Digital Commons Network^™

Evolution Of The Earliest Horses Driven By Climate Change In The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, Ross Secord, Jonathan I. Bloch, Stephen G. B. Chester, Doug M. Boyer, Aaron R. Wood, Scott L. Wing, Mary J. Kraus, Francesca A. Mcinerney, John Krigbaum

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Body size plays a critical role in mammalian ecology and physiology. Previous research has shown that many mammals became smaller during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but the timing and magnitude of that change relative to climate change have been unclear. A high-resolution record of continental climate and equid body size change shows a directional size decrease of ~30% over the first ~130,000 years of the PETM, followed by a ~76% increase in the recovery phase of the PETM. These size changes are negatively correlated with temperature inferred from oxygen isotopes in mammal teeth and were probably driven by shifts …

Sedimentary Succesion Of The Lower Cretaceous Deposits From The North-Western Part Of Pădurea Craiului (Apuseni Mountains, Romania), Daniel F. Lazar, Ioan I. Bucur, Ioan Cociuba, Emanoil Sasaran

Studia UBB Geologia

Within the general succession of the Lower Cretaceous deposits from the Vârciorog-Dobreşti area (Pădurea Craiului Mountains), carbonate and terrigenous deposits were identified. The limestones were assigned to two distinctive lithostratigraphic units: the Valea Măgurii and Vârciorog formations. Based on the orbitolinids Palorbitolina lenticularis and Mesorbitolina texana their ages are assigned to the early Aptian, and respectively late Aptian–Albian. The terrigenous facies mainly include fine grained deposits (clays, siltites, marls) and, to a lesser extent, coarser ones (glauconitic sandstones and conglomerates), and they are attributed to the Ecleja and Vârciorog formations. The marls of the Ecleja Formation have been observed in …

Geochemistry Of Cave Pools In The Guadalupe Mountains, Nm : Implications For Geomicrobiology, Kooser Ara

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The study of the chemistry of waters in cave pools in the Guadalupe Mountains, NM was conducted to determine the variation in cave pool water geochemistry, explain hydrogeologic variations in a geologic context, identify the processes that control cave pool hydrologic variations and determine geochemical controls on modern and paleo-bacterial communities. Structural studies indicate cave pools align along NE and NW structures in the karst system. The intersection of Permian structures and Cenozoic related structures provide pathways for infiltrating water. Water samples were collected from 19 new cave pools; the results were integrated with published geochemistry from 192 cave pools, …

Vent-Fault Spatial Study Of Selected Volcanic Fields Of Southwestern North America And Mexico, Michelle Leonard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Of fundamental concern in volcanic hazard and risk assessment studies of volcanic systems is what role crustal structures might play in the ascent of magma through the crust. What are the processes that govern the spatial distribution and timing of eruptions, especially in populated areas or near sensitive facilities? Many studies have drawn the conclusion that faults play a critical role as easily–exploitable crustal weaknesses along which magma can ascend. Great care must be used when assuming a causative relationship between patterns of vents and faults especially when such relationships may be incorporated into hazard assessment models or other forecasting …

Spatial Analyses Of Benthic Habitats To Define Coral Reef Ecosystem Regions And Potential Biogeographic Boundaries Along A Latitudinal Gradient, Brian K. Walker

Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Marine organism diversity typically attenuates latitudinally from tropical to colder climate regimes. Since the distribution of many marine species relates to certain habitats and depth regimes, mapping data provide valuable information in the absence of detailed ecological data that can be used to identify and spatially quantify smaller scale (10 s km) coral reef ecosystem regions and potential physical biogeographic barriers. This study focused on the southeast Florida coast due to a recognized, but understudied, tropical to subtropical biogeographic gradient. GIS spatial analyses were conducted on recent, accurate, shallow-water (0–30 m) benthic habitat maps to identify and quantify specific regions …

Extent And Mechanism Of Footwall Shear Adjacent To The Ruby's Inn Thrust Fault, Southern Utah, Skyler B. May, Roger E. Leavitt, John S. Maclean

