Earth Sciences Commons^™

Real-Time Change And Damage Detection Of Landslides And Other Earth Movements Threatening Public Infrastructure, Michael J. Olsen, Shawn Butcher, Evon P. Silvia

TREC Final Reports

Geologic hazards such as coastal erosion, landslides, seismic loading, etc. constantly threaten public highway construction and maintenance. Repeat surveys using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS, ground-based LiDAR) enable rapid 3D data acquisition to map, see, analyze, and understand the processes generating such problems. Previously, change detection and analysis between scan surveys was conducted during post-processing upon return to the office, instead of while collecting data in the field. Change detection in the field improves the effectiveness and efficiency of the field investigation. We have developed a new algorithm that quickly geo-references scans upon field acquisition and simultaneously performs change detection by …

Ancient Cataclysmic Floods In The Pacific Northwest: Ancestors To The Missoula Floods, Erica Medley

Dissertations and Theses

Ancient Cataclysmic Floods were the Ice Age Floods that left erosional and depositional features and preceded the Missoula Floods (15-18,000 ka) in the Pacific Northwest of the United States (Allen et al., 2009). All previously studied ancient sites were visited (14) and new sites (11) were found; four Missoula Flood quarries were also visited; a total of 29 sites were studied in this thesis. The use of calcrete paleosols to provide relative age dates for flood deposits was analyzed in this thesis. Missoula Flood gravel pits were sampled in order to examine the degree of calcrete development in flood deposits …

Where Is The Rain-On-Snow Zone In The West-Central Washington Cascades?: Monte Carlo Simulation Of Large Storms In The Northwest, Matthew John Brunengo

Dissertations and Theses

Rain-on-snow (ROS) occurs when warm, wet air moves into latitudes and/or elevations having vulnerable snowpacks, where it can alter water inputs to infiltration, runoff and erosion. The Pacific Northwest is particularly susceptible: winter storms off the Pacific cause locally heavy rain plus snowmelt almost annually, and disastrous flooding and landsliding intermittently. In maritime mountainous terrain, the effects seem more likely and hydrologically important where warm rains and seasonal snowpacks are liable to coincide, in middle elevations. Several questions arise: (1) In the PNW, does ROS affect the long-term frequency and magnitude of water delivery to the ground, versus total precipitation …

Variability In The Mass Flux Of The Ross Sea Ice Streams, Antarctica, Over The Last Millennium, Ginny Catania, Christina L. Hulbe, Howard Conway, Ted A. Scambos, C. F. Raymond

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We synthesize previously published remote-sensing observations, radar data and model output to obtain a ~1000 year ice flow history for the Siple Coast ice-stream system in West Antarctica to investigate the timing and magnitude of changes in mass flux. The synthesized history shows significant short-term variability in ice-stream shear margin and grounding line position due to internal variability of the coupled system. The chronology highlights the interplay between adjacent ice streams, which implies that the behavior of any individual ice stream should not be examined in isolation. Furthermore, individual events cannot be fully interpreted without an understanding of the broad-scale, …

Late Pleistocene And Holocene Aged Glacial And Climatic Reconstructions In The Goat Rocks Wilderness, Washington, United States, Joshua Andrews Heard

Dissertations and Theses

Eight glaciers, covering an area of 1.63 km2, reside on the northern and northeastern slopes of the Goat Rocks tallest peaks in the Cascades of central Washington. At least three glacial stands occurred downstream from these glaciers. Closest to modern glacier termini are Little Ice Age (LIA) moraines that were deposited between 1870 and 1899 AD, according to the lichenometric analysis. They are characterized by sharp, minimally eroded crests, little to no soil cover, and minimal vegetation cover. Glacier reconstructions indicate that LIA glaciers covered 8.29 km2, 76% more area than modern ice coverage. The average LIA equilibrium line altitude …

Historical Vegetation Of Central Southwest Oregon, Based On Glo Survey Notes : Final Report To Usdi Bureau Of Land Management, Medford District, O. Eugene Hickman, John A. Christy

