Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Reservoir Characterization Of The Utica Shale Play Using Well Log Data In Columbiana, Ohio, Tyler L. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Ordovician Utica shale play is rapidly developing throughout the Appalachian Basin. The play is a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic system that grades from primarily carbonates at its base in the Lexington/Trenton limestones into primarily shale within the Utica shale. As of January 2021, it is the third highest-producing dry shale gas play in the contiguous U.S., although it is known to produce wet gas and oil in various parts of the basin. In addition to being an unconventional reservoir, the Utica shale, an informal unit in Ohio where the main fairway is located, is a known source rock for much of …

Untangling The Nature And Timescales Of Magmatic Processes Driving Eruptions At Quiescent Volcanoes: Examples From Momotombo, Nicaragua, And Cumbre Vieja, Canary Islands, Samantha Tramontano

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Across all scales of human relationships (i.e. person-to-person, country-to-country, etc.), qualms can take the form of long-standing wars, quick and intense bouts, or petty exchanges. While our understanding of human behavior is ever increasing, reactions and behaviors of self and others may still come as a surprise. Expressions of disagreement can occur suddenly or following years to centuries of accumulated grievances. The solid earth is also a system that behaves (like human emotion) predictably at times and unpredictably at other times. Some volcanoes, a tangible surface expression of solid earth processes, exhibit precursory signals prior to eruption (e.g. the bulging …

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 …

Developing And Validating A Standard Operating Procedure For Quantitative Analysis Using Central Washington University's X-Ray Diffractometer, Katherine Lucas

Undergraduate Honors Theses

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is widely applied in a variety of disciplines to identify crystalline solids in a powdered sample. Recent software advances have made quantitative analysis of samples easier and more accessible, but the quality of the result depends on the sample preparation and data collection procedure. This project focuses on testing methods of sample preparation and XRD data collection and analysis to lay the groundwork for refinement of the existing standard operating procedures at CWU. First, I determined the ball mill grinding time necessary to powder different mineral samples. The addition of hand grinding to ball mill-ground samples produced …

Relationships Among Mineralogy, Geochemistry, And Oil And Gas Production In The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Hayley Roxana Beitel

Masters Theses

"The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) is an unconventional shale reservoir located in southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Limited mineralogical and geochemical data for the TMS have been published. The data that do exist indicate that the formation is heterogeneous. Consequently, previous investigators and oil and gas companies have not managed to effectively link mineralogical and chemical changes to oil and gas production in the TMS. These linkages are critical to establish for future exploration efforts. In this study, we attempt to establish these relationships by gathering all existing mineralogical and chemical data in the TMS, including newly acquired data from …

Pumice Compositions And Mineral Chemistry From Lascar Volcano, Chile, Madelaine M. Stearn

MSU Graduate Theses

Lascar volcano is one the most active volcano in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andean Cordillera, with 36 Holocene eruptions including a VEI 4 eruption in April 1993. Activity has not been consistent throughout time, and therefore, the processes behind it are poorly understood. Lascar volcano has cyclic behavior and has had four stages of activity, each of which had a unique eruptive style and product composition. Stage I (<43 >ka) had primarily mafic andesite lavas erupted effusively from a stratocone. Stage II initiated with dome building events ESE of the original vent and culminated in the 26.45 ka …

Circum-Arctic Mineralogy & Pan-Arctic Chronostratigraphy Of Late Pleistocene Sediments: Developing A Comprehensive Age Model For The Western Arctic Ocean Using Unique Ice-Rafted Signals, Wesley Blake Myers

OES Theses and Dissertations

To improve understanding of geographic mineral distribution from the circum-Arctic Ocean, samples from the Arctic periphery were collected and analyzed for (semi-) quantitative mineral composition. Most samples were collected from the North American region of the Arctic Ocean, a region which has had limited mineral investigation. In addition, more than 1000 published clay mineral data points were gathered to provide the most comprehensive clay mineral distribution map to date. The identification of a smectite source within the Canadian Arctic may reduce the usefulness of this mineral as a unique provenance signal for the Eurasian region. Smectite speciation may be useful …

