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Apparent Glacially Induced Structural Controls On Limestone Conduit Development In Ohio Caverns, United States, Adrienne M. Watts, Ira D. Sasowsky

International Journal of Speleology

Rock discontinuities such as bedding planes and joints are important controls on the form that caves take. We examined structural controls on the development of Ohio Caverns. The cave formed in Devonian limestone underlying a small bedrock knob (Mt. Tabor) within the Interior Lowland province, United States. The area has been overridden by continental glaciation multiple times. The bedrock is pervasively fractured, with many curved and wavy near-vertical fractures showing many different orientations. In the case of Ohio Caverns, it appears that the controlling fractures in map view may not be joints sensu stricto, but rather some combination of …

Hand-Portable Capillary Liquid Chromatography Instrumentation, Sonika Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the development of hand-portable capillary liquid chromatography (LC) instrumentation. In this work, battery-operable nano-flow pumping systems (isocratic and gradient) were developed and integrated with portable UV-absorption detectors for capillary LC. The systems were reduced in size to acceptable weights and power usage for field operation. A major advantage of the pumps is that they do not employ a splitter, since they were specifically designed for capillary column use, thereby greatly reducing solvent consumption and waste generation. UV-absorption detectors were specifically designed and optimized for on-column detection to minimize extra-column band broadening. Initially, an isocratic nano-flow pumping …

Visualization And Quantification Of Fluid Dynamics In Fractured Carbonates Using 4d Ground Penetrating Radar (4d Gpr), Pierpaolo Marchesini

Open Access Dissertations

Subseismic-scale structural heterogeneities and their lateral variability make the characterization of fluid dynamics in carbonate reservoirs an open challenge. Even a precise reconstruction of fracture networks does not guarantee a comprehensive knowledge of preferential flow paths. Current characterization of flow parameters largely relies on 0.01 - 0.1 m scale laboratory experiments, sample plug measurements, and modeling. However, a large degree of interpolation prevents these methods from fully reproducing realistic flow conditions. The goal of this dissertation is to use 4D GPR in a reservoir-scale infiltration experiment, to assess the role of small-scale structural heterogeneities (such as deformation bands and open …

Emeriti News, November 2015, Emeriti Council

Emeriti News

Contents of Volume XXI Number 2:

• Message from the Co-Chair
• Upcoming Events
• Emeriti Past Events
• Emeriti News and Announcements
• Emeriti Council Book Scholarships
• Emeriti Medallion Scholarships
• Scholarship
• The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Western Michigan University
• In Remembrance
• Provost’s Newsletter
• Emeriti Council Website

An Investigation Of Groundwater Flow In The Vicinity Of Patoka Dam, Indiana, Lee Anne Bledsoe

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Several dams throughout the United States have been built on karst terrains, where soluble limestone bedrock has been dissolved to form features such as caves, sinkholes, and underground rivers. In such karst regions, subsurface hydrology can play an integral role in the condition, operation, and safety of dams and should be considered during risk assessment. Patoka Dam, near Jasper, Indiana, is situated on a well-developed karst landscape/aquifer system, faces significant potential challenges, and recently underwent risk assessment. A groundwater flow investigation using multiple fluorescent tracer tests, analysis of water-table elevations, isopach mapping of the Glen Dean Limestone, and spring hydrograph …

Cordilleran Front Range Structural Features In Northwest Montana Interpreted From Vintage Seismic 2 Reflection Data, Mason Porter

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Industry seismic reflection data were collected in 1983 in the Rocky Mountain Cordillera front ranges of northwest Montana. These seismic profiles represent 160 km of deep reflection data that cross the eastern Purcell anticlinorium, Rocky Mountain Trench (RMT), Rocky Mountain Basal Detachment (RMBD), and Lewis thrust. We have reprocessed these data using modern processing techniques including refraction statics, pre-stack time migration (PSTM), and pre- and post-stack depth migration. The RMT contains Tertiary fill to 1 km depth and the RMT fault system has a minimum of 3-4 km of normal displacement. The RMT and Flathead fault systems are interpreted to …

