Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Inventory Of Rock Glaciers In The American West And Their Topography And Climate, Allison Reese Trcka

Dissertations and Theses

Rock glaciers are flowing geomorphic landforms composed of an ice/debris mixture. A uniform rock glacier classification scheme was created for the western continental US, based on internationally recognized criteria, to merge the various regional published inventories. A total of 2249 rock glaciers (1564 active, 685 inactive) and 7852 features of interest were identified in 10 states (WA, OR, CA, ID, NV, UT, ID, MT, WY, CO, NM). Sulfur Creek rock glacier in Wyoming is the largest active rock glacier (2.39 km²). The mean area and elevation for active and inactive rock glaciers are 0.18 km², 3384 …

Relationships Between In-Situ Tests And Soil Cyclic Strength For Earthquake Hazard Characterization In The Pacific Northwest, Tanner Scott Bryantt

Dissertations and Theses

Strong earthquake shaking is a natural hazard threat in the Pacific Northwest. Soil failure due to strong earthquake shaking -- known as cyclic soil failure or liquefaction -- is expected to cause large ground deformations and damage to roads, bridges, and other civil infrastructure. Cyclic soil strength (CRR) is often characterized with in-situ geotechnical tests including the cone penetration test (CPT). Relationships between CRR and in-situ test data are not well established for soils in the Pacific Northwest. Portland State University, in partnership with New Albion Geotechnical has compiled a database of cyclic lab tests for Pacific Northwest soils to …

Do Fungal Symbionts Of Salt Marsh Plants Affect Interspecies Competition?, Vanessa Robertson-Rojas

Dissertations and Theses

The effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as salt marsh plant symbionts may have significant effects on landscape scale distribution patterns and plant-related ecosystem functions that are important to estuarine habitats. This work investigates the effects AMF have on Phalaris arundinacea, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Juncus balticus when grown in a common garden experiment. Plants were grown with and without AMF inoculation in both polyculture and monoculture communities and examined for a variety of response variables that represent different competition strategies. Factorial ANOVA analysis revealed a significant three-way interaction among fungal treatment type, community type, and species for …

Late-Holocene Shoreline Responses To Competing Shelf, Bay, And Beach Accommodation Spaces Under Conditions Of Relative Sea Level Change, And The Potential For Future Catastrophic Beach Retreat In The Columbia River Littoral Cell, Washington And Oregon, Usa, Curt D. Peterson, Tamara C. Linde, Sandy Vanderburgh

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Columbia River Littoral Cell (CRLC) (160 km in length) provides opportunities to compare competing accommodation space relations under different conditions of relative sea level change. The CRLC system includes abundant littoral sand supply from the large Columbia River, late-Holocene prograded beach plains and barrier spits (0.5–5 km in width), two large marine-dominated estuaries (Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor), and a high-wave-energy inner-shelf. Littoral sand accumulation rates in prograded beach plains and barrier deposits are based on paleo-shoreline positions that are dated by great-earthquake catastrophic beach retreat scarps (n = 10) from 0.3 to 5.0 ka. The retreat scarp timelines …

Rainfall Triggers More Deep-Seated Landslides Than Cascadia Earthquakes In The Oregon Coast Range, Usa, Sean R. Lahusen, Alison R. Duvall, Adam M. Booth, A. Grant, Ben A. Mishkin, David R. Montgomery, Will Struble, Joshua J. Roering, J. Wartman

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The coastal Pacific Northwest USA hosts thousands of deep-seated landslides. Historic landslides have primarily been triggered by rainfall, but the region is also prone to large earthquakes on the 1100-km-long Cascadia Subduction Zone megathrust. Little is known about the number of landslides triggered by these earthquakes because the last magnitude 9 rupture occurred in 1700 CE. Here, we map 9938 deep-seated bedrock landslides in the Oregon Coast Range and use surface roughness dating to estimate that past earthquakes triggered fewer than half of the landslides in the past 1000 years. We find landslide frequency increases with mean annual precipitation but …

Distribution, Geochronology, And Petrogenesis Of The Picture Gorge Basalt With Special Focus On Petrological Relationships To The Main Columbia River Basalt Group, Emily Bogdan Cahoon

