Geological Engineering Commons^™

Prediction Of Final Subsidence Under Dipping Seam Conditions, Ernesto Maldonado Esguerra

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The prediction of ground movements due to underground coal mining and their impacts on the surface are essential considerations that numerous researchers worldwide have studied. Most of these studies have focused on developing different analytical and empirical models for predicting and calculating ground deformation indices for flat or gently dipping seams under variable topography. However, a few studies are available on predicting ground movements under dipping seam conditions. Although most inclined coal seams are in China, India, and a few other countries, dipping seam conditions have been encountered in some cases in the US, where the inclination (dip) may be …

Oxygen Fugacity Of Global Ocean Island Basalts, Lori N. Willhite, Ricardo Arevalo, Philip Piccoli, John C. Lassiter, Devin Rand, Matthew G. Jackson, James M.D. Day, Robert W. Nicklas, Marek Locmelis, Thomas J. Ireland, Igor S. Puchtel

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mantle plumes contain heterogenous chemical components and sample variable depths of the mantle, enabling glimpses into the compositional structure of Earth's interior. In this study, we evaluated ocean island basalts (OIB) from nine plume locations to provide a global and systematic assessment of the relationship between fO₂ and He-Sr-Nd-Pb-W-Os isotopic compositions. Ocean island basalts from the Pacific (Austral Islands, Hawaii, Mangaia, Samoa, Pitcairn), Atlantic (Azores, Canary Islands, St. Helena), and Indian Oceans (La Réunion) reveal that fO₂ in OIB is heterogeneous both within and among hotspots. Taken together with previous studies, global OIB have elevated and heterogenous fO …

River Response To Removal Of A Small Dam And Replacement With A Roughened Channel, Chandler Sabin

All Master's Theses

Relatively few studies have analyzed how the removal of small dams and re-engineering of the channel affect river channel processes. The low-head Nelson Dam was built in 1920 on the Naches River in central Washington, causing two miles of aggraded sediments. This resulted in upstream flooding and excessive downstream incision that led to ineffective irrigation diversions, and hindered fish spawning. Nelson Dam was removed in 2021 and replaced with a graded, roughened, nature-like channel and a newly engineered diversion that was completed in 2023. The research presented here quantifies the effects of the Nelson Dam removal and channel redesign on …

Preliminary Remote Identification Of Unstable Zone On Large-Scale Waste Dump At Mae Moh Mine Using Insar Technique, Chitra Buth

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Mae Moh Mine is one of the largest lignite mine in Southeast Asia, operated by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). It is located in the northern part of Thailand, in Mae Moh district, Lampang province. In March 2018, a significant sliding incidence occurred at a waste dump site with sliding area of 1.56 km2 approximately, highlighting the pressing issue of instability within this large-scale waste dump area. This study aims to address this concern in the future and demonstrate an innovative method for investigating the failure by employing Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology. The methodology involves the …

The Effects Of Uv-Radiation On The Removal Of Microplastics In Water Using Agglomeration-Micro-Flotation, Palot Srichonphaisarn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Microplastics, plastic particles with diameter 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters, can disturb marine ecosystems due to their small size and surface properties which can be a carrier for hazardous matters. While wastewater treatment plants could remove some microplastics but some of them remain. Among the various removal techniques, flotation is a potential method due to the hydrophobic nature of microplastics. This study investigates the effects of ultraviolet radiation on the surface wettability of microplastics and removal efficiency of microplastics. The 6 types of microplastics were prepared from plastic boards. After the ultraviolet radiation, the results showed that ultraviolet radiation could …

Reliability Of Low Frequency Mhvsr Ordinates, F. J. Ornelas, C. C. Nweke, C. A. De La Torre, P. Wang, T. D. Mai, B. R. Cox, S. J. Brandenberg, J. P. Stewart

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Microtremor horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (mHVSR) are frequency-dependent ratios of Fourier amplitude spectra of the horizontal to vertical components of a 3-component recording of ambient ground motions from microtremors. Results from mHVSR tests can identify the frequencies associated with site resonances at sites with large impedance contrasts, and hence have potential to provide useful parameters for predicting seismic site response. Site measurements are made by recording ground vibrations either from a temporarily deployed seismometer, typically recording for a relatively short period of time (~1-2 hrs.), or from a permanently-installed broadband seismometer. In this paper, we discuss ongoing work investigating the reliability …

