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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Groundwater Lowering And Stream Incision Rates In The Central Appalachian Mountains Of West Virginia, Usa, Gregory S. Springer, Holly A. Poston, Ben Hardt, Harold D. Rowe Dec 2014

Groundwater Lowering And Stream Incision Rates In The Central Appalachian Mountains Of West Virginia, Usa, Gregory S. Springer, Holly A. Poston, Ben Hardt, Harold D. Rowe

International Journal of Speleology

Surface channel incision rates are of broad geomorphological interest because they set the boundary conditions for landscape change by affecting changes in local relief and hillslope angles. We report groundwater table lowering rates associated with subsurface Buckeye Creek and the surface channel of Spring Creek in southeastern West Virginia, USA. The mountainous watersheds have drainage areas of 14 km2 and 171 km2, respectively. The lowering rates are derived from U/Th-dating of stalagmites and the paleomagnetostratigraphy of clastic sediments in Buckeye Creek Cave. The oldest stalagmites have a minimum age of 0.54 Ma and we use a minimum …


Kirkland D.W., 2014 - Role Of Hydrogen Sulfide In The Formation Of Cave And Karst Phenomena In The Guadalupe Mountains And Western Delaware Basin, New Mexico And Texas, Leslie A. Melim Dec 2014

Kirkland D.W., 2014 - Role Of Hydrogen Sulfide In The Formation Of Cave And Karst Phenomena In The Guadalupe Mountains And Western Delaware Basin, New Mexico And Texas, Leslie A. Melim

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.


Radiaxial-Fibrous And Fascicular-Optic Mg-Calcitic Cave Cements: A Characterization Using Electron Backscattered Diffraction (Ebsd), Detlev K. Richter, Adrian Immenhauser, Rolf Dieter Neuser, Augusto Mangini Dec 2014

Radiaxial-Fibrous And Fascicular-Optic Mg-Calcitic Cave Cements: A Characterization Using Electron Backscattered Diffraction (Ebsd), Detlev K. Richter, Adrian Immenhauser, Rolf Dieter Neuser, Augusto Mangini

International Journal of Speleology

Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) applied to crystal fabric research in speleothems aids in our understanding of the origin of those fabrics. A significant advantage of this approach is the three dimensional data set of crystal c-axes. Here, we show a rare case of both convergent (radiaxial-fibrous) and divergent (fascicular-optic) orientations of the c-axes in pool calcites. The seemingly defective structure of the calcite lattice resulting in radiaxial-fibrous crystal orientations is probably caused by differential incorporation of Mg during crystal growth. The observation that radiaxial-fibrous and fascicular-optic fabrics co-exist in the same pool environment is remarkable and documents the complexity of …


Structural And Hydrological Controls On The Development Of A River Cave In Marble (Tapagem Cave - Se Brazil), William Sallun Filho, Bruna Medeiros Cordeiro, Ivo Karmann Dec 2014

Structural And Hydrological Controls On The Development Of A River Cave In Marble (Tapagem Cave - Se Brazil), William Sallun Filho, Bruna Medeiros Cordeiro, Ivo Karmann

International Journal of Speleology

Tapagem Cave (or Devil’s Cave) is a river cave developed in the dolomite marble karst of the Serra do André Lopes (State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil). Although this region is a plateau with significant variation in elevation and a humid subtropical climate, the cave is an anomalous feature in the André Lopes karst because there are few other caves. The marble, which is in a synclinal structure with subjacent phyllites, is a karst aquifer perched above the regional base level (Ribeira River) and has little allogenic recharge. The cave developed on a secondary anticline on the northwest flank of …


Estimation Of Swelling Pressure Using Simple Soil Indices, Kamil Kayabalı, Özgür Yaldız Dec 2014

Estimation Of Swelling Pressure Using Simple Soil Indices, Kamil Kayabalı, Özgür Yaldız

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

No abstract provided.


