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Earth News, Fall 1991, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- Year in Review
--- Staff News
--- Graduations, Awards, and Recognitions, 1991
--- Department of Earth Science Seminars Spring 1991
--- Department of Earth Science Seminars Fall 1992
--- News from Alumni
--- Seasons Greetings from the Department of Earth Science

Ua66/8/3 Geogram, Wku Geography & Geology

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the WKU Geography & Geology highlighting activities of faculty, students and alumni.

Agenda: Innovation In Western Water Law And Management, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Innovation in Western Water Law and Management (Summer Conference, June 5-7)

Conference organizers and/or faculty included University of Colorado School of Law professors Lawrence J. MacDonnell, David H. Getches, Charles F. Wilkinson and Richard B. Collins.

Pressures of population, drought, and changing water use have provided the impetus for numerous innovations in water law and management in recent years. The Center's annual conference June 5-7, 1991, will look at innovation and change in five areas--water planning, special water management areas, negotiated settlements of tribal water rights, conjunctive use of ground and surface water, and public values in water decision making. Each session will begin with talks by experts from several western …

Ua66/8/3 Annual Report, Wku Geography & Geology

WKU Administration Documents

Annual report created by and about WKU Geography & Geology.

Scanning Electron Microscopic Study Of Quartz Sand Surface Features, Ash Hollow Formation, Ogallala Group, Western Nebraska, Patricia E. Helland, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In field studies of the late Tertiary Ash Hollow Formation of the Ogallala Group in western Nebraska the alluvial deposits are composed of large volumes of sand and gravel up to large cobbles. Because the current understanding of the climate of the region at the time of deposition does not provide for a source for deposits of this character, a scanning electron microscopic study of the surface features on the quartz sand grains from these sediments was undertaken. Nine samples, collected from locations in Banner, Morrill and Keith Counties, were examined to see if they had one or more of …

Plate Tectonics, Space, Geologic Time, And The Great Plains: A Primer For Non-Geologists, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

For most Americans, "The Great Plains" evokes images of grasslands, dust storms, prairie fires, Native Americans on horseback, cowboys and wheat lands, and perhaps flat valleys crossed by braided rivers carrying a heavy load of sand and gravel, extremes of weather, and a climate typified by an alternation of droughts and wetter periods. Geologists picture such general images, too, but they also see radical changes in the landscape over periods expressed in millions rather than hundreds of years. Geologically speaking, human activities on the Great Plains are too recent to have much of a place in the broad geologic history …

Late Paleozoic Cyclic Sedimentation In Southeastern Nebraska: A Field Guide, Roger K. Pabian, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

People studying and collecting sedimentary rocks, minerals, and fossils in eastern Nebraska often find that locating rock exposures can be difficult. Most of the rolling hills in the eastern sixth of the state are underlain by thick, interlayered, glacial deposits, loess (windblown silt), and alluvium (stream-deposited sediments) of very young geologic age. These sediments cover the bedrock in most of that area. Natural exposures and human excavations of bedrock are mostly confined to the sides and floors of stream valleys. However, in the southeasternmost counties of the state, the younger sediment cover is commonly thin or absent. Pawnee and Richardson …

Elemental Relationships In Rock Varnish As Seen With Scanning Electron Microscopy And Energy Dispersive X-Ray Elemental Line Profiling, Robert Raymond Jr., Steven L. Reneau, Charles D. Harrington

Scanning Microscopy

The heterogeneous nature of rock varnish requires a thorough understanding of elemental and mineralogic compositions before chemical variability of rock varnish may be confidently related to varnish age or to past geochemical environments. Elemental relationships in rock varnish were examined using scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with an elemental line profiling routine using semi-quantitative, energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Results of our analyses suggest: 1) variations in cation concentrations used in varnish cation-ratio dating relate more specifically to variations in detritus concentration within the varnish than to element mobility as defined by weathering indices; 2) Mn:Fe ratios may be a poor indicator …

Barium Concentration In Rock Varnish: Implications For Calibrated Rock Varnish Dating Curves, C. D. Harrington, D. J. Krier, R. Raymond Jr., S. L. Reneau

Scanning Microscopy

Cation-ratio dating of rock varnish is a recently developed technique for obtaining surface exposure ages of a wide variety of geomorphic surfaces. As originally proposed, the technique utilizes a ratio among minor cations [(K+Ca)/Ti] in rock varnish. Although this varnish cation ratio is related to the Ti concentration, it can also be affected by the presence of Ba that may be partially included in the analyzed concentration of Ti. Barium is a minor constituent found in virtually all rock varnishes sampled from the Lake Mead area, Las Vegas Valley, and the Crater Flat region of southern Nevada. Barium is heterogeneously …