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

The Ruby’s Inn Thrust, located in the Bryce Canyon region, is an uncharacteristic demonstration of a south-directed shortening episode located near the predominately east-directed contractional structures of the Sevier Orogeny. The Paleocene to Eocene Claron Formation in the footwall of the Ruby’s Inn Thrust contains conjugate shear structures and vertical fault planes with slickensides and slickenlines, indicating complex multidirectional shearing. We determined the north-south extent of a broad shear zone along a traverse immediately west of Bryce Canyon National Park, and shearing intensifies slowly from the main thrust at the northern end of our traverse to a maximum intensity at …

Strain Analysis On The Sub-Lay Dam Unconformity Near Jumbo, Alabama, Clinton Barineau

Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Grid-Scale Energy Storage For Integrating Renewable Energy: Updates On Ferc Order 755 And Doe-Funded Demonstration Projects, Steve Dahlke

Environmental Studies Student Work

Energy storage is an important technology for overcoming intermittency issues and increasing renewable energy development. Storage provides valuable services to a grid with high penetrations of variable renewable generation. In this paper a background of electricity markets and the regulatory environment in the United States is provided to give context. Then, implications from FERC Order 755 and frequency regulation compensation issues are explored, with a particular focus on the Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO). Finally, updates of ongoing federal-funded energy storage demonstration projects are presented.

Hydrostratigraphic Interpretation Of Test-Hole And Surface Geophysical Data, Elkhorn And Loup River Basins, Nebraska, 2008 To 2011, Christopher M. Hobza, Paul A. Bedrosian, Benjamin R. Bloss

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The Elkhorn-Loup Model (ELM) was begun in 2006 to understand the effect of various groundwater-management scenarios on surface-water resources. During phase one of the ELM study, a lack of subsurface geological information was identified as a data gap. Test holes drilled to the base of the aquifer in the ELM study area are spaced as much as 25 miles apart, especially in areas of the western Sand Hills. Given the variable character of the hydrostratigraphic units that compose the High Plains aquifer system, substantial variation in aquifer thickness and characteristics can exist between test holes. To improve the hydrogeologic understanding …

Watershed Land Use And River Engineering Drive Wetland Formation And Loss In The Mississippi River Birdfoot Delta, A W. Tweel, R. Eugene Turner

Faculty Publications

The Mississippi River basin was developed for agriculture at an unprecedented scale and intensity within the last 200 yr. These changes favored erosion and sediment transport, which were subsequently reduced by soil conservation practices, the trapping of sediment behind large reservoirs, and channel engineering. We discuss the relationship between sediment loading and the growth, loss, and stability of wetlands in the Mississippi River birdfoot delta (MRBD). We report an anthropogenically driven increase in mean suspended sediment concentrations in the Mississippi River below New Orleans, from a modeled 350 mg L-1 (174 x 10(9) kg yr(-1)) at the end of the …

Constraints On The Structure Of The Border Ranges Fault System, South-Central Alaska From Integrated 3d Inversion Of Gravity/Magnetic Data, Niti Mankhemthong

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

I use updated gravity data, available aeromagnetic data, and other geophysical information as constraints to develop 2D and 3D structural models of density and magnetic susceptibility to better locate and determine the shape of the Border Ranges fault system (BRFS), the Border Range ultramafic and mafic assemblages and other forearc-arc boundary structures in south-central Alaska, that have previously been studied in only limited detail. There are three geophysical research projects that form the chapters of the dissertation. First, I estimated near-surface density variations in the central Kenai Peninsula based on the adaptation of the Nettleton (1939)-Parasnis (1952) method using Tarantola …

Mines And Minerals Of The Western Kentucky Fluorspar District, Warren H. Anderson, Thomas N. Sparks

Map and Chart--KGS

This map shows all the known and identified mines, mineral prospects, and igneous intrusions (dikes or sills) in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District, compiled from thousands of maps and files, creating an up-to-date, comprehensive catalog for the district. The district has been extensively mined for more than 120 years and was once the largest producer of fluorspar (fluorite) in the United States.

