Earth Sciences Commons^™

Sea-Level History During The Last Interglacial Complex On San Nicolas Island, California: Implications For Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Processes, Paleozoogeography And Tectonics, Daniel R. Muhs, Kathleen R. Simmons, R. Randall Schumann, Lindsey T. Groves, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Deanna Laurel

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

San Nicolas Island, California has one of the best records of fossiliferous Quaternary marine terraces in North America, with at least fourteen terraces rising to an elevation of ~270 m above present-day sea level. In our studies of the lowest terraces, we identified platforms at 38–36 m (terrace 2a), 33–28 m (terrace 2b), and 13–8 m (terrace 1). Uranium-series dating of solitary corals from these terraces yields three clusters of ages: ~120 ka on terrace 2a (marine isotope stage [MIS] 5.5), ~120 and ~100 ka on terrace 2b (MIS 5.5 and 5.3), and ~80 ka (MIS 5.1) on terrace 1.We …

Tectonic Influences On The Preservation Of Marine Terraces: Old And New Evidence From Santa Catalina Island, California, R. Randall Schumann, Scott A. Minor, Daniel R. Muhs, Lindsey T. Groves, John P. Mcgeehan

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The California Channel Islands contain some of the best geologic records of past climate and sea-level changes, recorded in uplifted, fossil-bearing marine terrace deposits. Among the eight California Channel Islands and the nearby Palos Verdes Hills, only Santa Catalina Island does not exhibit prominent emergent marine terraces, though the same terrace-forming processes that acted on the other Channel Islands must also have occurred on Santa Catalina. We re-evaluated previous researchers' field evidence and examined new topographic, bathymetric, and stream-profile data in order to find possible explanations for the lack of obvious marine terrace landforms or deposits on the island today. …

Shoreline Changes In Point Pelee, Canada: An Airphoto-Based Analysis, Abdullah Bamasoud

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Shoreline retreat has significant consequences for Point Pelee National Park’s (PPNP) ecological and economic systems. In this study, the shoreline changes of PPNP are examined in terms of their rates, their relationship to natural and anthropogenic influences, and methods for predicting shoreline positions.

The rates of shoreline change are analyzed for the period 1959-2004 using ortho-airphotos. The eastern shoreline of the Park exhibited varying recession in both rising and falling Lake Erie water level, especially in the Northeast Beach, where it averaged -3.14 m˖y-1. The western shoreline of the Park generally exhibited accretion and had an inverse relationship with Lake …

Atr-Ftir Studies On The Kinetics Of Dimethylarsinic Acid (Dma) Surface Complexation With Iron(Oxyhydr)Oxides, Julia Tofan-Lazar Miss

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) is an organoarsenical compound that, along with monomethylarsonic acid, poses a health and an environmental risk, and a challenge to the energy industry. Little is known about the surface chemistry of DMA at the molecular level with materials relevant to geochemical environments and industrial sectors. The surface chemistry of phosphorus and arsenic compounds in their organic and inorganic forms is of great interest due to its role in controlling their transport, bioaccessibility and speciation. This thesis reports the first in-situ and surface-sensitive rapid kinetic studies on the adsorption and desorption of DMA to and from Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide films …

An Environmental Systems Analysis Of Hydropower And Its Effects Upon Indigenous Settlements In Karnataka, India, Amy Joens

Honors Program Theses

Hydroelectricity is a very common method of energy production. Large dams are constantly being introduced to the river landscape in areas all over the world. There are definite benefits to hydropower, but the drawbacks may be even more evident. As modernization and development expand across developing nations like India, indigenous populations are often subject to the highest ration of negative impacts and consequences. This research explores both the costs and benefits of hydroelectricity, while using specific examples of dam construction projects to analyze aspects of the cumulative effects of a hydropower project. The Kabini Dam in southern Karnataka, India is …

