Earth Sciences Commons^™

Influence Of Physical Variability Of Highly Weathered Sedimentary Rock On Nitrate In Area 3 Of The Enigma Field Research Site At Y-12, Erin Kelly

Masters Theses

Uranium processing and waste storage in unlined waste ponds leached contaminants into the groundwater at Y-12, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, from the 1950s to 1980s. Groundwater wells near the S-3 ponds have had the highest nitrate concentrations of groundwater anywhere in the world (>10,000 mg/L). For reference, the maximum contaminant level for nitrate in drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is 10 mg/L. Since 2012, the ENIGMA (Ecosystems and Networks Integrated with Genes and Molecular Assemblies) group has been characterizing, monitoring, and conducting field experiments to understand the interactions between contaminants, microbes, and the subsurface. The goals …

The Importance Of Lithologic Variability And Stratigraphic Architecture In The Development Of Eogenetic Karst Systems, Nicholas J. Soto-Kerans

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Integrative characterizations of karst systems on low-lying eogenetic carbonate platforms are rare and often limited to areas of direct observation where caves can be entered and explored. Because hydraulic properties of eogenetic limestones have been implicitly assumed to be homogeneous, classical models of carbonate island karst development stressed the importance of geochemical interfaces in controlling cave and vug development. These studies have explained the largest cavern systems as results of either 1) mixing dissolution at platform margins or 2) microbially-mediated dissolution processes at water tables.

New data from core descriptions and wireline logs obtained in 18 boreholes drilled in the …

Testing The Impact Of A Freshwater Wetland Restoration On Water Table Elevation And Soil Moisture Using A Parametric Groundwater Modeling Approach, Erika T. Ito

Masters Theses

Wetlands are now recognized for the many social, environmental, ecological, and economic benefits they provide. They improve water quality, support biodiversity, abate floods and storms, and provide local recreational areas. Historically, many wetlands have been drained or altered for residential, commercial, or agricultural use. Effective wetland restoration projects reestablish ecosystem services and mitigate legacy effects of land use change to create self-sustaining systems. However, a persisting lack of scientifically-vetted methodological and evaluation guidelines in the field of restoration ecology has caused many restoration efforts to fail to restore natural wetland hydrologic conditions. By definition, wetlands must be saturated, permanently or …

Numerical Modeling Of Controlling Factors For Formation Of Unconformity-Related Uranium Deposits In Sedimentary Basins, Jiayue Shen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unconformity-related uranium (URU) deposits are the most profitable uranium deposits in the world. Among those deposits, the Athabasca Basin hosts the world’s largest high-grade uranium deposits. A series of numerical experiments regarding the effect of uranium source location, fault location, and fault dip angle on the formation of URU deposits have been conducted by using software TOUHREACT.

Simulation results suggest that although both sandstone-sourced and basement-sourced models can generate economical deposits, basement-sourced models are more likely to form larger deposits since uranium-carrying fluid only needs to move a shorter distance to reach the structural trap for further ore forming reaction. …

Investigating Epikarst Recharge Dynamics Under Agricultural Landuse Using Hydrometeorological And Isotopic Tracers, Austin Shane Deering

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Epikarst systems have complex recharge – discharge processes in telogenetic karst systems, including highly variable storage, flowpaths, and mixing dynamics. This research aimed to characterize the epikarst zone using hydrogen and oxygen isotopic tracers of these processes within south-central Kentucky’s Crumps Cave system located in the Pennyroyal Sinkhole Plain. Data and statistical analyses were applied to highresolution rainfall (RF), lysimeter (10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm depths), and an epikarst Waterfall 1 (WF1) isotope data collected on a weekly basis between 2011-2018. These data were coupled with WF1 discharge measurements and weather station data collected at Crumps Cave Preserve during …

Molecular Genetic Analysis Of Stygobiotic Shrimps Of The Genus Xiphocaridinella (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) Reveals A Connection Between Distant Caves In Central Abkhazia, Southwestern Caucasus, Ivan Marin, Ilya Turbanov

International Journal of Speleology

Based on the morpho-genetic study of stygobiotic shrimps from the genus Xiphocaridinella Sadowsky, 1930 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae), a hydrogeological connection of a number of distant caves in Central Abkhazia of the southwestern Caucasus is satisfied, which indicates the possibility of using biospeleological studies in some cases to identify karst hydrosystems together with traditional hydrogeological methods. Moreover, a new stygobiotic atyid shrimp from the genus Xiphocaridinella, X. kelasuri sp. n., is described based on morphology and analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I DNA sequences from three distant caves. The new species is genetically divergent from relatives and phylogenetically related to …

Coastal Groundwater Catchments Of The Gulf Of Alaska, Aeon Russo

Masters Theses

High latitude mountain environments are experiencing disproportionately adverse effects in a currently changing climate. The Gulf of Alaska (GoA) region is an exemplar of this. Dramatic shifts are occurring in the region’s freshwater reservoirs as glaciers retreat more with each passing year. Research in the region places much focus on observing and predicting climate driven shifts in glacier mass balance, surface discharge, and associated nutrient fluxes to the ocean. On the other hand, coastal groundwater discharge (CGD) is given very little attention. Global and near-global estimates of CGD indicate variable results spanning an order of magnitude. Focusing on regionally specific …