A Targeted Investigation Of The Upper Contact Unit Of The Sudbury Igneous Complex In The North Range, Sudbury Impact Structure, Canada, Lindsay E. Debono

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) represents the remnant of a crystalline impact melt sheet of the Sudbury impact structure; and is historically and presently a strategic exploration target sustaining the region's prolific mining camp. In order to better understand the SIC, it is critical to investigate the chilled upper contact of the SIC, which has historically received little recognition. Through field observations, whole rock geochemistry, petrography, and electron microprobe analysis, this study concludes that the SIC upper contact is in fact extensive across the North Range of the SIC. Additionally, the geochemistry of the SIC units, offset dykes, and upper …

Hydrothermal Alteration At Devil's Kitchen In The Lassen Volcanic National Park: A Mars Analogue, Andy Wanta

Theses and Dissertations

The Devil’s Kitchen hydrothermal site, within the Lassen Volcanic National Park, has hydrothermal features that cover a wide range of pH conditions (2-7). Analysis of mineral precipitates, hot spring mud, unaltered substrate rock, and hot spring and meteoric water reveal a wide variety of alteration minerals, geochemical conditions, and water chemistry. Mineral suites included primary igneous phases, silica phases, clay minerals, and sulfate phases. Aluminum sulfates are the dominant sulfate species present with abundant Na+, Fe3+, and Ca2+ sulfate phases and less common K+ sulfates. Amorphous silica precipitates were observed in three samples from a near-neutral hot spring and one …

An Investigation Of Hydrothermal Veins Along The Foy Offset Dyke, Sudbury Impact Structure, Ontario, Sarah Ann Codyre

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A multi-stage hydrothermal system is related to the 1.85 Ga Sudbury impact structure. This system began in the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) and radiated outward along the offset dykes. Through the combination of orientation measurements of veins in the field, petrography and geochemistry of these veins, this study has determined that there are four types of hydrothermal epidote-quartz veins categorized by their orientation, petrography and geochemistry. This study discovered that there are general trends with increasing distance from the SIC along the Foy Offset Dyke. From this it can be concluded that this is in fact SIC-driven hydrothermal event not …

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 …

Sequence Stratigraphic Correlation Of The Bow Island Member Of The Thermopolis Formation Using Surface Outcrop And Subsurface Data, Liberty And Hill Counties, Montana, Michael Vineyard

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Bow Island Member of the Thermopolis Formation in Montana is a low-pressure gas producer, which formed due to the first (Kiowa-Skull Creek) transgressive–regressive cycles of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway.

The Bow Island Member and its correlative units (Viking and Muddy Formations) have been extensively exploited for oil and gas throughout Canada and Wyoming, but remains relatively unmapped in Montana. The area of stratigraphic study is located at section 15, T36N, R5E Liberty County, Montana. This area located on Dafoe Ranch exhibits a moderately exposed stratigraphic section of Cretaceous Thermopolis Formation. The Bow Island Member lies between the Skull …

Hydrogeochemical Evaluation Of The Uinta Formation And Green River Formation, Piceance Creek Basin, Northwestern Colorado, Usa, Megan E. Masterson

Dissertations and Theses

The Piceance Creek Basin in northwestern Colorado contains extensive oil shale deposits that produce natural gas and which could potentially yield ~1.5 trillion barrels of shale oil. However, much of the oil shale lies at depths too great for traditional mining practices and various innovative approaches for in situ conversion of kerogen to oil have been proposed. A firm understanding of the existing hydrogeochemistry is needed as resulting mineralogical changes or rock-fluid reactions may affect rock porosity and permeability. Using an existing database complied by the USGS, the water chemistry of 267 surface and groundwater samples in the Piceance Creek …

Variations In Geochemistry And Mineralogy Of Aeolian Dust Deposition To Mountains In Utah And Nevada, Usa, Dylan Binder Dastrup

Theses and Dissertations

Major and trace metal loading to mountains in the western US depends on dust sources, intensity of storms and their availability for transport during snowmelt and runoff. Previous work has been conducted on dust production, composition, and its affect on solar radiation and timing of snow melt. This study was conducted to 1) examine temporal and spatial variability in dust chemistry; 2) evaluate form and availability of major and trace elements in dust; and 3) identify potential dust sources affecting mountains in Utah and Nevada. Spring and summertime dust was collected across northern Utah over the course of three years …

