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Sedimentological And Stratigraphic Study Of A Falling-Stage Delta Complex In The Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron Sandstone Member Of The Mancos Shale, South-Central Utah, Usa, Fares Alaboud

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The character and distribution of lithofacies in falling-stage deltas are incompletely documented. This paper presents a sedimentological and stratigraphic evaluation of a superbly-exposed interval of Cretaceous deltaic strata that are believed to be of falling stage origin. The studied interval forms part of the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in the southernmost Henry Mountains Basin of south-central Utah, USA. The interval of interest is exposed in three dimensions over a 20 km² area in a series of canyon walls. Observed facies include fine-grained mudrocks (offshore basin), mudrocks with thinly interlaminated sandstone (prodelta), thinly interbedded …

Dust Mediated Transfer Of Phosphorus To Alpine Lake Ecosystems Of The Wind River Range, Wyoming, Usa, Janice Brahney, Ashley P. Ballantyne, P. Kociolek, Sarah A. Spaulding, Megan Otu, T. Porwoll, Jason C. Neff

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Alpine lakes receive a large fraction of their nutrients from atmospheric sources and are consequently sensitive to variations in both the amount and chemistry of atmospheric deposition. In this study we explored the spatial changes in lake water chemistry and biology along a gradient of dust deposition in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Regional differences were explored using the variation in bulk deposition, lake water, sediment, and bedrock geochemistry and catchment characteristics. Dust deposition rates in the Southwestern region averaged 3.34 g m−2 year−1, approximately three times higher than deposition rates in the Northwestern region (average 1.06 g m−2 year−1). …

Subsurface To Surface Correlation Of The Tensleep Sandstone In The West Flank Of The Pryor Mountains In Carbon County, Montana, William B. Rhyne

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone is an eolian and nearshore marine/sabka quartz arenite unit with prominent outcrops along the western Pryor/Bighorn Mountain front east of Red Lodge, MT. Regionally, the formation represents one of the largest ergs in the global geologic record. High permeability makes it an important oil and gas reservoir and aquifer in south central Montana and throughout much of Wyoming. The Tensleep Sandstone’s high percentage of quartz content and grain roundness, due to its eolian origin, makes it a prospective source for natural proppant sand.

Three continuous 4-inch cores were obtained during a cooperative project between Montana Tech …

Early And Late Iron Diagensis In The Upper Triassic Shinarump Member Of The Chinle Formation (Utah And Arizona), Derek T. Burgess

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The fluvial Shinarump Member of the Chinle Formation in southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona contains several distinct types of diagenetic iron accumulations. They range to more than 50 cm in diameter, and are dominantly composed of iron-oxide cement, but siderite, rhodochrosite and pyrite cements are common. Iron-oxide cements occur in all facies, but are most abundant in channel sandstone bodies. There, iron-oxide-cement occurs as wonderstone fabric (rinds & staining), dispersed rhombic pseudomorphs, and as discoidal concretions within intraformational conglomerates. Evidence from Shinarump sediment indicates that the ferrous carbonate mineral siderite (FeCO₃) was the precursor mineral for current iron-oxide …

Multi-Scale Neotectonic Study Of The Clear Lake Fault Zone In The Sevier Desert Basin (Central Utah), Brandon D. Heiner

Theses and Dissertations

A multi-scale high-resolution geophysical and geological study was conducted in the Sevier Desert, central Utah, found within the Colorado Plateau-Basin and Range Transition Zone. The region is marked by with Quaternary volcanics and faulting as young as 660 yr B.P., with many fault scarps thought to have the potential for 7+ magnitude earthquakes. Three locations within the Sevier Desert which represent three different tectonic expressions of possible faulting at the surface were selected. These include a location found within surface sedimentation, a location with surface sedimentation and sub-surface basalts and a location with basalts, at the surface with very limited …

Bicoelia Corticifera, A New Inozoid Sponge From The Upper Triassic (Norian) Reef Boulders Of The Central Taurids (Southern Turkey), Baba Senowbari-Daryan, Michael Link

