Earth Sciences Commons^™

Chemical And Thermal Influence On Intermediate Magma Storage Conditions: Volcán Ollagüe, Chile-Bolivia, Central Andes, Drew Allen Laviada-Garmon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Continental arc volcanoes are the single best portrayal of the evolution of recycled earth material stemming from subduction, one of the most important and foundational phenomena in global tectonics. Understanding the genesis of intermediate-composition magmas produced at arc volcanoes is a difficult process making them a focal point for investigation. Geochemical investigation of zircon and plagioclase mineral phases erupted from continental arcs can provide insight into magma process, generation, storage conditions, timescales and differentiation of sub-volcanic plumbing systems prior to eruption events. The Central Volcanic Zone is a prime example of continental arc volcanism through subduction, and is host to …

Determination Of Recent Tectonic Deformations Along The Tuz Gölü Fault Zone In Centralanatolia (Turkey) With Gnss Observations, Cemi̇l Gezgi̇n, Semi̇h Ekerci̇n, İbrahi̇m Ti̇ryaki̇oğlu, Bahadir Aktuğ, Hedi̇ye Erdoğan, Esra Gürbüz, Osman Orhan, Süleyman Sefa Bi̇lgi̇li̇oğlu, Ahmet Tarik Torun, Hali̇l İbrahi̇m Gündüz, Osman Oktar, Cezmi̇ Türkmen, Efdal Kaya

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Tuz Gölü Fault Zone (TGFZ) is one of the most important active tectonic structures of Central Anatolia. The morphotectonic features of the TGFZ and the distribution of the epicenters of earthquakes over magnitude 5.0 show that this fault zone remains active today. In this study, the deformation of the TGFZ is determined with high sensitivity using geodetic measurements. To obtain accurate information about the deformation of the TGFZ, 24 GNSS sites and two continuously operating reference stations were constructed in the southern part of the TGFZ. Between 2018 and 2020, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) measurements were made on …

Tectonic And Structural Characteristics Of Erzurum And Its Surroundings(Eastern Turkey): A Detailed Comparison Between Different Geophysical Parameters, Çağlar Özer, Serkan Öztürk, Eren Pamuk

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The tectonic and structural properties of Erzurum and its surroundings have been investigated by evaluating the seismotectonic b - value, magnetic anomaly, edge detection analysis (total horizontal derivative (THDR) and tilt angle (TA)), Curie Point Depth (CPD), P-wave velocity (Vp), and Vp / Vs (S - wave velocity) ratio and by imaging the regional distributions of these parameters. For this purpose, all parameters have been combined to be able to reveal the new useful results on the study region and are presented for different locations and depths. The Vp values have been accompanied by high Vp / Vs ratios and …

Overview On Gplates: Focus On Plate Reconstruction, Shatavisa Chatterjee, Soumyajit Mukherjee

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Plate tectonic reconstructions have been employed in geosciences since 1970s, in the context of hydrocarbon exploration, regional geology and paleobiology. Such studies have given valuable inputs for climate and geodynamic computations, present-day mantle structure, models of plate motion, and the interpretation of the drift of hotspots, true polar wander (TPW), sea level and stratigraphic signals. However, geodynamic models generated in the past by incorporating global plate tectonic reconstructions have limitations. To overcome this, GPlates software brings forward a new era of interactive plate tectonic reconstruction software integrated with GIS databases that incorporates a wide variety of geological and geophysical data. …

Mineralogical, Petrological, And Geochemical Characteristics Of Şenkaya Chrysoprase,Turkey, Hami̇t Haluk Seli̇m, Aykut Güçteki̇n, Ferhan Şahi̇n, Mustafa Kaya, Beri̇l Kaya, Elanur Güner, Kami̇l Ömer Taş, Ahmet Karakaş, Yasemi̇n Kantarçeken

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Şenkaya chrysoprase is a gemstone and can be found near the Turnalı village located in the west-northwest of Şenkaya (Erzurum) county in the uplifted Kırdağ of Northeast Anatolia of Turkey. Chrysoprase only found in Şenkaya County and known with the same name commercially in Turkey is a light-dark green and cryptocrystalline structure gemstone encountered in the Örükyayla Mélange. Samples were collected from the field for defining mineralogical-petrographical, XRD, XRF, ICP-MS, optical cathodoluminescence microscopy (OCLM), FTIR-Raman and stable isotopic properties of Şenkaya chrysoprase. According to mineralogical and petrographic examination, Şenkaya chrysoprase has generally heterogeneous color distribution in macroscale and has 5 …