Development Of Uas And Geophysical Techniques For Agriculture And Environmental Site Characterization, Yunyi Guan

Doctoral Dissertations

"Soil properties are critical for agricultural management. Geophysical techniques such as ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction have been used to measure soil properties for agricultural applications. However, their measurements are only acquired along select traverses within a field, and the data processing can be time-consuming, the instruments can also be expensive. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a recent advancement used for precision agriculture. Compared with geophysical data, UAVs have higher resolution and wider coverage and can quickly collect data across the whole field. The operation is also relatively simpler with a more economical acquisition cost. This research investigates …

Lithospheric Drip And Mantle Thermal Upwelling Beneath Central Asia And The Southern Great Plains Of North America: Evidence From Receiver Function Imaging, Yangyang Liao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Investigating the depth of mantle transition zone (MTZ) discontinuities provides insights into mantle dynamics, including regional-scale downwelling of mantle lithosphere (i.e., lithospheric drip) and upwelling of thermal materials (i.e., mantle plume). In our study, we employ receiver functions to image the 410 km (d410) and 660 km (d660) mantle discontinuities and to ascertain thickness of the MTZ beneath Central Asia and the Great Plains in United States. The findings unveil a significantly thickened transition zone, exhibiting an average thickness of 284 km beneath East Sayan. When considered alongside geochemical observations, our results indicate that the descent of the lithosphere is …

Exploring Seismic Anisotropy In The Crust And Mantle Of The Tibetan Plateau And Analyzing Seismic Velocity Variations In Yellowstone, Cong Shen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Seismology is a scientific discipline that utilizes seismic waves to investigate the deep structures within the Earth's interior, which are otherwise inaccessible to direct observation by humans. These seismic waves can be categorized into two types: body waves and surface waves, each with distinct propagation modes and behaviors, carrying valuable information about their travel paths. The first paper concentrates on the analysis and inversion of body waves produced by large seismic events. It employs shear wave splitting and receiver function methods to explore the geodynamic structure of the south-central Tibetan Plateau, near the plate boundary. The investigation covers the depth …

Development Of A Comprehensive Multi-Factored Methodology For Identification Of Landslides In The Buffalo National River Of Arkansas, Abdurraouf Okok

Doctoral Dissertations

"In northern Arkansas's Springfield and Boston Mountain Plateaus, distinctive geomorphological landslide features have shown historical continuity. USGS topographic maps (1:24,000, 7.5-minute series) serve as valuable resources for studying terrain characteristics and hydrological patterns.

This study uses a manual mapping approach with high-resolution LiDAR data and geological maps in a GIS environment. The method identifies historic landslide features by analyzing anomalous topographic contour patterns overlaid on LiDAR-derived hillshade maps, revealing various mass movements along the Buffalo National River. Data from the Office of State Geologist and fieldwork reconnaissance were utilized to map older landslide features with high confidence. Some previously unrecognized …

Paleoecological And Paleoclimatic Reconstructions Based On Holocene Sediment Cores, Lake Izabal, Eastern Guatemala, Erdoo Mongol

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Maya Region in Central America is characterized by pronounced discrepancies in precipitation, resulting in high precipitation gradients that support large-scale differences in vegetation across the region. Several lake deposits and other paleoclimate archives in the region have been studied to reconstruct past climates and palaeoecological conditions. However, actual data from proxy records have not been qualitatively and quantitatively utilized to interpret the behavior of the vegetation in moister areas within the Maya Region, such as the Lake Izabal Basin (LIB). The palynomorphs from two sediment cores in the LIB provided a good opportunity to infer the patterns of past …

Topography Of The 410 And 660 Km Discontinuities Beneath The Tibetan Plateau And Adjacent Areas, Zexin Miao

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Tibetan Plateau represents the ongoing geotectonic aftermath of a continental collision initiated approximately 65 million years ago. Despite numerous seismological studies, controversies remain regarding the structure, evolution, and dynamics of the crust and mantle beneath Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we used teleseismic broadband data to investigate the topography of the mantle transition zone (MTZ) discontinuities. A total of ~655,000 receiver functions from 735 stations was utilized to image the 410 and 660 km discontinuities bordering the MTZ. Combining the observed and velocity corrected results, several areas in the central Tibet exhibit a typical d410 and an anomalously deep …

