Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Joint Size Estimation Using Joint Traces On Borehole Walls, Christopher James Heiny

Masters Theses

One approach to characterizing subsurface joint populations is to assume
surface joint patterns are representative of joints at depth. Yet, many times, either the analogous surface joints are unexposed, or absent because surface rocks did not experience the same deformation history. The alternative of direct subsurface characterization has been limited by joints not being resolvable in seismic data and borehole data not yielding fracture size. The present approach uses the subsurface geometry of joint/borehole intersections to estimate mean joint size (mean joint length and width) and aspect ratio (joint length to width ratio), and presents a new method for determining …

Slope Stability Analysis Of A Lake Michigan Coastal Bluff, Gregory Carlton Young

Masters Theses

Bluff failure along the Lake Michigan coast can be produced primarily by increased pore pressure from perched water tables above lacustrine clay deposits. To test this theory, a site in Allegan County, Michigan with alternating layers of sand, clay and glacial till was chosen for bluff failure monitoring. Historically, the site experiences sporadic massive failures as opposed to neighboring sites that show more regular and uniform displacements. Four pole and cable monitoring lines were measured bi-weekly from December 2001 to October 2003. Lake levels were low and no erosion of material at the base of the slope occurred. Slumps above …

Hydrogeologic Model Of A Leachate Plume In An Unconfined Coastal Plain Aquifer And Chemical Transport Mechanisms Of Metals And Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids, Thomas Lindblad

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater contamination is of increasing environmental concern as many aquifers across the globe have experienced a decrease in water quality in recent time. The growth of the world's population over the last couple of decades has caused a dramatic increase in the rate of groundwater use. One potential source of groundwater contamination is waste material in landfills. The 1 st Division Road Sanitary landfill at Fort Benning Military Reservation was studied to evaluate the potential effect on local groundwater and a leachate plume was recognized using data from 16 groundwater monitoring wells located around the facility. The study site is …

The Glacial Geology Of Southern St. Joseph County, Michigan, Linda Nicks

Dissertations

The objective of the dissertation was to map the glacial geology in southern St. Joseph County, Michigan. The surficial geology was divided into three distinct land systems which are moraine, outwash and fan deposits. The Sturgis Moraine is the most prominent feature transecting the study area from east to west. The topography is further dissected by southwest-trending channels interpreted as tunnel channels.

Thick accumulations of sand and gravel in the study area indicate that glacial meltwater deposition played a dominant role in shaping the landscape. Based on the relative size of the channels and outwash deposits, the largest contribution from …

Origin Of The Central Kalamazoo River Valley, Southwestern Michigan, Usa, Andrew Kozlowski

Dissertations

Chapter I

Introduction

Southern Michigan's geomorphology is a testament to the glacial processes that buried and sculpted the landscape during the last glaciation. Many glacial landforms in southwestern Michigan, including the Kalamazoo River Valley, provide evidence that aids in understanding the chronology, ice dynamics and glacial processes that occurred in Michigan during the last ice age.

As the climate began to warm about 20,000 yr B.P. (Larson and Schaetzl, 2001) the extensive Laurentide Ice Sheet began to recede from its maximum southern position reached during the Late Wisconsinan (Figure 1). It was at this point that modem surficial drainage systems …

Pluton Zonation Unveiled By Gamma-Ray Spectrometry And Magnetic Susceptibility; A Case Study Of The Sheeprock Granite, Western, Utah, Paul D. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

A radiometric survey of the zoned 21 Ma, A-type Sheeprock granite, western Utah, combined with measurements of magnetic susceptibility and field observations were analyzed using a geographic information system. The intrusion spans 25 square km and is roughly eliptical in shape with its long axis trending northwest. Concentration maps (composed of more than 500 survey stations) of eU, eTh, texture, magnetic susceptibility, color, and joint density help to constrain magmatic and post-magmatic processes related to its chemical and physical zonation. Uranium ranges from 3.9 to 26.9 ppm (mean 12.7) and thorium from 1.7 to 125.7 ppm (mean 45.5). Similarities in …

Hydrologic Variations Within Created And Natural Wetlands In Southeastern Virginia, Aaron Dyer Despres

