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The Scientist, Fall 2013, San Jose State University, College Of Science

The Scientist (College of Science)

No abstract provided.

Wellbore Stability In Ultra-Deep Formations Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Gbenga Kayode

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis work looks into Horizontal wellbore integrity or stability in the Mars Ursa Basin of the Gulf of Mexico using different geo-mechanical properties of this highly producing formation in analyzing stress build up both around the producing wells as well as the producing formations. Different cases were analyzed using the CMG simulator where consideration was given to cases of single as well as multiple producing horizontal wells. The model built considered both the basic reservoir model as well as geo-mechanical models. The individual cases considered included different geomechanical properties of the producing formation these properties however include frictional angle, …

Characterization Of The Northern Hemisphere Glacial Cycle-Ii And Termination From High Resolution Speleothem Isotope And Trace Elemental Time-Series Data, Southwest United States, Zachary Lapointe

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Absolute dated high-resolution records from two speleothems from the southwestern United States (SW USA) are used to constrain the timing and character of the Penultimate Glacial period (NH Glacial-II) and the following glacial termination (T-II) in the northern hemisphere (NH). Speleothems FS-TR3 from Fort Stanton Cave and CaCa-MSC-3 from Carlsbad Caverns National Park reconfirm the close connection between NH Glacial-II climate changes and NH insolation variation. NH Glacial-II maxima observed in the southwestern United States (SW USA) corresponds with Heinrich Event 11 (HE11) and a weak East Asian (EA) monsoon event observed in southeast (SE) China stalagmites SB11 (Cheng et …

Holocene Evolution In Weathering And Erosion Patterns In The Pearl River Delta, Dengke Hu, Peter D. Clift, Philipp Böning, Robyn Hannigan, Stephen Hillier, Jerzy Blusztajn, Shiming Wan, Dorian Q. Fuller

Faculty Publications

Sediments in the Pearl River delta have the potential to record the weathering response of this river basin to climate change since 9.5 ka, most notably weakening of the Asian monsoon since the Early Holocene (∼8 ka). Cores from the Pearl River delta show a clear temporal evolution of weathering intensity, as measured by K/Al, K/Rb, and clay mineralogy, that shows deposition of less weathered sediment at a time of weakening monsoon rainfall in the Early-Mid Holocene (6.0-2.5 ka). This may reflect an immediate response to a less humid climate, or more likely reduced reworking of older deposits from river …

The Application Of Reflectance Spectroscopy To Chert Provenance Of Mississippian Symbolic Weaponry, Ryan Michael Parish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Determination of the source of chert artifacts ties past peoples to specific locations on the landscape either through direct or indirect procurement strategies allowing researchers to visualize interactions with both resources and people. However, due to inherent variability accurate provenance data often remains elusive. The reliance upon chert provenance data obtained through macroscopic techniques is problematic and emphasizes the importance of continued research and development of analytical methods whose aim is the objective characterization of source for archaeological materials manufactured from chert. The following thesis is organized around three primary objectives. The first objective is the investigation of the non-destructive …

Evaluating Karst Risk At Proposed Windpower Projects, William J. Bangsund, Kenneth S. Johnson

Sinkhole Conference 2013

pg(s) 27-36

Evaporite Karst In The Black Hills, South Dakota And Wyoming, And The Oil Play In The Williston Basin, North Dakota And Montana, Jack B. Epstein, Daniel H. Doctor

Sinkhole Conference 2013

pg(s) 161-175

Lessons Learned From Occurrence Of Sinkholes Related To Man-Made Cavities In A Town Of Southern Italy Nckri Symposium 2: Proceedings Of The Thirteenth Multidisciplinary Conference On Sinkholes And The Engineering And Environmental Impacts Of Karst, Pietro Pepe, Nunzia Pentimone, Giuditta Garziano

KIP Talks and Conferences

pg(s) 393-401 The presence of man-made cavities below the historical parts of towns is a common feature in large portions of Italy. Different typologies of anthropogenic cavities have been excavated in different epochs for many purposes, including research and collection of potable water, establishment of underground working sites for olive oil production, worship sites, etc. Underground quarries are probably the most diffuse typology of subterranean cavities, especially the largest ones. Originally located at the outskirts of towns, quarries are increasingly found in built up areas due to urban expansion that has characterized the last century. This paper describes the recent …

Evaluating Karst Risk At Proposed Windpower Projects Nckri Symposium 2: Proceedings Of The Thirteenth Multidisciplinary Conference On Sinkholes And The Engineering And Environmental Impacts Of Karst, William J. Bangsund, Kenneth S. Johnson

