Earth Sciences Commons^™

Phosgene In The Upper Troposphere And Lower Stratosphere: A Marker For Product Gas Injection Due To Chlorine-Containing Very Short Lived Substances, Jeremy J. Harrison, Martyn P. Chipperfield, Ryan Hossaini, Christopher D. Boone, Sandip Dhomse, Wuhu Feng, Peter F. Bernath

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Abstract: Phosgene in the atmosphere is produced via the degradation of carbon tetrachloride, methyl chloroform, and a number of chlorine‐containing very short lived substances (VSLS). These VSLS are not regulated by the Montreal Protocol even though they contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion. While observations of VSLS can quantify direct stratospheric source gas injection, observations of phosgene in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere can be used as a marker of product gas injection of chlorine‐containing VSLS. In this work we report upper troposphere/lower stratosphere measurements of phosgene made by the ACE‐FTS (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer) instrument and compare with results …

Diatom-Inferred Records Of Paleolimnological Variability And Continental Hydrothermal Activity In Yellowstone National Park, Usa, Sabrina Brown

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

Fossil diatoms were used to reconstruct paleoclimatic and hydrothermal conditions in Yellowstone National Park. First, an extensive literature review summarizes the current state of knowledge about eukaryotic organisms characteristic of continental hydrothermal environments. Eukaryotes in hydrothermal systems can live at extremes of acidity (pH 9.0), and at moderately high temperatures (<62 >^○C). Silicate and carbonate precipitation in continental hydrothermal environments is mediated by eukaryotic organisms, which are important members of biofilm communities.

A case study of alkaline-chloride sinter deposits in Yellowstone Lake and the Upper Geyser Basin inferred in-situ diatom growth rather than post-depositional accumulation of valves settling from …

Urban Forests In A Changing Environment: Motivations For Tree Planting And Perspectives Of Climate Change Impacts On Urban Forests, Tobias Burnham

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

Urban trees perform several ecosystem services important to humans. Climate variability and poor management threatens urban forests with ecological and socio-economic consequences. Therefore, it is critical urban trees are sustainably managed. For an urban tree management plan to succeed, social inputs at the residential scale must be taken into consideration. The aim of this research is to help inform urban forest managers of social variables that may play an integral role in successful implementation of urban forest management plans. Social factors behind home-owner decision-making to plant or remove trees in the Lincoln and Omaha metro areas show that 75% of …

Evaluating Soil Loss From Ephemeral Gullies With Photogrammetry, Chinthaka B. Weerasekara

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

No abstract provided.

How To Search For Life In Martian Chemical Sediments And Their Fluid And Solid Inclusions Using Petrographic And Spectroscopic Methods, Kathleen C. Benison

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abundant resources and efforts have been employed in the search for life on Mars. Satellites, landers, and rovers have tested atmospheric gases, general sediment and rock compositions, and images of Mars surface in an effort to detect biosignatures left by any possible modern or ancient life. Chloride and sulfate minerals suggestive of past acid saline lakes have been found on Mars. In terrestrial acid brine environments, these minerals trap microorganisms and organic compounds and preserve them within fluid inclusions and as solid inclusions for long geologic time periods. Some cells remain viable, especially in the isolated, microscopic aqueous environments of …

The Birth Of A Forearc: The Basal Great Valley Group, California, Usa, D. A. Orme, Kathleen D. Surpless

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Faculty Research

The Great Valley basin of California (USA) is an archetypal forearc basin, yet the timing, structural style, and location of basin development remain controversial. Eighteen of 20 detrital zircon samples (3711 new U-Pb ages) from basal strata of the Great Valley forearc basin contain Cretaceous grains, with nine samples yielding statistically robust Cretaceous maximum depositional ages (MDAs), two with MDAs that overlap the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, suggesting earliest Cretaceous deposition, and nine with Jurassic MDAs consistent with latest Jurassic deposition. In addition, the pre-Mesozoic age populations of our samples are consistent with central North America sources and do not require a …

A Survey Of Sierra Nevada Magmatism Using Great Valley Detrital Zircon Trace-Element Geochemistry: View From The Forearc, Kathleen D. Surpless, D. Clemens-Knott, A. P. Barth, M. Gevedon

