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Terrestrialization In The Late Devonian: A Palaeoecological Overview Of The Red Hill Site, Pennsylvania, Usa, Walter L. Cressler Iii, Edward B. Daeschler, Rudy Slingerland, Daniel A. Peterson

Earth & Space Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Paleogeographic, Paleoceanographic, And Tectonic Controls On Early Late Ordovician Graptolite Diversity Patterns, Daniel Goldman, Shuang-Ye Wu

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

The Katian Age (early Late Ordovician) was a time of significant decline in marine biodiversity, but whether this decline was a real phenomenon or an artifact of the relatively few studies devoted to this interval requires further research. We examined the pattern of graptolite faunal changes across the boundary between the Climacograptus bicornis and Diplacanthograptus caudatus graptolite zones in North America and on several other continents.

A sharp decline in species diversity occurs in the Appalachian Basin. Scores for normalized diversity dropped from 20 in the C. bicornis Zone to 7 in the D. caudatus Zone. Only 11% of the …

Improving The Instruction And Learning Of Topographic Maps Through The Use Of Geospatial Technologies, Troy Dean Schwemm

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Geographic information technologies (GIT) are spatially based technologies that include geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and global positioning systems (GPS). Though GIT has been used in society for decades, and has grown tremendously in the last 10 years as advancements in technology have become available, its inclusion into the K-12 curriculum has not kept pace. As the educational reform movement places an ever increasing amount of pressure on schools to produce technologically literate, workforce ready graduates, school districts are scrambling to find creative, innovative ways to accomplish this task. Rather than learning passively, GIT allows students to construct their …

Response Of River‐Dominated Delta Channel Networks To Permanent Changes In River Discharge, Doug Edmonds, Rudy Slingerland, Jim Best, Dan Parsons, Norman D. Smith

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Using numerical experiments, we investigate how river‐dominated delta channel networks are likely to respond to changes in river discharge predicted to occur over the next century as a result of environmental change. Our results show for a change in discharge up to 60% of the initial value, a decrease results in distributary abandonment in the delta, whereas an increase does not significantly affect the network. However, an increase in discharge beyond a threshold of 60% results in channel creation and an increase in the density of the distributary network. This behavior is predicted by an analysis of an individual bifurcation …

Collapse Of The Maya: Could Deforestation Have Contributed?, Robert J. Oglesby, Thomas L. Sever, William Saturno, David J. Erickson Iii, Jayanthi Srikishen

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The collapse of the Maya civilization during the ninth century A.D. is a major conundrum in the history of mankind. This civilization reached a spectacular peak but then almost completely collapsed in the space of a few decades. While numerous explanations have been put forth to explain this collapse, in recent years, drought has gained favor. This is because water resources were a key for the Maya, especially to ensure their survival during the lengthy dry season that occurs where they lived. Natural drought is a known, recurring feature of this region, as evidenced by observational data, reconstructions of past …

Response Of River‐Dominated Delta Channel Networks To Permanent Changes In River Discharge, Doug Edmonds, Rudy Slingerland, Jim Best, Dan Parsons, Norm Smith

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Using numerical experiments, we investigate how river‐dominated delta channel networks are likely to respond to changes in river discharge predicted to occur over the next century as a result of environmental change. Our results show for a change in discharge up to 60% of the initial value, a decrease results in distributary abandonment in the delta, whereas an increase does not significantly affect the network. However, an increase in discharge beyond a threshold of 60% results in channel creation and an increase in the density of the distributary network. This behavior is predicted by an analysis of an individual bifurcation …

Collapse Of The Maya: Could Deforestation Have Contributed?, Robert Oglesby, Thomas L. Sever, William Saturno, David J. Erickson Iii, Jayanthi Srikishen

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The collapse of the Maya civilization during the ninth century A.D. is a major conundrum in the history of mankind. This civilization reached a spectacular peak but then almost completely collapsed in the space of a few decades. While numerous explanations have been put forth to explain this collapse, in recent years, drought has gained favor. This is because water resources were a key for the Maya, especially to ensure their survival during the lengthy dry season that occurs where they lived. Natural drought is a known, recurring feature of this region, as evidenced by observational data, reconstructions of past …

Inferring Lake Depth Using Diatom Assemblages In The Shallow, Seasonally Variable Lakes Of The Nebraska Sand Hills (Usa): Calibration, Validation, And Application Of A 69-Lake Training Set, Avery L. C. Shinneman, Danuta M. Bennett, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Jens Schmieder, Daniel R. Engstrom, Aris Efting, John Holz