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Upper Triassic Norian reef boulders, exposed in a locality in the Central Taurids, southern Turkey, yielded a high number of hypercalcified sponges, including Sphinctozoans, Inozoans, Spongiomorphids, and Chaetetids. The reef boulders are exposed near the fountain Tavuk Çeşme, located at the road leading from the town of Aksu to Yenişarbademli. Geologically this locality belongs to the Anamas Akseki Autochthon. In this paper a new inozoan sponge, Bicoelia corticifera nov. sp., is described from Tavuk Çeşme. It is a cylindrical and unbranched sponge, found in several thin sections. The sponge is characterized by 2 axial spongocoels, and the sponge wall is …

Neotectonics Of The Zanjan-Kazvin Area, Central Iran: Left Lateral Strike‐Slip Induced Restraining Stepovers, Moosarreza Toori, Gürol Seyi̇toğlu

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The neotectonics of the Zanjan-Kazvin area are dominated by the region-wide E-W trending left lateral strike-slip faults. These faults create restraining and releasing stepovers indicating strain partitioning. Instead of the NW-SE trending long range-parallel continuous thrust faulting suggested in previous studies, this paper demonstrates that there are E-W trending range-crossing left lateral strike-slip faults creating short range-parallel thrust faults in the restraining stepovers. Establishing this strike-slip-induced structural style might contribute to an understanding of the nature of the Elburz (Alborz) Mountains located between the Central Iran and Caspian blocks.

Emplacement Of Pleistocene Basalt Flows Near Mccoy, Colorado, Andrea Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pn Anisotropy Tomography Of The Colorado Plateau And Adjacent Areas, Shengyao Cheng

Masters Theses

"The Pn tomography method utilizes seismic waves that refract along the Moho interface to perform inversion in order to investigate velocity anomalies and seismic anisotropy in the uppermost mantle. Results from Pn tomography can provide important information about the composition, temperature, and tectonic processes beneath the study area. Over the past decades, numerous seismic and geologic studies have been conducted in the Colorado Plateau and its adjacent areas to reveal crustal and mantle structures and processes responsible for the diverse surface geological features and tectonic events that have occurred in this area. To investigate lateral variations in the uppermost mantle …

Paleoseismic And Structural Characterization Of The Hines Creek Fault: Denali National Park And Preserve, Alaska, Sara E. Federschmidt

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Hines Creek fault (HCF) is a Holocene-active fault in central Alaska. Its trace has been mapped several times, but data on the history of fault displacement is scarce. As a major crustal-scale geologic boundary with uncertain Quaternary tectonic activity, it is a priority for more to be known about the activity of this fault to better understand the hazards it presents to the Denali National Park and Preserve and Alaskan infrastructure. This study characterizes the late Quaternary activity of the HCF through surficial geologic mapping and paleoseismic investigations. Mapping revealed a very steep (~84°-88° apparent dip), north dipping fault …

Late Quaternary Crustal Deformation At The Apex Of The Mount Mckinley Restraining Bend Of The Denali Fault, Alaska, Corey A. Burkett

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The tallest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley is situated inside a sharp bend in the right‐lateral Denali fault. This anomalous topography is clearly associated with the complex geometry of the Denali fault, but how this topography evolves in conjunction with the adjacent strike‐slip fault is unknown. To constrain how this fault bend is deforming, the Quaternary fault‐related deformation on the opposite side of the Denali fault from Mount McKinley were documented through combined geologic mapping, active fault characterization, and analysis of background seismicity. My mapping illustrates an east‐west change in faulting style where normal faults occur east of the …

Structural Deformation Across The Southwest Mina Deflection, California-Nevada: Field Studies In The Huntoon Spring Quadrangle, Eliya R. Hogan

