Earth Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Potential Linkages Between Oil-Field Brine Reinjection, Crystalline Basement Permeability, And Triggered Seismicity For The Dagger Draw Oil Field, Southeastern New Mexico, Usa, Using Hydrologic Modeling, Y. Zhang, Stanislav S. Edel, Jeff D. Pepin, Mark A. Person, Ronald F. Broadhead, J. P. Ortiz, Susan L. Bilek, Peter S. Mozley, James P. Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We used hydrologic models to explore the potential linkages between oil-field brine reinjection and increases in earthquake frequency (up to M_d 3.26) in southeastern New Mexico and to assess different injection management scenarios aimed at reducing the risk of triggered seismicity. Our analysis focuses on saline water reinjection into the basal Ellenburger Group beneath the Dagger Draw Oil field, Permian Basin. Increased seismic frequency (>M_d 2) began in 2001, 5 years after peak injection, at an average depth of 11 km within the basement 15 km to the west of the reinjection wells. We considered several scenarios …

Uwrl Engineerings Featured In "Creating Tomorrow" Magazine, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Dr. Beth Neilson and her team were featured in the College of Engineering’s 2016 annual magazine Creating Tomorrow about their research in Alaska.

Revised Scec Final Report On The New East Shoreline Strand Of The San Andreas Fault, Susanne U. Jänecke, Daniel K. Markowski

Geosciences Faculty Publications

This report consists of three parts: Original proposal (2011), provisional report (Janecke, 2013), and a final summary in the form of the MS thesis of Daniel Markowski (2016). The abstract herein is the abstract of Janecke's provisional report except that I updated the name of the fault to East Shoreline strand of the SAF. A different "Shoreline fault" is already in the Quaternary fault and fold database. See Markowski (2016) and Janecke et al. 2016 for additional updates.

Summary:

In 2013 Janecke submitted a provisional report to SCEC about our research along the newly identified East Shoreline strand of …

Sensitivity Of Seven Diverse Species To Blue And Green Light: Interactions With Photon Flux, Michael Chase Snowden, Bruce Bugbee, Kevin R. Cope

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Despite decades of research, the effects of spectral quality on plant growth, and development are not well understood. Much of our current understanding comes from studies with daily integrated light levels that are less than 10% of summer sunlight thus making it difficult to characterize interactions between light quality and quantity. Several studies have reported that growth is increased under fluorescent lamps compared to mixtures of wavelengths from LEDs. Conclusions regarding the effect of green light fraction range from detrimental to beneficial. Here we report the effects of eight blue and green light fractions at two photosynthetic photon fluxes (PPF; …

The Persistence And Characteristics Of Chinook Salmon Migrations To The Upper Klamath River Prior To Exclusion By Dams, John B. Hamilton, Dennis W. Rondorf, William R. Tinniswood, Ryan J. Leary, Tim Mayer, Charleen Gavette, Lynne A. Casal

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In this research article, John Hamilton and his co-authors present extensive new research and information gathered since a 2005 publication on the historical evidence of anadromomous fish distribution in the Upper Klamath River watershed. Using historical accounts from early explorers and ethnographers to early-twentieth-century photographs, newspaper accounts, and government reports, the authors provide a more complete record of past salmon migrations. The updated record “substantiate[s] the historical persistence of salmon, their migration characteristics, and the broad population baseline that will be key to future commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries in the Klamath River and beyond.” During a time when salmon …

A Novel Qtl Associated With Dwarf Bunt Resistance In Idaho 444 Winter Wheat, Jianli Chen, Mary J. Guttieri, Junli Zhang, David Hole, Edward Souza, Blair Goates

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Dwarf bunt [Tilletia controversa J.G. Kühn [as ‘contraversa’], in Rabenhorst, Hedwigia 13: 188 (1874)] is a destructive disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) that reduces grain yield and quality. A number of distinct genes conferring resistance to dwarf bunt have been used by breeding programs for nearly 100 years. However, few markers were identified that can be used in selection of dwarf bunt resistance. A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from the bunt-resistant germplasm, Idaho 444 (IDO444), and the susceptible cultivar, Rio Blanco, was evaluated for phenotypic reaction to dwarf bunt inoculation in four trials in …

Blake Tullis Receives Prestigous Asdso Award, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Dr. Blake Tullis was recently selected to receive the 2016 ASDSO Terry L. Hampton Medal. This award was established in 2007 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to dam safety. Recipients must work the field of dam safety, hydrology, and hydraulics; conduct hydrologic or hydraulic research related to dams of significant impact to dam engineering; participate in organizations focused on dams, dam safety, dam engineering, etc.; and have made significant contributions to the practice of hydrologic and/or hydraulic engineering for dams.

