Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

New Early Miocene 40ar/39ar Ages For Nakwai, Northwest Kenya, Africa, And Paleontological Analysis Of Meroehyrax Kyongoi Dentition, Dawn Elena Reynoso

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nakwai is a fossiliferous region in the Turkana Basin of northwestern Kenya. Until recently the only ages for the Nakwai formation were based on biostratigraphic correlation with Losodok; a late Oligocene site located to the north of Nakwai. The new 40Ar/39Ar ages in this study range from 23 Ma to 15 Ma and constrain the upper portions of the Nakwai section to the early Miocene. These ages make it the only securely dated fossil locality in the region that represents the earliest Miocene; all of the other early Miocene fossil localities date back to ~20 Ma or younger. The time …

The 1852 Banda Arc Mega-Thrust Earthquake And Tsunami In Indonesia, Tsz Man Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

In 1852, a five-minute long earthquake hit the Banda Arc region that was felt over most of Indonesia. It caused uplift of new islands and sent a tsunami across the Banda Sea that reached a height of 8 meters at Banda Neira and was also registered at Ambon, Saparua and other islands. Records of the 1852 earthquake at multiple locations provide the constraints needed to reconstruct the disastrous event through earthquake intensity analysis and numerical modeling of the tsunami. Using tsunami heights and arrival times as the major constraints, best fit numerical models of the tsunami were constructed using Clawpack. …

Normal Fault Block Or Giant Landslide? Baldy Block, Wasatch Range, Utah, Eric R. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the interplay between surficial and tectonic processes in the development of Utah's Wasatch Range is vital to evaluating geologic hazards along the Wasatch Front. Baldy is a large (6.125 km3) block of limestone and sandstone structurally overlying shale on the western flank of Mount Timpanogos. It has been mapped as a downdropped normal fault block of Permian units, but no other trace of such a fault exists along the range. The Baldy block structurally overlies the weak Manning Canyon shale, which has produced a regional geomorphology replete with faceted spurs, landslide scarps and deposits. Structural, bio- and litho-stratigrahic mapping …

Compositional Analysis Of Three Clay Artifact Collections From The Southwestern United States, Kathleen R. Kirkham

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed ways compositional analysis, facilitated by portable X-ray fluorescence technology (PXRF), can be applied in the museum setting to resolve provenance issues and other collections management questions. A major segment of the study evaluated PXRF as a non-invasive geochemical analysis technique to address concerns about whether the resolution of results is sufficient to draw meaningful conclusions. Compositional analysis, mainly facilitated by PXRF, was successfully applied to three clay artifact collections from the southwestern United States. Pottery sherds from Fourmile Ruin were analyzed using PXRF and compared to analyses from invasive wavelength-dispersive XRF and X-ray diffraction techniques. Expanding the …

A Hazard Assessment And Proposed Risk Index For Art, Architecture, Archive And Artifact Protection: Case Studies For Assorted International Museums, Clara Jeanene Kirk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes a hazard/risk index for environmental, technological, and social hazards that may threaten a museum or other place of cultural storage and accession. This index can be utilized and implemented to measure the risk at the locations of these storage facilities in relationship to their geologic, geographic, environmental, and social settings. A model case study of the 1966 flood of the Arno River and its impact on the city of Florence and the Uffizi Gallery was used as the index focus. From this focus an additional eleven museums and their related risk were assessed. Each index addressed a …

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 – …

Metamorphic Evolution Of Eastern Blue Ridge Calc-Silicates In Southwestern North Carolina, Northeastern Georgia, And Northwestern South Carolina, Gina Brianne Smith

Masters Theses

Calc-silicate rocks in the eastern Blue Ridge of SW North Carolina, NE Georgia, and NW South Carolina are products of contact and regional metamorphism. Two types of calc-silicates occur in this area: Type A rocks occur as contact metamorphosed xenoliths in the ~336 Ma Rabun Granodiorite batholith, and Type B rocks occur as mappable thin, elongate, ribbon-like units in the Tallulah Falls Formation east of the Rabun batholith. Petrographic and geochemical data confirm similar composition for both types and mineral assemblages that includes amphibole, garnet, epidote, diopside, quartz, and plagioclase with accessory zircon, sphene, and opaque minerals. Calcite, however, is …

Structural And Metamorphic Evolution Of The Haimanta Group: Insights From P-T-T-D Path Modeling Of Rocks Near The Leo Pargil Dome, Nw India, Kyle Vincent White