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Historical vegetation at the time of European settlement is of great interest to both the public and land managers, but is poorly documented. One source of data are the earliest land survey records of the General Land Office (GLO). Rectangular township surveys in Southwest Oregon were initiated in the mid 1850’s as settlers began to claim homesteads in the Bear Creek Valley surrounding what is now Medford. We examined GLO land survey field notes and plats (maps) accompanying the surveys, transcribed GLO landscape data into an Access database, and classified the data set into very general vegetation types for mapping. …

Quantifying 20th Century Glacier Change In The Sierra Nevada, California, Andrew G. Fountain, Hassan J. Basagic

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous small alpine glaciers occupy the high elevation regions of the central and southern Sierra Nevada, California. An inventory based on 1:24,000 topographic maps revealed 1719 glaciers and perennial snowfields for a total area of 39.15 +/- 0.13 km(2). The number of 'true' glaciers, versus non-moving ice, is estimated to be 122 covering 14.89 +/- 0.08 km(2) or 38% of the ice-covered area. Historic photographs, geologic evidence, and field mapping were used to determine the magnitude of area change over the past century at 14 glaciers. The area change between 1903 and 2004 ranged from -31% to -78%, averaging -55%. …

Mapping Of Unstable And Potentially Unstable Slopes In Sogne Og Fjordane, Reginald L. Hermanns, Luzia Fischer, Thierry Oppikofer, M. Bøhme, John F. Dehls, H. Henriksen, Adam M. Booth, R. Eilertsen, O. Longva, Trond Eiken

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

For the past three years NGU has worked on 25 unstable and potentially unstable rock slopes in Sogn og Fjordane. In addition Fjærlandsfjord, Hyenfjord and Årdalsvatnet were systematically mapped for deposits of prehistoric and historic rock slope failures onshore and with help of a bathymetry. Mapping on land included structural mapping of ten sites by on-site field mapping and nine sites by remote structural mapping using terrestrial laser scanning technology (TLS). Field work also included periodic monitoring of 14 sites using differential Global Positioning Systems (dGPS) and TLS at 4 sites. Synthetic Aperture Radar was app lied for the entire …

Landslide Susceptibility In Tryon State Park, Oregon, Tracy E. Handrich

Anthós

LIDAR and topographic data were used to identify areas of high landslide susceptibility. An arctangent equation was used to calculate slope angle, design criteria of susceptibility and designate zones of high, moderate, and low risk.

Portland's Goose Hollow, Tracy J. Prince

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty Publications and Presentations

One of Portland’s oldest neighborhoods, Goose Hollow is steps from downtown and beloved for its quirky character, historic homes, spectacular views, and walkability. Over a century ago, the actual “hollow” was dramatically altered when the meandering Tanner Creek, in a deep gulch with several trestle bridge crossings, was diverted underground and infilled. The creek’s presence is still felt in the ravine carved through the Tualatin Mountains (spanned by the Vista Bridge) and in the neighborhood’s identity. This book provides definitive answers to how Goose Hollow got its name and how Tanner Creek Gulch was filled. Stories are also told of …

Potential Fossil Endoliths In Vesicular Pillow Basalt, Coral Patch Seamount, Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, Barbara Cavalazzi, Frances Westall, Sherry L. Cady, Roberto Barbieri, Frédéric Foucher

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The chilled rinds of pillow basalt from the Ampere-Coral Patch Seamounts in the eastern North Atlantic were studied as a potential habitat of microbial life. A variety of putative biogenic structures, which include filamentous and spherical microfossil-like structures, were detected in K-phillipsite-filled amygdules within the chilled rinds. The filamentous structures (similar to 2.5 mu m in diameter) occur as K-phillipsite tubules surrounded by an Fe-oxyhydroxide (lepidocrocite) rich membranous structure, whereas the spherical structures (from 4 to 2 mu m in diameter) are associated with Ti oxide (anatase) and carbonaceous matter. Several lines of evidence indicate that the microfossil-like structures in …

'Sticky Spots' And Subglacial Lakes Under Ice Streams Of The Siple Coast, Antarctica, Olga V. Sergienko, Christina L. Hulbe

