Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Evidence Of Active Rifts In The Southwest United States Using Geophysical Inversion Of Seismic Data, Sergio H. Celis

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A continental rift represents a zone where the lithosphere has become thinner due to extensional forces associated with plate tectonics. Many of these rifts are still active, such as the East Africa rift, while others appear to be failed rifts. I build upon recent results of crustal structure for the southern section of the Rio Grande Rift using seismic data collected by USArray stations, and extend the analysis into the states of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana to investigate the differences between active and failed rifts in the state of Texas. I collect two geophysical data sets, including receiver …

Regional Geochemical Mapping Of The Superior Upland Province; Ichnology Of The Cretaceous Mesilla Valley Formation, Cerro De Cristo Rey; A New Ichnospecies Of Cardioichnus From The Cretaceous (Albian) Of New Mexico; A Pedagogy For The Cerro De Cristo Rey Tracksite; Walking In The Footprints Of Dino, Eric J. Kappus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This is a multi-disciplinary study that covers a variety of geoscience topics on both international borders of the continental United States. This Dissertation is the product of several separate investigations. First is a report on the landscape geochemistry of the Superior Upland Province of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with regional maps of 37 chemical elements interpreted in terms of bedrock, glacial reworking, and anthropogenic influence. The next 2 sections are reports on the invertebrate ichnology of the Cretaceous Mesilla Valley Formation at Cerro de Cristo Rey, including the proposal of a new ichnospecies of echinoid resting trace, Cardioichnus biloba nov. …

Geophysical Constraints On The Hueco And Mesilla Bolsons: Structure And Geometry, Victor Manuel Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Hueco and Mesilla Bolsons are part of the intramountain basins of the Rio Grande Rift system. These bolsons are the primary source of groundwater for the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez metropolitan area and contain faults that show evidence of repeated earthquakes during the Quaternary. The region is also associated with has low-level (M<4) seismicity. The collection and analysis of precision gravity data, coupled with information from water wells, multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) studies and previously published seismic reflection lines, have been used to examine the structure and faulting within these bolson. This study reveals that the Hueco and Mesilla Bolsons are very different structurally. The southern Mesilla Bolson contains about 500 m of sediment. Faults are difficult to trace and have less than 50-100 m of displacement across them. The southernmost bolson contains numerous Tertiary intrusions and the thickness of Cretaceous bedrock appears to decrease from south to north, possibly delineating the edge of Laramide age deformation within the bolson. The northern Hueco Bolson contains 1800 to 2500 m of basin fill. Displacement along the East Franklin Mountains fault (EFMF), a fault with evidence for repeated earthquakes within the past 64,000 years, is about 1500 m, and displacement on intrabasin faults is 200-300 m. Several intrabasin faults appear to control the saline to freshwater contact within the bolson. The EFMF may extend over 30 km south of the end of its mapped trace at the end of the Franklin Mountains and a number of intrabasin faults also extend south into the urbanized regions of the study area. The EFMF and other basin structures appear to be offset or disrupted at the speculated edge of Laramide deformation that lies beneath the bolson. Horizontal Gradient Methods (HGM) were applied to the gravity data and were successful for tracing faults and older Laramide features within the Hueco Bolson beneath the urbanized regions of the cities. HGM were not as successful at tracing faults within the Mesilla Bolson, however they were helpful for tracing the subsurface extent of igneous intrusions including the Mt. Cristo Rey, River, Three Sisters, and the Westerner outcrops. Some of these features appear linked at depth by a series of dikes and faults. MASW data were used to determine the average shear wave velocity in the upper 30m (Vs 30) at ~70 sites within the Hueco Bolson. These observations were combined with similar data collected previously in Juarez to produce regional velocity and site classification maps. The results show low velocities are found close to the river within fluvial deposits with higher velocities close to the Franklin Mountains where bedrock is close to the surface and higher velocities in upland regions of northeast El Paso were soils appear to be more highly cemented. These data will be used in conjunction with information on bolson geometries to model the expected effects of strong ground motion from earthquakes in the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region.

