Earth Sciences Commons^™

Groundwater Study Of The Quairading Townsite, T Cattlin

Resource management technical reports

A hydrogeological investigation and a flood risk analysis were carried out for the town of Quairading with the aim of accelerating the implementation of effective salinity management options.

Extent And Impacts Of Dryland Salinity, C E. Mcconnell, R Short

Resource management technical reports

The extent and impact of dryland salinity in Western Australia was based on analysis of groundwater depth and trend and the risk of shallow watertables is derived from these two attributes. As dryland salinity is caused by shallow watertables, the risk of salinity is inferred from the risk of shallow watertables.

Palaeoecology Of The Middle Cambrian Raymond Quarry Fauna, Burgess Shale, British Columbia, Matthew Galen Devereux

Digitized Theses

An assemblage if over 9000 systematically collected fossils from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale was analyzed in order to resolve the palaeoecology. Sediment and fossil evidence both show that the constituent fauna was largely autochthonous. The 'standing crop' of organisms preserved with each burial event was affected by variable taphonomic factors both laterally and temporally, but information loss appears to have been minimized. An autecological review of the trophic nucleus provides new insights with regard to behavior of the organisms, including life habits and feeding strategies. Unlike their modern representatives, priapulid worms (or at least Ottoia) appear to have …

Citizen Knowledge And Perception Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Management, Natalie R. Sexton, Ayeisha Brinson, Phadrea D. Ponds, Kurt Cline, Berton L. Lamb

United States Geological Survey: Publications

What do citizens know about black-tailed prairie dogs, and where do they get their information? When management decisions need to be made regarding an animal such as the black-tailed prairie dog, an understanding of the species and its relationship to humans is necessary. This includes knowing the biology of the animal, where it lives, and how it interacts with other animals. But it is equally important for those making decisions about the species to understand citizens’ knowledge and perceptions so managers can effectively communicate with the public and help the public participate in planning and decision making activities. Unfortunately, what …

Occurrence And Potential Adverse Effects Of Semivolatile Organic Compounds In Streambed Sediment, United States, 1992–1995, Thomas J. Lopes, Edward T. Furlong

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The occurrence and potential adverse effects of select semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in streambed sediment were assessed at 536 sites in 20 major river basins across the United States from 1992 to 1995. Fifty-six SVOCs were detected at one or more sites, and one or more SVOCs were detected at 71% of sites. The northeastern and Great Lakes regions and large metropolitan areas have the highest SVOC concentrations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were detected most frequently and at the highest concentrations. Concentrations of PAHs and phthalates were about 10 times higher at sites influenced by urban activities than at sites …

Economic Impacts Of Salinity On Townsite Infrastructure, Rural Towns Management Committee, Department Of Agriculture.

Bulletins 4000 -

The study looked at six case study towns: Katanning, Brookton, Corrigin, Cranbrook, Merriden and Morawa. Recommendations are mde for each town to manage salinity issues.

Calcareous Nannofossils From Cape Roberts Project Drillhole Crp-3, Victoria Land Basin, Antarctica, David K. Watkins, S. W. Wise Jr., G. Villa

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Fossil specimens of the exclusively oceanic calcareous nannoplankton were found only in the upper 200 m of the Cape Roberts Project 3 (CRP-3) cores. These assemblages are depauperate and sporadic in occurrence. The majority of the assemblages contain fewer than 4 species, indicating a severe palaeoecological restriction. The clear domination of these assemblages by reticulofenestrid species, coupled with the almost total exclusion of Coccolithus pelagicus, indicates cold surface water conditions in the Victoria Land Basin during the lives of these poor algae. These cold surface water conditions, perhaps coupled with abnormal surface water chemistry, excluded almost all of the …

Vertical Profiles Of Streambed Hydraulic Conductivity Determined Using Slug Tests In Central And Western Nebraska, David L. Rus, Virginia L. Mcguire, Brian R. Zurbuchen, Vitaly A. Zlotnik

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Many issues of water-resources management rely on modeling of ground-water/surface-water interactions, and streambed hydraulic conductivity is a key parameter controlling the water fluxes across the stream/aquifer interface. However, in central and western Nebraska, this parameter is generally undefined. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Nebraska Platte River Cooperative Hydrology Study Group, performed slug tests at 15 steam sites in the Platte, Republican, and Little Blue River watersheds to determine the hydraulic conductivity of streambeds in central and western Nebraska. Slug tests were completed at several discrete depth intevals using pneumatic or mechanical methods, and the water-level response was …

Small Oligocene Amphicyonids From North America (Paradaphoenus, Mammalia, Carnivora), Robert M. Hunt Jr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