Masters Theses

The metasedimentary rocks of the Haimanta Group in the upper Sutlej Valley, NW India, record an extensive history of Himalayan deformation and metamorphism. Situated beneath the low-grade metasediments of the Tethyan Sedimentary sequence in the hanging wall of the South Tibetan detachment system (STDS), these poly-deformed rocks record Eocene–Oligocene burial metamorphism, crustal thickening and shortening, decompression and mid-crustal melting in the early Miocene, and exhumation along extensional shear zones related to the orogen-parallel exhumation of the Leo Pargil dome (LPD). Low-pressure assemblages (cordierite + sillimanite + quartz) overgrow Barrovian porphyroblasts in Haimanta Group rocks in the NE portion of Sutlej …

Transformation Of Uranium In A Geological Environment, Derrell Hood

All Theses

Incorporation of uranium into iron oxide minerals is a promising mechanism for the environmental immobilization of U(VI). In this study, synthesized hematite was doped with uranium and analyzed with SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and ICP-MS. The results of this analysis strongly indicate uranium incorporation into the mineral, as well as the possible presence of a co-precipitated uranium mineral clarkeite. Preliminary results also shows an increase in the amount of uranium associated with the hematite particles as a function of mineral aging. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) was used to induce and characterize electrochemical changes of uranium in the doped hematite system; these changes …

Transport Of Fecal Pollution Indicators: Impacts From The Land Spreading Of Liquid Manure On Water Quality, Derek Lee Street

Masters Theses

This thesis is a case study to determine if groundwater and/or drainage tiles are important pathways for fecal migration to streams resulting from the application of liquid manure to cropland at a small dairy farm, the Little River Animal and Environmental Unit, near Townsend, TN. Traditional biological indicators, coliforms and E.coli, were used in conjunction with a bovine specific Bacteroides assay to measure fecal microbes. Total nitrates, turbidity, and other chemical parameters for water quality also were used to identify related fecal contamination. This thesis covers three separate manure applications. The first manure application occurred in May 2013, the …

Estimating Aquifer Characteristics And Identification Of A Sub-Basin For Artificial Storage And Recovery, Northeastern Ivanpah Valley, Nevada, Nikolas James Taranik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The identification of a structurally controlled sub-basin with impediments to groundwater flow within Southern Nevada could provide a favorable area for artificial recharge and storage of native or imported water, extending the water supply of Southern Nevada. For this purpose, the area of northeastern Ivanpah Valley was investigated to determine the ability of the aquifer to accept and recover stored water, if acceptable water quality existed in the potential sub-basin storage area, and if structural controls impeded and isolated groundwater flow. The results found evidence the proposed sub-basin is structurally isolated by the McCullough, Roach, and Stateline Faults, which was …

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 …

Controls On Syenite-Hosted Gold Mineralization In The Western Timmins Camp, Robert A. Campbell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Abitibi granite-greenstone belt has long been known for its’ world-class Archean

lode gold deposits. With exploration and production commencing in the early nineteen

hundreds and continuing into the twenty-first century, this prolific mining camp is rich

in history, research and precious/base metals. The Thunder Creek deposit and Hwy-144 gold prospect are two recently discovered and exploited syenite associated gold plays in the Timmins Camp. The research compares the Thunder Creek and Hwy-144 properties providing new observations on the variable mechanisms for gold mineralization that can change over a short strike distance (0.5-1.5 km’s) hosted in a geologically similar environment. …

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 …

Mantle-Crust Interaction In Granite Petrogenesis In Post-Collisional Settings: Insights From The Danubian Variscan Plutons Of The Romanian Southern Carpathians, Ciprian Cosmin Stremtan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The issue of granite petrogenesis plays a key role in our overall understanding of the growth and differentiation of continents, as well as in our ability to unravel the tectonic histories of orogenic belts. Granites are ubiquitous magmatic products found in almost all tectonic settings: oceanic and continental rifts (i.e., plagiogranites - extreme basalt differentiates), active continental margins (e.g,. the granitic batholiths of central and southern Andes), continent-continent collision zones (e.g., the orogenic batholiths of the Himalayas, Western Anatolia), post-collisional settings (e.g., the Variscan provinces of Europe), complex within-plates settings (e.g., Limmo massif, Afar, Ethiopia). Furthermore, granitoids are characterized by …

Investigating Fault System Deformation With Numerical Models And Analog Experiments, Justin W. Herbert