The Archaeology Of Hassanamesit Woods: The Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Farmstead, Stephen Mrozowski, Heather Law Pezzarossi, Dennis Piechota, Heather Trigg, John M. Steinberg, Guido Pezzarossi, Joseph Bagley, Jessica Rymer, Jerry Warner

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

Between 2003 and 2013 the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston conducted an intensive investigation of the Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston Farmstead on Keith Hill in Grafton, Massachusetts. The project employed a collaborative method that involved working closely with the Town of Grafton, through the Hassanmesit Woods Management Committee, and the Nipmuc Nation, the state recognized government of the Nipmuc people. Yearly excavation and research plans were decided through consultation with both the Nipmuc Tribal Council, their designated representative, Dr. D. Rae Gould, and the Hassanamesit Woods Management Committee. Dr. Gould also played a continuous and …

Modeling The Injection Of Co₂-N₂ In Gas Hydrates To Recover Methane Using Cmg Stars, Shruti Oza

Engineering

The objective of this project was to develop a reservoir simulation model using CMG STARS for gas hydrates to simulate the Ignik Sikumi#1 field trial performed by ConocoPhillips at the North Slope, Alaska in 2013. The modeling efforts were focused exclusively on the injection of CO₂-N₂ in gas hydrate deposits to recover methane after an endothermic reaction. The model was history matched with the available production data from the field trial. Sensitivity analysis on hydrate saturation, intrinsic permeability, relative permeability curves, and hydrate zone size was done to determine the impact on the production. This was followed by checking the …

Natural Fracture Character And Distribution Adjacent To The Nenana Basin, Central Alaska, Alec J. Rizzo

Geosciences

The NE-trending Nenana basin is a Cenozoic-aged basin located in central Alaska between the Denali and Tintina fault systems. The narrow, deep basin is a current exploration target for oil and gas resources in Interior Alaska. Natural fractures were analyzed to further understand larger structural features such as faults and folds related to the structural evolution of the Nenana basin and surrounding areas. Fracture sets were measured and described on the margin of the basin at four field locations: the Fairbanks area, along the Parks Highway between Fairbanks and Nenana, and in outcrop around the Nenana and Healy areas. In …

Effect Of Joint Flexibility On The Nonlinear Static And Dynamic Behaviour Of Offshore Jacket Platforms / Hamidreza Golabi, Golabi Hamidreza

Student Works (2010-2019)

Offshore steel jacket structures consist primarily of tubular members and associated joints. Tubular members have been widely used due to their excellent properties in respect of resistance in compression, tension, bending and torsion forces. In computer analysis, connections between the elements are assumed to be rigid, which means that there would be no axial rotational or deflection at the end of the secondary member against the main member’s axis. Nevertheless, the tubular joints have a remarkable amount of flexibility in the elasto-plastic range. Designing these structures based on realistic conditions is important due to the high costs of design and …

Geological Controls On Stratigraphy And Sedimentation Of The Mississippian Marshall Formation, Michigan Basin, U.S.A., Joseph G. Adducci

Masters Theses

An understanding of regional orogenic, climatic, and eustatic processes is critical to the interbasinal correlation of Paleozoic strata in eastern North America. Tectonic activity associated with the culmination of Appalachian Orogenic events has been shown to have regional influence on paleostructure and sediment dispersal in the Appalachian foreland basin and adjacent intracratonic Illinois and Michigan basins. The culmination of the Acadian Orogeny at the end of the Devonian represents the beginning of a period of general tectonic quiescence extending throughout the early and middle Mississippian in eastern North America. Early Mississippian strata in the Michigan basin is distinctive and marks …

Factors Affecting Terrigenous Sedimentation In Coastal Bays With Coral Reefs: Implications For Monitoring The Effectiveness Of Watershed Restoration, Whitney Sears

Theses

In the Caribbean, sedimentation has been identified as a serious threat to coral reef communities. Although land-based sediment delivery to coastal waters harboring coral reefs occurs under natural conditions, human activities in the watersheds above reefs increases the erosion and delivery of terrigenous sediment to the reefs. Delivery of terrigenous sediment into marine areas below developed watersheds affects sedimentation rates, alters the composition and texture of sediments that are suspended in the water column, and/or sediments that are deposited on the sea floor and on corals.

