Earth Sciences Commons^™

Software Development For A Three-Dimensional Gravity Inversion And Application To Study Of The Border Ranges Fault System, South-Central Alaska, Rolando Cardenas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Border Ranges Fault System (BRFS) bounds the Cook Inlet and Susitna Basins, an important petroleum province within south-central Alaska. A primary goal in the research is to test several plausible models of structure along the Border Ranges Fault System using a novel three-dimensional inversion utilizing gravity and magnetic data, constrained with other geophysical, borehole and surface geological information. This research involves the development of inversion modeling software using a Borland C++ compiler as part of the Rapid Application Development (RAD) Studio. The novel inversion approach directly models known geology, and "a priori" uncertainties on the geologic model to allow …

Patterns And Controls Of Erosion Along The Barrow Environmental Observatory Coastline, Northern Alaska, Adrian Aguirre

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With pronounced arctic warming that is linked to loss of sea ice, sea level rise, and land cover change, over the coming decades arctic coastal regions are likely to undergo amongst the most dramatic changes of any ecosystem on Earth. This study used foot surveys and a Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) to document at a high spatial (horizontal and vertical) resolution, the spatiotemporal dynamics of the eroding bluff along the coastline of the Barrow Environmental Observatory between 2003 and 2009. The coastline consists of an eroding bluff bordered by a shallow muddy lagoon. The coast is protected from strong …

Potential Fossil Endoliths In Vesicular Pillow Basalt, Coral Patch Seamount, Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, Barbara Cavalazzi, Frances Westall, Sherry L. Cady, Roberto Barbieri, Frédéric Foucher

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The chilled rinds of pillow basalt from the Ampere-Coral Patch Seamounts in the eastern North Atlantic were studied as a potential habitat of microbial life. A variety of putative biogenic structures, which include filamentous and spherical microfossil-like structures, were detected in K-phillipsite-filled amygdules within the chilled rinds. The filamentous structures (similar to 2.5 mu m in diameter) occur as K-phillipsite tubules surrounded by an Fe-oxyhydroxide (lepidocrocite) rich membranous structure, whereas the spherical structures (from 4 to 2 mu m in diameter) are associated with Ti oxide (anatase) and carbonaceous matter. Several lines of evidence indicate that the microfossil-like structures in …

'Sticky Spots' And Subglacial Lakes Under Ice Streams Of The Siple Coast, Antarctica, Olga V. Sergienko, Christina L. Hulbe

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Locations of subglacial lakes discovered under fast-moving West Antarctic ice streams tend to be associated with topographic features of the subglacial bed or with areas that have strong variations in basal conditions. Inversion of ice-stream surface velocity indicates that basal conditions under ice streams can be highly variable and that there can be widespread regions where basal traction is high. To seek an explanation for why lakes appear to be sited near areas with high basal traction, we use numerical models to simulate ice-stream dynamics, thermodynamics and subglacial water flow. We demonstrate that the ice flow over high basal traction …

A 1-D Mechanistic Model For The Evolution Of Earthflow-Prone Hillslopes, Adam M. Booth, Joshua J. Roering

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In mountainous terrain, deep‐seated landslides transport large volumes of material on hillslopes, exerting a dominant control on erosion rates and landscape form. Here, we develop a mathematical landscape evolution model to explore interactions between deep‐seated earthflows, soil creep, and gully processes at the drainage basin scale over geomorphically relevant (>10³ year) timescales. In the model, sediment flux or incision laws for these three geomorphic processes combine to determine the morphology of actively uplifting and eroding steady state topographic profiles. We apply the model to three sites, one in the Gabilan Mesa, California, with no earthflow activity, and two …

Dispersion Geochemistry At Different Scales At The Nopal I Deposit, Peña Blanca Uranium District, Chihuahua, Mexico, Katrina Pekar-Carpenter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Nopal I mine in the Peña Blanca Uranium District, Chihuahua, Mexico is a natural analog for the geologic storage of nuclear waste. This dissertation presents data from two sites within Nopal I: 1) the PB-1 core, which was drilled along the extent of uranium mineralization in the Nopal I mine; and 2) a high-grade stockpile boulder from the mineralized Nopal tuff.

