Digital Commons Network^™

Pedagogy On Teaching A Totally Blind Student Physical & Historical Geology & Labs, Kenneth R. Neuhauser

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Teaching the salient points of both physical and historical geology and labs to a totally blind student was accomplished through pre-planning, extra staff, daily preparation, low-cost supplies, teamwork, and at times ‘on-the-spot’ creativity.

Exceptional Variety Of Baryte-Celestine-Series Speleothems In Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, Usa), Max Wisshak, Johannes Birkenstock, Andrea Schröder-Ritzrau, Norbert Frank, Hazel A. Barton, Harvey R. Duchene

International Journal of Speleology

An inventory of speleothems primarily composed of the closely related sulfate minerals baryte (BaSO₄) and celestine (SrSO₄) in Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, USA) has revealed an extraordinary variety. This includes subaerial stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coralloids, wall crusts, floor crystals, snow, frostwork, and subaqueous pool crystals. Large baryte and celestine crystals have also been documented in hydrothermal veins in the host rock, predating the cave and truncated when intersected by it. The respective carbonate mineral phases witherite (BaCO₃) and strontianite (SrCO₃), in contrast, were found to be rare in the studied speleothem samples, …

Evaluating Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions At Selected Streams In The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, Usa, And Comparison To Regional Potentiometric Surfaces, Joshua Michael Blackstock, Oladipo S. Obembe, Aaron Shew, Phillip Hays, Phillip R. Owens, Christopher D. Delhom

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Field measurements of groundwater-surface water interactions (GWSW) are critical for quantifying stream leakage, but are often limited in availability. In the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (MRVAA), USA, GWSW interactions are often inferred through interpolated potentiometric surfaces, which can provide information on GWSW changes through time, but are often limited in spatial resolution. Field measurements of GWSW interactions were conducted at several locations and compared with potentiometric surfaces using objectively calculated cell sizes. The potentiometric surfaces showed similar regional-scale groundwater-flow patterns irrespective of grid cell size. Field measurements of GWSW interactions exhibited a broader range of gaining and losing conditions …

Pitfalls Of Multiplied 3d Landforms Projection: Mapping Deep Multilevel Cave Systems In The Alps (Gamssteig Cave System, Göll Massif), Mateusz Golicz, Jacek Szczygieł

International Journal of Speleology

Cave mapping represents one of the most complex challenges in geomorphological cartography, as it must convey the true three-dimensional geometry of subterranean spaces such as overlapping passages, irregular cross-sections, and variable ceiling and floor morphologies, within a two-dimensional framework. This study examines the methodological and interpretive challenges of cave mapping, utilizing the Gamssteighöhle cave in the Austrian Alps as a case study. During the 11 years of exploration, over 10 km of passages were surveyed using the DistoX vector survey method. Yet, the complex morphological forms necessitated deviations from the standard symbology recommended by the International Union of Speleology. Several …

Ureilite Meteorite Petrofabrics: Evolution And Formation Deformational Conditions, Benjamin Botwe Agyemang

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the origin and development of crystallographic fabrics in ureilites, which are primitive achondritic meteorites interpreted as residues of partial melting from a differentiated parent body. In this study, we evaluate three fabric-forming mechanisms: gravitational cumulate crystallization, shock-induced deformation, and flow alignment associated with melt extraction and convective stirring. A quantitative Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis was conducted on six ureilitic meteorites to assess olivine Lattice Preferred Orientation (LPO), Shape Preferred Orientation (SPO), the connection between SPO and LPO, and other deformation metrics, including Grain Orientation Spread (GOS), and Crystal Rotation Axis (CRA). Our results suggest that most …

Microbial Communities And Biogeochemistry Of A Melting Rocky Mountain Glacier, Pacifica Sommers, Elizabeth Traver, Alison Orthel, Andrew G. Fountain, Jacki Klancher, Steven K. Schmidt

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mountain glaciers are disappearing rapidly, and with their disappearance, we may be losing unstudied biodiversity and genetic resources. A variety of habitats for microorganisms exist on glaciers, especially within pockets of supraglacial sediments (cryoconite) that support high levels of biological activity and diversity. We used biogeochemical approaches, high-throughput DNA sequencing, and microscopy to describe the biogeochemistry and microbial communities of supraglacial sediments on the Dinwoody Glacier in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations were high, and C:N ratios were close to the Redfield ratio indicating active nutrient cycling. We found unique microbial communities in sediments …

Exploring Mesoproterozoic Marine Redox States In A Young Banded Iron Formation From The Needle Mountains, Jaya Sharma, Brenhin Keller

