Geological Engineering Commons^™

Geo-Engineered Induced Seismicity And The Effects On Federal Infrastructure, Merissa L. Zuzulock

Doctoral Dissertations

“The study of human-induced seismicity and the effects on civil engineering systems are not completely understood or often studied. Moreover, existing studies are focused on the cause of the seismicity and not on the potential damage to infrastructure from these seismic events. There are recent studies that are beginning to focus on shallow induced seismic activity and the effects on infrastructure by establishing innovative ways to quantify that damage. These studies that focus on the potential damage neglect to included considerations for small magnitude cluster events. As geo-induced seismic events increase, soil fatigue becomes of greater concern to structures within …

Development Of Tools For Water Management In The Hatra Watershed (Northwestern Iraq) Using Satellite Technologies, Majid S. Mohamod

Doctoral Dissertations

“All around the world the demand for water is increasing, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, including Iraq which subject to continuous desertification that is worsening, more importantly the Jezira region in northwestern Iraq. Thus, it’s crucial to have a better strategy for water management. One of these strategies is to promote groundwater recharge for restoring the aquifer depletion. The successful groundwater recharge is limited by some potential data such as the annual water budge and precipitation measurements. The atomospheric and hydrological observations are limited by sparse population which tends to be less in arid and semi-arid regions. Therefore, an …

Predictive Geohazard Mapping Using Lidar And Satellite Imagery In Missouri And Oklahoma, Usa, Olufeyisayo B. Ososami

Doctoral Dissertations

”Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and satellite imagery have become the most utilized remote sensing technologies for compiling inventories of surficial geologic conditions. Point cloud data obtained from multi-spectral remote sensing methods provide a detailed characterization of the surface features, in particular, the detailed surface manifestations of underlying geologic structures. When combined, point clouds eliminate bias from visual inconsistencies and/or statistical values. This research explores the competence of point clouds derived from LiDAR and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as a predictive tool in evaluating various geohazards. It combines these data sets with other remote sensing techniques to evaluate the sensitivity …

Evaluation Of Engineering Properties Of Soil In Al Butayn, Mudarraj Al Qassim And Turubah - Hail Saudi Arabia, Turki Essam A. Sehly

Masters Theses

"Fractures, sinkhole, building cracks, and ground subsidence have spread in many regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, some of which are related to seismic activity, others due to the presence of unstable soils (collapsing soils and Expansive soils) and others because of faults, while others result from drawing groundwater at great rates. The current study has several facts related to the formation of cracks and landslides, including:
1) A general study of geomorphology and geology of the study areas.
2) The causes affecting the formation of cracks and subsidence.
3) Detailed geomorphological and geological studies of the locations of …

Data Analytics Of Natural Gas Injection Enhanced Oil Recovery For Unconventional Reservoirs, Ali Waqar

Masters Theses

"Unconventional Enhanced Oil recovery, via the injection of natural gas has attracted great attention, as studies and projects have shown to be promising. An overview of pertinent studies has been carried out. Core Scale Laboratory Experiments, Core Scale Simulation, Field Scale simulation and pilot projects are analyzed. Data is collected for Core, Reservoir, Operational, and recovery information. Thereafter, Data analysis techniques are applied to identify data ranges, distributions, trends, relationships, and to eventually reach conclusions.

Huff and Puff injection is the preferred mode of injection, delivering most promising results for unconventional reservoirs. Across all the studies, with increase in amount …

Soil Fatigue From Induced Seismicity, Merissa L. Zuzulock, Oliver Denzil S. Taylor, Norbert H. Maerz

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Induced seismicity and the effects on civil engineering systems are not completely understood and infrequently studied. One specific area that is not well known is soil fatigue which includes factors such as understanding the natural conditions of the subsurface as well as operational parameters under short duration impulse loads. With the increase of Geo induced seismic activity, soil fatigue becomes of greater concern to structures in the vicinity of this seismic load. The foundations of these structures can be affected by impulse loads which can ultimately cause failure. The lack of quantitative data puts the reliability of these civil engineering …

Geophysical Characteristics Of Nickel And Copper Deposits In Wadi Al Khadra Prospect, Southwestern Of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Ahmed Aljabbab

Doctoral Dissertations

“Three geophysical datasets (self-potential, magnetics, and time - domain electromagnetics) were acquired at Wadi Al Khadra Ni-Cu prospect in southwest Saudi Arabia, and were processed and interpreted for the Saudi Geological Survey. The primary objectives were to map the distribution of metallic mineralization, map structures, verify the integration of the geophysical interpretations and its signatures in conjunction with boreholes information, distinguish the similarities and differences in the integrated interpretation of geophysical data, and design optimal processing and interpretation data parameters. The self-potential tool was used to map the variation in natural surface potential differences to map lateral variations in the …

Micro-Analysis Of Contaminants In Suspended Load And Bank Deposits From The Mineral Fork Creek Watershed In Potosi, Missouri, 2019-2020, William Joseph Miller

Masters Theses

”There are rising concerns pertaining to water contamination produced by toxic heavy metal contaminants such as lead and zinc. For this study, lead, zinc, and barite are three identified contaminants currently threatening Missouri water supplies. A microanalysis of the amounts of lead, zinc, and barite in the water of Mineral Fork Creek was conducted, involving both field and laboratory work. The purpose of the study was to determine the levels of lead, zinc, and barite contaminants, contributing to Big River, by Mineral Fork Creek, in Potosi Missouri, Washington County.

