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Awfully Muddy, Precariously Ledged, And Going Nowhere In Particular : The Rise And Fall Of The Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Joshua Buck

Charles R. Barnum History Award Papers

No abstract provided.

Reconstructing The Sedimentary Evolution Of The Miocene Aksu Basin Based On Fan Delta Development (Eastern Mediterranean-Turkey), Serkan Üner, Erman Özsayin, Ramazan Kadi̇r Di̇ri̇k, Tahsi̇n Atti̇la Çi̇ner, Mustafa Karabiyikoğlu

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Aksu Basin in southern Turkey is dominantly represented by an alluvial fan and five fan deltas (FDs) developed along the tectonically controlled margins of the basin during the Miocene. Four alternating compressional and tensional tectonic phases have influenced the basin since its formation. Strong tectonic movements caused high sedimentation rates and progradation of large debris-flow and mass-flow dominated FDs. Here we describe two FDs (the Karadağ and Kargı FDs) in detail. The Karadağ FD began to develop under the control of a compressional regime and continued the evolution under a tensional regime. The same tensional regime caused the separation …

Whose Lands? Which Public? The Shape Of Public-Lands Law And Trump's National Monument Proclamations, Jedediah S. Purdy

Faculty Scholarship

President Trump issued a proclamation in December 2017 purporting to remove two million acres in southern Utah from national monument status, radically shrinking the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument and splitting the Bears Ears National Monument into two residual protected areas. Whether the President has the power to revise or revoke existing monuments under the Antiquities Act, which creates the national monument system, is a new question of law for a 112-year-old statute that has been used by Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama to protect roughly fifteen million acres of federal land and hundreds of millions of marine acres. …

Resistivity Inversion Of Transversely Isotropic Media, Ertan Pekşen, Türker Yas

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

In this paper, we have suggested a finite difference algorithm for resistivity forward and inverse modeling with electrically anisotropic media in applied geophysics. Electrical anisotropy affects the surface measurement in a fashion that may make interpretation erroneous. This means that the resistivity section obtained by an inversion method that does not incorporate electrical anisotropy gives the wrong subsurface structure. We used a classical multielectrode dataset of a profile for estimating not only horizontal but vertical resistivity as well. Thus, the electrical anisotropy can be calculated. Finally, the finite difference mesh can be corrected by using the estimated anisotropic coefficient. The …

Palaeontological Evidence And Sedimentary Facies In A Lower Miocene (Aquitanian) Succession From The Bingöl Minibasin (Sivas Basin), Central Anatolia, Mehmet Serkan Akki̇raz, Özgen Kangal, Nazi̇re Özgen Erdem, Yeşi̇m Büyükmeri̇ç, Ci̇han Doğruöz

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The results of palaeontological (palynological and mollusc) and sedimentological analyses of the lower Miocene deposits from the Bingöl minibasin, a part of the Sivas Basin, are exhibited to define the vertical shifts in sedimentation environments and plant covers, linking to eustasy. The presence of index species Corbulomya (Lentidium) aquitanica suggests an Aquitanian age for the studied succession, which can be divided into three informal units: a lower unit, a middle unit, and an upper unit. Fine-grained sediments of the lower unit were deposited in a low sea-level setting due to high quantities of terrestrial palynomorphs. This unit is overlain by …

Terrestrial Planet Serpentinization In Melange Settings, Roger Hart

Open Access Master's Theses

Mars and Earth have planetary crusts with exposures of mantle-derived ultramafic rocks dominated by pyroxene and olivine. These initial minerals transform to serpentine, brucite, magnetite, and other secondary phases via metamorphic hydration and other reactions. In this work, altered peridotites of the regionally extensive Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO), from localities in the UC-Davis McLaughlin Natural Reserve, Lower Lake, CA are compared and contrasted with serpentinites of the Nili Fossae, a mélange terrain located in the Syrtis Major quadrangle at approximately 22°N, 75°E, Mars. The habitability of serpentinizing systems is conveyed as a function of changing system parameters (such as temperature, …

A Low-Cost Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (Ndvi) Payload For Cubesats And Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs), Steven Hard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The focus of this research has been the design and fabrication of a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) payload configuration. This unique payload employs low-cost commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and equipment to assess photosynthetic activity and vegetation health through remote sensing on Cubesat or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms. The proposed NDVI imaging payload is comprised of three main subsystems: an electrical system, a software system, and a hardware system. The electrical system includes a custom designed printed circuit board (PCB), a single cell 3.7 V lithium-polymer battery, voltage regulator circuitry components, and wiring harnesses and connectors. The software system …