KIP Talks and Conferences

pg(s) 27-36 Karst can cause a litany of problems for a windpower project, and it is good practice to evaluate karst risk before proceeding with a proposed project. Windpower projects involve widely-spaced structures with small footprints that can cost $2 million to $5 million each. Financial viability can prove difficult, so it is important to find useful, inexpensive procedures for evaluating karst risk. The karst-risk-review process we have used can be split into the two categories outlined below. Desktop studies: * Search for relevant literature * Review aerial-photo and map, and analyze lineament * Search for existing well and boring …

Evaporite Karst In The Black Hills, South Dakota And Wyoming, And The Oil Play In The Williston Basin, North Dakota And Montana Nckri Symposium 2: Proceedings Of The Thirteenth Multidisciplinary Conference On Sinkholes And The Engineering And Environmental Impacts Of Karst, Jack B. Epstein, Daniel H. Doctor

KIP Talks and Conferences

pg(s) 161-175 Subsurface red beds of the Permo-Triassic age Spearfish Formation in the Williston Basin has recently been touted as "another Bakken Oil Boom for North Dakota". The senior author, totally uninformed about the subsurface geology of North Dakota, was requested by INFOCAST* to discuss petroleum potential in the Spearfish based on his field experience in the outcrop belt of the Black Hills in neighboring Wyoming and South Dakota. That request was extended to a discussion of the surface and subsurface evaporite-karst features in four formations ranging from Pennsylvanian to Jurassic age. Dissolution of these rocks, which has resulted in …

Lessons Learned From Occurrence Of Sinkholes Related To Man-Made Cavities In A Town Of Southern Italy, Pietro Pepe, Nunzia Pentimone, Giuditta Garziano, Vincenzo Martimucci, Mario Parise

Sinkhole Conference 2013

pg(s) 393-401

‘How Do You Find A Cave You Can’T See?’, Ohio University College Of Arts & Sciences

All Forum Articles

No abstract provided.

Nutrient Contribution Of The Shallow Unconfined Aquifer To Pineview Reservoir, Thomas Nyanda Reuben

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pineview Reservoir, near Utah’s populous Wasatch Front, could play an important role in modulating water supply as water demands and water uses change in response to increasing population densities. The reservoir’s water quality may decline if nitrogen and phosphorus additions to the reservoir are not controlled. Most of the water flowing into the reservoir in summer and fall is contributed by the shallow ground water. The quantity and quality of the shallow ground water to Pineview Reservoir were studied from February 2010 through November 2011. The objectives were to: 1) increase understanding of nitrogen and phosphorus transport from ground water …

Comprehensive Analysis Of An Ongoing Co2 Storage Project, Daniel Moreno

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increase in CO2 emission has become an important issue over the years due to its environmental impacts as a greenhouse gas. The fact that these emissions are primarily derived from energy consumption and that 85% of the primary power is supplied by fossil fuels (Orr, 2004), makes the reduction of CO2 emissions a major challenge. CO2 sequestration in the geological formations has been identified as an alternative to counter the impact of the emissions. CO2 sequestration refers to the capture and long term storage of CO2.;In order to properly asses the viability of CO2 sequestration in a geological formation as …

Investigation Of A Lagrangian-Point Propellant Depot Rendezvous Approach For An Interplanetary Mission To Mars, Joshua W. Ehrlich

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the feasibility of a refueling station for a beyond Earth orbit (BEO) mission. The propellant depot is located at the L₂ -Lagrangian point within the Earth-Moon system. This investigation determines if a refueling mission will reduce propulsive energy requirements necessary for Earth departure of a BEO-vehicle to achieve an interplanetary transfer to Mars. Furthermore, this research presents a trade study which identifies approximate total requirements for a direct and rendezvous mission to Mars as well as the necessary fuel masses to complete each approach. This analysis provides conclusive information in determining the benefits in utilizing a …

Earthquake Petrology: Linking Fault-Related Deformation To The Earthquake Cycle, Mitchell R. Prante

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Faults have a controlling influence on a variety of geologic processes including fluid flow, the mechanical behavior of the crust, and seismicity. The geologic sciences have long recognized that faults generate earthquakes; however, few indicators of ancient earthquakes exist in fault-zones. This dissertation documents several indicators for the preservation of ancient earthquakes in fault-zones including frictional melt (pseudotachylyte), highly-polished fault slip surfaces, and hydrothermal alteration.