Characterization Of The Kansas River Alluvial Aquifer Using Towed Transient Electromagnetic Geophysical Method, Jonathon Daniel Voss

Masters Theses

"Forecasted urban development areas west of Kansas City, Kansas in the coming decades has caused an increase of research into water resources (Butler et al. 2022). A location of investigation has been the Kansas River Alluvial Aquifer (KRAA) for shallow ground water resources. To investigate the KRAA structure and grain texture, the towed transient electromagnetic system (tTEM) in conjunction with direct push electrical conductivity logs and lithology wells were used to investigate four locations between Lawrence and Manhattan, Kansas. In total, 110 line-kilometers of tTEM data was collected. The tTEM data collected were high quality and through inversions of the …

Investigation Of The Relationships Between Hydraulic, Physical, And Biological Soil Parameters At A Vineyard In Saint James, Missouri, Lyndsey Bennett

Masters Theses

"Soil is a living, dynamic system that performs vital functions such as crop production, organic matter decomposition, and the flow and transport of water. Given the pressures of food and in some locales water security, climate change, and sustainability, farmers, scientists, and other related specialists and stakeholders must have access to understandable soil health indicators as well as the soil hydraulic function parameters to maximize crop growth while maintaining soil health. Although biological and physical soil parameters are different, we aim to evaluate their relationship at the field scale. Hydraulic conductivity in the vadose zone may be especially important, as …

Fe-Ni-Cu-Pge Sulfide Transport Mechanisms And Carbon-Sulfur Interactions In Lower Crustal Magmatic Settings: A Study From The Valmaggia Ultramafic Pipe, Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Italy, Shelby Leann Clark

Masters Theses

"Constraining the processes that control the transport and deposition of sulfides in the deep lithosphere is an important step in expanding ore deposit exploration search space to include exhumed lower crustal rocks. The ultramafic sulfide ore-bearing Valmaggia pipe in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone of NW Italy, an exhumed cross section of the overlying lower continental crust and subcontinental lithospheric mantle, gives critical insight into metallogenic processes in lower crustal settings. The ~300 m wide metasomatized pipe hosts Fe-Ni-Cu-(PGE±Co±Au) sulfide mineralization that is commonly associated with locally abundant carbonates and hydrous silicates (phlogopite, amphibole). Previous studies suggested that sulfides were physically transported …

Improving Insar Accuracy For Slow Deformation And Change Detection With Lidar And Gps, Yusupujiang Aimaiti, Vasit Sagan, Cagri Gul, Jeremy Maurer, Jackson D. Cothren, Carla Klehm, Elizabeth A. Koenig, Nathan Scott

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) uses two or more SAR images over the same region for mapping ground surface displacements through time. InSAR displacements are relative to a reference point due to the 2π phase ambiguity that from unwrapping, and as a result ground control points (GCPs) are often used to calibrate the displacement model and obtain absolute measurements. Errors in InSAR time-series are typically measured with respect to the reference point, but absolute errors are not currently well constrained. To develop absolute error models for InSAR, we generate Sentinel-1 InSAR time-series for Belleville, Illinois and compare time-series with Global …

Prediction Of Stratified Ground Consolidation Via A Physics-Informed Neural Network Utilizing Short-Term Excess Pore Water Pressure Monitoring Data, Weibing Gong, Linlong Zuo, Lin Li, Hui Wang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Predicting stratified ground consolidation effectively remains a challenge in geotechnical engineering, especially when it comes to quickly and dependably determining the coefficient of consolidation ((Formula presented.)) for each soil layer. This difficulty primarily stems from the time-intensive nature of the consolidation process and the challenges in efficiently simulating this process in laboratory settings and using numerical methods. Nevertheless, the consolidation of stratified ground is crucial because it governs ground settlement, affecting the safety and serviceability of structures situated on or in such ground. In this study, an innovative method utilizing a physics-informed neural network (PINN) is introduced to predict stratified …

Geochemical Assessment Of Mineral Sequestration Of Carbon Dioxide In The Midcontinent Rift, Alsedik Abousif, David J. Wronkiewicz, Abdelmoniem Masoud

