Earth Sciences Commons^™

Use Of Engineering Geophysics In The Design Of Highway Passing Lanes, P. Michaels

CGISS Publications and Presentations

The addition of passing lanes has been a long standing need on Idaho Route 55. This narrow, winding road is one of the few routes that links Boise, Idaho, with destinations to the north. The roadway is bounded by a steep rising slope on the east, and a precipitous drop to the Payette River on the west. Additionally, the area is known for landslide hazards. Given these hazards and uncertainties in the subsurface geology, Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) commissioned an engineering geophysical survey to aid in the design of the passing lanes just south of Banks, Idaho.

The engineering design …

Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (Bhrs): Objectives, Design, Initial Geostatistical Results, Warren Barrash, Tom Clemo, Michael D. Knoll

CGISS Publications and Presentations

The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (BHRS) is a wellfield developed in a shallow, coarse (cobble-and-sand), alluvial aquifer with the goal of developing cost-effective methods for quantitatively characterizing the distribution of permeability in heterogeneous aquifers using hydrologic and geophysical techniques. Responses to surface geophysical techniques (e.g., seismic, radar, transient electromagnetics) will be calibrated against a highly characterized control volume (the wellfield) with 3-D distributions of geologic, hydrologic, and geophysical properties determined from extensive field measurements. Also, these data sets will be used to investigate relationships between properties and to test petrophysical models. Well coring and construction methods, and the well arrangement …

Geophysical Surveys Across The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site To Determine Geophysical Parameters Of A Shallow, Alluvial Aquifer, William P. Clement, Michael D. Knoll, Lee M. Liberty, Paul R. Donaldson, Paul Michaels, Warren Barrash, John R. Pelton

CGISS Publications and Presentations

At the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (BHRS), we are characterizing the hydrogeophysical parameters of a cobble-and-sand, unconfined aquifer using a wide variety of geophysical methods. Our goal is to develop methods for mapping variations in permeability by combining non-invasive geophysical data with hydrologic measurements. We are using seismic, ground penetrating radar, and electrical methods in a variety of configurations to provide images of and parameter distributions at the BHRS. Issues such as resolution, depth of penetration, and the ability to image the desired parameters will help determine the most effective methods. Supporting data sets from the BHRS include core analyses …

3‐D Gpr Imaging Of Complex Fluvial Stratigraphy At The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, William R. Peretti, Michael D. Knoll, William P. Clement, Warren Barrash

CGISS Publications and Presentations

A series of three-dimensional (3-D) ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data sets were acquired over the central wellfield area at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (BHRS). The survey region is 30 m x 18 m and encompasses 13 wells. The goal of the surveys is to image the complex fluvial (cobble-and-sand) stratigraphy around the wellfield. These images will be used to construct 3-D models of the sedimentary architecture and to help constrain fine-scale models of hydrologic and geophysical parameters at the site. The data sets were acquired using 25 MHz, 50 MHz, 100 MHz and 200 MHz antennas. Depth of penetration ranges …

Stability Of Paleosinks And Karstic Carbonates In The Southern Fire Clay Mining District Of Missouri, Robert Weiser Dillon

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Southern Fire Clay District of Missouri was intensely mined during the late-1800’s to mid-1900’s for its valuable resource of high refractory clays deposited within Pennsylvanian sinkholes “paleosinks”. Mining operations have produced modifications in the Ozark aquifer, which in effect has possibly increased the instability of this paleokarst terrain and the potential of further environmental impacts to the land. Evidence supporting this hypothesis are: (1) A southerly shift in the regional groundwater divide relative to the topographic divide. This possibly is caused by the distribution of leaking clay pits, which suggests that the bedrock permeability or hydraulic conductivity has been …

Chemical Signals From Submarine Fluid Advection Onto The Continental Shelf, W. S. Moore, Timothy J. Shaw

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seismic Reflection Imaging Of A Geothermal Aquifer In An Urban Setting, Lee Liberty

CGISS Publications and Presentations

A seismic reflection survey that was conducted in downtown Boise, Idaho, to help city planners site a new well for injection of spent geothermal water illustrates some methods to safely and successfully employ a seismic reflection survey in an urban setting. The objective of the seismic survey was to estimate the depth and continuity of a basalt and rhyolite volcanic sequence. Well siting was based on geothermal aquifer depth, location of interpreted faults, projected thermal impact of injection on existing wells, surface pipe extension costs, and public land availability. Seismic acquisition tests and careful processing were used to ensure high-quality …