Millions of tons of vein ore minerals (fluorite, zinc, lead, and barite) has been produced from these mines, and substantial reserves still remain. New mining and exploration activity has renewed interest in the district, and the industry will …

Varying Sediment Sources (Hudson Strait, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Bay) To The Nw Labrador Sea Slope Between And During Heinrich Events 0 To 4, J. T. Andrews, Donald C. Barber, A. E. Jennings, D. D. Erbel, B. Maclean, M. E. Kirby, J. S. Stoner

Geology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Core HU97048-007PC was recovered from the continental Labrador Sea slope at a water depth of 945m, 250km seaward from the mouth of Cumberland Sound, and 400km north of Hudson Strait. Cumberland Sound is a structural trough partly floored by Cretaceous mudstones and Paleozoic carbonates. The record extends from ~ 10 to 58k cal a BP. On-board logging revealed a complex series of lithofacies, including buff-colored detrital carbonate-rich sediments [Heinrich (H)-events] frequently bracketed by black facies. We investigate the provenance of these facies using quantitative X-ray diffraction on drill-core samples from Paleozoic and Cretaceous bedrock from the SE Baffin Island Shelf, …

The Density And Porosity Of Lunar Rocks, Walter S. Kiefer, Robert J. Macke, Daniel T. Britt, Anthony J. Irving, Guy J. Consolmagno

Faculty Bibliography 2010s

Accurate lunar rock densities are necessary for constructing gravity models of the Moon's crust and lithosphere. Most Apollo-era density measurements have errors of 2-5% or more and few include porosity measurements. We report new density and porosity measurements using the bead method and helium pycnometry for 6 Apollo samples and 7 lunar meteorites, with typical grain density uncertainties of 10-30 kg m(-3) (0.3-0.9%) and porosity uncertainties of 1-3%. Comparison between igneous grain densities and normative mineral densities show that these uncertainties are realistic and that the helium fully penetrates the pore space. Basalt grain densities are a strong function of …

Holocene Earthquakes And Late Pleistocene Slip Rate Estimates On The Wassuk Range Fault Zone, Nevada, Usa, J. M. Bormann, Benjamin E. Surpless, M. W. Caffee, S. G. Wesnousky

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Faculty Research

The Wassuk Range fault zone is an 80‐km‐long, east‐dipping, high‐angle normal fault that flanks the eastern margin of the Wassuk Range in central Nevada. Observations from two alluvial fan systems truncated by the fault yield information on the vertical slip rate and Holocene earthquake history along the range front. At the apex of the Rose Creek alluvial fan, radiocarbon dating of offset stratigraphy exposed in two fault trenches shows that multiple earthquakes resulted in 7.0 m of vertical offset along the fault since ∼9400 cal B.P. These data yield a Holocene vertical slip rate of 0.7±0.1  mm/yr. The south trench …

Geology Of The Eau Claire Formation And Conasauga Group In Part Of Kentucky And Analysis Of Their Suitability As Caprocks For Deeper Co2 Sequestration, Ralph E. Bandy Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Carbon sequestration, or carbon capture and storage (CCS), is the process of capturing anthropogenically generated CO₂, transporting the CO₂ to an injection site, and then injecting the CO₂ into suitable reservoirs for long-term storage, or sequestration. Integral to the successful sequestration of CO₂ is an understanding of the confining intervals (seals) above potential reservoirs. The purpose of this thesis research was to perform a detailed geological study of the Eau Claire Formation and equivalent parts of the Conasauga Group in part of the Ohio River Valley region in order to better evaluate its suitability as …

Timing Is Everything : How Environmental Change May Disrupt The Timing Of Plant-Pollinator Interactions, Michelle Jene Solga

