Earth Sciences Commons^™

Mineralogy And Geochemistry Of The Heddleston Porphyry Cu-Mo Deposit, Montana, Ben Schubert

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Heddleston porphyry Cu-Mo deposit is located in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, near the headwaters of the Blackfoot River. It is immediately west of the historic Mike Horse mine, an important producer of Pb-Zn from polymetallic veins and lodes. The Heddleston property was explored extensively by the Anaconda Company in the 1960s and 1970s, but was never mined. Specimens of polished drill core from the deposit are archived in the Anaconda Research Collection at Montana Tech campus. The purpose of this research project was to use the archived samples to examine the geochemistry and mineralogy of the Heddleston and …

Hydrologic And Chemical Interaction Between Waste Dumps And A Flooded Mine Pool At The Combination Mine, Philipsburg District, Montana, Corey Swisher

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Combination Mine, located approximately 12 miles northwest of Philipsburg Montana, was intermittently mined for silver, gold, and copper from 1885 until the 1990s. After the Combination Mine was formally abandoned groundwater seeps downgradient of the mine and waste rock pile were found to be above the regulatory water quality standards. Since the groundwater seeps were downgradient of both the mine pool and waste rock pile the source of the groundwater seeps could have been from the mine pool or shallow flow paths through the waste rock pile. In order to properly plan and execute a remedial action on the …

Characterization Of Granite And Subsequent Ground Control Management Plan At Orphan Boy Mine – Butte, Montana, Emily Rose

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Underground Mine Education Center (UMEC) and World Museum of Mining facilities began as shallow underground mines in the 1880’s during the mining boom that populated Butte, Montana. The UMEC is a multi-disciplinary facility that provides an on-campus underground laboratory environment and a place for students to learn and practice practical underground mining techniques; therefore, the longevity of the facility is important to Montana Tech. The goal of this project is to develop a Ground Control Management Plan (GCMP) for the UMEC and World Museum of Mining facilities.

The World Museum of Mining (Orphan Girl) and UMEC (Orphan Boy) facilities …

Structural Reliability Analysis Of Tunneling-Induced Ground Settlement And Damage To Adjacent Buildings: A Case Study Using Moment Methods And Flac2d, Powers Michael

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Tunnels are widely used for underground space development in urban areas such as mass transit. However, tunneling in heavily congested areas is a very risky operation that can impose significant damage to adjacent buildings. In the traditional analysis of tunnel structures, the deterministic approach is commonly used. The owners or regulatory agencies establish the limiting ground surface settlement value and angular distortion value for buildings as a means of preventing tunneling-induced failure and damage to adjacent buildings. In addition, significant uncertainties in geotechnical parameters exist in the prediction of tunneling-induced ground settlement and damage to adjacent buildings. Design and analysis …

Supergene Mineralization Of The Continental Pit, Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana, Kyle Eastman

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Butte porphyry Cu-Mo-Ag deposit has been considerably altered by supergene processes that enriched Cu and Ag, and mobilized other metals. Supergene enrichment provided early miners with excellent ore grades, and contributes significantly to current mining operations in Butte. The Continental Pit exhibits the classic leached and enriched vertical zonation that is common in near-surface porphyry systems around the world. Although studied by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company during the mid-20th century, significant and economically relevant questions remain regarding this deposit’s supergene heavy metal geochemistry and its relationship to the local hydrology and tectonic history.

This thesis investigates the paragenesis …

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center- April 2017, Natalie Umphlett, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the interim director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

Fisheries & wildlife climate workshop...................................2

Product highlights..................3

AWDN information.................4

Update on regional climate conditions..................................4

NCA workshop and outreach activities......................................5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

Developing A Tree-Ring Chronology For Reconstructing Past Climate Conditions: Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Ut, Amy L. Cutter

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The Coral Pink Sand Dunes (CPSD) is one of the largest active dune fields in the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau. A disjunct stand of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) seemingly thrives within the dune field. The presence of a multiple-aged stand suggests the site has experienced varied climatic conditions since becoming established. Other geomorphic systems in the region (e.g., arroyos) indicate sensitivity to small climate fluctuations; perhaps the dunes are similarly sensitive, leading to the question—could the trees be used to reconstruct past climate, and could that reconstruction be used to model dune activity with climate variability. The climate-growth …

