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Mapping Log Pd/Cu Ratios In Vulcan And Investigation Into The Origin Of The Magenta Zone In The Northmet Deposit: Hoyt Lakes Minnesota, Usa, Paige M. C. M. Bauer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research is to investigate the origin of the PGE-rich Magenta Zone, a geologic feature within the NorthMet Deposit; a Cu-Ni-PGE deposit within a layered intrusion at the base of the 1.1 Ga Duluth Complex. The hypothesis is that a late-stage silicate magma containing dispersed sulfide droplets had infiltrated a permeable crystal mush resulting in the emplacement of the Magenta Zone. While mineralization is typically found along the base of the Duluth Complex, the Magenta Zone lies ~200 m above typical mineralization. Previous research has shown that the Magenta Zone cross cuts the younger concordant units. To …

Estimating Groundnut Yield In Smallholder Agriculture Systems Using Planetscope Data, Daniel Kpienbaareh, Kamaldeen Mohammed, Isaac Luginaah, Jinfei Wang, Rachel Bezner Kerr, Esther Lupafya, Laifolo Dakishoni

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Crop yield is related to household food security and community resilience, especially in smallholder agricultural systems. As such, it is crucial to accurately estimate within-season yield in order to provide critical information for farm management and decision making. Therefore, the primary objective of this paper is to assess the most appropriate method, indices, and growth stage for predicting the groundnut yield in smallholder agricultural systems in northern Malawi. We have estimated the yield of groundnut in two smallholder farms using the observed yield and vegetation indices (VIs), which were derived from multitemporal PlanetScope satellite data. Simple linear, multiple linear (MLR), …

Investigation Into Karst Of Southwest Missouri Using Electrical Resistivity, Donald Zachary Wormington

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Nixa, Missouri is located on the southwestern edge of the Ozark Dome which has a karst geomorphological environment. Near surface geophysical methods can be used in determining the location and nature of karst features such as caves and sinkholes. Electrical resistivity methods have been shown to be among the most useful methods in deciphering sinkholes and caves. To investigate a known cave and related sinkholes and faults within Mississippian carbonates south of Nixa, Missouri, a series of two-dimensional electrical resistivity profiles were collected using the dipole-dipole and Schlumberger arrays. Terrain data was collected to include in modeling. The data were …

U-Pb Apatite Chronometry Of Intrusions In An Accretionary Metamorphic Belt In Western Idaho, Usa, Colleen Grace Rankin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Salmon River suture zone in west-central Idaho, USA records the tectonic processes where island arcs, similar to modern-day Japan, were accreted to the North American continent in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (160-90 million years ago). This suture zone contains metamorphic rocks that were buried deep within the crust at depths of 20 kilometers or more and have subsequently been brought to the surface. The exhuming processes responsible for the metamorphic rocks in the Salmon River suture zone remains unclear. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the transport of the rocks from the Salmon River suture zone …

Downstream Dispersal Of Fine Tailings, Chat And Metals In Channel Sediment Of Big River, Old Lead Belt, Southeast Missouri, Jennifer Pace Witt

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In St. François County, Missouri, compromised above-ground tailings piles and containment ponds from historical mining activities in the Old Lead Belt released considerable amounts of dolomitic, Pb- and Zn-contaminated waste sediments to the Big River, contributing to significant downstream floodplain and channel sediment contamination. Previous studies have documented the effects of heavy metals on Big River biota and water quality, as well as benthic habitat disruption resulting from the influx of small sediments. Few have considered the effects and future contamination risk of the coarse waste sediments (2-16 mm in diameter), locally called “chat”, which retain high Pb and Zn …

Chemical And Thermal Influence On Intermediate Magma Storage Conditions: Volcán Ollagüe, Chile-Bolivia, Central Andes, Drew Allen Laviada-Garmon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Continental arc volcanoes are the single best portrayal of the evolution of recycled earth material stemming from subduction, one of the most important and foundational phenomena in global tectonics. Understanding the genesis of intermediate-composition magmas produced at arc volcanoes is a difficult process making them a focal point for investigation. Geochemical investigation of zircon and plagioclase mineral phases erupted from continental arcs can provide insight into magma process, generation, storage conditions, timescales and differentiation of sub-volcanic plumbing systems prior to eruption events. The Central Volcanic Zone is a prime example of continental arc volcanism through subduction, and is host to …