Earth and Environmental Geosciences Faculty Research

The well-characterized Sierra Nevada magmatic arc offers an unparalleled opportunity to improve our understanding of continental arc magmatism, but present bedrock exposure provides an incomplete record that is dominated by Cretaceous plutons, making it challenging to decipher details of older magmatism and the dynamic interplay between plutonism and volcanism. Moreover, the forearc detrital record includes abundant zircon formed during apparent magmatic lulls, suggesting that understanding the long-term history of arc magmatism requires integrating plutonic, volcanic, and detrital records. We present trace-element geochemistry of detrital zircon grains from the Great Valley forearc basin to survey Sierra Nevadan arc magmatism through Mesozoic …

Decomposing A Watershed’S Nitrate Signal Using Spatial Sampling And Continuous Sensor Data, Evan Clare

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Watershed features, physiographic setting, geology, climate, and hydrologic processes combine to produce a time-variant nutrient concentration signal at the watershed outlet. Anthropogenic influences, such as increased agricultural pressures and urbanization, have increased overall nutrient loadings delivered to the fluvial network. The impact of such increased nutrient loadings on Kentucky’s drinking water remains a potential threat to the region.

By coupling spatial sampling of nitrate concentrations in surface water with contemporary nutrient and water quality sensor technology, a decomposition of the Upper South Elkhorn watershed’s nitrate signal and an estimation of source timing and loading in the watershed was completed. The …

Refining The Onset Timing And Slip History Along The Northern Part Of The Teton Fault, Rachel Montague Hoar

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

A new apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) dataset from subvertical transects collected in the Teton and Gallatin Ranges in the Teton-Yellowstone region provides insight for the slip history and length of the Teton fault. Along the northernmost segment of the Teton fault, inverse thermal history modeling of AHe data from Eagles Rest Peak yield a ~9 Ma age for onset of fault slip. This age supports previous interpretations that Mount Moran may be the true center of the Teton fault. This refined interpretation coupled with lengthdisplacement fault scaling analysis and previous estimates of total fault displacement (~6 km) indicates that the Teton …

Fault Evolution In The Northwest Little San Bernardino Mountains, Southern California: A Reflection Of Tectonic Linkage Between The San Andreas Fault And The Eastern California Shear Zone, Ann Hislop

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Little San Bernardino Mountains (LSBM) Fault Set are N-S dextral faults, east of the restraining bend of the San Andreas Fault (SAF) in southern California, that may form a tectonic linkage between the SAF and the Eastern California Shear Zone. The NW LSBM are a complexly deformed structural domain characterized by the young N-S dextral faults and older NW-oriented Dillon Shear Zone faults. Before the 1992 Joshua Tree (M_w 6.1) and Landers (M_w 7.3) earthquakes, the rugged NW LSBM was the subject of few geologic studies. This bedrock mapping study has further delineated the geometry, distribution, and …

Variability In Groundwater Flow And Chemistry In The Houzhai Karst Basin, Guizhou Province, China, Joshua M. Barna

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding how karst aquifers store and transmit water and contaminants is an ongoing problem in hydrogeology. Flowpath and recharge heterogeneity contribute to the complexity of these systems. This thesis explores karst-conduit connectivity and water chemistry variability in the Houzhai catchment in Guizhou province, China. Artificial tracer tests were conducted during both the monsoon and dry seasons to understand temporal variability in connectivity and water velocity between karst features. Multiple flowpaths through the catchment are activated during the monsoon season and partially abandoned during the dry season. Additionally, gradient reversals during monsoonal high-flow events and as a result of pumping can …

Effects Of Depositional Processes On Strength And Compressibility Of Sediments Using Elastic Shear Wave Velocity, Wisam Razzaq Muttashar

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Depositional processes are the most critical, complicated conditions that govern sediment properties and their variations, which in turn significantly affect the geotechnical behavior of the sediment. The complexity of depositional and post-depositional processes, which results in a variety of depositional environments, makes constructing a plausible model for the consolidation process of sediments difficult. The mutual influence between the temporal and spatial variation of depositional environments with their resultant physical and mechanical properties cause several compression issues, such as consolidation settlement and land subsidence, which mostly occur in estuarine-riverine regions throughout the world.