All Master's Theses

New geologic data provides insight into Pliocene strain rates across the southwest Mina deflection. ⁴⁰ Ar/³⁹ Ar geochronology of geologic units indicate cooling of Miocene ignimbrite at 11.86 ± 0.01 Ma, Pliocene basalt lavas at 3.7241 ± 0.0051 and 3.5262 ± 0.0172 Ma, and basaltic andesite and andesite lavas at 3.4715 ± 0.0107 Ma and 3.1078 ± 0.0088 Ma. Pliocene cinder cones and Quaternary sediments are also exposed in the Huntoon Spring quadrangle. Volcanic units are cut by a dominant set of NNE-, NE-, and ENE- striking sinistral faults and a lesser set of NNW- and NW- striking normal …

Controls On Fault Geometry During Early Stages Of Extension In The Larkspur Hills, Northwest Basin And Range, Diana Jean Strickley

All Master's Theses

Detailed analyses of normal faults in the Larkspur Hills, CA-NV, northwest Basin and Range, offer insight into factors controlling normal fault initiation, growth, and distribution. N-trending faults in the southern portion of the study area share trends of major range-bounding structures and Pliocene linear volcanic vents; in contrast, NNW- and NNE- trending faults dominate further north and into south-central Oregon. Stress analyses and comparison with experimental and field data suggest that preexisting structures control faults in the northern Larkspur Hills, while faults form perpendicular to σ3 in the southern hills. The change in fault orientations is abrupt, occurring across a …

Palynology Of The Upper Cretaceous Ferron-Notom Sandstone, Utah, Isil Akyuz

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The Late Cretaceous Ferron-Notom Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale Formation plays a dominant role in oil production in Utah. Although numerous sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic studies have been conducted in recent years on this sequence, palynological analyses had not yet been undertaken. Here we present palynological data from one hundred twenty eight samples collected in the Ferron-Noton Sandstone Member outcroping in south-central Utah. The purpose of this study is to refine our understanding of climatic and depositional environments and to build a biostratigraphic palynological framework. The dominance of terrestrial palynomorphs, especially the high yield in moisture-loving cryptogam spores …

Relationship Between Static Stress Change And Volcanism. How And If Tectonic Earthquake Could Influence Volcanic Activity. Example Of El Reventador Volcano, Ecuador, Daniele Alami

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Geodesy- And Geology-Based Slip-Rate Models For The Western United States (Excluding California) National Seismic Hazard Maps, Mark D. Petersen, Yuehua Zeng, Kathleen M. Haller, Robert Mccaffrey, William C. Hammond, Peter Bird, Morgan Moschetti, Zheng-Kang Shen, Jayne Bormann, Wayne R. Thatcher

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 2014 National Seismic Hazard Maps for the conterminous United States incorporate additional uncertainty in fault slip-rate parameter that controls the earthquake-activity rates than was applied in previous versions of the hazard maps. This additional uncertainty is accounted for by new geodesy- and geology-based slip-rate models for the Western United States. Models that were considered include an updated geologic model based on expert opinion and four combined inversion models informed by both geologic and geodetic input. The two block models considered indicate significantly higher slip rates than the expert opinion and the two fault-based combined inversion models. For the hazard …

Showcasing The Geology Of American’S National Parks And Monuments, Larry E. Davis

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

Among America’s great treasures are its national parks, monuments, nature preserves, and historical sites. Many of America’s national parks feature unique and spectacular geology. Sigma Gamma Epsilon chapters, geology clubs, and individuals are encouraged to organize and submit a photo array featuring the geology of a particular national park or monument.

Paleohydrology And The Origin Of Jewel Cave, Mike Wiles

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

With more than 267 m (166 miles) of mapped cave passages, Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world. The passages are beneath an area of 775 ha (3 mi²), located almost entirely within the Hell Canyon drainage basin. The canyon itself is situated in the bottom of a south-plunging syncline and most of the cave passages are located within the east limb. A down-dip cross section shows the cave passages assuming the shape of an elongate lens, located just below the Pahasapa/Minnelusa contact. The lower boundary is a maximum of 75 m (250 feet) below …

Integrated Three-Dimensional Geophysical Analysis Of The Wasatch Fault Zone Near Rock Canyon, Provo, Utah, Leo T. Brown, Dr. Alvin K. Benson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Wasatch fault zone extends from southern Idaho into central Utah, and approximately ninety percent of Utah’s population live in or near this fault zone. Surface rupture and ground shaking associated with earthquake events represent the biggest geologic hazards to people and structures within this fault zone. Movement and rupture will most likely occur along preexisting zones of weakness or faults. In order to mitigate damage to buildings and loss of lives, the locations of individual faults within the fault zone should be determined as accurately as possible.

