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Geosciences Newsletter- 1998, Department Of Geosciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 1, No. 23

• Dear Alumni and Friends
• Faculty News
• Department News
• Donations

A Late Cambrian Positive Carbon-Isotope Excursion In The Southern Appalachians: Relation To Biostratigraphy, Sequence Stratigraphy, Environments Of Deposition, And Diagenesis, Bosiljka Glumac, Kenneth R. Walker

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

A positive carbon-isotope excursion is recorded within the Upper Cambrian sedimentary succession in the southern Appalachians that consists of the Nolichucky Shale, the Maynardville Formation, and the Copper Ridge Dolomite. The lower part of the succession contains Aphelaspis zone fauna (Early Steptoean). The extensively dolomitized and poorly fossiliferous nature of the upper part of the succession precludes any detailed biostratigraphic determinations. Correlation with similar positive carbon-isotope excursions in coeval successions elsewhere suggests that this excursion represents a perturbation in the global cycling of carbon. Comparison of excursions at different localities in North America provides a means for the application of …

Comparison Of Water And Temperature Distribution Profiles Under Sand Tube Irrigation, Masoud Meshkat, Richard C. Warner, Stephen R. Workman

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Drip irrigation is one of the most efficient systems in delivering water to the plant root zone. Research has shown that the saturated, or nearly saturated, surface beneath the emitter may increase evaporation thereby reducing the irrigation efficiency. To increase the efficiency of surface applied drip irrigation on permanent tree crops a sand tube irrigation (STI) method was developed and tested. The sand tube method consists of removing a soil core beneath the emitter and filling the void with coarse sand. A weighing lysimeter was designed and instrumented to directly measure temporal evaporation during irrigation and for a period of …

Comment On "Beach Water Table Fluctuations Due To Wave Run-Up: Capillarity Effects" By L. Li Et Al., Vitaly A. Zlotnik

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Vitaly A. Zlotnik's comment on "Beach water table fluctuations due to wave run-up: Capillarity effects" by L. Li, D. A. Barry, J.-Y. Parlange, and C. B. Pattiaratchi, published in Water Resources Research (1997) 3(5): 935-945.

Stochastic Methods For Evaluating The Potential For Wetland Rehydration In Covered-Karst Terranes, Christian David Langevin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Augmentation with reclaimed water is one method for rehydrating wetlands damaged by water-level declines. Augmentation with reclaimed water has been proposed for rehydrating a wetland in the covered-karst terrane of west-central Florida. There is concern because reclaimed water may contain harmful agents that could flow from the wetland 1.4 km to a municipal wellfield that withdraws 30,000 m³/day. Estimates of groundwater flow velocities were calculated from the results of detailed field studies at the wetland. Results indicate that groundwater flows downward in the surficial aquifer at rates of 0.1 to 0.2 m/day and horizontally in the Floridan aquifer …

Antelope County Test-Hole Logs: Nebraska Water Survey Test-Hole Report No. 2, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Frank A. Smith, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

In 1930, the Conservation and Survey Division of the University of Nebraska and the United States Geological Survey began a program of cooperative groundwater studies in Nebraska. Since then test drilling by use of rotary drilling equipment has been an integral part of that program. This report contains logs of all the test holes drilled in the county under the program as well as those drilled by the Conservation and Survey Division with financial assistance from other government agencies.

The map in this report shows the location of all test holes drilled in the county since 1930.

Present techniques of …

Ua66/8/3 Geogram, Wku Geography & Geology

WKU Administration Documents

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

Earth News, Fall 1998, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- Faculty Achievements and Activities
--- 1998 Earth Science Graduates
--- Student Research Presentations
--- Sigma Gamma Epsilon - Gamma Sigma Chapter
--- Earth Science Majors
--- Observatory: Room with a Stellar View
--- Gifts to the Department of Earth Science
--- 1998 Scholarship and Award Recipients
--- Earth Science Seminar Series
--- UNI Students Get Up Close and Personal with Nature
--- Earth Science Alumni Notes

Revegetation Strategies For Groundwater Control In The Eastern Wheatbelt, C E. Mcconnell

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Mountain Evolution And Environmental Changes Of Huangshan, China, P.-H. Huang, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., M. Yang, Patricia E. Helland

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) is located in southern part of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The highest Lotus Flower peak is 1,864 m above sea level. Formative ages of the Huangshan and its granite, process of mountain geomorphic evolution from the Eocene to Quaternary, environmental changes of Quaternary, formative origin of beautiful peaks and fascinating rocks were studied and questionable "Pleistocene glaciation" was also discussed in this paper.