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Locations of subglacial lakes discovered under fast-moving West Antarctic ice streams tend to be associated with topographic features of the subglacial bed or with areas that have strong variations in basal conditions. Inversion of ice-stream surface velocity indicates that basal conditions under ice streams can be highly variable and that there can be widespread regions where basal traction is high. To seek an explanation for why lakes appear to be sited near areas with high basal traction, we use numerical models to simulate ice-stream dynamics, thermodynamics and subglacial water flow. We demonstrate that the ice flow over high basal traction …

A 1-D Mechanistic Model For The Evolution Of Earthflow-Prone Hillslopes, Adam M. Booth, Joshua J. Roering

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In mountainous terrain, deep‐seated landslides transport large volumes of material on hillslopes, exerting a dominant control on erosion rates and landscape form. Here, we develop a mathematical landscape evolution model to explore interactions between deep‐seated earthflows, soil creep, and gully processes at the drainage basin scale over geomorphically relevant (>10³ year) timescales. In the model, sediment flux or incision laws for these three geomorphic processes combine to determine the morphology of actively uplifting and eroding steady state topographic profiles. We apply the model to three sites, one in the Gabilan Mesa, California, with no earthflow activity, and two …

Foliar Nutrient Concentrations Related To Soil Sources Across A Range Of Sites In The Northeastern United States, Melissa S. Lucash, Ruth D. Yanai, Joel D. Blum, B. B. Park

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the supply of nutrients from various soil sources and the sensitivity of tree species to soil nutrient availability is critical for predicting the effects of declines in base cations due to acid rain and forest harvesting on forest health and productivity. We collected soil samples from 19 sites in the northeastern United States, chemically analyzed them using a sequential extraction procedure, and compared them to the chemical composition of foliage of the dominant tree species. Concentrations of Ca and Mg in foliage were correlated with exchangeable Ca and Mg concentrations in the upper mineral soil; for most tree species …

Volcanism And Astrobiology: Life On Earth And Beyond, Charles S. Cockell, Sherry L. Cady, Nicola Mcloughlin

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial Introduction to the 2011 Special Issue of Astrobiology.

Designing And Using Virtual Field Environments To Enhance And Extend Field Experience In Professional Development Programs In Geology For K-12 Teachers, Frank Douglas Granshaw

Dissertations and Theses

Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used to acquaint geoscience novices with some of the observation, data gathering, and problem solving done in actual field situations by geoscientists. VR environments in a variety of forms are used to prepare students for doing geologic fieldwork, as well as to provide proxies for such experience when venturing into the field is not possible. However, despite increased use of VR for these purposes, there is little research on how students learn using these environments, how using them impacts student field experience, or what constitutes effective design in light of emerging theories of geocognition.

To …

Potential For Speciation In Mammals Following Vast, Late Miocene Volcanic Interruptions In The Pacific Northwest, Ryan Thomas Mckenna

Dissertations and Theses

The impact of large-scale volcanic eruptions on landscapes can affect many processes ranging from interrupting or redirecting regional soil forming processes and hydrological systems to generating temporary changes in global climate. Though more studies exist every year, less is known of the direct impact of large-scale volcanic eruptions on ecosystems and extinction, while even less is known of their impact on speciation. In deposits throughout the Pacific Northwest a special combination and association of volcanic magnitude with palaeoecological yield frequently presents unique prospects for inquiry. In this study, particular attention is given to large, late Miocene ash-flow tuffs of central …

Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project Model Development And Scenarios, Chris Berger, Scott A. Wells, Vanessa Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The focus of this present study is to perform the following tasks:

* Develop a hydrodynamic and water quality model of the reservoir formed by the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project

* Develop and run modeling scenarios

Water quality model simulations of the 23.3 km² reservoir for Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project were conducted for low, average, and high flow years. A scenario with no vegetation removed from the reservoir for an average flow was also simulated. Conditions downstream of the reservoir were also modeled using a river model.

