Earth Sciences Commons^™

On The Strain-Rate Sensitivity Of Columnar Ice, M. E. Manley, E. M. Schulson

Dartmouth Scholarship

A power law relation between stress and strain rate of the form σ ∝ ε̇1/n was used to describe the response to strain rate of S1 ice loaded across the columns at -10°C. The rate exponent, n, decreased with increasing strain from about 4.6 at an observed peak on the load displacement curve to approximately 2.6 at a shortening of 2%. Analysis of these results and of the results of other authors on different forms of ice deformed at the same temperature suggests that the power law exponent, n, is proportional to Fc/Fg. The parameter Fc/Fg is the far-field basal …

A Palynological Study Of Two Upland Bogs In The Gulf Coastal Plain, Alabama And Mississippi, Linda C. Pace

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Fewer Quaternary palynological studies have been conducted in the Gulf Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States than In the northern United States and Canada, resulting in major gaps in the pollen record of this region. The existing studies display discrepancies in the chronology of the pine rise, appearance of the modem climatic regime and vegetation, and timing of the Hypsithermal. In order to fill a gap in the paleoecological data network of the Gulf Coastal Plain, pollen analysis, charcoal analysis, and sediment stratigraphic techniques were used to reconstruct the last 6500 years of Sweetbay Bog, Mississippi, and Minamac Bog, …

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

Geology Faculty Publications

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

Forensic Soil Analysis: Characterization Of The Sand Fraction, John Baize

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a comprehensive analytical method for the characterization of soil by examining particle size, elemental composition, and percent organic matter in soil, and to determine its forensic applicability. In this study, five soils of varying geological locations were examined including two samples from Kentucky; two samples from Pennsylvania; and one from Washington D C A Gilson sonic sieve shaker was used to separate fractions of soil to determine particle size, and a JEOL scanning electron microscope with a Kevex EDS detector was used to determine elemental composition. These techniques coupled with percent total …

Mathematical Modeling Of Convective Heat Transfer In Mammoth Cave, Jonathan Jernigan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Around two centuries ago, changes were made to the entrances of Mammoth Cave and its passages. Today the Historic Entrance to Mammoth Cave is enlarged and the passage just beyond the entrance known as Houchins' Narrows has been cleared of rubble and filled with sediments. These enlargements have resulted in an increase in airflow throughout the Historic Section of the cave causing environmental conditions such as air temperature and airflow to fluctuate. These fluctuations have negatively impacted inhabitants and contents of the cave system. To restore natural conditions within the cave, Science and Resource Management personnel at Mammoth Cave National …

Development Of An Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustor (Afbc), William Orndorff

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relatively recent interest in the U.S. in the development of atmospheric fluidized bed combustion (AFBC) has been preceded by two main factors. First of these is the ever present problem of acid rain and growing public support for cleaner burning fossil fuels. Second is the increasing demand on public landfills and subsequent need for burning of municipal solid waste. From these factors and their corresponding influences, Western Kentucky University has the impetus and has received the financial assistance necessary to build and develop a laboratory scale AFBC system. A brief history of the events leading to this development, as …

The Migration Of Arsenic And Lead In Surface Sediments At Three Kids Mine Henderson, Nevada, Douglas Brian Sims

Publications (WR)

This study focused on the distribution of arsenic and lead in surface sediments at Three Kids Mine in Henderson, Nevada. The mine site encompasses approximately 470 acres of desert and is situated above two developing communities (Lake Las Vegas and Calico Ridge) and the Las Vegas Valley's water source (Lake Mead). Transport of arsenic and lead appears to have occurred within a limited range in both the eastern and western washes on the eastern and western sides of Three Kids Mine. Concentrations of arsenic range between 20 mg/kg (ppm) and 1130 mg/kg and between 20 mg/kg and 8400 mg/kg for …

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

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

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

Laboratory Comparison Of Trench Design Options For Recovering Spilled Oil, Renuka Fernando

Masters Theses

The research goal was to improve the performance of drainage trenches used to recover spilled oil in the subsurface. Different trench designs were compared in two laboratory experiments. The first laboratory experiment clearly demonstrates that the performance of a oil recovering drainage trench could be improved by replacing the standard gravel pack sand used around the drain pipe with mixtures of teflon and sand. The effectiveness of a downgradient impermeable 'backstop' also was studied in the first experiment.

In experiment two, four trench designs were compared: perforated drain pipe; wire-wrapped horizontal well screen; perforated sheet pile; and gravel fill with …

A Comparison Study Of Water Well Grouting Materials, Sherry L. Callaway

Masters Theses

To prevent contamination from occurring in water wells, and thereby groundwater, the annulus between the well casing and borehole wall must be sealed with a grout that is capable of maintaining a proper seal. Several factors and properties determine the integrity of the grout and the seal formed by that grout.