The PB-1 core allowed an investigation into the mineralogical and geochemical changes that are important to research on a nuclear waste repository. Five zones were determined to control these changes: 1) Zone 1, the primary uranium mineralization (quartz-uraninite-pyrite-kaolinite-ilmenite); …

Faulting And Stress Distribution In The Bolu Pull-Apart Basin (North Anatolian Fault Zone, Turkey): The Significance Of New Dates Obtained From The Basin Fill, Ergun Gökten, Ramazan Demi̇rtaş, Volkan Özaksoy, Erdal Herece, Baki̇ Varol, Uğur Temi̇z

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Bolu Basin in northwestern Turkey, situated in the western part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), displays the neotectonic features of a pull apart basin. The long axis of the basin extends east-west, parallel to the fault zone and Bolu city, situated in the central part of this basin, was extensively damaged during the 17 August 1999 M= 7.4 and 12 November 1999 M= 7.2 earthquakes. The master strand of the North Anatolian Fault Zone cuts through the basin close to its southern edge and movement on this strand has caused tilting of the basin floor towards the …

The North Anatolian Fault On The Hersek Peninsula, Turkey: Its Geometry And Implications For The 1999 İzmit Earthquake Rupture Propagation, Özgür Kozaci, Erhan Altunel, Scott Lindvall, Charles Brankman, William Lettis

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The western termination of the 1999 İzmit earthquake still remains as an intriguing problem for researchers and the people residing around the Sea of Marmara. There have been numerous offshore mapping and modelling studies performed in the Gulf of İzmit. However, the main debate about the western termination of the 1999 İzmit surface rupture is linked to the Hersek Peninsula and corresponding fault geometry. We focused our efforts at resolving the fault geometry on the Hersek Peninsula by applying geological mapping, geomorphic analyses, palaeoseismic trenching and geophysical surveys. Our studies reveal that the North Anatolian Fault forms a restraining stepover …

Western Termination Of The Mw 7.4, 1999 İzmit Earthquake Rupture: Implications For The Expected Large Earthquake In The Sea Of Marmara, Gülsen Uçarkuş, Zi̇yadi̇n Çakir, Rolando Armijo

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Mw 7.4, August 17, 1999 İzmit earthquake ruptured a ~100-km-long onshore section of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) in the eastern Marmara region, causing the loss of more than 20,000 people and extensive destruction. The western termination and total length of the earthquake rupture is still a matter of debate because the surface rupture goes offshore in the Gulf of İzmit after displaying a coseismic displacement of ~5 m. Such a considerable slip implies that the fault rupture must definitely continue some distance westward on the sea floor, but where exactly it terminated is difficult to determine. This issue …

Geochemical And Sr-Nd Isotopic Characteristics Of Post-Collisional Calc-Alkaline Volcanics In The Eastern Pontides (Ne Turkey), Abdullah Kaygusuz, Mehmet Arslan, Wolfgang Siebel, Cüneyt Şen

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Major, trace element, K-Ar age and Sr-Nd isotopic data are presented for the Eocene Torul volcanics in the eastern Pontide orogenic belt (NE Turkey). The studied rocks are composed of basaltic andesitic, andesitic, trachyandesitic, and minor trachydacitic lavas associated with their pyroclastics. These rocks contain plagioclase (An2-44), hornblende (Mg#= 0.78-0.98), clinopyroxene (Wo43-46 En41-43 Fs10-15), biotite, quartz, and minor sanidine phenocrysts. K-Ar ages on hornblendes ages range from 43.99 (±2.59) to 33.45 (±2.32) Ma, within the Middle to Late Eocene. The volcanic rocks show calc-alkaline affinities and have medium to high K contents. They are enriched in large ion lithophile (LILE) …

Lagrangian Prediction And Correlation Analysis With Eulerian Data, Mi̇ne Çağlar, Taylan Bi̇lal, Leonid Piterbarg

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

A velocity field obtained from the ocean surface by high-frequency radar is used to test Lagrangian prediction algorithms designed to evaluate the position of a particle given its initial position and observations of several other simultaneously released particles. The problem is motivated by oceanographic applications such as search and rescue operations and spreading pollutants, especially in coastal regions. The prediction skill is essentially determined by temporal and spatial covariances of the underlying velocity field. For this reason correlation analysis of both Lagrangian and Eulerian velocities was carried out. Space covariance functions and spectra of the velocity field are also presented …

Palaeoseismological Investigations On The Karadere Segment, North Anatolian Fault Zone, Turkey, Aynur Di̇kbaş, Hüsnü Serdar Akyüz

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Karadere segment of the North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is the easternmost part that ruptured during the 17 August 1999 İzmit earthquake (Mw 7.4). It has a different orientation, at N65°E to other segments which have a nearly E-W trend, and lesser dextral displacement, with maximum 2.3 m in contrast with 5.2 m in the ruptured neighbouring western segment. Two palaeoseismological trenches, at Kazimiye and Karadere sites, were excavated on the central part of the Karadere segment to determine the timing of past earthquakes. Excavation of the Kazimiye site revealed the occurrence of five past events since the 4th century …

