Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Three-Dimensional, Collaborative Detection Approach For Fire Zones In Shallowly Buried Coal Seams And Its Application, Fan Kaixiang, Hu Xiangming, Hong Haibo, Dong Hao, Yu Shijian, Wei Zhengrong, Guo Yongxiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Fire zones in shallowly buried coal seams have long restricted safe and efficient coal mining due to their considerably hidden and hazardous nature. However, individual methods for fire source detection are susceptible to geological conditions and ambient noise, suffering from limited detection dimensions and the presence of technical blind spots. Therefore, they fail to accurately localize hidden fire sources in shallow coal seams. Methods This study proposes a three-dimensional, collaborative multi-source detection approach that combines the self-potential (SP) method, the radon measurement (Rn) method, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT; also referred to as high-density resistivity method), and the transient electromagnetic …

Design Of An Intelligent Failure Diagnosis And Early Warning System For Tunnel Drilling Rigs In Coal Mines, Song Haitao, Zhang Naiwen, Han Jian, Wu Min

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective In coal mines, harsh environments and complex geological conditions underground lead to frequent failures of tunnel drilling rigs. However, conventional techniques for failure diagnosis and early warning suffer from limitations in diagnostic accuracy, real-time performance, and interpretability. Therefore, these techniques are insufficient for both the rapid identification of the anomalous status of tunnel drilling rigs and the early warning of their potential failures. Methods Considering the complex underground environments in coal mines, this study developed an intelligent failure diagnosis and early warning system for tunnel drilling rigs in coal mines, placing a particular emphasis on key technologies for failure …

A Method For Optimizing The Digital Twin Model Of The Mechanical-Electro-Hydraulic System Of Cantilever Tunnel Boring Machines, Wang Yan, Jia Zeyu, Zhao Yihui, Wei Shirui, Zhang Xuhui, Zhao Youjun, Han Xiao

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective Cantilever roadheaders represent roadway tunnelling equipment that integrates the deep coupling of mechanical, electrical, and hydraulic systems, and their control accuracy directly determines the forming quality of roadways.Methods Cantilever roadheaders involve nonlinear mechanical motion, hydraulic control, and cutting load, rendering it challenging to establish accurate control models. Using the philosophy of digital twin modeling, this study developed a method for optimizing the digital twin model of the mechanical-electro-hydraulic system of cantilever roadheaders based on virtual-physical consistency evaluation. Specifically, a digital twin model of the mechanical-electro-hydraulic system was developed using multi-domain co-simulation between AMESim and Simulink. This model allows …

Minerals Rock!: Improving Audience Engagement And Interest In Stem Through Enhancement Of The In-Person And Online Mineral Collection At Ursinus College, Juliette Lyons

Environment and Sustainability Summer Fellows

Museums are a vital source of educational resources for the general public. They provide information on a variety of topics and disciplines and encourage visitors to be excited about and engaged in learning something new. As we work to comprehend key topics such as climate change, it is especially important for the broader public to better understand science, including geology. While the geological collection at Ursinus, Pieces of Earth’s History, is not in a museum, implementing methods that museums use can improve the reception of the collection. Through the application of research gathered through articles, journals, books, and talking with …

Global Performance Of Remote Sensing-Based And Reanalysis-Driven Models To Estimate Open Water Evaporation, Júlia Brusso Rossi, Ayan Santos Fleischmann, Leonardo Laipelt, Bruno Comini De Andrade, Joshua B. Fisher, Justin L. Huntington, Christopher Pearson, R. Iestyn Woolway, Roseilson Vale, Júlio Tota, Gabriel B. Senay, Huilin Gao, Anderson Ruhoff

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Evaporation plays an essential role in the water cycle, influencing local and regional climates while directly impacting water availability in lakes. However, directly measuring evaporation over water bodies remains challenging due to the high costs of installing and maintaining the required in situ instrumentation. Although several remote sensing algorithms have been providing evaporation estimates, the lack of a global validation hinders our understanding of their relative uncertainties and performances across different regions. Here, we analyze the performance of a suite of models that leverage satellite data and meteorological reanalysis to estimate evaporation over lakes worldwide. We compare 3 remote sensing‐based …

Career: New Insights Into The Ancient Carbon Cycle From Siliceous Deep-Sea Sediments, Donald Penman

