Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Tree-Ring Based Reconstruction Of Logan River Streamflow, Northern Utah, Eric B. Allen, Tammy M. Rittenour, R. Justin Derose, Matthew F. Bekker, Roger Kjelgren, Brendan M. Buckley

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We created six new tree‐ring chronologies in northern Utah, which were used with preexisting chronologies from Utah and western Wyoming to reconstruct mean annual flow for the Logan River, the largest tributary of the regionally important Bear River. Two reconstruction models were developed, a “Local” model that incorporated two Rocky Mountain juniper chronologies located within the basin, and a “Regional” model that also included limber pine and pinyon pine chronologies from a larger area. The Local model explained 48.2% of the variability in the instrumental record and the juniper chronologies better captured streamflow variability than Douglas‐fir collected within the Logan …

Pore Morphometrics And Thermal Evolution Of Organic-Matter Microporosity, Colorado Group, Western Canada Foreland Basin, Peng Jiang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Pores that develop within kerogen particles make a significant contribution to the network flow capacity and hydrocarbon storage of carbonaceous mudstone reservoirs. It has been suggested that development of Organic matter pores results from thermal degradation of kerogen. The range of thermal and subsidence histories of strata in the Western Canada Foreland Basin provide an excellent framework in which to evaluate the influence of thermal maturity on organic matter micropore morphometrics, and the opportunity to evaluate clay microfabric characteristics. Imaging and pore characterization of mudstone samples from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) Colorado Group of the WCFB has been conducted using …

Geology Of The Birdseye 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Utah County, Utah:Â Implications For Mid-Cenozoic Extension And Deposition Of The Moroni Formation, Don L. Bagshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Geologic structures within the Birdseye 7.5 minute quadrangle Utah County, Utah have been related by previous workers to both the Jurassic Arapien Shale diapirism and to the mid-Cenozoic extensional collapse of the Charleston-Nebo Thrust. Whichever model proves valid, it will have implications for oil exploration and interpretation of the subsurface geologic structure in the region. A detailed map of the quadrangle was constructed to better constrain which mechanism was responsible for the deformation. Exposures of Arapien Shale near, and within the Birdseye quadrangle show no evidence of diapiric movement. Arapien involvement in the deformation of Tertiary rocks in the center …

Digital Outcrop Model And Paleoecology Of The Eight-Foot Rapid Algal Field (Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Ismay Sequence), Paradox Basin, Utah, Colton Lynn Goodrich

Theses and Dissertations

Although phylloid algal mounds have been studied for 50 year, much remains to be determined concerning the ecology and sedimentology of these Late Paleozoic carbonate buildups. Herein we perform a digital outcrop study of the well-known Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Ismay mound interval in the Paradox Basin because outcropping mounds along the San Juan River are cited as outcrop analogs of reservoir carbonates in the Paradox Basin oil province of Utah and adjacent states. The principal field area is the Eight Foot algal field located at river mile 19.2 on the San Juan River, approximately 14 miles SSW of Bluff, Utah. …

Application Of Hydrogeologic Settings In Groundwater Vulnerability Mapping In Lagrange County, Indiana, Solomon Isiorho

S Isiorho

No abstract provided.

The Crustal Thickness Of West Antarctica, Julien A. Chaput, Richard C. Aster, Audrey D. Huerta, X. Sun, Andrew Lloyd, Douglas A. Wiens, Andrew Nyblade, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, J. Paul Winberry, Terry Wilson

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

P-to-S receiver functions (PRFs) from the Polar Earth Observing Network (POLENET) GPS and seismic leg of POLENET spanning West Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains deployment of seismographic stations provide new estimates of crustal thickness across West Antarctica, including the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS), Marie Byrd Land (MBL) dome, and the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) margin. We show that complications arising from ice sheet multiples can be effectively managed and further information concerning low-velocity subglacial sediment thickness may be determined, via top-down utilization of synthetic receiver function models. We combine shallow structure constraints with the response of deeper layers using a …