Hydrochemical Characteristics And Geothermometry Applications Of Thermal Waters Inthe Çürüksu Graben, Western Turkey, Ali̇ Gökgöz, Hali̇m Mutlu, Mehmet Ali̇ Akman

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

In this study, we investigate chemical and isotopic characteristics of low-temperature geothermal waters issuing from carbonate reservoirs in the Çürüksu Graben within the eastern termination of the Büyük Menderes Graben in western Turkey. Temperatures and pH values of geothermal waters vary from 20.1 to 24.6 °C and 6.62 to 7.11 and those of cold waters are 17.1 to 19.9 °C and 6.85 to 7.72, respectively. Geothermal waters are of Ca-HCO3 and Ca-SO4 types whereas cold waters are characterized by these two types and Mg-HCO3 as well. δ18O and δD values of samples vary from ?9.27‰ to -7.69‰ (VSMOW) and -58.06‰ …

Walkaway Vertical Seismic Profiling (Wvsp) Modeling And Imaging Study Along Faultedcoal Seams Over A High Velocity Limestone Model: A Synthetic Study, Cemal Erdemi̇r

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The problem of collecting reflection data from the layers below a high velocity layer (HVL) and imaging those layers accurately is solved using walkaway vertical seismic profiling (WVSP) technique. The procedure is shown on a dataset from a model of highly faulted, thin-bedded coal layers separated by a high velocity layer of limestone. By locating the receivers above, in, and below the HVL, the reflections are expected to be recorded locally in situ in the borehole below the HVL before they travel back to the surface as in the case of surface seismic. The imaging results obtained from the model …

Detrital Composition Of Triassic To Neogene Sandstones In The Sulaiman Fold-Thrust Belt, Pakistan: Implications For Pre- And Postcollisional Evolution Of The Northwestern Indian Margin, Shazia Fareed, Akhtar Kassi, Aimal Kasi, Namik Aysal

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Sandstones of the Triassic through Pliocene successions of the western Sulaiman Fold-Thrust Belt (SFTB), Pakistan, were studied, by polarizing microscope and using point-counting techniques, to determine systematic variations in detrital modes. The sandstones in the study area are categorized into pre- and postcollisional sandstone assemblages. The precollisional assemblage was deposited before the onset of collision of India with Eurasia (starting Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene) and subcategorized as Wulgai- Mughal Kot, Bibai and Pab subassemblages. The postcollisional assemblage was deposited after the onset of collision and categorized as Ghazij and Urak subassemblages. The Wulgai-Mughal Kot subassemblage mostly comprises of highly quartzose sandstones …

Relative Tectonic Activity Assessment Of Kütahya Graben (Western Anatolia): Insights From Geomorphic Indices, Zeynep Kezer, Erman Özsayin

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Western Anatolia is known as one of the most seismically active regions in the world, consistent with earthquakes having a magnitude >6.0. The deformation in the region is predominantly controlled by normal faults, which play significant role on the morphological features as well as depositional processes in related grabens. WNW-trending Kütahya Graben is located at the northeastern part of this province and bounded by several N- and S-dipping active normal fault segments. This study aims to investigate the relative tectonic activity among the fault segments of the Kütahya Graben using geomorphic indices. The analyses of this study include mountain-front sinuosity …

Late Ediacaran Inertial-Interchange True Polar Wander (Iitpw) Event: A New Road To Reconcile The Enigmatic Paleogeography Prior To The Final Assembly Of Gondwana, Bin Wen, Cairong Luo, Yong-Xiang Li, Yanting Lin

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The Ediacaran to Early Cambrian plate tectonics was dominated by a full dispersal of the supercontinent Rodinia and the subsequent amalgamation of Gondwana. There is a consensus that the final assembly of Gondwana was not completed until the Early Cambrian. Prior to the final assembly, however, one major uncertainty remains on the quantitative paleogeography: the mainland of Gondwana was plausibly positioned at either a high or low latitude at a single time instant to meet the dual-latitude ('high-latitude' and 'low-latitude') options of Laurentia and the requirement of

A Preliminary Account On Devonian Trilobites From Arabian Plate, Se Turkey, Catherine Cronier, İzzet Hoşgör

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

Recently, several Devonian localities and the related biota occurring from the southeastern Turkey were reinvestigated. Although, the Hakkari-Çukurca and the Diyarbakır-Hazro areas of the Arabian Plate are considered as an important source of the Devonian macrofossils from the north Arabian sector of Gondwana, the existing record of Devonian trilobites in these regions was hitherto unknown. We here report and illustrate for the first time Lower and Middle Devonian trilobites represented by three proetid pygidia and one calymenid pygidium. The morphological features of these pygidia suggest that they can be assigned to undetermined species of Gravicalymene (Calymenidae) and Podoliproetus (Proetidae), two …