These deformation products result from rapid generation of frictional heat during earthquakes. This dissertation also focuses on the seismic potential of continental low-angle normal faults (LANF). We document the preservation of voluminous pseudotachylyte along a …

Finding F.O.S For Flow Type Landslide With Static Liquefaction At Karshingsa – A Case Study, Gokul K. Bayan

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Karshingsa is a hilly terrain situated in lower Himalayan region under Arunachal Pradesh in India. It expresses occurrence of severe landslides of debris flow nature almost every year as and when consecutive 3-month rainfall precipitation during peak monsoon period exceeds about 2,300 mm, all along the lower Himalayan region of Eurasian plateau most particularly in Karshingsa area. Study carried out in the lower belt of Arunachal Himalaya for about more than one decade proclaims that 45%-55% landslides are flow type origin, the debris of which are flowing like liquid. Mechanism of such flow failure is static liquefaction developed in a …

Failures And Remediation Of Rock Slope Stability Problems And Remediation At Earthquakes At Part Of Werka Descent Road West Of Saudi Arabia, Bahaaeldin Sadagah

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Werka descent road lies at western region of Saudi Arabia. It is constructed two years ago harmed due to rainstorm and absence of remedial measures. Werka mountainous road subjected to failures of man-made rock slope faces, and debris flow along both sides of 8-m width road. Intensive geotechnical study includes the RMR and GSI rock masses classifications were applied indicates that the rocks are medium to poor quality. The integrated techniques such as graphical method, modeling, and simulation were utilized to assess rock slope failures and rockfalls by using DIPS, RocFall, RocPlane and Swedge programs, and recommend the remedial measures …

Effect Of The Soil Spatial Variability On The Static And Dynamic Stability Analysis Of A Lebanese Slope, Mansour Neaimeh, Rony Azar, Roni Hmaymes, Georges Nasr, Dalia Youssef Abdel Massih, Jacques Harb, Nancy Salloum, Cécile Cornou, Denis Jongmans

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

The accidental topography and heterogeneous Lebanese geology in addition to the active seismicity have initiated the static and dynamic stability analysis of Lebanese slopes. In this paper, the stability of a sandy Lebanese slope situated at Mansourieh near Beirut is investigated using deterministic and probabilistic approaches. The characterization of the variability of the slope soil properties is done based on geological investigation, as well as geophysical (Resistivity and Ambient noise) and geotechnical tests performed on this slope. Three dimensional 3D static deterministic analyses is performed to determine the overall safety factor of the slope and to find the location of …

Over Eight Decades Old “Young” Landslide – A Case Study, Kishor Kumar, P. S. Prasad, Anil Kathait, Indervir Singh

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Shirobagad also named as Kaliasaur Landslide was developed in the year 1920 at kilometer-147 on National Highway – 58 (earlier named as State Highway - 45) at latitude 300 14’ 30” N and longitude780 53’ 57” in Garhwal region of western Himalaya. This landslide has been investigated by a number of organizations in India and a wealth of data has been generated mainly on geological aspects. Central Road Research Institute has also investigated this landslide during 2007-2011 covering geological as well as geotechnical aspects. The study area basically encompasses metavolcanis and variants of quartzite rock (e.g. pink and white quartzite) …

Stabilization And Reinforcement Of Slope With Geogrid: A Case Study, Khashayar Hemmati, Seyed Vahid Masoomi, Javad Nazari Afshar

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

This paper presents a case study example of appropriate method selection of stabilization and reinforcement of slope by introducing engineering and economical aspects. Introduced slope is located in science and research campus of Islamic Azad University (IAU) in north of Tehran with height of 4-29 m and length of 370 m. A big building with 9 floors and total area of 70000 square meters is located upper and near edge of slope, so that existence of this building has increased sensitivity of projects design and construction method. Slope is located in vulnerable area with a high risk of seismicity based …

Petrologic And Geochemical Tracers Of Magmatic Movement In Volcanic Arc Systems: Case Studies From The Aleutian Islands And Kamchatka, Russia, Owen Kelly Neill

Geosciences

Mixing, crystallization and degassing commonly affect magmas during storage, ascent and eruption from volcanoes. As these interactions cannot be observed directly, they must be characterized using chemical signatures of volcanic eruptive products. In this dissertation, geochemical tracers of magma mixing, crystallization and degassing were employed to investigate the magmatic systems of Kasatochi Island volcano, central Aleutian Islands, and Bezymianny Volcano, Kamchatka, Russia, in three studies. The purpose of the first study was to characterize eruptive products from the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Island volcano. This eruption produced pumiceous, medium-K andesite, as well as denser, medium-K basaltic andesite, with variable bulk …

Preliminary Geochemical Assessment Of Limestone Resources And Stone Use At Maya Sites In The Three Rivers Region, Belize

KIP Articles

No abstract provided.