Glauberite-Halite Association In Bozkir Formation (Pli̇ocene, Çankiri-Çorum Basi̇n, Central Anatoli̇a, Turkey), İlhan Sönmez Dec 2014

Glauberite-Halite Association In Bozkir Formation (Pli̇ocene, Çankiri-Çorum Basi̇n, Central Anatoli̇a, Turkey), İlhan Sönmez

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

Tertiary Çank›r› – Çorum Basin is one of the biggest basin covering evaporitic formations in the Central Anatolia. During borehole drills carried out in Bozk›r Formation which contain Pliocene aged evaporites in the basin, a thick rocksalt (halite, NaCl) deposit was detected that consisting of glauberite (Na2Ca(SO4)2) interlayers (sabhka) synchronous with sedimentation. Rocksalt bearing layers in Bozk›r formation which was deposited in playa-lake – sabhka environment, where seasonal changes are effective, were first defined as Tuz member in this study. Bozk›r formation was divided into three zones in drillings carried out in sabhka – …


Range Of Horizontal Transport And Residence Time Of Nitrate In A Mature Karst Vadose Zone, Jiri Kamas, Jiri Bruthans, Helena Vysoka, Miroslav Kovařík Nov 2014

Range Of Horizontal Transport And Residence Time Of Nitrate In A Mature Karst Vadose Zone, Jiri Kamas, Jiri Bruthans, Helena Vysoka, Miroslav Kovařík

International Journal of Speleology

Nitrate concentrations in drips in Amaterska, Spolecnak, and Holstejnska caves situated below a 25 to 120 m thick vadose zone in the Moravian Karst, Central Europe were studied during several periods from 1992. Each cave runs below a land-use boundary between fertilized lands and forest, which enabled study of the range of horizontal components of nitrate transport in the vadose zone. Parts of the fertilized land were turned into grassland in 1998 and 2003, and the cave drips were sampled both prior and after the changes in land use. The mean residence time of nitrate is - 30 m thick …


Can Xrf Scanning Of Speleothems Be Used As A Non-Destructive Method To Identify Paleoflood Events In Caves?, Martin Finné, Malin Kylander, Meighan Boyd, Hanna S. Sundqvist, Ludvig Löwemark Nov 2014

Can Xrf Scanning Of Speleothems Be Used As A Non-Destructive Method To Identify Paleoflood Events In Caves?, Martin Finné, Malin Kylander, Meighan Boyd, Hanna S. Sundqvist, Ludvig Löwemark

International Journal of Speleology

We have developed a novel, quick and non-destructive method for tracing flood events in caves through the analysis of a stalagmite thick section with an XRF core scanner. The analyzed stalagmite has multiple horizons of fine sediments from past flood events intercalated with areas of cleaner calcite. Flood events detected from the elemental XRF core scanning data show good agreement with the position of flood horizons identified in petrographic thin sections. The geochemical composition of the individual flood layers shows that in certain cases the clay horizons had a distinct geochemical fingerprint suggesting that it may be possible to distinguish …


Book Review - Roadside Geology Of Georgia, Melissa E. Johnson Oct 2014

Book Review - Roadside Geology Of Georgia, Melissa E. Johnson

Georgia Library Quarterly

A review of the book, Roadside Geography of Georgia.


Caves In Caves: Evolution Of Post-Depositional Macroholes In Stalagmites, Nurit Shtober-Zisu, Henry P. Schwarcz, Tom Chow, Christopher R. Omelon, Gordon Southam Sep 2014

Caves In Caves: Evolution Of Post-Depositional Macroholes In Stalagmites, Nurit Shtober-Zisu, Henry P. Schwarcz, Tom Chow, Christopher R. Omelon, Gordon Southam

International Journal of Speleology

In a previous paper (Shtober-Zisu et al., 2012) we described millimeter to centime-sized fluid-free holes within the interiors of stalagmites of widely varying origin. We present here further observations of this phenomenon, using X-ray tomography, macroscopic and microscopic observation of sections of twenty-six stalagmites from various sites in North America and the Caribbean region. We can distinguish three types of cavities in speleothems: primary µm-sized fluid inclusions; mm to cm sized holes, aligned along the stalagmite growth axis which are clearly syngenetic; and µm to cm-sized holes away from the growth axis (“off-axis holes or OAHs”) deeply buried inside their …


Fluid Properties In The Formation Of High-Grade Iron Ore In Northern Minnesota, Elizabeth Drommerhausen Aug 2014

Fluid Properties In The Formation Of High-Grade Iron Ore In Northern Minnesota, Elizabeth Drommerhausen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The Mesabi Iron Range in Northern Minnesota has been a major producer of iron ore for over 100 years. Production has been from the 1.85 – billion-year –old Biwabik Iron Formation, an iron-rich sedimentary rock that is tilted gently to the south. Most of the known high-grade ore lies near the surface and has been already mined. Determining whether more high-grade ore may lie at depth could have significant economic impact on the mining industry in northern Minnesota. To evaluate the likelihood of finding more high-grade iron ore deeper underground, it is important to determine the source of the fluids …


