Earth Sciences Commons^™

Impacts Of Predicted Global Sea-Level Rise On Oregon Beaches And Tidelands, Curt D. Peterson

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Forward by:

Phillip Johnson, Executive Director Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

The Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition’s "Coastal Climate Change Adaptation Project" is under development as an experiment in grassroots organizing for adaptive planning for expected climate change impacts. Oregon Shores is a regional conservation group with a 40-year history of working to protect marine, shoreline, estuarine and other coastal habitats. The organization’s board and staff came to recognize that the likely effects of climate change—rising sea levels, more intensive storm surges, increased erosion, lower-river flooding, among others—would affect every aspect of the group’s work. Consequently, a new program, the Climate Action …

Topographic Signatures And A General Transport Law For Deep-Seated Landslides In A Landscape Evolution Model, Adam M. Booth, Joshua J. Roering, Alan W. Rempel

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A fundamental goal of studying earth surface processes is to disentangle the complex web of interactions among baselevel, tectonics, climate, and rock properties that generate characteristic landforms. Mechanistic geomorphic transport laws can quantitatively address this goal, but no widely accepted law for landslides exists. Here we propose a transport law for deep-seated landslides in weathered bedrock and demonstrate its utility using a two-dimensional numerical landscape evolution model informed by study areas in the Waipaoa catchment, New Zealand, and the Eel River catchment, California. We define a non-dimensional landslide number, which is the ratio of the horizontal landslide flux to the …

Strain Energy Release From The 2011 9.0 Mw Tōhoku Earthquake, Japan, Kenneth M. Cruikshank, Curt D. Peterson

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this paper is to compare the strain energy released due to elastic rebound of the crust from the tragic 2011 9.0 Mw Tōhoku earthquake in Japan with the observed radiated seismic energy. The strain energy was calculated by analyzing coseismic displacements of 1024 GPS stations of the Japanese GEONET network. The value of energy released from the analysis is 1.75 × 1017 J, which is of the same order of magnitude as the USGS-observed radiated seismic energy of 1.9 × 1017 Nm (J). The strain energy method is independent of seismic methods for determining the energy released …

Geochemical Source Components In Seafloor Lavas In The Aleutian Back-Arc, Max Thomas Siegrist

Theses and Dissertations

Whole-rock compositions of seafloor lavas are used to constrain the processes and source characteristics contributing to the formation of geochemically distinctive, primitive magma types located in the Aleutian back-arc. Samples were dredged primarily from small volcanic cones on the seafloor, located between the emergent volcanoes and in the back-arc up to 60 km from the volcanic front. Compositions vary from basalt to dacite, with 48-70 % SiO₂ and 4-13 % MgO. Nearly 30% of the samples are primitive, with Mg/Mg+Fe >0.60. Most primitive samples are basalts, which fall into two groups, based on minor and trace element abundances. Low/med-K …

Benthic Boundary Layer Processes: Bedform Evolution And Bottom Turbulence, Timothy Robert Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Bedform roughness, caused by ripples on the seabed, plays an important role in controlling sediment dynamics in the nearshore region. In this dissertation, the temporal and spatial evolution of ripples from two field sites located in the South Atlantic Bight, offshore Long Bay, SC and Georgia are used to relate wave-induced ripple geometry (wavelength and orientation) to near bed directional wave velocities. 2-D spectral analysis techniques were developed to automate detection of ripple wavelength, direction, and irregularity. This analysis showed that magnitude, direction, and duration of wave forcing controls ripple geometry and irregularity. During highly energetic events, ripple geometry changes …

Volcanic And Tectonic Processes Along Anomalous Mid-Ocean Ridges, Julia Kathryn Howell

Theses and Dissertations

The morphological and structural characteristics of the global spreading ridge system are systematically related to spreading rate and magma supply (e.g. Macdonald, 1982). Because intermediate spreading-rate ridges (ISRs) spreading between 60 and 80 mm/yr have characteristics of both fast and slow spreading ridges, they are ideal environments to study the differences controlling upper crustal accretion. We examine the distribution of seamounts along spreading ridges to understand the relationship between seamount volcanism and axial morphology along four ISRs: the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR), the Galápagos Spreading Centers (GSC), the Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR), and the Eastern Lau Spreading Centers (ELSC). …

Drought Indices In Decision-Making Process Of Drought Management, Ekaterina Negodyaeva Altman