Aggieair Helps Find Fish When Yellow Creek Runs Dry, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

A recent KSL News story highlighted a research project ongoing at Yellow Creek along the Utah/Wyoming border that includes state agencies from both states, along with federal agencies and the Nature Conservancy. AggieAir's autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), developed at the Utah Water Research Laboratory, are useful tools for researchers seeking to protect native fish species during times when the creek runs dry, such as during times of drought or late summer when irrigation use draws down the available water. Using remote sensing in the visual and infrared spectrums, Aggie Air helps researchers to locate pockets of water where the …

Analysis Of Close Conjunctions Between Dayside Polar Cap Airglow Patches And Flow Channels By All-Sky Imager And Dmsp, Boyi Wang, Yukitoshi Nishimura, Larry R. Lyons, Ying Zou, Herbert C. Carlson, Harald U. Frey, Stephen B. Mende

Faculty publications

Recent imager and radar observations in the nightside polar cap have shown evidence that polar cap patches are associated with localized flow channels. To understand how flow channels propagate from the dayside auroral oval into the polar cap, we use an all-sky imager in Antarctica and DMSP (F13, F15, F16, F17 and F18) to determine properties of density and flows associated with dayside polar cap patches. We identified 50 conjunction events during the southern winter seasons of 2007–2011. In a majority (45) of events, longitudinally narrow flow enhancements directed anti-sunward are found to be collocated with the patches, have velocities …

Lake Isabella Dam Usace Team Returns To The Uwrl, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

On Wednesday, representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers design and construction team for the Lake Isabella Dam Restoration Project visited the UWRL for another look at the large 1:45 scale model of the planned labyrinth weir spillway modifications the Corps commissioned UWRL researchers to construct in the UWRL hydraulics laboratory so they could test their designs.

The Bear River's History And Diversion: Constraints, Unsolved Problems, And Implications For The Lake Bonneville Record, Joel L. Pederson, Susanne U. Jänecke, M. C. Reheis, D. S. Kaufman, Robert Q. Oaks Jr.

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The shifting course of the Bear River has influenced the hydrologic balance of the Bonneville basin through time, including the magnitude of Lake Bonneville. This was first recognized by G.K. Gilbert and addressed in the early work of Robert Bright, who focused on the southeastern Idaho region of Gem Valley and Oneida Narrows. In this chapter, we summarize and evaluate existing knowledge from this region, present updated and new chronostratigraphic evidence for the Bear River's drainage history, and discuss implications for the Bonneville record as well as future research needs.

The Bear River in Plio-Pleistocene time joined the Snake River …

Topographic Constraints On Magma Accumulations Below The Actively Uuplifting Uturuncu And Lazufre Volcanic Centers In The Central Andes, Jonathan P. Perkins, Noah J. Finnegan, Scott T. Henderson, Tammy M. Rittenour

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Geodetic surveys of Volcán Uturuncu and the Lazufre volcanic complex in the Central Andes of South America reveal sustained surface uplift from magmatic intrusion at depth. However, the decadal timescales of geodetic surveys are short relative to the timescales of magma chamber growth. Thus, from geodesy alone, it is difficult to infer the deformation and hence magma accumulation history of these volcanoes. Here we combine data from InSAR, long-wavelength topography, GPS and high-resolution topographic surveys of lake shorelines and rivers, and lava flow morphology to constrain the spatial and temporal evolution of magmatism at Uturuncu and Lazufre. Near Uturuncu, dated …

Observational Evidence Confirms Modelling Of The Long-Term Integrity Of Co2-Reservoir Caprocks, N. Kampman, A. Busch, P. Bertier, J. Snippe, S. Hangx, V. Pipich, Z. Di, G. Rother, J. F. Harrington, James P. Evans, A. Maskell, H. J. Chapman, M. J. Bickle

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Storage of anthropogenic CO₂ in geological formations relies on a caprock as the primary seal preventing buoyant super-critical CO₂ escaping. Although natural CO₂ reservoirs demonstrate that CO₂ may be stored safely for millions of years, uncertainty remains in predicting how caprocks will react with CO2-bearing brines. This uncertainty poses a significant challenge to the risk assessment of geological carbon storage. Here we describe mineral reaction fronts in a CO₂ reservoir-caprock system exposed to CO₂ over a timescale comparable with that needed for geological carbon storage. The propagation of the reaction front is retarded by …

Graduate Student, Caleb Buahin, Receives Multiple Awards, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

UWRL graduate student Caleb Buahin has won a number of prestigious awards recently based on his outstanding academic performance and accomplishments.

