Earth Sciences Commons^™

A Study Of Nife(X)Cr(2-X)O4 By Laser Micro-Raman Spectroscopy, Lucas Wilson, Markus Vasquez, John Farley, Allen L. Johnson, Brian D. Hosterman

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Standards of spinels, composed of two metals and oxygen with the formula AB2O4, are being created with known composition to identify spinels in samples of unknown composition by comparison with the spectra obtained from the standards. Laser micro-Raman spectroscopy allows the identification of chemical species based on their unique vibrational modes. The degree to which spinels of varying composition can be identified will be determined. This will aid in the study of the corrosion of steel by liquid metal. Spinels are a likely component of the oxide layer. Understanding the composition of the products of corrosion leads to an understanding …

Pre-Eruptive Conditions Of The Oligocene Wah Wah Springs Tuff, Southeastern Great Basin Ignimbrite Province, Kurtus Steven Woolf

Theses and Dissertations

The Wah Wah Springs Tuff (30.0 Ma) is one of several very large volume ash-flow tuffs (>3200 km³ of erupted magma) that were emplaced near the peak of the flare-up of activity in the Great Basin ignimbrite province of western North America. It can be characterized as a "monotonous intermediate" ignimbrite because of its intermediate concentrations of silica (~63 to ~70 wt. %), apparent uniform chemical and mineralogical characteristics, and crystal-rich nature (32 ± 10 % phenocrysts on a dense rock basis). The major phase assemblage found throughout deposit is similar to other monotonous intermediates with a few exceptions …

Geology And Hydrology Of Karst In West-Central And North-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

The state of Florida is blessed with the highest density of large springs in North America and hundreds of smaller springs where the water from limestone aquifers returns to the surface (Scott et al., 2004). Spectacular underwater caves supply water to these springs. Lesser known are the equally fantastic air-filled caves of Florida and South Georgia (Florea, 2006; Lane, 1986). This paper features these underwater and airfilled caves, explores the impact of changes in sea level on karst in this near-coastal environment, and establishes several geologic and hydrologic characteristics that distinguish karst in the limestones of the southeast from karst …

Controls On Longitudinal Profiles In Headwater Rivers Of The Waipaoa Basin, North Island, New Zealand, David M. Livingston

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The longitudinal profiles of the adjacent Mangatu and Upper Waipaoa Rivers, of the Waipaoa basin of the North Island of New Zealand, differ in their form despite their similarity in size and that they flow over comparable bedrock. AdditionaJly, both basins have experienced an increase in sediment supply following deforestation during the 19th and 20th centuries. This research addresses how the deviations in the long profiles of the Mangatu and Upper Waipaoa Rivers have arisen and what effect the increased sediment loading has had on their form. Using methods similar to those of Hack (1957), who found that in same …

Geoarchaeological And Paleolandscape Reconstructions In The Lower Ohio River Valley: Late Wisconsin And Early Holocene Landforms In Knob Creek Bottom, Nathan Christopher Scholl

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a paleolandscape model that focuses on alluvial landforms that date to the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in Knob Creek bottom of the lower Ohio River valley. The study tests and refines a landscape model based on geoarchaeological data from the Caesars Archaeological Project. Analysis centers on the relationship between late Wisconsin and early Holocene Landform Sediment Assemblages (LSA), including early paleochannels. For this analysis a series of soil cores was extracted from the LSA understudy and described using standard USDA terminology. Additional analysis included particle size analysis using a hydrometer to determine textural composition of core …

Remote Sensing Studies For The Assessment Of Geohazards: Toxic Algal Blooms In The Lower Great Lakes, And The Land Subsidence In The Nile Delta, Richard H. Becker

Dissertations

Remote sensing techniques provide valuable tools for assessing a wide variety of environmental phenomena. They have been used for monitoring and assessment of various types of geologic and environmental hazards occurring on land, in the air, or in oceans. I present results from two studies, the first of which examines the spatial and temporal distribution of algal blooms in the Great Lakes; the second measures subsidence in the Nile Delta.