Silica Distribution In Oxidized Biwabik Iron Formation: Ore-Waste Cutoff Prediction, Ryan Rague Aug 2014

Silica Distribution In Oxidized Biwabik Iron Formation: Ore-Waste Cutoff Prediction, Ryan Rague

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Oxidation of iron formation in the Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota, has negatively impacted recovery of the main ore mineral, magnetite, by two mechanisms. First, magnetite has been partially or completely oxidized to hematite (martite), which is not magnetically separable. Second, silica has been remobilized during the oxidation process, and comprises a higher percentage of the ore concentrate than is desirable due to its altered grain size, making it difficult to grind sufficiently. Fluid inclusion data showed that fault-channeled, diagenesis-stage fluids (mean T homog = 154° C; mean salinity = 9.5 wt% NaCl equivalent) were responsible for early oxidation of iron …


Geologic Constraints And Speleogenesis Of Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera, A Complex Coastal Cave From Mallorca Island (Western Mediterranean), Joaquín Ginés, Joan J. Fornós, Angel Ginés, Antoni Merino, Francesc Gràcia May 2014

Geologic Constraints And Speleogenesis Of Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera, A Complex Coastal Cave From Mallorca Island (Western Mediterranean), Joaquín Ginés, Joan J. Fornós, Angel Ginés, Antoni Merino, Francesc Gràcia

International Journal of Speleology

The flat areas of eastern and southern Mallorca host a remarkable coastal karst, where Cova des Pas de Vallgornera stands out due to its length (more than 74 km) and its special morphological suite. The pattern of the cave is quite heterogeneous showing sharp differences produced by the architecture of the Upper Miocene reef: spongework mazes and collapse chambers dominate in the reef front facies, whereas joint-guided conduits are the rule in the back reef carbonates. Regarding the speleogenesis of the system, a complex situation is envisaged involving three main agents: coastal mixing dissolution, drainage of meteoric diffuse recharge, and …


Linking Mineral Deposits To Speleogenetic Processes In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Mallorca, Spain), Bogdan P. Onac, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Merino, Joaquín Ginés, Jacqueline Diehl May 2014

Linking Mineral Deposits To Speleogenetic Processes In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Mallorca, Spain), Bogdan P. Onac, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Merino, Joaquín Ginés, Jacqueline Diehl

International Journal of Speleology

Cova des Pas de Vallgornera (CPV) is the premier cave of the Balearic Archipelago. Over 74 km of passages develop within two carbonate lithofacies (reef front and back reef), which ultimately control the patterns of the cave and to some degree its mineral infilling. The diversity of speleothem-forming minerals is four times greater around or within hypogene-related features (vents, rims, cupolas), compared to any other vadose passages in the cave. The mineralogy of speleothems (crusts, nodules, crystals, earthy masses) associated with hypogene features in the seaward upper maze of Sector F is characterized by the presence of aragonite, ankerite, huntite, …


Cave Deposits And Sedimentary Processes In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Mallorca, Western Mediterranean), Joan J. Fornós, Joaquin Ginés, Francesc Gràcia, Antoni Merino Juncadella, Lluís Gómez-Pujol, Pere Bover May 2014

Cave Deposits And Sedimentary Processes In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Mallorca, Western Mediterranean), Joan J. Fornós, Joaquin Ginés, Francesc Gràcia, Antoni Merino Juncadella, Lluís Gómez-Pujol, Pere Bover

International Journal of Speleology

The Cova des Pas de Vallgornera is an important and protected coastal cave, located in the southern part of the island of Mallorca, that outstands due to its length and the complex processes involved in its speleogenesis. Although sediments are not the main topic of interest, their presence as well as their paleontological contents are valuable evidence for paleoclimatic and chronological reconstructions of the cave morphogenesis. The sedimentary infilling is characterized by a scarce presence of clastic sedimentation, mainly composed of silts and clays, which can only be found at some minor passages in the innermost parts of the cave. …


Geology, The Marcellus Shale, Experts, And Dispute Resolution, Itzchak E. Kornfeld Apr 2014

Geology, The Marcellus Shale, Experts, And Dispute Resolution, Itzchak E. Kornfeld

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.


