Earth Sciences Commons^™

A Joint Xrf-Δ13CCarb Chemostratigraphic Approach For Characterizing Paleo-Environmental Processes In The Mudstone-Dominated Wolfcamp Formation Of West Texas, Frank Tamakloe

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Late Paleozoic Ice Age represents a dynamic period in Earth system history recording a shift from icehouse to greenhouse conditions. Concomitant with this change was a series high-frequency, high-amplitude sea level fluctuations leading to the deposition of “Kansas type” cyclothems in the Mid-Continent, and a similar rhythmic expression of interbedded shales and carbonates in the Midland Basin. Stable isotope geochemistry is a particularly powerful tool when examining these mud-rich successions because changes in organic matter partitioning may be recorded first in δ¹³C_DIC of sea-water and consequently in δ¹³C_carb of marine rocks. The δ …

A Diatom Proxy For Seasonality Over The Last Three Millennia At June Lake, Eastern Sierra Nevada (Ca), Laura Caitlin Streib

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Sierra Nevada snowpack is vital to the water supply of California, the world’s sixth largest economy. Though tree ring and instrumental records show the dramatic influence of environmental change on California’s hydroclimate over the last millennium, few proxy archives assess winter precipitation variability farther back in time. Here, we use diatoms from a ~3,200 yr. old sediment core to reconstruct the paleolimnology of June Lake, a hydrologically closed glacial lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada. We test the hypothesis that limnologic and climatic changes control diatom assemblages at June Lake. Fossil diatom assemblages from June Lake sediments chiefly consist …

Determining Rates Of Landscape Response To Tectonic Forcing Across A Range Of Temporal Scales And Erosional Mechanisms: Teton Range, Wy, Meredith Swallom

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding how mountain landscapes respond to variations in tectonic forcing over a range of temporal scales in active mountain belts remains as a prominent challenge in tectonic and geomorphological studies. Although a number of empirical and numerical studies have examined this problem, many of them were complicated by issues of scale and climatic variability. More specifically, the relative efficiencies of fluvial and glacial erosion, which are presumably controlled by climate, are difficult to unravel. The Teton Range in Wyoming, which results from motion on the crustal-scale Teton fault, is an ideal natural laboratory for addressing this challenge as the tectonic …

Integrated Seismic-Reflection And Microgravity Imaging Across The Southern Boundary Of The Charleston Uplift, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Usa, Drew D. Burford Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Charleston Uplift (CU), a 30-km-long by 7-km-wide, N46°E-oriented subsurface geologic anomaly in the northern Mississippi embayment near Charleston, Missouri, exhibits up to 36 m of vertical relief across the Paleogene/Quaternary unconformity. Subsurface structural relief, along with the CU’s coincident boundary alignment with contemporary microseismicity and the New Madrid North Fault (NMNF), suggest a structural origin. Subsequent seismic soundings indicate vertical structural relief is present in Cretaceous and Paleozoic horizons, supporting the fault-controlled origin. The southern boundary (CU-s) had not been investigated, nor had any direct fault images been acquired. Integrated microgravity and seismic-reflection methods across the inferred CU-s establish …

Temporal And Spatial Variability In Groundwater Flow And Chemistry Along The Cumberland River, Artemus, Kentucky, Amanda Rachelle Sherman

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Groundwater in the Kentucky Appalachian region is constrained by physiography and lithology. Lithostratigraphy, groundwater flow, and chemistry were delineated in the alluvial aquifer along the Cumberland River at H.L. Disney Training Center. To assess groundwater-river interactions and water quality, 11 monitoring wells were installed and sampled quarterly, plus the river and an existing bedrock well. Analytical results were evaluated for temporal and spatial trends. Collected soil cores were analyzed for bulk chemistry and grain size. Solute speciation and saturation indices were calculated and hydraulic conductivity estimated from grain-size analyses. Pumping and slug tests were performed to estimate hydraulic conductivity and …