A field study discovered limitations in all of the tested grout types. Most grouts were found to vary greatly in thickness surrounding the well casing. Bentonite slurry grouts settled excessively. Cement and bentoni tecement grouts did not adhere to PVC well casing. Bentonite-cement grout fractured. The granulated bentonite was …

Lithologic And Stratigraphic Analysis Of Glacial Diamictons, Sturgis, Michigan, R. Christopher Gardner

Masters Theses

Seven diamictons are identified in the subsurface glacial drift near Sturgis, Michigan using textural analyses and x-ray diffraction of clay minerals. The clay mineral content is quantified by comparing the 7-A/10- A peak height ratios from x-ray diffraction diffractograms of oriented clay-size particle (< 2um) mounts. Two diamictons occur at the base of the drift. Unit 1 is gray , resembling the shale it overlies. The texture of Unit 1 is sandy clay loam to loam and average 7-A/10-A peak height clay mineral ratios of 0.446 ±0.069. Unit 2 is a yellowish-brown diamicton, it overlies Unit 1, and is a sandy loam to loam with average 7-A/10-A clay mineral ratio of 0.657 ±0.151. Diamicton Units 4 and 5 overlie a thick unit of sand and gravel on top of Unit 2. Units 4 and 5 have similar color and texture, however the 7-A/10-A ratios are 1.059 ±0.090 and 0.810 ±0.072 respectively. Unit 6 is a thin diamicton unit, leached of calcite, and x-ray diffraction suggests that there is a range of weathering horzins between borings. Unit 7 is loamy, whereas Unit 8 generally ranges from sandy clay loam to sandy loam with average 7-A/10-A ratios of 0.865 ±0.090 and 1.195 ±0.189.

Volcanology And Geochemistry Of Pliocene And Quaternary Basalts On Citadel Mountain, Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, Pancake Range, Nevada, Loretta D. Dickson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alkali basalts on Citadel Mountain form the southern margin of the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field (LCVF) in the central Great Basin, Nevada. Citadel Mountain comprised of a faulted, north tilted section of Tertiary andesite and ash-flow tuff is capped by Pliocene and Quaternary alkali basalt flows that erupted from six major cinder cones. The basalt flows on Citadel Mountain can be divided into two groups (older and younger) based on age and isotopic signatures. The older basalt group is characterized by higher ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶Sr and lower E_Nd and the younger group has lower ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr …

Strawberry Valley Assessment, A Cooperative Project Between The Mitigation Commission & The U.S. Forest Service, Mitigation Commission, U.S. Forest Service

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

No abstract provided.

Geology Newsletter- 1997, Department Of Geology

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

Vol. 1, No. 22

• Dear Alumni and Friends
• Faculty News
• Awards and Scholarships
• Alumni News
• Geology Development and Scholarship Donations
• Advisory Council News

Evaluation Of Constructed Wetlands On Phosphate Mined Lands In Florida, G. R. Best, M. T. Brown, Thomas Crisman, Keven L. Erwin, D. A. Graetz, K. R. Reddy, H. Kale, P. Pritchard, T. M. Missimer, C. W. Walker, A. Owosina, M. J. Deuver

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Summarizing research conducted from June 1993 to May 1995 on hydrology, soils, water quality, and aquatic fauna on phosphate mined lands in Florida.

Salinity And Hydrology Of The Mills Lake Catchment, R Ferdowsian, A T. Ryder

Resource management technical reports

The Mills Lake Catchment is located north of the Ongerup-Jerramungup Road, 35 km west of Jerramungup and 10 km north-east of Ongerup. It covers about 23,800 ha of agricultural land that is more than 90% cleared and predominantly cropped. The average annual rainfall of the catchment is about 370 mm. Many low-lying parts of the study area have become salt-affected during recent years. The extent of soil salinity is growing rapidly and it is feared that, without any treatment, more land will become salt-affected.

