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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-131_6, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-131_12, Mgrre

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Well Cave Field Report: Bracken Bat Cave And Preserve, Anthony J. Coronado, Byron T. Cox, Allison De La Houssaye, Fernando Jaime Sepulveda, Anthony Sadler, Aaron S. Yamazi

Geophysics

Well cave is a small cave entrance that sits northeast of Bracken Bat Cave on the Bracken Bat Cave Preserve Property. The cave entrance sits above the Balcones Fault Zone, a primarily karst environment, and is mostly comprised of Edwards Limestone (EAA, 2022). The goal of this project is to successfully detect the main cave passageway, and any other potential paths that branch from it, beneath Well Cave. In order to accurately detect any passages, GPR surveying and ER testing were chosen as the main methods to do so.

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Sturgeon Chub Distributional Patterns And Habitat Use And Benthic Fish Assemblage Structure In Missouri River Tributaries Of South Dakota, Mitchell R. Magruder

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

Native species of the Missouri River drainage inhabiting benthic habitats dominate state and federal lists of species at risk. Sicklefin Chub Macrhybopsis meeki and Sturgeon Chub Macrhybopsis gelida are two native Missouri River benthic minnows that are currently under review for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to extensive population declines and local extirpations within their native range. Substantial alterations to the Missouri River threaten Macrhybopsis spp. and other benthic fishes; however, large, less impacted tributaries in South Dakota may act as refugia for native species. The extent of Sicklefin Chub and Sturgeon Chub populations is largely …

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-131_1, Mgrre

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Earlier Snowmelt May Lead To Late Season Declines In Plant Productivity And Carbon Sequestration In Arctic Tundra Ecosystems, Donatella Zona, Peter M. Lafleur, Koen Hufkens, Barbara Bailey, Beniamino Gioli, George Burba, Jordan P. Goodrich, Anna K. Liljedahl, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Jennifer D. Watts, Mary Farina, John S. Kimball, Martin Heimann, Mathias Göckede, Martijn Pallandt, Torben R. Christensen, Mikhail Mastepanov, Efrén López-Blanco, Marcin Jackowicz-Korczynski, Albertus J. Dolman, Luca Belelli Marchesini, Roisin Commane, Steven C. Wofsy, Charles E. Miller, David A. Lipson, Josh Hashemi, Kyle A. Arndt, Lars Kutzbach, David Holl, Julia Boike, Christian Wille, Torsten Sachs, Aram Kalhori, Xia Song

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Arctic warming is affecting snow cover and soil hydrology, with consequences for carbon sequestration in tundra ecosystems. The scarcity of observations in the Arctic has limited our understanding of the impact of covarying environmental drivers on the carbon balance of tundra ecosystems. In this study, we address some of these uncertainties through a novel record of 119 site-years of summer data from eddy covariance towers representing dominant tundra vegetation types located on continuous permafrost in the Arctic. Here we found that earlier snowmelt was associated with more tundra net CO2 sequestration and higher gross primary productivity (GPP) only in June …

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(R1978) Heated Laminar Vertical Jet Of Psudoplastic Fluids-Against Gravity, Manisha Patel, M. G. Timol

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

A heated laminar jet of Pseudo-plastic fluid flowing vertically upwards from a long narrow slit into a region of the same fluid which is at a rest and at a uniform temperature is considered. The governing non-linear Partial differential equations (PDEs) for the defined flow problem are transformed into non-linear ordinary differential equations using the effective similarity technique-one parameter deductive group theory method. The obtained non-linear coupled Ordinary differential equations are solved and the results are presented by graphs. The effect of the Prandtl number and Grashof number on the velocity and temperature of the jet flow is discussed. Also, …

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Predictions And Drivers Of Sub-Reach-Scale Annual Streamflow Permanence For The Upper Missouri River Basin: 1989–2018, Kendra E. Kaiser

