Earth Sciences Commons^™

Using Strat Columns To Interpret Sequence Stragraphy Of Glacial Driven Stream Deposits Of The Acient San Joaquin River, Kyle R. Scharton

STAR Program Research Presentations

The sedimentary deposits of the ancient San Joaquin River tell the story of river flow through three glacial periods. A strat column shows vertical changes in deposition throughout an outcrop. It can be used to extrapolate the energy level of the flow, and other features of the river at different depositional environments. By looking at trends through the column it is possible to determine how the river’s flow changed through time. Variances in the gravel size and whether it supports itself or is held together by the surrounding sand matrix give clues as to the rate of flow and how …

Climate Study In An Abandoned Auto Tunnel In Alaska, Usa, Andreas Pflitsch, David Holmgren

The International Workshop on Ice Caves

An abandoned auto tunnel in south central Alaska in an elevation of 118 m above sea level seemed to be a perfect laboratory for studying the evolution of ice speleothems in a yearly cycle. More than 1,500 ice forms like stalagmites, stalactites, columns in various shape and arrangements, developed in just 2 month to a high up to 6 meters and lasted for another 5 to 6 month. In October just the remains of the melted ice in rings and rectangular patterns of a white powder could be found. Unfortunately the mostly sealed tunnel was opened in January 2014 by …

The Monica (Monitoring Of Ice Within Caves) Project: A Multidisciplinary Approach For The Geophysical And Paleoclimatic Characterization Of Permanent Ice Deposits In The Southeastern Alps, Renato R. Colucci, Emanuele Forte, Barbara Stenni, Marco Basso Bondini, Mauro Colle Fontana, Costanza Del Gobbo, Daniele Fontana, Doriana Belligoi, Valter Maggi, Marco Filipazzi

The International Workshop on Ice Caves

On days 30 September and 1-2 October 2013, a 7.8 m long ice core has been extracted from a permanent ice cave deposit in the Southeastern Alps (Vasto’s cave, Mt.Canin - Julian Alps). Each 20 to 100 cm long section of the ice core have been immediately stored in plastic bags and preserved thanks to dry ice. The ice samples, thanks to the helicopter, has been subsequently brought on valley and promptly stored in a refrigerated van, made available by BoFrost. Thus the ice cores has been transported intact to the EUROCOLD laboratory in Milan. These operations have been carried …

Characterization Of Two Permanent Ice Cave Deposits In The Southeastern Alps (Italy) By Means Of Ground Penetrating Radar (Gpr), Renato R. Colucci, Daniele Fontana, Emanuele Forte

The International Workshop on Ice Caves

In order to assess the thickness and the inner structure of some permanent ice deposits in two high elevated alpine karstic caves of the Canin massif (Alpi Giulie, Italy), we performed several multi frequency Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys. The surveys have been conducted within the project MONICA (MOnitoring of Ice within Caves), aimed at the paleoclimatic characterization of the considered cave ice deposits. GPR surveys have proved to be crucial also in finding the most suitable place for carrying out a drilling core. This has been particularly useful in the Vasto’s ice cave (VIC) in which the direct/visual estimation …

New Research In Cave Ledenica In Bukovi Vrh On Velebit Mt In Croatian Dinaric Karst, Mladen Garasic

The International Workshop on Ice Caves

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Karst Topography To Ice Cave Occurrence - Example Of Ledena Jama In Lomska Duliba (Croatia), Nenad Buzjak

The International Workshop on Ice Caves

The research of cave microclimate in general contributes to a better understanding of physical and chemical processes in complex karst geoecosystems. Special challenges for researchers are ice caves. This preliminary report is a part of the project dedicated to the research of deep caves on Velebit Mt. and pointed to the influence of the large karst depression microclimate to cave microclimate, e.g. ice and snow accumulation. The one year study using T/RH data loggers was conducted in Lomska duliba valley (Velebit Mt.) known for frequent temperature inversion and low air temperature, and in partially ice-snow filled Ledena jama (Ice shaft) …