Determination Of Recent Tectonic Deformations Along The Tuz Gölü Fault Zone In Centralanatolia (Turkey) With Gnss Observations, Cemi̇l Gezgi̇n, Semi̇h Ekerci̇n, İbrahi̇m Ti̇ryaki̇oğlu, Bahadir Aktuğ, Hedi̇ye Erdoğan, Esra Gürbüz, Osman Orhan, Süleyman Sefa Bi̇lgi̇li̇oğlu, Ahmet Tarik Torun, Hali̇l İbrahi̇m Gündüz, Osman Oktar, Cezmi̇ Türkmen, Efdal Kaya

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Tuz Gölü Fault Zone (TGFZ) is one of the most important active tectonic structures of Central Anatolia. The morphotectonic features of the TGFZ and the distribution of the epicenters of earthquakes over magnitude 5.0 show that this fault zone remains active today. In this study, the deformation of the TGFZ is determined with high sensitivity using geodetic measurements. To obtain accurate information about the deformation of the TGFZ, 24 GNSS sites and two continuously operating reference stations were constructed in the southern part of the TGFZ. Between 2018 and 2020, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) measurements were made on …

A Global Survey Of Volcanic So2 Emissions And Heat Flux Measured From Space, Nelmary Rodríguez-Sepúlveda

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Over the past two decades, the availability of satellite measurements of volcanic gas emissions and heat flux has driven the development of new methodologies to improve global-scale volcano monitoring. In this work we explored the relationship between volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions and radiant heat flux (RHF) measurements from NASA’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), respectively, to gain insight into how it associates to volcanic processes and eruption styles. The OMI SO₂ emissions data are derived from existing databases developed by using the methodology in Fioletov et al. (2016), which contain global, …

Geology Of The Jacksonville 7.5 Minute Quadrangle And U–Pb And (U–Th)/He Reveal Sediment Routing And Uplift In The Southern Appalachian Valley And Ridge Province, Derek L. Spurgeon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced multiple deformation events having undergone two full Wilson cycles. The foreland Valley and Ridge province is composed of sedimentary Paleozoic rock that range in age from earliest Cambrian to Middle Pennsylvanian. This sedimentary basin was intensely folded and faulted during the collision of Gondwana during the Middle to Late Carboniferous Period. From previous geologic structural mapping that has taken place, some large-scale structures in the Valley and Ridge Province seem to be out of sequence. To better understand the relationships in these structures, geologic mapping in high detail at the 1:24,000 scale coupled with …

Geology Of The Porter Gap 7.5–Minute Quadrangle, Alabama, And Stretched Pebble Analysis Within The Western Blue Ridge Of The Southern Appalachians, Tessa Mills

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Porter Gap 7.5–minute quadrangle in eastern Alabama contains portions of the undifferentiated sedimentary Knox Group of the Valley and Ridge province, the metamorphic Talladega Group of the western Blue Ridge, and the metamorphic Ashland Supergroup of the eastern Blue Ridge. Three major faults separate the rock units, including the Talladega-Cartersville fault, the Hillabee thrust fault, and the Hollins Line fault. Deformation and metamorphism of rocks within the Talladega Group occurred during the middle to late Mississippian (~334–320 Ma) recorded by stretched pebbles within the Cheaha Quartzite member of the Lay Dam Formation. Stretched pebbles within the Cheaha Quartzite have …

Ecosystem Damage Leading To A Possible Human Extinction, Meagan Wilburn, Matthew Balentine

Scholar's Day

While there are many factors that could lead to possible human extinction, the interaction between humans and the planet is something that needs to be monitored and changed, in order to prevent any more harm to the environment. By shaping the ecosystem and environment in a way that only benefits humans, there has been a tremendous loss of biodiversity. This will affect humans’ way of life. As everything is connected, it is important to understand the risks of how humans are treating the planet, so conservation efforts can be implemented based on the current state of the environment.