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters

Banded iron formations (BIF), as redox-dependent chemical sedimentary rocks, have served as proxies for marine and atmospheric oxygen and iron conditions throughout Earth history. While abundant in the Archean and early Proterozoic, the widespread deposition of BIFs declined following the Great Oxidation Event, as oxygenated surface waters prevented the accumulation of ferrous iron. However, the Needle Mountains, located in southwestern Colorado, houses an anomalously young BIFs deposited between 1.786±10 - 1.801±6 Ga given existing geochronology. Here, we use rare earth element (REE) systematics, bulk chemistry, and petrographic analysis to determine the depositional conditions under which this BIF was formed. We …

Timing, Orbital Pacing, And Provenance Of Late Paleogene Loess In The Western United States, Xiangwei Guo

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

This project examines the timing of loess emergence, the nature of the fluvial–eolian transition, orbital forcing on dust accumulation, and sediment recycling in the late Paleogene White River Formation (Group) of Wyoming and Nebraska, western United States. By integrating traditional sedimentology with machine learning–enhanced grain-size analysis, this research shows that loess accumulation at Flagstaff Rim in central Wyoming began during active fluvial deposition at approximately 35.8 Ma, indicating a gradual transition from fluvial to eolian conditions. Machine learning complements field sedimentology and granulometric interpretation while enabling the development of new, testable hypotheses. Extending this framework eastward to Toadstool Geologic Park …

Understanding How Erosion And Unit Thickness Alter The Deformation Of Fold-Thrust Belts, Kaitlyn E. Gallis, Caroline M. Burberry

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

When a collision of two tectonic plates occurs, fold thrust belts develop, which are widely recognized as the most common mode in which the crust accommodates shortening. Most analog models do not consider erosion when documenting fold thrust belt formation. The lack of experiments on this topic means there are limited consistent studies on the relationship between erosion and deformation. Preliminary experiments suggest that the typical forward breaking thrust sequence is altered by eroding the hinterland, something this experiment series aims to prove or disprove. The new contribution of this work is a systematic evaluation of the variation in initial …

A Geospatial Assessment Of Groundwater Salinization In A Multi-Aquifer System: Durango, Mexico, Juan Lopez-Sierra

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Groundwater salinization poses a critical environmental concern for water resource sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions. This study evaluates spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater salinity across the state of Durango, Mexico, using total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), as salinity indicators and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃–N) as an anthropogenic indicator. Groundwater quality data were obtained from (CONAGUA), a Mexican water agency. To assess salinity variations with respect to time, while minimizing interannual sampling bias, two multi-year sampling periods were selected: 2012-2013, and 2020-2021. Final datasets consisted of 122 wells for 2012–2013 and 131 wells for 2020–2021. The wells were …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2025, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert Matthew Joeckel, Jeffrey Westrop

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Geochemical And Petrological Observations Of The June Lake Basalt, Eastern California, Daniel Jacob Abel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The June Lake basalt is a monogenetic cinder cone and 11-km-long lava flow in eastern California located ~10 km NW of the Long Valley caldera. The stratigraphic position of the June Lake basalt between Tahoe and Tioga glacial deposits suggests an eruption age of only ~20-45ka. This age places the June Lake Basalt among the youngest volcanic eruptions in the Long Valley-Mono Basin region, where volcanic activity spans from the late Pliocene to the Holocene. The goal of this study is to use field observations coupled with whole-rock and crystal geochemical analyses to investigate the magma source and pre-eruption magma …

Metamorphosed Components In Cv Chondrites Camel Donga 003 And Camel Donga 040 As Evidence For Varying Degrees Of Metamorphism Within The Parent Body, Kathryn E. Stone

Honors Theses

The CV carbonaceous chondrites are a group of primitive stony meteorites that record early solar-system evolution processes. They are typically of low metamorphic grade, though some metamorphosed CVs have recently been found. Two CV chondrite breccias, Camel Donga 003 (CD 003) and Camel Donga 040 (CD 040) consist of multiple lithologies. CD 003 consists of three lithologies, one of which – Lithology C – has been metamorphosed to petrologic type ~3.7 (Alevy et al. 2025). CD 040 consists of two lithologies, one of which is metamorphosed to petrologic type 3.7 (Dunn and Alevy, 2024; Dunn et al. unpublished). Both samples …

Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery In The Dickinson Lodgepole Mounds, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Dickinson Lodgepole Mounds of Stark County, North Dakota. Includes geological information and how stored CO₂ increases local oil production.