Michigan's Clay Bluffs: The Description And Comparison Of An Erosion-Dependent Natural Community, Nathaniel G. Fuller

Masters Theses

The clay bluffs of Michigan are a natural community found along the shores of the Great Lakes. Groundwater is found to be critical to sustaining the alkaline wetlands on the face of the bluff as well as the source of most erosion events. The clay bluffs are unusual in their vegetation, disturbance regime and geographical context. This thesis focuses primarily on describing seeping clay bluffs and exploring the comparison to other natural communities. The purpose of this is twofold, to better understand the ways in which natural communities are described as distinct from one another, and to assess the distinctness …

Interpolating Beach Profile Data Using Linear And Non-Linear Functions, Lance Calloway Croft

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Beach and nearshore surveys are conducted in a variety of ways, the most commonly used being the level-and-transit method; because it is inexpensive, time conducive and highly accurate. Specifically, beach surveys are conducted to better understand cross-shore, long-shore sediment transport processes, as well as to quantify volume changes, which are used to evaluate beach performance. In this study, a section of the beach on Sand Key, FL was surveyed using rod-and-transit. In addition to the commonly used linear data analysis, a non-linear analysis was conducted using NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines).

Survey data was collected within a short time window …

Evolution And Equilibration Of Artificial Morphologic Perturbations In The Form Of Nearshore Berm Nourishments Along The Florida Gulf Coast, Katherine Emily Brutsché

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Inlets and channels are dredged often to maintain navigation safety. It is beneficial to reintroduce the dredged material back into the littoral system, in the form of beach or nearshore nourishments. Nourishment in the nearshore is becoming an increasingly utilized method, particularly for dredged material that contains more fine sediment than the native beach. This research examines the morphologic evolution of two different nearshore nourishments. A nearshore berm was constructed at Fort Myers Beach, Florida using mixed-sized sediment dredged from a nearby channel. The nearshore berm was placed in water depths between 1.2 and 2.4 m with the berm crest …

Volcanism-Induced Karst Landforms And Speleogenesis, In The Ankarana Plateau (Madagascar). Hypothesis And Preliminary Research, Eric Gilli

International Journal of Speleology

The Ankarana is a limestone plateau in the northern part of Madagascar, where a cave system, more than 120 km long, has been explored. The plateau is bordered by volcanoes and is cut across by several canyons. An analysis of surface landforms and caves suggests that the karst genesis was probably initiated by volcanism beneath an impervious cover. Volcanic bulging and magma intrusions may have favored a basalt-limestone assimilation process and metamorphism. The ascent of deep volcanic fluids (CO₂ and SO₂) from magma degassing and from limestone metamorphism, may explain the speleogenesis. Once denuded, the karst evolved …

Investigating Meter Scale Topographic Variation As A Factor Of Monterey Pine (Pinus Radiata) Growing Conditions At Kenneth Norris Rancho Marino Reserve, Cambria, Ca, William J. Meyst

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Endemic Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) is limited to three locations in California due to its unique ecological requirements. This project was conducted to investigate spatial growth patterns ofMonterey pine over complex ground surfaces. The coastal hills of Rancho Marino Reserve, Cambria, were surveyed using four 150-m transects to quantify and record ground surface features and growing conditions ofMonterey pine. Changes in elevation of each transect were measured using an Abney level. Linear ground surfaces were found at 86% (344 of 400) of survey nodes. Convex ground surfaces were found at 10.5% of survey nodes (42 of 400). Of …

The University Of Nebraska State Museum, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

I first walked through the doors of Morrill Hall on the main or City Campus of the University of Nebraska on a day late in August of 1962 and thought that I had entered paleontology heaven. Morrill Hall then housed the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM). most of the Geology Department, and some other parts of university units. I was a new graduate student hoping to pursue research in invertebrate paleontology in the Department of Geology and was on my way to see the department chairman for the first time. When I entered the building I walked through a …