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The presence of year-round surface water in streams (i.e., streamflow permanence) is an important factor for identifying aquatic habitat availability, determining the regulatory status of streams, managing land use change, allocating water resources, and designing scientific studies. However, accurate, high resolution, and dynamic prediction of streamflow permanence that accounts for year-to-year variability at a regional extent is a major gap in modeling capability. Herein, we expand and adapt the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) PRObability of Streamflow PERmanence (PROSPER) model from its original implementation in the Pacific Northwest (PROSPER_PNW) to the upper Missouri River basin (PROSPER_UM), a …

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The Formation Of The 8˚20’ N Seamount Chain, East Pacific Rise, Dorsey Wanless

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Near-axis seamounts provide a unique setting to investigate three-dimensional mantle processes associated with the formation of new oceanic crust and lithosphere. Here, we investigate the characteristics and evolution of the 8˚20’N Seamount Chain, a lineament of seamounts that extends ~ 175 km west of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) axis, just north of the fracture zone of the Siqueiros Transform Fault. Shipboard gravity, magnetic, and bathymetric data acquired in 2016 are utilized to constrain models of seamount emplacement and evolution. Geophysical observations indicate that these seamounts formed during four distinct episodes of volcanism coinciding with changes in regional plate motion …

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Modeling Of Population Dynamics In Spatially Continuous And Heterogeneous Environments Using Partial Differential Equations, Ryan T. St. Clair

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis provides an expansion of existing reaction diffusion population ecology models into patchy landscapes with greater spatial heterogeneity. The Sturm-Loiville eigenvalue problem for a heterogeneous 3 patch landscape is solved implicitly and the population growth rate and migration dynamics on such a landscape are thoroughly discussed. In addition a system of interface equations is found whose greatest solution is the dominant eigenvalue of an N-patch landscape. The results of this model agree well with previously published results and show the mathematical equivalence of two published approaches for incorporating organism behavior at habitat interfaces. Increased modeling capabilities in heterogeneous environments …

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Carbon Cycling And Critical Zone Dynamics In An Urbanized Karst Groundwater System, Amy Hourigan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are correlated to rising global temperatures. Investigating the cumulative global carbon cycling processes is important to understand and quantify the global carbon cycle. By investigating basic geochemical parameters, EpCO₂, DIC, and δ¹³C_DIC, at four sites along Lost River Cave (LRC), in Bowling Green, Kentucky, concentrations, fluxes and sources of C dissolved in groundwater were determined. Urban karst groundwater systems, compared to more natural karst landscapes, typically exhibit widespread impervious, heat-absorbing surfaces, urban heat island effects, and increased anthropogenic groundwater inputs and localized CO₂ emissions. Carbonate hydrogeochemical …

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One Health In Action: Flea Control And Interpretative Education At Badlands National Park, David Eads, Lindsey Buehler, Anne Esbenshade, Jason Fly, Evan Miller, Holly Redmond, Emily Ritter, National Park Service, Sasha Wittmann, Paul Roghair, Eddie Childers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

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Flood Hazard And Risk Analyses In The Republic Of Panama: A Case Study From The Juan Diaz River Watershed In Panama City, Virgilio De Jesus Quintero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flooding is the natural hazard with most occurrences in Panama. Its frequency and magnitude have increased over the years. This dissertation analyzes Panama’s flood activity in order to better understand flood hazards, the current evolution of Panamanian perceptions of flood risk, and the incorporation of indigenous knowledge used to mitigate flood hazards. The first chapter developed a baseline of past and current flood inventory in Panama, which required the use of flood historical data, thematic cartography, and Geographic Information Science (GIS). This chapter shows Panama has experienced floods in varying degrees. Through the spatial and temporal distribution of floods from …

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A Framework For Assessing The 4th Rank Dispersivity Tensor Under Anisotropic Axial Symmetries, Xiang Fan

Dissertations

Multi-dimensional expansion of the advection-dispersion equation necessitated the representation of dispersivity as a 4th rank tensor. This tensorial form of dispersivity has 81 terms in three-dimensions with a maximum of 36 independent terms that may be used to describe Fickian spreading of a dissolved contaminant plume according to intrinsic properties of a porous medium. The complexity of the 4th rank tensor has led to the common practice of simplifying the tensor to only 2 or 3 independent terms by assuming isotropic conditions, although isotropic porous media are uncommon in nature as many natural geologic systems exhibit pronounced anisotropy. A broad …