Marine Diatom Assemblage Variation Across Pleistocene Glacial-Interglacial Transitions And Neogene Diatom Biostratigraphy Of Site C9001, Nw Pacific Ocean, Marcella K. Purkey

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2006, D/V-Chikyu cruise CK06-06 drilled Hole C9001C at Site C9001 in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, 80 km east of the Shimokita Peninsula, Japan. An existing chronostratigraphic framework provides a continuous glacial-interglacial (GI) climate record from which a diatom record of paleoenvironmental changes was developed across several GI cycles. Species counts, diatom temperature values, calculated sea-surface temperatures (SST) and factor analysis were produced for each sample and calibrated to prior diatom studies in this region. These features were used to characterize and compare interglacial maxima of Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 1, 5e, 9 and 11 and transitions from the preceding …

Hydrochemical Investigation Of A Transient Parafluvial Zone Under Drought Conditions, Platte River, Nebraska, Audrey R. Boerner

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Shallow groundwater (0.5 m -1.2 m deep) beneath a vegetated and non-vegetated fluvial island was observed in the lower Platte River, Nebraska, USA during exceptional summer drought. Over the course of three months, sub-hourly measurements of hydraulic head, and weekly measurements of redox indicators, δ²H, δ¹⁸O, and dissolved gases were analyzed together with nitrogen and carbon species from an array of shallow piezometers in the river bed and islands. These data were compared with the same parameters collected from a 15 m-deep riparian borehole. Vertical hydraulic gradients in the island piezometers indicated the vertical component to …

Species Discrimination, Systematics, And Ontogeny Of Blastoidea, James William Atwood

Doctoral Dissertations

Blastoids are ideal model organisms with which to study evolutionary processes because nearly all of the skeletal elements are shared among all taxa, there have been recent advances in the understanding of blastoid homology, and they are more commonly preserved fully inflated than any other blastozoan. Because of this homology and preservation, blastoids are the perfect candidate for studies involving geometric morphometrics and systematics. But the potential of blastoids to be a model clade has been extremely hampered by the lack of a modern phylogenetics and classification.

The focus of this dissertation is to increase our understanding of blastoid species …

Geoelectrical Detection Of Water Table Depth At Two Locations In The Los Osos Groundwater Basin, Hallie A. Douglas

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The city of Los Osos sits on top of a coastal groundwater aquifer which is the sole supplier of all its residential, agricultural, and industrial water needs. Lacking a sewer system, the upper aquifer became progressively contaminated with nitrates over several decades. Groundwater pumping eventually shifted to the lower aquifer, however seawater intrusion of the lower aquifer caused by over-pumping has further degraded water quality. The Los Osos groundwater basin provides an excellent field region to examine the utility of geophysical methods for characterizing aquifer structure. In this study shallow (<20 >m) electrical resistivity imaging methods were performed at two …

Surficial Geologic Map Of Kings Canyon: Implications For Relatively Slow Stream Incision Rates, Andrew Farris

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Most of the Kings River in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California has responded to regional uplift with rapid incision, creating the deepest canyon in the United States. However, Kings Canyon near Cedar Grove is still a mountainous relict landscape with little evidence of fluvial incision. Mapping took place in the Cedar Grove area of Kings Canyon to assess factors and/or processes causing relatively low stream incision rates in the region during Holocene time. A surficial geologic map was created in the field, along with visual observations of the South Fork of the Kings River and characterization of geologic map …

Glacier Slip And Seismicity Induced By Surface Melt, Peter L. Moore, J. Paul Winberry, Neal R. Iverson, Knut A. Christianson, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Miriam Jackson, Mark E. Mathison, Denis Cohen

