Earth Sciences Commons^™

Soil Response Of Helicopter Liming In The Monongahela National Forest, Jarrett Douglas Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Soils in the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) are acidic due to sandstone parent material, acid deposition, uptake of base cations by vegetation, and release of organic acids by organic matter (OM) decomposition. Increases in soil acidity have caused declines in forest health and changed species composition and nutrient status. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but no large-scale liming projects have been done on acid forest soils in the USA. In anticipation of acquiring funding for a proposed liming project in the MNF, in 2007 and 2009 10 sites were selected to sample and analyze soils before lime was applied. In …

Multi-Scale Virtual Field Experience, Madeline S. Marshall, Melinda C. Higley

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Field experiences are a critical component of undergraduate geoscience education; however, traditional onsite field experiences are not always practical due to accessibility, and the popularity of alternative modes of learning in higher education is increasing. One way to support student access to field experiences is through virtual field trips, implemented either independently or in conjunction with in-person field trips. We created a virtual field trip (VFT) to Grand Ledge, a regionally important suite of sedimentary outcrops in central lower Michigan, USA. This VFT undertakes all stages of a field project, from question development and detailed observation through data collection to …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 46, 2021, Department Of Geography, Geology, And The Environment

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

A Reference Section For The Otavi Group (Damara Supergroup) In Eastern Kaoko Zone Near Ongongo, Namibia, P.F. Hoffman, Sara B. Pruss, C.L. Blättler, E.J. Bellefroid, B.W. Johnson

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

A reference section for the Otavi Group (Damara Supergroup) in the East Kaoko Zone near Ongongo is proposed and described. The section is easily accessible, well exposed, suitable for field excursions, and well documented in terms of carbonate lithofacies, depositional sequences and stableisotope chemostratigraphy. The late Tonian Ombombo Subgroup is 355 m thick above the basal Beesvlakte Formation, which is not included in the section due to poor outcrop and complex structure. The earlymiddle Cryogenian Abenab Subgroup is 636 m thick and the early Ediacaran Tsumeb Subgroup is 1020 m thick. While the section is complete in terms of formations …

Regional Correlation And Depositional History Using Well Log And Core Data Of The Middle Devonian Marcellus Poseidon 8m Well, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Usa, Emily R. Jackson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Marcellus Shale is the largest natural gas producing formation in the Appalachian basin, and as such, presents a unique opportunity for continued research on an area that is critical to meeting the energy needs of the current society. Although the Marcellus has historically been extensively researched, acquisition of well log and core data from the Marcellus Poseidon 8M well in Westmoreland County, PA, allows for application of a new method of data integration, which was utilized in this project to specifically understand the depositional environment and create a correlation with other study wells throughout the basin. This integration was …

Petrographic And Core Analysis Of The Jurassic Norphlet Formation: A Case Study In The Lithofacies Control Of Diagenesis And Porosity In The Flomaton Field, Al, Jarrett Thomas Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study includes a sedimentologic and petrographic study of cores and thin-sections from the Jurassic Norphlet Formation in the Flomaton Field in southern Alabama to define a specific paragenetic history of each facies encountered and to identify key controls on reservoir quality. Eolian dune, nearshore, sand flat, and wadi facies were likely encountered in Norphlet core and thin-section samples that displayed a high degree of heterogeneity between them in terms of porosity, grain contacts, cement abundance/type, intergranular volume, and overall diagenetic processes. These distinct petrographic differences suggest that the paragenesis in the Flomaton Field is primarily facies controlled. The eolian …

Reservoir Characteristics And Lateral Variability Of The Marcellus Formation At The Allegheny Mountain Front, Bruno J. Abersold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Marcellus Formation, a large shale gas reservoir located within in the Appalachian basin, produces the energy that fuels the economy across the United States. Well data and rock core for the Coastal 1H well, found in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, provides the basis to understand reservoir characteristics and depositional processes of the Marcellus Formation across the basin. The well is located near along the eastern edge of the productive fairway and adjacent to the Allegheny mountain front. We used characteristics, such as total organic carbon (TOC), geomechanical properties, and lithology, to integrate with ten other available wells across the basin. …