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Investigating The Frictional Properties Of Organic Matter And Pore Structure Of Organic-Rich Shales With Atomic Force Microscopy And Scanning Electron Microscopy, Farnood Sobhbidari

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Understanding geomechanical properties of shales, such as stiffness properties and fracture toughness, is important in different areas of petroleum industry-related activities including fracturing efficiency, petroleum flow to the wellbores, and induced seismicity. Nanoscale to microscale experiments on shale samples require a much smaller sample compared to macroscale experiments. This is a major advantage because irregularly-shaped drill cuttings from shales can be used for experimental analyses, such as nanoindentation or atomic force microscopy (AFM). However, a characterization of mechanical properties at the nano- to micro-scale is a relatively new addition to classical geomechanical experiments on shales, and there is still lack …

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Late Pleistocene Piedmont Records In The Grand Staircase Region, Southern Utah, Alexander K. Short

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today the climate in the southwestern United States is arid, characterized by desert landscapes and habitats, periods of drought, and arroyo streams that frequently fill with, and erode, through fine riverbed sediments. A series of cliffs and benches rising from the Grand Canyon to the southern plateaus of Utah, known as the Grand Staircase - home to Kodachrome Basin State Park, Bryce Canyon, are a classical example of this environment as we know it today. However, a record spanning the past 300 thousand years is preserved on the steps of the staircase indicating periods in the past where the climate …

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Bedrock Geology Map Of The Naomi Peak 7.5' Quadangle, Cache County, Utah And Novel Age Constraints On Its Cambrian Strata, Hannah R. Cothren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Geologists use various “rock-clocks” in order to interpret the timing and tempo of events in Earth’s history. These include global geochemical events in the oceans (chemostratigraphy), the evolution of certain fossil species (trilobite biostratigraphy), and the radiogenic decay of uranium to lead in certain mineral such as zircon (U-Pb geochronology). Integrating these methods in the stratigraphic record in one location can provide a well-constrained timeline for a select part of the Geologic, or Deep Time, record. This technique is especially important in the Cambrian Period (538.8 to 486.9 million years; Ma), which sets the stage for life today with the …

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Ancient Marine Sediment Dna Reveals Diatom Transition In Antarctica, Linda Armbrecht, Michael E. Weber, Maureen E. Raymo, Victoria L. Peck, Trevor Williams, Jonathan Warnock, Yuji Kato, Iván Hernández-Almeida, Frida Hoem, Brendan Reilly, Sidney Hemming, Ian Bailey, Yasmina M. Martos, Marcus Gutjahr, Vincent Percuoco, Claire Allen, Stefanie Brachfeld, Fabricio G. Cardillo, Zhiheng Du, Gerson Fauth, Chris Fogwill, Marga Garcia, Anna Glüder, Michelle Guitard, Ji Hwan Hwang, Mutsumi Iizuka, Bridget Kenlee, Suzanne O’Connell, Lara F. Pérez, Thomas A. Ronge, Osamu Seki, Lisa Tauxe

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Antarctica is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change on Earth and studying the past and present responses of this polar marine ecosystem to environmental change is a matter of urgency. Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) analysis can provide such insights into past ecosystem-wide changes. Here we present authenticated (through extensive contamination control and sedaDNA damage analysis) metagenomic marine eukaryote sedaDNA from the Scotia Sea region acquired during IODP Expedition 382. We also provide a marine eukaryote sedaDNA record of ~1 Mio. years and diatom and chlorophyte sedaDNA dating back to ~540 ka (using taxonomic marker genes SSU, LSU, …

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A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Evolution Of Coastal Flooding In Texas And Louisiana For Application In Risk Assessment, Joshua Pulcinella