The first aim of this study is proposing …

Rethinking Karst Hazard Assessment In Kentucky, William P. Pierskalla Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Current karst hazard maps in Kentucky reflect the general lithology of the state and ignore or significantly reduce the impact of the actual sinkholes present within these areas. These maps rely on equal weighting, by area, of the Karst Potential Index (KPI) map and the sinkhole inventory map. The KPI is based on a 1:500,000 geologic map and less than 500 data points of carbonate rocks. The sinkhole inventory is derived from topographic maps updated in the 1970s with approximately 10-foot resolution. This method gives a preferential weighting of the KPI over the sinkhole data. Consequently, the current method is …

A Joint Xrf-Δ13CCarb Chemostratigraphic Approach For Characterizing Paleo-Environmental Processes In The Mudstone-Dominated Wolfcamp Formation Of West Texas, Frank Tamakloe

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Late Paleozoic Ice Age represents a dynamic period in Earth system history recording a shift from icehouse to greenhouse conditions. Concomitant with this change was a series high-frequency, high-amplitude sea level fluctuations leading to the deposition of “Kansas type” cyclothems in the Mid-Continent, and a similar rhythmic expression of interbedded shales and carbonates in the Midland Basin. Stable isotope geochemistry is a particularly powerful tool when examining these mud-rich successions because changes in organic matter partitioning may be recorded first in δ¹³C_DIC of sea-water and consequently in δ¹³C_carb of marine rocks. The δ …

A Diatom Proxy For Seasonality Over The Last Three Millennia At June Lake, Eastern Sierra Nevada (Ca), Laura Caitlin Streib

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Sierra Nevada snowpack is vital to the water supply of California, the world’s sixth largest economy. Though tree ring and instrumental records show the dramatic influence of environmental change on California’s hydroclimate over the last millennium, few proxy archives assess winter precipitation variability farther back in time. Here, we use diatoms from a ~3,200 yr. old sediment core to reconstruct the paleolimnology of June Lake, a hydrologically closed glacial lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada. We test the hypothesis that limnologic and climatic changes control diatom assemblages at June Lake. Fossil diatom assemblages from June Lake sediments chiefly consist …

Determining Rates Of Landscape Response To Tectonic Forcing Across A Range Of Temporal Scales And Erosional Mechanisms: Teton Range, Wy, Meredith Swallom

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Understanding how mountain landscapes respond to variations in tectonic forcing over a range of temporal scales in active mountain belts remains as a prominent challenge in tectonic and geomorphological studies. Although a number of empirical and numerical studies have examined this problem, many of them were complicated by issues of scale and climatic variability. More specifically, the relative efficiencies of fluvial and glacial erosion, which are presumably controlled by climate, are difficult to unravel. The Teton Range in Wyoming, which results from motion on the crustal-scale Teton fault, is an ideal natural laboratory for addressing this challenge as the tectonic …

Integrated Seismic-Reflection And Microgravity Imaging Across The Southern Boundary Of The Charleston Uplift, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Usa, Drew D. Burford Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Charleston Uplift (CU), a 30-km-long by 7-km-wide, N46°E-oriented subsurface geologic anomaly in the northern Mississippi embayment near Charleston, Missouri, exhibits up to 36 m of vertical relief across the Paleogene/Quaternary unconformity. Subsurface structural relief, along with the CU’s coincident boundary alignment with contemporary microseismicity and the New Madrid North Fault (NMNF), suggest a structural origin. Subsequent seismic soundings indicate vertical structural relief is present in Cretaceous and Paleozoic horizons, supporting the fault-controlled origin. The southern boundary (CU-s) had not been investigated, nor had any direct fault images been acquired. Integrated microgravity and seismic-reflection methods across the inferred CU-s establish …

Temporal And Spatial Variability In Groundwater Flow And Chemistry Along The Cumberland River, Artemus, Kentucky, Amanda Rachelle Sherman

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Groundwater in the Kentucky Appalachian region is constrained by physiography and lithology. Lithostratigraphy, groundwater flow, and chemistry were delineated in the alluvial aquifer along the Cumberland River at H.L. Disney Training Center. To assess groundwater-river interactions and water quality, 11 monitoring wells were installed and sampled quarterly, plus the river and an existing bedrock well. Analytical results were evaluated for temporal and spatial trends. Collected soil cores were analyzed for bulk chemistry and grain size. Solute speciation and saturation indices were calculated and hydraulic conductivity estimated from grain-size analyses. Pumping and slug tests were performed to estimate hydraulic conductivity and …

The Forestry Reclamation Approach: Measuring Sediment Mass Accumulation Rates In Reclaimed Mine Lands And Naturally Regenerated Logged Forests Of Eastern Kentucky, William E. Bond