Palaeoearthquakes On The Kelkit Valley Segment Of The North Anatolian Fault, Turkey: Implications For The Surface Rupture Of The Historical 17 August 1668 Anatolian Earthquake, Cengi̇z Zabci, Hüsnü Serdar Akyüz, Volkan Karabacak, Taylan Sançar, Erhan Altunel, Hali̇l Gürsoy, Orhan Tatar

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The 26 December 1939 Erzincan (Ms= 7.8) and 20 December 1942 Erbaa-Niksar (Ms= 7.1) earthquakes created a total surface rupture more than 400 km between Erzincan and Erbaa on the middle to eastern sections of the North Anatolian Fault. These two faulting events are separated by a 10-km-wide releasing stepover, which acted like a seismic barrier in the 20th century. To understand the rupture behaviour in this structurally complex section of the North Anatolian Fault, we undertook palaeoseismological trench investigations on the Kelkit Valley segment where there is little or no palaeoseismic information. We found evidence for three surface faulting …

Growth-Invariant Meristic Characters Tools To Reveal Phylogenetic Relationships In Nummulitidae (Foraminifera), Johann Hohenegger

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Morphological characters that are restricted to a few growth-independent characters (such as the embryonic apparatus of nummulitids) or measurements at arbitrarily chosen growth stages (such as the second whorl in planispiral tests) do not adequately explain the phylogenetic relationships of fossil forms. Molecular-genetic investigations enlighten phylogenetic relations, but have two main disadvantages. First, they are restricted to living forms, and second, these relations are based on an extremely small part of the DNA and never on developmental and structural genes that regulate morphology. Morphometric methods based on growth-invariant characters allow modelling the test shape for each growth stage and thus …

Growth Rate Biometric Quantification By X-Ray Microtomography On Larger Benthic Foraminifera: Three-Dimensional Measurements Push Nummulitids Into The Fourth Dimension, Antonino Briguglio, Brian Metscher, Johann Hohenegger

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This work demonstrates the potential of three-dimensional biometric quantification using microtomography on larger benthic foraminifera. We compare traditional linear and area measures used for calculating three-dimensional characters with actual 3D measurements made from volume images obtained using X-ray microtomography (microCT). Two specimens of recent larger benthic foraminifera, i.e., Palaeonummulites venosus and Operculina ammonoides, were imaged with a high-resolution microCT scanner. This method enables three-dimensional imaging and calculation of measurements like 3D distances, surfaces and volumes. The quantitative high-resolution images enabled the extraction of the lumina from the proloculus to the last complete scanned chamber and of the canal system spreading …

New Late Ypresian (Cuisian) Rotaliids (Foraminiferida) From Central And Southern Italy And Their Biostratigraphic Potential, Andrea Benedetti, Massimo Di Carlo, Johannes Pignatti

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Two new rotaliid genera and three new species are described from the Upper Ypresian of Sicily and Central Italy: Ornatorotalia spinosa n. gen. n. sp., Ornatorotalia granum n. sp. and Granorotalia sublobata n. gen. n. sp. The new taxa are all dated as SBZ 11 (middle Upper Ypresian, i.e., middle Cuisian) by the presence of Cuvillierina vallensis and alveolinid biostratigraphical markers such as Alveolina cremae, A. decastroi and A. distefanoi. The systematic position of these distinctive new taxa within the family Rotaliidae Ehrenberg, 1839 and their biostratigraphic potential are discussed.

The Role Of The Palaeogene Adriatic Carbonate Platform In The Spatial Distribution Of Alveolinids, Katica Drobne, Vlasta Cosovic, Alan Moro, Damir Buckovic

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Sediments of the Palaeogene Adriatic carbonate platform, a distinctive palaeogeographic unit, are today exposed along the eastern Adriatic coast for a distance of 800 km and a width of 100-130 km. The large number of identified alveolinid species (69) from the Early Ypresian (Ilerdian) to the Bartonian record the dynamics of their evolution, with emphasis on the following: (1) great species diversity and great abundance in the middle Ilerdian (SBZ 7-8) followed by a sharp decline in occurrences at the Ilerdian/Cuisian transition; (2) a diversity boom in the late Ypresian (late Cuisian, SBZ 11-12) and (3) an abrupt decrease in …

Stratigraphy And Larger Foraminifera Of The Middle Eocene To Lower Oligocene Shallow-Marine Units In The Northern And Eastern Parts Of The Thrace Basin, Nw Turkey, György Less, Ercan Özcan, Aral Okay