North American amphicyonid camivorans are important members of the mid-Cenozoic terrestrial carnivore community during the late Eocene to late Miocene (Duchesnean to Clarendonian). Species range in size from < 5 kg to > 200 kg. Among the smallest and rarest amphicyonids are Oligocene species of Paradaphoenus Wortman and Matthew, found at a few localities in the Great Plains and the Pacific Northwest. Paradaphoenus is known from only 10 individuals placed in 3 species (P. minimus; P. tooheyi. n. sp.; P. cuspigerus). representing a single lineage ranging from the Orellan to Arikareean. The existence of three skulls, one with associated mandibles, allows …

Variations Of Teleconnection Of Enso And Interannual Variation In Summer Rainfall In The Central United States, Q. Steven Hu, Yongjun Zheng

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Summer rainfall in the central United States has singular interannual variations of a 3–6-yr period. Identifying the causes of these variations assures improvement in predictions of summer rainfall in the region.

A review of previous studies revealed a puzzling situation: the outstanding interannual variations of the summer rainfall in the central United States showed no persistent correlations with known influential interannual variations in the Northern Hemisphere and the El Nin ̃o–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This study was undertaken to identify the cause of this situation and ultimately explain the causes of the observed interannual summer rainfall variations. Its results showed a …

Soil Factors Influencing Eutrophication. In Soilguide. A Handbook For Understanding And Managing Agricultural Soils. (Ed. Geoff Moore), David Weaver, Robert Summers

Bulletins 4000 -

Eutrophication is essentially the nutrient enrichment of waterways leading to algal growth. It must be controlled to maintain sustainable agricultural systems and the main mechanisms of control are stabilising catchment processes and reducing nutrient output.

Eutrophication can be defined as 'the nutrient enrichment of waters which results in the stimulation of an array of symptomatic changes, among which increased production of algae and macrophytes, deterioration of water quality and other symptomatic changes, are found to be undesirable and interfere with water uses' (OECD 1982). The word eutrophic is a Greek word that means 'well fed'. The food referred to is …

Cruise Reveals History Of Holocene Larsen Ice Shelf, Eugene Domack, Amy Leventer, Robert Gilbert, Stefanie Brachfeld, Scott Ishman, Angelo Camerlenghi, Kathleen Gavahan, David Carlson, Athen Barkoukis

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeologic Conditions Around Deep Aeration Lagoons At The Bardstown Wastewater Treatment Plant, David R. Wunsch, Gregory L. Secrist, Lyle V.A. Sendlein

Report of Investigations--KGS

The hydrogeologic conditions around the Bardstown Sewage Treatment Plant were studied from August 1996 through December 1997. Hydraulic and geochemical data were collected from eight monitoring wells and four surface-water monitoring sites on the plant property.

There is a large hydraulic gradient between the lagoons at the plant and the surrounding stream, Town Creek. Initial water-level measurements in wells surrounding the site suggest no major leakage from the lagoons, however. Neither flowing artesian conditions nor unusually high water levels were observed in any of the wells. Water-level measurements collected by data loggers showed that shallow wells responded quickly to recharge, …

Comparing Size In Lime, Mark Whitten

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Extensive research into the management of soil acidity in Western Australia is increasing farmer awareness that lime use can reduce soil acidity and improve crop yields. However, as lime use increases, the question of lime performance and particle size is becoming more critical. Chris Gazey from the Department of Agriculture is heading up the soil acidity project, with the team comprising members from the department, CSIRO and the University of Western Australia. Mark Whitten reports on project outcomes relating to lime particle size.

Use Of Principal Component Analysis To Determine Down-Hole Tool Orientation And Enhance Sh-Waves, Paul Michaels

CGISS Publications and Presentations

A common problem in down-hole shear wave surveys is the determination of the tool rotation relative to the seismic source polarization direction. This paper reports an algorithm which has been developed to solve for this angle in the horizontal plane. The method employs Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine the angle from the large motion of the SH-wave (not first motion). Once the angle is known, the horizontal component data may be rotated so that one component is aligned with the source polarization, and the other orthogonal to it.