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Many of the key processes governing fast glacier flow involve interaction between a glacier and its basal hydrological system, which is hidden from direct observation. Passive seismic monitoring has shown promise as a tool for remotely monitoring basal processes, but lack of glacier-bed access prevents clear understanding of the relationships between subglacial processes and corresponding seismic emissions. Here we describe direct measurements of basal hydrology, sliding, and broadband seismicity made in a unique subglacial facility in Norway during the onset of two summer melt seasons. In the most pronounced of these episodes, rapid delivery of surface meltwater to the bed …

Deformation And Fluid Interactions In The Mineral Fork Diamictites, Antelope Island, Utah, Kimberly Rose Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DEFORMATION AND FLUID INTERACTIONS IN THE MINERAL FORK DIAMICTITES,

ANTELOPE ISLAND, UTAH

by

Kimberly R. Johnson

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2013

Under the Supervision of Professor Dyanna Czeck

Diamictite from the Mineral Fork Formation on Antelope Island, Utah was deformed to various degrees on the footwall of the Willard Thrust Fault during the Sevier Orogeny. The diamictite contains clasts of differing strength resulting in quartzite clasts deformed the least, pink granitic clasts deformed to a greater degree, and softer green gneissic clasts deformed the most. The pink granitic and green gneissic clasts have similar compositions, but deform differently. This …

Consolidation And Suspension Of Mud From Lake Lery And Relevance To Wetland Restoration In Louisiana, Edward L. Lo

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Isotopes Of Carbon In A Karst Aquifer Of The Cumberland Platea Of Kentucky , Usa, Lee J. Florea

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

In this study, the concentration and isotopic composition of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) are measured in the karst groundwater of the Otter Creek watershed of the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky, USA. Comparisons among these data and with the geochemistry of carbonate and gypsum equilibrium reactions reveal that DOC concentration is inversely related to discharge, multiple reaction pathways provide DIC with isotopic enrichment that may be directly related to mineral saturation, and oxidation of reduced sulfur is possible for dissolution. DOC is derived from C3 vegetation with an average δ13CDOC of ‒27‰. DIC in groundwater is …

Letter: A Developing Schism In Flood Geology, Marcus R. Ross

Marcus R. Ross

First paragraph: Froede and Akridge are correct to recognize that creation geology includes two widely divergent groups seeking to reconstruct Earth history within a Biblical framework. Such has been the case throughout the history of creationism, going back to disagreements between Harold Clark and George McCready Price over the reality (or not) of the geologic column. With the increased number of geologically trained young-Earth creationists, discussions over these issues have become more common.

Pennsylvanian To Cretaceous Folds And Thrusts In South-Central Nevada: Evidence From The Timpahute Range, Angela Giovanna Russo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding Permian and Mesozoic contractional structures from southern California to northern Nevada requires correlation through south-central Nevada. After the Devonian-Mississippian Antler orogeny through the Permian-Triassic Sonoma orogeny and then up to the Sevier orogeny, south-central Nevada was thought to have remained tectonically inactive. However, Pennsylvanian through Jurassic age deformation is documented to the south in Death Valley and to the north. Identifying geometries, spatial relationships, and relative timing of deformations in the Timpahute Range, south-central Nevada, is an essential piece to completing the overall understanding of Nevada geology. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze deformational structures …

Integrated Geophysical Exploration Of A Known Geothermal Resource: Neal Hot Springs, Clinton Ryan Colwell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

I present an integrated geophysical characterization of the Neal Hot Springs geothermal system in eastern Oregon. This newly established 23 MW geothermal production site is located in a region of complex geology and intersecting faults associated with two major extensional systems; the Oregon-Idaho Graben and the western Snake River Plain. The intersection of two dominant fault orientations, coupled with a high geothermal gradient from relatively thin continental crust and radioactive decay from a shallow granitic body, produces the pathways and heat needed for deep water circulation at Neal Hot Springs. New geologic mapping, geochemistry, and measurements from several boreholes in …

