Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Geology Newsletter- 1995, Department Of Geology

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 1, No. 20

• Faculty News
• Awards and Scholarships
• Alumni/ Friends/ Former Faculty Notes
• Geology Development and Scholarship Donations
• New Alumni

The Effects Of Air Sparging On Aquifer Hydraulic Conductivity, Hans Neve

Masters Theses

Air sparging is a relatively new technology used to remove organic contaminants from aquifers. This remediation technique involves injecting into contaminated portions of water table aquifers. Theoretically air sparging will reduce aquifer hydraulic conductivity. Injected air fills some of the available sediment pores, thus restricting the flow of water to the remaining water-filled pore spaces.

The purpose of this study was to measure the reduction in hydraulic conductivity due to air sparging. This was assessed using both laboratory and field techniques. The hydraulic conductivities of several different sediments were determined in the laboratory using a large constant head permeameter modified …

The Variability Of Carbon Dioxide In The Vadose Zone, John J. Ring

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to observe and attempt to explain the variations of carbon dioxide in the vadose zone of a nature area in southwestern Michigan. Well nests, consisting of discrete soil gas sampling points and temperature probes set at depths ranging from 3 to 53 feet, were constructed in a sandy, glacial outwash plain. Soil samples were collected for analysis of organic carbon content during installation. Soil gas samples were collected periodically from June, 1992 to March, 1993 and analyzed for CO₂ and O₂ concentrations. Occasionally, samples were collected and analyzed for isotopic C^{13 …}

The Petrology Of The Precambrian Roof Pendants Thompson Peak, Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, Susan Denise Anderson

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Mafic Volcanism In The Colorado Plateau: Basin And Range Transition Zone, Hurricane, Utah, Alexander Sanchez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Hurricane volcanic field (HVF) is a small-volume (0.48 km³) mafic volcanic field in the Colorado Plateau/Basin & Range Transition Zone located in the eastern part of the St. George basin in southwestern Utah. Strombolian-Hawaiian style eruptions produced thin (10 m) a'a lava flows and cinder (scoria) cones composed of vesicular basalt, bombs and agglutinate. Radiometric dating and geologic relationships demonstrate that the HVF formed over a period of at least 100,000 years. In the upper crust, magma probably rose along joints in sedimentary rocks because chains of volcanic vents follow joint orientation maxima in sedimentary rocks.

Three …

Tectonic Denudation Of Mesozoic Contractile Structures By A Low-Angle Normal Fault And Associated Faults, Southern White Pine Range, Nevada, Holly Langrock

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Blackrock Canyon area in the southern White Pine Range, Nevada mostly consists of the highly extended upper plate of a low-angle normal fault, the Blackrock fault. The post-31.3 Ma Blackrock fault places upper Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and overlying Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Garret Ranch Group in its hangingwall against a 50 degrees E-dipping homocline of Cambrian through Mississippian rocks in its footwall. The 15 to 30 degrees W-dipping Blackrock fault is non-planar and consists of two fault segments and a pronounced corrugation, the Bull Spring corrugation. These geometric irregularities suggest the slip direction on the fault was east-southeast …

Geology And Geochemistry Of Tertiary Volcanic Rocks In The Northern Reveille And Southern Pancake Ranges, Nye County, Nevada, Kelly Brian Rash

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The northern Reveille and southern Pancake Ranges, located in the south-central Great Basin, experienced a prolonged history of Tertiary volcanism. Volcanic activity in this area began with the eruption of large-volumes of ash-flow tuffs from calderas of the central Nevada caldera complex. The Reveille Range and the southernmost portion of the Pancake Range are the site of two calderas that are the sources for the tuff of Goblin Knobs and tuff of northern Reveille Range. The tuff of Goblin Knobs (70.4-75.3 wt.% SiO₂) erupted from the caldera of Goblin Knobs (25.6 Ma) and is the thickest (~1700 m) …

Geochemical Evolution Of A Mid-Miocene Synextensional Volcanic Complex: The Dolan Springs Volcanic Field, Northwestern Arizona, Scott Michael Mcdaniel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Dolan Springs volcanic field (DSV), of northwestern Arizona, is dominated by andesite and basaltic-andesite flows and breccias, with minor amounts of basalt, rhyolite, and ash-flow tuff. Geochemistry is used here as a tool to evaluate the roles and contributions of the lithospheric and asthenospheric mantles to magmatism related to Miocene extension in the Colorado River extension corridor (CREC). The majority of synextensional volcanic rocks in the DSV are geochemically similar to regional trends, but rare tholeiitic basalts erupted near the end of extension. The tholeiites have trace element signatures similar to ocean island basalt (OIB), but have isotopic values …

Evaluation Of Bail-Down Test Methods For Characterizing Free Product Recoverability From An Aquifer, Laura L. Krol

Masters Theses

Determination of the occurrence and recoverability of free product impacting the subsurface environment has been an on-going challenge in the environmental industry. A simple and relatively inexpensive test to perform in the field is the free product bail-down test. Many authors have proposed various analysis methods using these data for the determination of different free product characteristics.