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The shallow-marine Eocene Soğucak Limestone and Oligocene Ceylan Formation were studied in the northern and eastern parts of the Thrace Basin with detailed biometric analysis of the full spectrum of larger benthic foraminifera (mainly nummulitids and orthophragmines). This allows us to establish a high-resolution biostratigraphy in the context of the shallow benthic zonation (with SBZ zones) of the Tethyan Palaeogene since larger foraminiferal assemblages show a very strong Western Tethyan affinity. Only two species (Heterostegina armenica and Orbitoclypeus haynesi) are unknown so far to the west of the Thrace Basin. The age of particular larger foraminiferal sites is determined based …

Mapped Karst Groundwater Basins In The Somerset 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, James C. Currens, Randall L. Paylor, Joseph A. Ray, Robert J. Blair

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Remaining Resources Of The Herrin Coal, Gerald A. Weisenfluh

Map and Chart--KGS

The Herrin coal bed (W. Ky. No. 11) is one of the most important coal resources in the Illinois Basin. To 2009, the Herrin coal had an estimated 10 million tons of production in Kentucky, and remained the second largest producer in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. The Herrin is known for its regionally extensive "blue band" rock parting, and, in Kentucky, its close association with the overlying Providence Limestone Member and Paradise coal (W. Ky. No. 11) (see, for example, Greb and others, 1992). To fact, the Herrin and Paradise coal beds were so closely spaced in some areas …

Comparing Middle Permian And Early Triassic Environments: Mud Aggregates As A Proxy For Climate Change In The Karoo Basin, South Africa, Bryce Pludow

Honors Theses

The Permian-Triassic Boundary (252.6 Ma) is an interval under intense study as changes across it represent the greatest loss of life in Earth history. Although the event is well understood and constrained in the marine realm, questions remain about extinction, climate, and environmental conditions on land. The Karoo Basin of South Africa is a focus of study due to the complete nature of its terrestrial record, specifically across this boundary.

The identification of pedogenic mud aggregates document the presence of soils with abundant clays produced in a seasonally arid environment. The occurrence of these aggregates in low-sinuosity Early Triassic fluvial …

Engineering Our Climate: A Critical Review Of The Geoengineering Response To Climate Change, Gary Huff

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Various responses to greenhouse gas induced climate change have been proposed within the literature. While the most desirable response is to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, technological and financial obstacles make it difficult to realize the reductions necessary to solve the climate change problem. Several geoengineering schemes have been proposed that would compensate for increased greenhouse gas concentrations by reducing the solar energy absorbed by Earth. The most notable of these shortwave climate engineering schemes involves injection of sulfur aerosols into the stratosphere in order to disperse incoming radiation. This paper examines the geoengineering responses to climate change and demonstrates …

2011-2012 Unlv Mcnair Journal, Cyndy Anang, Sajar Camara, Pamela Cornejo, Carla Antonieta Farcello, Ilse Anahi Garcia, Natiera Magnuson, William L. Mccurdy, Lorena Munoz, Maxym V. Myroshnychenko, Ricardo Rios, Theodore Waldeck, Barbara Wallen, Ana Zuniga, Brenda M. Aguilar, Tiffany Alexandra Alvarez, Daniel N. Erosa, Paige C. Espinosa, Carla Antonieta Farcello, Julienne Jochel Paraiso, Nathaniel Derek Phillipps, Carmen Vallin, Jacent N. Wamala, Ernesto Zamora-Ramos

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program

Table of Contents

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements:

Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Absolute Specific Activities Of Deposited Radionuclides In Dust And Soil Samples Nellis Dunes Recreational Area (Ndra), Sajar Camara

McNair Poster Presentations

Dust and soil surfaces contain terrestrial radionuclides that occur naturally in the earth's crust. However, the level of activity differs by soil type, particle size and geographic location. Some radionuclides are more abundant in one soil type but less concentrated in others. This research paper looked at the radioactivity levels of dust and soil samples based on particle size. The samples were measured in vial sample holders using HPGe Germanium detector for a period of five days each. Background radiation was counted for same amount of period and subtracted to eliminate any counting statistical errors. The results showed that there …

Bedrock Geology And Tectonic Evolution Of The Western Central Maine Zone, South Central Massachusetts, Thomas Bradley Walker

