Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Identification Of An Unknown Meteorite Found In North Africa, Carroll C. Rigler

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Co2 Injection Into A Deep Saline Aquifer: Porosity Measurements, Numerical Modeling, And Costs Associated With Uncertainty Of Petrophysical Parameters, Michael John Gragg

Masters Theses

Anthropogenic levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO₂) have increased rapidly over the last several decades and coincide with rising temperatures globally. One possible solution is to capture CO₂ before it is released into the atmosphere by large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants. Once captured, the CO₂ can be condensed and transported to a storage facility. Of the available options for storage of condensed CO₂, geologic sequestration in deep saline aquifers is considered the most viable option.

Porosity measurements were obtained for nearly 100 core samples of the Knox …

Azimuthal Seismic First-Arrival Tomography As A Proxy For Hydraulically Conductive Subsurface Fracture Networks, Matthew Brooks Edmunds

Masters Theses

The Oak Ridge Field Research Center (ORFRC) was established by the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, TN, in order to study the various biogeochemical processes involved in the remediation as well as natural attenuation of a large contaminant plume that is extant in the vicinity of the ORIFRC. A part of this work has been to characterize the movement of this groundwater/contaminant plume with the use of azimuthal seismic first-arrival tomography (ASFT).

Within the general area of the ORIFRC, a 0-2 m layer of generally isotropic anthropogenic fill and unconsolidated soil …

Contextualizing The Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site (40wg59): Understanding Landscape Change At An Upland South Farmstead., Daniel Whitaker Howard Brock

Masters Theses

This thesis focuses on a contextual archaeological approach to investigate the historic landscape of the Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site. Tipton-Haynes is a late eighteenth- through twentieth-century upland south farmstead located in Johnson City, TN. Home to two prominent Tennessee families and occupied until acquired by the state in the 1960s, the site has experienced many alterations to the landscape over time. The analysis presented views the landscape as material culture investigated through a multidisciplinary approach including historic research, architectural survey, geophysical survey, dendrochronology, and archaeology. To make sense of the complex nature of the Tipton-Haynes site, multiple methods were used …

Testing A Novel Technique To Improve Aluminum-26 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Measurements For Earth Science Applications, Meghan Sarah Janzen

Masters Theses

The measurement of cosmogenic ²⁶Al [aluminum-26] in geological samples by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is typically conducted on Al₂O₃ [aluminum oxide] targets. However, Al₂O₃ is not an ideal source material because it does not form a prolific beam of Al^- [negative atomic aluminum ions] required for measuring low-levels of ²⁶Al. This thesis presents the performance of AlN [aluminum nitride], AlF₃ [aluminum fluoride] and mixed AlN + Al₂O₃ as novel alternative source materials for the analysis of ²⁶Al. A negative ion cesium sputtering source at the Holifield …

Formation And Alteration Of Basaltic Soils On Mars, Ian Oliver Mcglynn

Doctoral Dissertations

The current surface of Mars is an arid inhospitable environment, dominated by aeolian processes, composed of largely volcanic rocks that have little apparent indication of pervasive aqueous chemical weathering, and blanketed by dust. Rocks are composed of basalts and the “soil” sediments appear to be largely basaltic-derived, and are chemically similar on a global scale. If the climate was once warmer and wetter during the Noachian period, with environmental conditions favorable to the development of life, physically weathered remnants, such as large quantities of phyllosilicate minerals, should remain. Basaltic soils provide a crucial constraint on chemical and physical weathering processes, …

Investigating The Evolution Of Two Southern Appalachian Terrane Boundaries And A Plutonic Complex: Tectonic Implications Of Structural, Geochemical, And Geochronologic Studies In The Central Georgia Inner Piedmont, Christopher William Howard

Masters Theses

Detailed geologic mapping in the central Georgia Inner Piedmont has revealed a plutonic complex in the Cat Square terrane (CST) between the Brindle Creek and Towaliga faults ~80 km SE of Atlanta. The complex has an area ~235 km² and is composed of two distinct mappable granitoids. The High Falls Granite (HFG) is a Siluro-Devonian (424-380 Ma) porphyritic granite with characteristic blocky microcline megacrysts. The Indian Springs Granite (ISG, 313-299 Ma) has an equigranular, fine- to medium-grained texture. Some foliation in the HFG is concordant with regional trends, but a relict magmatic or secondary tectonic foliation was also observed …

Studies Of Regolithic Vestan Samples: Brecciated Eucrites And Howardites, Sheryl A. Singerling

Masters Theses

Brecciated eucrites and howardites represent samples of the regolith of asteroid 4 Vesta. As such, they are a valuable source of data for understanding the products of surface alteration. Two different processes are investigated here: impact mixing of comminuted rocks to produce regolith samples, and formation of glasses in the regolith.

Chapter 1 describes four newly discovered eucrite breccias: three presumably paired meteorites, all named NWA 6105, and NWA 6106. For each meteorite, major- and minor-element compositions of minerals were determined using the electron microprobe. Pyroxene Fe-Mn co-variations and bulk-rock oxygen isotope compositions confirm their classification as eucrites. Variations in …

Structural Control Of Fluvial Network Morphology On Titan, Sarah Alice Drummond

Masters Theses

Titan fluvial networks have been classed based on identification of network pattern morphology. Drainage network patterns have specific geologic implications, as the pattern is affected by regional slope, structures, and bedrock resistance. Qualitative identification of network patterns has resulted in a lack of consistent classifications for networks. In this work, a global map of fluvial features on Titan is presented with features delineated based on their appearance in Cassini Titan Radar Mapper synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The networks imaged by the Huygens Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) are also included in this work. Networks were classified using a quantitative terrestrial …

