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Geologic Face Mapping Methodology Utilizing Global Positioning Systems And Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Luke Whitenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geologic field mapping has traditionally been a low-technology process, limited by time in the field and a delicate balance between data collection and coverage area. Advancements in Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and software packages offer new tools and techniques for collecting high volume, accurate geologic information. These tools can provide geologists with safe and efficient ways to collect and process greater volumes of field data.

Field data for this study was collected from three open pit mines using a Trimble Geo 7X GPS unit with Geo 7 Series Rangefinder module and a Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 …

Klimchouk’S Impact On The Development Of Speleogenetic Models For Castile Evaporites: West Texas And Southeastern New Mexico, Usa, Kevin W. Stafford

International Journal of Speleology

Due to the pioneering work of Alexander Klimchouk (2007), hypogene karst is now recognized as being complex and extensive throughout Permian strata of the greater Delaware Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico (USA). Klimchouk heavily influenced our current understanding of hypogene speleogenesis in the Permian Ochoan Castile Formation where we now recognize diverse hypogene manifestations that include vertically-extensive breccia pipes, laterally-extensive blanket breccias, morphologically-varied caves, diagenetically-altered sulfates, and unique venting structures. Underlying Bell Canyon strata provide the transmissive zone for delivery and removal of solutionally aggressive fluids to the conformably overlying Castile evaporites. Current speleogenetic models indicate that …

Estimating Crustal Thickness In Northwest Louisiana Using The Receiver Function Method, Delton Samuel

LSU Master's Theses

I aim to constrain the crustal thickness of the Sabine Block in the Sabine Uplift region of northwest Louisiana, using the frequency domain receiver function deconvolution technique followed by H-κ stacking. The passive margin on the southern edge of the North American continent experienced an active tectonic history, including the spreading events that led to the formation of the Gulf of Mexico. A previous study proposed the Sabine Block is a residual fragment of Proterozoic orogenic origin; however, its full extent and geometry are up for debate. It is now overlain by thick sedimentary sequences ranging from ~4-6 km deposited …

Geothermal Play Fairway Analysis, Part 2: Gis Methodology, Jacob Deangelo, John W. Shervais, Jonathan M. Glen, Dennis Nielson, Sabodh Garg, Patrick F. Dobson, Erika Gasperikova, Eric Sonnenthal, Lee M. Liberty, Drew L. Siler, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Play Fairway Analysis (PFA) in geothermal exploration originates from a systematic methodology developed within the petroleum industry and is based on a geologic, geophysical, and hydrologic framework of identified geothermal systems. We tailored this methodology to study the geothermal resource potential of the Snake River Plain and surrounding region, but it can be adapted to other geothermal resource settings. We adapted the PFA approach to geothermal resource exploration by cataloging the critical elements controlling exploitable hydrothermal systems, establishing risk matrices that evaluate these elements in terms of both probability of success and level of knowledge, and building a code-based ‘processing …

The Flora, Fauna, And Paleoenvironment Of The Late Middle Miocene Quebrada Honda Basin, Bolivia (Eastern Cordillera, Central Andes), Beverly Z. Saylor, Russell K. Engelman, Darin A. Croft

Faculty Scholarship

Miocene ecosystem change in the Central Andes is not well understood because of a dearth of well-dated fossil sites from the region. The late Middle Miocene (~13-12 Ma) Quebrada Honda Basin (QHB) in southern Bolivia (22° S) helps fill this gap and provide vital insights into Neotropical paleoenvironments. The site is among the best-characterized Middle Miocene terrestrial vertebrate sites of South America and has a robust temporal, spatial, and lithostratigraphic framework for analyzing its sedimentary facies, fossils, and paleoenvironment. Here, we present new plant silica (phytolith) assemblage data from the QHB as well as new analyses of QHB faunal data. …

Hydrogeomorphic Response To Flooding In Northern Yellowstone National Park, Zachary P. Deluca

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Understanding and predicting flood-induced geomorphic change, and the relative influences of fluvial forces and valley-bottom geometry on system response, are persistent quandaries in geomorphic process studies. We combine field surveys, remote sensing, and hydraulic modeling to assess the hydrogeomorphic effects of historic flooding in northern Yellowstone National Park (YNP) in a variety of channel configurations. We compare impulse, a metric that incorporates a flow duration threshold based on threshold channel theory, grain size, channel-bed slope, and flood depth and stream power estimates with hydrogeomorphic response. Measurements of pre- and post-flood active-channel width change in aerial photos captured geomorphic response associated …