Depth To Bedrock Estimations Using The H/V Spectral Ratio In The San Joaquin Valley, Tyler A. Morelli

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Basin depth is a fundamental parameter in many types of geologic studies such as resource exploration and regional tectonic mapping. The Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (“H/V”) method has been successfully applied to estimating of basin depths up to several hundred meters. In this study the H/V method is applied to the deep basins on the western side of the San Joaquin Valley to determine the thickness of the sedimentary layers and depth to bedrock. Microtremor data from Earthscope Seismic Array stations are ideal to test the accuracy of the H/V method on deeper basins because the data is of high-quality and …

Earthquake Petrology: Linking Fault-Related Deformation To The Earthquake Cycle, Mitchell R. Prante

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Faults have a controlling influence on a variety of geologic processes including fluid flow, the mechanical behavior of the crust, and seismicity. The geologic sciences have long recognized that faults generate earthquakes; however, few indicators of ancient earthquakes exist in fault-zones. This dissertation documents several indicators for the preservation of ancient earthquakes in fault-zones including frictional melt (pseudotachylyte), highly-polished fault slip surfaces, and hydrothermal alteration.

These deformation products result from rapid generation of frictional heat during earthquakes. This dissertation also focuses on the seismic potential of continental low-angle normal faults (LANF). We document the preservation of voluminous pseudotachylyte along a …

Clustering Revisited: A Spectral Analysis Of Microseismic Events, Deborah Fagan, Kasper Van Wijk, James Rutledge

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Identifying individual subsurface faults in a larger fault system is important to characterize and understand the relationship between microseismicity and subsurface processes. This information can potentially help drive reservoir management and mitigate the risks of natural or induced seismicity. We have evaluated a method of statistically clustering power spectra from microseismic events associated with an enhanced oil recovery operation in southeast Utah. Specifically, we were able to provide a clear distinction within a set of events originally designated in the time domain as a single cluster and to identify evidence of en echelon faulting. Subtle time-domain differences between events were …

In Memorium: Dr. Charles J. Mankin, 1932-2012 Past National Secretary-Treasurer Of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Kenneth S. Johnson

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

No abstract provided.

Neotectonic Evolution Of Grand Canyon : Interaction Between Volcanism, River Incision, Epeirogenic Uplift, And Faulting, Ryan Crow

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

This thesis focuses on the effects of volcanism, river incision, epeirogenic uplift, and faulting on the landscape evolution of the Grand Canyon region. In the first chapter the migration of increasingly asthenospheric basaltic volcanism is used to constrain lithospheric modification of the Colorado Plateau margins. Buoyancy modification of the upper mantle, driven by the upwelling, is a likely driver for recent uplift of the area. In the second chapter, correlation between oversteepened rivers and areas of high-velocity upper mantle is used to show that recent and ongoing mantle-driven uplift is modulating the surface along the western margin of the Colorado …

Spatial And Temporal Evolution Of The Volcanics And Sediments Of The Kenya Rift, Alexandria L. Guth

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

New volumetric and mass flux estimates have been calculated for the Kenya Rift. Spatial and temporal histories for volcanic eruptions, lacustrine deposition, and hominin fossil sites are presented, aided by the compilation of a new digital geologic map. Distribution of volcanism over time indicates several periods of southward expansion followed by relative positional stasis. Volcanism occurs throughout the activated rift length, with no obvious abandonment as the rift system migrated. The main exception is a period of volcanic concentration around 10 Ma, when activity was constrained within 2° of the equator.