Toward The Development Of A 10be Chronology Of Glaciation In The Mosquito Range, Colorado: A Progress Report, Noah Bensen, Keith A. Brugger

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2017

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Rocky Mountain region occurred about 21 ka (20,000 years before present). However, dated glacial chronologies suggest that while LGM glacier advances in individual ranges in Colorado were somewhat synchronous, retreat from their maximum extents was asynchronous, varying between ~20 and 15 ka or later. The precise timing and spatial variation of glacier advance and retreat provides insights into LGM climate change and is necessary to calibrate climate models. To better understand the timing of the LGM in the Mosquito Range in Colorado, we collected 12 samples from granitic boulders on moraine crests in …

Integrating The Field Of Prebiotic Chemistry Into A Christian Worldview, Matthew B. Anderson

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis will provide an overarching examination into the scientific field of prebiotic chemistry, the purported chemistry of the formation of life on earth. Prebiotic chemistry is a critical area of science particularly for Christian scientists to study since it is used by many evolutionists as evidence for the evolution of life, rather than the formation by an intelligent designer. Extensive literature-based research from previously published articles will be conducted on the formation of biologically necessary molecules, including amino acids. Primary focus will be placed on the formation of amino acids in a primordial earth environment, first demonstrated by the …

Separating Decadal Global Water Cycle Variability From Sea Level Rise, B. D. Hamlington, J. T. Reager, M.-H. Lo, K. B. Karnauskas, R. R. Leben

CCPO Publications

Under a warming climate, amplification of the water cycle and changes in precipitation patterns over land are expected to occur, subsequently impacting the terrestrial water balance. On global scales, such changes in terrestrial water storage (TWS) will be reflected in the water contained in the ocean and can manifest as global sea level variations. Naturally occurring climate-driven TWS variability can temporarily obscure the long-term trend in sea level rise, in addition to modulating the impacts of sea level rise through natural periodic undulation in regional and global sea level. The internal variability of the global water cycle, therefore, confounds both …

Open Data And Digital Morphology, Thomas G. Davies, Imran A. Rahman, Stephan Lautenschlager, John A. Cunningham, Robert J. Asher, Paul M. Barrett, Karl T. Bates, Stefan Bengtson, Roger B. J. Benson, Doug M. Boyer, José Braga, Jen A. Bright

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Over the past two decades, the development of methods for visualizing and analysing specimens digitally, in three and even four dimensions, has transformed the study of living and fossil organisms. However, the initial promise that the widespread application of such methods would facilitate access to the underlying digital data has not been fully achieved. The underlying datasets for many published studies are not readily or freely available, introducing a barrier to verification and reproducibility, and the reuse of data. There is no current agreement or policy on the amount and type of data that should be made available alongside studies …

Controls On Fracture Network Characteristics Of The Middle Member Of The Bakken Formation, Elm Coulee Field, Williston Basin, Usa, Shashank Khatri

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Bakken formation in the Elm Coulee Field of the Williston Basin consists of three members: 1) upper shale member, 2) middle silty dolostone member, and 3) lower shale member. The upper and lower members act as excellent source rocks and the main reservoir is the middle member with an average porosity of 3 to 9% and average permeability of 0.04md. The Bakken oil play in this area is a stratigraphic trap with a pinch-out to the southwest and a diagenetic facies change in the northeast. The main production is interpreted to come from matrix permeability in the field area. …

Evaluating The Impacts Of Grassland Conversions To Experimental Forest On Groundwater Recharge In The Nebraska Sand Hills, Zablon A. Adane

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Sand Hills grasslands provide the greatest groundwater recharge rates in the High Plains Aquifer. However, the grasslands and their ecological services have become vulnerable to land use change and degradation. This study used a series of field data to investigate the effects of grassland conversions to forest on recharge rates in a century-old experimental forest in the Sand Hills. The results show that the impact of grassland conversion on recharge was dependent on the species and plantation density. Estimated recharge rates beneath the dense plantations represent reductions of 86–94% relative to the native grassland. Results of ¹H …