St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands is an ideal location to study the effects of …

Analysis Of Site Formation And Assemblage Integrity Does Not Support Attribution Of The Uluzzian To Modern Humans At Grotta Del Cavallo, J. Zilhão, W. E. Banks, Francesco D’Errico

KIP Articles

Based on the morphology of two deciduous molars and radiocarbon ages from layers D and E of the Grotta del Cavallo (Lecce, Italy), assigned to the Uluzzian, it has been proposed that modern humans were the makers of this Early Upper Paleolithic culture and that this finding considerably weakens the case for an independent emergence of symbolism among western European Neandertals. Reappraisal of the new dating evidence, of the finds curated in the Taranto Antiquities depot, and of coeval publications detailing the site’s 1963–66 excavations shows that (a) Protoaurignacian, Aurignacian and Early Epigravettian lithics exist in the assemblages from layers …

Into The Tropics: A Quantitative Study Of Mammals In The Great American Biotic Interchange, Winifred S. B. Whiteman-Jennings

Biology ETDs

For almost 100 million years, North and South America were isolated from each other. This long period of geologic separation led to the evolution of strikingly different mammalian faunas: marsupials were prevalent in South America, while ecosystems in North America were composed of placental mammals. Roughly 3 Mya, a land bridge formed between the two continents leading to an accelerated exchange of mammalian fauna. The Great American Biotic Interchange (or GABI, as this has come to be called,) led to the successful colonization of many North American species, but few South American species. The highly asymmetrical nature of the faunal …

Did The Kyrenia Range Of Northern Cyprus Rotate With The Troodos-Hatay Microplate During The Tectonic Evolution Of The Eastern Mediterranean?, Antony Morris, Alastair H.F. Robertson, Mark W. Anderson, Emma Hodgson

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.

Hayward Shoreline Levee Protection, Samuel Beering, Karissa Canonizado, Caleb Young

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

The area from north of the San Mateo Bridge to Hayward Landing in the city of Hayward is at risk of flooding due to thirty-six inch sea level rise in the next 50-100 years. The areas that the this flooding would have a negative environmental impact as well as impact businesses and other residents near the project area. To protect these areas new shoreline protection was proposed. To begin designing new shore protection, the existing levee was analyzed on GeoSlope after doing numerous soil testing. It was found that the existing levee would fail against overtopping. After evaluating three alternatives, …

County Of San Luis Obispo Groundwater Ordinance, Rachel M. Kramer

City and Regional Planning

No abstract provided.

Geomorphology Of The Connecticut River, Glastonbury Reach, As A Spatial-Temporal Context For Understanding Pre-Contact Settlement Patterns, Jaime Grant

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary objective of this research was to identify the alluvial geomorphic filters that obscure remnant settlement patterns and in so doing refine our understanding of Pre-contact settlement systems during the Archaic Period and Woodland Periods, a time of environmental change followed by settlement and subsistence shifts.

Statistical analysis of Connecticut’s site distribution, historic planform analysis and partial reconstruction of the Glastonbury Reach during the Woodland Period revealed patterns in the Late Archaic through Woodland Periods (5000–300B.P.) floodplain site distributions. This research demonstrates that the development of a meandering alluvial reach coincided with a shift in settlement that began in …

Genetic Population Structure And Dynamics Of Nearctic Bering Cisco And Applied Mixed-Stock Analysis Of The Yukon River Commercial Fishery, Ora L. Russ