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aims to understand fault system deformation using numerical models and analog experiments. In southern California, the southern Big Bend of the San Andreas fault (SAF) is a zone of transpression that accommodates deformation associated with the Pacific-North American plate boundary. Using three-dimensional boundary element method (BEM) models, I test the sensitivity of fault slip rates to a range of tectonic boundary conditions constrained by Global Positioning System (GPS) studies of the region (45–50 mm/yr and 320°– 325°). I have modified fault configurations derived from the Southern California Earthquake Center Community Fault Model of the San Gorgonio knot and …

Short- And Long-Term Trends In Ecological Interactions: From Predator-Prey Interactions To Phanerozoic Diversification, Subhronil Mondal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the last two decades, a broad spectrum of short- and long-term studies on different taxonomic groups has enriched our understanding about how dynamics of taxonomic and ecological diversification have changed through geologic time. There are two major issues that have impacted these studies: the quality and quantity of data used are often insufficient in various ways and the methods used may produce results that are more equivocal than supposed. To investigate these issues more fully, this dissertation focuses on studies on two major aspects: 1) short-term studies examining the nature of successful and unsuccessful predatory attacks on Plio-Pleistocene bivalves; …

The Timing Of Deformation In The Four Peaks Area, Central Arizona, And Relevance For The Mazatzal Orogeny, Calvin A. Mako

Masters Theses

The Mazatzal orogeny (1.66-1.60 Ga) is a key element of the tectonic evolution of the North American continent during the Proterozoic (Whitmeyer and Karlstrom, 2007). Recently, Mesoproterozoic detrital zircon grains (1.55-1.45 Ga) have been found in metasedimentary rocks that were thought to have been deformed during the Paleoproterozoic Mazatzal orogeny (Jones et al. 2011; Doe et al. 2012, 2013; Daniel et al. 2013). Some type examples Mazatzal deformation now seem to be too young to have been deformed in the accepted time of that orogeny (1.66-1.60 Ga) and may have been deformed in the younger, newly defined, Picuris orogeny. This …

Evolution Of Off-Fault Deformation Along Analog Strike-Slip Faults, Alexandra E. Hatem

Masters Theses

Strike-slip faults evolve to accommodate more fault slip, resulting in less off-fault deformation. In analog experiments, the measured fault slip to off-fault deformation ratios are similar to those measured in crustal strike-slip systems, such as the San Andreas fault system. Established planar faults have the largest fault slip to off-fault deformation ratio of ~0.98. In systems without a pre-existing fault surface, crustal thickness and basal detachment conditions affect shear zone width and roughness. However, once the applied plate displacement is 1-2 times the crustal thickness, partitioning of deformation between fault slip and off-fault distributed shear is >0.90, regardless of the …

From ~1.5 Ma To Today: Insights Into The Southern San Andreas Fault System From 3d Mechanical Models, Laura Fattaruso

Masters Theses

Three-dimensional mechanical simulations of the San Andreas fault (SAF) within the Coachella Valley in California produce deformation that match geologic observations and demonstrate the impact of fault geometry on uplift patterns. Most models that include the Coachella Valley segment of the SAF have assumed a vertical orientation, but recent studies suggest that this segment dips 60-70° northeast. We compare models with varied fault geometry and evaluate how well they reproduce observed uplift patterns. Our model with a dipping SAF matches geologic observations, while models containing a vertical fault do not. This suggests that the active Coachella Valley segment of the …

Verification And Comparison Of Two Commonly Used Numerical Modeling Systems In Hydrodynamic Simulation At A Dual-Inlet System, West-Central Florida, Ming Xie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Numerical modeling systems are very important tools to study tidal inlets. In order to test its capability and accuracy of solving multi-inlet system problems, this study selected two widely used numerical modeling systems: Coastal Modeling System (CMS) and Delft3D Modeling Package. The hydrodynamics modules of the two modeling systems were tested at John's Pass and Blind Pass, Florida, a dual-inlets system, based on a similar modeling scheme. Detailed bathymetric surveys and hydraulic measurements were conducted to collect water depths, tide conditions, wave and current velocities as the input data as well as verification data for the models.