Stratigraphic Framework And Landsystem Correlation For Deposits Of The Saginaw Lobe, Michigan, Usa, Ivan R. Guzman

Masters Theses

Since the time of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the south-central portion of the Lower Michigan Peninsula has been subject to several glacial advances and retreats by the Saginaw lobe. As part of the U.S Geological Survey Great Lakes Geological Mapping Coalition projects, several rotosonic borings were drilled between 2006 and 2013 in Barry, Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties. Gamma ray logs and textural analyses were completed for each core. Five of these borings were selected according to their diamicton (till) content and correlated using water well logs and surficial geology maps. Glacial deposits such as diamicton serve as evidence of …

Investigating Telogenetic Karst Aquifer Processes And Evolution In South-Central Kentucky, U.S., Using High-Resolution Storm Hydrology And Geochemistry Monitoring, Nicholas Lawhon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent studies have investigated the hydrological and geochemical characteristics of karst aquifers in different settings; however, telogenetic karst aquifer processes remain poorly understood. In south-central Kentucky, the iconic Lost River Cave and Valley represents a large, complex telogenetic karst drainage basin with a series of discharge points along a collapsed section of the cave. Two Campbell Scientific® CR1000 automated dataloggers were installed at Blue Hole Four, a primary discharge point of the Lost River Karst Aquifer (LRKA). These dataloggers recorded spring discharge, water temperature, specific conductance (SpC), and pH at ten-minute intervals from January to November, 2013. During the year, …

Geologic Constraints And Speleogenesis Of Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera, A Complex Coastal Cave From Mallorca Island (Western Mediterranean), Joaquín Ginés, Joan J. Fornós, Angel Ginés, Antoni Merino, Francesc Gràcia

International Journal of Speleology

The flat areas of eastern and southern Mallorca host a remarkable coastal karst, where Cova des Pas de Vallgornera stands out due to its length (more than 74 km) and its special morphological suite. The pattern of the cave is quite heterogeneous showing sharp differences produced by the architecture of the Upper Miocene reef: spongework mazes and collapse chambers dominate in the reef front facies, whereas joint-guided conduits are the rule in the back reef carbonates. Regarding the speleogenesis of the system, a complex situation is envisaged involving three main agents: coastal mixing dissolution, drainage of meteoric diffuse recharge, and …

Cave Deposits And Sedimentary Processes In Cova Des Pas De Vallgornera (Mallorca, Western Mediterranean), Joan J. Fornós, Joaquin Ginés, Francesc Gràcia, Antoni Merino Juncadella, Lluís Gómez-Pujol, Pere Bover

International Journal of Speleology

The Cova des Pas de Vallgornera is an important and protected coastal cave, located in the southern part of the island of Mallorca, that outstands due to its length and the complex processes involved in its speleogenesis. Although sediments are not the main topic of interest, their presence as well as their paleontological contents are valuable evidence for paleoclimatic and chronological reconstructions of the cave morphogenesis. The sedimentary infilling is characterized by a scarce presence of clastic sedimentation, mainly composed of silts and clays, which can only be found at some minor passages in the innermost parts of the cave. …

Analysis Of Environmental Influences On Dressed Stone Decay: A Case Study Of Tafoni Development On A Hewn Djinn Block In Petra, Jordan, Kaelin M. Groom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Petra, Jordan captivates tourists and researchers with its dramatic sandstone cliffs, Nabatean, Roman, Byzantine and Roman architecture, and rich cultural heritage. However, increasing tourism in the valley is exacerbating stone degradation and complicating heritage management. This research analyzed environmental influences on dressed stone decay via tafoni development and evaluating cell evolution on an isolated hewn feature, known as Djinn Block X. Resembling other sandstone blocks found in the area, this irregular sandstone monument exhibits faces ranging in size from 2.5m by 3.5m to 3.9m to 4.2m (29m perimeter). Protruding features, incisions along the top, and a large platform attached to …

Cosmogenic Beryllium Cycling In A Natural Forest Setting, Grace Conyers

Open Access Theses

10 Bemet , or cosmogenic beryllium, has a long half-life of 1.4 million years and quick adsorption on soil particles, which may make it ideal for dating soil erosion in historical context. However, there are questions on about the fundamental assumptions of the retentivity of 10 Bemet . This manuscript explores these assumptions and the context of nutrient cycling in a natural forest setting.