This research study uses a quantitative micro-analysis approach to determine the …

Green Roof System Integrated Soil Methods, Jude R. Vallon, Ivan L. Guzman

Publications and Research

Large metropolitan areas like NYC are seeking to integrate sustainability into retrofitting buildings for the development of green infrastructure. Among the many environmental issues of urbanization, the UHI (urban heat island) effect and storm water runoff are of particular interest when it comes building structures. Individual buildings can contribute towards mitigating these effects with implementation of vegetative rooftops, i.e. Green Roofs. Commercial buildings are currently receiving government incentives and new constructions are required to include green roof installations. However, if existing buildings are considering the addition of a green roof on an existing roof, they have to factor in the …

Suitability Assessment For Integrated Urban Development In Makkah City Of Saudi Arabia, Mislat Alotaibi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Makkah – the third most populated city in Saudi Arabia with a population of 1,684,408 according to the 2010 demographic survey conducted by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics – is experiencing urban sprawl, which can be defined as an unplanned urban expansion that might degrade the environment and diminish the aesthetic view. This is a persisting problem in Makkah driven by multitude of processes involving the random expansion in its undeveloped land and the removal of its historic mountains surrounding Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the Holy Mosque) in an attempt to push the city limit of urban capacity within its administrative …

Investigating The Accuracy Of One-Dimensional Volcanic Plume Models Using Laboratory Experiments And Field Data, James S. Mcneal, Graham Freedland, L. G. Mastin, Raúl Bayoán Cal, S. A. Solovitz

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

During volcanic eruptions, model predictions of plume height are limited by the accuracy of entrainment coefficients used in many plume models. Typically, two parameters are used, 𝛼 and 𝛽, which relate the entrained air speed to the jet speed in the axial and cross-flow directions, respectively. To improve estimates of these parameters, wind tunnel experiments have been conducted for a range of cross-wind velocities and turbulence conditions. Measurements are compared directly to computations from the 1-D plume model, Plumeria, in the near-field, bending region of the jet. Entrainment coefficients are determined through regression analysis, demonstrating optimal combinations of effective 𝛼 …

The Researching Some Containig Rocks Of Uranium Ores By Method Of The Thermal Analysis, K. Sanakulov, M.A. Kurbanov, U.Z. Sharafutdinov

Gorniy vestnik Uzbekistana

The paper presents the results of comparative laboratorial testings physical and chemical properties ion-change resins: BD-706, BO – 020, BO-008, BD-709S, BD- 710M, А-560, А – 508, MS-2040. There are results present, that resins ВО-008, BD-709S, BD-710M and MS 2040 do not comply with requirements ОSТ 95.291-86. Kinet- ics of sorption uranium from sulphuric acid solution and carbonate solution presented, that resin А-560 has the best indexes.

Application Of Radar And Optical Satelite Imagery Data In Landslide Potential Mapping Of Shesheer Sub-Catchment In Iran, A. Imanian, M. H. Tangestani, A. Asadi

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

One of the serious dangers which threatens human communities especially those who are living in mountainous areas is the occurrence of landslides. Therefore, determination of the areas with potential for landslide events is very important for avoiding establishment of residential areas or industrial facilities. The aim of this study is to provide a landslide potential map in Sheshpeer sub-catchment, Iran, using an integration of remote sensing (RS) techniques and geographical information systems (GIS). Compared with the traditional approaches, these techniques are very fast, inexpensive and trustworthy in landslide mapping. For this purpose, we collected and produced seven data layers using …

Investigation Of Spectral Characteristics Of Carbonate Rocks – A Case Study On Posht Moleh Mount In Iran, A. Imanian, M. H. Tangestani, A. Asadi

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Recent developments in the image processing approaches and the availability of multi and/or hyper spectral remote sensing data with high spectral, spatial and temporal resolutions have made remote sensing technique of great interest in investigations of geological sciences. One of the biggest advantage of the application of remote sensing in geology is recognizing the type of unknown rocks and minerals. In this study, an investigation on spectral features of carbonate rocks (i.e. calcite, dolomite, and dolomitized calcite) were done in terms of main absorptions, the reasons of those absorptions and comparison of these absorption with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) spectral …

