Earth Sciences Commons^™

Pine Hollow Exclosures: Effect Of Browsing On An Aspen Community Sprayed With 2, 4-D, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

The Pine Hollow aspen (Populus tremuloides) exclosures on the Ashley National Forest in eastern Utah were sampled in 1984, 19 years after they were established. The effects of 2, 4-D, wildlife, and cattle on plant succession were evaluated. Two exclosures were used to protect the sprayed area from (1) all animal use and (2) only livestock use. A third sprayed area was left open for use by all animals. The aspen overstory was killed as a result of spraying, with sufficient reproduction occurring to restock the stand. However, animal use drastically altered the aspen reproduction, as well as the understory …

Relative Corrosivity Of Currently Approved Wildland Fire Chemicals, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Wildfires

From the early stages of the development of chemicals for wildland fire control, damage from fire retardant corrosion was recognized as a serious problem. Extensive damage was done to equipment used in the handling, mixing, storing, and delivery of retardants (Davis and Phillips 1965; USDA FS 1964a). Corrosion-related damage, especially to aircraft, creates unsafe conditions. Preventing this damage reduces the potential risk of injury and death; moreover, everyone benefits from reduced expenditures for equipment repair and replacement.

Reexamination Of Rothermel's Fire Spread Equations In No-Wind And No-Slope Conditions, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Wildfires

Major revisions to Rothermel's fire spread equations include the propagating flux ratio, reaction velocity, and moisture damping coefficient. The reaction intensity is of the flames alone and specifically excludes energy derived from burning char whether or not it lies in the flaming zone. In this new formulation, moisture damping is completely divorced from fire extinction. Fire extinction is a probability function.

Assessment Of Nongame Bird Habitat Using Forest Survey Data, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Wildlife Conservation and Management

Forest Survey data have potential for use in obtaining information on the condition and diversity of the Nation's forest resources relevant to wildlife habitat that is needed for planning and monitoring at State and regional levels. In this study, Forest Survey data were used to assess nongame bird habitat potential based on food and shelter requirements on 24 plots. These assessments were then evaluated using bird numbers. Results of the analyses showed some correlation of bird numbers with tree canopy variables, and illustrate the potential for using Forest Survey data for wildlife habitat assessment, for identifying opportunities to improve habitat …

Water Conservation Through Irrigation Technology, Donald H. Negri, John J. Hanchar, United States Department Of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Improved irrigation technology and advanced farm management practices offer an opportunity for agriculture to use water more efficiently. Farmers may install new equipment, such as drip irrigation systems, or adopt advanced water management practices to conserve water without sacrificing crop yields. While farmers' decision to adopt water-saving irrigation technology responds to the cost of water, physical properties of the land such as topography or soil properties of the land such as topography or soil texture dominate the choice of irrigation technology.

Root Exploitation Of Fertile Soil Microsites, Robert B. Jackson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Root exploitation of enriched soil microsites was examined for the tussock grasses Agropyron desertorum and Agropyron spicatum and the shrub Artemisia tridentata. Two mechanisms of exploitation of the microsites were examined: root proliferation and changes in nutrient uptake capacity. One day after nutrient solution was applied to small soil patches, the mean relative growth rate of Agropyron desertorum roots in enriched patches was two to four times greater than for roots of the same plants in soil patches treated with distilled water. This rapid and striking root proliferation occurred in response to N-P-K enrichment as well as to P or …

Footwall Deformation And Structural Analysis Of The Footwall Of The Willard Thrust Fault, Northern Wasatch Range, Utah, Douglas Scott Neves

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deformation mechanisms in the footwall of the Willard thrust fault, northern Wasatch Range, Utah, change from dominantly plastic to dominantly cataclastic (both microscopically and macroscopically) in the Ophir Formation and Maxfield Limestone before the thrust begins to ramp laterally upsection southward, just to the north of the North Ogden Canyon field area. This transition in compressional deformation style and mechanism is located within a lateral distance of 3.2-kilometers along the 22-kilometer long trace of the thrust fault.