Constraining The Formation And Alteration Of Sudbury Breccia, Ontario, Canada: Implications For Footwall Cu-Ni-Pge Exploration, Jonathan W. O'Callaghan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Sudbury breccia is an impactite situated in the footwall of the 1.85 Ga Sudbury impact structure, situated in Ontario. Developing exploration vectors towards Sudbury breccia-hosted Cu-Ni-PGE mineralization is inhibited by an insufficient understanding of the relative contributions of footwall lithologies versus impact melt. By combining whole-rock geochemistry, field observations, statistical modelling and petrography, this study has determined that Sudbury breccia is a parautochthonous shock melt, which does not require a melt sheet contribution. Furthermore, the trace metal content of the breccia is largely controlled by the assimilation of mafic footwall lithologies, the exception being breccia proximal to mineralization, where a …

Porphyry Copper Exploration Of The Hualapai Mountains, Mohave County, Arizona, Usa: A Multi-Faceted Approach, Patrick Kevin Meazell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A variety of exploration methods including geologic mapping, trace- and major-level geochemical analyses, fluid inclusion petrography, remote sensing, and SWIR clay spectroscopy were used to investigate the potential for porphyry Cu-Mo mineralization at the Wikieup prospect, in the southern Hualapai Mountains of northwestern Arizona. Aspects of the Mineral Park mine were used as an analogue to guide exploration due to the proximity and similar geology of the area.

The Hualapai Mountains are a series of northwest-trending Precambrian gneisses, schists, granitoids and amphibolites that have been cut by younger intrusive rocks. Within the Wikieup study area, the intrusive rocks include aplite …

Contact Zone Mineralogy And Geochemistry Of The Mt. Mica Pegmatite, Oxford County, Maine, Kimberly T. Clark

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on exocontact mineral assemblages to determine composition, thermal signatures, and the extent of exomorphism that occurred between the Mt. Mica pegmatite and the migmatite host rock at the contact. Biotite-garnet thermometry of country rock samples resulted in an average temperature estimate of 630 °C. Measured biotite Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratios were used to calculate an fO2 of -18. The results indicate that the country rock and pegmatite formed under similar oxidizing conditions near the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) equilibria buffer. Whole rock (REE) analysis indicates an interaction trend between the country rock and pegmatite. Exomorphism does not appear to have …

New Mineralogical And Geochemical Characterization Of Martian Meteorites: Implications For Habitability And Astrobiological Exploration Of Mars, Jared N. Shivak

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mars is thought to have shared many similarities with the Earth during its history, leading to extensive research into the potential for life to arise on Mars. Here, a thorough mineralogical and geochemical characterization of primary and secondary phases in Martian meteorites Los Angeles, Zagami, and Nakhla was performed. This novel approach assesses their potential to host life and build on previous studies that focused on either astrobiological or geological factors. These meteorites were found to contain abundant iron-rich phases that can act as microbial substrates. Investigation of alteration phases in Nakhla allowed for the identification of a new secondary …

A Multispectral Assessment Of Complex Impact Craters On The Lunar Farside, Bhairavi Shankar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hypervelocity collisions of asteroids onto planetary bodies have catastrophic effects on the target rocks through the process of shock metamorphism. The resulting features, impact craters, are circular depressions with a sharp rim surrounded by an ejecta blanket of variably shocked rocks. With increasing impact energy, the inner crater cavity can preserve complex morphologies including terraced walls, central uplifts, and melted rocks. The lack of erosion due to the absence of water or an atmosphere makes the Moon the perfect target to study impact crater processes, in particular the distribution of highly shocked materials within impact craters of different sizes. …

The Tilt Of The Boron Triangle In Tourmaline, Charles J. Badgerow

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

The tourmaline mineral group has a highly complex chemical composition and provides a wealth of information on Earth's processes. Past research has revealed numerous mysteries regarding the structure of the boron triangle within tourmaline, especially as it bonds to the Z- and Z'- cation sites. Although the Z- and Z' - are nominally the same site, the Z'-site has a greater effect on the stereochemistry of the boron triangle. Further, the Z' -site has a shorter bond-length with the boron triangle than the Z-site. We hypothesize that this variation affects the stereochemistry of the boron triangle, and have analyzed a …