Refining The Sedimentology And Geochemistry Of The Mid-Permian Blaine Formation Of The Rebecca K. Bounds Core From Greeley County, Kansas, Brigitte Petras

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Red siliciclastics and evaporites of Permian Nippewalla Group in mid-continental US were deposited in western equatorial Pangea. Previous studies of these rocks record Permian air temperatures as high as 73 °C, saline lake waters with a pH as low as ~1, and sedimentology that shows arid conditions. This current study conducts detailed sedimentological observations and geochemical analyses of the Blaine Formation of the Nippewalla Group. The Rebecca K. Bounds core from west-central Kansas is used to interpret the depositional environments and diagenetic history of the Blaine Formation.

The lithologies of the Blaine Formation, listed in order of most to least …

Variations In Produced Water Chemistry And Relation To Regional Geology And Production In The Marcellus Shale, Northcentral West Virginia, Jonathan M. Brady

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An investigation of 74 Marcellus Shale wells across northcentral West Virginia indicates changes in produced water chemistry and quantity can be related to geologic conditions based on well logs and core data. These changes are determined by reviewing multiple produced water analyses for individual wells for periods up to ten years. Results show variations among the areas in this study. From west to east across central Harrison County to central Taylor County, then north into Monongalia County, gamma-ray logs show increasing intensity, especially in the middle and lower Marcellus. XRD mineralogy from core data shows increasing clay content from west …

Estimating The Azimuthal Mode Structure Of Ultra Low Frequency Waves And Its Effects On The Radial Diffusion Of Radiation Belt Electrons, Mohammad Barani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Characterizing the azimuthal mode number �� of Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves is critical to quantifying the radial diffusion of radiation belt electrons. A Wavelet cross-spectral technique is applied to the compressional ULF waves observed by multiple pairs of GOES and MMS satellites to estimate the mode structure of ULF waves. A more realistic distribution of mode numbers is achieved by inclusion of the modes corresponding to different wave propagation directions as well as at �� higher than fundamental mode number. For the event study of a geomagnetic storm using GOES data, ULF wave power is found to dominate at …

A Snapshot Of Ancient Microbial Life: Microorganisms And Organic Compounds In Primary Fluid Inclusions In Bedded Halite, Neoproterozoic Browne Formation Of Central Australia, Sara I. Schreder-Gomes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Modern shallow brine environments contain an abundance of microorganisms. Microorganisms, mineral crystals, and air bubbles can be trapped with those brines in primary fluid inclusions in bedded halite as it grows in shallow saline surface waters. Primary fluid inclusions and their contents can be preserved, unaltered, for millions of years.

The ~830 million-year-old Browne Formation of central Australia contains intervals of bedded halite with unaltered primary fluid inclusions. Intervals of bedded halite were sampled in the Empress 1A core from ~1480 m – 1520 m depths. Here, I used petrography to describe suspect microorganisms and organic compounds that were trapped …

Elevated Growth And Biomass Along Temperate Forest Edges, Luca L. Morreale, Jonathan R. Thompson, Xiaojing Tang, Andrew Reinmann, Lucy R. Hutyra

Advanced Science Research Center

Fragmentation transforms the environment along forest edges. The prevailing narrative, driven by research in tropical systems, suggests that edge environments increase tree mortality and structural degradation resulting in net decreases in ecosystem productivity. We show that, in contrast to tropical systems, temperate forest edges exhibit increased forest growth and biomass with no change in total mortality relative to the forest interior. We analyze >48,000 forest inventory plots across the north-eastern US using a quasi-experimental matching design. At forest edges adjacent to anthropogenic land covers, we report increases of 36.3% and 24.1% in forest growth and biomass, respectively. Inclusion of edge …

Potential Ecological Impacts Of Climate Intervention By Reflecting Sunlight To Cool Earth, Phoebe L. Zarnetske, Jessica Gurevitch, Janet Franklin, Peter M. Groffman, Cheryl S. Harrison, Jessica J. Hellmann, Forrest M. Hoffman, Shan Kothari, Alan Robock, Simone Tilmes, Daniele Visioni, Jin Wu, Lili Xia, Cheng-En Yang