Chemical Signals From Submarine Fluid Advection Onto The Continental Shelf, W. S. Moore, Timothy J. Shaw

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Holt County Test-Hole Logs: Nebraska Water Survey Test-Hole Report No. 45, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Frank A. Smith, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

In 1930, the Conservation and Survey Division of the University of Nebraska and the United States Geological Survey began a program of cooperative groundwater studies in Nebraska. Since then test drilling by use of rotary drilling equipment has been an integral part of that program. This report contains logs of all the test holes drilled in Holt County, Nebraska, under the program as well as those drilled by the Conservation and Survey Division with financial assistance from other government agencies.

The map in this report shows the location of all test holes drilled in Holt County, Nebraska from 1944 to …

Onshore/ Offshore Wide-Angle Deep Seismic Profiling In Taiwan, Y. H. Yeh, R. C. Shih, C. H. Lin, C. C. Liu, H. Y. Yen, B. S. Huang, C. S. Liu, P. Z. Chen, C. S. Huang, C. J. Wu, Francis T. Wu

Earth Sciences Faculty Scholarship

In summer 1995, in collaboration with the deep multi-channel seismic profiling project around the island of Taiwan, anonshore-offshore wide-angle deep seismic profiling experiment was conducted in Taiwan. The results are expected to provide the first complete seismic images of the deep crustal structure for a better understanding of the Taiwan orogeny and subduction-collision system. The experiment consists of three profiles, one along each of the central and southern cross-island highways and another on the south-link highway of the island. For the first two lines, 35 three-component portable seismographs were deployed along each of the 116 and 135 km-long profiles onshore, …

Vulnerability And Use Of Ground And Surface Waters In The Southern Mississippi Valley Region, H. Don Scott

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

There is a concern in the Southern Mississippi River Valley of the United States over non-point source pollution of ground and surface waters resulting from activities associated with agricultural production. This agriculturally intensive region consists of two major land resource areas (MLRAs): Southern Mississippi Valley Silty Uplands (MLRA 134) and the Southern Mississippi Valley Alluvium (MLRA 131). Both MLRAs have level to undulating and rolling topography, relatively fertile soils and a climate particularly conducive for row crop production.

Geographe Bay Catchment Natural Resource Atlas, Sarah Weaving

All other publications

The Geographe Bay Catchment Atlas is one of a series of Natural Resource Atlases covering the agricultural region of Western Australia. The purpose of the Atlas is to provide data for people in local communities who manage or have an interest in natural resources. It is now realised that the various components of the land interact with each other and therefore need to be managed together. This Atlas is intended to present natural resource and land information in an accessible way to people of the area. It may act as a focus for catchment planning and provide a starting point …

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Somerset 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Joseph A. Ray

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Somerset quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Climate Change And Nebraska

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The earth's climate is predicted to change because human activities are altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases - primarily carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. The heat-trapping property of these greenhouse gases is undisputed. Although there is uncertainty about exactly how and when the earth's climate will respond to enhanced concentrations of greenhouse gases, observations indicate that detectable changes are under way. There most likely will be increases in temperature and changes in precipitation, soil moisture, and sea level, which could have adverse effects on many ecological systems, as well as on …

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Campbellsville 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Joseph A. Ray, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Campbellsville quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Beaver Dam 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Joseph A. Ray, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Beaver Dam quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Mapped Karst Ground-Water Basins In The Harrodsburg 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Joseph A. Ray

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows karst ground-water basins in the Harrodsburg quadrangle, determined primarily by ground-water tracer studies. It can be used to quickly identify the ground-water basins and springs to which a site may drain. Major springs and the relative size of their catchment areas can be evaluated for potential as water supplies. The map also serves as a geographic index to literature on karst ground water in the area.

Gps Measurement Of Surface Deformation Around Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat From October 1995 To July 1996, Glen S. Mattioli, Timothy H. Dixon, Frederic Farina, Ellen S. Howell, Pamela E. Jansma, Alan L. Smith

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Global Positioning System geodesy was used to measure surface deformation on Soufriere Hills volcano, Montserrat from October 6, 1995 to July 1, 1997 during initial dome growth and gravitational collapse. Our data from this period show non-axially symmetric horizontal displacements, and decreasing subsidence as a function of radial distance from the former topographic high of the volcanic edifice. Forward modeling suggests that surface deformation is caused by a shallow vertical dike (< 3 km), which expanded approximately 1 m, coupled with a deflating Mogi source at about 6 km depth. These inferred source parameters are in good agreement with independent observations of regional dike widths and preemption magma storage depth.

