Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Seismic Anisotropy As A Function Of Mineralogy And Rock Type In Chester Gneiss Dome, Southeast Vermont, Brittany Watling

Wayne State University Theses

Our knowledge of composition and structure in middle and lower crustal rocks is limited due to restricted accessibility, and thus comes mainly from studies of seismic velocities. But isotropic seismic velocities are not sufficient to distinguish between the many possible rock types in the middle and lower crust. Seismic anisotropy is the directional dependence of seismic velocity, and may provide further constraints on mineralogy and rock type. This study is focused on characterizing the seismic anisotropy of rocks from the Chester dome in southeast Vermont. We have simplified the Chester dome rock types into four groups based on rock type …

Integration Of Deterministic And Stochastic Models In A 1,4-Dioxane Contaminated Glacial Aquifer System, Washtenaw County, Michigan, Lena Kristin Pappas

Wayne State University Theses

Hybrid models incorporating stochastic variability within a deterministic hydrostratigraphic framework provide an effective way to assess uncertainty in flow and transport model predictions. This study evaluated the distribution of groundwater flow and contaminant transport pathways in two ensembles of spatially variable hydraulic conductivity (K) distributions. The models comprised a 360 ft-thick sequence of Pleistocene glacial sediments in in an approximately 8 mi2 area across Washtenaw County, Michigan. Conditioned K fields were generated using Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS) and Sequential Indicator Simulation (SIS) constructed using indicator classes based on natural gamma ray logs from 77 monitoring wells. K fields were modeled …

Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Measurement Viability In Organic Rich Soils: Pxrf Response As A Function Of Organic Matter Presence, Roozbeh Ravansari

Wayne State University Theses

Portable X-Ray fluorescence provides a cost effective method for producing rapid geochemical data. With advancements in X-Ray generation and detection technology, pXRF has become feasible for use on pedologic materials. Factors affecting pXRF soil measurements such as heterogeneity, moisture content, object geometry, and matrix interferences are widely recognized. However, the influence of organic matter on pXRF soil measurements is poorly understood.

This study examined the influence of organic matter fraction on pXRF trace metal measurements in a soil matrix. Incremental addition of three organic matter surrogates (cellulose, graphite powder, and confectioner’s sugar) was used to investigate the influence of increasing …

Effects Of Folding On Mineral Cpos In Gneiss: Implications For Lower Crustal Seismic Anisotropy, Alexia K. Sarnowsky

Wayne State University Theses

Isotropic seismic properties are not sufficient to distinguish between many rock types believed to make up the middle and lower continental crust. Seismic anisotropy is the directional dependence of seismic velocity, which we can use to improve our understanding of the composition and structure of the middle and lower continental crust. Our rationale is that seismic anisotropy in the middle and lower crust is controlled by the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of minerals. The effects of folding on mineral CPO in a folded gneiss from the Coweeta Group in North Carolina is used for this study, and we should be …

Modeling Bedrock Transmissivity; Implications For Contaminant Transport In An Overlying Glacial Aquifer System, Amanda Pruehs

Wayne State University Theses

This study evaluated alternative representations of bedrock surface and bedrock transmissivity on advective transport predictions in an 11 km x 15 km x 116 m groundwater model. Bedrock topography, initially based on a map by Kunkle (1961), was reinterpreted using data from 227 additional bedrock penetrations drilled in the last 55 years. Varying assumptions of hydraulic conductivity were employed to model a range of bedrock conductivity from 1 to 3 orders of magnitude less than the overlying glacial aquifer system. MODPATH forward particle tracking and MT3DMS advective-dispersive transport modeling were employed to explore the influence of bedrock configuration and conductivity …

Inference Of Hydrogeological Conditions And Source History Of Groundwater Contaminants Using 3-D Modeling And Human Health Risk Assessment, Mary Rosanna Carnagie

Wayne State University Theses

This study was completed using data interpolation and human health risk modules in Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance (SADA) software to model a 3-D time-series of 1,4-dioxane and vinyl chloride plumes and their associated health risks to infer hydrogeological conditions at the Ann Arbor Landfill site. Ordinary kriging estimates of contaminant distribution and human health risk distribution provide insight to groundwater flow direction, hydraulic conductivity distribution, and source history of contaminants at sites with groundwater contamination in a glacial aquifer system. More studies with larger datasets in glacial aquifer systems are necessary to prove these correlations, but this thesis illustrates …

Impacts Of Anthropogenic Watershed Activity On The Sedimentary Record Of Dams From The Midwestern United States: A Case Study From Michigan And Indiana, Jenna Hage-Hassan