Investigation Of Lunar Subsurface Cavities Using Thermal Inertia And Temperature Maximum To Minimum Ratios, Rachel Ann Slank

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies have revealed a small number of subsurface cavities, including lava tubes, as well as skylights, lava flow pits, and impact melt pits on the Moon. The interiors of subsurface cavities would have been protected from micrometeorite bombardment, solar radiation, space weathering, and extreme diurnal temperature swings over long periods of geologic time. As a result, subsurface cavities can provide access to pristine crustal samples and stratigraphy. These cavities may also harbor important volatiles, such as water ice, that would enable future exploration missions by relieving many operational constraints, including the supply of propellants and life support. In addition, …

Seismic Modeling, Rock Physics, Avo And Seismic Attribute Analysis For Illuminating Sandstone Facies Of The Late Ordovic Ian Mamuniyat Reservoir, R-Field, Murzuq Basin-Libya, Yousf Milad Abushalah

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Late Ordovician Mamuniyat Formation is the main hydrocarbon reservoir in the R-Field in Murzuq Basin, SW Libya. The Lower Mamuniyat, which is the only unit that was encountered in the study area, is composed of sandstone facies called Clean Mamuniyat and shaly sandstone facies called Dirty Mamuniyat. One major problem with the development of the R-Field is the difficulty of distinguishing the two units so this project was aimed to develop better methods for distinguishing between the two units of the Lower Mamuniyat. The other problem is to distinguish the transgressive shaly facies of the Bir Tlacsin, which has …

Geochemical Signatures As A Chemostratigraphic Tool To Correlate Stacked Carbonates Of The Glorieta, Victorio Peak, Cutoff, And Upper San Andres Formations West Dog Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, Eric Bergersen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For oil exploration, stratigraphic correlation of formations over distance and across structural complications is essential. I tested if an established method – carbon and oxygen isotope composition of carbonates (δ 18Ocarbonate, δ13Ccarbonate) and a new chemostratigraphic tool – sulfur isotope composition of Carbonate Associated Sulfate (δ34SCAS) can aid in the correlation of rock packages belonging to multiple stacked carbonate horizons from a carbonate platform.

In my study area, located in the Brokeoff Mountains, north of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the δ18Ocarbonate, δ 13Ccarbonate and δ34SCAS scatter strongly within single beds of the Leonardian-aged Victorio Peak Formation. In stratigraphic order, …

Reconstructing Late Pleistocene And Holocene Paleoenvironments Using Playa-Lunette System Sediments Within The Harney Basin Of Southeastern Oregon, Usa, Joe Collins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Paleoenvironmental investigations of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Harney Basin of eastern Oregon have been limited to date. This Dissertation investigates and links the stratigraphy of Rimrock Draw Rockshelter (35HA3855) (RDR) and two surrounding playas, Rimrock Lake and Hay Lake, located on the western margin of the Harney Basin, in order to identify paleoenvironmental shifts during the last ~20 kyr. An emphasis also is given to demonstrating the potential for playas in the Harney Basin to record changes in paleoclimate, as well as the application of multivariate statistics to interpret paleoenvironments from sedimentary grain size data. Stratigraphy …

Geology And Mineralization Controls Surrounding The Palmarejo Mining District - A Compilation Of Remote And Hands On Exploration Techniques, Castulo Molina Sotelo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Exploration is the base of the mining industry, and it is often taken as synonymous with "finding a mine". In reality it is a more complex process; where the selection, evaluation, screening and testing of successively smaller areas lead to the discovery of an economic deposit. Once the deposit is found, the economic factors become more important than the geological ones, and then the exploration becomes a tool to give sustainability to the mining operation through time.