The Pangaean Megamonsoon- Evidence From The Upper Triassic Chinle Formation, Colorado Plateau, Russell F. Dubiel, Judith Totman Parrish, J. Michael Parrish, Steven C. Good

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Upper Triassic Chinle Formation was deposited at an exceptional time in Earth's paleogeographic and paleoclimatic history. During the Triassic, the supercontinent Pangaea was at its greatest size, in terms of both aggregated continental crust and exposed land area. Moreover, the exposed land was divided symmetrically about the paleoequator between the northern and south- ern hemispheres. These conditions were ideal for maximizing monsoonal circulation, as predicted from paleoclimate models. The Chinle was deposited between about 5° to 15° N paleolatitude in the western equatorial region of Pangaea, a key area for documenting the effects of the monsoonal climate. This study …

Early Eocene Biotic And Climatic Change In Interior Western North America, Scott L. Wing, Thomas M. Bown, John D. Obradovich

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Imprecise correlation of the marine and terrestrial fossil records has been a major obstacle to understanding migration and extinction of continental biotas and early Cenozoic climate change

Determination Of Morphologic And Volumetric Change, Peyto Glacier, Alberta, 1966-1989, Peter J. Glenday

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

During the summer months of July and August 1989, approximately 23 years after a photogrammetric survey on August 22, 1966, Peyto Glacier, a glacier selected for study during the International Hydrologic Decade (IHD) 1965-74, was re-surveyed using terrestrial geodetic surveying techniques. The volumetric and morphologic change of Peyto Glacier, Alberta from 1966 to 1989 is estimated through a combined application of digital cartometry, digital geodetic survey and Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) digital terrain modeling and analysis. Changes in glacial volume, areal extent, teriminus position, percentage basin glaciation, slope, and aspect for the 23 year interval are shown. Additionally, a 1:10000 …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 19, 1990-1991, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Radon Contamination Of Residences In A City Built Upon A Karst Landscape Bowling Green, Warren County, Kentucky, James William Webster

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 8 to 12% of U.S. homes have radon concentrations that equal or exceed 4 picocuries per liter (pCi/l). A statewide screening of Kentucky by EPA resulted in an average residential radon concentration of 2.8 pCi/l with 17% of the homes at or above 4 pCi/l. EPA requires routine monitoring and maintenance or worker health records in mines and caves having radon daughter concentrations at or above 0.30 working levels (WL).

Bowling Green is a city located in a karst region of south central Kentucky. Residents of Bowling Green have been subjected …

Earth News, Fall 1990, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- Year in Review
--- Faculty News
--- Department of Earth Science Seminar Series Spring/Fall 1990
--- UNI Astronomy Programs Continue to Serve the Public
--- UNI Student Accepted as LPI Intern
--- Earth Science Update
--- Department of Earth Science Recognition Dinner April 29, 1990
--- Latham Hall Scrapbook
--- News from Alumni
--- Seasons Greetings from the Department of Earth Science

Recent Secular Variations In The Extent Of Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover, David A. Robinson, Kenneth F. Dewey

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Northern hemisphere snow cover during 1988 and 1989 was at its lowest extent since the advent of reliable satellite snow-cover monitoring 1972; running some 8-10% below the eighteen-year annual mean of 25.7 million km² . Monthly minima for the period of record occurred six times during these two years. In general, the last nine years of the satellite record had less extensive cover than the 1972-80 interval. Negative anomalies during the 1980s were largest over Eurasia in all seasons, and in the Spring over North America. Hemispheric seasonal means for the most recent nine years were 3.7% to 8.4% …

Geology, Volcanology, And Petrology Of Cerro Bravo, A Young, Dactic, Stratovolcano In West-Central Colombia, David Tondl Lescinsky

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

The northernmost active Andean volcano, Cerro Bravo is a small, young, and very explosive stratovolcano. Cerro Bravo has produced voluminous tephra deposits, that are found> 30 km away, as well as, pumice flow deposits, block and ash flow deposits, and high-aspect lava flows, which are found proximally to the volcano. There have been eight episodes of activity during the past 6250±110 years (Herd, 1982), with the most recent <200 years ago and the present being a period of quiescence with no visible activity or thermal manifestations. Stratigraphic relationships suggest the occurrence of an initial explosive phase and a concluding effusive phase of activity during individual episodes. The products of volcanic activity at Cerro Bravo are a chemically and mineralogically monotonous suite of medium-K dacite and high-silica andesite (59.2- 67.5% SiO₂ pumices and lavas. The dominant phenocrysts present are plagioclase and hornblende (oxyhomblende in lavas) with lesser quantities of orthopyroxene, titanomagnetite, and rare augite and biotite also present. Petrology and eruption dynamics …