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Integrated Edge Detection Of Gravity Data And Seismicity Approach For Mapping Potential Faults In The Bolu Region, Hazel Deni̇z Toktay, Burçi̇n Di̇dem Tamtaş

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Bolu region, situated along the western–central segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), is characterized by a complex fault architecture in which multiple overlapping strike-slip segments and associated subsurface structures accommodate active crustal deformation. Although the principal fault strands of the NAFZ have been well mapped, several clusters of seismicity are observed in areas without clear surface fault expression, indicating the presence of subsurface or poorly expressed fault zones. In this study, we integrated edge detection methods with a seismicity approach to delineate active and buried structural features across the Bolu region. Bouguer gravity anomalies derived from the …

Paleoseismological Study Of The Active Faults Of Northern Cyprus​​, Hasan Elmaci, Şule Gürboğa, Seli̇m Özalp, Hasret Ozan Avci, Hakan Aydoğan, Ayhan Yavuzoğlu, Ali̇ Atalay Yüce, Meryem Kara, Ahmet Rasi̇mcan Öztürker

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The tectonic framework of Northern Cyprus is presented in this study based on integrated fieldwork and paleoseismology. We identified multiple fault systems including the 214-km Dardere (Ovgos) Fault Zone (with seven segments), the Haspolat Transfer Fault, Mersinlik Fault, Yamaçköy Fault Zone, Boğazköy Fault, Alsancak Fault, and Geçitköy-Koruçam Fault Zone. Eleven paleoseismological trenches were excavated, with six yielding reliable results in terms of dating and stratigraphy. The results indicate recurrence intervals exceeding ~2500 years across different fault segments. The Dardere (Ovgos) Fault Zone shows the potential to generate earthquakes of up to Mw 7.80 with evidence of Holocene activity. The Haspolat …

The Harmancık “Purple Jade”: A Unique Blueschist-Facies Metatrachyte With Significant Geoarchaeological Value, Gülteki̇n Topuz, Aral I. Okay, Constantinos Mavrogonatos, Osman Candan, Michael Brandl, Onur Bamyaci, Serap Ala Çeli̇k, Frederik Vingaard, Warren Thompson, Peter Christian Toft, Benjamin Dominguez Heredia, Tonny Bernt Thomsen, Lasse Vilien Sørensen

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The so-called Harmancık “purple jade” from the Bursa region of northwestern Türkiye has attracted attention as a gemstone; however, its geological characteristics and provenance have long remained uncertain. This short communication presents new field observations along with mineralogical and petrological data concerning the provenance, metamorphic evolution, and geoarchaeological relevance of this unique rock type. The rock occurs as loose boulders scattered across cultivated fields in the villages of Akpınar, Kocapınar, and Gedikören, where it was previously interpreted either as part of Neogene sedimentary successions or as a high-pressure metamorphic rock affected by contact metamorphism. Our detailed mapping and field observations …

A Late Holocene (Late Bronze Age) Record Of The Syrian Elephant (Elephas Maximus Asurus) From Gavur Lake Swamp (Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye), Serdar Mayda, Yarenkür Alkan

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Syrian elephant (Elephas maximus asurus Deraniyagala, 1951) constitutes the extinct westernmost population of the Asian elephant and occupied parts of the Near East until the early first millennium BCE. Although historical, iconographic, and dental evidence for this population has been discussed extensively, its postcranial anatomy remains poorly documented. We present a revised osteological and morphometric study of cranial and postcranial remains recovered from the Late Bronze Age Gavur Lake Swamp assemblage (ca. 1650–1400 cal BCE) in Kahramanmaraş, southeastern Türkiye, during rescue excavations conducted in 2021 and 2022. The material derives from a natural swamp deposit rather than from an …

Toward The Significance Of Crevasse Orientation In Low And High Crevassed Regions On The Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, Usa, Claire A. Sturm

DePaul Discoveries

Supraglacial landforms serve as potential indicators of underlying bedrock morphology and glacier dynamics. The distribution and morphology of crevasses are closely associated with stress fields and ice-flow regimes, representing processes of stable glaciers, in contrast to their reduced occurrence in stagnant or receding ice masses. The orientation and density of crevasses influence a glacier’s ability to absorb solar energy, as they facilitate movement of meltwater down to subglacial rivers. Beyond the meltwater acting as a lubricant for basal sliding, the slope of the bedrock further impacts the local velocity and ice deformation of a glacier. The study of ice-fracturing mechanics …