Former Egyptian Minister Of Water & Irrigation Visits Uwrl, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

UWRL Director, Mac McKee, hosted Dr. Hossam El-Din M. Moghazy on a tour of the Utah Water Research Laboratory facilities on Thursday, July 14, 2016. Dr. Moghazy served as Egypt’s Minister for Water and Irrigation from 2014 to 2016 and is a professor of irrigation and drainage engineering at Alexandria University in Egypt.

Uwrl Director, Mac Mckee, Named A 2015 Friend Of Ucowr, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Mac McKee, UWRL Director, was recently named a Friend of UCOWR at the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) Annual Conference awards ceremony held this year in Pensacola Beach, Florida. UCOWR recognizes no more than three individuals each year who have “made substantial contributions in time and effort toward the goals of UCOWR.” Mac held the office of UCOWR President twice and served on the board of directors for nearly a decade.

Randy Martin's Ozone Study Featured On Ksl News, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Ground-level ozone is common pollutant in the air along the Wasatch Front in both summer and winter, and it can be damaging to both human health and plant ecosystems. One challenge to improving these pollution levels is the fact that ozone is not emitted but created through chemical ractions in the air. The EPA has set lower limits on allowable ozone levels, and the air along the Wasatch Front will likely exceed those limits many times in the months to come. UWRL faculty member Dr. Randy Martin is one of several researchers from three Utah universities and the Utah Department …

Aggieair Published In Nature Conservancy Utah, Aggieair

News

AggieAir was contracted by Nature Conservancy to Fly Yellow Creek, a tributary of the Bear River.

AggieAir provided them with 35 river miles of RGB and thermal imagery in order to develop an ecological integrity map for Northern Leatherside chub habitat. Doing so provides the Nature Conservancy with high quality data that enables them to delineate/see areas of substandard, average, and excellent quality habitats and how to better manage those habitats.

Delegation Of Irrigation Representatives From Argentina Tour The Uwrl, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

A delegation from Argentina that included representatives working in irrigation and water resources policy and management in the Mendoza province visited the Utah Water Research Laboratory on May 31, 2016. The visitors were part of a tour arranged by the US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy (UCCD) focusing on water resources and climate change. UWRL director, Mac McKee, led the group of four Argentinian dignitaries, two translators, and their USU host, associate professor Dr. Neil Allen on a tour of the facility.

Record Of Paleofluid Circulation In Faults Revealed By Hematite (U-Th)/He And Apatite Fission-Track Dating: An Example From Gower Peninsula Fault Fissures, Wales, Alexis K. Ault, Max Frenzel, Peter W. Reiners, Nigel H. Woodcock, Stuart N. Thomson

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Fault rock low-temperature thermochronometry can inform the timing, temperature, and significance of hydrothermal fluid circulation in fault systems. We demonstrate this with combined hematite (U-Th)/He (He) dating, and sandstone apatite fission-track (AFT) and apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He (He) thermochronometry from fault-related fissures on the Gower Peninsula, Wales. Hematite He dates from 141 ± 5.1 Ma to 120 ± 5.0 Ma overlap with a 131 ± 20 Ma sandstone infill AFT date. Individual zircon He dates are 402–260 Ma, reflecting source material erosion, and imply a maximum Late Permian infill depositional age. Burial history reconstruction reveals modern exposures were not buried …

Phd Student, Ayman Alafifi, Receives First Place In 2016 J. Paul Riley Awra Utah Section Student Paper Competition, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

CEE and UWRL PhD student Ayman AlAfifi won first place in the recent American Water Resources Association Utah Chapter student paper competition for this presentation titled: "Systems Modeling to Improve River and Riparian Habitat Quality." This research investigates the use of systems models to better manage river and riparian areas. Ayman developed an optimization model that shows the implications of management decisions on the quality of a river’s ecological habitat. The model attempts to improve habitat quality for priority species by allocating water to the sites and at the seasons that will best serve the needs of the desired species …

Confirmation Of A New Geometric And Kinematic Model Of The San Andreas Fault At Its Southern Tip, Durmid Hill, Southern California, Daniel K. Markowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explains the origin of the deforming structures between the San Andreas fault and the Salton Sea within the Salton Trough in Southern California. ShakeOut simulations and other studies model shaking resulting from a large rupture on the San Andreas fault. These models simulate a start at the southern fault tip of the San Andreas fault that propagates to the northwest. A secondary strand of the San Andreas fault called the East Shoreline fault is located at the southern tip of the San Andreas fault near the shoreline of the Salton Sea. Between the East Shoreline fault zone and …