Theses and Dissertations

Drought indices are one of the most important elements of an effective drought monitoring and early warning system. They help to characterize drought and guide appropriate responses to reduce drought impacts. Drought indicators are more useful than raw data in decision-making process, even though each index has specific use and limited by its strengths and weaknesses. The literature review showed the evaluation of drought conditions by decision-makers as an important issue, but so far no research has been done to understand how decision-makers use diverse and often conflicting values of drought indices to make drought declarations. This research studies how …

Climate Change Effects On Vibrio Bacteria In The Winyah Bay Estuary And The Projected Spread Of Vibrio Under Future Climatic Scenarios., Reem Deeb

Theses and Dissertations

While there are several studies on the distribution ofVibrio vulnificusandVibrio parahaemolyticusin estuarine waters around the world, there is little information on the distribution of both organisms in South Carolina waters. Monthly sampling of surface and bottom water from 9 sites in Winyah Bay was conducted over the period April-October 2012. Both organisms were enumerated on CHROMagarVibriomedia. TheVibriocounts obtained were mainly less than 20 Colony Forming Units (CFU)/ml which is typical for what was found elsewhere along the coast of the Carolinas. TheVibrio vulnificuscounts were the highest when salinity ranged between 5 ppt and 20 ppt.Vibrio parahaemolyticusdid not show a clear …

Energy Metrics For State Government Buildings, Trevor Michael

Theses and Dissertations

Measuring true progress towards energy conservation goals requires the accurate reporting and accounting of energy consumption. An accurate energy metrics framework is also a critical element for verifiable Greenhouse Gas Inventories. Energy conservation in government can reduce expenditures on energy costs leaving more funds available for public services. In addition to monetary savings, conserving energy can help to promote energy security, air quality, and a reduction of carbon footprint. With energy consumption/GHG inventories recently produced at the Federal level, state and local governments are beginning to also produce their own energy metrics systems.

In recent years, many states have passed …

Thermal History Of Nearly Metamict Zircon Of The Taza-Guercif Basin (Morocco) Revealed Using Scanning Electron Microscope High-Density Fission-Track Dating, Tyler Michael Izykowski

Theses and Dissertations

Northwest Africa provides unique insight into a wide range of geologic processes throughout a vast portion of Earth's history. Moroccan geology in particular can provide valuable insight, from the formations of West Africa through the Eburnian orogeny (~2000 Ma), Gondwana during the Pan-African orogeny (~900-500 Ma), and Pangaea by means of the Hercynian (Variscan) orogeny (~400-300 Ma), to more recent crustal and climatic events, such as the Messinian salinity crisis (5.96-5.33 Ma). However, the current lack of western literature regarding this region presents a significant obstacle in understanding the aforementioned processes. Herein, I employ a new technique in zircon fission-track …

Identifying Values And Benefits Of Congaree National Park, Maka Bitsadze

Theses and Dissertations

Protected areas are important tools for the conservation of biological diversity. They also support a wide range of ecosystem services and provide economic, cultural and social values and benefits. Many values and benefits of protected areas are poorly understood and greatly under-valued by decision-makers, the business sector, and the general public. Accordingly, identification and assessment of values and benefits of protected areas has been increasingly promoted during recent years.

This research investigates values and benefits of Congaree National Park and provides guidance for the further economic valuation of identified values and benefits. While the ecological significance of Congaree National Park …

Integrated Geological And Geophysical Studies Of The Indio Mountains And Hueco Bolson, West Texas, Pawan Budhathoki

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation consists of two different projects. The first project describes the results of an outcrop based sequence stratigraphic study of the Albian Cox Sandstone in the Indio Mountains of west Texas. The depositional environment of the Cox Sandstone ranges from shallow marine to the coastal plain deposited in four sequences where sequence 1 and sequence 2 consists of transgressive system tracts (TST) followed by highstand system tracts (HST). The highstand system tract (HST) is missing in sequence 3 and the transgressive systems tract is missing in sequence 4. The Cox changes in thickness from 320 m in the northern …

Sediment Impact On The Formation Of Hypoxic Waters In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico: A Synthesis Of Sediment Texture, Composition, Erodibility And Transport, Rangley Claude Mickey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Annual hypoxic events have been found to occur over the past several decades in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) and have prompted researchers to begin studying the mechanisms that control hypoxia formation so they may advise policy makers on the appropriate mitigating responses. This has led to the development of 3-dimensional modeling systems that incorporate marine physical, biological, geological, and chemical processes that may impact the formation and duration of hypoxic regimes in the nGOM. This study used field, laboratory, and modeling techniques to examine how sediment may be eroded from the seabed and where/how it is transported across …