Petrogenesis Of The East Fork Member Rhyolites, Valles Caldera, New Mexico, Usa, Carla Eichler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The most recent volcanism in the Valles caldera is represented by the El Cajete Pyroclastic Beds (ECPB), Battleship Rock Ignimbrite (BRI), and Banco Bonito Flow (BBF) as well as the VC-1 rhyolite, which are collectively known as the East Fork Member (EFM) of the Valles Rhyolite. The EFM was erupted at approximately 55 ka and 40 ka after an approximate 460 ka lull in volcanism. Previous studies suggested a mafic intrusion at depth triggered the eruptions. This thesis represents the first detailed study of the EFM.

Crystal assemblages consist of plagioclase, biotite, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, amphibole, sanidine, quartz, and oxides. Electron …

Formation And Alteration Of Basaltic Soils On Mars, Ian Oliver Mcglynn

Doctoral Dissertations

The current surface of Mars is an arid inhospitable environment, dominated by aeolian processes, composed of largely volcanic rocks that have little apparent indication of pervasive aqueous chemical weathering, and blanketed by dust. Rocks are composed of basalts and the “soil” sediments appear to be largely basaltic-derived, and are chemically similar on a global scale. If the climate was once warmer and wetter during the Noachian period, with environmental conditions favorable to the development of life, physically weathered remnants, such as large quantities of phyllosilicate minerals, should remain. Basaltic soils provide a crucial constraint on chemical and physical weathering processes, …

The Behavior Of Zircon During Partial Melting In Anatectic Migmatites: Insights To Metamorphism, Deformation And Tectonism In The Central Santa Fe Range, Northern New Mexico, Michelle Renee Stropky

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Three lithologic assemblages exposed in the central Santa Fe Range, northern New Mexico include (1) a septum of Proterozoic low temperature (~700oC, 5.5 kbars), semi-pelitic anatectic migmatites surrounded by (2) deformed megacrystic biotite granite that is intruded by (3) discrete plutons of largely undeformed hornblende biotite tonalite. Metamorphic fabrics in the migmatite record three deformation events (D1 - D3); a composite S1/S2 fabric (D1 and D2) that formed contemporaneous with anatexis and is folded about a southwest plunging map-scale (D3) antiform. The megacrystic granite exhibits a pervasive S1 subsolidus foliation that parallels the S1/S2 fabric in the migmatite and is …

Phyllosilicate Mineralogy, 40ar/39ar Geochronology, And Genesis Of Petrocalcic Soils In The Southwest U.S.A., Colin R. Robins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Obtaining isotope ages for arid soils and paleosols, including carbonate-cemented (calcic and petrocalcic) horizons, constitutes a significant challenge for soil scientists, geomorphologists, and stratigraphers. Carbonate-cemented soils foster diverse suites of authigenic minerals with exciting potential for geochronology, however, this potential has not been realized. This dissertation describes the timing of pedogenic palygorskite and sepiolite crystallization in extremely old, extant petrocalcic soils of the southwest U.S.A., and assumes that these fibrous, high-magnesium phyllosilicates contain sufficient lattice-bound K to warrant vacuum-encapsulated 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. This three-part study evaluated the (1) selective extraction, (2) 40Ar/39Ar analysis, and (3) pedogenesis of palygorskite and sepiolite.

Effects …

Sedimentology And Community Structure Of Reefs Of The Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, Matthew J. Novak

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Holocene carbonate sediments from Mexican reefs in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico display variations in constituent composition, texture and mineralogy which are related to their locations on the reefs. Samples were collected at barrier reef environments at Akumal and Chemuyil, on the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula; at the oceanic atoll of Chinchorro, off the southeast coast of the peninsula; and at the shelf atoll of Alacranes, in the Gulf of Mexico. Samples were collected through a depth range of 0-40 m, which encompasses back reef, shallow fore reef, and deeper fore reef environments.

