an actively convecting magma chamber with a differentially subsiding wedge (Dewey and Kidd, 1977), in which folding occurs in response to the steepening angle between the cumulate banding and the base of the magma chamber. The instability is enhanced by the different accumulation rates and densities of the minerals involved. The lineation may originally be a sedimentary feature indicative of transport direction from the convection cell, and perpendicular to the compressive stress which produced. the folding. The different orientations of lineations and fold axes could be produced by rotation of the ocean crustal blocks during lateral transport along the ocean floor and/or obduction. Further detailed study of ophiolite complexes will continue to shed light upon the nature and development of oceanic crust.

Paleoclimatic Implications Of Oxygen Isotope And Sedimentological Study Of Late Miocene And Early Pliocene Sediments From The South Atlantic, Western Indian Ocean, And The Gulf Of Aden, Kathryn M. Scanlon

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Previous work by many authors has implied that the Antarctic ice sheet underwent a major expansion in the latest Miocene. It was intended in the present study to use the oxygen isotope event, which could be expected to accompany this glacial expansion, as a stratigraphic marker to aid in the correlation of several DSDP Sites. Samples were taken at approximately 100,000 year intervals throughout the latest Miocene and early Pliocene sections at Sites 237 and 249 in the western Indian Ocean, Site 360 in the South Atlantic and Site 231 in the Gulf of Aden. Oxygen isotope analyses were done …

Geometry And Kinematics Of Continental Deformation In Zones Of Collision: Examples From Central Europe And Eastern Mediterranean, Ali Mehmet Celâl Sengör

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Consideration of world-wide epicenter distribution has shown that deformation in continental lithosphere is not narrowly confined to well-defined plate boundaries but is present in wide, diffuse plate boundary zones. Early studies on the seismicity of the peri-Mediterranean area resulted in the division of the lithosphere in that region into a number of small plates, or microplates. Later studies in central Asia, which integrated seismicity with Quaternary geology, indicated, however, that a continuum approach may be more realistic to describe continental tectonics. This study concentrates on geometry and timing of continental deformation that resulted from continental collision in Central Europe and …

Petrology And Mineral Chemistry Of Some Jan Mayen Volcanics, Carla A. White

Geology Theses and Dissertations

The island of Jan Mayen is the northernmost active volcano on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The rocks of Jan Mayen belong to the potassic series of the alkaline rocks and appear to belong to the straddle type association. The ankaramites and alkali olivine basalts are characterized by the presence of large xenocrysts of rimmed chromium diopside, titaniferous salite, olivine (Fo83 to Fo88), magnetite and sometimes plagioclase (bytownite rimmed by labradorite). Phenocrysts of olivine (Fo74) and plagioclase (andesine) are present in several rocks. These and phenocrysts lie in a matrix composed of` titaniferous salite, olivine (Fo58), plagioclase (andesine), magnetite, biotite and sometimes …

The Development Of Foliations In Low, Medium And High Grade Metamorphic Tectonites, William J. Gregg

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Studies of foliation and associated microstructures are presented from a variety of rock types and localities in the metamorphic terrains of the northeastern United States.
At Islesboro, Maine cleavage is well developed in lower greenschist grade siltstones and interbedded pelites of lower Paleozoic age. Cleavage in the siltstone units consists of two types of discrete mica films: short film segments and lengthened mica film. Thick secondary mica-rich layers are also exhibited in some siltstones. The short film segments appear to be basic elements through which cleavage development progresses by a linkage process that is poorly understood. The linkage of these …

Geology Of The Badger Bay-Seal Bay Area, North-Central Newfoundland, K. Douglas Nelson

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Coastline in the Badger Bay-Seal Bay area of north-central Newfoundland exposes the thickest and least disrupted section of Ordovician rocks in Newfoundland's Central Volcanic Belt. The following conformable stratigraphic sequence is observed: 1) >5 km. of variegated mafic and silicic submarine volcanics and volcaniclastics of lower Ordovician age; 2) a thin (<.5 km.) sequence consisting of thin bedded red and green argillites, manganiferous cherts, bioturbated cherts and black sulferous graptolite-bearing argillites of Caradocian age; 3) >1.2 km. of quartz-rich sandstones of upper Ordovician age. Correlative sequences occur to the east in the Fortune Harbour Peninsula area and on New World Island. Together they record Early Ordovician island arc volcanism, Medial Ordovician cessation of volcanism and subsidence, and Medial through Late Ordovician uplift and …