Distribution Of Soil Density At A Bottomland Hardwood Forest Wetland Restoration, Chicot County, Arkansas, B. E. Sleeper, Robert L. Ficklin

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Bottomland hardwood forest (BLHF) soils provide a myriad of ecosystem services, yet much information is lacking with respect to how soil physical properties influence biogeochemical cycling along topographic gradients. Current patterns of vegetation at a 149ha wetland restoration site in Chicot County, Arkansas, suggest the presence of ecologically significant variation in soil properties within the Perry Clay soil series. A study was initiated in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) to map soil bulk density and texture as well as to identify the interrelationships between soil physical properties, soil organic carbon, and total nitrogen. A random grid was used to …

Stratigraphic Constraints On Groundwater Flow: Examples From York College, Cuny Campus In Queens, New York City, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Ezazul Haque, Coreyn Goddard, Shirley Jackson

Publications and Research

Surficial geology of the York College campus is dominated by recent glacial deposits dating back to late Wisconsinan event. Several shallow excavation-type trenches reaching a depth of approximately 6 to 10 feet were dug in the wide greeneries adjacent to the parking lot to determine soil texture and collect in-situ permeability data. Based on these shallow pits, an apparent subsurface stratigraphy has been constructed. In general, the uppermost 8 to 18 inches is mostly clayey-and-silty sand and organic-rich top soil overlying stratified drift. The uppermost horizons are observed to also contain fill materials such as bricks, concretes, broken glasses, and …

Colour Origin Of Red Sandstone Beds Within The Hüdai Formation (Early Cambrian), Aydıncık (Mersin), Southern Turkey, Muhsi̇n Eren, Selahatti̇n Kadi̇r

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The basal part of the Hüdai Formation (Early Cambrian) in the Aydıncık (Mersin) area comprises red sandstone beds at different stratigraphic levels, showing ripple cross-lamination. These beds were deposited in the middle to lower part of an intertidal flat environment. Bedding-parallel reddening and its cyclic character suggest syn-sedimentary or early diagenetic red colouration in a marine environment. Both X-ray diffraction and petrographic analyses indicate that the red sandstones are composed of predominantly K-feldspar and quartz grains and an illite matrix. These are dominantly arkosic wacke. A small amount of hematite (

Low-Sulfidation Epithermal Au-Ag Mineralization In The Sındırgı District, Balıkesir Province, Turkey, Hüseyi̇n Yilmaz, Fatma Nuran Sönmez, Erhan Akay, Ahmet Keri̇m Şener, Seda Tufan

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Sındırgı District (Balıkesir, western Turkey) lies within the Western Anatolian volcanic and extensional province, adjacent to the WNW-trending Simav graben, approximately 130 km NE of İzmir. The Sındırgı mining district is underlain mainly by Miocene volcanic rocks and hosts several low-sulfidation epithermal Au-Ag deposits and prospects located near the towns of Sındırgı and Bigadiç. The Kızıltepe low-sulfidation epithermal gold-silver deposit is located southeast of Yusufçam village (Sındırgı, Balıkesir), and other prospects, including the Kepez, Kavaklıdüz, and Karadüz prospects, are located northeast of Kızıltepe. Potentially economic grades occur at Kızıltepe, which contains a measured and indicated resource of 1.754.790 Mt …

A Method Based On The Van Der Hoven Spectrum For Performance Evaluation In Prediction Of Wind Speed, Eli̇f Kaya, Burak Barutçu, Şükran Si̇bel Menteş

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Development of techniques for accurate assessment of wind power potential at a site is very important for the planning and establishment of a wind energy system. The most important defining character of the wind and the problems related with it lie in its unpredictable variation. Van der Hoven constructed a wind speed spectrum using short-term and long-term records of wind in Brookhaven, NY, USA, in 1957 and showed the diurnal and turbulent effects. His spectrum suggests that there is a substantial amount of wind energy in 1-min periodic variations. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the results of …

Plio-Quaternary Extensional Tectonics Of The Central Anatolian Plateau: A Case Study From The Tuz Gölü Basin, Turkey, Erman Özsayin, Tahsi̇n Atti̇la Çi̇ner, Fuat Bora Rojay, Ramazan Kadi̇r Di̇ri̇k, Daniel Melnick, David Fernández-Blanco, Giovanni Bertotti, Taylor F. Schildgen, Yannick Garcin, Manfred R. Strecker, Masafumi Sudo