Between Willard Canyon and North Ogden Canyon penetrative deformation is localized within 200 meters of the thrust surface and is characterized by transposed …

Groundwater Flow Systems And Thermal Regimes Near Cooling Igneous Plutons: Influence Of Surface Topography, Mark U. Birch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous studies of cooling igneous plutons did not consider the possible influence of sloping surface topography. Topographically-driven fluids in high relief terrain, however, are thought to interact with deep buoyancy-driven fluids to produce large lateral-flow systems up to 5 km long and 20 km long in silicic and andesitic volcanic terrain, respectively. In this study, a quantitative investigation of the interaction of topographically-driven and buoyancy-driven fluid flow is conducted through the use of a finite element numerical model to simulate the fluid flow and thermal regimes associated with a cooling igneous pluton in the presence of significant topographic relief. The …

Soil Temperature Influence On Water Use And Yield Under Variable Irrigation, Jon M. Wraith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The need for efficient use of water resources has increased the importance of optimum soil water usage in agricultural systems. Soil temperature has been shown to be important in influencing the early development of many plant species. Many agricultural regions have suboptimal soil temperature regimes for plant growth, and some cultural practices have been shown to reduce near-surface soil temperatures. The seasonal influence of soil temperature on soil water extraction and aboveground and belowground plant growth under variable irrigation was investigated at the USU Greenville Farm in Logan, UT. Soil surface mulches and buried heat cables were used to modify …

Origin And Evolution Of Dolostone In The Middle Cambrian Langston Formation, Northern Utah, Mark C. Hall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six major generations of dolomite are present within the Cambrian Langston Formation in the Wellsville Mountains and Bear River Range of northern Utah. Identification of dolomite generations and delineation of their relative sequences are based on normal light petrography, cathodoluminescence, staining, chemistry, inferred burial history, and deformation features. The earliest stage is believed to be Middle to Late Cambrian in age. The presence of dolomite rhombs and dolomitized echinoid fragments and peloids suggests that this stage probably formed under sabkha reflux conditions. Extensive nonferroan, polymodal, nonplanar ("xenotopic") dolomite formed next under confined mixing zone conditions. A succeeding generation of pervasive …

Flood Insurance Study, City Of Tooele, Utah, Tooele County, Federal Emergency Management Agency

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Flood Insurance Study investigates the existence and severity of flood hazards in the City of Tooele, Tooele County, Utah, and aids in the administration of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. This study will be used to establish actuarial flood insurance rates and assist the community in its efforts to promote sound flood plain management. Minimum flood plain management requirements for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations at 44 CFR, 60.3.

Flood Insurance Study, Weber County, Utah, Unincorporated Areas, Federal Emergency Management Agency

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Flood Insurance Study investigates the existence and severity of flood hazards in the unincorporated areas of Weber County, Utah, and aids in the administration of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. This study will be used to convert Weber County to the regular program of flood insurance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Local and regional planners will use this study in their efforts to promote sound flood plain management.

Cultural Resource Inventory And Testing In The Salt Creek Pocket And Devils Lane Areas, Needles District, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, United States Department Of The Interior National Park Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This document is the final technical report on the first phase of a multiyear archeological program conducted in Canyonlands National Park. Some of the purposes of this project are to gather information for upgrading the park's interpretive program, increase the scientific understanding of Canyonlands' prehistory, and prepare a research design to guide future investigations. Archeological inventory of 4500 acres in the Needles District revealed a previously undocumented Archaic occupation and showed that Formative peoples using the area were primarily the Mesa Verde Anasazi, not the Fremont and Anasazi as previously thought. The data also indicate that prehistoric peoples used the …

Native Species Establishment On An Oil Drill Pad Site In The Uintah Mountains, Utah: Effects Of Introduced Grass Density And Fertilizer, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Habitat Ecology

This study examined the effects of introduced grass seeding density and fertilizer on native species establishment on an oil drill pad site in the Uintah Mountains, UT. Differences in first-year seedling density and 3-year standing crop biomass among treatments were evaluated for seeded introduced grasses and native species and for unseeded colonizers. Aerial cover was measured all 3 years and the effects of fertilization on soil NO3-N, available P, and exchangeable K were examined 2 years after application. Recommendations for reclamation of similar sites are given.

Mule Deer Diets On A Chained And Seeded Central Utah Pinyon-Juniper Range, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

Study of the seasonal use by mule deer of some native and introduced species on a pinyon-juniper restoration project showed that woody species made up the bulk of pellet samples, followed by forbs and grasses. Land managers are advised on seeding and grazing practices for enhancing big game habitats.

