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Fish Assemblage Structure, Distribution, And Trophic Ecology At Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico Banks, Todd Langland

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The northwest Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) shelf-edge banks both provide unique hard bottom habitat and support the northernmost coral reefs on the North American continental shelf in a region that is generally characterized by low relief, soft sediments. The habitat value of many of these banks has led to their designation as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPC) and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS). However, little is known about the fisheries resources and dynamics of the banks outside the FGBNMS. This study had three main objectives: 1) define reef fish assemblages at northwestern Gulf shelf-edge banks and …

Receiver Function Analysis To Study Crustal Structure Of The Northern Nepal And Tibetan Plateau, Mohan Pant

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The teleseismic P-waveform receiver function analysis is a commonly used technique in earthquake seismology to study the crustal structure beneath a broadband seismic station. To understand the structure of the Northern Nepal and Tibetan plateau different studies have used the receiver function method to estimate the Moho depth and Vp/Vs ratio. The value suggested was ~ 30 km in the south and the ~ 75 km in the north. Other studies have used teleseismic body wave data to perform the travel time residuals to model the lithosphere structure. In our study, we analyzed data from 261 seismic stations to establish …

A Geophysical Study Of The Castle Mountain Fault System And Matanuska-Susitna Valley Near Anchorage, Alaska, Shane Michael Schinagel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Castle Mountain Fault (CMF) is the closest (~50 km) active fault to Anchorage, Alaska. Located within the Matanuska and Susitna (Matsu) Valleys, the CMF shows repeated, unmistakable evidence for Holocene motion. Recent geologic studies estimate that this fault is capable of producing earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 - 7.1. The Anchorage metropolitan area (which includes the Matsu Valley) contains most of Alaska's population as well as vital shipping and transportation facilities that serve much of inland Alaska. Expected magnitude >7 earthquakes pose seismic hazards to the expanding Anchorage area.

While several mapping and trenching studies have been conducted along the …

The Geologic Implications Of The Factors That Affected Relative Sea-Level Positions In South Carolina During The Pleistocene And The Associated Preserved High-Stand Deposits, William Richardson Doar Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This work utilizes the current understanding of South Carolina geology to provide a stratigraphic review of the late-Pliocene and Pleistocene marine deposits. Almost two centuries of recorded geological study includes geomorphic and stratigraphic units that were described, proposed, revised, abandoned, and revived. Along with the history of the age assignments, changes in geological time scales, and the changes in the understanding of geological concepts, this review is necessary because two concurrent and conflicting stratigraphies exist for late-Pliocene and Pleistocene marine sediments that record multiple sea-level transgressions that were more often destructive than constructive. The result, when tested against existing geological …

Structural And Hydrological Controls On The Development Of A River Cave In Marble (Tapagem Cave - Se Brazil), William Sallun Filho, Bruna Medeiros Cordeiro, Ivo Karmann

International Journal of Speleology

Tapagem Cave (or Devil’s Cave) is a river cave developed in the dolomite marble karst of the Serra do André Lopes (State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil). Although this region is a plateau with significant variation in elevation and a humid subtropical climate, the cave is an anomalous feature in the André Lopes karst because there are few other caves. The marble, which is in a synclinal structure with subjacent phyllites, is a karst aquifer perched above the regional base level (Ribeira River) and has little allogenic recharge. The cave developed on a secondary anticline on the northwest flank of …

Geochemical Tracers Of Holocene Environmental Change Along The East Antarctic Margin, Natalie Romanoff

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Marine sediment geochemistry targeting both organic and inorganic compounds can be used for the reconstruction of paleoenvironmental conditions. Part 1 of this study was a qualitative organic geochemical analysis implemented on sediment cores from the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) and East Antarctic Margin (EAM). Intervals of organic or diatomaceous rich sediment were analyzed by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS) with the goal of identifying soft-bodied algae responsible for elevated wt% carbon levels in horizons where diatoms are absent, and identifying the presence of methanogens in basins where cold seeps are likely to be present. The identification of biomarkers in Antarctic sediment was …

Tectonic Studies Of The Atlantic Margin In The Southeastern United States, Andrew C. Pollack

Theses and Dissertations

Reanalysis of published seismic and well data from the South Georgia Embayment provides important new constraints on the geologic structure and evolution of the Eastern North American margin. A lower Paleozoic stratigraphic section (Silurian to Devonian) sampled in offshore wells drilled in the late 1970’s, can be correlated continuously along the entire ~250 km N-S length of the BA-3 profile acquired in 1989. Other than gentle warping and minor fault offsets, this Paleozoic section is essentially undeformed, precluding both Paleozoic contractional deformation associated with Appalachian orogeny, or subsequent Mesozoic extensional deformation and magmatism associated with continental rifting and formation of …