Would Predatory Drillhole Frequency On Chione Spp. Increase Under The Suggested Climate Change Scenario? Comparing Pleistocene And Modern Rhodolith Beds, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The analysis of predatory drillholes allow paleontologists to reconstruct trophic relationships of ancient systems. To evaluate the potential effects of climate and sea level change on predation frequency by gastropods on bivalves, species of the genus Chione from the Gulf of California were selected because they are a commercially exploited resource - at least locally - and abundant in both modern and Pleistocene (sea level high stand of oxygen substage 5e) samples from rhodolith beds. The present study focused to answer a practical question: would predation on Chione spp. increase under the suggested climate - warming - change scenario? A …

Differences In Immune Defense Evasion Of Selected Inbred Lines Of Heterorhabditis Bacteriophora In Two White Grub Species, Ruisheng An, Marcio Voss, Ganpati B. Jagdale, Parwinder Grewal

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We determined virulence of seven Heterorhabditis bacteriophora strain GPS11 inbred lines possessing superior infective juvenile longevity, and heat and ultra violet radiation tolerance against white grubs Popillia japonica and Cyclocephala borealis. At 1 and 2 weeks after treatment, inbred line A2 was significantly more virulent towards P. japonica compared to the parent strain GPS11 and inbred lines A7, A8, A12 and A21; and line A2 caused significantly higher C. borealis mortality than lines A6 and A12. Penetration, encapsulation and survival of two inbred lines, A2 and A12, that showed the highest and lowest virulence against both grub species were then …

Extensive Reproductive Disruption, Ovarian Masculinization And Aromatase Suppression In Atlantic Croaker In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxic Zone, Peter Thomas, Md. Saydur Rahman

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The long-term impacts on marine ecosystems of the recent dramatic worldwide increase in the incidence of coastal hypoxia are unknown. Here, we show widespread reproductive disruption in Atlantic croakers collected from hypoxic sites approximately 120 km apart in the extensive northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf hypoxic zone. Gonadal growth and gamete production were impaired in croakers from hypoxic sites compared with fish from reference normoxic sites east of the Mississippi River Delta. Male germ cells were detected in approximately 19 per cent of croaker ovaries collected in the hypoxic region, but were absent in ovaries from normoxic sites. In …

Stability Of Rock Slopes Along Raidah Escarpment Road, Asir Area, Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed M. Youssef, Norbert H. Maerz, Abdulla A. Al-Otaibi

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Raidah Escarpment road is located north west of Abha city, Asir region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This escarpment road represents an important corridor in the area which connects different villages and tourist resorts with each other. The total length of this road section is about 9 km which passes through a highly mountainous area. The road also passes through areas of different geological hazards (rock, debris flow, soil, and weathered zones). The different environmental factors (e.g. intensive rainy summer), variable geological and structural elements (weak rocks, slide debris weak soils, shear zones, and faults) difficult road characteristics (narrow roads …

Geophysical And Geological Analysis Of The Collingwood Member Of The Trenton Formation, Ryan M. Banas

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Collingwood Member is a mid to late Ordovician self-sourced reservoir deposited across the northern Michigan Basin and parts of Ontario, Canada. Although it had been previously studied in Canada, there has been relatively little data available from the Michigan subsurface. Recent commercial interest in the Collingwood has resulted in the drilling and production of several wells in the state of Michigan.

An analysis of core samples, measured laboratory data, and petrophysical logs has yielded both a quantitative and qualitative understanding of the formation in the Michigan Basin. The Collingwood is a low permeability and low porosity carbonate package that …

Comparing Satellite And Ground-Based Observations Of Paroxysmal Degassing Events At Etna Volcano, Italy, Céline L. Mandon

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Mount Etna, Italy, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and is also regarded as one of the strongest volcanic sources of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions to the atmosphere. Since October 2004, an automated ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer network (FLAME) has provided ground-based SO₂ measurements with high temporal resolution, providing an opportunity to validate satellite SO₂ measurements at Etna. The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the NASA Aura satellite, which makes global daily measurements of trace gases in the atmosphere, was used to compare SO₂ amount released by the volcano during paroxysmal lava-fountaining …

Slope Stability Analysis Of The Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala, Using Limit Equilibrium And Finite Element Method , Patrick. Manzoni