The purpose of this project was to determine the comparability and possible validity of bail-down test interpretation methods for predicting hydrocarbon hydraulic conductivity/transmissivity and true free product thickness. Bail-down test data collected from two sites were analyzed and interpreted using methods from the …

Determination Of Hydraulic Conductivity And Dispersivity In The Biscayne Aquifer, Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park, Jose Dioscoro Altomia Guardiario Jr.

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge of the properties of the Biscayne Aquifer is critical to the understanding of groundwater solute transport problems that affect the Everglades region. To add to our knowledge of the aquifer, geologic logging of cores and hydraulic conductivity measurements were performed in 18 fullypenetrating wells using an electromagnetic borehole flowmeter. Corelogs, ambient flow profiles, and hydraulic conductivity (K) values measured in the study site indicate that the Biscayne Aquifer has a hydraulic conductivity with a geometric mean of 0.18 meter/second and a variance of 2.5 , and can be divided into two distinct layers: the Upper Biscayne Aquifer and the …

Palynological Characteristics Of Near-Shore Shell-Bearing Pliocene Through Holocene Sediments Of Florida, Georgia, And South Carolina, Fredrick J. Rich

School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Seventeen pollen-bearing samples· from sites in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida were analyzed for their pollen content. The samples range in age from Late Pliocene to Holocene. The initial objective of the study was to use the samples to help define the age of the physiographic feature known as Trail Ridge. All samples were marine sediments, and many were from marine mollusk-dominated strata. Pollen of Pinus and Quercus were abundant in all samples; Taxodium was abundant in about half of them. Carya, Liquidambar, Compositae, Gramineae, and ChenopodiaceaeAmaranthaceae were present as accessory taxa. Dinoflagellate cysts, microforams, and pyrite were present, or …

Groundwater Study: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Usa Georgetown, Kentucky, Gary Felton, Lyle V. A. Sendlein, Teri Dowdy, Daryl Hines

KWRRI Research Reports

An eighteen month study of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing (TMM) plant site and the surrounding area was undertaken. The basic charge for this project was to characterize the groundwater that is potentially impacted by the TMM plant site. This included occurrence, flow direction, and, if possible, velocity. Because the area is karstified (has sinkholes, springs, caves, etc.) surface water and groundwater are intimately connected and, hence, surface water was frequently an important component of this work.

Data from TMM construction plans and monitoring work done subsequent to construction were elicited from the various repositories within the TMM infrastructure. Aerial color …

Geochemistry Of The Boring Lava Along The West Side Of The Tualatin Mountains And Of Sediments From Drill Holes In The Portland And Tualatin Basins, Portland, Oregon, Michelle Lynn Barnes

Dissertations and Theses

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used to identify geochemical groups in Boring Lava along the west side of the Tualatin Mountains, and in sediments of the Portland and Tualatin basins. Samples of Boring Lava were obtained from TriMet drill core collected during planning of the tunnel alignment for the Westside Light Rail line. Additional samples of Boring Lava were collected from outcrops along the west side of the Tualatin Mountains. Samples of sediment from the Tualatin and Portland basins were obtained from drill core collected during an Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Earthquake Hazards Mapping project. …

Geology, Geochemistry And Geotectonic Setting Of Volcanics Comprising Küre (Kastamonu) Ore Mineralization, Şükrü Koç, Ahmet Ünsal, Yusuf Kağan Kadioğlu

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

No abstract provided.

Late Triassic (Carnian) Unconformity In A Block Of The Latest Cretaceous Volcanic Olistostrome Unit In The Izmir-Ankara Zone, Orhan Kaya, Walid Sadeddin, Demir Altiner, Güssun Akay

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

No abstract provided.