A Program Aimed Toward Inclusive Excellence For Underrepresented Undergraduate Women In The Sciences, Laura A. Katz, Kathryn M. Aloisio, Nicholas J. Horton, Minh Ly, Sara B. Pruss, Kate Queeney, Cate Rowen, Patricia Marten Dibartolo

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Created to foster inclusive excellence, Smith College’s Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (AEMES) Scholars program provides early faculty-mentored research opportunities and other programming as a way to foster success in academic outcomes for underrepresented women in science. Using academic record data, we compared Scholars’ outcomes over time with those of underrepresented students before program launch and to relevant peer comparison groups. Since its launch, AEMES Scholars have achieved significantly higher gateway life sciences course grade point averages (GPAs), rates of persistence in life and natural sciences, and participation in natural sciences advanced research relative to baseline. Gains for …

Near-Salt Stratal Geometries And Implications For The Evolution Of The Onion Creek Diapir Moab, Ut, Ethan L. Cook

Theses and Dissertations

The Onion Creek Diapir is one of many salt domes proximal to the Uncompahgre thrust front of the ancestral rockies in the Paradox Basin. It is comprised of Paradox Formation evaporites and large blocks of Honaker Trail Formation carbonates that were deformed by loading of Permian Cutler Formation progradational alluvial to fluvial fans. The history of salt movement in the Onion Creek Diapir is recorded in the near-salt strata. Large salt bodies and their adjacent mini-basins evolve conforming to a complex relationship between salt withdrawal, creating localized accommodation, and sediment deposition. Migrating mini-basin depo-centers, thinned and folded strata, and spatial …

Precipitation Drivers Of Cropping Frequency In The Brazilian Cerrado: Evidence And Implications For Decision-Making, Keith R. Spangler, Amanda H. Lynch, Stephanie A. Spera

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

The Amazon basin has been subjected to unprecedented rates of land-use change over the past several decades, primarily as a result of the expansion of agriculture. Enhanced rain forest conservation efforts toward the end of the twentieth century slowed deforestation of the Amazon but, in turn, increased demand for land repurposing in the adjacent Cerrado (savanna) region, where conservation regulations are less strict. To maintain or increase yields while minimizing the need for additional land, agricultural producers adopted a form of intensification in which two rain-fed crops are planted within a single growing season (double cropping). Using 10 years (August …

Actively Forming Kuroko-Type Volcanic-Hosted Massive Sulfide (Vhms) Mineralization At Iheya North, Okinawa Trough, Japan, Christopher J. Yeats, Steven P. Hollis, Angela Halfpenny, Juan-Carlos Corona, Crystal Laflamme, Gordon Southam, Marco Fiorentini, Richard J. Herrington, John Spratt

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Modern seafloor hydrothermal systems provide important insights into the formation and discovery of ancient volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits. In 2010, Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 331 drilled five sites in the Iheya North hydrothermal field in the middle Okinawa Trough back-arc basin, Japan. Hydrothermal alteration and sulfide mineralization is hosted in a geologically complex, mixed sequence of coarse pumiceous volcaniclastic and fine hemipelagic sediments, overlying a dacitic to rhyolitic volcanic substrate. At site C0016, located adjacent to the foot of the actively venting North Big Chimney massive sulfide mound, massive sphalerite-(pyrite-chalcopyrite ± galena)-rich sulfides were intersected (to 30.2% …

Alicyclic And Aromatic Carboxylic Acids In Soil Organic Matter: An Investigation Of Potential Origin And Association With Plutonium Using Advanced Analytical Techniques, Nicole Didonato

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Carboxylic acids are a defining component of soil organic matter, responsible for many of the physical and chemical properties, including metal-organic matter interactions, which govern its role as an important constituent of soils. However, there is a shortage of detailed molecular level information regarding orientation and structural arrangement of carboxylic acids within soil organic matter. This dissertation utilizes electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI-FTICRMS) as well as solid-state and multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to investigate the molecular formula composition within several organic matter sources and the primary structures that feature carboxylic acids. Soil organic matter …

Field-Scale Observations Of A Transient Geobattery Resulting From Natural Attenuation Of A Crude Oil Spill, Jeffrey W. Heenan, Dimitrios Ntarlagiannis, Lee D. Slater, Carol L. Beaver, Silvia Rossbach, Andre Revil, Estella A. Atekwana, Barbara A. Bekins