Stream Recovery Post Channelization: A Case Study Of Low-Gradient Streams In Central Illinois, Usa, Joseph P. Becker, Eric W. Peterson

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Stream channelization, which entails reducing the sinuosity of a stream, widening, and in some cases deepening the stream channel, is a widespread practice in agricultural regions. Channelization efforts in central Illinois have significant impacts on the geomorphology, flow regime, and sediment transport both in and adjacent to modified reaches. The goal of this study was to characterize the changes in stream channels by comparing three streams that are at various stages of recovery post channelization, 5 years (1900N), 7 years (Frog), and 35 years (Bray), to an unmodified stream reach (Crooked) and estimate a recovery rate. Measured channel slopes within …

Devonian Upper Ocean Redox Trends Across Laurussia: Testing Potential Influences Of Marine Carbonate Lithology On Bulk Rock I/Ca Signals, Ruliang He, Maya Elrick, James Day, Wanyi Lu, Zunli Lu

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

The Devonian is characterized by major changes in ocean-atmosphere O2 concentrations, colonialization of continents by plants and animals, and widespread marine anoxic events associated with rapid d13C excursions and biotic crises. However, the long-term upper ocean redox trend for the Devonian is still not well understood. This study presents new I/Ca data from well-dated Lower Devonian through Upper Devonian limestone sections from the Great Basin (western Laurussia) and the Illinois Basin (central Laurussia). In addition, to better address potential influences of lithology and stratigraphy on I/Ca redox signals, I/Ca data are reported here as carbonate lithology-specific. Results indicate that lithologic …

Alpine Shrub Tundra Water Storage And Runoff Dynamics In The Mackenzie Mountains, Sahtú Territory, Nt, Geoffrey Kershaw

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Alpine regions receive large volumes of precipitation and are important to local and regional water balances, particularly during baseflow periods of winter cold and summer drought when the larger basin area is frozen and/or water limited. Alpine headwaters in western Canada are expected to warm and receive more precipitation during the coming decades, with implications for groundwater recharge and streamflow generation within these systems and the regional river networks to which they contribute. Throughout the North, thawing peat plateaus and other ice-rich permafrost features are resulting in an increased extent of thermokarst and wetland land cover. This transition places infrastructure …

Coastal Landform Change Influences On Endangered Five-Lined Skink Distribution At Northwest Beach, Point Pelee National Park, Canada, Evan Fortushniok

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As park visitation increased to Point Pelee National Park up until its peak in 1963, the installation of infrastructure for the purpose of supporting the recreational interest grew with it. At Northwest Beach, large parking lots were built into the coastal landscape and by the 1970s large areas of sand dunes continued to be heavily impacted by the installation of visitor associated infrastructure. The infrastructure resulted in the stabilization of sand on the beach side of the parking lot, resulting in an artificially stabilized and heavily vegetated dune. Over the last few decades, the park slowly reduced the size and …

Influence Of Abiotic Drivers On 1-Year Seedling Survival Of Six Mangrove Species In Southeast Asia, Taylor M. Sloey, Kiah Eng Lim, Jared Moore, Jie Min Heng, Jia Min Heng, Michiel Van Breugel

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Establishment and survival of plant species in systems with dominant environmental drivers (i.e. factors that exert disproportionate control over species establishment and survival) is often thought to be dominated by one master variable. In forested wetlands such as mangroves, hydrology is typically considered the dominant limiting driver. At the same time, light is a major driver of plant community dynamics, with some of the best understood plant life-history tradeoffs related to fast growth under high-light conditions versus survival under low-light conditions. Yet light is given relatively limited consideration in mangrove research compared to other drivers. Understanding the relative importance of …

Remote Sensing And Luminescence Dating Of Archaeological Sites In Buriram Province, Northeastern Thailand, Sutthikan Khamsiri

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research aims to apply remote sensing and luminescence dating to study archaeological sites in Buriram Province, Northeastern Thailand. There are three main objectives including 1) to model the ancient path from the mountain passes along the Dângrêk mountain to ancient community on Angkor Highland or Northeast Thailand, 2) to directly date slag from the ancient iron smelting site at Ban Sai To 7, and 3) determine the terminal age of Ban Sai To 7 site using technical ceramics. Firstly, the results of the GIS-based least cost path (LCP) route, using topographic factors, show that Ta Muen, Sai Ta Ku, …