Chemical Eor, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Yujun Feng, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeology Of The Little River Animal Agriculture Environmental Research Unit And Impacts Of Dairy Operations On Groundwater, Robert Wesley Hunter

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the development of an integrated hydrogeologic/hydrologic site assessment and groundwater/surface water quality monitoring program at the University of Tennessee – Little River Dairy Farm, located near Townsend, TN. Hydrologic/hydrogeologic investigations of streams and groundwater at the site have been underway for more than 5 years, and these are expected to provide background data for assessing impacts of dairy wastes. The lower half of the ~180 ha site consists of low-relief fields used for row crops, which are underlain by 4 – 9 m of alluvial deposits on top of black shale or limestone that include sinkhole features. …

Sources Of Co2 Controlling The Carbonate Chemistry Of The Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Bruce Elliott Hatcher

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Logsdon River is a major, base-level stream within the Turnhole Bend Drainage basin of the Mammoth Cave System. The Logsdon River system has provided a unique opportunity to examine the geochemical evolution of a stream flowing through a major karst conduit that can be traversed for 10 km. This study examines CO₂ inputs at the upstream portion of the river, which provide major control for the river’s hydrochemistry. Samples were collected from the upstream portion of Logsdon River at what is referred to as the S-188 sump and also nearby at Crowbar Dome over the course of 44 weeks …

Eastern Deciduous Forest Phenology And Vegetative Vigor Trends From 2000 To 2013, Mammoth Cave National Park, Ky, Sean Taylor Hutchison

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Global climate change is predicted to affect environmental systems at the midlatitudes, but the scope, severity, and outcomes of these impacts are yet to be fully understood. This study focuses on the implications of short-term climate variability for forests in central Kentucky. Using a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) calculated from MODerate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument data, the photosynthetic activity of vegetation at Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) is tracked from 2000 to 2013. Three methods were employed to examine the changes and climate influences in vegetation over the study period: 1) aggregating the NDVI of the Park by year …

Bedrock Geological Map Of The Rockhouse Quadrangle, Carroll And Madison Counties, Arkansas, Douglas Eben Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A digital geologic map of the Rockhouse quadrangle, Carroll and Madison counties, Arkansas, was created on a 1:24,000 scale using ArcMap 10 and Photoshop CS4. The data obtained in the field are digitized onto the United States Geological Survey (USGS) digital raster graphic (DRG) of the Rockhouse quadrangle. The geology in the Rockhouse quadrangle consist entirely of sedimentary rocks that are Paleozoic ranging from Lower Ordovician to Mississippian in age. The Ordovician System is represented by the Cotter, Powell, Everton, and St. Peter Formations. The Cotter and Powell are the prominent bluff forming units throughout the quadrangle and along the …

Inferring Tidal Wetland Stability From Channel Sediment Fluxes: Observations And A Conceptual Model, Nk Ganju, Nj Nidzieko, Matthew L. Kirwan

VIMS Articles

Anthropogenic and climatic forces have modified the geomorphology of tidal wetlands over a range of timescales. Changes in land use, sediment supply, river flow, storminess, and sea level alter the layout of tidal channels, intertidal flats, and marsh plains; these elements define wetland complexes. Diagnostically, measurements of net sediment fluxes through tidal channels are high-temporal resolution, spatially integrated quantities that indicate (1) whether a complex is stable over seasonal timescales and (2) what mechanisms are leading to that state. We estimated sediment fluxes through tidal channels draining wetland complexes on the Blackwater and Transquaking Rivers, Maryland, USA. While the Blackwater …

Sedimentary Provenance Of The Wedington Member, Fayetteville Shale, From Age Relations Of Detrital Zircons, William Tyson Cains