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Examines The Potential Of Midcontinent Rift Rocks To Facilitate Long-Term CO2 Sequestration By Providing The Necessary Ca And Mg For Carbonate Mineralization. Surface Samples Were Collected From The Oronto And Bayfield-Jacobsville Groups Around Lake Superior And Used For Petrography And X-Ray Diffraction To Determine Their Mineral Composition. Also, X-Ray Fluorescence Was Also Used To Assess Their Bulk Chemical Composition. The Samples Were Then Exposed To CO2 And Deionized Water In Teflon-Lined Vessels At 90°C, And The Resulting Leachate Fluids Were Analyzed For The Cation Released During The Testing. SEM Microscopy Was Used To Examine The Samples For Potential …

Prediction Of Surfactant Performance From Surfactant Huff-Puff In Carbonate Reservoirs Using A Data-Driven Approach And Desktop Application Development, Y. Yao, Mingzhen Wei, Y. Cui, M. Ali, J. Leng, Y. Qiu

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Surfactants have been widely used to alter the wettability of carbonate rocks from oil-wetness to water-wetness and enhanced oil recovery. One of primary methods implemented in filed applications for enhanced oil recovery is surfactant huff-puff. Currently, a large number of surfactant treatments are conducted in laboratories prior to field applications to optimize the design of surfactant huff-puff, test the performance of surfactants, and minimize failure risk. This process is time-consuming since a treatment could last from several days to more than 300 days. Moreover, a fraction of treatments could not improve oil recovery as reported in the literature. In this …

Descriptive Statistical Analysis Of Experimental Data For Wettability Alteration With Smart Water Flooding In Carbonate Reservoirs, Muhammad Ali Buriro, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Ya Yao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Smart water flooding is a promising eco-friendly method for enhancing oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs. The optimal salinity and ionic composition of the injected water play a critical role in the success of this method. This study advances the field by employing machine learning and data analytics to streamline the determination of these critical parameters, which are traditionally reliant on time-intensive laboratory work. The primary objectives are to utilize data analytics to examine how smart water flooding influences wettability modification, identify key parameter ranges that notably alter the contact angle, and formulate guidelines and screening criteria for successful lab design. …

Lessons Learned From Laboratory Study And Field Application Of Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gels Rppg For Conformance Control In Mature Oilfields With Conduits/Fractures/Fracture-Like Channels, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, David Smith, Tao Song

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Paper Surveys the Role of Re-Crosslink able Preformed Particle Gels (RPPG) in Addressing Conformance Challenges within Mature Oilfields. Despite Widespread Preformed Particle Gel (PPG) Application in 15,000+ Wells, their Limitations in Sealing Fractures and Conduits Prevalent in Mature Reservoirs Have Driven the Development of RPPG Formulations. Synthesized in Various Sizes from Micrometer to Millimeter Levels, These Environmentally Friendly RPPGs Are Tailored for Diverse Reservoir Conditions. Findings Showcase the Successful Laboratory-Scale Creation and Upscaling of RPPG Products, Offering Adaptability to Temperatures from 20 to 175°C, Customizable Sizes, Swelling Ratios (5 to 40 Times), and Re-Crosslinking Times Spanning Minutes to Days. …

Pattern Recognition For Wettability Alteration With Surfactants In Carbonate Reservoirs By Using Machine Learning, Y. Yao, Mingzhen Wei, M. Ali, Y. Qiu, Y. Cui, J. Leng

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Surfactants Are Widely Applied Agents to Interact with the Adsorbates on Carbonate Rock Surface, Which Could Alter Wettability from Oil-Wetness to Water-Wetness and Thus Enhance Oil Recovery. Surfactant Huff-Puff is Often Conducted to Achieve Wettability Alteration and Has Been Applied under Various Conditions. Currently, Many Investigations Have Been Reported to Apply Conventional Data Analysis Methods to Analyze Different Sets of Surfactant Huff-Puff Projects. Yet the Application of Machine Learning Algorithms to Reveal the Inherent Patterns is Rarely Reported. in This Study, We Integrate Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Hierarchical Clustering Algorithm (HCA) to Uncover the Hidden Patterns Embedded in Global …

Assessing The Potential Of Uav-Based Multispectral And Thermal Data To Estimate Soil Water Content Using Geophysical Methods, Yunyi Guan, Katherine R. Grote

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Knowledge of the soil water content (SWC) is important for many aspects of agriculture and must be monitored to maximize crop yield, efficiently use limited supplies of irrigation water, and ensure optimal nutrient management with minimal environmental impact. Single-location sensors are often used to monitor SWC, but a limited number of point measurements is insufficient to measure SWC across most fields since SWC is typically very heterogeneous. To overcome this difficulty, several researchers have used data acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to predict the SWC by using machine learning on a limited number of point measurements acquired across a …