Theses and Dissertations

Bering cisco (Coregonus laurettae) are anadromous salmonids with only three known spawning populations located in the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Susitna river drainages, respectively in Alaska. Bering cisco are actively harvested in both subsistence and commercial fisheries in Alaska. The work presented herein was a genetic study conducted on Bering cisco with three main objectives: 1) to develop genetic markers for Bering cisco; 2) to evaluate the population structure of the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Susitna spawning aggregations and 3) to use genetic mixed-stock analysis to estimate the contributions of baseline cisco populations to the Yukon Delta commercial harvest during 2010, 2011, …

The Unusual Temporal And Spatial Slip History Of The Wassuk Range Normal Fault, Western Nevada (Usa): Implications For Seismic Hazard And Walker Lane Deformation, Benjamin E. Surpless, Glenn C. Kroeger

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Faculty Research

We document temporal and spatial variations in vertical displacement rate across 6 temporal orders of magnitude to better under stand how the 100-km-long, east-dipping Wassuk Range normal fault system has accommodated strain in the context of the Walker Lane, a tectonically active, NNWtrending zone of dextral and extensional deformation that affects significant portions of western Nevada and eastern California. We combine ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al cosmonuclide exposure ages with shallow seismic and gravity data from the buried hanging wall of the Wassuk fault to derive a post-113 ka (10⁵ yr time scale) vertical displacement rate of 0.82 ± …

Incorporating Environmental And Social Factors Into Decision-Making Of An Oil And Gas Industry To Improve Sustainability, Gaurav Dabhadkar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The energy industry (including the oil and gas industry) is facing unparalleled scrutiny and demands from stakeholders including investors, regulators (industry and environmental), communities, and other stakeholders. Sustainable development is one of the major concerns of the oil and gas industry. Companies are seeking to increase sustainability of their operations by considering environmental and Social concerns in addition to economic concerns. Oil and gas companies need to take decisions at different stages of the product life cycle (e.g. planning, design, exploration, production, and clean-up) which have direct or indirect impact on the organization's objectives. Addressing economic, technical, Social, and environmental …

A Comparison Of Habitat And Geomorphic Changes On East Ship Versus Sand Islands Mississippi, 2007-2014, Carlton Peter Anderson

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

A COMPARISON OF HABITAT AND GEOMORPHIC CHANGES ON EAST SHIP VERSUS SAND ISLANDS MISSISSIPPI, 2007-2014

by Carlton Peter Anderson

May 2015

The islands of the Mississippi-Alabama (MS-AL) barrier island chain along the micro-tidal northern Gulf of Mexico are highly dynamic coastal features subject to rapid changes in habitat, geomorphology, and elevation by natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as hurricanes, subsidence, sea-level rise, and dredging activities. The purpose of this study was to compare elevation, total volume, habitat-type coverage, and short-term change between “naturally” formed East Ship Island and “man-made” Sand Island (Disposal-Area 10). This study used a combination of …

Petrology And Weathering Environment Of Sub-Unconformity Limestone Unit: The Kessler Limestone Member Of The Bloyd Formation, Morrowan (Pennsylvanian) Northwest Arkansas, Thomas Daniels Dolan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In northwest Arkansas the thin, widespread Pennsylvanian Kessler Limestone of the Bloyd Formation is exposed in numerous locations. Comparison of various exposures shows the Kessler is heterogeneous in thickness and lithology. Thickening of the Kessler occurs southward into the Arkoma Basin where the interval has been commonly used as a horizon for natural gas exploration. The Kessler Limestone is underlain by the Dye Shale Member of the Bloyd Formation and overlain by the Trace Creek Shale of the Atoka Formation. The contact between the Kessler Limestone Member and the Trace Creek is a regional unconformity in the midcontinent, marked by …

Cockatoo Sands In The Victoria Highway And Carlton Hill Areas, East Kimberley: Land Capability Assessment For Developing Irrigated Agriculture, Henry Smolinski, Shahab Pathan, Paul Galloway, Kus Kuswardiyanto, Justin Laycock

Resource management technical reports

This report identifies areas of Cockatoo Sands adjacent to the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA), Kununurra, with high potential for developing irrigated agriculture. It builds on a reconnaissance soil survey conducted in 2009 which identified significant areas of sandy and loamy soils in the Kununurra area that could be suitable for agriculture.