Stratospheric Loading Of Sulfur From Explosive Volcanic Eruptions, Gregg J. Bluth, William I. Rose, Ian E. Sprod, Arlin J. Krueger

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

This paper is an attempt to measure our understanding of volcano/atmosphere interactions by comparing a box model of potential volcanogenic aerosol production and removal in the stratosphere with the stratospheric aerosol optical depth over the period of 1979 to 1994. Model results and observed data are in good agreement both in magnitude and removal rates for the two largest eruptions, El Chicho´n and Pinatubo. However, the peak of stratospheric optical depth occurs about nine months after the eruptions, four times longer than the model prediction, which is driven by actual SO2 measurements. For smaller eruptions, the observed stratospheric perturbation is …

The Salinity And Hydrology Of Cranbrook, R Ferdowsian, A T. Ryder

Resource management technical reports

The study area covers the Cranbrook townsite and two catchments that affect it. The Cranbrook Town is located 85 km north-north-west of Albany and it has a population of 320 people (1190 in the Shire; ABS Census 1991).

Cranbrook is experiencing salinity problems. Saline groundwater levels are close to the soil surface and cause deterioration of buildings, roads, infrastructure, death of trees and scalding of land including the sporting ground.

The objective of this study was to define the present salinity status of the Cranbrook Town and develop management strategies to overcome or reduce the severity of salinity.

Evaluation Of Special Sensor Microwave/Imager Satellite Data For Regional Soil Moisture Estimation Over The Red River Basin, Venkataraman Lakshmi, Eric F. Wood, Bhaskar J. Choudhury

Faculty Publications

Regional-scale estimation of soil moisture using in situ field observations is not possible due to problemswith the representativeness of the sampling and costs. Remotely sensed satellite data are helpful in this regard.Here, the simulations of 19- and 37-GHz vertical and horizontal polarization brightness temperatures and estimationof soil moistures using data from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) for 798 0.258 3 0.258boxes in the southwestern plains region of the United States for the time period between 1 August 1987 and31 July 1988 are presented. A coupled land-canopy–atmosphere model is used for simulating the brightnesstemperatures. The land-surface hydrology is modeled using a …

An Evaluation Of Plant Community Structure, Fish And Benthic Meio- And Macrofauna As Success Criteria For Reclaimed Wetlands, Thomas Crisman, William J. Streever, John H. Kiefer, David L. Evans

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

As a result of legislative action in 1975 (Florida Administrative Code Section 16C-16, 16C-17), landscape reclamation is required on all lands mined for phosphate in the State of Florida. Between 1975 and 1991, for example, approximately 40,000 ha of land in Florida were strip mined for phosphate and thus subject to provisions of this legislation. In excess of 2,700 ha of mitigation wetlands have been constructed as part of the land reclamation effort, but the degree to which these systems mimic both the structural and functional properties of natural wetlands is poorly known.

There has been a great diversity in …

The Use Of Spectrofluorimetry And Capillary Electrophoresis/Laser-Induced Fluorescence For The Detection Of Fluorescent Dyes In Groundwater Migration Studies, Patrick Ferguson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis involves work that was accomplished during a two-year internship at the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA), Environmental Chemistry Branch. The research is an application of trace level determination of fluorescein dyes used as groundwater tracers. The work was performed to determine whether groundwater could migrate from a Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) site to an adjacent Superfund site. The research involved using Spectrofluorimetry and a new technique called capillary electrophoresis/laser induced fluorescence (CE/LIF) to determine tracer dyes that were injected at the RCRA site and monitored at the Superfund site. Results from Spectrofluorimetry were compared to those of CE/LIF. …

Earth News, Fall 1997, Department Of Earth Science, University Of Northern Iowa.

Earth News

Inside this issue:

--- News from the Earth Science Staff
--- Mary Lou Welch - Earth Science Secretary, 1975-1995
--- Earth Science Opens Way to the Stars
--- Earth Science Student Assistants
--- Sigma Gamma Epsilon - Gamma Sigma Chapter
--- Earth Science Majors
--- Comet Hale-Bopp
--- Student Research Presentations
--- 1997 Earth Science Graduates
--- Interesting Facts about the Earth Science Majors
--- Gifts to the Department of Earth Science
--- 1997 Scholarship and Award Recipients
--- Earth Science Seminar Series
--- Special Alumni Newsletter Profile - Craig B. Davis
--- Earth Science Alumni Notes
--- Our Faculty …

Linking Transport Infrastructure Investments And Economic Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ambe J. Njoh

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

The study explores the link between investments in transportation infrastructure, operationalized in terms of road density, and economic development, defined in terms of gross domestic product per capita (GDP/Cap), in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The findings support the hypothesis of a positive association between the two variables. The association is stronger for paved, than for all, roads in general. Furthermore, a negative but statistically insignificant relationship is observed between unpaved roads and economic development. Thus, economic development is a function more of quality, than quantity of roads in SSA. Therefore, a more judicious use of the scarce resource of sub-Saharan African …