To see if 10 Bemet was being cycled through the trees, and at what rate, we looked at the[10 Bemet ] in the soil, 4 species of trees, and their leaves. The isotopic ratio 10 Be/9 …

Geology – Future Continent, Joy Wulke

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Terra Mirabila, a multi-media presentation illustrating the geological story of Stony Creek Granite back through complex sequence of geological events that spanned some 600 million years of early history.

The West Tidewater Earthflow, Northern Oregon Coast Range, Barry A. Sanford

Dissertations and Theses

The West Tidewater earthflow, one of the largest in Oregon's history, occurred in December of 1994. The earthflow is located approximately 15 km north of Jewel, Oregon near the summit ofthe Northern Oregon Coast Range Mountains. The earthflow is 900 m long and 250 m wide, giving it a surface area of 9 ha, or 22 acres. Volume is 3.5 million m³. The earthflow occurred in low strength, well-bedded, tuffaceous, carbonaceous, micaceous, clay-rich mudstone, and very fine-grained, feldspathic, clay-rich siltstone of the lower Miocene age Northrup Creek Formation. The soil clay fractions contain up to 90% smectite with …

Some Reflections On Our Experiences At Sun Yat-Sen University Since 1985, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Anne P. Diffendal

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Professor Zhang Ke, Chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University, has asked us to write about some of our memories from our several visits to Sun Yat-sen University, as part of the 2014 celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the university and the creation of the department. We are very pleased to do so and to include with our written comments copies of some photographs that we have taken during these visits. We have gone back through our notes, books, tourist maps, photo files, and other information that we have kept as souvenirs …

Slope Stability Analysis Of Mount Meager, South-Western British Columbia, Canada, Rachel M. Hetherington

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Mount Meager Volcanic Complex (MMVC) in south-western British Columbia is a potentially active, hydrothermally altered massif comprising a series of steep, glaciated peaks. Climatic conditions and glacial retreat has led to the further weathering, exposure and de-buttressing of steep slopes composed of weak, unconsolidated material. This has resulted in an increased frequency of landslide events over the past few decades, many of which have dammed the rivers bordering the Complex. The breach of these debris dams presents a risk of flooding to the downstream communities. Preliminary mapping showed there are numerous sites around the Complex where future failure could …

Interpreting The Paleozoogeography And Sea Level History Of Thermally Anomalous Marine Terrace Faunas: A Case Study From The Last Interglacial Complex Of San Clemente Island, California, Daniel R. Muhs, Lindsey T. Groves, R. Randall Schumann

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Marine invertebrate faunas with mixtures of extralimital southern and extralimital northern faunal elements, called thermally anomalous faunas, have been recognized for more than a century in the Quaternary marine terrace record of the Pacific Coast of North America. Although many mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon, no single explanation seems to be applicable to all localities where thermally anomalous faunas have been observed. Here, we describe one such thermally anomalous fossil fauna that was studied on the second emergent marine terrace at Eel Point on San Clemente Island. The Eel Point terrace complex is a composite feature, consisting …

Identifying Sources Of Aeolian Mineral Dust: Present And Past, Daniel R. Muhs, Joseph M. Prospero, Matthew C. Baddock, Thomas E. Gill

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Aeolian mineral dust is an important component of the Earth’s environmental systems, playing roles in the planetary radiation balance, as a source of fertilizer for biota in both terrestrial and marine realms and as an archive for understanding atmospheric circulation and paleoclimate in the geologic past. Crucial to understanding all of these roles of dust is the identification of dust sources. Here we review the methods used to identify dust sources active at present and in the past. Contemporary dust sources, produced by both glaciogenic and non-glaciogenic processes, can be readily identified by the use of Earth-orbiting satellites. These data …

