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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A Study Of The Christian Public's Engagement With The New Geology Of The 19th Century And Its Implications For The Succeeding Centuries, Cornelis Bootsman, Kevin C. De Berg, Lynden Rogers Oct 2016

A Study Of The Christian Public's Engagement With The New Geology Of The 19th Century And Its Implications For The Succeeding Centuries, Cornelis Bootsman, Kevin C. De Berg, Lynden Rogers

Lynden Rogers

While Christian communities had no problem engaging positively with the sciences of astronomy, physics and chemistry, they had difficulty engaging with the emerging geology and biology of the 19th century. The ancient earth and evolutionary models of geology and biology respectively were seen as a direct attack on the biblical Genesis model of a young earth and a creation that took place over the period of a week. Some Christian apologists used Baconianism and the Scottish Common Sense philosophy to suggest that geology was not a real science. Geology was characterised as consisting of wild speculation, hypotheses and theories …


Permian Foraminifera From British Honduras, Charles A. Ross Sep 2016

Permian Foraminifera From British Honduras, Charles A. Ross

Charles Ross

Fusulinids identified from the Macal Shale Group, Macal Series, south central British Honduras and Schwarerina gruperaensis Thompson and Miller, Schwagerina sp. A, Eoverbeekina aff. E. americana Thompson and Miller, Ozawainella? sp., and Staffella sp. One species of the Trochamminid genus Tetrataxis also occurs in these strata. These species suggest correlation with the lower part of the Chochal Limestone of Guatemala, the Grupera Formation of Chiapas, Mexico, and the Lenox Hills Formation (upper part of the standard Wolfcampian Series, Permian), Glass Mountains, Texas.


Early Permian Fusulinids From Macusani, Southern Peru, Charles A. Ross Sep 2016

Early Permian Fusulinids From Macusani, Southern Peru, Charles A. Ross

Charles Ross

Triticites patulus Dunbar and Newell and Schwagerina adamsi sp. nov. from the early Wolfcampian (Permian) part of the Copacabana Group near Macusani, southern Peru, show morphological features that add new data concerning the evolution of the genera Schwagerina and Pseudoschwagerina from lineages arising within the genus Triticites near the close of the Pennsylvanian.


Three-Dimensional Geological Model Of Quaternary Sediments In Walworth County, Wisconsin, Usa, Jodi Jau, Jason F. Thomason, David H. Malone, Eric Wade Peterson Jun 2016

Three-Dimensional Geological Model Of Quaternary Sediments In Walworth County, Wisconsin, Usa, Jodi Jau, Jason F. Thomason, David H. Malone, Eric Wade Peterson

Eric Wade Peterson

A three-dimensional (3D) geologic model was developed for Quaternary deposits in
southern Walworth County, WI using Petrel, a software package primarily designed for use in
the energy industry. The purpose of this research was to better delineate and characterize theshallow glacial deposits, which include multiple shallow sand and gravel aquifers. The 3D modelof Walworth County was constructed using datasets such as the U.S. Geological Survey 30 mdigital elevation model (DEM) of land surface, published maps of the regional surficial geology andbedrock topography, and a database of water-well records. Using 3D visualization and interpretationtools, more than 1400 lithostratigraphic picks were …


Modeling The Sediment Fill Of The Uppertroy Pre-Glacial Bedrock Valley,Mchenry County, Llinois, Usa, Jodi Lau, Jason F. Thomason, David H. Malone, Eric Wade Peterson May 2016

Modeling The Sediment Fill Of The Uppertroy Pre-Glacial Bedrock Valley,Mchenry County, Llinois, Usa, Jodi Lau, Jason F. Thomason, David H. Malone, Eric Wade Peterson

Eric Wade Peterson

The Troy Bedrock Valley (TBV) and its tributary valleys are the principal pre-glacial drainage insouthern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, USA. This study focused on the headwaters of a tributarythat occurs in McHenry County, IL. Drilling, geophysical surveys, and the analysis of existinggeologic and water well data were used to determine the lithologic and geometric characteristicsof the sediments that fill the paleovalley. A 3D geologic model of these sediments was then developedin Petrel. More than 65 m of Quaternary sediments filled the paleovalley. The model domaincovers approximately 30 km2. The valley drains to the west and meanders, which is …