Magma Traps And Driving Pressure: Consequences For Pluton Shape And Emplacement In An Extensional Regime, John Patrick Hogan, Jonathan D. Price, M. Charles Gilbert

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The level of emplacement and final form of felsic and mafic igneous rocks of the Wichita Mountains Igneous Province, southwestern Oklahoma, U.S.A. Are discussed in light of magma driving pressure, lithostatic load, and crustal magma traps. Deposition of voluminous A-type rhyolites upon an eroded gabbroic substrate formed a subhorizontal strength anisotropy that acted as a crustal magma trap for subsequent rising felsic and mafic magma. Intruded along this crustal magma trap are the A-type sheet granites (length/thickness 100:1) of the Wichita Granite Group, of which the Mount Scott Granite sheet is typical, and smaller plutons of biotite bearing Roosevelt Gabbro. …

Application Of Mathematical Modeling And Computer Simulation For Solving Water Quality Problems, Jacek Makinia, Scott A. Wells, David Crawford, Marian Kulbik

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Deteriorated water resources in Central and Eastern Europe call for actions that should be undertaken to improve current conditions and to protect human and environmental health. Mathematical modeling and computer simulation is often an integral part of the decision-making process. Models and simulations allow rapid and varied evaluation of causes and effects and the principal advantage is that they enable an analysis of even long-term actions with limited investment costs. This paper provides an overview of popular models used for simulation of major elements of a water quality system: surface water quality (QUAL2E), wastewater treatment (Activated Sludge Model No.1), sewer …

New Technique Detects Gas Hydrates, Walter S. Borowski, Charles K. Paull, William Ussler Iii

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

As exploration and development moves into deep waters, the possibility of encountering gas hydrates within seafloor sediments becomes increasingly likely. The ability to accurately detect gas hydrates is key to producing deepwater fields, allowing operators to safely design and place offshore drilling and production platforms, subsea production equipment and flow lines, as well as pipelines.

Agricultural Water Management In The Missippi Delta Region Of Arkansas, H. Don Scott, James A. Ferguson, Linda Hanson, Todd Fugitt, Earl Smith

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture is the largest use of soil and water resources in eastern Arkansas. This bulletin summarized the recent historical use of soil and water by agriculture and the impact of irrigation on yields of rice, soybeans and cotton. The experiments conducted in the field to quantitatively schedule irrigations of crops are summarized. The results show the close relationship between the irrigation of crops and the extraction of water from the Alluvial Aquifer. The implications of this relationaship for the future are discussed.

Seasonal Effects On The Geochemical Evolution Of The Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Darlene Anthony

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The following research describes the collection and evaluation of geochemical data from the Logsdon River, an open-flow conduit that drains a portion of the Turnhole Spring drainage basin within the Mammoth Cave karst aquifer of south-central Kentucky. This spatial survey of nearly 10 km of continuous base-level conduit included seasonal sampling of carbon dioxide partial pressures (Pco2)> dissolved ions, and saturation indices for calcite (SIcal). The highest PC02 values are found at the upstream site, closest to the Sinkhole Plain recharge area, which creates under-saturated conditions. Rapid outgassing of C02 into the cave atmosphere creates oversaturated conditions for several thousand …

Birds And Agroecological Relationships In Organic And Non-Organic Farmland, Nancy A. Beecher

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Seismic Reflection Imaging Of A Geothermal Aquifer In An Urban Setting, Lee Liberty

CGISS Publications and Presentations

A seismic reflection survey that was conducted in downtown Boise, Idaho, to help city planners site a new well for injection of spent geothermal water illustrates some methods to safely and successfully employ a seismic reflection survey in an urban setting. The objective of the seismic survey was to estimate the depth and continuity of a basalt and rhyolite volcanic sequence. Well siting was based on geothermal aquifer depth, location of interpreted faults, projected thermal impact of injection on existing wells, surface pipe extension costs, and public land availability. Seismic acquisition tests and careful processing were used to ensure high-quality …

Results Of Investigations Into The Groundwater Response And Productivity Of High Water Use Agricultural Systems 1990-1997. 2. Souths' Catchment (Darkan), A D. Smith, Richard J. George Dr, P R. Scott, D L. Bennett, R J. Rippon, G J. Orr

Resource management technical reports

High water use vegetation systems for salinity control were trialed on a 90 ha catchment located 12 km north north-west of Darkan, Western Australia. The catchment receives about 560 mm annual rainfall and 1895 mm annual evaporation. The catchment is characterised by a number of actively expanding seeps which are developing under the strong geological control of quartz and dolerite dykes. Development of salinity is also influenced by high recharge rates in the free draining gravel soils of the upper slope.

Results Of Investigations Into The Groundwater Response And Productivity Of High Water Use Agricultural Systems 1990-1997 1. Wooldridge/Wright's Catchment (Kojonup), A D. Smith, Richard J. George Dr, P R. Scott, D L. Bennett, R J. Rippon, G J. Orr

Resource management technical reports

High water use vegetation systems for salinity control were trialed on a 170 ha catchment located 13 km north of Kojonup, Western Australia. The catchment receives about 470 mm annual rainfall and 1825 mm annual evaporation.