Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Millard Et Al. Pressure Dependence Of Magnesite Creep 2019 Geosciences.Pdf, Caleb Holyoke

Caleb Holyoke

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Four Water-Bearing Zones Of The Glacierized Basin In Meltwater Runoff Modeling, Umesh K. Haritashya

Umesh K. Haritashya

Meltwater runoff modeling from glacierized basins needs several input data, including total meltwater contributing area. This study utilizes optical remote sensing data to assess glacierized basins in the central Himalayas where snow and glaciers contribute substantially to the water resources. Result shows that there are four main water-bearing zones in the basin: (a) dry snow, (b) wet snow, (c) exposed glacial ice, and (d) debris-covered glacial ice, and it is possible to differentiate and map these zones and their spatio-temporal variations from satellite sensor data. These zones can then be incorporated in meltwater runoff modeling as separate entities because they …

Particle Dynamics In The Rising Plume At Piccard Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Cayman Rise, Meg Estapa, J. A. Breier, C R. German

Meg Estapa

Processes active in rising hydrothermal plumes, such as precipitation, particle aggregation, and biological growth, affect particle size distributions and can exert important influences on the biogeochemical impact of submarine venting of iron to the oceans and their sediments. However, observations to date of particle size distribution within these systems are both limited and conflicting. In a novel buoyant hydrothermal plume study at the recently discovered high-temperature (398°C) Piccard Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Cayman Rise, we report optical measurements of particle size distributions (PSDs). We describe the plume PSD in terms of a simple, power-law model commonly used in studies of upper and …

Observations Of Carbon Export By Small Sinking Particles In The Upper Mesopelagic, Colleen A. Durkin, Meg Estapa, Ken O. Buesseler

Meg Estapa

Carbon and nutrients are transported out of the surface ocean and sequestered at depth by sinking particles. Sinking particle sizes span many orders of magnitude and the relative influence of small particles on carbon export compared to large particles has not been resolved. To determine the influence of particle size on carbon export, the flux of both small (11–64 μm) and large (> 64 μm) particles in the upper mesopelagic was examined during 5 cruises of the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) in the Sargasso Sea using neutrally buoyant sediment traps mounted with tubes containing polyacrylamide gel layers and tubes …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Analyst A: Alternatives In Analysis Of The Utexas1 Surface Wave Dataset, Paul Michaels

Paul Michaels

In February of 2011 an earthquake event caused significant damage and loss of life in Christchurch, New Zealand. Such an event serves as motivation for improved foundation design and characterization of the shallow subsurface. In January of 2013, University of Texas engineers acquired surface wave data which has been made available to the ASCE GeoInstitute Geophysical Engineering Committee for a benchmark project. Participants were invited to process and interpret the common data set. This paper reports the results designated as those of "Analyst A". The active vibroseis and sledgehammer data were combined to produce a composite Rayleigh wave dispersion curve. …

Inferring The Global Cosmic Dust Influx To The Earth’S Atmosphere From Lidar Observations Of The Vertical Flux Of Mesospheric Na, Chester S. Gardner, Alan Z. Liu, Dan Marsh, Wuhu Feng, John Plane

Alan Z Liu

Evolution Of The Stress And Strain Fields In The Eastern Cordillera, Colombia, Obi Egbue, James N. Kellogg

James N Kellogg

This work integrates stress data from Global Positioning System measurements and earthquake focal mechanism solutions, with new borehole breakout and natural fracture system data to better understand the complex interactions between the major tectonic plates in northwestern South America and to examine how the stress regime in the Eastern Cordillera and the Llanos foothills in Colombia has evolved through time. The dataset was used to generate an integrated stress map of the northern Andes and to propose a model for stress evolution in the Eastern Cordillera. In the Cordillera, the primary present-day maximum principal stress direction is WNW-ESE to NW-SE, …

Petrographic And Physical Factors Controlling Thermal-Conductivity Of Granitic-Rocks In Illinois Deep Holes Uph 1, 2, And 3, Yoram Eckstein, Peter Dahl, Charles J. Vitaliano

Peter Dahl

Twenty-four granitic core samples from the Illinois deep drill holes yield thermal conductivity values in the range 29.3–37.6 mW/cm °C, wet bulk densities in the range 2.608–2.960 g/cm³, and water accessible porosity in the range 0.12–0.78%. Thermal conductivity values vary with modal quartz content of the rocks at all depths, and both parameters decrease linearly with depth between 673 and 1016 m in drill hole UPH 3. Below 1070 m there is no systematic variation in modal quartz content with depth and hence no systematic variation in thermal conductivity. Similarly, no systematic variations in modal quartz or physical …

Influence Of F(Oh)(-1) Substitution On The Relative Mechanical Strength Of Rock-Forming Micas, Peter Dahl, Michael J. Dorais