Geology Of North Craters Of The Moon National Monument, Idaho, William C. Sidle

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the investigation was to map the geology of the north end of Craters of the Moon National Monument and surrounding area. A stratigraphic sequence of Late Paleozoic sedimentary and Tertiary volcanic rocks was compiles and the structures of these rocks and contact relationships with intrusions were delineated. Grade and facies of contact metamorphism were defined. The Snake River Plain basalts were also mapped. The sources of these flows were determined where possible. Preexisting structures and relationships of vents to earlier faulting were explored in ascertaining extensions of the Great Rift Zone into the Pioneer Mountains. Petrographic descriptions …

The Structure And Stratigraphy Of The Columbia River Basalt In The Hood River Valley, Oregon, Susan Timm

Dissertations and Theses

The Hood River Valley, located 100 kilometers east of Portland, Oregon, is in the transition zone between two geologic provinces--the High Cascades and the Columbia Plateau. The entire valley is probably underlain by Columbia River Basalt, but it crops out only on steep hillsides and in stream valleys. The base of the basalt is not exposed in the thesis area. The basalt is overlain by Pliocene and Quaternary basalt and andesite, volcanic sediments and glacial debris.

The stratigraphy of the Columbia River Basalt is useful in determining the path of the basalt flows into western Oregon, in mapping the structure …

Structural Geology Of The Southeast Quarter Of The Dutchman Butte Quadrangle, Oregon, Gerald Lee Black

Dissertations and Theses

Field work in the southeast quarter of the Dutchman ·Butte Quadrangle, which lies within the Klamath Mountains geomorphic province of southwestern Oregon, was completed during the summers of 1973 and 1974. The objectives of the study were fourfold: (1) to produce a geologic map of the southeast quarter of the Dutchman Butte Quadrangle, (2) to determine the nature of the contact between the Dothan and Rogue formations, (3) to construct a stratigraphic column of the Dothan Formation in the area, and (4) to attempt to determine the nature of the deformation occurring in the area.

Stratigraphy And Sedimentary Petrology Of The Northwest Quarter Of The Dutchman Butte Quadrangle, Southwest Oregon, Thomas Edward Koler

Dissertations and Theses

The study area lies in southwest Douglas County 5 kilometers south from Camas Valley and is accessible by state highway 42. The purpose of the study was to map the geology at a 1:31,250 scale, determine the stratigraphy, study the petrology of the formations, and determine the provenance within a tectonic setting.

On The Water Masses Of Norfolk Canyon, Evon Paul Ruzecki

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Results from four cruises in the outer continental shelf/slope region of the Middle Atlantic Bight demonstrate the effect of Norfolk Canyon, an east coast submarine canyon, on the exchange of local water masses. Seasonal distributions of water masses and water types around the canyon were determined from closely spaced (2-5 km) hydrographic and XBT stations. Five component water types representing shelf, winter (or cold pool), slope, warm Western North Atlantic and cool Western North Atlantic waters are defined by specific T/S signatures. The percent of each water type necessary to achieve measured T/S values along sections to the north and …

Lexicon Of Bedrock Stratigraphic Names Of North Dakota, Joanne Van Ornum Groenewold

Theses and Dissertations

This lexicon of bedrock stratigraphic names of North Dakota consists of a general definition of each unit as well as the history of stratigraphic nomenclature, An attempt was made to include all units for North Dakota whether formally or informally named, or cur rently being used in the state. The general definition includes name(s) of the unit, age, area of extent, lithology, relationships to other units, characteristic fossils, economic significance, depo sitional environment, type section (1£ one has been proposed), and other remarks that might be significant. The history of strati graphic nomenclature includes a chronological listing of the first …

Geology And Mineralization, Ohio And Mt. Baldy Districts, Marysvale, Piute County, Utah, Laurence M. Nuelle

Masters Theses

"The Ohio and Mt. Baldy Mining Districts near Marysvale, Utah occupy a cauldron complex in the Bullion Canyon Volcanics. This complex contains three rock groups of three volcanic episodes. The oldest is a volcanic cone framework series of lahars. The middle group is represented by lava flows, ash flows, and breccias which represent intra-caldera fill. The upper group consists of a local vent complex and the Delano Peak Tuff Member both of which may be related to ring fracture activity.

The stages of veining in the area include in order of gradational deposition: (1) early quartz veins, (2) pre-productive main …

The Geohydrology And Hydrogeochemistry Of The Proposed Garrison Lignite Mine, Kevin Morin

Theses and Dissertations

A local groundwater study is a necessity before the opening of any lignite mine in North Dakota. The study becomes an important reference for the environmental impact during mining and after reclamation.

This report is a groundwater study of the Proposed Garrison Lignite Mine, McLean County, North Dakota. The mineable lignite is in the lower Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene). The remainder of the Paleocene material at the proposed mine site is mostly fluvial silty clay deposits with some sand beds. Pleistocene deposits, mostly pebble loam (till), cover the Sentinel Butte at the mine site.

Ninety piezometers in twenty-eight nests were …