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The spread of surface coal mining has resulted in loss of forests in the Appalachian region. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) was developed to provide guidance for restoring forests on reclaimed mined land. This study hypothesizes that the FRA will result in larger magnitude of sediment accumulation rates in reclaimed mine sites compared to those reclaimed using grassland reclamation. Three sediment cores and six trenches were sampled within four reclaimed mined and three previously logged sites in eastern Kentucky. Samples were processed for radionuclides, grain-size, stable isotopes (δ¹³C), and POC. LIDAR data were used to identify valley …

Characterizations Of Linear Ground Motion Site Response In The New Madrid And Wabash Valley Seismic Zones And Seismicity In The Northern Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone And Rome Trough, Eastern Kentucky, Nicholas Von Seth Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The central and eastern United States is subject to seismic hazards from both natural and induced earthquakes, as evidenced by the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquake sequence, consisting of at least three magnitude 7 and greater earthquakes, and by four magnitude 5 and greater induced earthquakes in Oklahoma since 2011. To mitigate seismic hazards, both earthquake sources and their effects need to be characterized.

Ground motion site response can cause additional damage to susceptible infrastructure and buildings. Recent studies indicate that Vs30, one of the primary site-response predictors used in current engineering practice, is not reliable. To investigate site response in …

The Links Between Gulf Of Mexico Seafloor Characteristics And Petroleum Hydrocarbons Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kimberly J. Schindler

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Gulf of Mexico (GoMx) is among the most productive regions for offshore oil and natural gas recovery. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig exploded, burned for three days, sank, and released over 4 million barrels of oil in the subsequent 84 days before it was capped. Some oil was buoyant enough to float to the ocean surface, where some was removed via a myriad techniques. Importantly, a plume of oil remained suspended in the water column at approximately 1,100 m water depth, where it drove a marine snow event, and deposited large quantities of oil on the …

Extension Of A Quaternary-Active Shear Zone Across The Reelfoot Fault Stepover Arm: Evidence From P- And Sh-Wave Seismic Reflection Imaging, Brooks Rosandich

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Many seismic hazard source parameters such as slip rate, total displacement, strain accommodation, geographic fault location, etc. are poorly constrained in the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ). This is in large part due to the masking effect of the thick Mississippi embayment sediment package on seismogenic structures and features. Consequently, much of the subsurface geologic characterization needed for understanding seismic hazard sources requires geophysical imaging. Recent seismic reflection surveys 12 km NE of the Reelfoot Fault stepover arm of the NMSZ have suggested a northeast-oriented transpressional fault zone extending across the Reelfoot Fault stepover arm where its dextral displacement at …

Electrical Conductivity And Resistivity Study Of Heterogeneous Sediment In Inwood Hill Park, Manhattan, Ny, Rea A. Khaleda

Dissertations and Theses

The area near the inlet of Spuyten Duyvil Creek in Inwood Hill Park in New York City exhibits complex hydrological processes. The inlet is a tidal flat, which contains brackish water; a mixture of saltwater and freshwater. The area was modified by man, built on a shell bed and contains heterogeneous sediment. One field adjacent to the inlet contains several small sinkholes. Electrical resistivity and ground conductivity techniques were used in order to get an understanding of the hydrological processes of this field. It was hypothesized that the formation of the sinkholes is due to the tidal forcing of the …

Sequence Stratigraphy Of Middle-Mississippian Carbonates Of The Southern Appalachians: Tuscumbia Limestone, Tuscumbia, Al, Austin L. Caughey

Theses and Dissertations

This field-based research develops a sequence stratigraphic framework and detailed facies analysis which is used as a basis for understanding depositional histories of low-latitude, shallow-water, Mississippian carbonate deposits (Fort Payne Chert and Tuscumbia Limestone) in northwestern Alabama. This in turn, is used to evaluate controls on deposition (e.g., sea level, tectonics, paleogeography, and paleoceanographic conditions). Additionally, possible sources of the silica (chert) found within these units (e.g., eolian dust, upwelling) are evaluated based upon thin section analysis. Four facies and one subfacies were identified: F1: echinoderm, bryozoan mudstone/wackestone facies and Fla: muddy echinoderm chert, F2: echinoderm, bryozoan packstone/grainstone facies, F3: …

Did You Know: Devonian, Daniel Childress

A with Honors Projects

This student's A with Honors project is a study on the Devonian period, with a table categorizing 24 species from the period and a poster with 10 lesser known devonian facts.