Peter Dahl

Microtextural and experimental studies have yielded conflicting data on the relative mechanical strengths of muscovite and biotite [Wilson and Bell, 1979; Kronenberg et al., 1990; Mares and Kronenberg, 1993]. We propose a crystal-chemical resolution to this conflict, namely, that (001) dislocation glide in biotite is rate-limited by its fluorine content. Significant F(OH)₋₁ substitution, and concomitant removal of hydroxyl H⁺ directed into the interlayer cavity, potentially increases mechanical strength of biotite in two ways: (1) it eliminates K⁺-H⁺repulsion, thereby strengthening the interlayer bonds, and (2) it allows K⁺ to “sink” …

Appendix A: Borehole Data (Thesis Appendix, 2013), David J. Richey

David J Richey

Select borehole data compiled and organized from Utah Division Oil, Gas and Mining (www.oilgas.ogm.utah.gov). The data found here include API well numbers, names of all wells used, well datum as defined by the elevation above sea level measured at the Kelly Bushing on the drilling floor, and the depth to various formation tops encountered during drilling measured in drilling depth.

Appendix B: Geophysical Data (Thesis Appendix, 2013), David J. Richey

David J Richey

Select geophysical data collected and processed during this thesis. A description of the geophysical methods used, the results and raw data, and some interpretations are provided in this appendix.

Georadar-Derived Estimates Of Firn Density In The Percolation Zone, Western Greenland Ice Sheet, Joel Brown, John Bradford, Joel Harper, W. Tad Pfeffer, Neil Humphrey, Ellen Mosley-Thompson

Neil Humphrey

Greater understanding of variations in firn densification is needed to distinguish between dynamic and melt-driven elevation changes on the Greenland ice sheet. This is especially true in Greenland’s percolation zone, where firn density profiles are poorly documented because few ice cores are extracted in regions with surface melt. We used georadar to investigate firn density variations with depth along a ~70 km transect through a portion of the accumulation area in western Greenland that partially melts. We estimated electromagnetic wave velocity by inverting reflection traveltimes picked from common midpoint gathers. We followed a procedure designed to find the simplest velocity …

Air Compression As A Mechanism For The Underdamped Slug Test Response In Fractured Glacier Ice, Toby W. Meierbachtol, Joel T. Harper, Neil F. Humphrey, Jeremy Shaha, John H. Bradford

Neil Humphrey

Artificial perturbations of borehole water levels, known as slug tests, are a useful means of characterizing the glacier hydrologic system. Slug tests were performed on Bench Glacier, Alaska, in 21 boreholes over three field seasons during the transition from a winter to a summer drainage mode. Fifty-four slug tests were conducted, with water level monitoring in up to five boreholes adjacent to the slugged borehole. Seven of the slug tests were performed in conjunction with dye dispersion tests to identify water pathways within the slugged borehole following perturbation. Nearly 60% of monitored adjacent boreholes showed a hydraulic connection to the …

Three-Dimensional Structural Evolution And Kinematics Of The Piedemonte Llanero, Central Llanos Foothills, Eastern Cordillera, Colombia, Obi Egbue, James N. Kellogg

James N Kellogg

The Piedemonte Llanero is a wedge duplex zone in the Llanos foothills on the eastern flank of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. It is located northeast of the Cusiana and Cupiagua hydrocarbon fields. The area is characterized by a series of moderate to high-angle duplexes with east-southeast verging thin-skinned and thick-skinned tectonics.We present a structural model constrained by 2-D and 3-D seismic reflection data, surface geology, and well data. The structural analysis is based on backward modeling (kinematic restoration) and forward modeling using transfer-flexural slip and fault slip fold algorithms. The structures are significantly tighter in the northern segment compared …

Interpretation Of Rayleigh-Wave Ellipticity Observed With Multicomponent Passive Seismic Interferometry At Hekla Volcano, Iceland, Matthew M. Haney, Andrew Nies, Tim Masterlark, Sarah Needy, Rikke Pedersen

Matthew M. Haney

The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull has drawn increased attention to Iceland’s Eastern Volcanic Zone (EVZ) due to the threat it poses to the heavily used air-traffic corridors of the northern Atlantic Ocean. Within the EVZ, Hekla is historically one of the most active volcanoes and has exhibited a decadal eruption pattern for the past 40 years. Hekla most recently erupted in 2000 and is thus ripe for another decadal eruption. Because Hekla is generally aseismic, except for a brief time period (hours) leading up to an eruption, monitoring has previously depended on precursory deformation signals (Linde et al., 1993). As …

Wave-Induced Transport Of Atmospheric Constituents And Its Effect On The Mesospheric Na Layer, Chester S. Gardner, Alan Z. Liu

Alan Z Liu

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Viscous Damping In Unsaturated Soils, Compression And Shear, Paul Michaels