Supercycle In Great Earthquake Recurrence Along The Japan Trench Over The Last 4000 Years, Kazuko Usami, Ken Ikehara, Toshiya Kanamatsu, Cecilia M. Mchugh

Publications and Research

On the landward slope of the Japan Trench, the mid-slope terrace (MST) is located at a depth of 4000–6000 m. Two piston cores from the MST were analyzed to assess the applicability of the MST for turbidite paleoseismology and to find out reliable recurrence record of the great earthquakes along the Japan Trench. The cores have preserved records of ~ 12 seismo-turbidites (event deposits) during the last 4000 years. In the upper parts of the two cores, only the following earthquakes (magnitude M ~ 8 and larger) were clearly recorded: the 2011 Tohoku, the 1896 Sanriku, the 1454 Kyotoku, and …

Utilization And Environmental Durability Of Advanced Composite Design Of Seismic Foundation For All-Soil Site Classes, Qian Huang

All ETDs from UAB

Three bridge sites in Alabama are investigated for potential seismic-foundation retrofit. A new seismic foundation method that uses Fiber Reinforcement Polymer (FRP) to strengthen the head of pile (FSHP) is proposed. Two FRP specifically, Carbon-Fiber Reinforced Hybrid-Polymer-Matrix Composite (CHMC) and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), are used in this new seismic retrofit method. Finite Element Seismic simulation (FEM) is used to examine the seismic retrofit performance of bridge foundation. Both CHMC and CFRP FSHP retrofitted piles are shown to survive the design-earthquake, but it is shown that CHMC, which is a wrap / epoxy / spray-on material, provides markedly better …

Geophysical Investigations Of Southcentral Alaska, Felix Dziedzorm Ziwu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Castle Mountain Fault (CMF) is the closest (<50 km) active fault to Anchorage, Alaska and is known to be capable of producing earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 â?? 7.1. While several mapping and trenching studies have been conducted along the CMF, geophysical investigations along the fault zone have been limited. We use over 700 recently collected, closely spaced gravity observations, in addition to existing regional gravity, aeromagnetic, seismic reflection, well log data, and geologic information, to develop new 2D models of the deeper structure of the CMF system. We developed four 2D integrated forward models across the Castle Mountain Fault. These models indicate differences between the western and eastern segments of the Castle Mountain Fault. The models show a thick sequence of Tertiary to Mesozoic sediments overlying the Peninsular terrane basement at varying depths within the area. We identified two main intrusive granitic rocks based on the varying susceptibilities. These granitic rocks share a possible fault contact with the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The model also shows that the CMF cuts through the Mesozoic sediments at depth. These rocks can create strong coupling along the fault and with the decreasing eastward angle of subduction, it is highly for fluid migration to the eastern edge of the subducting Yakutat microplate. Seismic events plotted along the profiles supports the Holocene motion along the western CMF (WCMF) and indicates a deeper extent of the CMF into the crust. The eastern CMF shows high rate of deformation based on the structures associated with the Mesozoic rocks.

Determing Fault Location Within An Active Rift Basin Using Gravity Analysis To Determine Fault Movemnet And Effect On Water Recharge, Mark Andrew Ornelas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The growth of the El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, metropolitan area has increased reliance of groundwater pumping from the Hueco Bolson. With growing demands for water and recharge of the bolson not occurring at a fast enough rate, water storage within the bolson is beginning to diminish. My study focuses on locating and understanding how faults interact with water flow into the basin and how they aid in storing water on the northwestern side of the bolson. Previous studies in the northernmost part of my study area have delineated a series of faults that predominantly trend northwest-southeast. In …

Whose Lands? Which Public?: The Shape Of Public-Lands Law And Trump's National Monument Proclamations, Jedediah Britton-Purdy

Faculty Scholarship

President Trump issued a proclamation in December 2017 purporting to remove two million acres in southern Utah from national monument status, radically shrinking the Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument and splitting the Bears Ears National Monument into two residual protected areas. Whether the President has the power to revise or revoke existing monuments under the Antiquities Act, which creates the national monument system, is a new question of law for a 112-year-old statute that has been used by Presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama to protect roughly fifteen million acres of federal land and hundreds of millions of marine acres. …

Hydraulic Fracture Design Optimization For Nubian Sandstone Formation In Libya, Housameddin Mohamed Sherif

Masters Theses

There is growing interest in developing unconventional oil and gas reserves in Libya, such as the tight portions of the Nubian sandstone.