S K S Splitting Beneath Continental Rift Zones, Stephen S. Gao, Paul M. Davis, Kelly H. Liu, Philip D. Slack, Andrew W. Rigor, Yu A. Zorin, Valentina V. Mordvinova, Vladimir M. Kozhevnikov, Nikolai A. Logatchev

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present measurements of S K S splitting at 28 digital seismic stations and 35 analog stations in the Baikal rift zone, Siberia, and adjacent areas, and at 17 stations in the East African Rift in Kenya and compare them with previous measurements from the Rio Grande Rift of North America. Fast directions in the inner region of the Baikal rift zone are distributed in two orthogonal directions, NE and NW, approximately parallel and perpendicular to the NE strike of the rift. In the adjacent Siberian platform and northern Mongolian fold belt, only the rift-orthogonal fast direction is observed. In …

An Ice Shelf Mechanism For Heinrich Layer Production, Christina L. Hulbe

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The effect of an ice shelf in the Labrador Sea on ice-rafted sediment delivery to the glacial North Atlantic is investigated using a finite element numerical model of ice shelf flow. Discharge into the shelf from Hudson Strait creates a thick central core, extending downstream into the shelf, that is flanked by relatively thin ice. Melting at the base of the deep keel would produce cool, fresh water which would rise to refreeze along the keel's flanks. Debris deposited by melting deep central ice could create the Heinrich layers observed in the Labrador Sea while the debris-rich ice protected by …

Field Trip Guide (For The Nebraska Well Drillers Association) Northeastern Nebraska Geology, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Raymond R. Burchett, Duane A. Eversoll, Rodney J. Tremblay

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Field trip guide, for the Nebraska Well Drillers Association, covering northeastern Nebraska geology from September 1997.

Geology Of The Ponca Creek And Keya Paha River Drainage Basins In Nebraska, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

The geology of the study area has been investigated many times over more than a century. Interested readers are directed to the report by Diffendal and Voorhies (1994), which gives a more detailed overview of the results of the investigations and lists most of the more important reports about the area’s geology.

The names of the sedimentary rock strata and unlithified sediments exposed in and underlying all or parts of the study area are shown in Table V.I. These formations range in age from more than 85 million years to sediments being deposited today by winds, water, and downslope movements …

A Comparison Of Movements And Burrow Usage Between Indigenous And Relocated Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus) In A Fall Line Sandhills Community, Dorinda Morpeth

Theses and Dissertations

The movements and burrow use of twenty (ten relocated and ten indigenous to the relocation site) adult gopher tortoises {Gopherus polyphemus) were followed during the late spring, summer and early autumn in Talbot County, Georgia. The objectives of this study were to determine whether relocated gopher tortoises developed fidelity to a relocation site, and whether indigenous tortoises reacted adversely to relocated tortoises released in their proximity. Ten tortoises in the right-of-way of a highway construction project were captured, fitted with transmitters, and relocated to a 336 hectare tract of land, 3.2 km east of Geneva, Talbot, County, Georgia. Concurrently, ten …

Geologic Evidence Of Historic And Prehistoric Tsunami Inundation At Seaside, Oregon, Brooke K. Fiedorowicz

Dissertations and Theses

Over the past decade, research conducted along the Cascadia subduction zone coast established evidence for coseismic subsidence, liquefaction, and nearfield tsunami deposition. Seaside is a low lying northern Oregon coastal city potentially at risk for nearfield tsunami inundation from a Cascadia earthquake. The 1964 Alaskan farfield tsunami impacted Seaside, and deposits from that event serve as a model for interpreting prehistoric tsunami deposits in the Seaside area. A reconnaissance subsurface study of potential tsunami inundation sites was performed by trenching and gouge coring in the coastal wetlands along the Necanicum River, Neacoxie Creek, drainage to the east of Neacoxie Creek, …

Geology Of Niobrara State Park, Knox County, Nebraska, And Adjacent Areas, With A Brief History Of The Park, Gavins Point Dam, And Lewis And Clark Lake, Charles A. Flowerday, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., R. L. Skelly, F. G. Ethridge, D. A. Eversoll, David K. Watkins, B. E. Bailey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Location

Niobrara State Park is located in northwestern Knox County, Nebraska, just west of the town of Niobrara and on the west side of the Niobrara River. The present park was opened in the summer of 1987. Mostly north of Nebraska Highway 12, the site is hilly with bluffs overlooking the Missouri and Niobrara rivers. Excellent facilities include paved roads, cabins, an outdoor swimming pooi, hiking trails, picnic and camping sites, horseback riding trails, playgrounds, restrooms, a group lodge, and an interpretive shelter. Many vantage points in the park have beautiful views of the lower Niobrara Valley and the middle …