Mining Investment In Brazil, Peru, And Mexico: A Practical Methodology, Gerald J. Pels

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

The Privatization Of Antarctica, Leonid A. Krasnozhon, Pedro A. Benitez, Walter E. Block

Washington and Lee Journal of Energy, Climate, and the Environment

The seventh continent, Antarctica, is a no man’s land in terms of economic development. This is not due to its harsh weather conditions. Parts of Alaska, Canada and Russia are almost equally inhospitable. Rather, this Article argues that Antarctica’s economic isolation is the result of political paralysis and a lack of appreciation for private property rights. This Article makes the case for adding Antarctica to the family of nations, whether as one or several countries.

Ecological Changes In Two Contrasting Lakes Associated With Human Activity And Dust Transport In Western Wyoming, Janice Brahney, Ashley P. Ballantyne, P. Kociolek, P. R. Leavitt, G. L. Farmer, Jason C. Neff

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The atmospheric transport and deposition of aerosols has the potential to influence the chemistry and biology of oligotrophic alpine lakes. In recent decades, dust and nitrogen emissions to alpine ecosystems have increased across large areas of the western U.S., including Wyoming. Here, we use sediment geochemistry and 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotopes to examine historical dust deposition rates to alpine lakes in the southwestern region of the Wind River Range, Wyoming. We evaluate the biological response using diatom fossil assemblages and sediment pigment concentrations. Sediment core analyses indicated that prior to a recent rise in dust flux, phosphorus concentrations and species …

Thermal Perturbations Beneath The Incipient Okavango Rift Zone, Northwest Botswana, Khumo Leseane, Estella A. Atekwana, Kevin Lee Mickus, Mohamed G. Abdel Salam, Elisha M. Shemang, Eliot A. Atekwana

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We used aeromagnetic and gravity data to investigate the thermal structure beneath the incipient Okavango Rift Zone (ORZ) in northwestern Botswana in order to understand its role in strain localization during rift initiation. We used three-dimensional (3-D) inversion of aeromagnetic data to estimate the Curie Point Depth (CPD) and heat flow under the rift and surrounding basement. We also used two-dimensional (2-D) power-density spectrum analysis of gravity data to estimate the Moho depth. Our results reveal shallow CPD values (8-15 km) and high heat flow (60-90 mW m^-2) beneath a ∼60 km wide NE-trending zone coincident with major …

Farm-To-Market (Fm) 116 Improvements From Us 84 To Cactus Lane, Coryell County, Waco, Eric R. Oksanen, James T. Abbott

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

On March 17 and 25, 2015, archeologists from the Texas Department of Transportation Archeological Studies Branch conducted an archeological survey that included mechanical trenching along FM 116. The project Area of Potential Effects (APE) begins at United States Highway (US) 84 in Gatesville to the north and continues southward approximately 18.8 miles to Cactus Lane. All construction would occur in the existing right of way which is typically 100-feet-wide. The project would add sections of passing lanes and turn lanes at select locations and would replace the existing bridge at Cowhouse Creek with a new structure. The typical depth of …

An Archaeological Survey For The Proposed City Of Granbury Water Treatment Plant Project In Hood County, Texas, William E. Moore

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

An archaeological survey of a one-acre tract in Hood County, Texas was conducted by Brazos Valley Research Associates (BVRA) on June 5, 2015. Prehistoric site 41HD11 had been recorded in the Area of Potential Effect (APE), and the purpose of this project was to confirm its presence and identify site boundaries and site significance if possible. William E. Moore was the Principal Investigator and Jesse Todd was the Project Archaeologist who performed the survey. The Texas Historical Commission (THC) issued Antiquities Permit number 7273 to this project. The area was extensively shovel tested and no cultural materials were found. Previous …