OES Theses and Dissertations

The hydrology of wetlands, particularly how wetland soils collect, store, and redistribute water strongly affects how wetland systems function. In created wetlands, construction processes and materials influence the hydrology and consequently, the potential for successful reestablishment of target vegetation communities. During .2002- 2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation constructed large mitigation wetlands on two different Quaternary aged surfaces with very similar hydrogeomorphic conditions. The Sandy Bottom Nature Park site (SBNP) located in Hampton, VA and rests on the sandy loam Tabb Formation while the Charles City Wetland site (CCW) lies on the older and clay-rich Shirley Formation. This study documents …

A Cost Effective Approach To Taxonomic Resolution For Bioassessment And Monitoring Programs In The State Of Georgia, Jodi Alene Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The Georgia Ecoregions Reference Sites Project has developed biological criteria for streams in Georgia according to the Rapid Bioassessment Protocols For Wadeable Streams and Rivers. Streams will ultimately be classified into categories of impairment so that management decisions can be made in accordance with the Clean Water Act. A cost-effective approach to accomplish mandates set forth by the Clean Water Act must be employed, as state budgets are limited. One means of examining costs is to assess taxonomic resolution. Taxonomic resolution not only assesses the sensitivity of biocriteria, it also allows one to make recommendations to state agencies regarding the …

The Occurrence And Control Of Disinfection By-Products (Dbps) In Two Water Treatment Plants Utilizing The Same Source, Sam George Khoury

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of disinfection by-products (DBPs) on the operation and design of water treatment plants has been increasing since the early studies by Rook on trihalomethanes (THMs) (Stevens, 1977). Work conducted in the 1980s identified the existence of nonvolatile halogenated organics (non-THM organics), of which the majority produced by chlorination were haloacetic acids (HAAs), within the HAAs, dichloroacetic acid (DCAA) and trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) were the dominant members. Concern over potential health effect led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for total THMs and HAAs. The disinfectant/disinfection by-product rule (D-DBP Rule) currently proposed …

Anthropogenic Lead Deposition And Four National Parks In Poland As Determined By Lead Isotope Ratios, Shannon Simcoe

OES Theses and Dissertations

Polluted soils are recognized by having high concentrations of heavy metals, including Pb. Partitioning of metals in geochemical fractions, by sequential chemical extractions, may indicate whether a metal has been recently deposited in the soil. While concentration levels alone cannot distinguish between natural and anthropogenic Pb, studies have demonstrated that anthropogenic pollution is accurately recorded by specific Pb isotope signatures, which differ from natural Pb isotopes. The objective of this project was to use ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotope ratios to differentiate between the anthropogenic Pb input and the naturally occurring Pb in four national …

Platinum Group Element Mineralization In "Ballrooms" Of The J-M Reef Of The Stillwater Complex, Montana, Matthew P. Harper

Theses and Dissertations

The J-M Reef of the Stillwater Complex, Montana (a large layered mafic intrusion), is one of the highest grade platinum group element (PGE) deposits known in the world, producing primarily palladium and platinum in a 3.4:1 ratio. "Ballrooms" of the Stillwater Complex are anomalously wide areas within or stratigraphically below the J-M Reef that host platinum group element mineralization. Ballrooms have two typical morphologies (type 1 and type 2); the first is an abrupt thickening of the mineralization that extends below the Reef Package and the second is a gentle widening of the Reef Package and associated reef mineralization to …

The Impact Of Urbanization On Macroinvertebrate Communities Of Creeks Within Western Georgia, Jeniffer Susan Lang

Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is a major cause of stream impairment in the United States, altering stream ecological integrity in a variety of ways. While control of point source pollution has largely improved over the last twenty years, the control of non-point source pollution has proved to be more of a challenge. Urbanization in the area surrounding streams has been linked with elevated levels of sediment, heavy metals, organic matter, and nutrients within streams, as well as with other negative effects. Examining the macroinvertebrate communities within streams has proven to be an effective indicator of the effects of urbanization on water quality. This …

Hydraulic Testing Of The Big Hole Fault, Northern San Rafael Swell, Utah, William M. Schieb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six cross-hole packer tests were conducted at the Big Hole fault, a dip-slip normal fault in the northern San Rafael Swell of east-central Utah. Three tests were conducted at each of two locations along the fault, each location having a different total displacement. Water was injected in the footwall, hanging wall, and fault core and pressure changes were monitored in isolated intervals in the adjoining wells. Response curves were analyzed using the type curves developed by Hsieh and Neuman, and Theis, in order to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the fault and its associated damage zone.