The model used for the reservoir formed by Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project …

Phosphorus Export From A Restored Wetland Ecosystem In Response To Natural And Experimental Hydrologic Fluctuations, Marcelo Ardón, Shaena Montanari, Jennifer L. Morse, Martin W. Doyle, Emily S. Bernhardt

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Wetland restoration is a commonly used approach to reduce nutrient loading to freshwater and coastal ecosystems, with many wetland restoration efforts occurring in former agricultural fields. Restored wetlands are expected to be effective at retaining or removing both nitrogen and phosphorus (P), yet restoring wetland hydrology to former agricultural fields can lead to the release of legacy fertilizer P. Here, we examined P cycling and export following rewetting of the Timberlake Restoration Project, a 440 ha restored riverine wetland complex in the coastal plain of North Carolina. We also compared P cycling within the restored wetland to two minimally disturbed …

Virus Silicification Under Simulated Hot Spring Conditions, James R. Laidler, Kenneth M. Stedman

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Silicification of organisms in silica-depositing environments can impact both their ecology and their presence in the fossil record. Although microbes have been silicified under laboratory and environmental conditions, viruses have not. Bacteriophage T4 was successfully silicified under laboratory conditions that closely simulated those found in silica-depositing hot springs. Virus morphology was maintained, and a clear elemental signature of phosphorus was detected by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrophotometry (EDS).

The Hydro-Ecology Of Everyday Life: Assessing The Social And Environmental Determinants Of Water Use In The Portland Region, Vivek Shandas

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Driven in part by the imminent threats of population growth and climate destabilization, recent studies suggest that urban areas face severe water scarcity, with some areas in Australia and the United States already instituting moratoria on water use. While water managers traditionally avoid such crises by developing demand forecasts based on population estimates, technological developments, and weather predictions, their analysis are often at a regional scale with aggregate measures of water consumption. To date, there exists limited empirical evidence about how urban spatial structure and concomitant socio-demographic and temperature characteristics mutually interact to affect water demand at the scale of …

Women In Glaciology, An Historical Perspective, Christina L. Hulbe, Weili Wang, Simon Ommanney

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Women's history in glaciology extends as far back in time as the discipline itself, although their contributions to the scientific discourse have for all of that history been constrained by the sociopolitical contexts of the times. The first Journal of Glaciology paper authored by a woman appeared in 1948, within a year of the founding of the Journal, but it was not until the 1980s that women produced more than a few percent of Journal and Annals of Glaciology papers. Here international perspectives on women's participation in the sciences are presented in order to establish an economic and sociopolitical context …

Grounding-Line Basal Melt Rates Determined Using Radar-Derived Internal Stratigraphy, Ginny Catania, Christina L. Hulbe, Howard Conway

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We use ice-penetrating radar data across grounding lines of Siple Dome and Roosevelt Island, Antarctica, to measure the spatial pattern, magnitude and duration of sub-ice-shelf melting at these locations. Stratigraphic layers across the grounding line show, in places, a large-amplitude downwarp at, or slightly downstream of, the grounding line due to sub-ice-shelf basal melting. Localized downwarping indicates that melting is transient; melt rates, or the grounding line position, have changed within a few hundred years in order to produce the observed stratigraphy. Elsewhere, no meltrelated stratigraphic signature is preserved. In part, heterogeneity in the amount of sub-ice-shelf melt is due …

Propagation Of Long Fractures In The Ronne Ice Shelf Investigated Using A Numerical Model Of Fracture Propagation, Christina L. Hulbe, Christine Marie Ledoux, Kenneth M. Cruikshank

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Long rifts near the front of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, are observed to begin as fractures along the lateral boundaries of outlet streams feeding the shelf. These flaws eventually become the planes along which tabular icebergs calve. The fractures propagate laterally as they advect through the shelf, with orientations that can be explained by the glaciological stress field. Fracture length remains constrained over much of the advective path, and locations of crack tip arrest are observed to coincide with structural boundaries, such as suture zones between ice from adjacent outlet glaciers. Geomechanical principles and numerical models demonstrate that in …

Paleotsunami Inundation Of A Beach Ridge Plain: Cobble Ridge Overtopping And Interridge Valley Flooding In Seaside, Oregon, Usa, Curt D. Peterson, Harry M. Jol, Thomas Horning, Kenneth M. Cruikshank

