Geological Engineering Commons^™

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 …

Thermal Conduction Simulation Based On Reconstruction Digital Rocks With Respect To Fractures, Haiyuan Yang, Li Zhang, Ronghe Liu, Xianli Wen, Yongfei Yang, Roohollah Askari, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Effective thermal conductivity (ETC), as a necessary parameter in the thermal properties of rock, is affected by the pore structure and the thermal conduction conditions. To evaluate the effect of fractures and saturated fluids on sandstone’s thermal conductivity, we simulated thermal conduction along three orthogonal (X, Y, and Z) directions under air- and water-saturated conditions on reconstructed digital rocks with different fractures. The results show that the temperature distribution is separated by the fracture. The significant difference between the thermal conductivities of solid and fluid is the primary factor influencing the temperature distribution, and the thermal conduction mainly depends on …

Investigation Of The Toppling Of Rectangular Rigid Blocks Using A Shake Table And Distinct Element Models, Sara Magallon

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Understanding the engineering principles of failure modes in rock formations from seismic activity continues to be a challenging problem for engineers and geologists. The complexity of the geology, geometry, discontinuities, and earthquake ground motions contribute to the difficulty in estimating the stability of rock slopes. In this study, one classic rock slope failure mode is examined: the toppling behavior of a single rigid rectangular block under dynamic loading. An investigation employing experimental and numerical modeling techniques was performed to observe the response of wooden blocks with different aspect (width/height) ratios subjected to loading at the base and compared to established …

Mineralogy And Fluid Inclusion Study Of The Crystal Mountain Fluorite Mine, Ravalli County, Montana, Francis Grondin

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Crystal Mountain Fluorite Mine, known for its vast amounts of massively grown fluorite and rare accessory minerals including fergusonite (YNbO₄) and thortveitite (Sc₂Si₂O₇), is located in the Sapphire Mountains 22 km east of the town of Darby, Montana. This site has been mined previously between the years of 1954 through 1973. The Taber collection of drill core, thin sections, mine maps and miscellaneous reports on Crystal Mountain was recently donated to the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology for future studies. The purpose of the present study has been to use …

Evaluating Volumetric Strain As A Predictor Of Yield And Peak Strength For The Multistage Triaxial Test: A Case Study With Utah Coal Specimens, Emmanuel Orilogi

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Failure envelopes used to characterize the shear strength of geological materials are generally obtained through conventional triaxial testing of multiple specimens and most of the specimens are heterogonous and expensive to obtain. Therefore, the multistage triaxial test was introduced to make use of a single specimen for material strength characterization, compared to the conventional triaxial test that requires at least three specimens. In the multistage triaxial test, the challenge to obtaining meaningful data is identifying when to terminate each loading stage. The goal is to be as close to the peak strength of the material but below the stress threshold …

History And Prospects Of Gamma-Activation Analysis Of Muruntau Mine, Melnikov L.N., Mingboyev X.S., Yermakov K.S.

Gorniy vestnik Uzbekistana

he article describes the history of the development of a new type of analysis of geological samples for gamma-activated gold method. The Central Mining Administration of the Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine announces the creation of a gamma-activated analytical laboratory at the Muruntau deposit. The prospect of gamma-activated analysis of gold, silver and rare metals in Uzbekistan and around the world.

The Effect Of Testing Conditions On The Performance Of Lost Circulation Materials: Understandable Sealing Mechanism, Montri Jeennakorn, Mortadha Alsaba, Runar Nygaard, Arild Saasen, Olav Magnar Nes

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lost circulation materials (LCMs) are added to drilling fluids to mitigate lost circulation (LOC) problems. Designing the fluid requires a good understanding of sealing mechanisms and all the parameters affecting the sealing performance. Laboratory testing apparatus is the key concept for LCM evaluation ensuring successful treatment. The high-pressure test cell containing fracture discs is an effective tool among the broadly designed apparatus. A variety of formulations has been developed from the LCM physical properties. Recently, the testing conditions such as the slot wall angles, and the fracture disc thickness were found to have significant effects on the evaluation results. However, …

An In-Situ Study Of The Aqueous Speciation Of Uranium (Vi) Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Diwash Dhakal