Significant findings include the following. First, subtraction of oppositely polarized source …

Earthquake Stress Drop And Laboratory-Inferred Interseismic Strength Recovery, N. M. Beeler, S. H. Hickman, T. F. Wong

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We determine the scaling relationships between earthquake stress drop and recurrence interval t, that are implied by laboratory-measured fault strength.  We assume that repeating earthquakes can be simulated by stick-slip sliding using a spring and slider block model.  Simulations with static/kinetic strength, time-dependent strength, and rate- and state-variable dependent strength indicate that the relationship between loading velociety and recurrence intercal can be adequately described be the power law V_L ∞ tⁿ_r, where n ≈ -1. Deviations from n≈ -1 arise from second order effects on strength, with n> -1 corresponding to apparent time-dependent …

Hydrogeology And Hydrochemistry Of The Jumbo And Pullman Valley Fens, Cherry County, Nebraska, F. E. Harvey, J. B. Swinehart, T. M. Kurtz

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Longshore Sediment Transport As A Function Of Energy Dissipation, Ernest R. Smith, Ping Wang

Geology Faculty Publications

Experiments to measure waves, currents, and sediment transport rate for two breaker types, plunging and spilling, were conducted in a large-scale three-dimensional physical model. It was found that there was a large difference in cross-shore distribution and total sediment transport rate between the two breaker types. Total transport rates compared to existing predictive equations. The equations generally did not predict the data well. With the exception of the Kamphuis (1991) equation, which included a dependence on wave period, the predictive equations did not differentiate between breaker types.

Adams County Test Hole Logs, Perry B. Wigley

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Bedrock Geology And Sea-Level History Of Fayetteville Quadrangle, Washington County, Arkansas, Maria E. King, Jack T. King, Stephen K. Boss

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A digital map depicting the detailed bedrock geology of Fayetteville Quadrangle, Washington County, Arkansas was produced at 1:24,000 scale. This map was developed utilizing state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems technology and represents the most detailed map of the geology of Fayetteville Quadrangle that has been produced. In addition, the stratigraphy was interpreted to develop a regional sea-level history for the quadrangle. The bedrock geology of Fayetteville Quadrangle consists of sedimentary rocks of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian systems. The Mississippian System is represented by (in ascending order) the Boone, Batesville, Fayetteville, and Pitkin Formations. The Pennsylvanian System is represented by (in ascending …

Generalized Block Diagram Of The Western Pennyroyal Karst, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

Karst occurs where limestone or other soluble bedrock is near the earth's surface, and fractures in the rock become enlarged when the rock dissolves. Sinkholes and sinking streams are two surface features that indicate karst development. In karst areas most rainfall sinks underground, resulting in fewer streams flowing on the surface than in non-karst settings. Instead of flowing on the surface, the water flows underground through caves, sometimes reemerging at karst windows, then sinks again to eventually discharge at a base-level spring along a major stream or at the top of an impermeable strata. The development of karst features is …

Generalized Block Diagram Of The Eastern Pennyroyal Karst, James C. Currens

Map and Chart--KGS

Karst occurs where limestone or other soluble bedrock is near the earth's surface, and fractures in the rock become enlarged when the rock dissolves. Sinkholes and sinking streams are two surface features that indicate karst development. In karst areas most rainfall sinks underground, resulting in fewer streams flowing on the surface than in non-caves, sometimes reemerging at karst windows, then sinks again to eventually discharge at a base-level spring along a major stream or at the top of an impermeable strata. The development of karst features is influenced by the type of soluble rock and how it has been broken …

Coal Availability In Western Kentucky, Gerald A. Weisenfluh, William M. Andrews Jr., Robert E. Andrews, John K. Hiett

Report of Investigations--KGS

Fourteen quadrangles in five separate areas of the Western Kentucky Coal Field were studied to determine what factors affect the availability of coal for mining. Each study area consisted of at least two adjacent 7.5-minute quadrangles in order to account for the geologic variability across broad distances in western Kentucky, and determine how this variability affects availability. Areas both north and south of the Rough Creek Fault System were selected to measure the effect of different geologic, structural, and overburden settings on coal availability. The study emphasized the coals occurring stratigraphically between the Springfield and the Baker.

About 90 percent …

A Preliminary Assessment Of Tidal Flooding Along The New Hampshire Coast: Past, Present And Future, Larry G. Ward, Jamie R. Adams

Faculty Publications

This report presents the results of a preliminary study that examines several critical coastal issues for New Hampshire including sea level fluctuations (past, present and future), shoreline migrations, and tidal flooding. Included are: 1) an analysis of sea level changes over the Holocene and resulting shoreline migrations, 2) an assessment of low-lying areas with elevations below selected tidal flooding datums in coastal areas, and 3) an assessment of increases in low-lying areas that are potentially at risk to tidal flooding over the next century due to sea level rise.