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Coastal communities of the northern Gulf of Mexico have historically been at risk of flooding from tropical cyclone induced storm surge and extreme precipitation. Relative sea level rise resulting from a combination of increasing global mean sea level and regional subsidence presents an escalating threat that requires a comprehensive assessment of changing flood risks for the area. This study examines how coastal flooding events are changing and focuses on the future risks to communities and infrastructure in Texas and Louisiana. Utilizing historic tide gauge observations, tropical cyclone records, and associated storm tide data, the frequency, duration, and magnitude of events …

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_9, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_10, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_13, Mgrre

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Statistical Analysis Of Aquifer Hydraulic Properties By A Continuous Pumping Tomography Test: Application To The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, Kan Bun Cheng, Gedeon Dagan, Warren Barrash, Michael Cardiff, Avinoam Rabinovich

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Characterizing aquifer heterogeneity is paramount for accurate flow and transport modeling. In this work, we present a new approach for statistical analysis of hydraulic properties in continuous pumping tomography tests of a phreatic aquifer. The method entails determining equivalent hydraulic conductivity (K_eq), specific storage (S_s,eq), and specific yield (S_y,eq) at many locations in the field and then calculating statistical moments of the equivalent properties, assuming they are random space variables. Equivalent properties are defined as the ones pertinent to a homogeneous aquifer for which the head time …

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Glacier Segmentation From Remote Sensing Imagery Using Deep Learning, Bibek Aryal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Large-scale study of glaciers improves our understanding of global glacier change and is imperative for monitoring the ecological environment, preventing disasters, and studying the effects of global climate change. In recent years, remote sensing imagery has been preferred over riskier and resource-intensive field visits for tracking landscape level changes like glaciers. However, periodic manual labeling of glaciers over a large area is not feasible due to the considerable amount of time it requires while automatic segmentation of glaciers has its own set of challenges. Our work aims to study the challenges associated with segmentation of glaciers from remote sensing imagery …

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Decision Making Under Uncertainty With A Special Emphasis On Geosciences And Education, Laxman Bokati

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In many practical situations, we need to make a decision. In engineering, we need to decideon the best design of a system, and, for existing systems - on the best control strategy. In financial applications, we need to decide what is the best way to invest money. In geosciences, we need to decide whether we should explore a possible mineral deposit - or whether we should perform more experiments and measurements (and what exactly). In some cases, we can compute the exact consequences of each decision - e.g., if we are controlling a satellite. However, in many other cases, we …

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Reprocessing Groundwater Resistivity Surveys In The Lower Mesilla Basin, New Mexico, And Texas, Leslie Bernal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Mesilla Basin is part of the Rio Grande Basin System. Its northern boundary is definedby the DoÃ±a Ana Mountains in New Mexico and to the south by Sierra San Blas, Sierra Almirez, and Sierra La Candelaria in Mexico, where the basin changes its name to Conejos-MÃ©danos. It supplies water for irrigation and public use to the cities of Las Cruces, NM, El Paso, TX, and Ciudad JuÃ¡rez, Mexico. The southern part of the basin in the U.S. territory, known as the Lower Mesilla Basin, is bounded to the east by the Franklin Mountains, to the west by the Potrillo …

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Physical Controls On The Hydrology Of Perennially Ice-Covered Lakes, Taylor Valley, Antarctica (1996-2013), J. M. Cross, Andrew G. Fountain, M. J. Hoffman, M. K. Obryk

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are a polar desert populated with numerous closed-watershed, perennially ice-covered lakes primarily fed by glacial melt. Lake levels have varied by as much as 8 m since 1972 and are currently rising after a decade of decreasing. Precipitation falls as snow, so lake hydrology is dominated by energy available to melt glacier ice and to sublimate lake ice. To understand the energy and hydrologic controls on lake level changes and to explain the variability between neighboring lakes, only a few kilometers apart, we model the hydrology for the three largest lakes in Taylor Valley. We …

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Computational And Experimental Investigations Of Alkali Cation Interactions At The Rutile – Water Interface, Isaac Johnston