Dissertations and Theses

The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) is the youngest and volumetrically smallest continental flood basalt exposed across the Pacific Northwest, USA. Similar to other large igneous provinces, the majority of material erupted during the initial 1 million years of activity, these lavas are subdivided into four main-phase units. The Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) is the only main-phase unit of the CRBG whose age is not precisely known and understanding of PGB petrogenesis is largely based on a limited number of samples when compared with other main-phase units. It is suggested that a time gap of over 0.5 myr existed between …

Testing The Correlation Of Trace Element Characteristics With The Petrology And Temperature Of Eruption Of Mid-Miocene Rhyolites In Eastern Oregon, Brianna Christine Young

Dissertations and Theses

The Lake Owyhee Volcanic Field (LOVF) in eastern Oregon experienced several major eruptive events during the mid-Miocene (16.8 to 15.5 Ma), resulting in the emplacement of 3,900 km³ of rhyolitic lava flows and ash-flow tuffs. Eighteen samples from eleven different silicic centers in the LOVF were selected for this study. While all samples of this study are classified as rhyolite, their compositions vary greatly in terms of trace and major elements. Using trace elements, these rhyolite samples are classified as "A-type", described as resulting from "hot and dry" magmas and associated with hot-spot activity, or as "I-type" or "calc-alkaline", …

The Rocky Ledge Fault, Shasta County, Ne California: Development And Morphology Of A Quaternary Oblique Normal Fault In Basalt, Gregory David Linscott Martin

Dissertations and Theses

Distinct morphology, variable vertical separation, and unique structural geometries are observed along the Rocky Ledge fault (RLF), an east-dipping, oblique normal fault in the tectonically complex Hat Creek Graben, Shasta County, NE California. Situated in the southern Cascade arc, the RLF is located at the boundary of the Klamath Mountains, Basin and Range, and Walker Lane Seismic Belt. The primary goal of this project is to better understand Quaternary deformation along the RLF. I developed detailed maps of geologic units and structures along the ~15 km length of the RLF. Map data informs assessment of fault geometry, scarp morphology, and …

An Investigation And Comparison Of Stable Isotopes In Meteoric Waters And Groundwaters From Southern Washington, Emily E. Smoot

University Honors Theses

A main source of freshwater in the Pacific Northwest is the Columbia River Basalt Group aquifer system. The semi-arid region of eastern Washington has undergone heavy groundwater depletion in recent decades due to increasing population and expanding agricultural use. Aggressive mining has resulted in drawdowns of up to 30 meters. By using stable isotopes oxygen-eighteen (¹⁸O) and deuterium (D), this study confines the timing of groundwater precipitation and proposes an explanation for why drawdowns are so significant. The isotopic composition of meteoric water is compared to groundwaters from southeast Washington. The two populations are statistically different (p < 0.001, alpha = 0.05). The isotopic composition of groundwaters from the deepest wells (< -150 m msl) are isotopically lighter than meteoric waters and not achievable by recharge under the current climate. These deep groundwaters are interpreted to have precipitated during the Last Glacial Maximum in the late Pleistocene and finished precipitating roughly 5 ka. Thus, replenishment of the aquifer cannot be expected to keep pace with extraction. Additionally, this research examines the elevation response in the stable isotope signature of meteoric water along the 47° N latitude by computing three lapse rates for ^{18 …}

Climate From The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2017: Surface Air Temperature Trends And Redefined Summer Season, Maciej K. Obryk, Peter T. Doran, Andrew G. Fountain, M. Myers, Christopher P. Mckay

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The weather of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the largest ice‐free region of the Antarctica, has been continuously monitored since 1985 with currently 14 operational meteorological stations distributed throughout the valleys. Because climate is based on a 30‐year record of weather, this is the first study to truly define the contemporary climate of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mean air temperature and solar radiation based on all stations were −20°C and 102 Wm⁻², respectively. Depending on the site location, the mean annual air temperatures on the valleys floors ranged between −15°C and −30°C, and mean annual solar radiation varied …

Archaeological Feature Identification Through Geochemical Analysis Of Arctic Sediments From The Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Northwest Alaska, Patrick William Reed