Givetian/Frasnian (Middle/Upper Devonian) Transition In The Eastern Taurides, Turkey, Recep Özkan, Ati̇ke Nazi̇k, Axel Munnecke, Di̇lek Gülnur Demi̇ray, Eberhard Schindler, Tuba Aydin Özbek, Emi̇ne Şeker Zor, İsak Yilmaz, Rainer Brocke, Recep Hayretti̇n Sancay, Volker Wilde, Mehmet Namik Yalçin

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Devonian strata, including siliciclastic and carbonate rocks that were deposited in shallow marine to coastal environments, are widely distributed in the eastern Taurides of southern Turkey. To document the regional formation of the Givetian (Middle Devonian)/ Frasnian (Upper Devonian) boundary, a section in the eastern Taurides was studied in high resolution with regard to biostratigraphy, microfacies, sequence stratigraphy, and the global Frasne Event. The integrated biostratigraphic investigation was based on calcareous benthic foraminifers, ostracods, conodonts, and palynomorphs, which provide a biostratigraphic frame that allows to recognize the Givetian/Frasnian boundary. On the basis of the lithological variation in the outcrop as …

Sedimentological And Mineralogical Characteristics Of Red Soil In South Pirin Mountains(Southwest Bulgaria), Rossitza Kenderova, Ahinora Baltakova, Marlena Yaneva

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The northernmost derivation of the Mediterranean climatic influence and the wide distribution of carbonate rocks are factors that could explain red soils distribution in the lands of Southern Bulgaria. However, due to the mainly mountainous landscape, red soils can be found only on certain spots in Bulgaria. One of the most typical examples of red soil can be found in the lands of Nova Lovcha Village in Bulgaria, but this area was not studied in detail due to its border position. In this study, the catena principle was used to estimate the parental material and slope drainage relationships as factors …

Zircon U-Pb Geochronology, Geochemistry, Sr-Nd Isotopic Compositions, And Tectonomagmatic Implications Of Nay (Ne Iran) Postcollisional Intrusives In The Sabzevar Zone, Alireza Almasi, Mohammad Hassan Karimpour, Reza Arjmandzadeh, José Francisco Santos, Khosrow Ebrahimi Nasrabadi

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The mafic to felsic intrusive rocks of Nay (IRN) are located in the northeast of the central Iranian block. In this study, we present new major and trace element geochemistry, U-Pb zircon ages, and Sr-Nd isotopic data to discuss the origin of the IRN postcollisional units. The oldest units in the Nay area belong to Paleocene?early Eocene volcanic and pyroclastic series including basalt-andesite, latite, dacite, and tuff. These series are crosscut by subvolcanic and granitoid rocks with lithological composition varying from quartz gabbro to K-feldspar granite. The youngest igneous activity is represented by quartz monzodiorite dikes. Hornblende-biotite quartz monzonite from …

Mineralogy And Geochemistry Of Feed Coals And Combustion Residues Of The Kangal Power Plant (Sivas, Turkey), Ali̇ İhsan Karayi̇ği̇t, Riza Görkem Oskay, Rod A. Gayer

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

This study focuses on mineralogical and geochemical compositions of feed coal (FC) and combustion residues, namely fly ash (FA) and bottom ash (BA) samples, obtained from the Kangal coal-fired power plant in central Turkey. The X-ray powder diffraction data indicate that carbonate and clay minerals are dominant phases in the FC samples. In the FA samples, quartz, hematite, anhydrite, lime, and feldspar are generally dominant and abundant phases, whereas calcite, ettringite, and portlandite are generally more abundant in the BA samples. The elements Mo, Cs, and U are significantly enriched in the studied FC, FA, and BA samples. The statistical …

Graphite In Rocks Of The Popigai Impact Crater: Residual Or Retrograde?, Valentin Afanasiev, Sergey Gromilov, Valeri Sonin, Egor Zhimulev, Aleksei Chepurov

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The concentration of diamond-bearing tagamite from the Popigai impact crater produces large amounts of graphite in addition to impact diamonds (1:100, respectively). The question arises of whether this is residual graphite not converted to diamond at the time of the Popigai impact or is a retrograde form resulting from back-conversion of impact diamond to graphite in a high-temperature tagamite melt. Experiments show that graphite from tagamite is a residual phase. Coexistence of lonsdaleite, cubic diamond, and single-crystal graphite within a limited volume may be due to different orientations of the graphite base plane relative to the impact stress direction. Thus, …