Fulbright Project In Iceland In The Summer Of 2026, Irina Filina

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

This upcoming Fulbright project is inspired by an ongoing debate in the scientific community about the tectonic origin of Iceland. A long-standing theory of Iceland’s formation by excessive magmatism at the Mid-Atlantic spreading center over the well-known hot spot (i.e., oceanic crustal affinity) was recently challenged by the alternative hypothesis that the Icelandic crust is continental in nature and is being stretched and gradually modified by magmatic processes. Based on this hypothesis, a new sunken continent, Icelandia, has been proposed. One of the foundations for the proposed Icelandia is the presence of felsic lavas (indicative of continental flavor in the …

Preliminary Investigation Of The Carbon Storage Potential In The Fort Worth Basin: Reservoir Characterization And Modeling Of The Lower Atoka Grant South Sand In Tarrant County, Texas, Mary Ann M. Moody

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is crucial for mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions that rise from industrial activities. Paleozoic sedimentary basins in Texas are significant reservoirs for hydrocarbon production, and when depleted, show promise for CCS. Long-term reservoir storage suitability requires a multifaceted approach, including site screening and ranking, as well as reservoir characterization, modeling, and simulation. This project first evaluates the CCS potential for the Fort Worth Basin in North Central Texas, then focuses on reservoir characterization of the Lower Atoka Grant South (STH) Sand in Tarrant County and finally assesses the sand’s CO₂ storage …

Modeling Landslide-Generated Tsunami For Hazard Analysis: A Case-Study Of Grewingk, Ak, Cassidy J. Deer

All Master's Theses

Landslide-generated tsunamis pose an increasing hazard in glacial and paraglacial environments, where glacial retreat results in slope instability and the potential for mass movement events into a body of water. This thesis analyzes a landslide–generated tsunami at Grewingk Lake in October 1967 by integrating numerical simulations from the D-Claw and GeoClaw models, which are both derived from the Clawpack framework for solving hyperbolic conservation laws. By modeling landslide dynamics and wave propagation in a coupled manner, this study seeks to improve understanding of the hazard, risks and spatial impact at Grewingk. The D-Claw and GeoClaw modeling approaches complement each other …

Supplemental Bibliographic Details. From 2001 Mars Odyssey To Earth’S Climate Crisis: Integrating Gamma Spectroscopy, Martian Soil Simulants, And Plant Genomes For Agroecology, Anchored In Sri Lanka’S Mars-Context Serpentinites, Suniti Karunatillake, Maheshi Dassanayake, Carlos Gary Bicas

Planetary Science Lab

Bibliographic details follow to supplement hyperlinked citations in the multinational GANGOTRI-supporting project conceived by Karunatillake, Dassanayake, and Gary-Bicas

Tracking Co2 Illinois Ccs Monitoring Wells, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Illinois carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Includes information on the project's CO₂ monitoring system.

Last Glacial Maximum And Late Glacial Aeolian Sand Activity, South-Central Indiana, Usa, H. M. Loope, J. L. Antinao, P.R. Hanson, P. M. Jacobs, D. A. Grimley

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Reey Concentrations In Argillaceous Rocks Associated With Coal Beds In Southwestern West Virginia, Alyssa Cameron Long

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Rare earth elements (REEs) and Yttrium are classified as “critical minerals” that are used in many industries and are typically extracted from carbonatites and related alkaline plutonic rocks. The limited availability of REE+Y requires finding alternate sources such as coal fly ash, tonstein, fireclays, and shales. This study investigates the potential enrichment of shales, fireclays, and siltstones interbedded with coal from southwestern WV in REEY, and the mechanisms of such enrichment. Using ICP-AES analysis of various rock types shows that shales, silty shales, and siderite nodules interbedded with Fire Clay and Chilton Coal beds in the Kanawha Formation record the …

Constraining The Tectono-Climatic Evolution Of The Northern Rocky Mountains: Insights From Volcanic Glass, Leaf Water, And Leaf Wax Hydrogen Isotopes, Rijumon Nandy

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations

The Eocene-Oligocene period in the North American Cordillera represents a period of great intrigue with complex interactions among tectonics, climate, and surface processes. Although this period is generally associated with synorogenic extension associated with gravitational collapse of the Cordillera, the paleotopographic history remains debated. Existing studies offer conflicting interpretations, suggesting either sustained elevations or modest uplift during this time. Notably, recent reconstructions based on volcanic glass δD values have proposed renewed uplift during the early Oligocene, which needs to be tested with a more extensive and robust dataset. Concurrently, global cooling and aridification during this interval may have been amplified …

Understanding The Drivers Of Marine Sediment Diagenesis In Carbonate-Bearing Sediments, Alex Reis

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Marine sediments serve as an important geochemical record used to study how the Earth’s climate and oceans have changed throughout geologic time. As such, it is critical to understand how these sediments can be altered following deposition on the seafloor. This dissertation targeted two key geochemical archives, carbonate and pyrite, to link changing burial conditions with the resulting marine sediment chemistry. In particular, primary carbonate minerals record several indicators of past ocean chemistry, while pyrite preserves information related to the redox state of the sediment during deposition and burial. Additionally, secondary processes associated with changes in pore fluid chemistry and …

Supplementary Material For Experimental Constraints On Rock And Mineral Alteration By Magmatic Gas: Implications For Mars (Safari Et Al., In Review), Natalie Zimmermann

Geosciences Research Data

This file contains supplemental data for the JGR manuscript Experimental Constraints on Rock and Mineral Alteration by Magmatic Gas: Implications for Mars (Safari et al., in review). It includes SEM images and associated EDS spectra of altered targets and phase coatings produced in gas-rock alteration experiments.