Dissertations and Theses

Identification and interpretation of archaeological phenomena is typically based on visual cues and the physical presence of "something archaeological," such as a diagnostic artifact, landscape modification, or structural element. Yet many archaeological features, i.e. the discrete archaeological deposits related to past human behavior, lack clear indicators of human activity that provides clues to the feature's origin. At the Cape Krusenstern beach ridge complex, located in northwest Alaska, ambiguous features, that could be natural or anthropogenic (vegetation anomalies), or are of unknown cultural function (indeterminate), comprise 60% of the identified features at the complex. These ambiguous features represent a large gap …

An Analysis Of The Reactivation Potential Of A Deep-Seated Landslide In The Oregon Coast Range Under Varying Hydrologic Conditions With Seismic Triggering, Emily E. Smoot

Anthós

Landslides can occur in many locations across the world and have the potential to be extremely destructive if failures occur near populated areas. Failures are most likely to occur on slopes that have already experienced numerous failures. This means they are a considerable hazard, and the risk involved with building in areas that have previously experienced landslides should be adequately understood. This study examines the reactivation potential of a deep-seated landslide located in the Oregon Coast Range. The analysis of this landslide included creating a map of the surface morphology and computing the factor of safety for the deposit using …

Detecting Geomorphic Change And Stream Channel Evolution On The Sandy River, Oregon, Using Lidar Following Dam Removal In 2007, Lowell Henry Anthony

Dissertations and Theses

Following the removal of Marmot Dam on the Sandy River, Oregon, several Lidar flights were flown over the area of the former reservoir. The resultant sequential DEMs permitted calculation of reach-scale volumetric erosion and aggradation following dam removal. This allows for change detection across the entire affected reach of the former impoundment rather than just at several cross sections. In the first year there was a net loss of blank sediment in the dewatered reach. Subsequent flights show continued degradation of 145,649 m³ as well as aggradation of 6,232 m³. Sediment transport reached quasi-equilibrium in 2012 with …

Reshuffling The Columbia River Basalt Chronology — Picture Gorge Basalt, The Earliest- And Longest-Erupting Formation, Emily B. Cahoon, Martin J. Streck, Anthony A.P. Koppers, Daniel P. Miggins

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) is the world’s youngest continental flood basalt province, presumably sourced from the deep-seated plume that currently resides underneath Yellowstone National Park in the northwestern United States. The earliest-erupted basalts from this province aid in understanding and modeling plume impingement and the subsequent evolution of basaltic volcanism. We explore the Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) formation of the CRBG, and discuss the location and geochemical significance in a temporal context of early CRBG magmatism. We report new ARGUS-VI multicollector 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating ages from known PGB localities and additional outcrops that we can geochemically classify as …

Geochemical Response To Thermal Energy Storage In The Columbia River Basalt Aquifer System Beneath The Portland Basin, Oregon, Ellen Elizabeth Svadlenak

Dissertations and Theses

Deep direct use thermal energy storage (TES) is a low carbon emission method of geothermal energy storage and supply for large-scale residential, commercial, and manufacturing heating and cooling. The process entails repeated cycles of hot- or cold-water injection, storage, and extraction from slow groundwater flow zones within the deeper layers of an aquifer system. Though a promising technology, TES cycles may increase mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions, particularly at elevated temperatures. The ensuing mass transfer can form scale in heat exchange systems and alter aquifer porosity and permeability, processes that can reduce the operational efficiency of a TES system.

Within …

Glacial Meltwater Modeling To Simulate Lake Water Budget (1996-2013) In Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Julian Michael Cross

Dissertations and Theses

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), the largest ice-free region (4,500 km²) in Antarctica, are a polar desert with an average annual temperature of -18ºC. In Taylor Valley, one of the MDV, closed-basin, perennially ice-covered lakes occupy the valley floor. Their water balance is controlled by inflow from glacial meltwater runoff and loss due to sublimation, making them sensitive indicators of climate. In this study, a physically-based model of glacier meltwater and lake ice sublimation is adapted to explain modern (1996 to 2013) lake-level variations. Meltwater model results were improved by the inclusion of MODIS remotely-sensed albedo measurements (E …

