Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Trace Elements In Northern Virginia Middle Ordovician Carbonates: Implications For Diagenesis, Ruth Ann Strauss

OES Theses and Dissertations

Ninety-three carbonate rock samples collected from four of the major lithofacies types present in the Middle Ordovician limestone sequence of northwestern Virginia were analyzed to investigate whether the lithofacies bear the geochemical signature of the depositional and/or the diagenetic environment. Significant variations in Cr, Fe, Mg, Mn and Sr concentrations exist among the major lithofacies types. Low levels of Sr in both New Market lithofacies are indicative of an open system during diagenesis. Dissimilar Fe and Mn concentrations between these, however, reflect water chemistry differences in the depositional environment. Increasingly greater Cr, Fe, Mn, and Sr concentrations in the Lincolnshire …

Holocene Geology And Migration Of A Low-Profile Barrier Island System, Metompkin Island, Virginia, Mark R. Byrnes

OES Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of historical shoreline position, cross-island profile change, and stratigraphic data provided a shoreline response model for low-profile barrier island systems. Historical shoreline data illustrates continuous, shore-parallel retreat between 1852 and 1957, at which time the island narrowed to a width of approximately 200 m. Between 1957 and 1981, ephemeral inlet breaching along southern Metompkin Island disrupted longshore sediment transport, increased the rate of shoreline recession, and resulted in differential rates of retreat associated with an abrupt break in backbarrier morphology. By 1981, a 400 m offset had formed at a position midway along Metompkin Island, suggesting that ephemeral inlet …

Economic Considerations For Artificial Reef Development In Coastal Virginia, Dean Thomas Devereaux

OES Theses and Dissertations

The contingent valuation method, recommended by the U. S. Water Resources Council, was used to estimate the economic value of sport fishing and diving at the Chesapeake Light Tower Artificial Reef. The study is based on a random sample of 170 anglers and 33 divers who participated in telephone, personell and mail-in surveys in 1985 and 1986.

The average user value (consumer surplus) was $21.13, $110,75, and $13.30 for head boat anglers, private boat anglers and sport divers, respectively, who claimed to have used the reef in 1985. Variation in consumer surplus was statistically affected by trip expense, distance from …