Effects Of Changes In Moisture Source And The Upstream Rainout On Stable Isotopes In Precipitation – A Case Study In Nanjing, Eastern China, Y. Tang, H. Pang, W. Zhang, Y. Li, Shuang-Ye Wu, S. Hou Apr 2016

Effects Of Changes In Moisture Source And The Upstream Rainout On Stable Isotopes In Precipitation – A Case Study In Nanjing, Eastern China, Y. Tang, H. Pang, W. Zhang, Y. Li, Shuang-Ye Wu, S. Hou

Shuang-ye Wu

In the Asian monsoon region, variations in the stable isotopic composition of speleothems have often been attributed to the "amount effect". However, an increasing number of studies suggest that the "amount effect" in local precipitation is insignificant or even non-existent. To explore this issue further, we examined the variability of daily stable isotopic composition (δ18O) in precipitation from September 2011 to November 2014 in Nanjing, eastern China. We found that intra-seasonal variations of δ18O during summer were not significantly correlated with local rainfall amount but could be linked to changes in the moisture source location and rainout processes in the …


Paleogeographic, Paleoceanographic, And Tectonic Controls On Early Late Ordovician Graptolite Diversity Patterns, Daniel Goldman, Shuang-Ye Wu Apr 2016

Paleogeographic, Paleoceanographic, And Tectonic Controls On Early Late Ordovician Graptolite Diversity Patterns, Daniel Goldman, Shuang-Ye Wu

Shuang-ye Wu

The Katian Age (early Late Ordovician) was a time of significant decline in marine biodiversity, but whether this decline was a real phenomenon or an artifact of the relatively few studies devoted to this interval requires further research. We examined the pattern of graptolite faunal changes across the boundary between the Climacograptus bicornis and Diplacanthograptus caudatus graptolite zones in North America and on several other continents.

A sharp decline in species diversity occurs in the Appalachian Basin. Scores for normalized diversity dropped from 20 in the C. bicornis Zone to 7 in the D. caudatus Zone. Only 11% of the …


Reconstruction Of The Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) Palaeotopography In The Upper Yangtze Region, Linna Zhang, Junxuan Fan, Qing Chen, Shuang-Ye Wu Apr 2016

Reconstruction Of The Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) Palaeotopography In The Upper Yangtze Region, Linna Zhang, Junxuan Fan, Qing Chen, Shuang-Ye Wu

Shuang-ye Wu

Reconstruction of the Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) palaeotopography in South China is important for understanding the distribution pattern of the Hirnantian marine depositional environment. In this study, we reconstructed the Hirnantian palaeotopography in the Upper Yangtze region based on the rankings of the palaeo-water depths, which were inferred according to the lithofacies and biofacies characteristics of the sections. Data from 374 Hirnantian sections were collected and standardized through the online Geobiodiversity Database. The Ordinary Kriging interpolation method in the ArcGIS software was applied to create the continuous surface of the palaeo-water depths, i.e. the Hirnantian palaeotopography. Meanwhile, the line transect analysis …


Transition From Contraction To Extension In The Northeastern Basin And Range: New Evidence From The Copper Mountains, Nevada, Jeffrey M. Rahl, Allen J. Mcgrew, Kenneth A. Foland Apr 2016

Transition From Contraction To Extension In The Northeastern Basin And Range: New Evidence From The Copper Mountains, Nevada, Jeffrey M. Rahl, Allen J. Mcgrew, Kenneth A. Foland

Allen J. McGrew

New mapping, structural analysis, and 40Ar/39Ar dating reveal an unusually well‐constrained history of Late Eocene extension in the Copper Mountains of the northern Basin and Range province. In this area, the northeast‐trending Copper Creek normal fault juxtaposes a distinctive sequence of metacarbonate and granitoid rocks against a footwall of Upper Precambrian to Lower Cambrian quartzite and phyllite. Correlation of the hanging wall with footwall rocks to the northwest provides an approximate piercing point that requires 8–12 km displacement in an ESE direction. This displaced fault slice is itself bounded above by another normal fault (the Meadow Fork Fault), which brings …