A “Drastic” Evaluation Of The Ground-Water Pollution Potential Of Karst Terrain: Lost River Ground-Water Basin, Warren County, Kentucky, David Baize

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Karst terrains, such as the Lost River Karst Ground-Water Basin, are extremely vulnerable to ground-water contamination. Seven physical factors: depth to water, recharge, aquifer media, soil media, topography, impact of the vadose zone, and hydraulic conductivity, are evaluated using the DRASTIC system to determine the ground-water pollution potential of the study area. A numerical value is calculated for each of the seven factors, and a map layer for each factor is produced. These layers are then “added” together to produce a DRASTIC ground-water pollution potential map. The effectiveness of each factor in evaluating the pollution potential of karst terrain is …

Kentucky Pride Hay Growers Association — After One Year, Mark Mattingly

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

High quality forages have been the "frontline" for successful horse and cattle operations for years. In Kentucky, we have grown, harvested and stored hay on the farm for as long as we have farmed. It is one of our principal forms of overwinter feed and has been grown primarily as an on-the-farm feed source.

Pioneers Of Modern Geography: Translations Pertaining To German Geographers Of The Late Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries, Robert C. West

GreyZone

This collection of English translations samples the writings and/or critiques thereon of six important German geographers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: those of August Meitzen, Eduard Hahn, Otto Schliiter, Alfred Hettner, Siegfried Passarge, and Karl Sapper. Each of these scholars influenced in various ways the course of modem geographical thinking and instruction in German universities, and their methodologies were also adopted in part by professional geographers in other European countries and in the United States. Four of them—Hahn, Schliiter, Hettner and Passarge— were students of Ferdinand von Richthofen, often considered the “father” of professional geography in Germany. …

The Effect Of Industrial Development On The Sediment Contamination Of Apponaug Cove, A Historical Analysis, Marina Havan-Orumieh

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

Sediment cores have long been used to formulate the chronology of environmental contamination. This paper will investigate the utility of sediment cores in determining the chronology of trace metal contamination in Apponaug Cove, Rhode Island. A meter-long sediment core taken from the Cove was analyzed for chromium, copper, lead, zinc and nickel as well as organic pollutants coprostanol, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, benzotriazole and clorobenzotriazole. The core represents a close to 200 year record of sediments in Apponaug Cove. The cultural/economic changes in the Watershed in addition to environmental laws composed in the State and Federal levels which may have correlated with …

The Enhancement Of Earth Science Laboratories And Activities Through Inquiry, Discovery And Hands-On Methods, Diane Hinchliff Hesse

All Graduate Projects

The central objective of this project is to enhance the middle school eighthgrade Earth Science curriculum by developing or adapting existing laboratory activities to model hands-on, inquiry, and discovery learning methods. These laboratory activities are designed to encourage independent student-centered learning as opposed to teacher-centered and directed activities.

The project also explored the nature of the science laboratory as it exists in classrooms today and how it can be improved through an understanding of the nature and process of science.

Biological Markers In Lower Jurassic Synrift Lacustrine Black Shales, Hartford Basin, Connecticut, U.S.A., Michael A. Kruge, John F. Hubert, Jay F. Akes, Paul E. Meriney

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The East Berlin Formation (Lower Jurassic, Hartford basin, Connecticut, U.S.A.) is distinctive for its six cyclic units of lacustrine black shale and gray mudstone. separated by playa and fluvial redbeds. The black shales arc each about a meter thick and were deposited in subtropical, thermally stratified, oligomictic lakes, the youngest of which (lakes 3 through 6) were large enough to flood most of the basin and attained depths of several tens of meters.