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Nebraska Sand Hills are a distinctive eco-region in the semi-arid Great Plains of the western United States. The water table underlying the Sand Hills is part of the High Plains/ Ogallala aquifer, an important water resource for the central Great Plains. Lake levels are affected directly by fluctuations in the water table, which is recharged primarily by local precipitation and responds quickly to climatically induced changes in regional water balance. Instrumental records are available for only 50–100 years, and paleolimnological data provide important insights into the extremes and variability in moisture balance over longer time scales. A set of …

A Study Of Fold Characteristics And Deformation Style Using The Evolution Of The Land Surface: Zagros Simply Folded Belt, Iran, Caroline M. Burberry, John W. Cosgrove, Jian-Guo Liu

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Deformation styles within a fold-thrust belt can be understood in terms of the spatial organization and geometry of the fold structures. In young fold-thrust belts such as the Zagros, this geometry is reflected topographically by concordant landform morphology. Thus, the distribution of deformation structures can be characterized using satellite image analysis, digital elevation models, the drainage network and geomorphological indicators. The two distinct fold types considered in this study (fault-bend folds and detachment folds) both trending NW-SE, interact with streams flowing NE-SW from the High Zagros Mountains into the Persian Gulf. Multiple abandoned stream channels cross fault-bend folds related to …

Mineral And Whole-Rock Geochemistry Of The Kestanbol Granitoid (Ezine-Çanakkale) And Its Mafic Microgranular Enclaves In Northwestern Anatolia: Evidence Of Felsic And Mafic Magma Interaction, Sabah Yilmaz Şahi̇n, Yüksel Örgün, Yildirim Güngör, A. Feti̇ Göker, A. Haydar Gülteki̇n, Zeki̇ye Karacik

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Miocene Kestanbol granitoid, in Ezine-Çanakkale, Turkey, is one of post-collision granitoids of western Anatolia, which have been related to the the late Cretaceous collision between the Anatolide-Tauride platform and the Pontides. Magmatism began during the early Miocene, with coeval alkaline to calc-alkaline plutonism and volcanism, controlled by the regional tectonic evolution. The Kestanbol pluton intruded regionally metamorphosed basement rocks. Volcanic and volcano-clastic sedimentary rocks overlie the pluton, which is bounded in the west and east by major faults. The pluton is frequently cut by felsic and mafic dykes and includes mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) that are mixing products of …

The Impact Of Tsunamis On The Island Of Majorca Induced By North Argelian Seismic Sources, José A. Álvarez-Gómez, Maitane Olabarrieta, Mauricio González, Luís Otero, Emilio Carreño, José M. Martínez-Solares

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The north of Algeria is the main earthquake-related tsunami generation zone that threatens the Balearic Islands. In this work we review the major seismic series of the area -the 1980 El Asnam and the 2003 Boumerdes-Zemmouri earthquakes– in order to obtain a probable worst characteristic earthquake rupture. We estimate rupture dimensions of 55 km x 16 km, reaching the fault plane a depth of 13 km. The dip and rake have been taken as constants, with values of 50° and 90° respectively, while the strike is adjusted to the local tectonic structure. With these characteristics a magnitude M_w= 7.3 earthquake …

Thermal Evolution Of The Permo−Triassic Karakaya Subduction-Accretion Complex Between The Biga Peninsula And The Tokat Massif (Anatolia), Ilaria Federici, William Cavazza, Aral Okay, Olivier Beyssac, Massimiliano Zattin, Sveva Corrado, Francesco Dellisanti

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The results of the combined application of a series of analytical methods (clay mineralogy, vitrinite reflectance, Raman microspectroscopy) placed tight constraints on the thermal evolution of the Karakaya Complex of northern Anatolia, a mostly Permo-Triassic subduction-accretion complex resulting from the progressive closure of the Palaeotethys. The thermal evolution of the Karakaya Complex is the result of Permian-Triassic subduction-accretion processes, and was not significantly affected by later Alpine-age tectonism, as shown by Liassic shallow-water siliciclastic and carbonate deposits overlying unconformably the Karakaya Complex which did not undergo any significant burial. The Lower Karakaya Complex, comprising metabasite and subordinate marble and phyllite, …

Mathesia Mainelli (Hippuritoidea, Monopleuridae) From The Late Aptian−Albian Of The Mediterranean Region: A Revision, Jean-Pierre Masse, Mükerrem Fenerci̇-Masse