Correspondence Of Historic Salinity Fluctuations In Florida Bay, Usa, To Atmospheric Variability And Anthropogenic Changes, Anna Wachnicka, Evelyn Gaiser, Laurel Collins Mar 2016

Correspondence Of Historic Salinity Fluctuations In Florida Bay, Usa, To Atmospheric Variability And Anthropogenic Changes, Anna Wachnicka, Evelyn Gaiser, Laurel Collins

Evelyn E. Gaiser

Florida Bay is a highly dynamic estuary that exhibits wide natural fluctuations in salinity due to changes in the balance of precipitation, evaporation and freshwater runoff from the mainland. Rapid and large-scale modification of freshwater flow and construction of transportation conduits throughout the Florida Keys during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries reshaped water circulation and salinity patterns across the ecosystem. In order to determine long-term patterns in salinity variation across the Florida Bay estuary, we used a diatom-based salinity transfer function to infer salinity within 3.27 ppt root mean square error of prediction from diatom assemblages from four ~130 …


Paleogeographic, Paleoceanographic, And Tectonic Controls On Early Late Ordovician Graptolite Diversity Patterns, Daniel Goldman, Shuang-Ye Wu Mar 2016

Paleogeographic, Paleoceanographic, And Tectonic Controls On Early Late Ordovician Graptolite Diversity Patterns, Daniel Goldman, Shuang-Ye Wu

Daniel Goldman

The Katian Age (early Late Ordovician) was a time of significant decline in marine biodiversity, but whether this decline was a real phenomenon or an artifact of the relatively few studies devoted to this interval requires further research. We examined the pattern of graptolite faunal changes across the boundary between the Climacograptus bicornis and Diplacanthograptus caudatus graptolite zones in North America and on several other continents.

A sharp decline in species diversity occurs in the Appalachian Basin. Scores for normalized diversity dropped from 20 in the C. bicornis Zone to 7 in the D. caudatus Zone. Only 11% of the …


Prevailing Weather Conditions During Summer Seasons Around Gangotri Glacier, Pratap Singh, Umesh K. Haritashya, K. S. Ramasastri, Naresh Kumar Mar 2016

Prevailing Weather Conditions During Summer Seasons Around Gangotri Glacier, Pratap Singh, Umesh K. Haritashya, K. S. Ramasastri, Naresh Kumar

Umesh K. Haritashya

Meteorological data collected near the snout of the Gangotri Glacier suggest that the study area receives less rainfall. The average seasonal rainfall is observed to be about 260 mm. The rainfall distribution does not show any monsoon impact. Amount of seasonal rainfall is highly variable (131.4-368.8 mm) from year to year, but, in general, August had the maximum rainfall. A verage daily maximum and minimum temperatures were 14.7 and 4.1°C respectively, whereas average mean temperature was 9.4°C. July was recorded as the warmest month. During daytime, wind speed was four times higher than that at night-time. The average daytime and …


Multispectral Image Analysis Of Glaciers And Glacier Lakes In The Chugach Mountains, Alaska, Jeffrey Kargel, Matthew Beedle, Andrew Bush, Francisco Carreño, Elena Castellanos, Umesh Haritashya, Gregory Leonard, Javier Lillo, Ivan Lopez, Mark Pleasants, Edward Pollock, David Wolfe Mar 2016

Multispectral Image Analysis Of Glaciers And Glacier Lakes In The Chugach Mountains, Alaska, Jeffrey Kargel, Matthew Beedle, Andrew Bush, Francisco Carreño, Elena Castellanos, Umesh Haritashya, Gregory Leonard, Javier Lillo, Ivan Lopez, Mark Pleasants, Edward Pollock, David Wolfe

Umesh Haritashya

The Chugach Mountains contain the largest nonpolar alpine glaciers in the world and include a wide variety of glacier types: some are land terminating; some calve variously into tidewater, lakes, and rivers; some are heavily debris covered; some are surge-type, whereas others are neither debris covered nor surge type. Nearly all are retreating, thinning, or both, though some rare ones are advancing, and some are thickening at high elevations. To assist the further documentation of changes, we establish an inventory of glaciers in the eastern Chugach Mountains. Several case studies of diverse glacier types showcase remotesensing applications and are used …


Encyclopedia Of Snow, Ice And Glaciers, Vijay P. Singh, Pratap Singh, Umesh K. Haritashya Mar 2016