Precise Measurements Help Gauge Pacific Northwest's Earthquake Potential, M. Meghan Miller, Herb Dragert, Elliot Endo, Jeffrey T. Freymueller, Chris Goldfinger, Harvey M. Kelsey, Eugene D. Humphreys, Daniel J. Johnson, Robert Mccaffrey, John S. Oldow, Anthony Qamar, Charles M. Rubin

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Except for the recent rumblings of a few moderate earthquakes and the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's, all has been relatively quiet on the Pacific Northwestern front. The Cascades region in the Pacific Northwest, a sporadically active earthquake and volcanic zone, still has great seismic potential [Atwater, 1987], as comparisons with other subduction zones around the world have shown [Heaton and Kanamori, 1984]. Recent tsunami propagation models [Satake, 1996] and tree ring studies suggest that the last great Cascadia earthquake occurred in the winter of 1700 A.D. and had a magnitude of −8.9. The …

Quartzite Fabric Transition In A Cordilleran Metamorphic Core Complex, Allen J. Mcgrew, Martin Casey

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Photomicrographs 143A-143F record fabric variations in quartzite with increasing structural depth in a > 1 km thick, amphibolite-facies, normal-sense shear zone in the East Humboldt metamorphic core complex, Nevada (Figure 143.1). This shear zone and the overlying detachment system unroofed an infrastructure of high-grade, migmatitic gneiss during Oligocene to early Miocene extension (Dallmeyer and others, 1986; Wright and Snoke, 1993; McGrew and Snee, 1994). Thermobarometric constraints from near the base of the mylonitic zone record deformation conditions of 550°- 620°C and 300-400 MPa (Hurlow and others, 1991). Sample WBC6 (l43A and 143B) characterizes the mylonitic zone, whereas sample 8706-1 (143C and …

Effective Elastic Thickness Of The Lithosphere Along The Easter Seamount Chain, Sarah E. Kruse, Zhengro J. Liu, David F. Naar, Robert A. Duncan

Geology Faculty Publications

Bathymetry and gravity data collected during Legs 5, 6, and 7 of the 1993 GLORIA Expedition and the recently released 2-min altimetry-derived global gravity grid are used to determine the effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere along the Easter Seamount Chain (ESC). Forward modeling, admittance, and coherence methods yield consistent results. With the exception of the eastern and western ends of the ESC the effective elastic thickness along the chain is ∼1–4 km. The thin elastic thickness for the majority of the ESC seamounts is compatible with a young seafloor age at the time of loading derived from new radiometric …

Vertical Axis Rotation In The Silurian Hills: A Cenozoic Overprint On The Mesozoic U.S. Cordilleran Magmatic Arc, John E. Comstock

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

New, detailed field work in the Silurian hills, southeast of Death Valley, reveals a pattern of a complex Cenozoic brittle fault overprint of rocks containing evidence of at least three episodes of Mesozoic thermal-ductile deformation. The Cenozoic brittle fault overprint of rocks containing evidence of at least three episodes of Mesozoic thermal-ductile formation. The Cenozoic faulting consists of five distinct sets of structures ordered by cross cutting relationships. The oldest, BF1, are fragments of reverse faults trending NW and dipping 45-60 SW. BF2 consist of NW trending, en echelon, sinistral strike-slip faults. BF3 is a conjugate set of N-NE trending …

Long Dormancy, Low Slip Rate, And Similar Slip‐Per‐Event For The Emerson Fault, Eastern California Shear Zone, Charles M. Rubin, Kerry Sieh

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Excavations in a playa along the 1992 rupture of the Emerson fault reveal evidence of two paleoseismic events, with only one large prehistoric rupture in the past 15 millennia. Accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon ages of charcoal from playa sediments and from fault‐scarp colluvium directly beneath the playa beds indicate that the last large prehistoric slip event occurred about 9000 ka. Trench‐wall exposures revealed clear evidence of at least one pre‐9 ka rupture at the playa site. The event horizon of this earthquake is between two pedogenic carbonate layers that have radiocarbon ages of 14.8 ka and 24.1 ka, implying that …

The Study Of Wave-Blocking And Current Effects On Nonlinear Interactions Of Shallow-Water Waves Using Advanced Boussinesq Models, Qin Chen

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The first part of this work focuses on the derivation of enhanced Boussinesq-type equations for the combined motion of waves and currents in shallow water areas.