The saturate fractions of solvent extracts of organic-rich black shales from each of the six lakes, collected at fresh roadcuts near East Berlin, arc dominated by extended …

Organic Geochemistry Of A Lower Jurassic Synrift Lacustrine Sequence, Hartford Basin, Connecticut, U.S.A., Michael A. Kruge, John F. Hubert, David F. Bensley, John C. Crelling, R Jay Akes, Paul E. Meriney

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Synrift terrestrial strata of the Lower Jurassic East Berlin Formation (Hartford basin, Connecticut, U.S.A.) record cyclical expansion and contraction of major lakes, six of which were deep enough to develop anoxic bottom waters. We have studied one representative lacustrine sequence in detail, sampling a new roadcut near the village of East Berlin. The section examined is 4 m thick, with a gray siltstone at the base, deposited in shallow water, overlain by an organic-rich black shale (deep water), succeeded in turn by another gray siltstone, deposited as the lake waters gradually receded. The upper gray siltstone is chemically distinct from …

Mining In Maine : Past, Present, And Future, Carolyn A. Lepage

Maine Collection

Mining in Maine : Past, Present, and Future

by Carolyn A. Lepage, Michael E. Foley, and Woodrow B. Thompson

Maine Geological Survey, Department of Conservation, Augusta, Me., 1990.

Contents: Introduction / The Early Years: Pre-Civil War / The Civil War to World War II / The War Years of the 1940's / The Postwar Years: 1940's to 1960 / The 1960's / The 1970's / Maine Mineral Resources Association / The 1980's / Current Mining and Exploration / Future Potential / Acknowledgments / References

Soil And Lithostratigraphy Below The Loveland/Sicily Island Silt, Crowley's Ridge, Arkansas, Donna Porter, Sam Bishop

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Two stratigraphic units between the Loveland/Sicily Island Silt and the Pliocene sand and gravel on Crowley's Ridge were analyzed to determine their origin and assess the degree of pedogenic development. The Crowley's Ridge Loess, the upper unit, was up to 2.6 m thick, was not laterally continuous, and contained a well developed paleosol. The lower unit was a several meter thick sandy facies of the Pliocene sand and gravel which contained a weak paleosol. Particle size analysis revealed that the upper unit exhibited texture similar to the overlying loess units, with unimodal silt comprising greater than 95% of the clay-free …

Water Quality Dynamics In Meltwaters Draining Peyto Glacier, Alberta, Christopher Bradley

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Variations in the quantity and quality of meltwaters draining Peyto Glacier, Alberta, are assessed to examine to what extent meltwater characteristics might be indicative of any distinctive source and routing of water through a glacierised drainage basin. Continuous monitoring of solute concentrations of the principle melt-stream, Peyto Creek, was undertaken for significant periods in 1982, 1984 and 1987, coupled with measurements of suspended sediment concentration at the glacier terminus. Discharge of meltwater was determined for periods in 1982 and 1987. Supplementary monitoring of hydrogen-ion variation and total solute concentration was undertaken at additional sites within the basin, at a stream …

Characteristic Discharge And Suspended-Sediment Relationships In Two Glacier-Fed Rivers In The Karakoram, Richard E.J. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate relationships between meltwater flow and production and flushing of suspended-sediment beneath two alpine glaciers. During the ablation seasons of 1987 and 1988, discrete, hourly measurements were taken of discharge, stage, suspended-sediment concentration and electrical conductivity in two rivers draining catchments of the Bualtar and Batura Glaciers in the Karakoram, N. Pakistan. The discharge time series of the Bualtar River reveals that flow varies over a daily period of three to four weeks, at a diurnal level and over one to four hours. Over all three time scales, electrical conductivity is inversely proportional …

Bed Load Measurements: Nottawasaga River And Selected Tributaries, Ontario, Canada, Marylou B. Burkard

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Between July, 1989 and March, 1990, bed load samples were taken from ten bridge sites on the Nottawasaga River and three of its tributaries. The Helley-Smith Sampler was used to collect bed load samples, the DH-48 Suspended Sediment sampler was used to sample the suspended load, and velocity estimates were obtained with a Marsh-McBirney Model 512M electromagnetic current meter. Results show that the Pine River, which is a tributary of the Nottawasaga River, had higher bed load transport rates than the Nottawasaga River. The other tributaries, Willow Creek and Boyne River, transported less. During the summer and fall, bed load …

The Effect Of Mid-Winter Snowmelt Events On Nitrate And Ammonium Concentration In The Unsaturated And Shallow Saturated Zones: A Case Study, Richard J. Elgood

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

During the period of December 19, 1987 to March 28, 1988, the unsaturated and shallow saturated groundwater zones under two agricultural land use sites, near Waterloo, Ontario, were investigated to determine the effect of snowmelt percolation on the groundwater quality. Periods of widely fluctuating temperatures and sporadic rain events produced large changes in snowpack water equivalence. The resulting infiltration of snowmelt significantly altered the extent of the saturated area and the concentration of N (nitrogen) ions in both the soil column and percolate water. An N flux from the vadose (unsaturated) zone to the shallow phreatic (saturated) zone, occurring in …