Encyclopedia Of Snow, Ice And Glaciers, Vijay P. Singh, Pratap Singh, Umesh K. Haritashya

Umesh K. Haritashya

The objective of this encyclopedia is to present the current state of scientific understanding of various aspects of earth’s cryosphere – snow, glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets, ice shelves, sea ice, river and lake ice, and permafrost – and their related interdisciplinary connections under one umbrella. Therefore, every effort has been made to provide a comprehensive coverage of cryosphere by including a broad array of topics, such as the atmospheric processes responsible for snow formation; snowfall observations; snow cover and snow surveys; transformation of snow to ice and changes in their properties; classification of ice and glaciers and their worldwide …


Iceland: Extreme Learning In The Land Of Fire And Ice, Jason Polk, Leslie North Feb 2016

Iceland: Extreme Learning In The Land Of Fire And Ice, Jason Polk, Leslie North

Leslie North

WKU Libraries kicked off the spring season of "Far Away Places" with Dr. Jason Polk and Dr. Leslie North, Asstant Professors from the Department of Geography and Geology at WKU, who talked about leading a study abroad group to Iceland in the summer of 2015. WKU Libraries kicks off the spring season of Far Away Places with Jason Polk and Leslie North, Asst. Professors from the Department of Geography and Geology at WKU, who will be talking about leading a study abroad group to Iceland in the summer of 2015. Dr. Polk and Dr. North co-taught this course with faculty …


Porosity Controls On Secondary Recovery At The Loudon Field, South-Central Illinois, John S. Wagle, David H. Malone, Eric Wade Peterson Jan 2016

Porosity Controls On Secondary Recovery At The Loudon Field, South-Central Illinois, John S. Wagle, David H. Malone, Eric Wade Peterson

Eric Wade Peterson

Waterflooding has been used as an effective means to enhance oil recovery in mature oil fields for decades.
The success of waterflooding is a function of geology, facies changes, and fluid dynamics, specifically, formation
porosity and permeability. Within the Loudon oil field (Illinois), waterflooding has been used to increase pro-
duction, but the degree of success has been variable. We have used 3D facies modeling was evaluate the var-
iables controlling the success or failure of waterflooding. Three leases within the Loudon field exhibiting varying
degrees of waterflood success were investigated. The K. Stubblefield lease, with the highest mean porosity …


Tilasite From Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, New Jersey: A Newly Recognized Assemblage, James A. Van Fleet, Earl R. Verbeek Phd Dec 2015

Tilasite From Sterling Mine, Ogdensburg, New Jersey: A Newly Recognized Assemblage, James A. Van Fleet, Earl R. Verbeek Phd

James A. Van Fleet

No abstract provided.


Stratigraphy And Extent Of The Pearl-Ashmore Aquifer, Mchenry County, Il, Usa, Drew C. Carlock, David H. Malone, Jason F. Thomason, Eric Wade Peterson Dec 2015

Stratigraphy And Extent Of The Pearl-Ashmore Aquifer, Mchenry County, Il, Usa, Drew C. Carlock, David H. Malone, Jason F. Thomason, Eric Wade Peterson

Eric Wade Peterson

Quaternary glacial till, outwash, lake sediments, and loess compose the surficial deposits of McHenry County, Illinois. Much of the landscape of McHenry County were formed by at least three separate advances of the Harvard Sublobe of the Wisconsin Episode Lake Michigan Lobe, which was part of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This project focuses on the delineation of the stratigraphy and extent of the Pearl-Ashmore Aquifer. The Pearl-Ashmore Aquifer is the combination of the proglacial outwash of the Wisconsin Episode Ashmore Tongue of the Henry Formation and the youngest outwash associated with the Illinois Episode, which is the Pearl Formation. A …


Dislocation Creep Of Dry Quartz, Rüdiger Kilian, Renee Heilbronner, Caleb Holyoke, Andreas Kronenberg, Holger Stünitz Dec 2015

Dislocation Creep Of Dry Quartz, Rüdiger Kilian, Renee Heilbronner, Caleb Holyoke, Andreas Kronenberg, Holger Stünitz

Caleb Holyoke

No abstract provided.