Geology – Future Continent, Joy Wulke Feb 2014

Geology – Future Continent, Joy Wulke

The STEAM Journal

Terra Mirabila, a multi-media presentation illustrating the geological story of Stony Creek Granite back through complex sequence of geological events that spanned some 600 million years of early history.


Upper Pleistocene And Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Records In Cueva Mayor Karst (Atapuerca, Spain) From Different Proxies: Speleothem Crystal Fabrics, Palynology And Archaeology., Virginia Martínez-Pillado, Arantza Aranburu, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Blanca Ruiz-Zapata, Maria José Gil-García, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Yusta, Eneko Iriarte, José Miguel Carretero, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng Jan 2014

Upper Pleistocene And Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Records In Cueva Mayor Karst (Atapuerca, Spain) From Different Proxies: Speleothem Crystal Fabrics, Palynology And Archaeology., Virginia Martínez-Pillado, Arantza Aranburu, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Blanca Ruiz-Zapata, Maria José Gil-García, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Yusta, Eneko Iriarte, José Miguel Carretero, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng

International Journal of Speleology

The Cueva Mayor karst system of Atapuerca, in Northern Spain, hosts a highly significant record of human occupation from the Pleistocene. The climatic context of the human activities during the Pleistocene-Holocene for this inland site has not been well constrained, since existing records of the palaeoclimatic evolution of the Northern Iberian Peninsula are from more distal coastal and high-elevation sites. In this study, we interpret the palaeoenvironmental information recorded on the petrography of a stalagmite and the pollen spectra of the Sierra de Atapuerca karst system during the last 20 kyr. The integration of both types of records has allowed …


Study Of Filled Dolines By Using 3d Stereo Image Processing And Electrical Resistivity Imaging, Mateja Breg Valjavec Jan 2014

Study Of Filled Dolines By Using 3d Stereo Image Processing And Electrical Resistivity Imaging, Mateja Breg Valjavec

International Journal of Speleology

This article deals with doline degradation due to uncontrolled waste dumping in the past in the Logatec Polje in Slovenia. It introduces a concept for determining 3D geometric characteristics (shape, depth, radius, area, and volume) of formerly concave landforms (i.e., recently filled dolines) by using a combination of two methods: (1) photogrammetric stereo processing of archival aerial photographs and (2) electrical resistivity imaging (ERI). To represent, visualize, and study the characteristics of the former surface morphology (i.e., the dolines before they were filled), a digital terrain model (DTM) for 1972 (DTM1972) was made using digital photogrammetry processing of five sequential …


Size-Frequency Distribution Of Orbitolina Texana Foraminifera, Jeremy Foote Jan 2014

Size-Frequency Distribution Of Orbitolina Texana Foraminifera, Jeremy Foote

Undergraduate Review

This study examined size-frequency distributions for an extinct Cretaceous-age benthic foraminifera called Orbitolina Texana in order to determine the health of this foram community during the time of accumulation. Forams were collected from limestone outcrops of the Glen Rose Formation in central Texas. Based on paleontological and sedimentological evidence, Orbitolina Texana are interpreted to be a shallow water (<10 m) benthic organism that was most abundant in back-reef environments. Sizefrequency distributions were generated from the diameters of 4,245 Orbitolina Texana fossils. The results indicate that the Orbitolina Texana population is characterized by a Gaussian (normal) size distribution. Size-frequency distributions of fossilized foraminifera in the stratigraphic record are controlled by two principle variables; environmental controls that affect the biology of the organisms (e.g., environmental stressors, like food availability and ambient conditions) and sedimentological controls that affect how the organisms are distributed (e.g., hydrodynamic parameters, like waves and currents). Based on a sedimentological characterization of the host limestone including lack of high-energy sedimentary structures, high mud content and back-reef position on the depositional profile, hydrodynamic parameters are interpreted to not have exerted a significant effect on the distribution of the forams preserved in the rock record. As such, the biological controls are interpreted to be the dominate control on the foram sizefrequency distribution. Therefore, the Gaussian (normal) size distribution suggests that the mortality rate is independent of size/age, which is classified as Type II survivorship. As this result is consistent with similar taxon, the results indicate that this Orbitolina Texana population was a healthy biologic community, despite the low biologic diversity observed in the Glen Rose Formation.