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Bedrock geology of the East Brookfield quadrangle (EBQ), based on new 1:24000 scale mapping, consists of an interfolded sequence of Rangeley Fm. and Paxton Fm. metasediments, intruded by Early Mississippian tonalitic to granitic orthogneisses and underlain in the western half by folded orthogneisses of unknown age. Pervasive flattening strains have created planar, generally NNE-SSW striking and consistent moderately west dipping foliations. Generally strike-parallel stretching lineations and boudinage structures, with rarer dip parallel stretching lineations, reflect extrusion of CMZ metasediments and orthogneisses with a flattening component. Mapping in the EBQ demonstrates that a transition between deformational mechanisms of the southern Central …

Foliar Nutrient Concentrations Related To Soil Sources Across A Range Of Sites In The Northeastern United States, Melissa S. Lucash, Ruth D. Yanai, Joel D. Blum, B. B. Park

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the supply of nutrients from various soil sources and the sensitivity of tree species to soil nutrient availability is critical for predicting the effects of declines in base cations due to acid rain and forest harvesting on forest health and productivity. We collected soil samples from 19 sites in the northeastern United States, chemically analyzed them using a sequential extraction procedure, and compared them to the chemical composition of foliage of the dominant tree species. Concentrations of Ca and Mg in foliage were correlated with exchangeable Ca and Mg concentrations in the upper mineral soil; for most tree species …

Preliminary Report: Evaluating The Potential Of Archaeogeophysical Surveying On Viking Age And Medieval Sites In Greenland, 2 – 16 August, 2010, Douglas J. Bolender, John M. Steinberg, Brian N. Damiata, John W. Schoenfelder, Kathryn Caitlin

Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research Publications

The primary goal of this research is to begin to overcome biases in the Greenlandic Norse archaeological record. Assessing the establishment dates and organization of Norse sites in Greenland is difficult because substantial cultural deposits can be hidden under deep windblown sand deposits as well as later occupations. Shallow geophysical methods were used to help recover information on the nature, extent and depth of subsurface cultural deposits. Assessing these site characteristics is a first step in overcoming the bias towards the later, the larger, and the more visible sites in the archaeological record.

Norse Greenland presents a relatively visible medieval …

Great Caucasus (Cavcasioni): A Long-Lived North-Tethyan Back-Arc Basin, Shota Adamia, Victor Alania, Aleksandre Chabukiani, Zurab Kutelia, Nino Sadradze

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Great Caucasus is a northwest-southeast-directed mountain range more than 1100 km long, located between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. It represents an intracontinental tectonic system resulting from the Late Cenozoic structural inversion of a Palaeozoic-Mesozoic-Early Cenozoic back-arc basin (Dizi basin) in response to the convergence of the Africa-Arabian and Eurasian lithospheric plates. It is bounded to the south by the Transcaucasian massif, a palaeo-island-arc, and to the north by the Scythian platform. The Great Caucasus fold-and-thrust mountain belt is characterized by complete, intensive folding, mainly south vergent imbricated thrusting, close-joint cleavage etc. Structural relationships of the Great Caucasian …

Reinterpreted History Of Latest Pleistocene Lake Bonneville: Geologic Setting Of Threshold Failure, Bonneville Flood, Deltas Of The Bear River, And Outlets For Two Provo Shorelines, Southeastern Idaho, Usa, Susanne U. Janecke, P. Q. Oaks Jr.

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Geologic, geomorphic, and geophysical analyses of landforms, sediments, and geologic structures document the complex history of pluvial Lake Bonneville in northern Cache Valley, NE Great Basin, and shows that the outlet of Lake Bonneville shifted ~20 km south after the Bonneville flood. The Riverdale normal fault offsets Bonneville deposits, but not younger Provo deposits ~25 km southeast of Zenda, Idaho. Rapid changes in water level may have induced slip on the Riverdale fault shortly before, during, or after the Bonneville flood. Although other processes may have played a role, seismicity might have been the main cause of the Bonneville flood.

Kinematic And Dynamic Pair Collision Statistics Of Sedimenting Inertial Particles Relevant To Warm Rain Initiation, Bogdan Rosa, Hossein Parishani, Orlando Ayala, Lian-Ping Wang, Wojciech W. Grabowski

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

In recent years, direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach has become a reliable tool for studying turbulent collision-coalescence of cloud droplets relevant to warm rain development. It has been shown that small-scale turbulent motion can enhance the collision rate of droplets by either enhancing the relative velocity and collision efficiency or by inertia-induced droplet clustering. A hybrid DNS approach incorporating DNS of air turbulence, disturbance flows due to droplets, and droplet equation of motion has been developed to quantify these effects of air turbulence. Due to the computational complexity of the approach, a major challenge is to increase the range of …