A Significant Moment In The Colorado River Water Supply Crisis, Jack Schmidt, Anne Castle, John Fleck, Eric Kuhn, Kathryn Sorensen, Katherine Tara

The Traveling Wilburys of the Colorado River

On Sunday, July 12, the surface of Lake Powell was 3524.32 feet above sea level, and the surface of Lake Mead was at 1042.77 ft.7 These elevations equated to 5,505,869 and 7,169,640 acre feet (af), respectively, of live storage in the two reservoirs. The combined total live storage of these reservoirs was 12,675,509 af. The last time the combined total live storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead was this small was May 23, 1957, during construction of Glen Canyon Dam when the entire amount of 12,668,000 af was stored in Lake Mead.

Ecological Footprint Assessment, Santina Benincasa

Open Educational Resources

This handout guides students through a structured ecological footprint assessment using the online Footprint Calculator. By following a series of steps—selecting their location, entering detailed lifestyle information, and reviewing personalized results—students evaluate how many planets would be required if everyone lived with their same resource consumption patterns. The activity prompts learners to identify the largest contributors to their footprint, quantify their impact in global hectares, and explore scenario-based changes that could reduce their environmental demand. Through reflection, students consider how everyday human behaviors influence Earth’s productive capacity and resource availability. Overall, the exercise encourages critical thinking about sustainability and personal …

Compound Multi-Hazard Assessment Under Cmip6 Climate Scenarios: Tracking Seasonal Flood-Landslide And Drought-Fire Interactions Across Nepal, Kripa Shrestha, Karthik Reddy Duddukunta, Pankaj Lal, Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Mahfuzur Rahman, Neera Shrestha Pradhan

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Climate-induced hazards in mountain systems rarely occur in isolation, instead they interact through cascading and compounding pathways that single-hazard assessments fail to capture. In Nepal, extreme monsoon rainfall can trigger landslides that dam rivers and generate secondary flooding, while prolonged dry spells create drought, desiccate vegetation fuels, and elevate fire risk. Yet, most regional studies map hazards independently, providing limited insight into how compound zones emerge under climate change. We therefore, develop a seasonal multi-hazard framework that model drought, forest fire, flood, and landslide susceptibility for historical baseline (1991-2020) and future (2021-2100). Three machine learning algorithms (Explainable Boosting Machine, Random …

Experience Gained In Introducing Efficient Fodder Production In Iraq, Manfred Siebert

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Cultivation of fodder plants is one of the most important measures for increasing the agri­cultural production of Iraq. Lucerne, Egyptian clover, maize, sorghum, and barley prosper excellently on the irrigation lands. They pro­duce high fodder yields if the plants are grown on suitable soil, if there is enough irrigation water available, and if the cultivation measures are realized in best quality. Fodder production guarantees sufficient and safe supply of the increasing stocks of cattle and sheep with green fodder, hay, and silage throughout the year, and contributes to improving the fertility of the soils of Iraq which are extremely poor …

Trials On The Improvement Of Deteriorated Natural Pastures In The Sahel Of Upper Volta, Bernard Toutain

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Overstocking and the recent drought have led to a severe deterioration of some Sahelian rangelands of Upper Volta, leading to a more or less acute disappearance of grazable vege­tation. Partial protection improves pastures located on the more fertile soils. On the poorer soils, light techniques such as harrowing and superficial tillage of the soil were tried with success, but yield improvement remained slight.

Problems And Possibilities Of Continuous Forage Production In Arid Subtropical Regions, Horst Patzold

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The low animal performance and stocking rate in arid subtropical regions mainly depend on the discontinuity of forage production. In winter-raining steppes of North Africa, the cultivation or sod-seeding of adapted grasses, especially for forage production in the dry season. (summer), is recommended. For the dry savannas of West Africa with summer­raining, proposals are made for three different stages depending on the intensity of land use. They include a better use of grazing areas by transhumance, proposals for a ranching system, especially for meat production, and possibil­ities for milk production by stabling of cattle, including forage production under irrigation.