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Tuz Gölü Basin is the largest sedimentary depression located at the center of the Central Anatolian Plateau, an extensive, low-relief region with elevations of ca. 1 km located between the Pontide and Tauride mountains. Presently, the basin morphology and sedimentation processes are mainly controlled by the extensional Tuz Gölü Fault Zone in the east and the transtensional İnönü-Eskişehir Fault System in the west. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the Plio-Quaternary deformation history and to refine the timing of the latest extensional phase of the Tuz Gölü Basin. Field observations, kinematic analyses, interpretations …

Messinian Forced Regressions In The Adana Basin: A Near-Coincidence Of Tectonic And Eustatic Forcing, Ayhan Ilgar, Wojciech Nemec, Aynur Hakyemez, Erhan Karakuş

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This sedimentological and sequence-stratigraphic study focuses on the late Miocene deposits in one of the largest peri-Mediterranean basins of southern Turkey, the Adana Basin, which formed as a Tauride foreland depression accumulating molasse deposits. The Tortonian-Messinian shallow-marine Handere Formation, previously interpreted as a regressive succession, appears to have recorded several relative sea-level changes. The formation base recorded a forced regression attributed to the end-Serravalian (Tor-1) eustatic fall in sea level. The lower to middle part of the formation is transgressive, culminating in offshore mudstones. The upper part is regressive and its 3 isolated conglomeratic members represent sharp-based Gilbert-type deltas with …

On The Surface Circulation Of The Marmara Sea As Deduced From Drifters, Riccardo Gerin, Pierre-Marie Poulain, Şükrü Turan Beşi̇ktepe, Pietro Zanasca

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The surface circulation of the Marmara Sea was studied with satellite-tracked drifters during 2 field experiments. A total of 29 drifters were released in September 2008 and February 2009 at key locations south of the Bosphorus and in the central part of the sea. The spatial structures and temporal variability are described together with the atmospheric conditions of the Marmara Sea during the period of study. The behavior of drifters with respect to the wind was qualitatively analyzed. The pseudo-Eulerian velocity statistics were computed from the interpolated positions and maps of the mean currents were produced using the data sorted …

Occurrences Of Rock-Fulgurites Associated With Steel Pylons Of The Overhead Electric Transmission Line At Tor Zawar, Ziarat District And Jang Tor Ghar, Muslim Bagh, Pakistan, Akhtar Muhammad Kassi, Aimal Khan Kasi, Henrik Friis, Din Muhammad Kakar

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

We here report 3 occurrences of rock fulgurites: 2 at Tor Zawar, Ziarat District, and 1 at Jang Tor Ghar, Muslim Bagh, Pakistan. The first and second melting events occurred at Tor Zawar, Ziarat on 27 January 2010, and sometime during the month of January 2011; the third melting event occurred on 12 February 2011. All these events occurred near the base of steel pylons of electric transmission lines installed on hillside outcrops, which transmitted atmospheric lightning to the outcrop. At Tor Zawar, Ziarat District, the pylons are installed on outcrops of the volcanogenic conglomerate of the Late Cretaceous Bibai …

Investigation Of The Groundwater Effect On Slow-Motion Landslides By Using Dynamic Kalman Filtering Method With Gps: Koyulhisar Town Center, Kemal Özgür Hastaoğlu

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The monitoring and analysis of natural disasters and their systems is crucially important in minimizing loss of life and property. In recent years, various methods of measurement and analysis have been employed to monitor and analyze landslides and their mechanisms. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is one of the methods used to monitor landslides. The consideration of external forces causing movement is essential when interpreting movement obtained by GPS. This paper describes a large motion in the Koyulhisar town center obtained from one GPS point. Twelve GPS points were set up in the Koyulhisar landslide region; 6 periods of GPS …

The Efficacy Of Travertine As A Palaeoenvironmental Indicator: Palaeomagnetic Study Of Neotectonic Examples From Denizli, Turkey, Beki̇r Levent Mesci̇, Orhan Tatar, John D. A. Piper, Hali̇l Gürsoy, Erhan Altunel, Stephen Crowley