The strategy proposed in this work is to couple two known methods which are the sponge layer concept suitable for short waves and Sommerfeld radiation condition for currents. This coupling method provides satisfactory non-reflective boundaries for the simulation of fully coupled wave/current motion as demonstrated by the numerical experiments. We verify the model against the well known solutions based on the existing theories and good agreement has been observed. The numerical results confirm the …

The Effects Of Sparging On P- And Sh- Vertical Seismic Profiles, P. Michaels, W. Barrash

CGISS Publications and Presentations

While the introduction of pressurized air into an unconsolidated, coarse-grained fluvial aquifer might well be expected to affect the P-wave velocity profile below the water table, we have found that S-waves are also sensitive to changes induced by air sparging. In a study spanning over a year of sparging, observations of both P- and S-waves were conducted by Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP). While the primary objective was to characterize the aquifer, we have found that air sparging has significantly affected both P- and S-wave propagation. Below the water table we have observed as much as a 54% decrease in P-wave …

Grand Tour-Part 2: Petrogenesis And Thermal Evolution Of Deep Continental-Crust: The Record From The East Humboldt Range, Nevada, Allen J. Mcgrew, Mark T. Peters

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

The northern part of the East Humboldt Range, Nevada, provides a rare opportunity to explore the petrogenetic environment of deep levels in the middle crust during both large-scale Mesozoic contraction and Cenozoic regional extension. On this segment of the field trip, we will explore evidence bearing on the character of the metamorphic and magmatic history of this terrane, and attempt to link these constraints to the rheology and tectonic evolution of the middle crust during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic.

The Grand Tour Of The Ruby-East Humboldt Metamorphic Core Complex, Northeastern Nevada: Part 1-Introduction & Road Log, Arthur W. Snoke, Keith A. Howard, Allen J. Mcgrew, Bradford R. Burton, Calvin G. Barnes, Mark T. Peters, James E. Wright

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

The purpose of this geological excursion is to provide an overview of the multiphase developmental history of the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, northeastern Nevada. Although these mountain ranges are commonly cited as a classic example of a Cordilleran metamorphic core complex developed through large-magnitude, mid-Tertiary crustal extension, a preceding polyphase Mesozoic contractional history is also well preserved in the ranges. An early phase of this history involved Late Jurassic two-mica granitic magmatism, high-temperature but relatively low-pressure metamorphism, and polyphase deformation in the central Ruby Mountains. In the northern Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, a Late Cretaceous history …

Observation Of Shelfwater Overrunning The Southern Slope Sea, Ajoy Kumar

OES Theses and Dissertations

Analyses of two years (1992 and 1993) of high resolution (1.47 km²) sea surface temperature satellite images of the southern Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB), showed that unusually extensive overhang of shelf water occurs episodically, and coherently over along shelf distances of several hundred kilometers. These episodes are dubbed overrunning of the Slope Sea by shelf water. The overrunning volume has a "face" and a "back" (southern and northern limit). It transports substantial quantities of shelf water southward, and does not retreat onto the shelf, but eventually joins the western edge of the Gulf Stream in the vicinity of Chesapeake …

The Anomalous Behavior Of Sh‐Waves Across The Water Table, P. Michaels, W. Barrash

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Most theoretical studies of seismic wave propagation in a porous medium do not predict a significant increase in SH-wave velocity with increasing water saturation. Although that type of behavior is commonly predicted for P-waves (and confirmed by countless observations), the expectation for SH-waves is a slight decrease in propagation velocity with increasing water saturations. While published measurements of SH-wave velocity in laboratory studies have been supportive of such a slight decrease in velocity, the data have been biased towards high pressures (typical of oil reservoirs at large depths of burial). On the other hand, the few published low pressure laboratory …

An Assessment Of Airborne Electromagnetics For Hydrogeological Interpretation In The Wheatbelt, Western Australia, Peter De Broekert

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Gravity Data Interpretation Of The Usangu Baisin Tanzania, I.M. Marobhe, E.I. Mbede

Tanzania Journal of Science

The shape and geometry of Rift of basins is best expressed by looking at the depth to basement maps. It is now an accepted idea that the Rift basins are spoon shaped bounded on one side by a border fault (BF) which is normally the side of maximum sediment deposition. Gravity data from Usangu Basin collected by Amoco in 1985 are here interpreted to decipher the shape and the geometry of the Basin. Results suggest that the Usangu basin shape is similar to the other Rift Basins within the East African Rift System (EARS). The basin, is however, traversed by …

Stratigraphy And Tectonic Evolution Of The Palaeoproterozoic Usagaran Belt In South-Eastern Tanzania, A.H. Mruma