Geology Of The Akdağ Massif And Surroundings, Ali Yilmaz, Şükrü Uysal, Yavuz Bedl, Halil Yusufoğlu, Talat Havzoğlu, Ahmet Ağan, Deniz Göç, Nihal Aydin

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

No abstract provided.

Features And Origin Of The Koçkale-Elaziğ Manganese Mineralizations, Mehmet Altunbey, Ahmet Sağiroğlu

Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration

Koçkale and its vicinity (Elazığ) is composed of four different units. These are; Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Guleman Group, Campanian-Maastrichtian Yüksekova Complex, Maastrichtian-Lower Eocene Hazar Group and Middle Eocene Maden Complex. The Mn mineralizations of Koçkale are situated in volcanosedmentary rocks of Maden Complex and occur in two types: (1) The mineralizations conformable with volcanosedimentary rocks, are the syngenetic and volcanosedimentary type. This type of mineralizations occur within mudstone and as a constituent of this unit, The mineralized bodies are tense and stratiform shaped. Any alteration related to mineralization is absent. Ore mineral assemblage is pyrolusite, psilomelane, rodokrosite, brauntte, manganite, limonite, …

"A Geological Interpretation Of The Stanley Fault And Other Thrust Faults In Page County, Virginia", Michael James Sarros

OES Theses and Dissertations

Paleozoic carbonate rocks flooring Page Valley (within Page County) are overthrust by Precambrian to Cambrian elastic rocks of the Blue Ridge to the east of the study area. King (1950) recognized that the Cambrian carbonate sequence of Page Valley, near Stanley, Virginia, is broken by a large transverse fault which he named the Stanley fault. King (1950) interpreted the Stanley fault as a high-angle reverse fault with oblique-slip displacement. However, detailed mapping and structural data collected in this study indicate the Stanley fault is a low angle thrust fault which cuts all pre-Alleghanian and Early Alleghanian structures.

Two previously unrecognized …

An Improved Method For Determining And Characterizing Alignments Of Point-Like Features And Its Implications For The Pinacate Volcanic Field, Sonora, Mexico, Tim Lutz, J T. Gutmann

Earth & Space Sciences Faculty Publications

We present an improved method for determining statistically significant alignments of pointlike features. One of the principal such methods now in use, the two-point azimuth method, depends on a homogeneous distribution of points over the region of interest. Modification of this approach by use of the relatively new statistical technique of kernel density estimation permits treatment of heterogeneous point distributions without introducing substantial dependence on choice of the grid employed in the test for significance of apparent preferred orientations. The improved method can selectively reveal alignments on different spatial scales and can suggest the locations of alignments as well as …

Comments On “Measurements Of 7Be And 210Pb In Rain, Snow, And Hall”, M. Baskaran

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

No abstract available

Constraints On Present-Day Basin And Range Deformation From Space Geodesy, Jeffrey Lee, Timothy H. Dixon, Stefano Robaudo, Marith C. Reheis

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

We use new space geodetic data from very long baseline interferometry and satellite laser ranging combined with other geodetic and geologic data to study contemporary deformation in the Basin and Range province of the western United States. Northwest motion of the central Sierra Nevada block relative to stable North America, a measure of integrated Basin and Range deformation, is 12.1±1.2 mm/yr oriented N38°W±5° (one standard error), in agreement with previous geological estimates within uncertainties. This velocity reflects both east-west extension concentrated in the eastern Basin and Range and north-northwest directed right lateral shear concentrated in the western Basin and Range. …

Deep-Well Data Base For Nebraska, Duane R. Mohlam, Raymond R. Burchett

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Stratigraphy, Structure, And Environmental Site Assessment Of A Portion Of The Western Blue Ridge, Monroe County, Tennessee, Donald James Geddes

Masters Theses

The western Blue Ridge in southeastern Tennessee is underlain principally by metasedimentary rocks of the Walden Creek and Great Smoky Groups (Ocoee Supergroup). These rocks have traditionally been interpreted as turbiditic synrift sediments deposited along the Late Proterozoic to Early Cambrian southeastern Laurentian margin, which were subsequently metamorphosed and deformed during an early Paleozoic (Taconic) orogeny, then brittlely deformed and thrust westward during a late Paleozoic (Alleghanian) orogeny. More recent hypotheses suggest that at least part of the Walden Creek Group was deposited above the regional Middle Ordovician unconformity in post-Taconic successor basins, and deformed and metamorphosed only during a …

An Introduction To Using Modflow The Usgs Modular Finite-Difference Ground-Water Computer Modeling System, Jessica N. Pfundt

Geology Graduate and Undergraduate Student Scholarship

MODFLOW is the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.) Modular Finite-Difference Ground-Water computer modeling system. This program incorporates basic concepts derived from previous computer groundwater modeling programs. MODFLOW improves upon these programs because it is easy to modify, simple to use and maintain, can be executed on a variety of computers with minimal changes, and is relatively efficient with respect to computer memory and execution time (McDonald and Harbaugh, 1988).