Constituent-particle analysis of reef …

Relation Of Groundwater Fluoride Concentrations To Sediment Mineralogy, Potomac Formation (Cretaceous), Southeastern Virginia, Paul Anthony Maciuika

OES Theses and Dissertations

Thirty-seven Early cretaceous sediment samples of the Potomac Formation were obtained from four cores to determine if fluoride bearing minerals are responsible for elevated fluoride concentrations in Potomac Formation groundwaters of southeastern Virginia. Investigative methods included total sediment fluoride and particle size analysis, semiquantitative mineralogical analysis (achieved by X-Ray Diffraction) and statistical methods (cluster, canonical and regression analysis). The sediments showed wide variation in textures, ranging from clean sands and gravels to silty clays. Sediment mineralogies were dependent on the prevailing size fraction, with quartz and feldspar dominating the sand and silt fractions, muscovite primarily being found in the silt …

The Petrology And Mineralogy Of Tertiary(?) Olivine Trachyte In The Harrington Peak Quadrangle, Southeastern Idaho, Amanda Shearer-Fullerton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Harrington Peak Quadrangle is located within the Caribou National Forest of southeast Idaho. Within this quadrangle are outcrops of olivine trachyte of Pliocene(?) age overlying sedimentary rocks of Mississippian to Tertiary age. The region contains thrust faults and later normal faults (generally trending north-south} formed during Basin and Range extension.

The Largest outcrop of olivine trachyte (approximately1 1/2 X 3 km) probably formed as the result of a fissure eruption. Two other outcrop areas show evidence of being sites of local extrusion.

Whole-rock chemical analyses revealed the olivine trachyte to have moderate amounts of SiO₂ and Al_{2O …}

Petrology And Mineralogy Of Tertiary(?) Volcanic Rocks Of Snowville Area, Utah, And Tertiary-Quaternary(?) Volcanic Rocks Of Table Mountain And Holbrook Areas, Idaho, Yunshuen Wang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Basalt flows occur in the Snowville area of north-central Utah and the Table Mountain and Holbrook areas of south-central Idaho. All basalt flows are aphanitic in groundmass, and contain olivine, plagioclase, augite, and opaque oxides. They can be distinguished by texture. Snowville basalt has predominantly subophitic to intergranular textures. Table Mountain basalt is fine grained, with stumpy groundmass plagioclase and equant ilmenite crystals. Holbrook basalt has pilotaxitic to intergranular textures, with the presence of plagioclase phenocrysts and characteristic exsolution lamellae in Fe-Ti oxides. The olivine grains in Holbrook area are intensely oxidized to Fe-Ti oxides.

Snowville basalt contains olivine phenocrysts …

Petrology And Mineralogy Of Tertiary(?) Volcanic Rocks West And Southwest Of Kelton (Box Elder Co.), Utah, R. L. Voit

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Kelton, Utah, area has numerous, isolated basaltic outcrops of probable Tertiary age mostly in the form of cuestas with steep faces displaying columnar joints. One ash-flow tuff is located in the southeastern part of the study area. Basaltic fragments in the tuff indicate that pyroclastic activity was preceded by extrusion of basalt.

Effects of Lake Bonneville on the basaltic outcrops include wave­cut terraces, scarps, and other wave-built forms in low lying areas. Massive carbonate deposits formed at levels of former shorelines of Lake Bonneville. Tertiary and Quaternary deposits cover the low- lying areas between basaltic flows, and consist of …

Petrology And Mineralogy Of Tertiary Volcanic Rocks In The Vicinity Of The Rozel Hills And Black Mountain, Box Elder County, Utah, Elizabeth R. Greenman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two basalt flows and an andesite fissure eruption occur in the Rozel Hills - Black Mountain area in Box Elder County, Utah. Both basalt flows are aphanitic, and contain olivine, plagioclase, augite, and opaque oxides. They may be distinguished both chemically and on the basis of their textures. Unit 2 basalt is finer grained, and appears to be associated with a fault in the Black Mountain area. Chemically, it is similar to high-iron lavas in the Craters of the Moon, Idaho area. It has higher alkali, total iron, and titanium contents that Unit 1 basalt. Unit 1 basalt is similar …