Nature And Crystallization Stages Of Spherulites Within The Obsidian: Acıgöl (Cappadocia- Nevşehir, Turkey), Bahatti̇n Güllü, Kiymet Deni̇z

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The study area comprises a part of the Central Anatolian Cenozoic volcanism within the Cappadocia Volcanic Province (CVP). Obsidian, perlite rhyolite flows, and volcanic ashes are observed in the study area and the spherulites within the obsidian are the objects of this study. The spherulites occupied within the obsidian in the form of round nodules 0.5-10 cm in diameter. The confocal Raman spectra of feldspar minerals within the spherulites are characterized by T-O-T and M-O lattice modes in the range of 100-250 cm^-1, O-T-O deformation and T-O-T lattice modes in the range of 250-350 cm^-1, and …

Analysis, Processing, And Migration Of The Marine 4-Component Walkaway Vsp Data Set From The Seg Seam-1 Gulf Of Mexico Salt Elastic Modelling Project: Synthetic Study, Cemal Erdemi̇r

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The four component (4C) walkaway vertical seismic profile (WVSP) marine elastic synthetic data set from the SEG's SEAM-1 salt modeling project in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are examined, analyzed, processed, and migrated for P-P reflections using a reverse time prestack migration (RTM) algorithm to construct a subsurface image around the Well-1 VSP borehole. The imaging results from the three data sets; pressure-p, geophone vertical (z), and horizontal inline (x) components, have shown great successes in correctly locating and imaging sediments near and below the borehole as well as the vertical face of the salt, which is about 5 km …

Vertical Variations Of Minerals In Clayey Sedimentary Rocks In The Cores Of Two-Deep Exploration Wells From The Kozlu Coalfield (Zonguldak, Nw Türkiye), With Emphasis On Tonstein (Schieferton) Formation, Ali̇ İhsan Karayi̇ği̇t, Emi̇ne Sütcü, Abi̇di̇n Temel, Mustafa Ni̇yazi̇ Gündoğdu

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The majority of Turkish bituminous coal resources are located in the Zonguldak Basin. The Carboniferous coal seams in the Alacaağzı, Kozlu, and Karadon formations have received interest. However, the detailed mineralogical compositions of clayey sedimentary rocks in coal-bearing sequences in the basin have been limited. This study aims to investigate vertical variations of mineralogical compositions of Carboniferous and Early Cretaceous clayey sedimentary rocks cored in the two-deep exploration wells (K20/K and K20/H) from the Kozlu coalfield using XRD and SEM-EDX analyses data. In addition, a special interest is also given to tonstein layers identified within the Kozlu and Karadon formations. …

A Global Survey Of Volcanic So2 Emissions And Heat Flux Measured From Space, Nelmary Rodríguez-Sepúlveda

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Over the past two decades, the availability of satellite measurements of volcanic gas emissions and heat flux has driven the development of new methodologies to improve global-scale volcano monitoring. In this work we explored the relationship between volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions and radiant heat flux (RHF) measurements from NASA’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), respectively, to gain insight into how it associates to volcanic processes and eruption styles. The OMI SO₂ emissions data are derived from existing databases developed by using the methodology in Fioletov et al. (2016), which contain global, …

Defining The Endmember System Of Us Soils And Quantifying Relationships, And A Hyperspectral Approach To The Alteration Strength Index, Rachel Rulison

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Soils form a complex part of the environment, providing important functions in systems such as food production, groundwater movement, and ecosystem health. There have been numerous studies on soil geochemistry and the origin of elements within soils, but few studies into quantifying the relationships between elements and geographical data on a national scale. Using geochemical data obtained by the USGS, the surficial soils of the US were defined by a 13-endmember system using Polytopic Vector Analysis and mapped in GIS. Correlation matrices provided Pearson’s correlation coefficients for elements in the Top 5 cm soil profile, the A horizon, and the …

Building Interest And Knowledge In Geosciences Through Place- & Field-Based Teacher Professional Learning Programs: A Comparative Multi-Case Study, Emily Gochis

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The focus of this study was to develop and evaluate a geoscience professional development model that would improve K-12 teachers’ capacity to effectively build geoscience literacy and interests in students from a variety of settings and cultural groups. The research compared the application of a geoscience professional development model realized through multiple case studies of varying settings and scales. The study investigated the capacity of each approach in improving teachers’ geoscience background knowledge, awareness of local geologically and culturally significant examples, and ability to integrate place-based, field investigations into standards-based curricula. By using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, the study …