Tanzania Journal of Science

The palaeoproterzoic Usagaran Belt is bordered by the Archaean Tanzanian Craton to the NW and the Mozambique Belt to the east. It is made up of the following three stratigraphic units:- (i) The lithodemic sillimanite, kyanite and cordierite gneiss lithodemes and pyroxene-garnet amphibolite lithodemes (ii) The lithostratigraphic Konse Group : greenschist to lower amphibolite facies metasedimentary and metavolcanic formations. (iii) The metavolcanic Ndembera Group; a possible lateral equivalent of the konse. Furthermore, the belt contains a post-tectonic gabbro-granitoid suite. The mutual stratigraphic relationship of the konse and Isimani has been a matter of dispute. However, the field observations described in …

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

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

"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 …

Reflected Light Microscopy, Electron Microscopy, Electron Spectroscopy, And X-Ray Diffraction Mineralogical Characterization Of Electric Arc Furnace (Eaf) Dusts, Ann M. Hagni

Doctoral Dissertations

"The secondary steel industry in the United States generates 600,000 tons of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust each year. Over 5,000,000 tons of EAF dust are generated annually world wide. The dust, which is removed from off-gasses from the high temperature furnaces, is considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be hazardous waste due to its leachable lead, cadmium, and chromium. In addition to hazardous components, EAF dust contains valuable zinc, averaging 19%. This study was initiated to determine the mineralogy and characterization of the dust to aid in the processing of the dust for metals recovery and rendering the …

Seismic Stratigraphic Analysis Of The Upper Indus-Fan Complex A Model For Fan Development, Syed Firasat Shah

OES Theses and Dissertations

The seismic stratigraphic analysis of the upper Indus-Fan Complex has revealed the presence of six depositional sequences. Deposition of these sequences occurred primarily during the Miocene period. The Indus River drainage system that developed as a consequence of Himalayan orogeny transported the bulk of the sediments deposited in the Indus Fan. The distribution and thickness of the sequences of the upper Indus Fan are closely related to the canyon-channel systems. Seismic facies analysis of the slope has revealed the presence of a facies relationship that shows continued deepening from the time of deposition of slope fan to the latest deposits …

Role Of Acetic Acid In Siliciclastic Diagenesis: An Experimental Study, Gina Marian Bagnetto Waters

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Role Of Acetic Acid In Siliciclastic Diagenesis: An Experimental Study, Gina Bagnetto Waters

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Vertical Variation In Groundwater Chemistry Inferred From Fluid Specific-Conductance Well Logging Of The Snake River Plain Basalt Aquifer, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Southeastern Idaho, Spencer H. Wood, William Bennecke

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Well logging of electrical fluid specific conductance (C_s) shows that permeable zones yielding ground water to intrawell flows and the water columns in some wells at INEL have highly different chemistry, with as much as a two-fold variation in C_s). This suggests that dedicated pump sampling of ground water in the aquifer may not be representative of the chemistry of the waste plumes migrating southwest of the nuclear facilities. Natural background C_s in basalt-aquifer ground water of this part of the Snake River Plain aquifer is less than 325µS/cm (microSiemans/cm), and total dissolved solids in …

Invariant Manifolds Of A Toy Climate Model, Michael Toner

Mathematics & Statistics Theses & Dissertations

According to astronomical theory, ice ages are caused by variations in the Earth's orbit. However, ice core data shows strong fluctuations in ice volume at a low frequency not significantly present in orbital variations. To understand how this might occur, the dynamics of a two dimensional nonlinear differential equation representing glacier/temperature interaction of an idealized climate was studied. Self sustained oscillation of the autonomous equation was used to model the internal mechanisms that could produce these fluctuations. Periodic parametric modulation of a damped internal oscillation was used to model periodic climate response at double the external modulation period. Both phenomena …

Periodic And Homoclinic Orbits In A Toy Climate Model, M. Toner, A. D. Kirwan Jr.

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

A two dimensional system of autonomous nonlinear ordinary differential equations models glacier growth and temperature changes on an idealized planet. We apply standard perturbative techniques from dynamical systems theory to study small amplitude periodic orbits about a constant equilibrium. The equations are put in cononical form and the local phase space topology is examined. Maximum and minimum periods of oscillation are obtained and related to the radius of the orbit. An adjacent equilibrium is shown to have saddle character and the inflowing and outflowing manifolds of this saddle are studied using numerical integration. The inflowing manifolds show the region of …