The Forestry Reclamation Approach: Measuring Sediment Mass Accumulation Rates In Reclaimed Mine Lands And Naturally Regenerated Logged Forests Of Eastern Kentucky, William E. Bond

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The spread of surface coal mining has resulted in loss of forests in the Appalachian region. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) was developed to provide guidance for restoring forests on reclaimed mined land. This study hypothesizes that the FRA will result in larger magnitude of sediment accumulation rates in reclaimed mine sites compared to those reclaimed using grassland reclamation. Three sediment cores and six trenches were sampled within four reclaimed mined and three previously logged sites in eastern Kentucky. Samples were processed for radionuclides, grain-size, stable isotopes (δ¹³C), and POC. LIDAR data were used to identify valley …

Characterizations Of Linear Ground Motion Site Response In The New Madrid And Wabash Valley Seismic Zones And Seismicity In The Northern Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone And Rome Trough, Eastern Kentucky, Nicholas Von Seth Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The central and eastern United States is subject to seismic hazards from both natural and induced earthquakes, as evidenced by the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquake sequence, consisting of at least three magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes, and by four magnitude 5 and greater induced earthquakes in Oklahoma since 2011. To mitigate seismic hazards, both earthquake sources and their effects need to be characterized.

Ground motion site response can cause additional damage to susceptible infrastructure and buildings. Recent studies indicate that Vs30, one of the primary site-response predictors used in current engineering practice, is not reliable. To investigate site response in …

The Links Between Gulf Of Mexico Seafloor Characteristics And Petroleum Hydrocarbons Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kimberly J. Schindler

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Gulf of Mexico (GoMx) is among the most productive regions for offshore oil and natural gas recovery. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig exploded, burned for three days, sank, and released over 4 million barrels of oil in the subsequent 84 days before it was capped. Some oil was buoyant enough to float to the ocean surface, where some was removed via a myriad techniques. Importantly, a plume of oil remained suspended in the water column at approximately 1,100 m water depth, where it drove a marine snow event, and deposited large quantities of oil on the …

Extension Of A Quaternary-Active Shear Zone Across The Reelfoot Fault Stepover Arm: Evidence From P- And Sh-Wave Seismic Reflection Imaging, Brooks Rosandich

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Many seismic hazard source parameters such as slip rate, total displacement, strain accommodation, geographic fault location, etc. are poorly constrained in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ). This is in large part due to the masking effect of the thick Mississippi embayment sediment package on seismogenic structures and features. Consequently, much of the subsurface geologic characterization needed for understanding seismic hazard sources requires geophysical imaging. Recent seismic reflection surveys 12 km NE of the Reelfoot Fault stepover arm of the NMSZ have suggested a northeast-oriented transpressional fault zone extending across the Reelfoot Fault stepover arm where its dextral displacement at …

Long-Term Land Management Practices And Their Effect On Soil Health And Crop Productivity, Thomas Joseph Muratore Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Agricultural intensification reliant on monocrops could change soil health in a way that does not support maximum crop productivity. Twenty-nine-year-old no-till field plots at the University of Kentucky Spindletop research farm showed a significant reduction in corn yields from continuous corn plots compared to those from plots in various types of rotation. The objective of this study was to determine what role soil microbes might play in yield reduction and how management and time effects microbial community structure. Samples were collected from the following treatments: continuous corn (CC), continuous soybean (SS), a 2-year corn/soybean rotation (CCSS), Corn in rotation with …

Spatial Estimation Of Hydraulic Properties In Structured Soils At The Field Scale, Xi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Improving agricultural water management is important for conserving water during dry seasons, using limited water resources in the most efficient way, and minimizing environmental risks (e.g., leaching, surface runoff). The understanding of water movement in different zones of agricultural production fields is crucial to developing an effective irrigation strategy. This work centered on optimizing field water management by characterizing the spatial patterns of soil hydraulic properties. Soil hydraulic conductivity was measured across different zones in a farmer’s field, and its spatial variability was investigated by using geostatistical techniques. Since direct measurement of hydraulic conductivity is time-consuming and arduous, pedo-transfer functions …