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The Pacaya volcanic complex is part of the Central American volcanic arc, which is associated with the subduction of the Cocos tectonic plate under the Caribbean plate. Located 30 km south of Guatemala City, Pacaya is situated on the southern rim of the Amatitlan Caldera. It is the largest post-caldera volcano, and has been one of Central America’s most active volcanoes over the last 500 years. Between 400 and 2000 years B.P, the Pacaya volcano had experienced a huge collapse, which resulted in the formation of horseshoe-shaped scarp that is still visible. In the recent years, several smaller collapses have …

Geotechnical Data And Numerical Analysis Of Edifice Collapse And Related Hazards At Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala, Lauren N. Schaefer

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The continual eruptive activity, occurrence of an ancestral catastrophic collapse, and inherent geologic features of Pacaya volcano (Guatemala) demands an evaluation of potential collapse hazards. This thesis merges techniques in the field and laboratory for a better rock mass characterization of volcanic slopes and slope stability evaluation. New field geological, structural, rock mechanical and geotechnical data on Pacaya is reported and is integrated with laboratory tests to better define the physical-mechanical rock mass properties. Additionally, this data is used in numerical models for the quantitative evaluation of lateral instability of large sector collapses and shallow landslides. Regional tectonics and local …

A Remote Sensing Approach To Characterize The Hydrogeology Of Mountainous Areas: Application To The Quito Aquifer System (Qas), Ecuador, Miriam Rios-Sanchez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Climate change, intensive use, and population growth are threatening the availability of water resources. New sources of water, better knowledge of existing ones, and improved water management strategies are of paramount importance. Ground water is often considered as primary water source due to its advantages in terms of quantity, spatial distribution, and natural quality. Remote sensing techniques afford scientists a unique opportunity to characterize landscapes in order to assess groundwater resources, particularly in tectonically influenced areas. Aquifers in volcanic basins are considered the most productive aquifers in Latin America. Although topography is considered the primary driving force for groundwater flows …

Spring-Block Models Of Earthquake Dynamics, Ashley E. Mccall

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In this paper, the dynamics of spring-block models are studied. A brief overview of the history of spring-block models relating to earthquakes is presented, along with the development of friction laws. Several mathematical topics relating to dynamical systems are also discussed. We consider two spring-block models; one with Dieterich-Ruina rate and state dependent friction and another with a modified Dieterich-Ruina style friction. For each system, the qualitative behavior and numerical solutions are presented. In the first case, we find that the system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation from a stationary solution to a periodic orbit, and eventually transitions to chaos. In …

Three-Dimensional Deformation And Stress Models Of The Death Valley And San Andreas Fault Zones, Cecilia Del Pardo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Crustal deformation studies of tectonic motions have been the topic of many scientific investigations, as they can provide critical information about how tectonic structures shape and deform the Earth. While crustal deformation studies using observational data alone can provide a great deal of information about how the Earth is presently deforming, it is standard practice to implement mathematical and physics-based models to investigate the underlying causes of deformation in the crust. These models, constrained by geological, geodetic and seismic data, have successfully contributed key constraints of ongoing deformation processes and have provided predictions of past and future tectonic behavior of …

San Miguel Volcanic Seismicity And Structure In Central America: Insight Into The Physical Processes Of Volcanoes, Ezer Patlan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

San Miguel volcano lies near the city of San Miguel, El Salvador (13.43°N, 88.26°W). An active stratovolcano, it presents a significant natural hazard for the city of San Miguel. In general, the internal state and activity of volcanoes like San Miguel remains an important component to understanding volcanic hazards. The main technology for addressing volcanic hazards and associated processes is through the analysis of data collected from the deployment of seismic sensors that record ground motion. Six seismic stations were deployed by UTEP around San Miguel volcano during the 2007-2008 the time period to define internal structure or magmatic plumbing …