Evaluating Cmip6 Model Fidelity At Simulating Non-Gaussian Temperature Distribution Tails, Arielle J. Catalano, Paul Loikith, J. David Neelin

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Under global warming, changes in extreme temperatures will manifest in more complex ways in locations where temperature distribution tails deviate from Gaussian. Confidence in global climate model (GCM) projections of temperature extremes and associated impacts therefore relies on the realism of simulated temperature distribution tail behavior under current climate conditions. This study evaluates the ability of the latest state-of-the-art ensemble of GCMs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase six (CMIP6), to capture historical global surface temperature distribution tail shape in hemispheric winter and summer seasons. Comparisons with a global reanalysis product reveal strong agreement on coherent spatial patterns of …

Northward Migration Of The Oregon Forearc On The Gales Creek Fault, Ray E. Wells, Richard J. Blakely, Sean Bemis

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Gales Creek fault (GCF) is a 60-km-long, northwest-striking dextral fault system (west of Portland, Oregon) that accommodates northward motion and uplift of the Oregon Coast Range. New geologic mapping and geophysical models confirm inferred offsets from earlier geophysical surveys and document ∼12 km of right-lateral offset of a basement high in Eocene Siletz River Volcanics since ca. 35 Ma and ∼8.8 km of right-lateral separation of Miocene Columbia River Basalt at Newberg, Oregon, since 15 Ma (∼0.62 ± 0.12 mm/yr, average long-term rate). Relative uplift of Eocene Coast Range basalt basement west of the fault zone is at least …

Deuterium Excess And 17o-Excess Variability In Meteoric Water Across The Pacific Northwest, Usa, John Bershaw, Dougal Hansen, Andrew Schauer

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

High-precision triple oxygen isotope analysis of water has given rise to a novel second-order parameter, ¹⁷O-excess (often denoted as δ¹⁷O), which describes the deviation from a reference relationship between δ¹⁸O and δ¹⁷O. This tracer, like deuterium excess (d-excess), is affected by kinetic fractionation (diffusion) during phase changes within the hydrologic cycle. However, unlike d-excess, ¹⁷O-excess is present in paleowater proxy minerals and is not thought to vary significantly with temperature. This makes it a promising tool in paleoclimate research, particularly in relatively arid continental regions where traditional approaches have produced equivocal results. …

Onset And Cause Of Increased Seismic Activity Near Pecos, West Texas, United States, From Observations At The Lajitas Txar Seismic Array, Clive Frohlich, Chris Hayward, Julia Rosenblit, Chastity Aiken, Peter Henning, Alexandros Savvaidis, Casee Lemons, Elizabeth Horne, Multiple Additional Authors

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, numerous small earthquakes have occurred near the town of Pecos in West Texas; however, when this activity began and whether it was caused by increased petroleum industry activity has been uncertain because prior to 2017 there were few permanent seismograph stations in the region. We identify and locate earthquakes using data recorded since 2000 at TXAR, a sensitive 10‐station seismic array situated about 240 km south of Pecos. We thus show that in 2007, one earthquake occurred near Pecos, in 2009 several more occurred, and subsequently, activity has increased considerably, with more than 2000 events identified in …

Geologic Map Of The Greater Portland Metropolitan Area And Surrounding Region, Oregon And Washington, Ray E. Wells, Ralph Haugerud, Alan Niem, Wendy A. Niem, Russell Evarts, J. E. O’Connor, Ian Madin, Marvin Beeson, Multiple Additional Authors

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This geologic map encompasses the greater Portland metropolitan area (the metro area), an urbanized region astride the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in Oregon and Washington. The metro area includes the Portland-VancouverHillsboro metropolitan area, defined by the U.S. Census as the 23rd largest such area in the U.S., having a population of more than 2.2 million people (https://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/026/508.php). The map area extends beyond the urbanized core to include outlying towns and cities and the bounding fault zones that separate the metro area from the adjacent Coast Range and Cascade Range (or Cascades; figs. 1, 2, and 3). The …

The Seasonal Evolution Of Albedo Across Glaciers And The Surrounding Landscape Of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Anna Bergstrom, Michael N. Gooseff, Peter T. Doran, Julian M. Cross