Middle To Late Holocene (7200-2900 Cal. Bp) Archaeological Site Formation Processes At Crumps Sink And The Origins Of Anthropogenic Environments In Central Kentucky, Usa, Justin Nels Carlson

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

Though some researchers have argued that the Big Barrens grasslands of Kentucky were the product of anthropogenic land clearing practices by Native Americans, heretofore, this hypothesis had not been tested archaeologically. More work was needed to refine chronologies of fire activity in the region, determine the extent to which humans played a role in the process, and integrate these findings with the paleoenvironmental and archaeological record. With these goals in mind, I conducted archaeological and geoarchaeological investigations at Crumps Sink in the Sinkhole Plain of Kentucky. The archaeological record and site formation history of Crumps Sink were compared with environmental …

Post-Wildfire Recovery Of An Upland Oak-Pine Forest On The Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, Usa, Devin E. Black, Zachary W. Poynter, Claudia A. Cotton, Suraj Upadhaya, David D. Taylor, Wendy Leuenberger, Beth A. Blankenship, Mary A. Arthur

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Background: Many forests within the southern Appalachian region, USA, have experienced decades of fire exclusion, contributing to regeneration challenges for species such as oaks (Quercus spp. L.) and pines (Pinus spp. L.), and threatening the maintenance of oak-dominated forests in the future. While the use of prescribed fire as a forest management tool is increasing within this region, there remains a lack of information on the potential role of wildfire. A wildfire within the Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky, USA, provided an opportunity to investigate how wildfire affected forest vegetation response.

Results: We examined the effects of fire …

Spoil Type Influences Soil Genesis And Forest Development On An Appalachian Surface Coal Mine Ten Years After Placement, Kenton L. Sena, Carmen T. Agouridis, Jarrod Miller, Christopher D. Barton

Lewis Honors College Faculty Publications

Surface mining for coal (or other mineral resources) is a major driver of land-use change around the world and especially in the Appalachian region of the United States. Intentional and well-informed reclamation of surface-mined land is critical for the restoration of healthy ecosystems on these disturbed sites. In Appalachia, the pre-mining land cover is predominately mixed hardwood forest, with rich species diversity. In recent years, Appalachian mine reforestation has become an issue of concern, prompting the development of the Forestry Reclamation Approach, a series of mine reforestation recommendations. One of these recommendations is to use the best available soil substitute; …

Breeding For Resilience To Increasing Temperatures: A Field Trial Assessing Genetic Variation In Soft Red Winter Wheat, Kathleen Russell, David Van Sanford

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Breeding for resilience to climate change is a daunting prospect. Crop and climate models tell us that global wheat yields are likely to decline as the climate warms, causing a significant risk to global food security. High temperatures are known to affect crop development yet breeding for tolerance to heat stress is difficult to achieve in field environments. We conducted an active warming study over two years to quantify the effects of heat stress on genetic variation of soft red winter (SRW) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Forty SRW cultivars and breeding lines were chosen based on marker genotypes at …

Overview Of The Kentucky Geological Survey No. 1 Hanson Aggregates Well, Carter County, Kentucky, J. Richard Bowersox, Stephen F. Greb, David C. Harris

Information Circular--KGS

The Kentucky Geological Survey drilled the No. 1 Hanson Aggregates well in northern Carter County, Ky., to assess the carbon dioxide storage capacity and confining intervals in the Middle Cambrian–Upper Ordovician section in the southern Appalachian Basin, north of the Rome Trough. The well was drilled to a total depth of 4,835 ft, penetrating the Mississippian–Middle Cambrian Paleozoic section and 120 ft of Neoproterozoic Grenville granite gneiss. Steel casing was cemented to the surface at 350 ft and 2,944 ft to isolate the deep wellbore from the near-surface aquifer and provide anchors for pressure-control equipment. Eight cores totaling 453 ft …