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Agria darderi Astre and Mathesia terticolloquiirudistarum Mainelli represent a single taxonomic entity: Mathesia darderi (Astre). Mathesia is characterized by an erect posterior myophoral plate and an anterior myophoral crest in the LV, the RV myophores being on the shell wall. A peculiar shell structure is observed in the RV: the junction between the outer calcitic shell layer and the inner formerly aragonitic shell layer is scalloped or festooned and usually includes longitudinal tubes. The overall morphological traits and myocardinal organisation of Mathesia are similar to those of Debrunia, although the latter lacks the scalloped or tubular inner shell features of …

Taxonomy Of Rudists From The Campanian Transgressive Sediments Of Brašljevica, Donje Orešje And Sv. Martin, Northern Croatia, Alan Moro, Vlasta Cosovic, Josip Benic, Jasmina Dokmanovic

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Rudists are common fossils in transgressive Upper Cretaceous deposits in three localities placed in northwestern part of Croatia. Their appearances coincide with the beginning of a transgressive sequence through floatstones-thickets. Within the rudist community, Vaccinites Fischer 1887, Hippurites Lamarck 1801 and Hippuritella Douvillé 1908 could be differentiated according to their general or generic morphological elements. The age of deposits was obtained from the Sr-isotope composition of the rudist shells as well as the micro- and nannofossil community from sediments overlying the rudists-bearing sediments at the Donje Oresje and Brasljevica localities. According to this data the age of the transgressive sediments …

Morphology, Taxonomy And Lifestyle Of The Maastrichtian Rudist Bivalve Thyrastylon, Simon Francis Mitchell

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The rudist bivalve Thyrastylon is redescribed based on extensive material collected from Jamaica. The new material shows that the left valve contains slits, and that this is the diagnostic feature of the genus. The genus is redefined as follows: a radiolitid rudist with no ligamental infold, stretched cellular microstructure and compact layers in the outer layer of the right valve; the radial bands are partially infolded into the shell layer of the right valve; the left valve has oscules developed above the radial bands and has concentric, slit-like pores that penetrate the shell and open out onto the inner part …

Campanian-Maastrichtian Pseudosabinia From Turkey: Descriptions And Taxonomic Problems, Saci̇t Özer

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Specimens of taxa assigned to Pseudosabinia Morris & Skelton, collected from the Campanian-Maastrichtian sequences of different regions of Turkey such as the Kocaeli Peninsula, Amasya, Bayburt (Pontides), Sivas, Malatya, Elazığ (eastern Anatolian platform) and Kahta-Adıyaman and Yaylaçiftliği-Antakya (northernmost part of the Arabian platform), are determined and the taxonomic statuses of the species are discussed. Pseudosabinia klinghardti (Böhm) uniquely presents all the characteristic features of the genus. Other species and subspecies assigned to the genus 'Pseudosabinia' rtanjica (Pejovic), 'Pseudosabinia' serbica (Kühn & Pejovic), 'Pseudosabinia' rtanjica triangularis (Karacabey) and 'Pseudosabinia' rtanjica tunisiensis (Philip) lack the cellular prismatic structure of the outer shell …

Distribution And Abundance Of Rudist Bivalves In The Cretaceous Platform Sequences In Egypt: Time And Space, Mohamed S. Zakhera

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

As the rudist bivalves represent important organic buildups in the Cretaceous platform sequences, this study emphasizes vertical and spatial distribution of this group of bivalves in the geographic divisions of Egypt, including Western Desert, Eastern Desert and Sinai. Rudists are encountered in different rock facies ranging from mudstones to carbonates. About sixty eight species belong to twenty one genera are reported from Egypt. They belong to six families: Requieniidae, Monopleuridae, Caprotinidae, Caprinidae, Hippuritidae, and Radiolitidae. The Radiolitidae is the most diverse family, comprising eleven genera and fifty-one species, dominated by species of Radiolites, Eoradiolites and Durania. The elevator morphotype of …

The Morphology And Function Of The Upper Valve Of Vaccinites Vesiculosus (Woodward), Dietrich Schumann

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The evolutionary transformation of the upper valve (UV) to a probable particle filter system in some hippuritid genera belongs to the most drastic changes in pelycipod shell structures. The basic architecture of this product is well known since long times. Again discussed is the functional role of the canal system. The bottom of the canals is very smooth. The canal system of Vaccinites vesiculosus is completely roofed by a particular graceful sieve. A water exchange between the canals did not exist. The uppermost part of the upper valve (the sieve) most probably was an endoskeleton. The upper valve was not …

Rare Earth Elements As An Investigative Tool Into The Source, Age, And Ecology Of Late Miocene To Late Pleistocene Fossils From The Tunica Hills, Louisiana, Lindsey Theresa Yann