In the first study, methodologies to investigate the extent and distribution (temporally and spatially) of algal blooms in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are studied. Millions of people in the …

A Spatial Analysis Of Anthropogenically Derived And Naturally Occurring Environmental Controls On Corn-Based Ethanol Production In Nebraska, Nathan Charles Healey

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Transportation fuels are an integral part of political, economic, social, and environmental arenas. Traditionally, fossil fuels have been utilized most heavily due to their abundance and economic value. Currently, social and political concerns about harmful emissions (greenhouse gases) from fossil fuel combustion have enhanced interest in alternative fuels that do not have the same environmental consequence. Numerous alternative fuels are produced globally including methanol, biodiesel, hydrogen cells, and ethanol (ethyl alcohol). In America, ethanol is produced from com due to the existence of the "Com Belt" and abundant corn production. Understanding the capacity for America to sustain expansion of alternative …

Influence Of Bioirrigation On Metal Distribution Within Burrows, Terri Shattuck

Masters Theses

Bioirrigation is the increase of solute transport resulting from introduction of oxygenated water from the surface into the more reduced environment deep within the burrow. Fe and Mn hydr-(oxides) accumulate on burrow margins in response to the oxygen flux into suboxic porewaters. This has been shown to trap trace metals (Harding and Risk, 1986; Tessier and Campbell, 1988; Tessier et al., 1979, 1982). The diagenesis, mobility, and transport of metals contribute to the bioavailability of metals in the environment possibly to the extent of harming ecosystems; especially in coastal areas with buried waste. This study assesses Fe and trace metal …

Origin Of Tunnel Valley And Esker Assemblages In The Saginaw Lobe, Barry County, Michigan, Caleb J. Woolever

Masters Theses

Surficial mapping, borehole analysis, and ground penetrating radar surveys are used to reconstruct conditions leading to the formation of tunnel valley and esker networks within the Dowling 7 .5 minute quadrangle. The relationship between tunnel valleys and eskers has important implications on the subglacial hydrology beneath the Saginaw Lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Surficial mapping reveals northeast-southwest trending tunnel valleys, some containing eskers of the same orientation, in hummocky topography mapped as the Saginaw Kalamazoo Moraine. A borehole hole drilled through one such tunnel valley and esker pair reveals sand and gravel fining upwards to fine sand. Stratigraphy suggests …

Fish Distributions And Nutrient Cycling In Streams: Can Fish Create Biogeochemical Hotspots, Peter B. Mcintyre, Alexander S. Flecker, Michael J. Vanni, James M. Hood, Brad W. Taylor, Steven A. Thomas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Rates of biogeochemical processes often vary widely in space and time, and characterizing this variation is critical for understanding ecosystem functioning. In streams, spatial hotspots of nutrient transformations are generally attributed to physical and microbial processes. Here we examine the potential for heterogeneous distributions of fish to generate hotspots of nutrient recycling. We measured nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excretion rates of 47 species of fish in an N-limited Neotropical stream, and we combined these data with population densities in each of 49 stream channel units to estimate unit- and reach-scale nutrient recycling. Species varied widely in rates of N …

Ice-Rafted Detritus Events In The Arctic During The Last Glacial Interval, And The Timing Of The Innuitian And Laurentide Ice Sheet Calving Events, Dennis A. Darby, Paula Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Ice-rafted detritus (IRD) layers in the Arctic Ocean not only indicate the source of this detrital sediment, but give insights into the ice drift and ice sheet history. Detrital sand-sized FE oxide mineral grains that are matched to precise sources using the microprobe chemical fingerprint of each grain, along with elevated coarse IRD abundance and radiocarbon ages, are used to define IRD peaks from the Innuitian and Arctic portions of the Laurentide ice sheets. Because grains from these two areas can be entrained by sea ice from the shelves just offshore of the calving areas, peaks in these grains must …

The Mayan Ice Cap: Glacial Geology And Paleoclimate Of The Northern Guatemalan Highlands, Alex Joseph Roy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sierra de los Cuchumatanes region of the northern Guatemalan highlands supported a large plateau ice cap with an area of -40 km2 along with a group of 5 cirque glaciers -1 to 2 km2 during the local last glacial maximum (LLGM). A comprehensive mapping reconstruction of the northern Guatemalan highlands is presented here, including glacial geology and an estimate of maximum ice limits from physical evidence and computer modeling. The glacial geologic map was produced via field mapping with global positioning system (GPS) surveying combined with aerial stereo photographic and topographic map analysis. This new field work on moraine …

Kinematics And Timing Of Orogen-Parallel Flow, Grouse Creek Mountains, Utah, Tonia Gail Arriola

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alternating contractional and extensional events in orogenic belts play a significant role in dynamically adjusting crustal thickness during regional contraction. Distinguishing between these two contrasting kinematic regimes is not only important for understanding the tectonic setting but also provides insights into the dynamics of evolving orogenic wedges. The earliest pervasive fabric, D ₁ , in the Grouse Creek Mountains of northwest Utah is interpreted to have played an integral role in accommodating such a dynamic adjustment. It is interpreted that focused crustal thickening led to differences in gravitational potential energy along strike, facilitating an episode of mid-Cretaceous synconvergent orogen-parallel extension. …

Optimization And Validation Of An Enzymatic Method To Quantify Glucose In Potato Tubers, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Tatiana Emanuelli, Dilson Antonio Bisognin, Sergio T. De Freitas