A comparison study …

The Nature And Origin Of Pebble Dikes And Associated Alteration: Tintic Mining District (Ag-Pb-Zn), Utah, Douglas M. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

In many ore deposits throughout the world, brecciation often accompanies or occurs in association with mineralization (Sillitoe, 1985). Such is the case in the Tintic Mining District (Ag-Pb-Zn) of north-central Utah, where unique breccia features called pebble dikes occur alongside significant mineralization. Pebble dikes are tabular bodies of breccia, which consist of angular to rounded clasts of quartzite, shale, carbonate, and minor igneous rock cemented in a fine-grained clastic matrix. All clasts now lie above or adjacent to corresponding source rocks. Dikes are thin, typically less than 0.3 m wide to as much as 1 m, and can exceed 100 …

Groundwater Controls On Physical And Chemical Processes In Streamside Wetlands And Headwater Streams In The Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, Michael Kroh Callahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For this dissertation I studied groundwater and surface water interactions in the Kenai Lowlands, Alaska. In particular, I examine two important aspects of groundwater and surface water interactions: 1) Groundwater's influence on surface-water temperature; and 2) Groundwater's role in forming hydrologic flow paths that can connect uplands to streamside wetlands and streams. Chapter 2 investigates the controls on stream temperature in salmon-bearing headwater streams in two common hydrogeologic settings: 1) drainage-ways, which are low-gradient streams that flow through broad valleys; and 2) discharge-slopes, which are high gradient streams that flow through narrow valleys. The results from chapter 2 showed significant …

Public School Science Education And Geographically-Specific Environmental Sustainability Issues: Implications For Social Work Education, Amanda Gallion

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The focus of this project was to examine the educational practices of Kentucky-based public school teachers (grades 4th-8th) related to their efforts to incorporate sustainability into the science classroom and specifically related to the teachers’ focus or lack of focus on karst landscape. The major themes that were analyzed were how educators include this content into their classroom material and how this impacts their students in the area of environmental sustainability. The themes analyzed were: environmental sustainability as a lifestyle choice; education about environmental sustainability, the nexus of family, school, and community; the importance of geographical context in regards to …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of The Mcglumphy Homestead

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: 2014 Climate Change Class

Sedimentology Of The Upper Scotland Formation (Eocene), Barbados, Krishna Mahabir, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Jay P. Persaud, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

Representative samples collected from the Lower Scotland Formation (Eocene) outcropping in northeastern Barbados were investigated in conjunction with overall facies distribution and stratigraphic and sedimentological characteristics to interpret depositional environment and provenance of the fine-grained clastics. The Lower Scotland Formation is, for the most part, a fine-grained clastic-dominated sequence with occasional thin intercalations of gypsum, ironstone, and kaolinite. Distinctive deep-water-facies have been well-documented in dark gray shale units containing load cast, flutes, grooves and prods. In addition, turbiditic brown sandstone with a sharp erosive base and pelagic caps also characterize the base of the formation. Notable marine fauna observed include …

The Relationship Between Environmental Factors And Cyanobacteria Population In Lake Bloomington And Evergreen Lake In Mclean County, Illinois, Matthew Douglas Meyers

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates cyanobacteria on two lakes in McLean County, Illinois from the months of August to October. Data was collected every other week.Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes that may be unicellular, colonial or filamentous in form. These cells can be known to be toxic or non-toxic. The factors that control the reproduction of cyanobacteria are the temperature and nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus. These microorganisms are located in marine and terrestrial settings worldwide. The focus of this study was at two man-made lakes which are Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen. Sampling and collection of data was done on two lakes to …

Drilling The Solid Earth: Global Geodynamic Cycles And Earth Evolution, John W. Shervais, Nicholas Arndt, Kathryn M. Goodenough

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The physical and chemical evolution of the Earth is driven by geodynamic cycles that are global in scale, operating over 4.57 Ga of Earth’s history. Some processes are truly cyclic, e.g., the Wilson Cycle, while others are irreversible (e.g., core formation). Heat and mass transfer between the lowermost mantle (e.g., core-mantle boundary) and the surface drives these global geodynamic processes. Subduction of lithospheric plates transfers cool fractionated material into the lower mantle and leads indirectly to the formation of new oceanic lithosphere, while the rise of thermochemical plumes recycles the remnants of these plates back to the surface, driven by …

Interseismic Locking On The Hikurangi Subduction Zone: Uncertainties From Slow-Slip Events, Robert Mccaffrey

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

lnterseismic locking on the Hikurangi subduction zone in New Zealand is examined in light of alternative assumed locking distributions and the impact of transients (slow-slip and volcanic sources) on temporal and spatial resolution. The modern pattern of locking in the north is poorly resolved and, based on simulations of possible transient behavior, may be an ephemeral feature of the subduction cycle. While there appears to be some contemporary locking in the northern half of the Hikurangi subduction zone (HSZ), its location is model dependent, and hence, its relationship to structure, slow-slip, or any transition zone there is unclear. Simulations of …

Geogram 2014, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.