Prediction Of Nonlinear Vertical Settlement Of A Pile Group Consisting Of New And Existing Displacement Piles In Clay Strata, Lin Li, Weibing Gong

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reusing existing displacement piles is economical, timesaving, and environment friendly. This paper presents an analytical approach for predicting the load carrying behavior of pile groups consisting of new and existing displacement piles. The evolutions of the undrained shear strength and shear modulus of clay adjacent to the piles from installation through consolidation to long-term ageing are investigated to determine the load carrying behavior of displacement piles. The nonlinear load-settlement behavior of an individual pile is modelled by load-transfer method, where the exponential function-based load-transfer models integrating the two developed soil parameters are employed to represent the nonlinear behavior at the …

Gis-Based Approach For Sinkhole Occurrence Risk Mitigation In Urban Areas For Historic Wieliczka Salt Mine, Agnieszka Malinowska, Ryszard Hejmanowski

Gorniy vestnik Uzbekistana

The article presents the results of the definition of a new methodology for assessing the risk of flooding a shallow slotted mine, which was carried out on the square above the Wieliczka Salt Mine, which is a world heritage. Vertical stresses are estimated on the basis of the theoretical state of rock mass deformation in the area of test chambers. In addition, the risk for chambers indicated in the zone was calculated based on the theory of arctic pressure. The final stage of the study was spatial analysis, which led to the identification of chambers, potentially subject to the influence …

A New Discrete Wavelength Backscattered Ultraviolet Algorithm For Consistent Volcanic So2 Retrievals From Multiple Satellite Missions, Bradford L. Fisher, Nickolay A. Krotkov, Pawan K. Bhartia, Can Li, Simon Carn, Eric Hughes, Peter J. T. Leonard

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This paper describes a new discrete wavelength algorithm developed for retrieving volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO₂) vertical column density (VCD) from UV observing satellites. The Multi-Satellite SO₂ algorithm (MS_SO2) simultaneously retrieves column densities of sulfur dioxide, ozone, and Lambertian effective reflectivity (LER) and its spectral dependence. It is used operationally to process measurements from the heritage Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) onboard NASA's Nimbus-7 satellite (N7/TOMS: 1978–1993) and from the current Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) onboard Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR: 2015–ongoing) from the Earth–Sun Lagrange (L1) orbit. Results from MS_SO2 algorithm for several volcanic cases were …

Volcano Monitoring From Space Using High-Cadence Planet Cubesat Images Applied To Fuego Volcano, Guatemala, Anna Aldeghi, Simon Carn, Rudiger Escobar-Wolf, Gianluca Groppelli

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Fuego volcano (Guatemala) is one of the most active and hazardous volcanoes in the world. Its persistent activity generates lava flows, pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), and lahars that threaten the surrounding areas and produce frequent morphological change. Fuego’s eruption deposits are often rapidly eroded or remobilized by heavy rains and its constant activity and inaccessible terrain makes ground-based assessment of recent eruptive deposits very challenging. Earth-orbiting satellites can provide unique observations of volcanoes during eruptive activity, when ground-based techniques may be too hazardous, and also during inter-eruptive phases, but have typically been hindered by relatively low spatial and temporal resolution. …

Analysis Of An Updated Paleointensity Database (Qpi‐Pint) For 65–200 Ma: Implications For The Long‐Term History Of Dipole Moment Through The Mesozoic, E. V. Kulakov, C. J. Sprain, P. V. Doubrovine, A. V. Smirnov, G. A. Paterson, L. Hawkins, L. Fairchild, E. J. Piispa, A. J. Biggin

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The global paleointensity database for 65–200 Ma was analyzed using a modified suite of paleointensity quality criteria (Q_PI) such that the likely reliability of measurements is assessed objectively and as consistently as possible across the diverse data set. This interval was chosen because of dramatic extremes of geomagnetic polarity reversal frequency ranging from greater than 10 reversals per million years in the Jurassic hyperactivity period (155–171 Ma) to effectively zero during the Cretaceous Normal Superchron (CNS; 84–126 Ma). Various attempts to establish a relationship between the strength of Earth's magnetic field and the reversal frequency have been made …

Karst Sinkhole Detecting And Mapping Using Airborne Lidar, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

The focus of this study is to detect sinkhole hazards using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The premise is sinkholes, particularly those close to transportation infrastructure assets, could cause substantial damages to infrastructure assets, and therefore, being able to accurately and rapidly detect them is essential. However, it is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsafe to survey sinkholes using conventional ground observation methods. This research project was focused on developing accurate and rapid airborne LiDAR-based sinkhole detection and mapping methods, and transfer the technologies to transportation engineers for implementation and workforce development. The project team also identified best practices …