All Dissertations

Overall, the objective of this dissertation was to investigate the degree of sorption for the alkali cations on rutile to ascertain the impact of different cation properties, such as ion size and charge density, on sorption mechanics as well as probe how the ion may alter the surface – aqueous interface. Initial molecular dynamic simulations and batch experiments showed minimal surface sorption for any alkali cation at relatively low concentrations while simultaneously suggesting the enthalpy of deprotonation shifts slightly in the presence of the alkali cations at different ionic strengths. The cations are likely causing small reorientations of the near-surface …

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_1, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_4, Mgrre

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Full-Text Articles in Earth Sciences

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-131_6, Mgrre

Thin Sections

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-131_12, Mgrre

Thin Sections

Well Cave Field Report: Bracken Bat Cave And Preserve, Anthony J. Coronado, Byron T. Cox, Allison De La Houssaye, Fernando Jaime Sepulveda, Anthony Sadler, Aaron S. Yamazi

Geophysics

Sturgeon Chub Distributional Patterns And Habitat Use And Benthic Fish Assemblage Structure In Missouri River Tributaries Of South Dakota, Mitchell R. Magruder

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

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-131_1, Mgrre

Thin Sections

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

(R1978) Heated Laminar Vertical Jet Of Psudoplastic Fluids-Against Gravity, Manisha Patel, M. G. Timol

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

Predictions And Drivers Of Sub-Reach-Scale Annual Streamflow Permanence For The Upper Missouri River Basin: 1989–2018, Kendra E. Kaiser

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Formation Of The 8˚20’ N Seamount Chain, East Pacific Rise, Dorsey Wanless

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Modeling Of Population Dynamics In Spatially Continuous And Heterogeneous Environments Using Partial Differential Equations, Ryan T. St. Clair

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Carbon Cycling And Critical Zone Dynamics In An Urbanized Karst Groundwater System, Amy Hourigan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

One Health In Action: Flea Control And Interpretative Education At Badlands National Park, David Eads, Lindsey Buehler, Anne Esbenshade, Jason Fly, Evan Miller, Holly Redmond, Emily Ritter, National Park Service, Sasha Wittmann, Paul Roghair, Eddie Childers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Flood Hazard And Risk Analyses In The Republic Of Panama: A Case Study From The Juan Diaz River Watershed In Panama City, Virgilio De Jesus Quintero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Framework For Assessing The 4th Rank Dispersivity Tensor Under Anisotropic Axial Symmetries, Xiang Fan

Dissertations

Investigating The Frictional Properties Of Organic Matter And Pore Structure Of Organic-Rich Shales With Atomic Force Microscopy And Scanning Electron Microscopy, Farnood Sobhbidari

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Late Pleistocene Piedmont Records In The Grand Staircase Region, Southern Utah, Alexander K. Short

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bedrock Geology Map Of The Naomi Peak 7.5' Quadangle, Cache County, Utah And Novel Age Constraints On Its Cambrian Strata, Hannah R. Cothren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

A Comprehensive Analysis Of The Evolution Of Coastal Flooding In Texas And Louisiana For Application In Risk Assessment, Joshua Pulcinella

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_9, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_10, Mgrre

Thin Sections

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_13, Mgrre

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Statistical Analysis Of Aquifer Hydraulic Properties By A Continuous Pumping Tomography Test: Application To The Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site, Kan Bun Cheng, Gedeon Dagan, Warren Barrash, Michael Cardiff, Avinoam Rabinovich

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glacier Segmentation From Remote Sensing Imagery Using Deep Learning, Bibek Aryal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Decision Making Under Uncertainty With A Special Emphasis On Geosciences And Education, Laxman Bokati

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Reprocessing Groundwater Resistivity Surveys In The Lower Mesilla Basin, New Mexico, And Texas, Leslie Bernal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Physical Controls On The Hydrology Of Perennially Ice-Covered Lakes, Taylor Valley, Antarctica (1996-2013), J. M. Cross, Andrew G. Fountain, M. J. Hoffman, M. K. Obryk

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Computational And Experimental Investigations Of Alkali Cation Interactions At The Rutile – Water Interface, Isaac Johnston

All Dissertations

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_1, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-129_4, Mgrre

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