Paul Michaels

Geophysical down-hole surveys can be used to measure the small strain dynamic properties of soils by the effects these properties have on wave propagation. The relevant effects include amplitude decay (corrected for beam divergence) and velocity dispersion. In this paper, down-hole data collected during the GeoInstitute's Denver 2000 field day are presented and analyzed as a Kelvin-Voigt solid. Findings for these unsaturated soils include viscous damping and stiffness which differ significantly for shear and compressional waves. A strong viscous damping is observed in compression, but weak damping is presented in shear. Lumped parameter constitutive models are discussed which mathematically represent …

Relating Damping To Soil Permeability, Paul Michaels

Paul Michaels

Published comparisons of complex moduli in dry and saturated soils have shown that viscous behavior is only evident when a sufficiently massive viscous fluid (like water) is present. That is, the loss tangent is frequency dependent for water saturated specimens, but nearly frequency independent for dry samples. While the Kelvin-Voigt (KV) representation of a soil captures the general viscous behavior using a dashpot, it fails to account for the possibly separate motions of the fluid and frame (there is only a single mass element). An alternative representation which separates the two masses, water and frame, is presented here. This Kelvin-Voigt-Maxwell-Biot …

Pleistocene To Present North Andean “Escape”, James N. Kellogg, Obi Egbue

James N Kellogg

This study compiles 20 published field geologic estimates of displacement rates for the northern Andes, such as displaced glacial moraines and offset pyroclastic flow, and compares them to published Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements. Dated displacements compiled in this study were obtained from the Gulf of Guayaquil, Pallatanga, Chingual-la Sofia, and Cayambe-Afiladores-Sibundoy fault systems in Ecuador and southern Colombia and the Boconó fault system in Venezuela. Right-lateral slip estimates on the individual fault segments range from 2 mm/a to 10 mm/a. The mean estimated geologic slip rate for the last 86,000 years is 7.6 mm/a. This estimate is very similar …

Forward Modeling Synsedimentary Deformation Associated With A Prograding Steep-Sloped Carbonate Margin, Phillip G. Resor

Phillip G Resor

Differential compaction associated with prograding and aggrading steep-rimmed carbonate margins leads to penecontemporaneous and post- depositional modifications of stratal geometries and tensile and shear stress concentrations that result in brittle deformation. In an effort to investigate controls on these deformation processes, we employ a step-wise gravity loaded elastic model that captures pre-failure displacement and stress field patterns for a depositional geometry based on the Permian Capitan depositional system, Guadalupe Mountains, West Texas and New Mexico, USA. We consider four model geometries with varying progradation to aggradation (P/A) ratio, from strongly prograding (P/A=10) to strongly aggrading (P/A=0.1). The strongly prograding case …

The Biscayne Aquifer Of Southeastern Florida, Kevin Cunningham, Lee J. Florea

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

In southeastern Florida, locally delineated, small, poorly explored caves and subtle karst are characteristic of the limestone that composes the unconfined Biscayne aquifer – one of the most permeable aquifers in the world. The main units of the Biscayne aquifer are the Fort Thompson Formation and Miami Limestone, both characterized by eogenetic karst.

A Versatile Shotgun Source For Engineering And Groundwater Seismic Surveys, John R. Pelton

John (Jack) Pelton

We describe an electrical seismic gun that is capable of firing 8-gauge blank black powder shells in a water-filled borehole under relatively high hydrostatic pressures. The new seismic gun is a modified version of the electrical shotgun source for engineering seismic surveys introduced by Pullan and MacAulay (1987). Our modifications seal the firing circuit and 8-gauge shell against water entry so underwater detonation will occur reliably at depths to at least 80 m (0.9 MPa atmospheric pressure). Source energy is controlled by varying the size of the black powder load in the shell from 50 grains to 500 grains (10 …

Slip Heterogeneity On A Corrugated Fault, Phillip G. Resor, Vanessa E. Meer

Phillip G Resor

Slip heterogeneity reflects the fundamental physics of earthquake rupture and has been attributed to strong fault patches termed asperities or barriers. We propose that variations in fault-surface orientation due to slip-parallel corrugations may act as geometric asperities and barriers, generating variations in incremental (i.e. due to a single earthquake) slip across a fault surface. We evaluate this hypothesis using observations from the Arkitsa normal fault exposure in central Greece. A scan of the Arkitsa fault surface with 1-m spatial resolution and mm-scale precision reveals corrugations made up of 1–5 m wide synforms, antiforms, and nearly planar fault sections with long …

Overturning Instability In The Mesosphere And Lower Thermosphere: Analysis Of Instability Conditions In Lidar Data, Lucas Hurd, Miguel F. Larsen, Alan Z. Liu

Alan Z Liu

No abstract provided.

Gravity Wave Propagation And Dissipation From The Stratosphere To The Lower Thermosphere, Xian Lu, Alan Z. Liu, Gary R. Swenson, Tao Li

Alan Z Liu

No abstract provided.

Estimate Eddy Diffusion Coefficients From Gravity Wave Vertical Momentum And Heat Fluxes, Alan Z. Liu

Alan Z Liu

No abstract provided.