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present evidence of a geobattery associated with microbial degradation of a mature crude oil spill. Self-potential measurements were collected using a vertical array of nonpolarizing electrodes, starting at the land surface and passing through the smear zone where seasonal water table fluctuations have resulted in the coating of hydrocarbons on the aquifer solids. These passive electrical potential measurements exhibit a dipolar pattern associated with a current source. The anodic and cathodic reactions of this natural battery occur below and above the smear zone, respectively. The smear zone is characterized by high magnetic susceptibility values associated with the precipitation of …

Weathering Sequence Of Young Basalts: A Case Study From Kohala, Hawaii, Kimberly Francis Sowards

Theses and Dissertations

Exposed weathering profiles of a series of Pololu lava flows in Kohala, Hawaii are ideal for investigating the sequence of reactions/reaction pathways of weathered basalt. Weathering reactions for saprolites show mineral sequences that include feldspar → halloysite ± gibbsite + solutes; clinopyroxene → hematite + minor halloysite + solutes; olivine → hematite + solutes; magnetite → hematite or other Fe-oxides/hydroxides. However, the presence of smectite in four samples suggests that smectite-group clays may form as short lived intermediates at the base of the weathering profile. Regionally, on Kohala, soils and saprolites are dominated by halloysite with small quantities of other …

Volcanology - Multidisciplinary Science For A Versatile Campus, Simon Carn

Distinguished Lecture Series

Dr. Simon Carn was nominated by Dr. John Gierke and selected from a highly competitive pool of candidates as the Spring 2017 Distinguished Lecturer. His lecture, Volcanology — Multidisciplinary Science for a Versatile Campus, was presented in April 2017.

Volcanology – the study of volcanoes – is a truly multidisciplinary endeavor that encompasses numerous fields including geology, physics, chemistry, material science and social science. Arguably, Michigan Tech owes its very existence to volcanic activity, which is ultimately responsible for the area’s rich copper deposits and the development of mining in the Keweenaw.

Evolution Characteristics Of Landscape Ecological Risk Patterns In Coastal Zones In Zhejiang Province, China, Jialin Li, Ruiliang Pu, Hongbo Gong, Xu Luo, Mengyao Ye, Baixiang Feng

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Analyzing evolution characteristics of landscape ecological risk patterns would help establish ecological risk early warning mechanism, reduce the ecological risk probability and promote coastal landscape pattern optimization. In this study, landscape pattern indices were first calculated by using multitemporal Landsat TM images acquired in years 1990, 2000 and 2010, then landscape ecological risk pattern evolution models and the spatiotemporal evolutions of ecological risk patterns of coastal zones in Zhejiang province, China were constructed and analyzed. The results demonstrate that (1) greater changes have taken place in landscape structures during the two decades, and (2) the areas of cropland, sea, woodland …

Holocene Winter Climate Variability In Central And Eastern Europe, Aurel Perşoiu, Bogdan P. Onac, Jonathan G. Wynn, Maarten Blaauw, Monica Ionita, Margareta Hansson

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Among abundant reconstructions of Holocene climate in Europe, only a handful has addressed winter conditions, and most of these are restricted in length and/or resolution. Here we present a record of late autumn through early winter air temperature and moisture source changes in East-Central Europe for the Holocene, based on stable isotopic analysis of an ice core recovered from a cave in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. During the past 10,000 years, reconstructed temperature changes followed insolation, with a minimum in the early Holocene, followed by gradual and continuous increase towards the mid-to-late-Holocene peak (between 4-2 kcal BP), and finally by …

Naturally Occurring Acid Rock Drainage In The Anaconda-Pintler Mountain Range, Montana: A Case Study Of Geochemistry In Two Streams Flowing From Mount Evans, Margaret Doolittle

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Mount Evans is located in the Anaconda-Pintler mountain range of southwest Montana approximately 22 km southwest of Anaconda, Montana. Mount Evans appears reddish orange on Google Earth amongst the rest of the mountain range which is a grey white color, indicating the presence of limonite staining and probable sulfide mineralization. In addition, two streams draining opposite sides of the mountain, and either side of the continental divide have conspicuous white coatings on boulders that are clearly visible with Google Earth. During a mineral resource assessment in the 1980s, the USGS suggested that the Mount Evans area could be the top …

Sequence Stratigraphic Correlation Of The Bow Island Member Of The Thermopolis Formation Using Surface Outcrop And Subsurface Data, Liberty And Hill Counties, Montana, Michael Vineyard

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Bow Island Member of the Thermopolis Formation in Montana is a low-pressure gas producer, which formed due to the first (Kiowa-Skull Creek) transgressive–regressive cycles of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway.