Wayne State University Theses

Large-scale watershed land use changes, including urbanization, have resulted in accelerated soil erosion and sediment accumulation rates, which in turn have posed a threat to the longevity and productivity of a majority of the aging dams in the mid-western United States. In this study, we collected and analyzed 3 sediment cores each from two dams from the Mid-western United States: Webber Dam in Michigan and Goshen Pond Dam in Indiana. Cores were analyzed for 137Cs and 210Pb to establish chronology, as well as concentrations and isotopic composition of organic carbon and nitrogen to investigate the land use changes as preserved …

Evaluation Of Hygroscopic Soil Amendments And Natural Freeze-Thaw Cycling To Accelerate The Mechanical Breakdown Of Artifacts In Demolition Site Soils, Phillip Joseph Backers

Wayne State University Theses

Many cities worldwide have areas of vacant land produced by building demolition. This open space has attracted great interest as a potential resource for green infrastructure, urban agriculture, and other purposes related to urban renewal. Unfortunately, rock-like artifacts (e.g. brick, mortar, concrete) are often present in great abundance in demolition site soils. These artifacts make the soil difficult to till, create obstacles for root penetration, and limit the soil’s water-holding capacity, infiltration and aeration. As an alternative to physical removal, this study was carried out to test the feasibility of using hygroscopic compounds as soil amendments to accelerate the mechanical …

Effects Of Anthropogenic Particles On The Chemical And Geophysical Properties Of Urban Soils, Detroit, Michigan, Katharine Orlicki

Wayne State University Theses

There is a great need in many cities for a better quality of urban soil maps. This is due to the increasing interest in repurposing vacant land for urban redevelopment, agriculture, and green infrastructure. Mapping vacant urban land in Detroit can be very difficult because anthropogenic soils were often highly variable and frequently contained demolition debris (such as brick), this makes it difficult to use a hand auger. This study was undertaken in Detroit, MI to create a more efficient way to map urban soils based on their geophysical and chemical properties. This will make the mapping process faster, less …

Investigating The Anisotropy Of Magnetic Susceptibility And Other Rock Magnetic Properties Of The Beaver River Diabase In Northeastern Minnesota, Samer H. Hariri

Wayne State University Theses

The Beaver River Diabase (BRD) is a series of mafic dikes and sills within the Beaver Bay Complex (BBC) of northern Minnesota, which formed during the development of the ~1.1 Ga Midcontinent Rift (MCR). The BRD is one of the youngest and most extensive intrusive phases of the BBC. The BRD dikes and sills were emplaced into the medial levels of the 6-10 kilometer-thick North Shore Volcanic Group and occur over an arcuate area extending 120 by 20 kilometers. The BRD is composed of fine- to medium-grained ophitic olivine gabbro and does not display obvious foliation or lineation features and …

Radon Loss From Zircon: Effects Of Microstructure On Radon Emanation And Diffusion, Marty Eakin

Wayne State University Theses

Radon emanation from rocks and minerals is ubiquitous, but the mechanisms of radon loss are not well understood. Quantification of radon emanation rates from zircon has potential bearing on the reliability of U-Pb ages of zircon bearing rocks. The 238U decay chain includes 222Rn, a noble gas, which has a half-life of 3.82 days and can escape from the crystal structure of zircon if sufficient pathways exist, or by recoil if the parent 238U was very near the outer edge of the crystal. Loss of 222Rn ultimately leads to a deficiency of 206Pb, resulting in discordance between 238U-206Pb, 235U-207Pb, and …

Evaluating Spatial Outliers And Integrating Temporal Data In Air Pollution Models For The Detroit-Windsor Airshed, Brendan Francis O'Leary

Wayne State University Theses

The heterogeneous nature of urban air complicates human exposure estimates and creates a need for accurate, highly detailed spatiotemporal air contaminant models. The study expands on previous investigations by the Geospatial Determinants of Health Outcomes Consortium that examined relationships between air pollutant distributions and asthma exacerbations. Two approaches, the removal of spatial data outliers and the integration of spatial and temporal data, were used to refine air quality models in the Detroit and Windsor international airshed. The evaluation of associations between the resulting air quality models and asthma exacerbations in Detroit and Windsor revealed weaker correlations with spatial outliers removed …

Lithogeochemical And Stable Isotope Characteristics Of Bristol And Northern Thorneloe Townships And Its Correlation With Gold Mineralization, Zachary Grant Stevison

Wayne State University Theses

The Porcupine Mining Camp located in the southwestend of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt has been mined extensively for its prolific precious and base metal enrichment. This study targeted Bristol and Northern Thorneloe, fifteen kilometers southwest of Timmins, ON, an area that is of economic interest for its gold mineralization. Rock samples were collected (drill- core and outcrop) throughout both townships and analyzed for their major and trace element composition, These were used to determine hydrothermal alteration signatures as well as specific elemental enrichment that relate to gold mineralization in Bristol-Thorneloe Township. Quartz-carbonate and quartz-carbonate-tourmaline vein samples were also collected near …