Trapped Under Ice: Spatial And Seasonal Dynamics Of Dissolved Organic Matter Composition In Tundra Lakes, Martin R. Kurek, Karen E. Frey, François Guillemette, David C. Podgorski, Amy Townsend-Small, Christopher D. Arp, Anne M. Kellerman, Robert G.M. Spencer

Geography

Arctic lakes store, modify, and transport large quantities of carbon from terrestrial environments to the atmosphere; however, the spatial and temporal relationships between quantity and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) have not been well characterized across broad arctic regions. Moreover, most arctic lake DOM compositions have been examined during the ice-free summer, whereas DOM cycling between the ice-covered winter months and summer have not been addressed. To resolve these spatial and seasonal uncertainties in DOM cycling, we sampled a series of arctic lakes from the North Slope of Alaska across a latitudinal gradient in the winter and summer over …

Comparison Of Topsoil Moisture In E3sm Model Simulations And In-Situ Observations Over Illinois, Jacinda Lee Mayer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Soil moisture stimulates land-atmosphere interactions by modifying energy and water fluxes in the boundary layer and it plays an important role in climate change studies. The objective of this research is to quantify the spatial and temporal variations of the Illinois Climate Network’s (ICN) observed topsoil moisture, as well as evaluate how accurately the new climate model, E3SM, is simulating soil moisture compared to the observed data during 2003-2014. Observed topsoil moisture averaged over growing season during the 12-year period indicates a general dry-north and wet-south pattern in Illinois, and northeast and southwest become drier with the progression of the …

Interaction With Augmented Reality Sandbox Does Not Produce Greater Gains In Topographic Map Skills For Undergraduate Students, Celeste Kenworthy

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The augmented reality (AR) sandbox allows students to interact with topographic maps in a 3D space. Being able to understand topographic maps is important to geologists and they are taught in many introductory geology courses. Recent research has focused on whether the AR sandbox can improve students’ topographic map skills. Previous studies have found that students who interact with the AR sandbox do not score significantly better on topographic map assessments (TMAs) than their peers. One proposed reason for this is the limited time students have to interact with the AR sandbox. This study sought to address this by creating …

Investigation Of Mass Wasting In The Vicinity Of Khao Kho, Central Thailand Using Time – Series Insar Technique, Nuttavit Kumvijairat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The application of time-series InSAR has been employed for investigation of mass wasting in the Khao Kho and Phetchabun mountain range. The objective of this study is to Investigation of mass wasting by SAR data between 2015 to 2018 and classification of mass wasting by displacement rate millimeter/year. This study using active remote sensing data, which is Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery from Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B satellites. Result from PSInSAR analysis yielded a total of 7,354 PS points for ascending orbit, and 8,984 PS point for descending orbit. The average ground displacement rate result from ascending orbit is 65.19 …

Typology And Formation Of Pothole Along The Mekong River And Erosional Remnant In Sandstone Of Khorat Group, Ubon Ratchathani Province, Northeastern Thailand, Sirawat Udomsak

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Phachan Samphanbok Geopark showcases fascinating erosional features, such as a multitude of potholes in the Mekong River. Additionally, it is home to the largest pedestal rock in Thailand, located in Ubon Ratchathani province in the northeastern part of the country, near the border between Thailand and Laos PDR. The formation of potholes is attributed to the erosive force of swirling sediment within fractures caused by vortex currents. In this research study on pothole evolution, the potholes in the Mekong River were categorized into two main groups: structural control potholes and non-structural control potholes. These types were further divided into five …

Classification Of Seismic Activity At The Lazufre Volcanic System, Based On 2011 To 2012 Data, Heather Mcfarlin, Glenn Thompson, Stephen R. Mcnutt, Jochen Braunmiller, Michael E. West

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The Lazufre Volcanic System (LVS), on the border of northern Chile and Argentina, is an active complex of two volcanoes, Lastarria to the north and Cordón del Azufre to the south. The LVS is not regularly monitored with any scientific equipment despite being recognized as a top ten volcanic hazard in Argentina by the Observatorio Argentino de Vigilancia Volcánica of the Servicio Geológico y Minero Argentino. The system has shown unusual inflation signatures observed in InSAR but the level of seismic activity and its spatial and temporal distribution were unknown due to the lack of a permanent local seismic network. …