Coastal Geology And Recent Origins For Sand Point, Lake Superior, Timothy G. Fisher, David E. Krantz, Mario R. Castaneda, Walter L. Loope, Harry M. Jol, Ronald J. Goble, Melinda C. Higley, Samantha Dewald, Paul R. Hanson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sand Point is a small cuspate foreland located along the southeastern shore of Lake Superior within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising, Michigan. Park managers’ concerns for the integrity of historic buildings at the northern periphery of the point during the rising lake levels in the mid-1980s greatly elevated the priority of research into the geomorphic history and age of Sand Point. To pursue this priority, we recovered sediment cores from four ponds on Sand Point, assessed subsurface stratigraphy onshore and offshore using geophysical techniques, and interpreted the chronology of events using radiocarbon and luminescence dating. Sand Point formed at …

Rollover, Drowning, And Discontinuous Retreat: Distinct Modes Of Barrier Response To Sea-Level Rise Arising From A Simple Morphodynamic Model, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Andrew Dale Ashton

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We construct a simple morphodynamic model to investigate the long-term dynamic evolution of a coastal barrier system experiencing sea-level rise. Using a simplified barrier geometry, the model includes a dynamic shoreface profile that can be out of equilibrium and explicitly treats barrier sediment overwash as a flux. With barrier behavior primarily controlled by the maximum potential overwash flux and the rate of shoreface response, the modeled barrier system demonstrates four primary behaviors: height drowning, width drowning, constant landward retreat, and a periodic retreat. Height drowning occurs when overwash fluxes are insufficient to maintain the landward migration rate required to keep …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2014, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Orthothermographies And 3d Modeling As Potential Tools In Ice Caves Studies: The Peña Castil Ice Cave (Picos De Europa, Northern Spain), Fernando Berenguer-Sempere, Manuel Gómez-Lende, Enrique Seranno, José Juan De Sanjosé-Blasco

International Journal of Speleology

Currently there are many studies focused on the investigation of climatic and glaciological condition of ice caves. Here we present another way to address these studies, applying some methods already used in fields other than geomorphology. The versatility and accuracy provided by the use of modern topography and thermography techniques, using Terrestrial Laser Scanner and current thermographic cameras- and the creation of 3D thermographic models and orthothermographies derived from them - is shown to be a useful tool as it is difficult to obtain data from fieldwork and traditional methods used in caves. This paper presents the potential uses of …

Study Of Filled Dolines By Using 3d Stereo Image Processing And Electrical Resistivity Imaging, Mateja Breg Valjavec

International Journal of Speleology

This article deals with doline degradation due to uncontrolled waste dumping in the past in the Logatec Polje in Slovenia. It introduces a concept for determining 3D geometric characteristics (shape, depth, radius, area, and volume) of formerly concave landforms (i.e., recently filled dolines) by using a combination of two methods: (1) photogrammetric stereo processing of archival aerial photographs and (2) electrical resistivity imaging (ERI). To represent, visualize, and study the characteristics of the former surface morphology (i.e., the dolines before they were filled), a digital terrain model (DTM) for 1972 (DTM1972) was made using digital photogrammetry processing of five sequential …

Methods For Estimating Sediment Yield And Dam Capacity In The Great Lakes Watershed, Jennifer Hui

Wayne State University Theses

Sedimentation is the most important factor in the longevity of dams built in the United States. As most dams are reaching their capacity for sediment storage, this study investigated the historical and predicted future rates of sediment accumulation as well as the remaining storage capacity. This study examined the mechanisms influencing sediment production and storage in the watershed to provide future insight regarding potential control of this process. Twelve reservoirs throughout the Great Lakes watershed were selected and analyzed for their greater applicability to the entire watershed. Both historic and new data were collected on these dams to determine how …