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Biomass And Plant Succession In Western Aspen, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

Biomass of grasses, forbs, shrubs, and aspen suckers was determined annually for three prescribed fires in aspen and aspen-conifer forests in southeastern Idaho and western Wyoming. Fires ranged from low to high severity and overstory mortality from 20 to 100 percent. Over 4 postburn years, production of grasses and forbs averaged 1.5 to 3.3 times that of controls. After 5 years, shrub biomass was 21 to 100 percent of preburn biomass. The varied patterns of seral vegetation and their management implications are discussed.

Mtclim: A Mountain Microclimate Simulation Model, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

A model for calculating daily microclimate conditions in mountainous terrain is presented. Daily air temperature, shortwave radiation, relative humidity, and precipitation are extrapolated from data measured at National Weather Service stations. The model equations are given and the paper describes how to execute the model. Model outputs are compared with observed date from several mountain sites.

40ar/39ar Age Constraints On Deformation And Metamorphism In The Maine Central Thrust Zone And Tibetan Slab, Eastern Nepal Himalaya, Mary S. Hubbard, T. M. Harrison

Geosciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Quaternary Geology And Tectonic Geomorphology Of The Pocatello Valley Area, Idaho-Utah, John D. Garr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pocatello Valley in southeastern Idaho and northern Utah is a structural and topographic basin bounded on all sides by mountains composed of Paleozoic platform carbonates and elastics. In the late Pleistocene it contained pluvial Lake Utaho, which, prior to 1981, was considered to have been an arm of Lake Bonneville. This study corroborates the finding of Currey (1981) that the two lakes were separate.

The Quaternary deposits examined in this study are divided into two broad groups: those that were deposited prior to the last pluvial lake cycle, and those that were deposited during and after the pluvial lake maximum, …

Petrology Of Passive Margin-Epeiric Sea Sediments: The Garden City Formation, North-Central Utah, Susan K. Morgan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Lower Ordovician Garden City Formation is part of the thick sequence of Lower Paleozoic limestones, dolostones, and minor siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the western United States. The carbonate rocks were formed predominantly by shallow water deposition in tropical, passive-margin epeiric seas.

The Garden City Formation is composed of nine lithotypes which represent the various environments. The formation is a storm-influenced transgressive sequence which may be divided into innershelf shallow subtidal and outer-shelf deep subtidal environments separated by a skeletal accumulation. The skeletal accumulation, formed by storm initiation, was a submerged topographic high, below normal wave base. The inner shelf …

Central Utah Regional Seismotectonic Study, U.S. Deparment Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

Elusive Documents

This report presents the results of a Bureau of Reclamation seismotectonic

evaluation for dams in the Wasatch Mountains in north-central Utah. The

major objectives of this study were to identify potential earthquake sources

in the region and to estimate MCEs (maximum credible earthquakes) for these

sources. The conclusions presented in this report are based on geologic

mapping, trenching, study of aerial photography, mapping and correlation of

Quaternary deposits, soil profile descriptions and sampling, and analysis of

historic seismicity. The Regional Study area includes an area on the eastern

margin of the Basin and Range province that extends east from the …

Flood Insurance Study City Of Duchesne, Utah, Duchesne County, Federal Emergency Management Agency

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Flood Insurance Study investigates the existence and severity of flood hazards in the City of Duchesne, Duchesne County, Utah, and aids in the administration of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973. This study has developed flood risk data for various areas of the community that will be used to establish actuarial flood insurance rates and assist the community in its efforts to promote sound flood plain management. Minimum flood plain management requirements for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations …

Flood Insurance Study, City Of Provo, Utah, Utah County, Federal Emergency Management Agency

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Flood Insurance Study revises and updates a previous Flood Insurance Study/Flood Insurance Rate Map for the City of Provo, Utah. This information will be used by the City to update existing floodplain regulations as part of the Regular Phase of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The information will also be used by local and regional planners to further promote sound land use and floodplain development.

Evaluating Statistical Techniques For Predicting And Interpreting Forplan Results, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

Two approaches using multiple linear regression for analyzing the effects of management constraints on an objective function in FORPLAN were tested on three National Forests. The two approaches, ordinary least squares regression and ordinary least squares using principal components, provide some degree of success in predicting objective function values, but very little information for interpreting the effects of the constraints on objective function values.