LSU Master's Theses

Rare earth elements were investigated for their potential to determine provenance and depositional environments of vertebrate fossils found as float in creeks of the Tunica Hills region of Louisiana. Elemental analyses are used to test the hypotheses that fossils span multiple time periods, from late Miocene to late Pleistocene, and that elemental profiles can distinguish terrestrial depositional settings from possible estuarine deposits. In addition, the animals present were then used to test the hypothesis that Tunica Hills had late Pleistocene environmental conditions much like the modern Great Lakes region. This study is important because it provides new insight on the …

A Functional And Ontogenetic Skull Analysis Of The Extant Rhinoceroses And Teleoceras Major, An Extinct Miocene North American Rhinoceros, Mark Daniel Hagge

LSU Master's Theses

Functional and ontogenetic skull differences among extant rhinoceroses and the extinct North American rhinoceros Teleoceras major were investigated to assess the unknown feeding ecology of Teleoceras. Ontogenetic skull sequences of the extant Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), white rhino (Ceratotherium simum), and black rhino (Diceros bicornis), and the extinct Miocene North American rhino T. major were gathered for both qualitative and quantitative assessments. Eleven functional characters related to specific feeding ecologies in extant perissodactyls were morphologically described, and each species’ skull development was described in detail. Nineteen linear skull measurements were taken across all specimens of all …

Salinity Variation As An Indicator Of Fluid Flow In The Lower Ellesmerian Sequence, North Slope, Alaska, Jacob Scott Dehamer

LSU Master's Theses

Previous studies have shown the existence of a topographically driven recharge system in the North Slope foreland basin, Alaska. The Lower Ellesmerian Sequence represents the lowest most flow pathway in the stratigraphic sequence. Limestones and dolomites of the Lisburne Group and sands and shales of the Endicott Group represent laterally extensive pathways for flow. Salinities calculated from spontaneous potential response in the Lower Ellesmerian range from less than 10 gL-1 to over 150 gL-1. Low salinities calculated for the Lower Ellesmerian indicate the displacement of connate marine waters throughout the history of the North Slope foreland basin. Flushing of connate …

Combined Effects Of Heat Waves And Droughts On Avian Communities Across The Conterminous United States, Thomas P. Albright, Anna M. Pidgeon, Chadwick D. Rittenhouse, Murray K. Clayton, Brian D. Wardlow, Curtis H. Flather, Patrick D. Culbert, Volker C. Radeloff

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Increasing surface temperatures and climatic variability associated with global climate change are expected to produce more frequent and intense heat waves and droughts in many parts of the world. Our goal was to elucidate the fundamental, but poorly understood, effects of these extreme weather events on avian communities across the conterminous United States. Specifically, we explored: (1) the effects of timing and duration of heat and drought events, (2) the effects of jointly occurring drought and heat waves relative to these events occurring in isolation, and (3) how effects vary among functional groups related to nest location and migratory habit, …

Effects Of Lightning And Other Meteorological Factors On Fire Activity In The North American Boreal Forest: Implications For Fire Weather Forecasting, David Peterson, Jun Wang, Charles Ichoku, Lorraine Remer

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The effects of lightning and other meteorological factors on wildfire activity in the North American boreal forest are statistically analyzed during the fire seasons of 2000–2006 through an integration of the following data sets: the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) level 2 fire products, the 3-hourly 32-km gridded meteorological data from North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), and the lightning data collected by the Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN) and the Alaska Lightning Detection Network (ALDN). Positive anomalies of the 500 hPa geopotential height field, convective available potential energy (CAPE), number of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, and the number of consecutive dry …

A New Small-Bodied Species Of Palaeonictis (Creodonta, Oxyaenidae) From The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Stephen G. B. Chester, Jonathan I. Bloch, Ross Secord, Doug M. Boyer

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Oxyaenid creodonts are extinct carnivorous mammals known from the Paleogene of North America, Europe, and Asia. The genus Palaeonictis is represented by three species that together span the late Paleocene to early Eocene of North America, and at least one species from the early Eocene of Europe. Previously, only a single trigonid of Palaeonictis was known from the interval encompassing the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in North America. We describe Palaeonictis wingi sp. nov. from the PETM in the Cabin Fork drainage, southeastern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, based on associated right and left dentaries with P₂-M₂. Palaeonictis …