The tests were not …

Terrestrial Movements And Habitat Use Of Gopher Frogs (Rana Capito) At Fort Benning, Georgia, Jonathan H. Neufeldt

Theses and Dissertations

Gopher frogs (Rana capito) were radio-tracked between the 2000 and 2001 breeding seasons to study their terrestrial movements and habitat use in a longleaf pine- sandhill area on the Fort Benning Military Reservation, Georgia. The telemetry research was conducted in response to the need for biological data concerning gopher frog terrestrial habits. Ultimately the data could aid biologists and land managers in describing critical habitat and the development of a management or recovery plan. Twelve gopher frogs were caught at a herpetofaunal array surrounding two neighboring breeding ponds during a post breeding migration, implanted with miniature transmitters, released and radio-tracked …

Structural Geology And Aquifer Characterization Of Glassy Mountain, South Carolina Piedmont, Cameron M. Warlick

All Dissertations

Lithologies and structures of the Inner Piedmont geological province were mapped in detail in the vicinity of a major, new residential development on Glassy Mountain, which is located north of Greenville, South Carolina, within the Saluda 7.5-minute quadrangle. Three principal lithostratigraphic units are recognized within the study area: the Henderson Gneiss, Upper Mill Spring unit, and Poor Mountain Formation. The contact between the Henderson Gneiss and the overlying Upper Mill Spring-Poor Mountain sequence is the Seneca Thrust. The contact between the Upper Mill Spring unit and the overlying Poor Mountain Formation is also a thrust fault. Fold vergence and thrust …

Structural Analysis Of Co2 Leakage Through The Salt Wash And Little Grand Wash Faults From Natural Reservoirs In The Colorado Plateau, Southeastern Utah, Anthony P. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Little Grand Wash fault and the Salt Wash Graben in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah emit CO₂ gas from abandoned drillholes, springs, and a hydrocarbon seep. Similar CO₂-charged water has also been emitted in the past, as shown by large localized travertine deposits and veins along and near the fault traces. The faults cut natural CO₂ reservoirs and provide an excellent analog for geologic CO₂ sequestration. The faults cut a north-plunging anticline of rocks consisting of siltstones, shales, and sandstones from the Permian Cutler Formation through the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. The Little Grand …

Geochemistry Of Ground Water - Surface Water Interactions And Metals Loading Rates In The North Fork Of The American Fork River, Utah, From An Abandoned Silver/Lead Mine, Neil I. Burk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aqueous geochemistry and hydrology of the North Fork of the American Fork River, its tributaries, and the ground water in the vicinity of the Pacific Mine site were investigated in order to determine what impact ground water entering the North Fork has on toxic metal loads in the river. Toxic metal contamination in the North Fork is great enough that brown and cutthroat trout have absorbed lead, cadmium, and arsenic in their tissues at concentrations that are hazardous to human health if consumed. Ground water that flows through the mine site flows directly through the mine tailings before entering …

The Effects Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) On Nerve Growth Factor (Ngf) In The Developing Frog, Xenopus Laevis, Cari Delong

Honors Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls are ubiquitous, persistent environmental contaminants that cause a variety of adverse health effects wildlife and humans. PCBs are the major contaminant in the Kalamazoo River Superfund Site, in which the Environmental Institute is funded to study. Projects at the Environmental Institute are focused on developing molecular biotechnology tools that will improve environmental risk assessment. Previous acute studies involved the exposure of developing tadpoles, Xenopus laevis to PCBs through aquarium water in order to measure gene expression. Nerve growth factor (NGF) gene expression showed changes in these previous studies. NGF is a neurotrophic factor that regulates the growth and …