Well-X7 is a development well drilled to a TD of 13,005' penetrating the Upper Nubain Sandstone (UNSS) at 12,122'-12,207' and the Lower Nubain Sandstone (LNSS) at 12,524'-12,880' KB. Based on open hole logs, the UNSS has 71 ft of net pay and the LNSS was found to have 295 ft of net pay. Openhole logs also showed low permeabilities of 2.5 and 3 md for the UNSS and LNSS, respectively. The well was initially perforated in both zones …

Kinetic Landscape And Unalloyed Potential: Rethinking The Extractive Landscape Of Michigan's Native Mass Copper Mining Industry, Sean Gohman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation examines the extractive landscape and persistent lifespan of native mass copper mining in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The historic native copper mining industry of Michigan lasted for over a century, though its impacts on the landscape can be broken into two distinct, though overlapping, phases of extractive practice: mass mining and disseminated lode mining. Each mined specific native copper deposits, utilized related but specialized technologies, and relied upon different sources of energy to power its practices. A first, formative phase of mass mining exploited fissures of pure metallic copper using traditional technology and organic sources of fuel. A second …

An Integrated Machine Learning Geological Field Tool In The Age Of Big Data And Drones, Guillermo Vargas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and machine learning are relatively new research tools in the geosciences that can be used to collect and analyze large data sets rapidly. We combine the power of rapid data collection using unmanned aerial vehicles with machine learning algorithms to develop a field-based system to identify targeted geological features. For data collection, we have used a commercial-grade UAV which carried visible-wavelength and multispectral (visible- infrared) cameras. We analyzed the data with machine learning and machine vision algorithms that can classify rock units exposed in a field area. We have identified algorithms that in previous literature have …

Integrated Assessment Of Shallow-Aquifer Vulnerability To Multiple Contaminants And Drinking-Water Exposure Pathways In Holliston, Massachusetts, Birgit Claus Henn, Yelena Ogneva-Himmelberger, Allegra Denehy, Marcie Randall, Nichole Cordon, Bilin Basu, Brian Caccavale, Stefanie Covino, Ravi Hanumantha, Kevin Longo, Ariel Maiorano, Spring Pillsbury, Gabrielle Rigutto, Kelsey Shields, Marianne Sarkis, Timothy Downs

Sustainability and Social Justice

Half of U.S. drinking water comes from aquifers, and very shallow ones (table) are especially vulnerable to anthropogenic contamination. We present the case of Holliston, a Boston, Massachusetts suburb that draws its drinking water from very shallow aquifers, and where metals and solvents have been reported in groundwater. Community concerns focus on water discolored by naturally occurring manganese (Mn), despite reports stating regulatory aesthetic compliance. Epidemiologic studies suggest Mn is a potentially toxic element (PTE) for children exposed by the drinking-water pathway at levels near the regulatory aesthetic level. We designed an integrated, community-based project: five sites were profiled for …

Fossils, Heritage And Conservation: Managing Demands On A Precious Resource, Kn Page

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This book is an essential resource for geoscientists, park and geopark managers, tourism and regional planning managers, as well as university students interested in geoheritage, geosites, geomorphosites, geoconservation, and geotourism.

The Blurred Line Between Photic And Aphotic Environments: A Large Mexican Cave With Almost No Dark Zone, Luis M. Mejía-Ortíz, Tanja Pipan, David C. Culver, Peter Sprouse

International Journal of Speleology

Sistema Muévelo Rico is a 1.2 km long cave in Quintana Roo, less than 2 km from the Caribbean Sea. We measured illuminance to a level of 0.1 lux, organic matter (weight loss on ignition), temperature, and relative humidity. The last two were measured at hourly intervals for nearly one year. Approximately one-third of the cave has illuminance values greater than 0.01 lux, and most of the rest of the cave has light as well. Temperature and relative humidity were relatively constant, but they showed a daily cycle at all stations, albeit with different strengths. Organic matter averaged 8%, intermediate …

