Earth Sciences Commons^™

Determining The Age Of A Stabilized Dune Field, Carissa Raymond

UCARE Research Products

The aim of this project was to assess the development and age of the Kearney Dunefield in central Nebraska through the collection and analysis of sand samples from the inactive dunes. These dunes are not part of the well-known Nebraska Sandhills, and so far have not been thoroughly studied. Similar assessments have been conducted on dune fields throughout the Great Plains, and this study seeks to place the Kearney Dunes into a regional context.

The OSL ages for the Kearney cores fall between approximately 590 and 690 years ago. These dates overlap with a period of activation for the Nebraska …

Iron Concretions In The Cretaceous Dakota Formation, Anthony Kohtz, Richard Kettler, David Loope

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The Cretaceous Dakota Formation contains abundant iron oxide concretions. The precursors to the iron concretions are siderite (FeCO3) nodules that formed in a reducing floodplain environment. A variety of concretion morphologies formed when the precursor siderite nodules were dissolved by oxidizing groundwater in a paleoaquifer. Iron-oxidizing bacteria are able to oxidize aqueous Fe(II) to Fe(III) oxy-hydroxide at microaerophilic and neutrophilic conditions. This study investigated these concretions to determine if there was a microbial element in their formation and to characterize the concretion morphologies present in the Dakota. This is important for complete paleoenvironment interpretations and astrobiology pursuits.

Iron Mobility In Desert Sandstone Aquifers: The Possible Role Of Siderite, Lubna Al Azri, David Loope

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Jordanians and a large number of refugees are drinking radiumcontaminated water from a sandstone aquifer. The problem is that this water passed through sandstone of the Disi Formation only after carbon dioxide and methane had bleached the sandstone, dissolving the Iron-oxide coatings and liberating heavy metals and radionuclides . The Iron that once coated the grains migrated to form Iron bands in the lower Um Ishrin Formation.

The major practical significance of this study involves water quality. The movement of Iron sandstone aquifers can drastically change groundwater chemistry; understanding how and when this movement takes place will help in locating …

Viability Of The Use Of Electromagnetic Induction To Predict Streambed Properties, Alexandra R. Hruby

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This study examined whether electromagnetic induction is a reliable tool to predict various streambed properties, including water conductivity, water temperature, and hydraulic conductivity. The test site was along the North Loup River, outside of St. Paul, Nebraska. Electromagnetic induction was performed using a field portable, multi-frequency EMI tool. Hydraulic conductivity was measured using the falling-head permeameter test, and water temperature and conductivity were measured using handheld meters. The study found that there is a strong positive correlation between water conductivity and apparent electrical conductivity measured by electromagnetic induction. This relationship can be explored further through the analysis of spatial patterns …