Advanced Science Research Center

As the effects of anthropogenic climate change become more severe, several approaches for deliberate climate intervention to reduce or stabilize Earth’s surface temperature have been proposed. Solar radiation modification (SRM) is one potential approach to partially counteract anthropogenic warming by reflecting a small proportion of the incoming solar radiation to increase Earth’s albedo. While climate science research has focused on the predicted climate effects of SRM, almost no studies have investigated the impacts that SRM would have on ecological systems. The impacts and risks posed by SRM would vary by implementation scenario, anthropogenic climate effects, geographic region, and by ecosystem, …

North American Freshwater Snails As Paleoecologic Proxies In Crystal Lake, Medway, Ohio, Jaclyn R. Manker

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study combines various paleoecological proxies found within a sediment core extracted from Crystal Lake, Medway, Ohio in order to assess the lake’s sensitivity to past climate changes and how that may have affected lake water levels. Crystal Lake is a natural kettle lake formed at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. It is now surrounded by approximately 500 residential homes and is privately owned by the HOA of Crystal Lake. A sediment core was extracted from Crystal Lake in 2007 and has been carbon dated to 18000 years before present, indicating that it contains a complete sedimentary history from …

Grain-Size And Permeability Of Sediments Within The Hyporheic Zone At The Theis Environmental Monitoring And Modeling Site, Great Miami River And Buried Valley Aquifer, Southwest Ohio, Usa, Timothy Wayne Cornett

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The Theis Environmental Monitoring and Modeling Site is a field research facility, located on the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, dedicated to the study of hyporheic zone processes. The site is underlain by an aquifer on the order of 21 meters thick, comprised of fluvial deposits. The permeability of the aquifer sediments was quantified both from one large scale hydraulic test (~100 m radial distance) and from grain-size analysis of 119 small-scale core samples (~20 cm length each). The permeability determined from the large-scale hydraulic test is 98.9 Darcies. The test also gave a value for specific yield of …

Stratigraphy And Geochemistry Of Paleocene-Aged Bauxites From North Mississippi, Timothy Brendan Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bauxite is a heavily-mined aluminum ore that forms through the relative depletion of silica to aluminum. In North Mississippi, bauxite occurring within the Upper Midway and Lower Wilcox groups has been the subject of study for over a century. Despite the abundance and duration of research, controversy surrounds the subjects of bauxite genesis and economic value. The last detailed study of North Mississippi bauxite was in the 1980’s, so the goal of this project is to apply newly available technologies and modern hypotheses on bauxite formation to refine and obtain new data. Fieldwork observations yielded pisoliths, horizonation, and possible rhizoliths, …

Comparing Capabilities Of Shewanella Oneidensis Mr-1 And The Microbial Community Of Iron Caves To Reduce Fe(Iii), Aaron Douglas Pham

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Caves are generally formed by the erosion and/or dissolution of rock and its subsequent removal by water. Iron ore caves (IOCs) form despite being hosted by relatively insoluble and weathering-resistant rock. Due to the discovery of a microbial community behind the walls of these caves, it was hypothesized that these bacteria could be responsible for speleogenesis. Iron ore exists in an oxidized (Fe(III)) state, but reduced (Fe(II)) form is soluble. It was further reasoned that the bacteria might be able to reduce Fe(III) through direct metabolic activity, which uses iron as an electron acceptor. Here we show that cave microorganisms …

Sediment Nutrient Dynamics In Fondriest Agricultural Settling Pond, Marie Grace Bezold

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Excess loading of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is a serious global problem and has numerous negative impacts on water quality of aquatic ecosystems including eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia. Anthropogenic activities (such as the Haber-Bosch process, burning of fossil fuels, sewage treatment, and manure reuse) have led to excess N loading to aquatic systems. Sediment N dynamics were examined from Oct 2019 – Oct 2020 in an agricultural settling pond connected to a constructed wetland adjacent to an agricultural field. Intact sediment cores were amended with 15N for continuous-flow incubations to measure denitrification and N fixation rates, as …

Analysis Of Water Concentration Formed Within Deformed Synthetic Quartz Crystals, Andrew Steward