Characterization Of Wetting Front Geometry And Fluid Migration In The Vadose Zone Using Surface Time-Lapse Seismic First-Arrival Tomography, Rachel Elizabeth Storniolo

Masters Theses

Characterizing and quantifying vadose zone parameters and processes are critical for assessing environmental, agricultural, and engineering problems. The shallow subsurface is essential to the geologic and hydrologic cycles because it supports agriculture and ecosystems, influences water resources, and acts as a repository for contaminants. Fluid migration in the vadose zone is dependent on a number of soil characteristics (e.g. soil type and saturation). Quantifying parameters is often the primary goal of hydrological fluid-flow investigations; however, the values calculated can be misrepresentative of the subsurface due to anisotropic features. Hydraulic conductivity (K), the most common quantitative parameter used to describe fluid …

Mussel Survivorship, Growth Rate And Shell Decay Rate In The New River Basin Of Tennessee: An Experimental Approach Using Corbicula Fluminea, Grant Andrew Mincy

Masters Theses

The New River Basin (NRB) of Tennessee is home to a number of rare endemic aquatic communities. One such community of particular importance to the area, experiencing a precipitous population decline due to the fouling and pollution of their freshwater systems, is that of freshwater mussels (Bogan 2006). This study in the NRB involves measuring the mortality rates of live Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea) assemblages and the shell decay rates of their death assemblages. This study also examines the decay rates of the native Villosa iris to gather information on molluscan health and the ability of their shells …

Characterizing Phyllosilicate Distribution, Abundance, And Origin On Mars, Christina Elizabeth Viviano

Doctoral Dissertations

Secondary phyllosilicates are hydrated minerals formed in the presence of liquid water. On Earth, their formation is often indicative of a neutral, water-rich environment, capable of supporting and preserving organic matter. Different phyllosilicate species may be produced in different pH levels and water-to-rock ratios. The identification of mineralogically diverse phyllosilicates in small, localized exposures on Mars provides a complex record of their formation processes. While discrete outcrops of phyllosilicates have been previously identified in high-resolution visible/near-infrared images of Mars, regional coverage of these phyllosilicate-rich areas at better resolution is limited. Furthermore, spectra of minerals in this wavelength range do not …

Dome Formation During Crustal Extension In The Himalaya: Kinematic And Pressure-Temperature-Time-Deformation Constraints On Extensional Exhumation Along The Southern Margin Of The Tibetan Plateau, Jackie M. Langille

Doctoral Dissertations

The Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau were built by a combination of south-directed thrusting, north-directed extension, and generally east-west-directed extension within the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau all to accommodate convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates that began in the Eocene. Normal-sense shear zones that accommodate roughly east-west-directed extension across the southern margin of the Himalaya have exhumed young metamorphic domes across the Himalayan front. These metamorphic domes contain high-grade metamorphic rocks bound by normal-sense shear zones. The purpose of this study is to evaluate how these normal-sense shear zones develop and how they exhume metamorphic domes, which remains poorly understood …

From The Mantle To The Moon: Studies Of Kimberlitic Ilmenites, Meteorite Fusion-Crusts, And The Moscoviense Basin On The Moon, Kevin Glenn Thaisen

Doctoral Dissertations

I have explored a variety of geologic problems in the course of the chapters contained within this dissertation. These include a study relating to the fusion crusts on meteorites, an impact basin of the Moon, and Siberian kimberlitic ilmenites. The first chapter explores two assumptions commonly employed in meteorite analysis; that fusion crust compositions represent the bulk-rock chemistry of the entire meteorite and that the vesicles within the fusion crust result from the release of implanted solar-wind volatiles. Neither of these assumptions was found to hold true in that study. The second chapter explores the unusual nature of the Moscoviense …

Spatial Discrepancies Between Nhdplus And Lidar-Derived Stream Networks, Nicole Marie Samu

Masters Theses

Many organizations demand that current water resource issues necessitate improved stream network mapping for more accurate and reliable watershed analysis and modeling results, which can ultimately enable better management and policy decisions. Stream network data from the National Hydrography Dataset Plus (NHDPlus) and derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) are each widely accepted to be of superior quality compared to many other conventional datasets. Each dataset indicates potential to improve a wide range of water resource applications; NHDPlus for its high spatial accuracy and functionality, and LIDAR-derived networks for their high resolutions. NHDPlus is publicly available and widely used; …

Composted Biosolids As A Soil Cover On Steep Slopes, Justin Lee Fisher

Masters Theses

Municipal sewage disposal and soil erosion control from highly disturbed sites are both large scale issues of environmental concern. Composted biosolids (CBS) and shredded wood have the potential to be applied as soil cover to address both disposal and erosion issues. There is a lack of information on the use of these products on steep slopes, typical of construction sites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of CBS for reducing erosion and establishing vegetation on a cherty, slightly compacted, Fullerton Series sub-soil embankment, with an average slope of 46.5 percent. The study was conducted at the …

An Evaluation Of The History Of Aqueous Activity On Mars Through A Survey Of Select Hypothesized Martian Deltas And Paleolakes Via The Analysis Of Mineralogy, Morphology, And Thermophysical Properties, Andrea C.G. Hughes

Masters Theses

Aqueous deposits are an essential key to understanding the geologic/climatic history of water on Mars. The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), and Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) have enabled studies of Martian fan deposits in unprecedented detail, including the identification of hydrated minerals (such as phyllosilicates, carbonates, and sulfates) and morphologies consistent with formation in an aqueous environment associated with Martian sedimentary deposits. In this study, twenty-six previously identified fan-shaped deposits (hypothesized as possible deltas) have been examined for hydrated minerals in the beds and distal regions of the deposits. Six deposits …

Utk Geography Newsletter 12 (2011-2012), Department Of Geography

UTK Geography Newsletter

No abstract provided.