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The processing industry requires potato tubers with low levels of reduced sugars, glucose and fructose, which is responsible for the whiteness of the chip color. The objective of this research was to optimize and validate a simple, inexpensive, and precise enzymatic method to quantify glucose in potato tubers. This method will be useful in breeding programs to select clones for processing purposes with low levels of glucose. The validation procedure followed the recommendations described in INMETRO document DOQ-CGCRE-008 in 2003. The method was linear between 1.25 to 40µg of glucose in the sample. The quantification limit was 0.319mg g-1 of …

A Comparison Of Sequential And Integrated Data Fusion For Estimating Hydrologic Properties During A Synthetic Gpr Monitored Infiltration Event, Guy Sicilia Jr

All Theses

Constraining parameters that govern variably saturated flow is important for applications ranging from quantifying water availability for ecosystems to constraining recharge rates and contaminant fluxes to groundwater. In this study I explore the effectiveness of sequential versus integrated data fusion for estimating unsaturated flow parameters using ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. In Sequential Data Fusion (SDF), geophysical imaging is used to create a map of the geophysical properties of the subsurface. These properties are then transformed to hydrologic properties that can be used to constrain an independent hydrologic inverse problem. In contrast, Integrated Data Fusion (IDF) uses the geophysical data …

Mechanical Properties Of Plant Underground Storage Organs And Implications For Dietary Models Of Early Hominins, Nathaniel J. Dominy, Erin R. Vogel, Justin D. Yeakel, Paul J. Constantino, Peter W. Lucas

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

The diet of early human ancestors has received renewed theoretical interest since the discovery of elevated d13C values in the enamel of Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus robustus. As a result, the hominin diet is hypothesized to have included C4 grass or the tissues of animals which themselves consumed C4 grass. On mechanical grounds, such a diet is incompatible with the dental morphology and dental microwear of early hominins. Most inferences, particularly for Paranthropus, favor a diet of hard or mechanically resistant foods. This discrepancy has invigorated the longstanding hypothesis that hominins consumed plant underground storage organs (USOs). Plant USOs are …

An Interactive Bayesian Geostatistical Inverse Protocol For Hydraulic Tomography, Michael N. Fienen, Tom Clemo, Peter K. Kitanidis

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Hydraulic tomography is a powerful technique for characterizing heterogeneous hydrogeologic parameters. An explicit trade-off between characterization based on measurement misfit and subjective characterization using prior information is presented. We apply a Bayesian geostatistical inverse approach that is well suited to accommodate a flexible model with the level of complexity driven by the data and explicitly considering uncertainty. Prior information is incorporated through the selection of a parameter covariance model characterizing continuity and providing stability. Often, discontinuities in the parameter field, typically caused by geologic contacts between contrasting lithologic units, necessitate subdivision into zones across which there is no correlation among …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of Noucomb Tavern In Southwestern Ohio

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures in southwest Ohio using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: Fetters, Caitlin; Krivicich, Mike; Lehmann, Sophie; Wiles, Greg

Dendrochronological Analysis Of Gebhart Tavern In Southwestern Ohio

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures in southwest Ohio using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: Fetters, Caitlin; Krivicich, Mike; Lehmann, Sophie; Wiles, Greg

Dendrochronological Analysis Of Five Historical Structures In Southwestern Ohio Franklin

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures in Franklin, Ohio using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: Fetters, Caitlin; Krivicich, Mike; Lehmann, Sophie; Wiles, Greg

Floodplain Sediment From A 100-Year-Recurrence Flood In 2005 Of The Ping River In Northern Thailand, Spencer H. Wood, A. D. Ziegler

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The tropical storm, floodwater, and the floodplain-sediment layer of a 100-year recurrence flood are examined to better understand characteristics of large monsoon floods on medium-sized rivers in northern Thailand. Storms producing large floods in northern Thailand occur early or late in the summer rainy season (May–October). These storms are associated with tropical depressions evolving from typhoons in the South China Sea that travel westward across the Indochina Peninsula. In late September, 2005, the tropical depression from Typhoon Damrey swept across northern Thailand delivering 100–200 mm/day at stations in mountainous areas. Peak flow from the 6355-km² drainage area of the …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of Naftzger Cabin Wayne County Historical Society Wooster, Ohio

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures in Wayne County. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the resoult of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: Lehman, Sophie; Wiles, Greg

Mitochondrial Dna Evolution In The Anaxyrus Boreas Species Group, Anna M. Goebel, Tom A. Ranker, Paul Stephen Corn, Richard G. Olmstead