Data From The Deep-Rock Samples On File From Wells Drilled In Nebraska, Duane R. Mohlman

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Areal And Vertical Distribution Of Total Soil Mercury And Total Phosphorusin The Southern Half Of Water Conservation Area 3-A, Everglades, Southern Florida, Cleone Botelho Arfstrom

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total soil-mercury and phosphorus concentrations were determined in 64 sites in the southern half of Water Conservation Area 3A, an area of approximately 500 km² . Surface soil-Hg concentrations ranged from 117 to 300 ng-g^-1;
total phosphorus concentrations range from 350 to 850 pg~g^-1. No consistent north-south or east-west trends are found in the mercury or phosphorus surface concentrations when they are normalized to soil bulk density. Nine sites were used for the determination of the vertical distribution of soilmercury. Vertical profiles of soil-Hg revealed decreasing concentrations with depth and correlated well with phosphorus in …

The Distribution Of Naturally Occurring Soil Radionuclides And Radon Potential Of Northwest Oregon, Stuart Graham Ashbaugh

Dissertations and Theses

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced as one of the decay products of soil/rock uranium and thorium, is considered to be a leading cause of pulmonary disease. Gamma spectrometry of 146 samples of soil were used to quantify radon source potential relative to lithology by measuring Bi²¹⁴ activity of the U²³⁸ decay series. Additional soil radio nuclide data (Th²³², Ac²²⁸, K40 and C¹³⁷ ) were used to help identify regional source provenance geochemistry and soil development. Ac²²⁸, Bi²¹⁴ and Th²³² activities in northwest Oregon soils range from five …

Spatial Variation Of Naticid Gastropod Predation In The Eocene Of North-America, Thor A. Hansen, Patricia H. Kelley

Geology Faculty Publications

Although, the fossil record of naticid gastropod drilling has played an important role in the controversy over predator-prey evolution, little is known about variation of drilling frequencies within single horizons or how predation patterns are influenced by environmental variables. Without an understanding of spatial variation in drilling, temporal patterns in drilling are difficult to interpret. We surveyed 27,554 specimens of molluscs from the Cook Mountain interval (upper middle Eocene) and Jackson Group (late Eocene) of the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain to document spatial variation in naticid drilling frequencies. The Jackson Group assemblages from the Moodys Branch and Yazoo …

A Hydrologic Analysis Of Government Island, Oregon, Scott Gregory Bittinger

Dissertations and Theses

Government Island, located in the Columbia River approximately 16 km (10 mi) upstream of the confluence with the Willamette River, is a wetland mitigation site prompted by expansion of the southwest quadrant of Portland International Airport. The purpose of the study is to predict water levels in two enclosed lowland areas, Jewit Lake and Southeast Pond, based on levels of the Columbia River, precipitation, and evapotranspiration. Mitigation is intended to convert 1.13 km2 (237 acres) of seasonally flooded wetland to 1.27 km2 (267 acres) of semi-permanently flooded wetland and seasonally flooded wetland. Flooding of the wetland is most likely to …

Late Quaternary Glacial Geology, Shoreline Morphology, And Tephrochronology Of The Lliamna/Naknek/Brooks Lake Area, Southwestern Alaska, Karen B. Stilwell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focuses on the late-Wisconsin Brooks Lake glaciation, lake-level fluctuations, and volcanic deposits in the lliamna/Naknek/Brooks Lake area on the northern Alaska Peninsula, southwestern Alaska. The Brooks Lake glaciation consists of five stades, from youngest to oldest: Kvichak, Iliamna, Newhalen, Iliuk, and Ukak. This thesis reassigns the type Mak Hill moraine to a pre-late-Wisconsin glaciation, and considers the moraine enclosing Naknek Lake an early-late-Wisconsin deposit correlative to either the Kvichak stade, lliamna stade, or both. The presence in the Iliamna Lake valley, and the absence in the Naknek Lake valley of a two-fold earliest-late-Wisconsin Kvichak/Iliamna glacial sequence suggest that …