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Rigorous study of the speciation distribution of uranyl-chloride bearing solutions under hydrothermal conditions is important to understand the transport mechanism of uranium underground, which is of uttermost interest to parties studying the geological uranium deposits and those studying the possibilities of geological repositories for spent nuclear waste. I report an in-situ Raman spectroscopic study of the speciation distribution of aqueous uranyl-chloride complexes upto 500°C conducted using a HDAC as the high PT spectroscopic cell. The samples studied contained the species UO₂²⁺, UO₂Cl⁺, UO₂Cl₂⁰ and UO₂Cl₃^{- …}

Emittance Spectroscopy And Broadband Thermal Remote Sensing Applied To Phosphorite And Its Utility In Geoexploration: A Study In The Parts Of Rajasthan, India, Arindam Guha, Yasushi Yamaguchi, Snehamoy Chatterjee, Komai Rani, Kumranchat Vinod Kumar

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The contrast in the emissivity spectra of phosphorite and associated carbonate rock can be used as a guide to delineate phosphorite within dolomite. The thermal emissivity spectrum of phosphorite is characterized by a strong doublet emissivity feature with their absorption minima at 9 µm and 9.5 µm; whereas, host rock dolomite has relatively subdued emissivity minima at ~9 µm. Using the contrast in the emissivity spectra of phosphorite and dolomite, data obtained by the thermal bands of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor were processed to delineate phosphorite within dolomite. A decorrelation stretched ASTER radiance composite could …

Evidence Of Instability In Previously-Mapped Landslides As Measured Using Gps, Optical, And Sar Data Between 2007 And 2017: A Case Study In The Portuguese Bend Landslide Complex, California, El Hachemi Y. Bouali, Thomas Oommen, Rüdiger Escobar-Wolf

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Velocity dictates the destructive potential of a landslide. A combination of synthetic aperture radar (SAR), optical, and GPS data were used to maximize spatial and temporal coverage to monitor continuously-moving portions of the Portuguese Bend landslide complex on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California. Forty SAR images from the COSMO-SkyMed satellite, acquired between 19 July 2012 and 27 September 2014, were processed using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI). Eight optical images from the WorldView-2 satellite, acquired between 20 February 2011 and 16 February 2016, were processed using the Co-registration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation (COSI-Corr) technique. Displacement measurements were …

Raspberry Pi Cluster For Parallel And Distributed Computing, Ngoc Ha

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Parallel and distributed computing have become an essential part of the ‘Big Data’ processing and analysis, especially for geophysical applications. The main goal of this project was to build a 4-node distributed computing cluster system using the Raspberry Pi single-board computers for educational and research purposes. After assembling together the system, a standard test was performed to check the system functionality. A Monte Carlo simulation to calculate π (pi) was used to demonstrate the advantages and drawbacks of parallelization and distribution of tasks and data within the cluster. Challenges encountered during installation of the software and testing phase, and their …

Resource Estimation And Simulation At West Butte In The Mcdonald Gold Deposit Near Lincoln, Montana, Jonathan Szarkowski

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The McDonald gold deposit is located in Lewis and Clark County near Lincoln, Montana and is divided into two regions: East Butte and West Butte. Approximately 90% of gold mineralization at McDonald is hosted by quartz-adularia-altered lithic tuff. Low-grade, stratabound, disseminated mineralization within permeable volcanic tuff is the dominant style of mineralization at McDonald. Higher-grade mineralization at West Butte is interpreted to be controlled by subvertical, intersecting vein systems that occur along the 9800’ E-W fault. Preliminary gold estimates at West Butte indicated the possibility of a 500 koz gold orebody at an average grade of 7.2 grams per ton …

Geochemistry Of Metals And Nutrients In Fine-Sediment Pore Water In Blacktail And Silver Bow Creeks, Butte, Montana, Robert Radar

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Historical mining in Butte, Montana has impacted surface and groundwater in the area. Although most of the known sources of contaminants of concern have been removed or remediated, metal loading continues to occur in lower Blacktail Creek and upper Silver Bow Creek. Possible sources of metals include upwelling groundwater and interaction between the stream and metal-rich sediment in the stream bed. To assess the importance of fine sediment as a source (or sink) for metals, this investigation used sediment pore water diffusion samplers (“peepers”). Peepers are ideal for capturing cm-scale vertical gradients in pore water chemistry across the sediment-water interface. …