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Analyzing the strength of synthetic quartz is essential to understanding the strength of natural milky quartz, which likely controls the strength of Earth’s continental crust. Synthetic quartz is sometimes used for deformation experiments because it has a homogenous water distribution unlike natural milky quartz. The purpose of this study is to determine if annealing synthetic quartz at T = 600°C will convert the water in synthetic quartz to free water, like milky quartz, but with little water loss. Following two annealing experiments at Texas A&M University, I performed four annealing experiments to measure the water content of five synthetic quartz …

Recent Flooding Events On The Chagrin And Cuyahoga Rivers, Ohio, Kayley Martin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

From the 1910s through the 1980s, the number of intense daily precipitation events in the United States remained constant, however, since the 1980s there has been an increasing trend in intense single-day precipitation events (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). One outcome of intense precipitation events is river flooding, particularly in the upper Midwest region where floods have increased in magnitude and frequency (U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). In this thesis project, recent flooding history on the Chagrin and Cuyahoga Rivers in Ohio was studied to expand on previous research that observed an abrupt increase in high magnitude flood events on …

Temperature Variance Portends And Indicates The Extent Of Abrupt Climate Shifts, Christine Ramadhin, Chuixiang Yi, George Hendrey

Publications and Research

Here, we show a discernable increase in temperature variance before a glacial termination by both the Ansari-Bradley test and the moving variance methods plus introduce the idea that there is a correlation between the peak variance and peak temperature increase. The behavior of temperature variance shows potential as a useful tool in analyzing time series data of Earth systems to assess the risk and extent of an upcoming abrupt climate transition.

Potential Solar Replacement Of Hydroelectricity To Reopen Rivers: Maine As A Case Example, Shailesh Sharma, John Waldman

Publications and Research

Hydroelectricity provides 6% of U.S. electrical power needs, but hydro-dams also cause environmental harm, including the retardation or complete blockage of spawning runs of anadromous fishes. To facilitate fish movements, engineered-fishways have long been used but many have performed poorly. Dam-removal is the most effective way of restoring dwindling migratory fish populations by allowing unrestricted pathways to their spawning areas and for the downstream migrations of post-spawning adults and juveniles. However, removals of hydro-dams result in a loss of electricity production. For the replacement of energy foregone from hydro-dam removals, various alternative energy installations are now feasible. We present one-to-one …

Supporting Data - Recycling Of Nitrate And Organic Matter By Plants In The Vadose Zone Of A Saturated Riparian Buffer, Patience Bosompemaa, Eric Wade Peterson, William Perry, Wondwosen M. Seyoum

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Data from the analysis of nitrate as nitrogen in the soil and soil pore water within the vadose zone of a saturated riparian buffer (SRB). Additional properties measured include: Organic matter (as %), bulk density, moisture content, and porosity. Soil samples were collected pre-growing season (n=57) and post-growing season from two plots (n=29): vegetated plots and barren plots. Statistical comparison of among the treatments, Pre-growing season, plot with plants, and barren plot, and among the different depths, 30 cm, 60 cm, and 90 cm identified significantly different soil NO₃^--N concentrations. Plots with plants experienced a reduction in …

Supporting Data – Floating Gardens, Chicago River, April 29, 2018 To November 19, 2019, Eric Wade Peterson, Phil Nicodemus, Emmett Andrew Spooner

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Between April 29, 2018 to November 19, 2019, water samples were collected upstream and downstream of a floating garden installed along the Chicago River. At each location, samples were collected at the surface and at 0.3 m below the surface. In-situ measurements of Dissolved Oxygen, Specific Conductance, and Temperature were recorded with a YSI 85. Anion samples were analyzed using a Ion Chromatograph for fluoride (F^-), chloride (Cl^-), nitrate as nitrogen (NO₃-N), phosphate (PO₄^-3), and sulfate (SO₄^-2). The available dataset provides the recorded field parameters and the analyzed …

The Effectiveness Of An Artificial Floating Wetland To Remove Nutrients In An Urban Stream: A Pilot-Study In The Chicago River, Chicago, Il Usa, Eric W. Peterson, Phil Nicodemus, Emmett Spooner, Abigail Heath