Age Dating Young Groundwater: How To Determine Groundwater Age From Environmental Tracer Data, D. K. Solomon, T. E. Gilmore

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Modeling The Peak Ground Acceleration And Assessing The Economic Loss And Casualty Due To Potential Earthquakes Of Various Magnitudes In The New Madrid Seismic Zone, Mahmud Afroz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) is one of the active tectonic zones capable of producing big earthquakes in the southcentral USA. The objective of this study was to assess the economic losses and casualties that might be caused by various magnitudes of seismic events in the NMSZ. The manifestation is the estimation for each magnitude which is using the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) that might occur during an earthquake. It is calculated using an attenuation function that correlates the intensity of local ground movement, the earthquake magnitude, and the distance from its epicenter. The assessment of casualties was conducted …

Micp Restoration Law Of Coal Mining Induced Ground Fissures And Its Influencing Factors, Li Tao, Gao Ying, Yan Jingwang, Zhang Jiarui, Kou Guigui, Ma Tengfei, Mei Aoran

Coal Geology & Exploration

The coal mining induced ground fissures in the loess covered area of northwest China cause shallow groundwater resource leakage and soil instability. Therefore, the experimental study was conducted on Microbial Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) restoration of coal mining induced ground fissures in the loess covered area. Specifically, the characteristics of mining induced ground fissures were observed and their development characteristics were revealed based on Ningtiaota Coal Mine in northern Shaanxi. The coal mining induced ground fissures in loess were classified with consideration to the observed mine pressure. Based on the classification and characteristics of coal mining induced ground fractures, the …

A Study On The Magnetite Skarn Mineralization (Gümüşhane, Türkiye): A Magnetic Survey, Ferkan Si̇pahi̇, Münür Burhan Sadiklar, Mehmet Ali̇ Gücer, Ali̇ Aydin, Rasi̇m Taylan Kara

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Iron (Fe)-skarn mineralizations (Çambaşı, Dereli, Eğrikar, Karadağ, Kopuz, Sekü, Donguldere, Arnastal, Özdil, Ögene, İkizdere, Ovit Dağı, Kartiba, etc.) in the eastern part of the Pontides (NE Türkiye) are accommodated in the Pontide paleomagmatic arc and the eastern part of the Pontides Metallogenic Belt containing numerous various deposits. Fe-skarn mineralization around the Arnastal Plateau (Gümüşhane-Türkiye) is fragmentary in this area, which is covered with plants (grasses, flowers, etc.). Thus, it was attempted to describe the subsurface structures and Fe mineralization using an interpretation of the available geological and existing magnetic data in this area. Granitoid and volcano-sedimentary series (Upper Cretaceous) outcrop …

Interpreting Structural Configuration Of The Sengkang Basin Of Indonesia Using Edge Detection And 3-D Euler Deconvolution To Satellite Gravity Data, Jamhir Safani, Khalil Ibrahim, Wa Deni, Al Rubaiyn, Firdaus Firdaus, Harisma Harisma

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The East Walanae Fault Zone and the West Walanae Fault Zone are the two active fault segments in the south arm of Sulawesi. These fault segments are responsible for the formation of the Sengkang Basin. This geological complexity makes the Sengkang Basin a very interesting area to study. This research aims to (1) identify basin boundaries and lithological contacts; (2) estimate the positions of fault segments; and (3) model the basement beneath the Sengkang Basin. The free-air gravity anomaly from the GGMPlus dataset is employed and then corrected using Bouguer and terrain corrections to provide the complete Bouguer gravity anomaly …

Middle Eocene Alveolina-Dominated Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages Of The Western Flank Of The Isparta Angle (Sw Türkiye): Taxonomy, Biostratigraphy, Microfacies Analysis, And Paleoenvironmental Implications, Alper Bozkurt, Muhi̇tti̇n Görmüş, Banu Türkmen Bozkurt