The Geology And Geochemistry Of The Golden Chest Gold Deposit, Murray, Idaho, Alexander Brown

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Golden Chest Au-W Mine has been intermittently mined since the 1880’s. Mineralized quartz veins have been deposited into the Upper Prichard Formation of the Proterozoic Belt Supergroup. The Golden Chest is located in the Summit Mining District within the Murray Gold Belt region of the greater Coeur d’Alene (CdA) Mining District. A modern geochemical study of the Golden Chest has never been conducted at the Golden Chest.

This thesis investigates, with the collaboration of New Jersey Mining Company (NJMC), the paragenesis of ore forming minerals, the mineralogy of the deposit and the genesis of the ore forming processes. A …

Development Of A Methodology For The Evalutation Of Uav-Based Photogrammetry: Implementation At An Underground Mine, Rachel Becker

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Autonomous systems in underground mining are increasingly being implemented as tools to collect data in inaccessible areas and improve the safety of mine personnel. There are many areas in the underground mining environment that cannot be accessed by personnel due to the high potential for ground fall and insufficient ground support. By combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with technologies such as photogrammetry and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanners, 3D point clouds can be created for inaccessible sites. A 3D digital point cloud can provide valuable geotechnical information such as the ability to measure discontinuities, inspect rock conditions, generate accurate …

Synthesis And Spectroscopic Research Coordination Compounds Of Nickel (Ii) And Copper (Ii) With Bases Of Shiff, Z.T. Karimov, S.I. Nurnazarov

Gorniy vestnik Uzbekistana

The Ligand is product of condensation salicyl aldehyde with ortho aminophenol. On the basis of the resulted Ligand, synthesed coordinated compound of Cu(II) and Ni(II). Newly synthesized complexes investigate the structural formula of IR, PR, EPR of the spectroscopic researches.

Seismic Landslide Hazard Mapping For Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Ali Fallah Yeznabad, Sheri E. Molnar, Hesham M. El Naggar

Western Research Forum

The lower Mainland of southwest British Columbia (BC) hosts about 3.5 million people and significant infrastructures of national importance. Southwestern BC has the highest seismic risk in Canada with significant potential to cause earthquake-induced hazards including tsunamis, liquefaction and landslides. A Cascadia mega-thrust (M_W 9) earthquake is predicted to generate $75 billion Canadian dollars in losses. This damage can be resulted from ground shaking or its secondary phenomena like landslides; ground shaking during earthquakes may trigger landslides that can damage or destroy buildings, bury roads and highways and kill and injure people. In Canada, during the past century and …

Assessing Slope Instabilities, Victoria Leffel, Joey Franzino

Purdue Road School

INDOT’s Geotechnical Services Section has recently implemented a slide ArcGIS Collector app to provide a systematic approach to collecting and managing unsafe or failed slopes/embankments needed for decision making. A brief background in Indiana landslide geology will be given, then we will review the process of how to inventory slopes through the Collector app and identify potentially hazardous slopes. The session will end with a discussion of current engineering practices INDOT is using to correct landslides.

Urea Functionalization Of Ultrasound-Treated Biochar: A Feasible Strategy For Enhancing Heavy Metal Adsorption Capacity, Baharak Sajjadi, James William Broome, Wei Yin Chen, Daniell L. Mattern, Nosa O. Egiebor, Nathan Hammer, Cameron L. Smith

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. The main objective of a series of our researches is to develop a novel acoustic-based method for activation of biochar. This study investigates the capability of biochar in adsorbing Ni(II) as a hazardous contaminant and aims at enhancing its adsorption capacity by the addition of extra nitrogen and most probably phosphorous and oxygen containing sites using an ultrasono-chemical modification mechanism. To reach this objective, biochar physically modified by low-frequency ultrasound waves (USB) was chemically treated by phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and then functionalized by urea (CO(NH2)2). Cavitation induced by ultrasound waves exfoliates and breaks apart the regular …

Venezuela Undermines Gold Miner Crystallex's Attempts To Recover On Its Icsid Award, Sam Wesson

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.