Ecqnomics Of Nitrogen Fertilization Of Native And Introduced Grasslands In The Intermountain Area Of The United States, John P. Workman

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

While numerous studies have shown that live­stock forage can be significantly increased by grassland fertilization, there is little mention in the literature of the economic considera­tions of this management practice. A Utah State University study was conducted to help alleviate this research deficiency. Forage pro­duction response of several Utah grassland sites to nitrogen fertilization was subjected to marginal economic analysis. When fertilized forage was harvested as hay, nitrogen appli­cation proved to be a profitable practice on semi-wet meadow and mountain loam sites. When valued as forage to be grazed directly by livestock, production increases due to fer­tilization were unprofitable. Significant …

Weed Control-Revegetation Systems, Raymond A. Evans, James A. Young

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Chemical weed control systems integrating 2,4-D [(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid] or picloram ( 4-amino-3,5,6-trichloropicolinic acid) spraying for brush control and atrazine[2-chloro-4-( ethylamino-6-isopropylamino )-s-tria­zine] for Bromus tectorum L. control were investigated in a series of rangeland commu­nities. Applications of both weed control tech­nique greatly enhanced seedling growth and increased yield of perennial grasses seeded the year after the fallow. Available soil moisture during the growing period of the fallow and seedling years because of decreased weed com­petition was the major factor for the better stands of perennial grass from herbicidal weed control systems.

Some Effects Of Treading By Sheep On Pastures Of The Mediterranean Climatic Zone Of South Australia, Edwards D. Carter, Thambiappah Sivalingam

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In a treading experiment on a red brown earth soil at the Waite Agricultural Research Insti­tute in South Australia, various combinations of treading intensity (0, 12.5, 25 and 50 sheep equivalents per hectare) and treading frequency (0, 7, 14 and 28 days) reduced the establish­ment and productivity of subterranean clover, annual ryegrass and a mixture of these two species. With increasing intensity of treading, soil bulk density increased under the clover swards but not under the grass and mixture swards where apparently the ryegrass provided a cush­ioning effect between hoof and soil. Soil moisture percentage decreased with increasing intensity of …

Farmer Usage Of Annual Medics In A Ley Farming Area In South Australia, Murray V. Smith

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A survey of farmers in a ley farming ( cereal­livestock) area of South Australia with natu­ralized annual medics (Medicago spp.) showed a great potential for improved usage of annual medics in their farming systems. Most effective medic users expected dominant medic pastures 6 or more years in 10, whereas less effective medic utilizers expected dominant medic pas­tures 5 or less years in 10. Nearly 50% of farm­ers had not sown any medic seed over the last 10 years. While most of these had less effective medic use there were several examples of more effective use with no or minimal medic …

Persistence Of Perennial Ryegrass Under Grazing In A Mediterranean-Type Environment Of South Australia, P R. Gibson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Pastures were continuously grazed by sheep for four years at six stocking rates on the Kan­garoo Island Research Centre, South Australia. Changes in botanical composition in a reno­vated pasture sown to Lolium perenne cv. Vic­torian and subterranean clover (Trifolium sub­terraneum) cvv. Mt. Barker and Woogenellup, are discussed in relation to the replacement of the oestrogenically-potent subterranean clo­ver cv. Yarloop. There was a consistent within-year and be­tween-year decline in the perennial ryegrass component and this was associated with con­current invasion by vigorous, exotic, annual species mainly of Mediterranean origin. The lack of persistence of the perennial ryegrass indicates little …

Optimal Combinations Off Our Large Herbivores For Short Grass Prairie, George M. Van Dyne

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Diets of four large herbivores grazing together on a shortgrass prairie rangeland were studied. Cattle and bison consumed mainly grasses; sheep and antelope consumed mainly forbs. To maximize forage use, optimal grazing deter­mined by nonlinear programming would be 67, 20, 12, and I% of the forage grazed to be taken by cattle, bison, sheep, and antelope, respectively. Historically, this range has been grazed primarily by cattle. This study suggests more animal production could be attained with a mixture of herbivore species.

Improving Production From Arid Rangelands Of The South-Western United States, Carlton H. Herbel, Robert P. Gibbens, John M. Tromble

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Three methods of several possibilities are dis­cussed for improving production from arid rangelands. Sandy lands infested with mes­quite can be improved by aerially spraying with 2,4,5-T. Natural recovery of perennial grasses,_ primarily mesa dropseed, following spraying resulted in 204 kg/ha herbage compared to 33 kg/ha on the adjacent unsprayed area. An area infested with creosotebush was root-plowed and seeded. Herbage production in 1975 was 1,631 kg/ha, primarily Lehmann and Boer lovegrass. Cattle production was increased by cross­breeding Herefords with either Brangus or Santa Gertrudis. The weaning weights of Santa Gertrudis calves were heavier than calves from the other two breeds, …

Management Of Ephemeral Ranges In The Western United States, Kay W. Wilkes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In using ephemeral range procedures, several aspects have come into focus:

(1) We have found that completion of our intricate multiple-use planning procedures gives us a much clearer picture of the many desert resource values and conflicts and the effects of "just letting the livestock go when the feed comes."