Geologic Characterization Of The Nonconformity Interface Using Outcrop And Drillcore Analogs: Implications For Injection-Induced Seismicity, Kayla Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Starting around 2009, a greater number of earthquakes than anticipated have occurred in the midcontinent region of the United States. These earthquakes have been linked to increased rates and volumes of wastewater injection at several km’s depth into the Earth’s crust near a contact between crystalline metamorphic or igneous rock and overlying sedimentary rock, known as a nonconformity. While much is known about why these new earthquakes occur, comparatively little is known about the physical and chemical rock properties because the nonconformity contact is primarily buried under km’s of sedimentary rock in the midcontinent region. These rock properties are important …

Characterization Of Surface Geology And Hydrogeology In The Upper Ulua River Basin, Honduras, C. Renee Sparks, Issac J. Jacques, Cheryl L. Verbree, Thomas J. Timmermans, Stuart Dykstra

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

This research includes a hydrogeologic assessment in and around La Union, Honduras to determine the contribution of groundwater to the surface water system and understand the geological control of groundwater storage and movement. Field methods were employed and focused on spring characterization, geochemical signatures, and structural data. Field data was gathered, and locations determined using cellular-integrated GPS signal and the Fulcrum mapping software mobile application. During the summer of 2017, data on 111 geologic points and 34 water points were collected to understand the hydrogeology of the region. Streams and springs were monitored for pH, flow characteristics and conductance as …

Using Low-Flow Sampling Data To Estimate Hydraulic Conductivity In Aquifers, Joy Kiefer

Masters Theses

Hydrogeologists sample wells to test aquifer water quality and use slug tests to estimate aquifer permeability. Robbins et al. (2009) proposed a more efficient way to obtain the goals of the two tests—the use of low-flow sampling and the use of the resulting flow rate and drawdown data to estimate aquifer hydraulic conductivity (K). The Robbins et al. method calculates K by using the slope of the best fit line from the graph of flow rate vs. drawdown for all low-flow pumping data collected at a well. When the method was applied to low-flow data from four Kalamazoo, MI, it …

Analysis Of Dishman Hills Structure And Hydrogeology, Cole R. Mcgregor

Geosciences Student Work

The structural and hydrogeology of Dishman Hills Conservation Area was interpreted to gain a better picture of its interaction with the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie aquifer. The rock in this area is Precambrian Ravalli Group with granitic migmatites. This is due to exhumation causing decompression melting in between the bed layers. Other rocks such as amphibolite, gneiss, schist, quartzite, and phyllite are seen along with granitic dikes (WSDNR). This rock type covers all of the Dishman area and is Precambrian in age. Due to tectonic forces in the Spokane area, fractures have also formed within the Precambrian rock. Water will concentrate …

Spatiotemporal Patterns In Water Yield From The Humid Puna: A Case Study In The Agrarian District Of Zurite, Perú, Wyeth Wunderlich

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The humid puna is a seasonally dry alpine grass- and shrub-land biome that exists at the altitudinal limits of plant survival, hosts peat-forming wetlands known as bofedales, and yields water to streams used by small and large communities throughout the central and southern Peruvian Andes. Despite the importance of the humid puna in supplying water resources, particularly to perennial streams, few studies have quantified water yield and no studies have explored relationships between the structure of puna landscapes and spatial patterns in water yield. Zurite (population: 3,640, elevation: 3,011 m.a.s.l., annual precipitation: 855 mm) is an agrarian district in …

Hydrogeochemical Fingerprints Of A Mixohaline Wetland In The Mediterranean: Güllük Coastal Wetland Systems- Gcws (Muğla, Turkey), Adi̇le Meli̇s Somay Altaş

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Güllük coastal wetland system (GCWS), which is located at the contact point of the Menderes Massif and Lycian Nappe, consists of both brackish karstic [Güllük Lagoon wetland (GLW)] and saline [Boğaziçi-Tuzla (Bargylia) coastal wetland (BTW)] ecosystems in western Turkey, and is under protection as a national wetland of importance. This area is important for its unique wetland features, aquaculture, tourism, agriculture, Bodrum airport, and Güllük port facilities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the GLW and BTW, both hydrogeologically and hydrogeochemically, for the first time together. The mixohaline GCWS is recharged from precipitation, streams, and brackish karstic …

Relating Streamflow Discharge To Surface Elastic Response Under Hydrologic Loading Using Single Gps Vertical Displacement And The Storage-Discharge Relationship At Local Watershed Scales, Noah B. Clayton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Uncertainties associated with climate change and increasing demands for water resources require better methods for estimating water availability at small to intermediate watershed scales (<1500 km²). Temporal changes in watershed storage and transport across various watersheds in the western U.S. were investigated using the hydrologic loading signal from GPS vertical displacements as a proxy for changes in watershed total terrestrial storage. GPS vertical displacement and streamflow discharge relationships were analyzed at daily to monthly temporal resolution. Stream connected storage changes were inferred using discharge using a first-order dynamical system model. Storage inferred from discharge, GPS vertical displacement and storage …