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Anaxyrus boreas species group currently comprises four species in western North America including the broadly distributed A. boreas, and three localized species, Anaxyrus nelsoni, Anaxyrus exsul and Anaxyrus canorus. Phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA 12S rDNA, cytochrome oxidase I, control region, and restriction sites data, identified three major haplotype clades. The Northwest clade (NW) includes both subspecies of A. boreas and divergent minor clades in the middle Rocky Mountains, coastal, and central regions of the west and Pacific Northwest. The Southwest (SW) clade includes A. exsul, A. nelsoni, and minor clades in southern California. …

The Application Of Web 2.0 Technologies As An Experimental Method Of Teaching Remote Sensing At Dit, Ireland, Avril Behan

Conference Papers

This paper describes the implementation of an experimental method of delivery for a module of remote sensing material to second year students on the BSc (Hons) in Geomatics at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The project began as a reaction to poor levels of student engagement and unsatisfactory grades, as well as the requirement to focus more on real-world type problems due to the implementation of a work-placement semester for third year students. Both pedagogical considerations (movement towards formative feedback, interactivity and group-based work) and the effect of technological drivers, such as the popularity of the internet in general and …

The Production Of High-Quality Video For E-Learning, Eugene Mcgovern, Audrey Martin, Roy Moore

Articles

As video capture, editing and transmission capabilities become more accessible, video is increasingly being considered when developing e-learning content. However, the skills required for video production are not commonly part of many e-learning developers backgrounds. This paper presents the experiences of academics from the spatial information sciences when developing high quality video content for an on-line e-learning module in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Video comprises one element of the module and is designed to, as far as possible, address the lack of ‘hands-on’ experience of GNSS equipment and observing procedures. The video element of the module was used by …

Epigene And Hypogene Karst Manifestations Of The Castile Formation: Eddy County, New Mexico And Culberson County, Texas, Usa, Kevin W. Stafford, Raymond Nance, Laura Rosales-Lagarde, Penelope J. Boston

Faculty Publications

Permian evaporites of the Castile Formation crop out over ~1,800 km2 in the western Delaware Basin (Eddy County, New Mexico and Culberson County, Texas, USA) with abundant and diverse karst manifestations. Epigene karst occurs as well-developed karren on exposed bedrock, while sinkholes dominate the erosional landscape, including both solutional and collapse forms. Sinkhole analyses suggest that more than half of all sinks are the result of upward stoping of subsurface voids, while many solutional sinks are commonly the result of overprinting of collapsed forms. Epigene caves are laterally limited with rapid aperture decreases away from insurgence, with passages developed along …

The Economic Impact Of The Kentucky Green River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (Crep), Lorie B. Owen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This study examines the impact of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) on fourteen Kentucky counties. The CREP program is an advancement of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which began nationally in 1985. The primary intention of both programs is to improve water quality and reduce soil erosion. Thus, in order to stimulate conservation efforts, farmers are given an opportunity to remove land from current production and still reap financial benefits. When CREP was introduced to Kentucky in 2002, the program provided far more lucrative incentives than the parent program. In 2007 CREP underwent an amendment process that broadened the …

Andrill’S Success During The 4th International Polar Year, Fabio Florindo, David M. Harwood, Richard Levy, Sms Project Science Team

ANDRILL Research and Publications

One of the scientific programs of the Fourth International Polar Year (Allison et al., 2007;www.ipy.org), the ANDRILL (ANtarctic geological DRILLing) Program demonstrated ability to recover high quality marine and glacimarine sedi­mentary drill cores from high latitude ice-covered areas. ANDRILL’s inaugural 2006 and 2007 drilling seasons resulted in the two deepest drill holes on the Antarctic conti­nental margin, recovering 2,400 meters of high-quality and nearly continuous sediment core. A chief scientific objective of this collaborative effort of scientists, engineers, techni­cians, students, educators, drillers and support personnel from Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and the United States is the recovery of sedimentary archives …

Droughtscape, Summer 2008, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

VegDRI Expands West

Spring Rains Ease Drought But CA Still Dry

Scholar Donates Books

NDMC Welcomes Employees Bathke, Nothwehr

Latest Workshop Info Up

State Lawmakers to Focus on Drought Planning

Decadal Variation -- Clues to Droughts and Floods?

Gsi: Geo Scene Investigation! On-Site Programming, Support Materials (Grade 7), Discover Mojave: Forever Earth

Curriculum materials (FE)

What happened geologically to produce the landscape we see today? What was the stage like that ultimately produced the Colorado River? What are the processes that are still at work today?

To begin exploring and discovering the answers to these questions, we can look at what’s happened in the past and also examine the clues that are evident on today’s landscape. Lake Mead’s geologic past can be organized like acts in a play. These geologic “acts” represent the area’s significant geologic events. The acts are not equal in terms of time (millions of years), nor is all geologic time accounted …