“An Overview Of The Amazonian Aerosol Characterization Experiment 2008 (Amaze-08)” Published In Atmos. Chem. Phys., 10, 11415-11438, 2010, S. T. Martin, M. O. Andreae, D. Althausen, P. Artaxo, H. Baars, S. Borrmann, Q. Chen, D. K. Farmer, A. Guenther, S. S. Gunthe, J. L. Jimenez, T. Karl, K. Longo, A. Manzi, T. Muller, T. Pauliquevis, M. D. Petters, A. J. Prenni, U. Poschl, L. V. Rizzo, J. Schneider, J. N. Smith, E. Swietlicki, J. Tota, A. Wiedensohler, S. R. Zorn

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Geophysical Properties Within The San Andreas Fault Zone At The San Andreas Fault Observatory At Depth (Safod) And Their Relationships To Rock Properties And Fault Zone Structure, Tamara N. Jeppson, Kelly Keighley Bradbury, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We examine the relationships between borehole geophysical data and physical properties of fault‐related rocks within the San Andreas Fault as determined from data from the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth borehole. Geophysical logs, cuttings data, and drilling data from the region 3‐ to 4‐km measured depth of the borehole encompass the active part of the San Andreas Fault. The fault zone lies in a sequence of deformed sandstones, siltstone, shale, serpentinite‐bearing block‐in‐matrix rocks, and sheared phyllitic siltstone. The borehole geophysical logs reveal the presence of a low‐velocity zone from 3190 to 3410 m measured depth with V_p and …

Numerical Ages Of Selected Rudist Bivalvia: Preliminary Results, Robert W. Scott

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The ranges of most biostratigraphically diagnostic fossils have been calibrated to the geologic time scale in mega-annums. Five methods for integrating fossil ranges with the numerical geologic time scale are currently used: (1) species in stratigraphic positions with radiometrically dated beds; (2) strontium isotopes of unaltered shell material; (3) cyclostratigraphic frequencies of enclosing strata; (4) integration with zones and sequence stratigraphy; and (5) graphic correlation. Preliminary studies show that rudist occurrences have been calibrated in numerical ages by Sr isotopes, zonal integration and graphic correlation. Where the same species are dated by two methods, a more complete range is the …

Statistical Evaluation Of Bivariate, Ternary And Discriminant Function Tectonomagmatic Discrimination Diagrams, Surendra P. Verma

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This work applies a statistical methodology involving the calculation of success rates to evaluate a total of 28 tectonomagmatic discrimination diagrams: four bivariate (Ti/Y-Zr/Y; Zr-Zr/Y; Ti/1000-V; and Nb/Y-Ti/Y); six ternary (Zr-3Y-Ti/1000; MgO-Al2O3-FeOt, Th-Ta-Hf/3; 10MnO-15P2O5-TiO2; Zr/4-Y-2Nb; and La/10-Nb/8-Y/15); and three old (Score1-Score2; F1-F2; and F2-F3) and three sets of new discriminant function diagrams (each set consisting of five DF1-DF2 type diagrams proposed during 2004-2008). I established and used extensive geochemical databases of Miocene to Recent fresh rocks from island arcs, back arcs, continental rifts, ocean-islands, and mid-ocean ridges. Rock and magma types were inferred from a SINCLAS computer program. Although some …

Statistical Evaluation Of Classification Diagrams For Altered Igneous Rocks, Surendra P. Verma, Rodolfo Rodriguez Rios, Rosalinda González-Ramírez

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) has proposed recommendations for the classification of relatively fresh volcanic rocks, but with no specific instructions for altered volcanic rocks, other than discouraging the use of the total alkalis versus silica diagram. The Nb/Y-Zr/TiO2 diagram has been in use for the classification of altered rocks now for over 30 years. Recently (during 2007) another diagram (Co-Th) has been proposed to replace this old diagram, particularly for altered arc rocks. Using an extensive database of all kinds of relatively fresh rocks from four tectonic settings (island arc, continental rift, ocean island, and mid-ocean ridge), …

Testing Miocene Remagnetization Of Bey Dağları: Timing And Amount Of Neogene Rotations In Sw Turkey, Douwe J.J. Van Hinsbergen, Mark J. Dekkers, Ayten Koç

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Here we reassess the timing and amount of rotation of the eastern limb of the Aegean orocline, located in SW Turkey. The current model for this orocline involves a 25-30° counterclockwise (CCW) rotation of the Bey Dağları region, which exposes upper Cretaceous to Eocene platform carbonates and lower Miocene flysch deposits. In this model the rotation has to postdate a Miocene remagnetization, which would not exclude non-synchroneity between rotations of the western and eastern limbs of the Aegean orocline. To test this model a detailed palaeomagnetic study was conducted on lower Miocene strata in the Bey Dağları area. Two (composite) …