Structural Analysis Of The Central Ibex Hills, Death Valley, California, Oscar Esparza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Ibex Hills, in southern Death Valley, California, are composed mainly of Late Proterozoic sedimentary rocks overlying middle Proterozoic basement that are complexly deformed by Mesozoic contractional structures overprinted by Neogene extensional/transtensional structures. Detail mapping of the Ibex Hills reveals evidence of several deformational events. Brittle deformation of both extensional and strike-slip origin are recognized throughout the mapped area, but the main structure identified is a low angle fault at the base of the Noonday Dolomite, Sentinel Peak member, herein called the Noonday Fault. This low angle fault is dipping toward the east-northeast and has a curved geometry that resembles …

Phreatomagmatic Activity On The Moon: Possibility Of Pseudocraters At Mare Frigoris, Jose Humberto Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The discovery of water on the Moon raises the possibility that lava-water, or phreatomagmatic, interactions have occurred on the lunar surface in the past. Such interactions may have formed pseudocraters, crater-like landforms that result from steam explosions that occur when lava flows come in contact with surface or near-surface water or ice. We present a study of Mare Frigoris, a volcanic plain just north of the Mare Imbrium impact basin on the Moon. Clusters of irregular, circular features on the basaltic lava flows in this area resemble pseudocrater fields in Iceland, and they are located in a region with inferred …

Use Of Environmental Isotope Tracer And Gis Techniques To Estimate Basin Recharge, Abdulganiu A.A. Odunmbaku

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The extensive use of ground water only began with the advances in pumping technology at the early portion of 20th Century. Groundwater provides the majority of fresh water supply for municipal, agricultural and industrial uses, primarily because of little to no treatment it requires. Estimating the volume of groundwater available in a basin is a daunting task, and no accurate measurements can be made. Usually water budgets and simulation models are primarily used to estimate the volume of water in a basin.

Precipitation, land surface cover and subsurface geology are factors that affect recharge; these factors affect percolation which invariably …

Propagation Of Interval And Probabilistic Uncertainty In Cyberinfrastructure-Related Data Processing And Data Fusion, Christian Servin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Data uncertainty affects the results of data processing. So, it is necessary to find out how the data uncertainty propagates into the uncertainty of the results of data processing.

This problem is especially important when cyberinfrastructure enables us to process large amounts of heterogeneous data.

In the ideal world, we should have an accurate description of data

uncertainty, and well-justified efficient algorithms to propagate this uncertainty. In practice, we are often not yet in this ideal situation:

the description of uncertainty is often only approximate, and the algorithms for uncertainty propagation are often not well-justified and not very computationally efficient. …

Grain Size Distribution With Geomorphology On Gypsum Dunes In The White Sands Erg, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, Slade Jones

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In order to examine grain size distribution over dunes at the White Sands dune field, 1214 geolocated surficial samples were collected and analyzed by laser diffraction. Local variations in dunes such as neighboring interdune types and the presence of vegetation, deflation features, and granule ripples on the dunes were noted. This study indicates that recrystallization of gypsum and the generation of fresh sediments is occurring in significant quantities within interdunes, providing both high and low anomalies in grain size distribution through much of the central portion of the dune field. Other local variations as previously mentioned such as scour surfaces …

The Impact Of Decadal Land Cover Change On The Global Warming Potential Of Beringian Arctic Tundra, David Hwei-Len Lin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic terrestrial ecosystems play an important role in the global carbon cycle. If arctic warming continues to rise as projected, large amounts of soil carbon stored in these ecosystems could be released to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane and positively enhance greenhouse warming. Thus, improving understanding of the likely future state and fate of arctic soil carbon, and the carbon uptake potential of arctic terrestrial ecosystems are well recognized research priorities.