Structural And Lithological Influences On The Tony Grove Alpine Karst System, Bear River Range, North-Central Utah, Kirsten Bahr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Caves are access points into the subsurface for humans, water, and, in many cases, contaminants. Many caves are connected via a series of conduits that carry water from one cave to another and, eventually, to a spring. However, because most of these conduits are inaccessible, it is difficult to determine the pathway groundwater takes on its way to the spring. The primary objective of this study was to examine the effects of folds, fractures, and rock type upon the formation and orientation of cave passages as well as groundwater flow patterns in the Tony Grove alpine karst system.

Although water …

Sagebrush Ecology Of Parker Mountain, Utah, Nathan E. Dulfon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

On Parker Mountain located in south central Utah, management actions such as controlling mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. subsp. vaseyana), with mechanical and chemical treatments can increase forage for livestock and benefit wildlife such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Tebuthiuron treatments were applied on Parker Mountain from 2000-2012 with assistance from the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, the Utah Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Treatments applied to mountain big sagebrush on Parker Mountain provide an important opportunity to evaluate the value of mountain big sagebrush treatments in …

The Mh-2 Core From Project Hotspot: Description, Geologic Interpretation, And Significance To Geothermal Exploration In The Western Snake River Plain, Idaho, Jerome A. Varriale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Harnessing the earth’s natural heat generation as an energy resource has seen increased interest in recent history. While geothermal energy is a sustainable, low-carbon emitting, and viable source of energy in certain regions, large upfront risks, including costs of exploration and deep well drilling, have kept private sector investment at bay. Lowering the risks to capital investment that are inherent to subsurface exploration can help to assuage investors and bring this well-known energy-generating technology to the masses.

A blind potential geothermal system was encountered while drilling the MH2 science drill hole, on Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The MH-2 …

The Influence Of Small Displacement Faults On Seal Integrity And Lateral Movement Of Fluids, Eric A. Rasmusson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As groundwater, liquid and gas hydrocarbons, or CO₂ fluids move through the subsurface, faults can act as pathways or barriers to flow. Recent studies also show that when a fault juxtaposes high permeability sandstone against a low permeability shale, the corner at the sandstone-shale interface and the fault can become a site of high pressure that may fracture the seal and allow fluids to escape. This can have negative implications for industries dependent on the quality of that seal, for example, petroleum, CO₂ sequestration, waste fluid injection, and nuclear waste storage industries.

We examined five small-scale faults in …

Crustal Architecture Of The Snake River Plain, Idaho, Through Geochemical Investigation Of Crustal Sill And Shallow Subvolcanic Xenoliths, Douglas James Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Snake River Plain (SRP) in southern Idaho is one of the most well-preserved examples of continent-hotspot interaction available today. Geophysical studies have imaged a feature ~10 km thick at the base of the upper crust. This feature, termed the “mid-crustal sill complex” is likely a layered mafic intrusion. The study of layered mafic intrusions is important because it provides a link between deep plutonic processes and shallow volcanic processes. Investigation of the mid crustal sill complex will provide better understanding of the evolutionary process of SRP basalts.

This thesis investigates three xenoliths sampled from the Kimama drill core collected …

Usu Engineering Team Wins Annual Wea Student Design Competition For 2015, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

A team of USU civil engineering students emerged as the winners at the annual Water and Environment Federation of Utah (WEAU) Student Design Competition on Friday, April 29^th in St. George, Utah, but they can’t rest easy yet. The WEAU win also allows them the opportunity to represent the State of Utah in the national WEFTEC 2016 competition in New Orleans in September.

Uwrl Faculty Members Recognized At College Of Engineering Awards, Utah Water Research Laboratory

News

Congratulations to several of our UWRL faculty members for their excellent work and dedication! The following were awarded at the 2016 College of Engineering Faculty Awards:

Mineral Physics Modeling Of The Effect Of Water On Crustal Seismic Velocity Ratios, Eric Lyman, Anthony Lowry Phd

Student Research Symposium

This poster presents the relationship between the presence of water (H2O) in the make up of rocks at different levels in the crust. The relationships were calculated using Perple_x software to adjust the level of the different chemical and mineral make up of the rock. The densities were calculated using the velocity of primary waves and shear waves as collected by Tony Lowry. This study focuses primarily on quartz content. There seems to be at least a casual link between water content and quartz content.