Modulation Of Auxin And Cytokinin Responses By Early Steps Of The Phenylpropanoid Pathway, Jasmina Kurepa, Timothy E. Shull, Sumudu S. Karunadasa, Jan A. Smalle

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: The phenylpropanoid pathway is responsible for the synthesis of numerous compounds important for plant growth and responses to the environment. In the first committed step of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) deaminates L-phenylalanine into trans-cinnamic acid that is then converted into p-coumaric acid by cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H). Recent studies showed that the Kelch repeat F-box (KFB) protein family of ubiquitin ligases control phenylpropanoid biosynthesis by promoting the proteolysis of PAL. However, this ubiquitin ligase family, alternatively named Kiss Me Deadly (KMD), was also implicated in cytokinin signaling as it was shown to promote the degradation of …

Managing Risk In Grazing Operations, Christopher D. Teutsch, Kenneth H. Burdine

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Risk is an inherent part of agricultural production systems. Crane and coworkers (2013) identified five primary areas of risk in grazing operations: 1) MARKETING risk, 2) PRODUCTION risk, 3) LEGAL risk, 4) HUMAN risk, and FINANCIAL risk. These types of risk are described in the accompanying publication entitled “Controlling Risk in Grazing-Based Production Systems” by J. Parsons. This article will discuss the risk associated with “production” in grazing systems, focusing specifically on managing drought in grass based production operations.

Keys To Optimizing Profitability In Cow-Calf Production -- Rooster's Beef, 3 Generations Of Farming & Beef, William Slaton, Becky Slaton

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Rooster's Beef ultimately began with our family farm -Rocky Bluff Farm - now owned by William and Becky Slaton. It is the cattle producer for our beef sold. The farm is named after two Natural Rock Formations on our property. We have several acres of pasture and including some wooded acres. With rotational grazing and intense management, we are able to have 65 cows in a spring calving group, 15 cows in a fall calving group, 3 bulls, 13 replacement heifers, unweaned calves and 12 calves on finisher feed. We also rent ground to raise and put up our own …

Grass Finished Beef: Melding Production And Marketing [1], Michael Palmer, Stacie Palmer

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Palmer Farms Beef is a family farm near Murray KY, owned by Michael and Stacie Palmer. We produce, and retail around 40 beef per year.

Grass Finished Beef: Melding Production And Marketing [2], Todd Clark

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Turning Grass Into Cash With Small Ruminants, Kenneth Andries

Kentucky Grazing Conference

As agriculture continues to change, it is important to consider sustainability before starting or expanding any enterprise. One critical factor in any animal agriculture enterprise is controlling feeding costs. Most research indicates feeding is the largest expenses in any livestock enterprise. However, nutrition is critical to overall productivity and the income of the enterprise. Because of this, producers need to find ways to improve nutrient availability while minimizing costs to optimize production and profitability for their livestock enterprise.

Grazing Dairies: Challenges And Opportunities, Howard Straub Iii

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Considerations For Making A Profit With Stocker Cattle, Jeff Lehmkuhler

Kentucky Grazing Conference

The southeast is home to more than 7.3 million beef cows (USDA 2018). At an estimated 80% weaning rate and 20% heifer retention, the southeast region would be expected to produce more than 4.6 million feeder calves that would go to market in 2018. The cow-calf industry in the region provides an opportunity for the stocker and backgrounding operations to co-exist. Much of the land in the region is best suited for forage and pasture production, which at the current moment, provides a low cost feed for adding pounds to light weight feeder cattle. Yet, the stocker and backgrounding segments …