The silver and gold deposits of the world-class Palmarejo District are typical, intermediate sulfidation- style epithermal, precious metal occurrences, hosted in Cretaceous- to …

A Geophysical Investigation At The Potrillo Maar, Manuel Moncada Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Potrillo Volcanic Field (PVF) is a unique geological site located in Doña Ana County the southernmost part of New Mexico, and part of northern part of Chihuahua, Mexico. The main feature of the southern PVF is Potrillo Maar. This maar-volcano straddles the international boundary between United States and Mexico and lies within the southern part of the Rio Grande Rift. The Potrillo Maar was formed about 20,000 years ago in three major events that formed basalt lava flows and ejecta deposits that consist of crustal and mantle xenoliths.

The purpose of this Thesis is to determine the area of …

Application Of Uranium And Strontium Isotopes As Salinity And Paleo-Environmental Conditions Tracers:Insight From The Rio Grande River And Pedogenic Carbonates In Drylands Soils Of Southwest, Usa., Syprose Nyachoti

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

South New Mexico and west Texas regions of the northern Chihuahua Desert are characteristic of low annual rainfall and high potential evapotranspiration rates. Soils in these arid and semi-arid regions are abundant of pedogenic carbonates of various stages of development. Both surface and ground water resource in the area have high salt content; the Rio Grande river, which flows through the region is known for its high salinity downstream. Due to increasing population in cities of the region thus high food demand, irrigation activities along the river valley have enhanced crop productivity. High evapotranspiration rates and intense saline flood irrigation …

Insights Into Volcanic Processes Using Seismic Data Techniques, Ezer Patlan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

We present in this study numbers of technique to understand the volcanic processes using seismology. The types of techniques we used are earthquake location (double difference travel-time, cross-correlation tremor technique, and time reversal), stresses (b-values, focal mechanism), and tomography imagery (ambient noise tomography). The areas of study we focus on are in two different tectonic settings. The East Africa Rift System at Kenya, studying four volcanoes: Menengai Caldera, Silali, Paka, and Korosi volcanoes. The other area of study is located in a subduction zone in Central America, Salvador at San Miguel volcano.

In this study we aim to calculate accurate …

Reconstructing Dinosaur Foot Tracks And Identifying New Footprints Using Structure From Motion Photogrammetry, Valeria V. Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of 3-D Structure from Motion models to study fossils is a relatively new technique that has an advantage over traditional field methods, such as plaster casts or collecting samples, because it is non-destructive and can be easily shared with a wide audience. It is also ideal for use with persons with disabilities because it does not require field access and it can be manipulated for optimum computer viewing or printed with a 3-D printer for tactile examination as needed. Our study focused on a known site in Cristo Rey, New Mexico where Cretaceous Iguanadon and Ankylosaur footprints have …

Controls On Carbonate Sedimentation And Sequence Stratigraphic Framework Of The Lower Permian (Wolfcampian) Hueco Formation (Upper-Middle And Gastropod Intervals), Robledo Shelf, Western Orogrande Basin, New Mexico, Matthew S. Harder

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

On the western margin of the Pennsylvanian/Permian Orogrande Basin, two composite measured sections in the Lower Permian upper interval of the Middle Member of the Hueco Limestone were analyzed in regards to depositional environment, facies and sequence stratigraphy. This can elucidate where potential unconventional reservoirs can be found in the Wolfcamp Shale of the Permian Basin. Based on these analyses, 12 lithofacies were identified, including 9 carbonate lithofacies: 1) fenestral dolomudstone, 2) peloidal dolomudstone, 3) ostracode foraminifera packstone, 4) foraminifera peloidal grainstone, 5) skeletal intraclast grainstone, 6) phylloid algal peloidal grainstone, 7) echinoderm phylloid algal packstone, 8) echinoderm bivalve brachiopod …

The Origin Of Anomalous Carbonate Units Outcropping At The Salt Sediment Interface Of The Southern End Of Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Paradox Basin, Colorado, Allison M. Mast