Fine Scale Mapping Of Laurentian Mixed Forest Natural Habitat Communities Using Multispectral Naip And Uav Datasets Combined With Machine Learning Methods, Parth P. Bhatt

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Natural habitat communities are an important element of any forest ecosystem. Mapping and monitoring Laurentian Mixed Forest natural communities using high spatial resolution imagery is vital for management and conservation purposes. This study developed integrated spatial, spectral and Machine Learning (ML) approaches for mapping complex vegetation communities. The study utilized ultra-high and high spatial resolution National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) datasets, and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Complex natural vegetation community habitats in the Laurentian Mixed Forest of the Upper Midwest. A detailed workflow is presented to effectively process UAV imageries in a dense forest environment …

The Economic Contribution Of Utah's Energy And Mining Industries, Tanner J. Mccarty, Zuyi Wang, Man-Keun Kim, James Evans

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Utah’s abundant energy and mineral resources are used to heat homes, drive industry, and keep the lights on. Effectively managing these energy and mineral resources and their associated supply chains requires knowledge of their economic value and how they currently contribute to Utah’s economy. This report calculates the total economic contribution of Utah’s energy and mining industries for 2019 and 2020. Each industry makes substantial contributions to Utah’s gross domestic product, employment, and tax base. Table 1 displays each industry’s economic contribution to Utah’s economy.

Collectively, these industries contributed over 10% to Utah's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), supported over …

Viscous Anisotropy Of Wet Olivine Aggregates, Megan Ryan

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

I will deform natural olivine aggregates (Anita Bay dunite) cores in various orientations relative to a natural mineral alignment in the rock under both dry and wet conditions. Different orientations in regards to this mineral alignment will produce deformation on different slip systems. Stress measurements will be taken during the deformation of the samples in order to characterize any changes in viscous anisotropy observed due to the changes in slip system. Anita Bay dunite is a proxy for the main mineral found in the mantle wedge of subduction zones. Therefore, understanding the transformation of viscosity and slip systems in this …

Geology Of The Jacksonville 7.5 Minute Quadrangle And U–Pb And (U–Th)/He Reveal Sediment Routing And Uplift In The Southern Appalachian Valley And Ridge Province, Derek L. Spurgeon

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The southern Appalachian Mountains have experienced multiple deformation events having undergone two full Wilson cycles. The foreland Valley and Ridge province is composed of sedimentary Paleozoic rock that range in age from earliest Cambrian to Middle Pennsylvanian. This sedimentary basin was intensely folded and faulted during the collision of Gondwana during the Middle to Late Carboniferous Period. From previous geologic structural mapping that has taken place, some large-scale structures in the Valley and Ridge Province seem to be out of sequence. To better understand the relationships in these structures, geologic mapping in high detail at the 1:24,000 scale coupled with …

Surficial Geologic Map Of The Upton 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Meredith Swallom, Matthew Massey, Maxwell L. Hammond Iii, Antonia Bottoms, Ann Hislop, Michele M. Mchugh

Contract Reports--KGS

The Upton 7.5-minute quadrangle is located south of Elizabethtown along the boundaries between Hardin, Hart, and Larue Counties and within the Mississippian Plateau physiographic region (McDowell, 1986). Topography is characterized by the low relief Pennyroyal plain that sits at altitudes below about 750 ft above sea level, the ridges, spurs, and isolated knobs of the intensely dissected Dripping Springs escarpment; the low relief cap of the escarpment landforms is part of the Mammoth Cave plateau region. Moore (1972) mapped the bedrock geology of the quadrangle, which was later digitized by Toth (2006). Mississippian bedrock is exposed throughout most of the …

Geomorphic History And Preservation Of Archaeologically Significant Areas In The Hanford Reach Of The Columbia River, Washington State, Benjamin Deans

All Master's Theses

Archaeological sites near rivers may be preserved through burial, altered by exposure, or destroyed through erosion. Preserved because of the unusual needs of the Manhattan Project, the Hanford Reach is the only remaining free-flowing reach of the Columbia River and ideal for research into the geomorphic settings of archaeological sites along this river. The 1894 (742,000 cfs [20,900 m³/s]) and 1948 (690,000 cfs [19,000 m³/s]) floods were the largest in the historical record through the reach, but their relationship with geomorphic change and site preservation are less understood. To understand how floods have preserved and destroyed …

The Effects Of Channel Incision And Land Use On Surface-Water/Groundwater Interactions In The Teanaway River Basin, Washington, Usa, Joseph Petralia