Measuring Profitability In Grazing Operations, Kenneth H. Burdine

Kentucky Grazing Conference

When producers make investments in extending their grazing season, they do so in order to obtain an economic benefit. These benefits usually include a reduction in the number of days that stored feed (typically hay) is fed, an increase in carry capacity or stocking rate, or an increase in production level (rates of gain, weaning weights, etc). While all of these are potential benefits of improved grazing systems, a reduction in winter feeding days is often the simplest way to start. When the grazing season is extended, winter feeding days are reduced, and this cost savings can be weighed against …

Foreword And Conference Information [2018], S. Ray Smith, Christopher D. Teutsch

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

Signature Of Obliquity And Eccentricity In Soil Chronosequences, Christopher Shepard, Jon D. Pelletier, Marcel G. Schaap, Craig Rasmussen

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Periodic shifts in Earth's orbit alter incoming solar radiation and drive Quaternary climate cycles. However, unambiguous detection of these orbitally driven climatic changes in records of terrestrial sedimentation and pedogenesis remains poorly defined, limiting our understanding of climate change‐landscape feedbacks, impairing our interpretation of terrestrial paleoclimate proxies, and limiting linkages among pedogenesis, sedimentation, and paleoclimatic change. Using a meta‐analysis, we show that Quaternary soil ages preserved in the modern record have periodicities of 41 and 98 kyr, consistent with orbital cycles. Further, soil ages predominantly date to periods of low rates of climatic change following rapid climate shifts associated with …

Effects Of Red Clover Isoflavones On Tall Fescue Seed Fermentation And Microbial Populations In Vitro, Emily A. Melchior, Jason K. Smith, Liesel G. Schneider, J. Travis Mulliniks, Gary E. Bates, Zachary D. Mcfarlane, Michael D. Flythe, James L. Klotz, Jack P. Goodman, Huihua Ji, Phillip R. Myer

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Negative impacts of endophyte-infected Lolium arundinaceum (Darbyshire) (tall fescue) are responsible for over $2 billion in losses to livestock producers annually. While the influence of endophyte-infected tall fescue has been studied for decades, mitigation methods have not been clearly elucidated. Isoflavones found in Trifolium pratense (red clover) have been the subject of recent research regarding tall fescue toxicosis mitigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of ergovaline and red clover isoflavones on rumen microbial populations, fiber degradation, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) in an in vitro system. Using a dose of 1.10 mg × L …

Nutrient Addition And Drought Interact To Change The Structure And Decrease The Functional Diversity Of A Mediterranean Grassland, Carla Nogueira, Alice Nunes, Miguel N. Bugalho, Cristina Branquinho, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Maria Conceição Caldeira

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic activities are increasing nutrient availability and altering precipitation regimes. This may lead to critical changes in grasslands functioning. This is particularly important for grasslands in the Mediterranean Basin that have evolved in nutrient poor soils, and where more frequent and prolonged droughts are projected to occur. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the interacting effects of multiple nutrient inputs and rainfall variability on the plant functional structure and diversity of Mediterranean grasslands. We conducted a nutrient addition experiment in a Mediterranean grassland during four contrasting precipitation years. We established four treatments that varied in the number of added nutrients, …

Growth, Yield Performance And Quality Parameters Of Three Early Flowering Chia (Salvia Hispanica L.) Genotypes Cultivated In Southwestern Germany, Samantha J. Grimes, Timothy D. Phillips, Volker Hahn, Filippo Capezzone, Simone Graeff-Hönninger

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The combination of consumer’s ongoing demand for chia (Salvia hispanica L.) alongside the increased demand for regionally produced food products provided the impetus for this study. Its aim was to test if a regional cultivation of new chia genotypes, which were adapted to day lengths greater than 12 h, is feasible under Central European conditions. Therefore, three early flowering chia genotypes (Sahi Alba 914, W13.1, G8) were cultivated in a randomized block design at two experimental stations in Southwestern Germany (Ihinger Hof, Eckartsweier) over the course of two years (2015, 2016). Mean yields ranged from 100 to 1290 kg …