Surficial Geology Of The Smithfield Quadrangle, Cache County, Utah, Michael V. Lowe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Smithfield 7.5' quadrangle is located about 13.8 kilometers (8.6 miles) south of the Utah-Idaho State Line and occupies the central portion of the eastern side of Cache Valley, Utah. The mapped area contains more than 55 square miles. The Bear River Range on the eastern side of the quadrangle contains stratigraphic units ranging from Precambrian to Quaternary age. Cache Valley contains deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age. Quaternary units in the Smithfield quadrangle are subdivided into thirty-two map units based on age and genesis. Five ages of Quaternary units are identified, and these units are assigned to one of …

Petrology Of The Middle Cambrian Langston And Ute Formations In Southeastern Idaho, Daniel T. Rogers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Middle Cambrian Langston and Ute formations were studied in the northern portion of the Bear River Range and the south-central part of the Portneuf Range in southeastern Idaho.

The rocks of the Langston and Ute formations were divided into 17 different rock types. The 17 rock types were formed within four recognizable lithofacies: I) Shoal - or Coastal-Peritidal Carbonate Complex; 2) Agitated Shoal; 3) Inner Marine Shelf; and 4) Outer Marine Shelf. Clastic sediments belonging to the Spence Shale Member of the Langston Formation (outer marine shelf) were deposited over the carbonate complex. A transgressive sequence marks the base …

Spatial And Temporal Landslide Distribution And Hazard Evaluation Analyzed By Photogeologic Mapping And Relative-Dating Techniques, Salt River Range, Wyoming, John B. Rice Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The distribution of landslide type and age was analyzed to determine the causes and timing of landsliding, and to assess landslide hazards in the study area. 1173 landslides and zones of landsliding were mapped on 1:15,840 scale air photos and designated by their style of movement and age. Slides were assigned to one of four age classes based on their degree of morphologic modification visible on air photos. Relative dating (RD) methods previously applied to glacial deposits were used to refine and calibrate the age classification.

Eleven RD para meters were measured on 21 rockslide and 19 glacial deposits. Cluster …

Petrology Of Pliocene (?) Basalts Of Curlew Valley (Box Elder Co.), Utah, Steven Brent Kerr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Basalt outcrops in Curlew Valley consist of several flow remnants and eruptive centers situated along the valley margins. Basalt is also found in association with salic rocks that erupted in the central portion of the valley. The basalts are of probable Pliocene age and were erupted during a period of active extensional tectonics. Since their emplacement, the basalts have been extensively eroded and downfaulted. The present morphology reflects the erosional and depositional processes of prehistoric Lake Bonneville.

Twelve samples were analyzed chemically for major oxides, trace elements, and rare-earth elements. The basalts form a hypersthene normative series ranging from olivine …

Hydrogeology And Hydrochemistry Of Springs In Mantua Valley And Vicinity, North-Central Utah, Karen C. Rice

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chemical and tritium analyses of groundwater, precipitation and discharge records, fracture orientations, lineaments, and structural, stratigraphic, and topographic relationships have been used to describe the groundwater systems of Mantua Valley, north-central Utah. Groundwater flows through fractured Paleozoic quartzites and carbonate rocks and discharges from eleven perennial springs in Mantua Valley. Permeability in quartzites is the result of intense faulting and jointing. Groundwater in carbonate aquifers flows through fractures and/or fractures modified by solution and discharges as relatively large springs (up to 227 liters per second). Neogene normal faulting, rather than extensive karst processes, has produced valleys which are closed or …

Finding The Appropriate Forage Value For Analyzing The Feasibility Of Public Range Improvements, United States Department Of Agriculture, Forest Service

Forestry

To complete economic analysis of range improvements completed on the Oak Creek Management area of central Utah, we needed an estimate of the value of forage. A review of the literature revealed several methods of estimating forage values. These methods yielded eight estimates of public rangeland forage ranging from $1.23 to $30 per animal unit month (AUM). Six of the estimates were based on actual market transactions or current administered prices and were the most reflective of actual economic processes. The best estimates of value were those for leasing similar rangeland in the immediate area.