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Middle Eocene formations of the western part of the Isparta Angle contain abundant larger benthic foraminifera (LBF). Twelve species belonging to the genus Alveolina, including A. callosa, A. fragilis, A. aff. fusiformis, A. gigantea, A. cf. gigantea, A. hottingeri, A. kieli, A. levantina, A. nuttalli, A. cf. obtusa, A. stipes, and A. tenuis have been identified throughout the two measured sections from Dinar and Çardak (SW Türkiye). The investigated assemblages, consisting also of nummulitids, orthophragminids, textulariids, rotaliids, and miliolids, allow us to assign the Suçıkan section to shallow benthic zone 13 (SBZ13) and the Karabayır section to SBZ17. Based on …

A Review Of The Geothermal System Evolution And Distribution In The Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex (Türkiye), Mehmet Furkan Şener, Muhammed Zeynel Öztürk, Alper Baba

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Türkiye is located in the Mediterranean sector of the Alpine-Himalayan tectonic belt and is among the foremost seven countries in the world having an abundance of geothermal resources. The Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex (CACC) is one of the most important geothermal regions in Türkiye. This study aims to evaluate the geothermal system of CACC using the geological, structural, and hydrogeochemical properties that were obtained from previous studies. The present study investigated and evaluated the hydrogeochemical and isotopic properties of 762 water samples belonging to 45 different localities from 41 scientific studies. The result shows that CACC has different heat sources …

Hydrological Dynamics Of Surface-Groundwater Interactions Between Major Springs Of Mammoth Cave And The Green River, Kentucky, Usa, Matthew Cecil

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Mammoth Cave is an iconic example of the cave and karst systems that underlie over 50% of the United States and provide around 13% of the world’s population with water resources. These environmental features are vulnerable to drought, pollution, and human impacts. The complex hydrological regime of the Mammoth Cave system has been studied in the past, but there are improvements and updates that can be made to the past research. The dynamics of the surface-groundwater system, particularly reversals of the Green River and how it backfloods into the cave, are some examples. Echo River and River Styx Springs provide …

Experimental And Theoretical Studies Of Fluid-Solid Coupling Processes Of Tight Rock Media, Tao Zhang

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

This study covers the application of continuum mechanics in the realm of rock work in geological studies. Continuum mechanics encompasses two major branches: fluid mechanics that deals with fluid behavior, and solid mechanics pertaining to the behavior of rock media. The research focuses on comprehending the mechanical behavior of rocks as a continuous mass, offering a comprehensive perspective for analyzing geological structures, fluid flow, and rock mechanics. Under the framework of continuum mechanics applied to rock media, following the sequence of the rock/solid properties, fluid flow properties, and the fluid-solid coupling behavior, this dissertation is divided into four sections, each …

Enhancing Basic Geology Skills With Artificial Intelligence: An Exploration Of Automated Reasoning In Field Geology, Perry Ivan Quinto Houser

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the use of Artificial Intelligence, specifically semantics, ontologies, and reasoner techniques, to improve field geology mapping. The thesis focuses on two use cases: 1) identifying a geologic formation based on observed characteristics; and 2) predicting the geologic formation that might be expected next based upon known stratigraphic sequence. The results show that the ontology was able to correctly identify the geologic formation for the majority of rock descriptions, with higher search results for descriptions that provided more detail. Similarly, the units expected next were correctly given and if incorrect, would provide a flag to the field geologist …

Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet Dynamics In The Pliocene From Sedimentological Interpretation Of Ocean Drilling Program Site 1097, Ridley Joseph

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Studying ice sheet behavior during the Pliocene Epoch is of great importance. The Early Pliocene was characterized by warm climatic conditions, similar carbon dioxide levels and high sea levels compared to the present. This time frame provides essential information on the foreseeable future of Earth’s cryosphere, particularly if climate change continues to persist. The sedimentary record of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) is the focus of this study. At Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1097, cores were drilled into Pliocene strata at a shallow depth on the Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf. Sedimentary facies were interpreted, and twenty samples were …

Obituary Prof. Dr. Ercan Özcan, Aral Okay, Demi̇r Altiner, Gyorgy Less

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

No abstract provided.