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica are a polar desert ecosystem consisting of alpine glaciers, ice-covered lakes, streams, and expanses of vegetation-free rocky soil. Because average summer temperatures are close to 0 Cel., the MDV ecosystem in general, and glacier melt dynamics in particular, are both closely linked to the energy balance. A slight increase in incoming radiation or change in albedo can have large effects on the timing and volume of meltwater. However, the seasonal evolution or spatial variability of albedo in the valleys has yet to fully characterized. In this study, we aim to understand the drivers …

The Role Of Warm, Dry Summers And Variation In Snowpack On Phytoplankton Dynamics In Mountain Lakes, Isabella A. Olesky, Whitney S. Beck, Roderick W. Lammers, Cara E. Steger, Codie Wilson, Kyle R. Christianson, Kim Vincent, Gunnar Forrest Johnson, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Jill S. Baron

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate change is altering biogeochemical, metabolic, and ecological functions in lakes across the globe. Historically, mountain lakes in temperate regions have been unproductive because of brief ice-free seasons, a snowmelt-driven hydrograph, cold temperatures, and steep topography with low vegetation and soil cover. We tested the relative importance of winter and summer weather, watershed characteristics, and water chemistry as drivers of phytoplankton dynamics. Using boosted regression tree models for 28 mountain lakes in Colorado, we examined regional, intraseasonal, and interannual drivers of variability in chlorophyll a as a proxy for lake phytoplankton. Phytoplankton biomass was inversely related to the maximum snow …

Predicted Responses Of Beaches, Bays, And Inner-Shelf Sand Supplies To Potential Sea Level Rise (0.5-1.0 M) In Three Small Littoral Subcells In The High-Wave-Energy Northern Oregon Coast, Usa, Curt D. Peterson, Debra Lee Doyle, Charles L. Rosenfeld, Kara E. P. Kingen

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three small subcells (Nehalem, Tillamook, and Netarts) totaling ~55 km shoreline length in the high-wave energy northern Oregon coast are evaluated for potential beach sand loss from sea level rise (SLR) of 0.5–1.0 m during the next century. The predicted erosion is based on beach sand displacement from the narrow beaches (average ~120 m width) to increased submarine accommodation spaces in the innermost-shelf (to 30 m water depth) and in the subcell estuaries (Tillamook Bay, Netarts Bay, and Nehalem Bay), following predicted near-future SLR. Beach sand sources from local rivers, paleo-shelf deposits, and/or sea cliff retreat are discriminated by distinctive …

A Basilosaurid Archaeocete (Cetacea, Pelagiceti) From The Late Eocene Of Oregon, Usa, Mark D. Uhen, David Taylor

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Basilosaurid archaeocetes are known from the Late Eocene of virtually all coastlines bearing coeval marine rocks except the North Pacific Basin, until now. Here we report on three consecutive posterior thoracic vertebrae of a large, basilosaurid archaeocete from a Late Eocene horizon in the Keasey Formation in Oregon.

Methods: These vertebrae were morphologically and morphometrically compared to other vertebrae of similar age from around the world.

Results: The specimens were determined to be different from all currently named species of fossil cetacean, but most similar to those found in the Gulf Coast region of North America. …

An Integrated Feasibility Study Of Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (Rtes) In Portland, Or, Usa, John Bershaw, Alison E. Horst, Ashley Streig, Darby Patrick Scanlon, Ellen Elizabeth Svadlenak, Jenny Liu, Peter Hulseman, Ray E. Wells, Multiple Additional Authors

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In regions with long cold overcast winters and sunny summers, Deep Direct-Use (DDU) can be coupled with Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage (RTES) technology to take advantage of pre-existing subsurface permeability to save summer heat for later use during cold seasons. Many aquifers worldwide are underlain by permeable regions (reservoirs) containing brackish or saline groundwater that has limited beneficial use due to poor water quality. We investigate the utility of these relatively deep, slow flowing reservoirs for RTES by conducting an integrated feasibility study in the Portland Basin, Oregon, USA, developing methods and obtaining results that can be widely applied to …