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

U-Pb geochronology of detrital zircons collected from the Chesterian Wedington Sandstone allows interpretation of sediment provenance and dispersal patterns in the southern midcontinent during the Late Mississippian. Detrital zircons analyzed from six samples of Wedington Sandstone yielded a final result of 565 concordant analyses used for interpretation. Results are plotted as Probability-Density Plots to interpret the spectrum of ages. Significant peaks occurred at 350-500 Ma, 950-1250 Ma, 1300-1500 Ma, 1600-1800 Ma, 1800-2300 Ma, and >2500 Ma. These peaks are interpreted as sourced by crystalline rocks within the Laurentian craton from Taconic-Acadian, Grenville, Midcontinent Granite-Rhyolite, Yavapai-Mazatzal, Paleoproterozoic, and Superior Provinces. The …

Alluvial Geochronology And Watershed Analysis Of The Golo River, Northeastern Corsica, France, Emilee M. Skyles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Golo River in Corsica, France, is a short, steep river (~95 km, 2706 m relief) in the Western Mediterranean with formerly glaciated headwaters. The small size and location of the Golo River make this system ideal for observing the influence of climate and sea-level change on river dynamics over the 100,000 years. A rapidly advancing dating technique, optically stimulated luminescence, was utilized to determine the timing of these river deposits on the coastal plain in order to frame them in the context of previous glacial and interglacial episodes. Climate fluctuations in the headwaters supplied the vast majority of sediment …

Application Of (U-Th)/He And 40ar/39ar Thermochronology To The Age Of Thrust Faulting In The Sevier Orogenic Belt, Michael Giallorenzo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sevier fold-thrust belt of the Cordilleran orogen in the western United States is a well-studied geologic province, yet our understanding of the history of thrust faulting is still far from complete. Thermochronological methods are applied to major thrust systems from two distinct sections of the Sevier fold-thrust belt (SFTB): the Wheeler Pass thrust in the Mojave Desert section of the southern SFTB, and the Willard thrust in the Idaho-Utah-Wyoming section of the SFTB. The new thermochronological data greatly improve our understanding of the structural evolution of this extensive geologic province.

The zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) system records thrust-induced uplift and …

Ichnology And Paleoecology Of The Jurassic Aztec Sandstone, Heather Marie Stoller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this study I describe and interpret tracks and trackways of the Jurassic Aztec Sandstone of southern Nevada and southern California. This study involved mapping of all known tracks and trackways, including foot length, stride length, and trackway width. Photogrammetric data, collected by Bureau of Land Management scientists, were utilized for several trackways in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

More than three hundred tracks belonging to five ichnotaxa were documented within the Aztec Sandstone, including about 165 tridactylGrallator, 250 tetradactyl (four-toed)Brasilichniumtracks, and 7 arthropod trackways ofOctopodichnusandPaleohelcura. Four of the five ichnotaxa were not previously reported from the Aztec Sandstone. …

Global Digital Elevation Model Accuracy Assessment In The Himalaya, Nepal, Luke G. Miles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are digital representations of surface topography or terrain. Collection of DEM data can be done directly through surveying and taking ground control point (GCP) data in the field or indirectly with remote sensing using a variety of techniques. The accuracies of DEM data can be problematic, especially in rugged terrain or when differing data acquisition techniques are combined. For the present study, ground data were taken in various protected areas in the mountainous regions of Nepal. Elevation, slope, and aspect were measured at nearly 2000 locations. These ground data were imported into a Geographic Information System …

Hydrogeological And Thermal Sustainability Of Geothermal Borehole Heat Exchangers, S. Emad Dehkordi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Assessment of the current approach taken by guidelines and design methods of vertical closed loop heat exchangers shows that often groundwater flow is either disregarded or is not methodically incorporated. The state of scientific research in this arena reveals that overlooking the groundwater flow in the design procedure may not always be a correct assumption. The significance of advective heat transport compared to conduction is defined by the groundwater flux or Darcy velocity which heavily depends on the hydraulic conductivity of the ground, followed by the hydraulic gradient which has a relatively limited range. A sensitivity analysis on ground and …