Chemical And Isotopic Investigation Of Groundwater In Eastern United Arab Emirates (Uae), Ahmed Ali Abdalla Murad

Dissertations

UAE is located at the southeast of Arabian Peninsula. Two main aquifers occupy the study area: the Eastern Gravel Plain and Ophiolite aquifer. Increasing salinity of groundwater and depletion of aquifers are a major concern in the UAE. Previous studies suggest that groundwater, particularly in the Eastern Gravel Plain aquifer, is affected by seawater intrusion and evaporation. Isotopes of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and chlorine, and chemical analyses were used to investigate this problem in detail. Samples of groundwater from the Eastern Gravel Plain aquifer have R³⁶Cl values in the range of 13.3 to 17.4 x10^-15 while those …

Relating Water And Otolith Chemistry In Chesapeake Bay, And Their Potential To Identify Essential Seagrass Habitats For Juveniles Of An Estuarine-Dependent Fish, Spotted Seatrout (Cynoscion Nebulosus), Emmanis Dorval

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A quantitative understanding of habitat use of estuarine-dependent fishes is critical to the conservation of their most essential habitats. Because recruitment and fitness may be influenced by the quality of juvenile habitats, developing methods to quantify habitat-specific survivorship is pivotal to such understanding. An initial step to quantify survivorship is to validate the habitat-specific natural tags contained in otoliths. To this aim I investigated the variability in the chemistry of surface waters and otoliths of juvenile spotted seatrout, Cynoscion nebulosus, in five seagrass habitats of Chesapeake Bay, namely: Potomac, Rappahannock, York, Island, and Eastern Shore. I measured Mg, Ca, …

Application Of Well Log Tomography To The Dundee And Rogers City Limestones, Michigan Basin, Usa, Mellisa A. Le M.

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

The Michigan Basin is located in the upper Midwest region of the United States and is centered geographically over the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is filled primarily with Paleozoic carbonates and clastics, overlying Precambrian basement rocks and covered by Pleistocene glacial drift. In Michigan, more than 46,000 wells have been drilled in the basin, many producing significant quantities of oil and gas since the 1920s in addition to providing a wealth of data for subsurface visualization.

Well log tomography, formerly log-curve amplitude slicing, is a visualization method recently developed at Michigan Technological University to correlate subsurface data by utilizing …

Hydrogeochemical Controls On Uranium In Aquifers Of The Jacobsville Sandstone, Heidi M. Sherman

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

The occurrence of elevated uranium (U) in sandstone aquifers was investigated in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, focusing on aquifers of the Jacobsville Sandstone. The hydrogeochemical controls on groundwater U concentrations were characterized using a combination of water sampling and spectral gamma-ray logging of sandstone cliffs and residential water wells. ²³⁵U/²³⁸U isotope ratios were consistent with naturally occurring U. Approximately 25% of the 270 wells tested had U concentrations above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 30 μg/L, with elevated U generally occurring in localized clusters. Water wells were logged to determine whether …

Complexity Of Devonian K-Bentonites In The Appalachian Foreland Basin: Geochemical And Physical Evidence Supporting Multi-Layered K-Bentonite Horizons, Lucas Benedict

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Detailed analysis of Lower to Middle Devonian K-bentonites in the Appalachian Basin reveals physical and geochemical characteristics within supposed single eruptive event deposits that indicate a more complex depositional history is recorded in many of these volcanic beds. Variations in bedding showing multiple coarse and fine-grained layers within a K-bentonite layer can be seen in some Devonian K-bentonite beds. Microscopic irregularities show variations in the orientation of volcanic grains, and subtle phenocryst layers within a K-bentonite suggest changes in depositional environment where changing water and wave regimes rework and redeposit material on the sea floor. The presence of fossil layers …

Road Salt Application And Its Effects On Sodium And Chloride Ion Concentrations In An Urban Stream Patroon Creek, Albany, Ny, Elizabeth K. Erickson