Carbon Cycling Dynamics Inferred From Carbon Isotope Sourcing In A Mid-Latitude Karst-Influenced River, Kegan N. Mcclanahan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

As ever-increasing levels of carbon dioxide alter the chemistry of the Earth’s atmosphere, understanding the global carbon cycle becomes increasingly important. A particularly important component is the riverine carbon cycle, as rivers are the primary conduits for dissolved inorganic carbon from terrestrial watersheds to ocean basins. Stable carbon isotopes (13C/12C) were collected weekly and input into the mixing model IsoSource to delineate seasonal carbon sourcing along two nested basins in the upper Green River System, Kentucky. In the more siliciclastic upstream catchment, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was primarily derived from soil respiration (34%). Groundwater dissolving carbonate bedrock and carbonate dissolution/precipitation …

Porphyry Copper Exploration Of The Hualapai Mountains, Mohave County, Arizona, Usa: A Multi-Faceted Approach, Patrick Kevin Meazell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A variety of exploration methods including geologic mapping, trace- and major-level geochemical analyses, fluid inclusion petrography, remote sensing, and SWIR clay spectroscopy were used to investigate the potential for porphyry Cu-Mo mineralization at the Wikieup prospect, in the southern Hualapai Mountains of northwestern Arizona. Aspects of the Mineral Park mine were used as an analogue to guide exploration due to the proximity and similar geology of the area.

The Hualapai Mountains are a series of northwest-trending Precambrian gneisses, schists, granitoids and amphibolites that have been cut by younger intrusive rocks. Within the Wikieup study area, the intrusive rocks include aplite …

Along Strike Variability Of Thrust-Fault Vergence, Scott Royal Greenhalgh

Theses and Dissertations

The kinematic evolution and along-strike variation in contractional deformation in overthrust belts are poorly understood, especially in three dimensions. The Sevier-age Cordilleran overthrust belt of southwestern Wyoming, with its abundance of subsurface data, provides an ideal laboratory to study how this deformation varies along the strike of the belt. We have performed a detailed structural interpretation of dual vergent thrusts based on a 3D seismic survey along the Wyoming salient of the Cordilleran overthrust belt (Big Piney-LaBarge field). The complex evolution of the thrust faults that parallel the overthrust belt is demonstrated by the switching of the direction of thrust …

Dust And Pleistocene Ice Ages: Eolian Sediments And Climate Change At Ziegler Reservoir, Snowmass Village, Colorado, Jeffrey S. Honke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The discovery of the Ziegler Reservoir fossil site near Snowmass Village, Colorado presents an opportunity to examine subalpine ecosystem response, during a relatively unknown period, in which climate conditions were similar to present. Finegrained sediments at Ziegler Reservoir represent continuous deposition between ~140–55 ka (thousand years before present), spanning the close of the Bull Lake glacial period [marine isotope stage (MIS) 6], the Sangamon interglacial (MIS 5) and the early stages of the Pinedale (early Wisconsin) glacial period (MIS 4). Ziegler Reservoir is positioned on top of a ridge, at an elevation of 2705 m, and has a small watershed …

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

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

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

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

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

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

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

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

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

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

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

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

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

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

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

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

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

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

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

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

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

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

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

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

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

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

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

All Master's Theses

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

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

All Master's Theses

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

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

LSU Master's Theses

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

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

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

No abstract provided.

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

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

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

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

Masters Theses

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

Assessment Of The Predictive Reliability Of A Swat Flow Model And The Evaluation Of Runoff Generation And Bmp Effectiveness In A Shale-Gas Impacted Watershed Using A Modeling Approach, Kwasi Asante

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In order to ensure a harmonious harness of shale-gas resources while ensuring minimal damage to the environment, it is imperative that studies to conduct to inform various aspects of managing the environment. This includes the development of reliable hydrologic models to inform in decisions concerning water and the environment.

The first objective of this study was to evaluate the predictive reliability of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model based on respective methods of LULC data classification and data type spatial resolution. Results showed that the high-resolution data classified with object-oriented image method does not provide any significant advantage …

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

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

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

Paleohydrology And The Origin Of Jewel Cave, Mike Wiles

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

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