Lithological Mapping Of Ophiolitic Rocks From Southern Part Of The Sivas Basin (Turkey) Using Aster Imagery, Taner Eki̇ci̇

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The east-west extended Sivas Basin in central-eastern Anatolia is a foreland basin that formed after the obduction of the Tethyan ophiolite during the late Cretaceous and is also a north-verging fold-and-thrust belt. The basement rocks of the basin represent mainly sedimentary (Mesozoic platform-type carbonates) and late Cretaceous Divriği ophiolitic complex. As the ophiolitic rocks are affected by intense tectonic processes, field-based mapping studies require long processes and costs. The study tests to reveal the lithological features of the ophiolitic complex outcropping around the Ulaş district of the Sivas Province using remote sensing methods and techniques. Due to arid climatic conditions …

Geological Structure Informs Rupture Propagation And Surface Rupture Complexity During The 2016 Kaik?Ura Earthquake, New Zealand: Insights For Future Large Earthquake Hazard, Kelvin Berryman, Mark Rattenbury, Stephen Bannister, Susan Ellis, Pilar Villamor, Donna Eberhart-Phillips, Phaedra Upton, Andrew Howell

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

We summarise the geological setting of complex surface rupture of the 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaik?ura earthquake in the Marlborough Tectonic Domain of New Zealand. The event was complex both seismologically and geologically but not totally dissimilar to other large historical events globally. The earthquake occurred in the comprehensively imbricated, steeply-dipping Pahau Terrane crust that exhibits numerous tectonic overprints with diverse faulting styles. The current strike slip faults of the Marlborough Fault System are immature in their structural development and occupy, at least in part, inherited faults of earlier deformation phases. Several of the faults that ruptured in 2016 may connect …

New Age Constraints On The Break-Up Of Rodinia And Amalgamation Of Southwestern Gondwana From The Choquequirao Formation In Southwestern Peru, Eben Blake Hodgin, Victor Carlotto, Francis A. Macdonald, Mark D. Schmitz, James L. Crowley

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Choquequirao Formation is a >3 km-thick amphibolite-grade succession that outcrops in the Central Andes of southern Peru. To constrain its age and tectonostratigraphic setting, detrital zircon and metamorphic zircon, titanite, and rutile U–Pb isotopic analyses were conducted. Mantle-derived c. 640 Ma detrital zircons constrain the maximum age of the lower part of the succession and 550–490 Ma metamorphic zircon domains constrain its minimum age. The absence of early Paleozoic detrital zircons suggests that deposition predated early Paleozoic orogenesis in southwestern Gondwana. The close similarity of detrital zircon age spectra to those from sediments deposited on the Arequipa basement suggests …

Evidence For Surface Rupture Of The 1939 Erzincan Earthquake Based On Field Data And Paleoseismology On The Ezinepazarı Fault (North Anatolian Fault Zone, Central Anatolia), Fi̇kret Koçbulut

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Ezinepazarı Fault (EPF) is an active segment that restricts the Niksar Basin in the central part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone and has been the source of the devastating Mw 8.0 earthquake in the last 100 years. Traces of the surface rupture of the EPF, which occurred in AD 1939, can still be observed in the field today as a right-lateral strike-slip character. While paleoseismological studies were mostly focused on the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) in previous studies, the studies on the central and eastern parts of the NAFZ are rarely addressed. In …

Geology Of The Eastern Anatolian Plateau (Turkey): A Synthesis, Ali̇ Yilmaz, Gülteki̇n Topuz, Tuna Eken, Osman Candan, Hüseyi̇n Yilmaz

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Eastern Anatolian Plateau (EAP), approximately 2000 m above sea level, is located between the Eastern Pontides to the north, the Arabian Platform to the south, and the Iranian Plateau to the east. It is characterized by approximately 6 km-thick Maastrichtian to Quaternary volcano-sedimentary cover which unconformably overlies continental and oceanic basement units. Overall, the outcrops of the pre-Maastrichtian basement are rare and include both continental and oceanic units. This led to drastically different interpretations of the nature of the pre-Maastrichtian basement as (i) the oceanic accretionary complex or (ii) continental crust and overlying ophiolitic mélange. This synthesis deals with …

Delineating A Stream Network At Gale Crater, Mars, On Arcgis Pro: A Geographic Information Systems Approach, Elpidio Guzman De La Cruz

West Chester University Master’s Theses

The northwestern region of the Gale crater experienced flooding in the past. Delineation of stream networks for the northwestern region of Gale Crater, Mars employing geographic information systems (GIS) techniques is applied. The stream network produced by the algorithm in the study traverses the clay unit in Gediz Vallis, and visual HiRISE imagery analysis correlates with a topologic cross section of an inverted river channel of 750 meters wide and 90 meters deep. HiRISE imagery analysis further confirms a sulfate and clay stratigraphic unit in a stream 125 meters wide and 25 meters deep. Lastly, data smoothing procedures in the …