(2) There are a number of problems in taking sound ecological data and attempting to fit it in with other management needs in an allotment management plan, for example, off-road vehicle use on the desert, wild burros, and desert wildlife.

(3) We lack adequate information on the ephemeral and ephemeral-perennial …

Aid To Rangeland Management. Mechanical Type Conversion Of Woodland Areas, William Gordon Leavell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Efficient land utilization is essential to meet the growing requirements of an expanding population. The large low-producing pinyon­juniper woodland of the United States offers potential for increased production to meet additional livestock, wildlife, and watershed needs. Through a multiple-use planning pro­cess which determines areas suitable for in­creasing production by mechanical conversion of vegetative types and an environmental anal­ysis procedure which determines the benefits and adverse impacts of such actions, decisions can be made to undertake treatment in an environmentally acceptable manner. The Bureau of Land Management has me­chanically converted over 200,000 hectares of pinyon-juniper to a more diversified and pro­ductive …

Grassland Site Types Of The North Mongolian Forest Steppe Zone And Possibilities Of Intensification, K Kloss, M Succow

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Five grassland site types are distinguished: Chestnut soils are covered with natural forb or grass steppes producing 0.1 to 1.0 t DM/ha at less than 300 mm annual precipitation. They should be exclusively used for winter grazing. At higher precipitations, these soils will tum into permafrost soils. They bear mountain herbage vegetation as forest substitute asso­ciations. Productivity amounts to 4 t/ha. Mow­ing and/or grazing are possible. Fertilization seems to be profitable. Between grass steppes and mountain herbage lands we find extended meadow steppes located on shallow chemo­zems. Old, intensively grazed pastures in the lowlands have become depleted in nutrients. Nitrogen …

A Study Of The Improvement Of Dry-Land Ranges Developed Under The Ecological Conditions Of Erzurum (Eastern Anatolia), F Tosun, I Manga, M Altin, Y Serin

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The study described in the paper was con­ducted to determine a suitable range improve­ment method under dry conditions in Erzurum, Turkey. Four treatments, i.e. control, broad­casting, and two artificial pasture establish­ments, were applied in the experiment, and the following results were obtained:

(a) Absence of good seedbeed preparation, and the occurrence of heavy competition from the native vegetation resulted in the failure of broadcasting. The additional profit for this treatment over control was negative.

(b) Artificial pasture establishment was the most successful method due to good seed­bed preparation and elimination of the competition coming from the native vege­tation.

(c) About …

Establishment And Permanent Use Of Cultivated Pastures In The Foothill Regions Of Turkmenia, S Ya Prikhodko, N D. Prikhodko

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The results of long-term experiments are re­ported. The following promising plant species were chosen for pasture establishment: Hal­oxylon persicum, H. aphyllum, Salsala paletz­kiana, S. richteri, Aellenia subaphylla, Artemisia badhysi, Kochia prostrata. These species of different forms of life were sown in mixture. Under conditions of cultivation, a great part of the plant species reached the generative stage in the 1st or 2nd years of life. At the age of 3 to 5 years, the shrubs reached a height of 160 to 400 cm, the semi-shrubs a height of 45 to 75 cm. The forage yield was 1.5 to 4.5 t/ha, …

Improvement Of Solonetz Soils In Kazakhstan For The Cultivation Of Grassland Plants, K A. Baitkanov

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Extensive areas of Kazakhstan require various improvement measures aiming at the develop­ment of solonetz soils for the cultivation of grassland plants. Forage and meadow plants such as barley (Hordeum), melilot (Melilotus), mixtures containing melilot and wheat grass (Agropyron), as well as mixtures mainly com­posed of grasses, i.e. wheat grass and smooth brome grass (Bromus inermis), proved highly salt-tolerant. Representatives of pasture plants such as Russian wild rye (Elymus) and grass mixtures ensure satisfactory yields on all kinds of solonetz soils having different degrees of salinity and alkalinity.