Geophysical Characterization Of A Rare Earth Element Enriched Carbonatite Terrane At Mountain Pass, California Eastern Mojave Desert, Kevin Denton

Master's Theses

Mountain Pass, California, located in the eastern Mojave Desert, hosts one of the world's richest rare earth element (REE) deposits. The REE-rich rocks occur in a 2.5 km- wide, north-northwest trending zone of Mesoproterozoic (1.4–1.42 Ga) stocks and dikes, which intrude a larger Paleoproterozoic (1.7 Ga) schist-gneiss terrane that extends ~10 km southward from Clark Mountain to the Mescal Range. Several REE-enriched bodies make up the Mountain Pass intrusive suite including shonkinite, syenite, and granite comprising an ultrapotassic intrusive suite and the Sulphide Queen carbonatite body.

Two-dimensional modeling of gravity, magnetic, and electrical resistivity data reveals that the Mountain Pass …

Crustal Thickness Beneath Libya And The Origin Of Partial Melt Beneath As Sawda Volcanic Province From Receiver Function Constraints, Awad A. Lemnifi, Abdelsalam Elshaafi, John Browning, Nassib Aouad, Saad K. El Ebaidi, Kelly K. Liu, Agust Gudmundsson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates crustal thickness and properties within the Libyan region. Results obtained from 15 seismic stations belonging to the Libyan Center for Remote Sensing and Space Science are reported, in addition to 3 seismic stations publically available, using receiver functions. The results show crustal thicknesses ranging from 24 km to 36 km (with uncertainties ranging between ±0.10 km and ±0.90 km). More specifically, crustal thickness ranges from 32 km to 36 km in the southern portion of the Libyan territory then becomes thinner, between 24 km and 30 km, in the coastal areas of Libya and thinnest, between 24 …

A Study Of Marine Terrace Formation Along The California Central Coast, Mary C. Devlin

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Marine terrace formation is in many instances attributed to wave action, and shore platforms are often called “wave-cut”. However, alternative models for marine terrace formation suggest that other types of physical and chemical weathering have a more central role in the formation of marine terraces than is widely acknowledged. Roering and Retallack (2012) concluded that the roles of subaerial physical and chemical weathering are significant, and played a major role in the formation of the terraces. In this study, weathering of beach cliffs and shore platforms associated with marine terraces at eight sites in two different locations along the central …

Bedrock Geology Of Dfdp-2b, Central Alpine Fault, New Zealand, Virginia Gail Toy, Angela Halfpenny

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

During the second phase of the Alpine Fault, Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP) in the Whataroa River, South Westland, New Zealand, bedrock was encountered in the DFDP-2B borehole from 238.5–893.2 m Measured Depth (MD). Continuous sampling and meso- to microscale characterisation of whole rock cuttings established that, in sequence, the borehole sampled amphibolite facies, Torlesse Composite Terrane-derived schists, protomylonites and mylonites, terminating 200–400 m above an Alpine Fault Principal Slip Zone (PSZ) with a maximum dip of 62°. The most diagnostic structural features of increasing PSZ proximity were the occurrence of shear bands and reduction in mean quartz grain sizes. …

Hydrology And Macroinvertebrates As Biological Indicators- An Integrated Study Of The Río Zamora Watershed, Loja, Ecuador, Isabel Ryde

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water quality and access is under grave threat in Ecuador, yet remains poorly studied. Macroinvertebrates were used as biological indicators to study water quality around Reserva Natural Madrigal del Podocarpus, Loja Province, Ecuador. Data on macroinvertebrates was combined with hydrologic measurements of stream functions. Macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted from 6 sites within the Upper Río Zamora watershed. Geologic outcrops were observed along several roadcuts and stream banks. Hydrologic data was collected by measuring discharge, elevation change, and finding the highest permanent spring. The EPT index (number of EPT individuals and percentage of EPT individuals) and the BMWP/Colombia Index for macroinvertebrates …

Geology Of The Middle Member Of The Bakken Formation In Divide County, North Dakota, Mandy Brewer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation of Williston Basin is a large unconventional oil and gas play consisting of a lower shale member, a middle member, and an upper shale member. The middle member is a production target because it contains porosity and petroleum expelled from the shale members around it. Variable production and sweet spots of the Bakken in the study area of Divide County, ND and 15 miles around Divide County in the USA prompted a closer look at middle member Bakken sediments. For this study, 606 wells were correlated and thin sections from two wells located 10.17 …