At the pan-arctic scale, decadal increases in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), an index of vegetation productivity, have been observed from satellite imagery, indicating a general greening …

Characterization Of Thrust Faults On The Moon Using Fault Dynamics And 3d Visualizations, Jaclyn Danielle Clark

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Many small, lobate scarps, interpreted to be the surface traces of thrust faults, have been found all over Earth's moon by previous researchers. Fault dynamical calculations, assuming an initially completely molten Moon, have shown that these scarps can form due to compressional stresses that accumulate over time as the result of large-scale contraction of the Moon as it cooled. With high-resolution images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), previously undetected lobate scarps can be found globally and viewed at high resolution. By investigating these fault scarps, we can determine better constraints on the amount of crustal shortening and improve …

Climate Change At The Pleistocene-Holocene Boundary In The Pacific Northwest: A Comparison Of Proxy Datasets And The Archaeologicial Record, Tiffany J. Fulkerson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

"The relationship between climate change at the Pleistocene-Holocene Boundary (ca. 12,600-10,200 cal B.P.) and cultural responses to attendant shifts in the environment remains a vexing issue for archaeologists. This study compiles and analyzes glacial, palynological, faunal, and stratigraphic/geomorphological proxy datasets for climate change in the Pacific Northwest of North America and compares them to the coeval archaeological record. The primary purpose of this exercise is to consider the potential ways in which climate change at the Pleistocene-Holocene Boundary affected cultural development for Late Paleoindian-Early Archaic peoples in the Pacific Northwest. Results indicate that climatic and environmental change at this interval …

Geochemical And Field Relationships Of Pillow And Dike Units In A Subglacial Pillow Unit Undirhliđar Quarry, Southwest Iceland, Lindsey J. Bowman

Senior Independent Study Theses

Undirhlíðar quarry is located on the Sveifluhals ridge, a Pleistocene subglacial pillow ridge within the NE-SW trending Krísuvík fissure swarm on the Reykjanes peninsula in Southwest Iceland. The walls of Undirhlíðar quarry provide excellent exposures of the internal architecture of the pillow ridge, yielding insights into the sequence of eruptive and intrusive events that construct subglacial ridges. In particular, the south and east walls expose at least 5 different pillow units and 3 dikes. Also seen in the east wall is a black, glassy breccia unit that appears on both the north and south sections of the east wall. Preliminary …

Pit Lakes As Evaporative 'Terminal' Sinks: An Approach To Best Available Practice Mine Closure, C. D. Mccullough, Genevieve Marchant, Jorg Unseld, Michael Robinson, Benjamin O'Grady

Research outputs 2012

Pit lakes may form when open cut mining operations extend below groundwater level and then fill at cessation of mining and associated dewatering operations by ground and surface water influx. Pit lake hydrogeology may function as an evaporative “sink” when pit lake water evaporation rates exceed influx rates. Although not ideal closure, management of local surface and groundwaters contaminated by Acid and Metalliferous Drainage (AMD) through entrainment toward an evaporative terminal pit lake may provide a best-case scenario for protection of regional water resources required by typical mine closure time scales of hundreds to thousands of years. We present two …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of Busycon Sinistrum To Determine Fort Walton-Period Seasonality At St. Joseph Bay, Northwest Florida, Ryan Michael Harke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Recent archaeological investigations indicate that coastal Fort Walton cultures in the St. Joseph Bay region of northwest Florida emphasized marine and estuarine foraging. These late prehistoric (A.D. 1000-1500) peoples collected fish, shellfish, and other aquatic resources. At the Richardson's Hammock site (8Gu10), radiocarbon-dated to about A.D. 1300, as at dozens of other shell middens around this salty bay, large gastropods were a major subsistence component. This adaptation is in sharp contrast with that of contemporaneous inland Fort Walton societies, who relied on maize agriculture. It is unknown whether coastal groups represent separate hunter-gatherer-fisher populations or seasonal migrations by inland …

Remote Sensing Of Whitings In The Bahamas, Ryan Allen Lloyd

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Whitings on both the Great Bahama Bank (GBB) and Little Bahama Bank (LBB) were evaluated using data collected from 2000-2010 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. A semi-objective method was developed to classify whiting patches from other look-alike features using the recently developed Floating Algae Index (FAI) algorithm, an empirical cloud masking algorithm, and a gradient analysis from the 250-m resolution MODIS data. A total of 1,500 images with minimal cloud cover was used to calculate long-term and seasonal trends as well as an average daily coverage for both banks. Annual and …

In Memorium: Joaquin Montoriol Pous

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.