Clustering Revisited: A Spectral Analysis Of Microseismic Events, Deborah Fagan, Kasper Van Wijk, James Rutledge

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Identifying individual subsurface faults in a larger fault system is important to characterize and understand the relationship between microseismicity and subsurface processes. This information can potentially help drive reservoir management and mitigate the risks of natural or induced seismicity. We have evaluated a method of statistically clustering power spectra from microseismic events associated with an enhanced oil recovery operation in southeast Utah. Specifically, we were able to provide a clear distinction within a set of events originally designated in the time domain as a single cluster and to identify evidence of en echelon faulting. Subtle time-domain differences between events were …

Imaging Methods For Understanding And Improving Visual Training In The Geosciences, Brandon May

Theses

Experience in the field is a critical educational component of every student studying geology. However, it is typically difficult to ensure that every student gets the necessary experience because of monetary and scheduling limitations. Thus, we proposed to create a virtual field trip based off of an existing 10-day field trip to California taken as part of an undergraduate geology course at the University of Rochester. To assess the effectiveness of this approach, we also proposed to analyze the learning and observation processes of both students and experts during the real and virtual field trips. At sites intended for inclusion …

In Memorium: Dr. Charles J. Mankin, 1932-2012 Past National Secretary-Treasurer Of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Kenneth S. Johnson

The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon

No abstract provided.

Neotectonic Evolution Of Grand Canyon : Interaction Between Volcanism, River Incision, Epeirogenic Uplift, And Faulting, Ryan Crow

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

This thesis focuses on the effects of volcanism, river incision, epeirogenic uplift, and faulting on the landscape evolution of the Grand Canyon region. In the first chapter the migration of increasingly asthenospheric basaltic volcanism is used to constrain lithospheric modification of the Colorado Plateau margins. Buoyancy modification of the upper mantle, driven by the upwelling, is a likely driver for recent uplift of the area. In the second chapter, correlation between oversteepened rivers and areas of high-velocity upper mantle is used to show that recent and ongoing mantle-driven uplift is modulating the surface along the western margin of the Colorado …

Water Modeling Technologies: A Key To Unlocking Water Conflict In The Middle East?, Al-Sharif Nasser Bin Nasser

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

Several cases of armed conflict in the Middle East have a root cause in competition over resources, with water being the focus of conflict. Water will increasingly become a critical trigger for future conflict as supplies become scarcer and as population pressures continue to grow. With existing talks between riparian countries surrounding the Jordan River and the Tigris-Euphrates Basins either being absent or ineffective, there is a pressing need to develop a new approach to resolve water issues in the Middle East. In this context, water modeling technologies may offer a new and unique tool for regional discussions.

Spatial And Temporal Evolution Of The Volcanics And Sediments Of The Kenya Rift, Alexandria L. Guth

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

New volumetric and mass flux estimates have been calculated for the Kenya Rift. Spatial and temporal histories for volcanic eruptions, lacustrine deposition, and hominin fossil sites are presented, aided by the compilation of a new digital geologic map. Distribution of volcanism over time indicates several periods of southward expansion followed by relative positional stasis. Volcanism occurs throughout the activated rift length, with no obvious abandonment as the rift system migrated. The main exception is a period of volcanic concentration around 10 Ma, when activity was constrained within 2° of the equator.

Volumes derived from seismic data indicate a total volume …

Amplitude-Versus-Angle Analysis And Wide-Angle-Inversion Of Crosswell Seismic Data In A Carbonate Reservoir, Mohamed S. Ibrahim

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

Crosswell data set contains a range of angles limited only by the geometry of the source and receiver configuration, the separation of the boreholes and the depth to the target. However, the wide angles reflections present in crosswell imaging result in amplitude-versus-angle (AVA) features not usually observed in surface data. These features include reflections from angles that are near critical and beyond critical for many of the interfaces; some of these reflections are visible only for a small range of angles, presumably near their critical angle.

High-resolution crosswell seismic surveys were conducted over a Silurian (Niagaran) reef at two fields …