Copper Isotope Constraints On The Genesis Of The Keweenaw Peninsula Native Copper District, Michigan, Usa, T. J. Bornhorst, Ryan Mathur

A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum Publications

The Keweenaw Peninsula native copper district of Michigan, USA is the largest concentration of native copper in the world. The copper isotopic composition of native copper was measured from stratabound and vein deposits, hosted by multiple rift-filling basalt-dominated stratigraphic horizons over 110 km of strike length. The δ⁶⁵Cu of the native copper has an overall mean of +0.28‰ and a range of −0.32‰ to +0.80‰ (excluding one anomalous value). The data appear to be normally distributed and unimodal with no substantial differences between the native copper isotopic composition from the wide spread of deposits studied here. This suggests …

B3: Paleo-Dunes And Other Post-Glacial Oddities In The Woods And Fields Of New Sharon And Chesterville, Me, Patricia M. Millette, Benjamin Andrews, Anna Glass, Thaddeus Gunther, Roshan Luick

New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference 2017

Guidebook for field trips in Western Maine and Northern New Hampshire: New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference, p. 161-176.

Influences Of Hurricanes, Floods, And Organic Production On River-Delta Evolution Over Decadal To Centennial Time-Scales, Crawford M. White

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Episodic overbank flooding and sediment resuspension events (such as cold front passages or tropical cyclones) are recognized as important natural components for wetlands maintaining vertical equilibrium with sea-level. However, the relative importance of these components to an anthropogenically unmodified delta complex remains unclear. This study uses sediment cores to describe the relative importance of these vertical accretion components the Lafourche and Balize Deltas of the Mississippi River. Existing wetlands of the abandoned lower Lafourche receive no direct fluvial sediment, but instead are supported by sediment resuspended by tropical cyclones and cold fronts that pass over them. Wetlands of the modern …

Xunaa Shuká HíT, The Tribal House, In Glacier Bay National Park And Preserve, Alaska, Emiko Furuya

Arctic and Northern Studies

This research analyzes the Tribal House project in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Southeast Alaska, which the Hoonah Indian Association (the tribal government at Hoonah) and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve have promoted collaboratively. The Tribal House project is the construction of an indigenous structure in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, primarily for the use of Hoonah, the local Tlingit community. This research investigates the motivations of the partners in supporting the project. It concludes that the two partners' motivations, which derive from distinct missions, reconcile with one another in a complex way. The Hoonah Indian …

Bounding The Moment Deficit Rate On Crustal Faults Using Geodetic Data: Methods, Jeremy Maurer, Paul Segall, Andrew M. Bradley

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The geodetically derived interseismic moment deficit rate (MDR) provides a first-order constraint on earthquake potential and can play an important role in seismic hazard assessment, but quantifying uncertainty in MDR is a challenging problem that has not been fully addressed. We establish criteria for reliable MDR estimators, evaluate existing methods for determining the probability density of MDR, and propose and evaluate new methods. Geodetic measurements moderately far from the fault provide tighter constraints on MDR than those nearby. Previously used methods can fail catastrophically under predictable circumstances. The bootstrap method works well with strong data constraints on MDR, but can …

A Geologic Study To Determine The Potential To Create An Appalachian Storage Hub For Natural Gas Liquids, Kristin M. Carter, Douglas G. Patchen, Jessica P. Moore, Mohammad Fakhari, Gary W. Daft Jr, Michael Solis, Brian J. Dunst, Robin V. Anthony, Katherine W. Schmid, Kyle Metz, Philip Dinterman, Julie M. Bloxson, Erica N. Schubert, John Saucer

Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Research Consortium

The Marcellus and Utica shale plays continue to lead the way in an ever-expanding shale revolution with average daily production, growing from about 3 billion cubic feet (BCF) in 2010 to more than 24 BCF today. Forecasts suggest that this could grow to as much as 40 BCF in the next 5 years. Fortunately, sweet spots in the Utica in eastern Ohio and in the Marcellus in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania are areas of wet gas production, downdip from oil production and updip from dry gas. Production in these regions represents about 40 percent of the total from …