All Master's Theses

The Teanaway River basin, a major tributary to the Yakima River, is host to several restoration projects with the intention of returning the river channel to a more natural state and improving riparian habitat. These projects may also increase aquifer storage and potentially increase summertime streamflows. This study of the Teanaway Valley Family Farm, an 88-hectare parcel on the main-stem Teanaway River that was recently purchased by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, provides hydrogeologic data that will inform these restoration projects. Following the purchase of this land, ten wells were installed within and slightly above the floodplain in order …

Decadal-Scale Effects Of Large Wood Restoration On Channel Morphology And Groundwater Connectivity, Taneum Creek, Wa, Samuel Fixler

All Master's Theses

The importance of large wood (LW) in creating channel complexity is widely recognized; however, few LW projects have been in place long enough to track meaningful channel changes on a decadal timescale. Taneum Creek, located in central Washington, is one of the earliest LW restoration areas (2008) in the Yakima River Basin and the central Cascade Mountains. The flood in 2011, with an estimated discharge of 69 m³/s (2,400-2,800 cfs), provided further channel change by mobilizing LW and channel sediments. Three reaches with similar channel characteristics and LW additions were compared with a control reach without LW additions …

Assessing The Mechanics Of Two Earthquake Clusters In The Basin And Range Province, Jamie Hansen

All Master's Theses

The seismicity in the Basin and Range Province of the western United States often manifests as clusters of earthquakes occurring over brief windows of time, lasting from months to years. Two different earthquake clusters occurring between 2014 and 2018, near Challis, Idaho and northwestern Nevada, were assessed in this study. The seismic activity in the southeastern section of the Challis cluster began with a M5.2 earthquake that was likely the main-shock earthquake in an aftershock sequence. The northwestern section of the Challis cluster does have several potential candidates for a main-shock earthquake, but none have been identified as a start …

Landslide Inventory Dataset Post Hurricane Stan (2005), Lake Atitlan Region, Guatemala, Elia Axinia Machado, Yuri Gorokhovich, Mahta Ghahremani

Publications and Research

Landslides are a global hazard of devastating impacts resulting in thousands of fatalities every year, substantial economic losses, and long-term economic disruption. Examining the frequency and distribution of landslides is important to better understand their associated factors and to identify where future landslides may occur. The dataset described in this article consists of landslides digitized as polygons using high resolution aerial photography collected after Hurricane Stan (October 2005), which caused severe damages in Central America. In Guatemala, the total economic impact of Hurricane Stan has been estimated at US$983 Million dollars, with 719,000 ha of land lost due to flooding, …

The Kanarra Fold-Thrust System -- The Leading Edge Of The Sevier Fold-Thrust Belt, Southwest Utah, William Joseph Michael Chandonia

Doctoral Dissertations

“The Jurassic to Eocene Sevier fold-thrust belt is the subject of continued scientific curiosity in tectonics, stratigraphy, and industry. Understanding its development in southwest Utah is hindered in part due to the multiple origins proposed for the Kanarra anticline, a major leading edge structure -- a drag fold along the Hurricane fault, Laramide monocline, Sevier fault propagation fold, or a combination of these -- which have confused its tectonic significance and regional context. This confusion results from the structural complexity of its exposed eastern limb, as well as displacement and burial of its crest and western limb beneath Neogene sediments …

Evaluating The Relationship Between Floodplain Topography And Channel Avulsion: Evidence From The Devonian Catskill Formation, North-Central Pennsylvania, Usa, Molly O'Halloran

Honors Theses

Topographic complexity on floodplains can route flow, control sediment dispersal, and influence channel behavior, but studying floodplain-channel interactions in modern rivers is challenging because of human modifications and the short timescales of observable data. This project assesses the link between different types of floodplain microtopography and avulsion style in the Devonian Catskill Formation, north-central Pennsylvania, where thick stacks of fluvial strata provide a lengthy record of channel-floodplain interaction. Using a combination of field observations and computer modeling, this study identifies sedimentary features indicative of floodplain complexity and analyzes their impact on avulsion style at fourteen Catskill Formation outcrops.

Based on …

Controls On Carbon Gas Fluxes From A Temperate Forest Soil, Natalie A. White, Ruth K. Varner, Clarice R. Perryman

Honors Theses and Capstones

Forest soils consume atmospheric methane (CH₄), serving as a major global CH₄ sink that uptake an estimated 22 ± 12 Tg of CH₄ per year. Temperature and soil moisture have been identified as key controls of the microbial consumption of CH₄ in forest soils. Climate-driven warming and changing moisture regimes may impact forest soils’ role in the carbon cycle, and recent works suggests that forests could become weaker CH₄ sinks. Long-term monitoring sites can capture these changes, leading to better predictions of CH₄ exchange between the atmosphere and soils under climate change. This study …