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Seaside beach ridge plain was inundated by six paleotsunamis during the last ∼2500 years. Large runups (adjusted >10m in height) overtopped seawardmost cobble beach ridges (7m elevation) at ∼1.3 and ∼2.6 ka before present. Smaller paleotsunami (6−8m in height) likely entered the beach plain interior (4-5m elevation) through the paleo-Necanicum bay mouth. The AD 1700 Cascadia paleotsunami had a modest runup (6-7mheight), yet it locally inundated to 1.5 km landward distance. Bed shear stresses (100−3,300 dyne cm−2) are estimated for paleotsunami surges (0.5−2m depths) that flowed down slopes (0.002−0.017 gradient) on the landward side of the cobble beach ridges. …

A Dynamic Physical Model For Soil Temperature And Water In Taylor Valley, Antarctica, H. W. Hunt, Andrew G. Fountain, Peter T. Doran, Hassan J. Basagic

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

We developed a simulation model for terrestrial sites including sensible heat exchange between the atmosphere and ground surface, inter- and intra-layer heat conduction by rock and soil, and shortwave and longwave radiation. Water fluxes included snowmelt, freezing/thawing of soil water, soil capillary flow, and vapour flows among atmosphere, soil, and snow. The model accounted for 96-99% of variation in soil temperature data. No long-term temporal trends in soil temperature were apparent. Soil water vapour concentration in thawed surface soil in summer often was higher than in frozen deeper soils, leading to downward vapour fluxes. Katabatic winds caused a reversal of …

Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment At Seaside, Oregon, For Near- And Far-Field Seismic Sources, Frank González, Eric L. Geist, Bruce Jaffe, Utku Kânoğlu, Harold O. Mofjeld, Costas Synolakis, Vasily V. Titov, Diego Rodriguez Arcas, Douglas Bellomo, David Carlton, Thomas Horning, Jeff Johnson, Jean Newman, Thomas Parsons, Robert Peters, Curt D. Peterson, George Priest, Angie Venturato, Joseph Weber, Florence L. Wong, Ahmet Yalçıner

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The first probabilistic tsunami flooding maps have been developed. The methodology, called probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment (PTHA), integrates tsunami inundation modeling with methods of probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA). Application of the methodology to Seaside, Oregon, has yielded estimates of the spatial distribution of 100- and 500-year maximum tsunami amplitudes, i.e., amplitudes with 1% and 0.2% annual probability of exceedance. The 100-year tsunami is generated most frequently by far-field sources in the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone and is characterized by maximum amplitudes that do not exceed 4 m, with an inland extent of less than 500 m. In contrast, the 500-year …

Similarity Of Nutrient Uptake And Root Dimensions Of Engelmann Spruce And Subalpine Fir At Two Contrasting Sites In Colorado, Melissa S. Lucash, Ruth D. Yanai, Karis J. Mcfarlane, Sarah E. Kulpa, Dustin M. Wood

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nutrient uptake capacity is an important parameter in modeling nutrient uptake by plants. Researchers commonly assume that uptake capacity measured for a species can be used across sites. We tested this assumption by measuring the nutrient uptake capacity of intact roots of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanni Parry) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) at Loch Vale Watershed and Fraser Experimental Forest in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado. Roots still attached to the tree were exposed to one of three concentrations of nutrient solutions for time periods ranging from 1 to 96h, and solutions were analyzed for ammonium, …

Spokane River In Idaho And Washington Tmdl Water Quality And Hydrodynamic Modeling Quality Assurance Project Plan -- Draft, Scott A. Wells, Chris Berger

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The focus of this present study is to perform the following tasks:

• Converting the Upper Spokane River CE‐QUAL‐W2 models (Washington and Idaho) to version 3.6

• Combining the Washington and Idaho models

• Reviewing and updating model boundary conditions

• Check model calibration

• Meet with stakeholders

• Develop and Run Modeling Scenarios

• Create reports on calibration and scenario runs

Calculating The Volume Of The May 18, 1980 Eruption Of Mount St. Helens, Dâvid Nuñez Wickham

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

The May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens created a massive amount of sediment and debris, thought to be as much as 5.5 billion cubic yards. This sediment causes infill of river stretches and collects along levees protecting southwest Washington State. The sediment must be removed to ensure these areas do not flood. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) is tasked with flood protection for southwest Washington State and the levees protecting the cities of Castle Rock, Lexington, Kelso, and Longview. The Sediment Retention Dam, opened in 1989 is able to filter out larger particulate but fine grain …