Efficiency Of The Inorganic Fertilization In The Cultivation Of Alfalfa (Medicated Sativa L) And Whitewashing For The Correction Of The Ph Of The Soil, Alex Gonzalo Bravo Morocho

Theses and Dissertations

In our country the necessity to offer new alternatives for the agricultural sector is high-priority especially for the lucern cultivation that every day is surface cultivated especially in the Chimborazo province increases; for what is of our interest to establish the answer from the cultivation to the inorganic fertilization and liming for the flora pH correction, for this way to obtain better yields and for consequence to improve the economic conditions of the farmers. With the result that the titled investigation: Efficiency of the Inorganic Fertilization in the Alfalfa Cultivation (Medicago sativa L) and Liming for the Correction of the …

Sediment Characteristics Around The Kenyon Island Group, Great Sacandaga Lake (Ny): Economic Potential Of Dredging And Land Reclamation, Arthur M. Ambrosino

Geology Theses and Dissertations

The Kenyon Island Group lies within the Great Sacandaga Lake's largest and most unnavigable shallow water shoal. The shoal measures approximately 5.0 mi². The Kenyon Islands, including Mead and Deer Islands, occupy approximately 3/4 mi² during the months of annual high lake level. During the late shallow water season of 1998, a NE to SW diagonal transect of nine core samples were collected by a Geoprobe coring device, with recoveries between 8' and 16' deep sections. In this study these cores were used to identify the stratigraphy, classify the sediment grain sizes, evaluate the abundance of economic …

Metamorphic And Tectonic Evolution Of The Hırkadağ Block, Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex, Donna L. Whitney, Yildirim Di̇lek

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Hırkadağ metamorphic block is a NE-SW-trending horst structure that is part of the Kırşehir Massif in the Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex (CACC). Along its southwestern margin, the block contains upper amphibolite facies metapelitic rocks that record peak metamorphic conditions of 670-710 °C, ~ 7 kbar, as determined by garnet-biotite geothermometry and garnet-sillimanite-plagioclase-quartz, garnet-rutile-sillimanite-ilmenite-quartz, and garnet-rutile-ilmenite-plagioclase-quartz geobarometry. A clockwise pressure-temperature path is inferred from thermobarometric results and analysis of reaction textures among aluminous phases. Following this medium-pressure metamorphism, low-pressure - high-temperature metamorphism resulted in widespread replacement of garnet by cordierite + spinel + sillimanite, partial replacement of spinel by corundum, …

Stratigraphy, Geochemistry And Depositional Environment Of The Celestine-Bearing Gypsiferous Formations Of The Tertiary Ulaş-Sivas Basin, East-Central Anatolia (Turkey), Erdoğan Teki̇n

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Celestine-bearing evaporite mineralization is widespread in the Tertiary evaporitic units of the Ulaş-Sivas Basin, east-central Anatolia. The oldest deposition of gypsum, which is of laminated character, occurred in a shallow inner-lagoonal environment or in depressions during Late Eocene regression. Thick gypsum and overlying beds composed of alternating bedded, nodular gypsum and sandstone developed in coastal sabkhas and abandoned channels within a meander-river complex during Oligocene time. The last occurrence of evaporitic units, namely massive and bedded gypsum alternating with sandstones and fossiliferous limestones, resulted from limited marine transgression of an Early Miocene sea along the southern margin of the Sivas …

Repetitive Subtidal-To-Coastal Sabkha Cycles From A Lower-Middle Miocene Marine Sequence, Eastern Sivas Basin, Faruk Ocakoğlu

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

In the study area, southeast of Zara in the Sivas Basin, the Lower-Middle Miocene marine Karacaören Formation consists of a succession of marine sedimentary rocks deposited within two trangressive-regressive cycles. The present study focuses on the facies characteristics, cyclic nature, and significance of the basin-wide distribution of a 100-m-thick gypsiferous sedimentary package overlying an otherwise transgressive segment of the lower sequence, within a marine setting. The typical lithologic expression of the studied sedimentary interval comprises generally fossiliferous mudstones, rare algal limestones and nodular gypsum. Detailed sedimentological observations, combined with palaeontological evidence, indicate that the mudstone intervals were deposited in a …

Extensional Tectonics And The Geometry Of Related Macroscopic Structures: Field Evidence From The Gediz Detachment, Western Turkey, Hasan Sözbi̇li̇r

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The large-scale, low-angle Gediz detachment fault that constitutes the southern margin of the Gediz graben (also known as the Alaşehir graben) has macroscopic structures of extensional origin, such as folds and back-tilted strata. The folds were formed as antiformal and synformal structures with axes both parallel and perpendicular to the extensional direction in their footwalls and hanging-walls, respectively. An extension-parallel antiform-synform pair in the footwall of the Gediz detachment, namely the Oyukkıran antiform and the Keserler synform, are recognized south of Dereköy village (Salihli) on the southern margin of the Gediz graben. These are NE-trending domal and basinal structures with …