Volumes derived from seismic data indicate a total volume …

Amplitude-Versus-Angle Analysis And Wide-Angle-Inversion Of Crosswell Seismic Data In A Carbonate Reservoir, Mohamed S. Ibrahim

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Crosswell data set contains a range of angles limited only by the geometry of the source and receiver configuration, the separation of the boreholes and the depth to the target. However, the wide angles reflections present in crosswell imaging result in amplitude-versus-angle (AVA) features not usually observed in surface data. These features include reflections from angles that are near critical and beyond critical for many of the interfaces; some of these reflections are visible only for a small range of angles, presumably near their critical angle.

High-resolution crosswell seismic surveys were conducted over a Silurian (Niagaran) reef at two fields …

Fluctuations Of Sea Water Temperature Based On Nannofloral Changes During The Middle To Late Miocene, Adana Basin, Turkey, Manolya Sinaci

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Some nannoplankton species are sensitive to water temperatures. While Coccolithus pelagicus and Reticulofenestra gelida indicate cooler water conditions, the genera Discoaster and Sphenolithus and Calcidiscus leptoporus are indicative of warmer water environments. This paper focuses on relative fluctuation of sea water temperatures during the Middle and Late Miocene, emphasised by cold and warm nannofossil changes in abundance in 2 wells. At the A-1 well in the Middle Miocene, the total abundance of cooler water species is 45%, while that of the warmer species is 3%. During the Late Miocene, the total abundance for cooler water species decreases to 34%; in …

Tectonosedimentary Development And Palaeoenvironmental Changes In The Acıgöl Shallow-Perennial Playa-Lake Basin, Sw Anatolia, Turkey, Cahi̇t Helvaci, Mehmet Ci̇hat Alçi̇çek, İbrahi̇m Gündoğan, Ünsal Gemi̇ci̇

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The late Cenozoic extensional deformation formed several NE-trending fluvio-lacustrine basins in SW Anatolia, filled by alluvial, fluvial and lacustrine deposits. Among them, the Acıgöl basin , is notable for its tectono-sedimentary development of a prominent shallow-perennial playa-lake setting. The basin initially subsided to receive coarse-clastic alluvial deposits, merging into fluvial systems and central shallow lakes. Subsequent basin deepening with significant sediment supply from surrounding basement horsts caused gradual shrinkage of the relatively small shallow lakes, due to renewed progradation of alluvial fans and they eventually dried out completely. The sedimentation pattern and palaeoenvironmental changes record a constant tectonic, sedimentation, climatic …

Microfacies Correlation Analysis Of The Oligocene-Miocene Asmari Formation, In The Central Part Of The Rag-E-Safid Anticlinal Oil Field, Zagros Basin, South-West Iran, Mahnaz Amirshahkarami

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Oligocene-Miocene Asmari Formation was deposited in a carbonate ramp setting at the margin of the Zagros Basin in south-western Iran. The subsurface sedimentary successions of the Asmari Formation have been studied using cores from the Rag-e-Safid oil field, in order to determinate their microfacies and sedimentary palaeoenvironments. Based on texture analysis and faunal assemblages, 10 microfacies types have been recognised and interpreted. They indicate different depositional settings: open marine, oolitic and bioclastic shoal, lagoon, tidal flat and beach. The microfacies have been interpreted as indicative of the inner and middle ramp. In accordance with the temporal and spatial correlation …

Paleoseismologic Evidence For Holocene Activity On The Pinto Mountain Fault, Twentynine Palms, California, Ana Maria Cadena

All Master's Theses

Excavations across the Pinto Mountain fault in Twentynine Palms, California exposed faulted strata across a 32-m wide zone. Trench wall exposures revealed clear evidence for five ground-rupturing events during the Holocene, and two additional events in the late Pleistocene. Optically stimulated luminescence ages from alluvial sediments suggest that the most recent event occurred between 1.7-2.9 ka B.P. and the penultimate event between 2.7-4.2 ka B.P.. Prior to the penultimate event, there were five ground-rupturing earthquakes on the eastern Pinto Mountain fault between 3.5-13.6 ka B.P.. The average recurrence interval since 13.3-13.6 ka B.P. is 1510-1680 years, and 1200-1500 years in …