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Ever expanding urbanized landscapes are increasingly impacting streams that run through them. Among other stressors, urban streams often are host to elevated concentrations of nutrients, salts, and heavy metals. The pollutants, coupled with high temperatures, are drivers of ecosystem degradation in urban streams. The installation of artificial floating wetlands (AFWs) has been successful in mitigating the effects of urbanization in lakes and wastewater treatment ponds, but rarely have they been tested in streams. This pilot-study examined the ability of an AFW to improve water quality in an urban stream. The small, 90 m2 AFW was installed to improve the aquatic …

It's More Than What You Know: Conceptual Understanding And Spatial Skill Impact Student Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretation Skill, Bailey Zo Kreager

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Sequence stratigraphic interpretation and 3-D spatial and spatiotemporal skills are considered important for the petroleum industry. Despite the importance of sequence stratigraphic interpretations for student careers, students struggle to understand basic concepts such as eustasy, relative sea-level and base-level. However, little is known about the relationship between spatial skill and sequence stratigraphy or the impact of instruction on sequence stratigraphic diagrams. This study begins to fill this gap by testing 1) whether spatial skills predict success on a sequence stratigraphic interpretation task, 2) the impact of Wheeler diagram instruction on student sequence stratigraphic interpretation skill, and 3) the impact of …

Pre-Stack Seismic Inversion And Amplitude Variation With Offset (Avo) Attributes As Hydrocarbon Indicators In Carbonate Rocks: A Case Study From The Illinois Basin, Jacob T. Murchek

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Amplitude anomalies in pre-stack seismic data have widely been used in the oil and gas industry as a risk analysis tool when exploring for hydrocarbons. AVO analysis is most often applied to poorly consolidated Tertiary rocks due to the compressibility of these strata when natural gas and porosity are present. In contrast, well-lithified carbonate rocks are less prone to producing a pre-stack amplitude response due to the rigidity of their frame. Pre-stack seismic data of a 2-D seismic profile were conditioned and interpreted to identify amplitude variation with offset (AVO) attributes corresponding to the presence of hydrocarbons within the North …

Internal Loading Of Nitrogen (N) And Phosphorus (P), Reduced N Forms, And Periodic Mixing Support Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (Habs) In Shallow, Eutrophic Honeoye Lake (New York, Usa), Justin Adam Myers

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Cyanobacteria are important primary producers, but large cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) have many negative ecological and health impacts and are becoming increasingly common. Honeoye Lake (New York, USA) is a shallow, eutrophic lake characterized by increasingly frequent HABs. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) loads often drive HABs in lakes, and sediment processes can contribute to N removal (e.g., denitrification) or loading (e.g., N fixation, remineralization). Sediment cores and lake water were collected during May–October (2016–2018) at two sites and incubated with no amendments (controls) or 15N stable isotopes to measure sediment nutrient fluxes and N cycling dynamics in Honeoye …

Sediment-Water Fluxes Of Phosphorus And Trace Metals In The Maumee River, Northwest Ohio, Emily L. Holliday

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Excess phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) in the western basin of Lake Erie drive annual cyanobacteria blooms and associated hypoxia events. The Maumee River inputs ~5% of the water load into the western basin and ~50% of annual P loadings. I quantified seasonal variability of net P and metals fluxes from sediments in the Maumee River at four stations from Defiance, Ohio, to Maumee Bay. Upriver sediments were, on average, a total and filtered P sink throughout the year (−19 ± 7 and −6 ± 3, respectively; all fluxes represent `net flux’ reported in µmol m−2 h−1). At the river …

Structural Analysis And Interpretation Of Deformation Along The Keweenaw Fault System West Of Lake Gratiot, Keweenaw County, Michigan, Sophie A. Mueller

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Keweenaw fault is perhaps the most significant fault associated with the Midcontinent Rift System of the north-central United States. The fault, parallel to the south edge of the rift, has been interpreted as a rift-bounding normal fault that was inverted by subsequent compressional events, thrusting copper-bearing Portage Lake Volcanics (~ 1.1 Ga) over younger Jacobsville Sandstone. Geologic maps and cross sections published in the 1950s by the U. S. Geological Survey depict the fault with a well-defined, single, sinuous trace that is locally associated with smaller branch faults. Cross-sections from that time generally show a simple listric stratal geometry …