Range Science

Ecosystems are experiencing environmental change brought about by warming temperatures, altered precipitation, and increasing atmospheric CO2, among other factors. These changes could alter interspecies’ relationships, including those between plants and pollinators. One important change may be to the timing of when flowers bloom and when pollinators are active. Environmental cues drive the phenology of many flowers and insect pollinators, so an alteration in timing for either species could jeopardize the plant-pollinator relationship. Previous studies indicate that many plant species have changed flowering dates in response to an environmental cue, but the response is species specific. Some pollinators may not be …

Systematics, Diversity, And Origins Of Upper Cretaceous Continental Molluscan Fauna In The Infra- And Intertrappean Strata Of The Deccan Plateau, Central India, Marron J. Bingle-Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The Deccan Plateau in western and central India has been a major area of interest for researchers since the 1800s. In 1840, James Sowerby described the molluscan collection sent to him by John Malcolmson. In 1860, Stephen Hislop identified new molluscan species and redescribed based on better preserved material. Although this seminal work was comprehensive, interpretations have changed since the mid 1800s. Species need to be reassigned to current and/or accurate taxa, as well as revalidated statistically. Seventeen character traits were measured on over 600 specimens from five eastern Deccan Plateau localities representing a stratigraphic and temporal sequence. Cluster analysis …

A Remote Sensing Approach To Characterize The Hydrogeology Of Mountainous Areas: Application To The Quito Aquifer System (Qas), Ecuador, Miriam Rios-Sanchez

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

Climate change, intensive use, and population growth are threatening the availability of water resources. New sources of water, better knowledge of existing ones, and improved water management strategies are of paramount importance. Ground water is often considered as primary water source due to its advantages in terms of quantity, spatial distribution, and natural quality. Remote sensing techniques afford scientists a unique opportunity to characterize landscapes in order to assess groundwater resources, particularly in tectonically influenced areas. Aquifers in volcanic basins are considered the most productive aquifers in Latin America. Although topography is considered the primary driving force for groundwater flows …

Study Of Characterization Of Submicron Coal Particles Dispersed In Air And Capture Of Coal Particles By Water Drops In A Scrubbing Column, Utshab Chakravorty

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Present day water spray based dust removal technologies do not effectively remove respirable submicron coal and silica dust particles in the underground coal mines causing Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (CWP). The objective of this research was to study the electrostatic charges present in the airborne coal dust in order to develop efficient water spraying based dust removal technology where water drops charged using ionic compounds and surfactants would be used to capture the oppositely charged coal particles. In an experimental scrubbing column, coal particles dispersed in an air stream by a Fluidized Bed Aerosol Generator were captured by water drops sprayed …

Three-Dimensional Deformation And Stress Models Of The Death Valley And San Andreas Fault Zones, Cecilia Del Pardo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Crustal deformation studies of tectonic motions have been the topic of many scientific investigations, as they can provide critical information about how tectonic structures shape and deform the Earth. While crustal deformation studies using observational data alone can provide a great deal of information about how the Earth is presently deforming, it is standard practice to implement mathematical and physics-based models to investigate the underlying causes of deformation in the crust. These models, constrained by geological, geodetic and seismic data, have successfully contributed key constraints of ongoing deformation processes and have provided predictions of past and future tectonic behavior of …

Active Tectonics And Earthquake Destructions In Caves Of Northern And Central Switzerland, Arnfried Becker, Philipp Häuselmann, Jost Eikenberg, Eric Gilli

International Journal of Speleology

The present publication focuses on the study of caves in northern and central Switzerland in order to detect and date historical earthquakes and active tectonic displacements by investigations of broken and resealed or displaced speleothems datable by U/Th and ¹⁴C. While it can be shown that these methods are potentially suitable, the ages obtained are often beyond the range of historically recorded earthquakes, and it cannot be proved that the observed and dated events are related to a seismic event. Particularly this is true for the caves in central Switzerland, where most ages in the Melchsee-Frutt region were beyond …