Slip Kinematics And Structural Analysis Of The Keweenaw Fault System From Lake Linden To Hancock, Michigan, Katherine M. Langfield

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw fault is a crustal-scale fault spatially associated with Mesoproterozoic rocks of the Midcontinent Rift System. Along the fault, older Portage Lake Volcanics have been thrust southeastward over younger Jacobsville sandstone. Ideas on the fault’s origin, from oldest to most recent, include that it is: (1) a reverse fault, (2) a normal fault formed during midcontinent rifting that was reactivated and inverted to a reverse fault during the Grenville orogeny, and (3) a detached thrust fault system initiated during the Grenville orogeny.

This thesis is based on a U.S. Geological Survey EdMap grant to remap a portion of the …

Preliminary Analysis Of The Spatial Distribution Of Microplastics Along The Cuyahoga River, Northeast, Ohio, Ella Pitz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Plastics are nearly ubiquitous throughout modern society, and when left in the natural environment, they degrade into microplastics. Microplastics are particles that range in diameter from 5 millimeters down to nanometers, and microplastics pose many potential environmental and health risks due to their small size and ease of ingestion. While the study of microplastics in the environment has become more common over the past ten years, microplastic concentrations remain unexplored in many regions throughout the country. Here I present a method for separating microplastics from organic matter and clastic sediment as well as preliminary measurements of microplastic concentrations in sediment …

An Analysis Of Volcanic Lightning And Its Controlling Factors, Nathan Stamford

Honors Theses

Volcanic lightning, first documented during the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius, includes any electrical discharge that is generated during a volcanic eruption rather than a thunderstorm. By analyzing individual eruptions and performing laboratory experiments, previous research has identified multiple controlling factors that influence the charging mechanisms and generation of volcanic lightning. While the previous research has made significant discoveries about the phenomenon, the exact relationship between many of these controlling factors and volcanic lightning generation has been poorly quantified. In this study, we investigate these controlling factors and show that they have a wide range of influence over volcanic …

Hydrogeochemical And Redox Controls On Nitrate And Arsenic Co-Occurrence In The Western Kansas High Plains Aquifer (Usa): A Composite Health Risk Assessment And The Case For Risk-Informed Private Well Governance, Jonathan Kuffour Owusu

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Fifty-one private domestic wells across western Kansas were sampled to quantify nitrate and arsenic occurrence, identify geochemical controls, and evaluate carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks for adult and child receptors in a region where groundwater serves as the primary drinking water source with no routine regulatory oversight. Samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, and trace elements by ICP-MS, ion chromatography, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Shapiro-Wilk testing confirmed non-normal distributions for both contaminants; inter-county comparisons were therefore conducted using Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn's post-hoc correction. Health risk was quantified via chronic daily intake (CDI), hazard quotient (HQ), HQ-based Water Quality Index …

Paleo-Environmental Change In Deer Lagoon, Whidbey Island Interpreted From Diatoms And Lithology, Lourdes Garcia

All Master's Theses

Puget Sound is a densely populated, tectonically active area that can be affected by earthquakes from local crustal faults and the Cascadia subduction zone capable of producing abrupt coseismic subsidence. Tidal wetlands are particularly sensitive to abrupt changes because they are depositional environments that reside at sea-level and their lithology and ecological communities are strongly controlled by elevation within the tidal frame. As a result, coseismic subsidence can disrupt established environmental gradients and leave distinguishable signatures preserved within the stratigraphy, like tidal mud directly over peat deposits. These preserved records provide an opportunity to reconstruct past earthquakes and associated relative …

The Geomorphology And Hydrogeology Of Pre-Restoration West Fork Teanaway River, Wa, Usa, Shana M. Egan

All Master's Theses

The West Fork Teanaway (WFT) River in Kittitas County, WA is an entrenched bedrock river channel with disturbed floodplain geomorphology and degraded riparian ecology. Two stream restoration approaches, “stage 0” valley bottom reset and engineered logjam installation, will be installed at the WFT in summer 2026 by collaborators at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group. The objective of this study was to constrain the pre-restoration geomorphic and hydrologic conditions of the WFT. The WFT has an unconsolidated floodplain aquifer of predominantly coarse-grained fluvial deposits. Monitoring of groundwater and surface water levels began in …