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding structural, stratigraphic, and petrographic complexities at the salt-sediment interface of diapirs has important implications in accurately assessing hydrocarbon reservoir quality and near-diapir trap geometries, and may aid in more accurate predictions for locating the true margin of salt in diapiric layered evaporites. The southwest margin of the exhumed Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Paradox Basin, southwest Colorado, provides a rare view of this interface where onlapping and overlapping wedges of Late Permian and Jurassic halokinetic sequences overlie an angular unconformity truncating near-vertical, highly deformed carbonate beds formerly mapped as Pennsylvanian Honaker Trail Formation. This study investigates three possible alternative origins …

Sedimentologic And Stratigraphic Analysis Of Synrift Siliciclastic Fluvial And Lacustrine Strata In The Lower Cretaceous Upper Yucca Formation, Indio Mountains, West Texas, Matthew Robert Fox

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Outcrops of the upper Yucca Formation in the Indio Mountains near Van Horn, Texas provide temporal, tectonic, and climatic similarities to Lower Cretaceous, synrift, greenhouse pre-salt lacustrine strata along in the subsurface of the South Atlantic margin. These "pre-salt" strata hold prolific petroleum reservoirs but despite extensive seismic studies performed for regional scale hydrocarbon exploration in these lacustrine reservoirs, sedimentologic and stratigraphic analyses have rarely been published. The Upper Yucca Formation in the Indio Mountains contain lacustrine reservoir analogs that intertongue with fluvial and deltaic sandstones. Near Squaw Canyon, fluvial-deltaic sandstones are reduced in abundance to lacustrine carbonates by nearly …

Salt Tectonic Controls On Facies And Sequence Stratigraphy Of The Triassic Chinle Formation, Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Colorado, Elizabeth Heness

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on mapping the facies geometry and depositional sequences of the Chinle Formation adjacent to the Gypsum Valley Salt Wall (GVSW). Interactions between salt tectonics and fluvial systems can affect sediment distribution. The upper Triassic Chinle Formation was deposited across the western U.S. in an intra-cratonic, fluvial environment. Throughout the Paradox Basin in Utah and Colorado, deformation associated with rising salt anticlines and subsiding minibasins coincided with Chinle deposition. In most areas, only small and isolated remnant Chinle outcrops actually expose the contact between Chinle sediments and the salt diapir. In Gypsum Valley three study areas were mapped …

Structural And Stratigraphic Development Of A Salt Diapir Shoulder, Gypsum Valley, Colorado, Joshua Coleman Mcfarland

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A salt shoulder is a low-angle segment of the salt-sediment interface where the margin of a passive diapir steps abruptly inboard. The Late Triassic Chinle Formation overlies caprock on the northeastern margin of Gypsum Valley (GV) at the salt-sediment interface in the natural amphitheater of Bridge Canyon. Modern erosion of the Dolores River has created 3D outcrop of the salt shoulder, expressed by a 500 meter wide, sub-horizontal platform that dips abruptly into the subsurface to the northeast toward the Dry Creek minibasin. Within Bridge Canyon, seven facies associations have been recognized and interpreted within the Chinle Formation: 1) non-caprock …

Quantifying A Mining Investability Quotient To Mitigate Junior Mining Investment Risk, Jonathan Mickey Merguerian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Uncertainty and risk are inherent features of investing in mineral exploration ventures. Investors rely on qualitative and quantitative analysis to evaluate risk of capital. The distinction between risk and uncertainty pertaining to mineral exploration is that risk is an opportunity for loss and uncertainty can be described as the range of probabilities that some condition may occur (Rose, 1987). Stakeholders rely on a combination of investment conferences, risk analysis equations, press releases, financial reports, and investment research to determine if an investment potential. J. M. Cozzolini developed a formula for Risk Adjusted Value (RAV) of an exploration venture. The study …

An Integrated Geophysical Survey Of Kilbourne Hole, Southern New Mexico: Implications For Near Surface Exploration Of Mars And The Moon, Nisa Maksim