Geology Theses and Dissertations

The application of road salt in an urban watershed leads to increased sodium and chloride concentrations in surface water and groundwater, which can adversely affect aquatic ecosystems, and may have consequences for soil cation exchange. This study focuses on the spatial and temporal variations in sodium and chloride concentrations in Patroon Creek, Albany County, New York, a tributary of the Hudson River. For two years, weekly surface water samples were gathered from 7 sites along Patroon Creek for major ion concentrations as measured by ion chromatography. Additionally, a USGS gage on Patroon Creek measures specific conductivity, water temperature, stage, and …

Stable Isotopic And Trace Metal Analyses Of Two Porites Lobata Colonies - Oahu, Hawaii: Implications For Past Seasonal Variation And Sea Surface Temperatures And Anthropogenic Effects On The Reef Environment, Jonathan Macdonald

Geology Theses and Dissertations

Corals from the western and equatorial Pacific Ocean have been extensively studied for the purposes of generating paleoclimate reconstructions spanning the last several hundred years. However, in the central subtropical North Pacific, there are currently few published coral records extending beyond 10 to 20 years. The hermatypic coral species Porites lobata and Porites lutea have proven to be useful indicators of paleoclimate and past sea surface conditions at other locations. Here I have analyzed two Porites lobata coral cores collected from colonies from opposite sides of Oahu, Hawaii to assess their utility for developing multi-decadal length climatic reconstructions in this …

Structural Analysis Of The Gonic Formation In Berwick, Maine, Joseph F. Renda

Geology Theses and Dissertations

RELATIONSHIP OF THE GONIC FORMATION AND NONSUCH RIVER FAULT TO THE NORUMBEGA FAULT ZONE IN BERWICK, MAINE
Located in southwestern Maine the Gonic Formation abuts the Nonesuch River Fault of the Norumbega Fault System. The rock types of the Gonic Fm. consist
predominantly of micaceous schist and lesser amounts of quartzite. Fieldwork suggests that the units have undergone transposition and thus appear to be
interlayered and pinch-out along strike. Granitoid rocks have also been observed and are interpreted as related to either the Lyman Pluton or White Mountain
Complex and serve as the backbone to the line of low-lying hills …

Microstructures And Deformation In Some Fault Rocks From The Mcconnell Thrust At Mount Yamnuska (Alberta): Implications For Fluid Flow And Faulting And Cycles Of Strain-Hardening And Softening, Lowell Miyagi

Honors Papers

Fault rocks from the McConnell thrust consist of limestone mylonite, carbonate and shale cataclasites, and deformed sandstones. The limestone mylonite in the hanging wall mayor may not show different levels of cataclastic overprint. Just below these hanging wall rocks is a zone of comminuted material. This zone contains cataclasites that are produced by the mixing of hanging wall and footwall materials. Underneath this unit are the shale cataclasites of the footwall and beneath this are deformed sandstones that become progressively less deformed further from the fault zone. Based on microstructural evidence these rocks show cycles of mesoscopically brittle and ductile …

Epibiont Guilds As Paleoecological Tools In Environmental Analysis: An Example From Modern And Ordovician Shell Substrates, Stacy M. Boore

Honors Papers

Paleocommunities of encrusting organisms exhibit characteristics that allow comparisons of modern and fossil systems and subsequent environmental analyses. Encrusting organisms attach to a substrate that is generally limited in area. Interactions between bionts and the host organism, and bionts and the environment, are preserved on epibiont encrusted fossils. Modern biont communities from known environments can be compared to fossil biont communities in order to determine the ancient environment experienced by that fossil. Using epibionts as a tool in paleo-environmental analyses employs the somewhat problematic idea that the present can be used as a key to the past. I suggest that …

Magnetic Susceptibility For The Paleocene-Eocene Boundary: Correlation Among Three Egyptian Sections, Kelli Willson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Image Compression And Its Effect On Data, Khaled S. Alkharabsheh

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis is intended to define and study different image compression techniques, software programs, image formats (from early ones such as “GIF” to most recent ones such as “JPEG 2000”), compression effect on compressed data (compressed images), and its effectiveness and usefulness in reducing the file size and its transmission time, as a result.

In many GeoBioPhysical applications, some information inside any image may be the keys to solve different kinds of problems and classify features. This kind of data and information has to be handled with care; i.e. it’s not allowed to be lost during the compression process. On …