Relationship Of Petrographic And Mineralogical Characteristics With Mechanical Strength Properties Of Granitic Rocks: A Case Study From The Biga Peninsula, Nw Turkey, Güven Eroğlu, Ayten Çalik

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This study was carried out on granitic rocks from the Biga Peninsula in order to investigate petrographic, and mineralogical properties in comparison with mechanical strength properties. This study was conducted in four different locations where granitic rocks outcrop from north to south in the Biga Peninsula: Lapseki (Şevketiye granite), Ezine (Kestanbol granite), Bayramiç (Yassıbağ granite), and Edremit (Eybek granite). Field observations and detailed petrographic studies of representative samples indicate that they are quartz monzodiorite (Şevketiye and Yassıbağ), quartz monzonite (Kestanbol), and granodiorite (Eybek) in composition. All the rocks have similar mineral composition, comprising mainly feldspar (plagioclase-alkali feldspar), quartz, mafic minerals …

The Appalachian System Of Basins And Platforms As A Tectonostratigraphic Analogue To The Barents Sea Shelf: Where Arctic Meets The Appalachians, Gustavo De Aguiar Martins

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Divided between Norway and Russia, the Barents Sea shelf (BSS) is an ~1.4 million km² Arctic province, containing significant hydrocarbon accumulations. However, much of the area is frontier, and geologic data are often restricted or unavailable. One strategy to mitigate lack of geologic data is the use of analogues from well-known, mature basins. Even though there have been attempts to use analogues to study the geology of the BSS, such use is limited. Moreover, no analogue, to my knowledge, has been capable of addressing the regional tectonostratigraphic development of the shelf as a whole.

In this research, the Appalachian …

Micropaleontological Findings And Absolute Ages Mark The Termination Of The Last Glacial Maximum In The Eastern Mediterranean Region: New Electron Spin Resonance Data From Gediz Delta (Western Turkey), Eki̇n Gökçe Benli̇, Hülya Aslin, İsmai̇l İşi̇ntek, Bi̇rol Engi̇n, Berna Şengöçmen Geçki̇n

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Sediments and fossil content of Gediz Delta (Eastern Aegean Sea-İzmir) were examined from the samples collected from three drilling cores from the west (seaward) to east (landward) of the delta. Each drilling core contains Quarternary marine deposits with a marine fauna of foraminifers, bivalves, gastropods, echinoids, and ostracods at the bottom and Quaternary continental delta deposits at the top. According to our Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) age model marine sediments of the Aegean Sea started to cover the western Gediz Delta area before 19.9 ka (thousand years). Following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), after the transgression due to deglaciation occurred …

Communicating Hazard Location Through Text And Map In Earthquake Early Warnings: A Mixed Methods Study, Jeannette Sutton, Michele M. Wood, Nicholas A. Waugh, Savanah Crouch

Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of presenting hazard location in different formats on key warning message outcomes—understanding, personalizing, believing, deciding, and milling. We conducted two studies using experiment and focus group methods. In the experiment, we compared a standard ShakeAlert earthquake early warning message, which merely implied location, to three enhanced messages that communicated information about the earthquake epicenter via text, map, or a combined text-and-map format. Focus groups explored reactions to warning messages accompanied by different types of maps. Overall, the standard ShakeAlert message was associated with worse message outcomes compared to messages that …

3d Hydrostratigraphic And Hydraulic Conductivity Modeling Using Supervised Machine Learning, T. A. Tilahun, Jesse T. Korus Dr.

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Evolution Law Of Water Inflow In Full Life Cycle Of Working Face In Deep Buried Inner Mongolia-Shaanxi Mining Area, Liu Yang, Yang Jian, Zhou Jianjun

Coal Geology & Exploration

The deep buried Inner Mongolia-Shaanxi mining area was newly developed, where the hydrogeological characteristics under the disturbance of coal mining were still unclear. Various types of water damage problems had occurred in the process of infrastructure construction and production. Among them, no research was conducted for the variation characteristics of water inflow during and after mining in working face, which increased the difficulty in the arrangement of underground water drainage system and the work of water prevention and control. In order to find out the evolution law of water inflow in the full life cycle of working face before and …