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Features such as the Home Plate plateau on Mars, a suspected remnant of an ancient phreatomagmatic eruption, can reveal important information about paleohydrologic conditions. The eruption intensity of a phreatomagmatic volcano is controlled mainly by the quantity of water and magma, the internal geometry of the volcano, and the depth of the interaction zone between magma and water. In order to understand the paleohydrologic conditions at the time of eruption, we must understand all the factors that influenced the phreatomagmatic event. I conducted an integrated geophysical survey, which are magnetic and gravity surveys, and a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys at …

Uranium-Series And Strontium Isotope Ratios In Soils From Basse-Terre Island, French Guadeloupe: Insights For Rapid Soil Formation And Impact Of Dust In A Tropical Volcanic Setting, Yvette Pereyra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chemical weathering of silicate rocks generates soils that contain mineral nutrients, sustain ecosystems, modify water chemistry in the hydrosphere, and regulate the global carbon cycle. Understanding the timescales of soil formation and sources of soil mineral nutrients has great implications for securing the future of agriculture and food production. However, few tools are currently available to directly quantify the rates of chemical weathering and timescales of soil formation. Uranium-series isotopes fractionate during chemical weathering and the activity ratios of (234U/238U), (230Th/238U), (238U/232Th) and (230Th/232Th) have great potential to constrain the rates and timescales of chemical weathering and soil formation in …

Geology, Geochemistry, And 3d Geological Modelling Of The Independencia - Los Bancos Ag-Au Epithermal Vein Systems In The Palmarejo District, Chihuahua, Mexico, Arturo Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) is a Cretaceous-Tertiary silicic ignimbrite province in northwestern Mexico. It is the result of tectonic and magmatic events produced by the subduction of the Farallon plate under North America (80-40 Ma) and the opening of the Gulf of California (14-12 Ma), thus forming the SMO metallogenic provinces. The Late Eocene to Oligocene was a major period of metallic mineralization hosting various deposit types, principally Ag-Au (±Pb-Zn-Cu) epithermal veins, which have been economically significant.

The study area lies in the Palmarejo district, operated by Coeur Mining Inc., which was the worldâ??s fifth largest silver producer in …

Tectonostratigraphic Evolution Of A Suprasalt Minibasin, Oligocene - Miocene Western Slope Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Felix Alan Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The petroleum industry has focused Gulf of Mexico exploration efforts on salt-related geologic provinces in search of major hydrocarbon accumulations. This work has led to recognition of the influence that salt tectonics has had on play elements of the petroleum system in the producing salt basins. In particular, the complex depositional patterns of the reservoir rocks controlled by shifting depocenters resulting from the accommodation space generated by salt withdrawal from minibasins.

The focus of this research is to understand the structural and stratigraphic components that controlled the evolution of an Oligocene - Miocene suprasalt minibasin located in the upper continental …

National Evaluation For Development And Exploration Potential Of Mineral Commodities In Produced Waters, Stephanie Ray

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. Geological Survey recently updated a geochemical database consisting of data for approximately 160,000 produced waters samples, primarily from petroleum and geothermal reservoirs. Using major and trace elements from conventional and unconventional well types from the database, this Thesis provides a comprehensive, national evaluation for mineral commodity potential in produced waters. Produced waters contain virtually every naturally occurring element and can range in salinity to several times that of seawater. Despite the typical outlook to view produced waters as a waste, they have potential for natural resource development.

This Thesis provides, for each mineral commodity found in the produced …

3-D Structure Of Colombia From 1-D Constrained Joint Inversion Of Receiver Functions And Surface Wave Dispersion, Nick Talavera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The country, Colombia, resides at the northwest corner of the South America with seismicity and volcanism due to the intersections of the Nazca, South America and Caribbean tectonic plates (Figure 1). The boundaries of the South America plate, on which Colombia lies, borders between 60 to 200 kilometers from its coasts. A dense spot of seismicity known as the Bucaramanga Nest has had many theories to explain its existence. Two tectonic microplates suspected in this region have not been well understood. With many mysteries of the behavior of the tectonic plates beneath Colombia, using new methods may shed light on …