Evaluation Of Novel Preformed Particle Gel System For Conformance Control In Mature Oil Reservoirs, Abdulaziz Almakimi, Ahmed Ben Ali, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To address challenges associated with excessive water production in mature oil reservoirs, this study introduces a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based material as a novel preformed particle gel (PPG) designed to plug excessive water pathways and redistribute the subsequent injected water toward unswept zones. Through microwave-assisted grafting copolymerization of CMC with acrylamide (AM), we successfully generated multi-sized dry particles within the range of 250–800 µm. Comprehensive analyses, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), have confirmed the chemical composition and morphology of the resulting carboxymethyl cellulose-grafted crosslinked polyacrylamide (CMC/PAMBA). Swelling kinetics and rheology tests were conducted to confirm the …

Mantle Flow And Olivine Fabric Transition In The Myanmar Continental Subduction Zone, Enbo Fan, Yinshuang Ai, Stephen S. Gao, Yumei He, Kelly H. Liu, Mingming Jiang, Guangbing Hou, Shun Yang, Chit Thet Mon, Myo Thant, Kyaing Sein

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the Major Advances in Mineral Physics and Seismology is the Realization that Different Olivine Fabric Types Are Functions of Temperature, Shear Stress, and Water Content in Oceanic Subducting Systems. the Distribution of Different Olivine Fabric Types and Geodynamic Processes in the Mantle Wedge above a Subducting Continental Slab Remain Poorly Understood. Here, based on Splitting Analysis of Shear Waves Recorded by 46 Stations Recently Deployed in Central Myanmar, We Reveal Trench-Perpendicular Fast Orientations between the 80 and 100 Km Slab Contours Sandwiched between Trench-Parallel Fast Orientations from the Mantle Wedge Tip to the Backarc. the Dramatic Change in …

Electromagnetic Near-Field Scanning With A Spatially Sparse Sampling Strategy Utilizing Kriging-Dmd, Yanming Zhang, Steven Gao, Lijun Jiang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a hybrid method for time-resolved electromagnetic near-field scanning, merging model-based (Gaussian processes regression model, a.k.a. Kriging method) and data-driven (dynamic mode decomposition) techniques. Specifically, Latin hypercube sampling enables spatially sparse measurements, followed by dynamic mode decomposition to analyze resulting sparse spatial-temporal data, extracting frequency information and sparse dynamic modes. The Kriging method is then employed for full-state reconstruction. The proposed approach is evaluated using crossed dipole antennas. Results indicate that, even with a spatial subsampling factor of 130, achieving a fully reconstructed field distribution suitable for engineering applications with frequency information extraction is feasible. This hybrid framework …

Groundwater Movement In Boiling Spring, Onyx Spring, Yelton Spring, Wilkins Spring, Hudgens Spring And Natural Bridge Spring, Katherin Roxana Montes Chamorro

Masters Theses

"Onyx Spring, Boiling Spring, Yelton Spring, Wilkins Spring, Hudgens Spring, and Natural Spring are located on public land in Pulaski and Phelps County, Missouri. They were selected randomly to determine groundwater movement and compare water chemistry from the springs that are connected.

Using a dye tracing method, we were able to determine the direction of groundwater flow and a water multiparameter sonde was used to characterize the water chemistry at each point of the springs. As a result, from the six springs studied only three springs are connected which are Yelton, Onyx and Boiling Spring. Regarding to water chemistry this …

A Review Of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Cold Atmospheric Plasma For Surface Sterilization And Decontamination, Kolawole Adesina, Ta Chun Lin, Yue-Wern Huang, Marek Locmelis, Daoru Frank Han

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Numerous investigations have shown that non-equilibrium discharges at atmospheric pressure, also known as "cold atmospheric plasma" (CAP) are efficient to remove biological contaminants from surfaces of a variety of materials. Recently, CAP has quickly advanced as a technique for microbial cleaning, wound healing, and cancer therapy due to the chemical and biologically active radicals it produces, known collectively as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). This article reviews studies pertaining to one of the atmospheric plasma sources known as Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) which has been widely used to treat materials with microbes for sterilization, disinfection, and decontamination purposes. To …