The Bow Island Member and its correlative units (Viking and Muddy Formations) have been extensively exploited for oil and gas throughout Canada and Wyoming, but remains relatively unmapped in Montana. The area of stratigraphic study is located at section 15, T36N, R5E Liberty County, Montana. This area located on Dafoe Ranch exhibits a moderately exposed stratigraphic section of Cretaceous Thermopolis Formation. The Bow Island Member lies between the Skull …

Hydrologic Response Caused By Wetland Expansion At Huntley Meadows Park In Hybla Valley, Virginia, Stephen Fraser Stone

OES Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to understand the effects of wetland expansion across a watershed. The 2013 restoration and expansion of the wetlands at Huntley Meadows Park (Fairfax County, VA) performed by Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. provided the opportunity to study this process. The 630 ha park contains more than 364 ha of freshwater emergent and freshwater forested wetlands. The restoration and expansion project used a subsurface vinyl-piling dam that impedes groundwater flow leaving the wetland, thus expanding the existing pond and the surrounding wetland.

This study used a network of more than twenty monitoring instruments making observations …

Groundwater And Tidal Controls On Wetland Hydrology, Julie J. Metz Wetland Mitigation Bank, Woodbridge, Virginia, Benjamin Stuart Hiza

OES Theses and Dissertations

Julie J. Metz Wetlands Mitigation Bank, a 92-hectare freshwater wetland located in Woodbridge, Virginia, borders the tidally-influenced Neabsco Creek. Seven pods separated by earthen berms were built by Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc. (WSSI) in 1995 and 1997 by removing the toe of small sandy alluvial fans and covering the underlying coarse gravel bed with a low permeability cap. The basal Quaternary gravels were deposited in a creek valley incised into a thick sand-and-clay Cretaceous delta. The alluvial-fan apron developed at the base of steep slopes along the sides of the valley. Pressure transducer data from five monitoring wells along …

Earth News, V40, Spring 2017, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Earth And Environmental Sciences.

Earth News

Inside this issue:
-- From the Department Head Siobahn Morgan
-- Department Growth
-- Faculty Updates
-- SGE Newsletter
-- Congratulations 2016
-- Sunday at the Quarry
-- Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Stolley
-- Alumni Spotlight: Allyson Anderson
-- Congratulations to Faculty
-- Carver Grants
-- Hydrology News
-- Student Research
-- Donor Spotlight: Leslie Knapp

Evaluation Of Non-Ionic Surfactants With And Without Hydrogen Peroxide For The In-Situ Remediation Of Napl Contaminants, Charles E. Holada

Masters Theses

Laboratory studies were conducted on Quillaja saponins and nine other surfactants commonly used to remove non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) from soils and aquifers. The NAPL contaminant tested was diesel fuel. Static batch reactors containing an aged diesel-contaminated soil was treated with saponins and nine other commercially available surfactants to determine how much diesel fuel could be removed with the pore fluids after 1 day and 10 days of contact time. Of all the surfactants tested, saponins achieved the greatest removal of diesel fuel after 1 day and 10 days. There was large disparity in the diesel fuel removed by the …

Modeling Channel Response To Dam Removal In Lansing, Michigan, Using Swat, Ryan Filbin

Masters Theses

The removal of dams has increased in recent decades in the United States, largely resulting from decaying infrastructure and greater efforts to restore rivers to a more natural, free-flowing state. Dam removal presents the opportunity for increased public safety, improved environmental prosperity, and improved economic prosperity in conjunction with riverfront revitalization projects. The City of Lansing, Michigan, contains two moderate-to high-risk dams along the Grand River that pose a significant risk to the surrounding area in the event of structural failure.

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is applied to model the impacts of the Moores Park Dam and …