Northern Great Plains Saline Sodic Soil Development, Classification, Remediation, And Management., Shaina Westhoff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil salinity and sodicity are issues of growing concern in the United States (U.S.) and globally. Knowledge gaps for glaciated, dryland salt-affected soils exist because much original salinity and sodicity research focused on irrigated systems. Land managers are being asked to produce food, feed, fiber, and fuel for an expanding global population. The number of land managers and crop advisors who are affected by these soils is increasing. Addressing salinity and sodicity knowledge gaps will be critical for their success. Salinity and sodicity have been impeding crop productivity since the advent of cultivation. Saline and sodic soils form via multiple …

The Times, They Are A-Changin': Tracking Shifts In Mental Health Signals From Early Phase To Later Phase Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Australia, Siqin Wang, Xiao Huang, Tao Hu, Mengxi Zhang, Zhenlong Li, Huan Ning, Jonathan Corcoran, Asaduzzaman Khan, Yan Liu, Jiajia Zhang, Xiaoming Li

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction Widespread problems of psychological distress have been observed in many countries following the outbreak of COVID-19, including Australia. What is lacking from current scholarship is a national-scale assessment that tracks the shifts in mental health during the pandemic timeline and across geographic contexts.

Methods Drawing on 244 406 geotagged tweets in Australia from 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2021, we employed machine learning and spatial mapping techniques to classify, measure and map changes in the Australian public’s mental health signals, and track their change across the different phases of the pandemic in eight Australian capital cities.

Results Australians’ …

Changing Snowmelt Conditions In The Western Canadian Arctic, Matthew Y. T. Tsui

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Multidecadal Changes in Spring Snowmelt in the Western Canadian Arctic

This study investigates the changes in key aspects of snowmelt in the western Canadian Arctic. Specifically, we will look at changes in the onset of snowmelt and the duration of snowmelt between 1999 and 2019, and extended air temperature between 1957 and 2019. In addition, we will look at changes in eight meteorological variables during the melt period. It was found that the onset of snowmelt occurred 14 days earlier, while the melt period ends 20 days earlier than 20 years ago. As a result, the duration of melt period …

Lake Huron Shoreline Analysis, Shubham Satish Nandanwar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lake Huron is a popular tourist destination and is home to several businesses and residents. Since the shoreline is dynamic and is subject to change over the years due to several factors such as a change in water level, soil type, human encroachment, etc., these locations tend to encounter floods due to increased water levels and wind speed. This causes erosion and loss to the properties along the shoreline.

This study is based on two areas of interest named Pinery Provincial Park and Sauble Beach which are located on the shoreline of Lake Huron where Pinery Provincial Park is a …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 47, 2022, Department Of Geography, Geology, And The Environment

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Patterns Of Interdisciplinary Collaboration Resemble Biogeochemical Relationships In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Historical Social Network Analysis Of Science, 1907–2016, Stephen M. Chignell, Adrian Howkins, Poppie Gullett, Andrew G. Fountain

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Co-authorship networks can provide key insights into the production of scientific knowledge. This is particularly interesting in Antarctica, where most human activity relates to scientific research. Bibliometric studies of Antarctic science have provided a useful understanding of international and interdisciplinary collaboration, yet most research has focused on broad-scale analyses over recent time periods. Here, we take advantage of a ‘Goldilocks’ opportunity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, an internationally important region of Antarctica and the largest ice-free region on the continent. The McMurdo Dry Valleys have attracted continuous and diverse scientific activity since 1958. It is a geographically confined region with …

Structural And Petrologic Insights Into The Emplacement Of Effusive Silicic Lavas: Inyo Domes, California, Shelby L. Isom

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Long Valley volcanic region, eastern California, USA is most famous for the caldera-forming eruption which produced the Bishop Tuff ~760,000 years ago. Over the last 3,000 years volcanism has been focused in the western margin of the region through punctuated eruptions of silicic lavas and domes. Three simultaneous effusive silicic eruptions, ~600 years ago, generated three lava domes: Obsidian Dome; Glass Creek Dome; and Deadman Dome which erupted onto vastly different topographies. These domes are exceptionally unique as they erupted variable amounts of two textural and chemical endmember lavas (crystal-rich and crystal-poor) that intimately mixed. The overarching goal of …