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This study has aimed to evaluate whether a discernible environmental signature is recorded in tectonic travertine by applying palaeomagnetic study to examples from the Denizli region in western Turkey. Palaeomagnetic sampling in 7 quarry exposures through short stratigraphic intervals of bedded travertine has determined variations in magnetic susceptibility and palaeofield direction; the former is a potential proxy of climatically-controlled atmospheric dust input and the latter is a possible indicator of directional changes resulting from geomagnetic secular variation of the ancient magnetic field and hence a measure of the rate of travertine accretion. Most sites record normal polarity as predicted from …

Comment On "Al-In-Hornblende Thermobarometry And Sr-Nd-O-Pb Isotopic Compositions Of The Early Miocene Alaçam Granite In Nw Anatolia (Turkey)", Si̇bel Tatar Erkül, Fuat Erkül

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Key Role Of Micromorphology In Studies Of The Genesis Of Clay Minerals And Their Associations In Soils And Its Relevance To Advances In The Philosophy Of Soil Science, Gordon Jock Churchman

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Micromorphological observations from 3 different published works have been studied to aid understanding of aggregation and of colloids, both unique to soils. Saprolites in Hong Kong included ‘veins’ of different thicknesses and colours. Optical mineralogy identified them as infill from the neogenesis of clays in rock fractures. The common thicker infills resulted from weathering. Dark infill contained comminuted primary minerals whereas thin pale infill originated hydrothermally. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the size, shape, and mineralogy of the kaolin minerals formed in infill depended on the types of cracks in the saprolites and on drying. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses …

Clay Mineralogy Of Red Clay Deposits From The Central Carpathian Basin (Hungary): Implications For Plio-Pleistocene Chemical Weathering And Palaeoclimate, János Kovács, Béla Raucsik, Andrea Varga, Gabor Ujvari, György Varga, Franz Ottner

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Geochemical and mineralogical studies of palaeosols provide essential information for palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental interpretation of continental deposits and can present a proxy for palaeoclimate. Red clays in the central Carpathian Basin (Hungary) (Tengelic Red Clay Formation; Kerecsend Red Clay Formation), overlain by loess-palaeosol sequences, were studied. Results from geochemical climofunctions applied to Upper Pliocene–Lower Pleistocene red clays and palaeosols located in the Carpathian Basin, and clay mineralogy, indicate that the palaeoclimate was considerably more humid and warmer during the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene in comparison to modern values.

Challenges Of Cave Management In A Developing Country: A Case Study Of Grotte Marie-Jeanne, Departemente Sud, Haiti, Patricia N. Kambesis, Brian Oakes, Michael Lace

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

As with many developing countries,Haiti has environmental, economic and cultural challenges that complicate natural resource management. Karst landscapes dominate Haiti and caves are abundant as recent cave and karst inventory data indicate. Though the caves and karst are subject to environmental challenges they also provide the potential for the development of tourism that would improve local economic conditions. There are 500 documented caves in Haiti of which, five are show caves. Of those, only one, Grotte Marie-Jeanne, located in Port-ấ -Piment in Departement Sud, has a structured cave management plan that addresses identification of cave resources, visitor access, interpretive guidelines, …

Water Column Variability In A Coastal Tourist Cave In Mallorca, Spain, Liana M. Boop, Bogdan P. Onac, Jonathan G. Wynn, Joan J. Fornós, Marta Rodríguez-Homar

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium 2013

Coves del Drac is visited by more than 1 million tourists annually and has been a tourist destination in the western Mediterranean for over 100 years. All areas of the cave are developed with historic or current tour route infrastructure, including walkways, handrails, and electric lighting. This study compares one vertical water profile collected along the current tour path with two other profiles from historic tour route locations. Differences in freshwater and organic inputs, as well as direct anthropogenic impacts, are clearly observed in the aquatic parameters and stable isotopes collected in the profiles. Anthropogenically-driven undersaturation in the cave pools, …

Seismic Velocity Database For The New Madrid Seismic Zone And Its Vicinity, Qian Li, Edward W. Woolery, Matthew M. Crawford, David M. Vance

Information Circular--KGS

Over the last 20 years, researchers at the University of Kentucky have collected seismic-reflection and refraction data to characterize seismic velocity models of the soil-sediment overburden throughout the central United States. The data are in different forms, such as published reports, theses, and journal articles, and in digital form. In order to construct a unified database for easier management, access, and use, Microsoft Access was used to design the data structure and field properties. The database consists of four tables with unified field names, data type, and units. An ArcGIS geodatabase with the same data structure as the Access database …