Earth Sciences Commons^™

193, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 193 - shale - sedimentary rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/193-913542aad2dd4a6d86eac7bfa70b9c60

197, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 197 - travertine - sedimentary rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/197-959f8344bab6442a9a3eb809e2f1f67b

204, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 204 - gneiss - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/204-e91ace334cb84e8bbb9cc7e7443e8cdb

210, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 210 - marble - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/210-80464256a4a846e3965a036e2e10dcd3

221, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 221 - slate - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/221-d11e06f3e66a4d86bd82d9480ca95d37

215, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 215 - schist - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/215-a8fa9b8b1fc447fca54517e12cbaea8f

208, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 208 - marble - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/208-20641b2883684b4bbe7e32bcb7a62973

222, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 222 - slate - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/222-8479f067f5e64585b10a12493bd2b6be

251, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 251 - anthracite - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/251-344dd33d2e8242e0a4717a571ec59b18

254, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 254 - hornfels - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/254-14a1101e965640a6b5c3f5149a8708e1

261, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 261 - conglomerate - sedimentary rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/261-ec9156ee607242a7b4a9504d7c3af499

264, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 264 - quartzite - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/264-946bceab652f4f4a9ce4a1bb6c4da9c0

270, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 270 - slate - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/270-815ee7884c6b4a18ad11bdd18d0b14bf

267, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 267 - marble - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/267-5cd2ad41b91248f5926fcc7a3848fba8

266, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 266 - hornfels - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/266-b23a020c463f4f69ac3dd1ae659a2050

268, Scott Brande

All 3D Rock Models

Model 268 - phyllite - metamorphic rock

SketchFab link: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/268-ba9597eb3c504ed5b91fe6ab00e24418

Investigating Antimicrobial Producing Bacteria Within The Soil, Adam Zwawi

A with Honors Projects

Genetic sequencing techniques used to identify soil antibiotic bacteria

Groundwater Vulnerability Assessment And Dye Trace Of War Fork River In Daniel Boone National Forest, Will Hemenover

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Daniel Boone National Forest plays a key role in preserving much of Kentucky’s karst regions, natural resources including timber, mineral deposits, and biodiversity, including over 300 species of concern. The health of these environments is determined by surface and groundwater streams in the forest, and karst systems are an integral environment where these systems are active. War Fork, a tributary to the Kentucky River in Jackson County, Kentucky, is a remote and understudied hydrologic system in the Daniel Boone National Forest that contains recreational and logging land uses. Due to karst areas being susceptible to contamination because of rapid water …

Soil Biogeochemistry In Riparian And Restored Tidal Wetlands: Monitoring And Method Evaluation, Joseph Anthony Loffredo

Open Access Master's Theses

Although soils are essential for sustaining ecosystems, they are often overlooked in routine monitoring efforts during restoration projects. This thesis tries to address the interest in and challenges of measuring and monitoring soil biogeochemical properties and processes to evaluate restoration trajectories. In the first part of this thesis (Chapter 1), I monitored tidal marsh vegetation and soil biogeochemical responses to restoration by thin-layer placement (TLP) of dredged sediments in a greenhouse mesocosm study and a parallel field study at an active restoration site in southern RI. In the greenhouse, aboveground plant biomass in mesocosms treated with +5 cm and +10 …

Recent Paleolimnological History Of Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (Usa), Hillary Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study utilizes a recently acquired, high-resolution CHIRP seismic reflection dataset and a deepwater sediment core to analyze the recent stratigraphy of Jackson Lake (Wyoming, USA). The western shoreline of Jackson Lake is situated adjacent to the Teton fault, a down-to-the-east normal fault that produces the spectacular high topography of Grand Teton National Park. The sediments of Jackson Lake are underexplored and consequently, their value as indicators of hydroclimatic and tectonic changes is unknown. Here, the sedimentary fill of Jackson Lake is explored as a natural archive of environmental change, specifically in reference to the influence of human outlet engineering …

Microstructural, Mineralogical, And Chemical Characterization Of The Handys Bend And Flax Creek Meteorites, Kentucky: Relevance For The Iron Meteorite Record, Ethan S.L. Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Iron meteorites remain the only material view into planetary cores. Despite their scientific relevance, iron meteorites are relatively rare. In June 2021 and March 2022, the Kentucky Geological Survey received requests to identify two metallic specimens discovered in central Kentucky. The specimens were given the provisional names Handys Bend (3175.2 g) and Flax Creek (286.2 g). The goal of this project is to confirm meteoritic origin, characterize their structures and chemistry, assign genetic classifications, and examine potential relations to previous discoveries. Petrography was conducted using scanning electron microscopy. Mineral phases were examined using X-Ray diffraction crystallography. Chemical compositions were determined …

Thermal Alteration Of The Mineralogy Of Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cements: Implications For The Performance Of Rapid Repair Materials, Jillian Cavellier

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) was developed in part to lessen the environmental impact of cementitious materials compared to traditional Portland cements. CSA was first put into production in the 1970s and has been undergoing various performance testing to investigate its durability. Yet to be evaluated is CSA’s response to a rapid, high temperature event. In this study, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and scanning electron microscope imaging were used to analyze alterations in the mineralogy due to such an event. As found in previous studies, after ~125°C, ettringite has been completely dehydrated. Ettringite decomposes into bassanite and calcium …

Assessing Microplastic Contamination Within Karst Groundwater Basins In Kentucky, Maaz Fareedi

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The input and abrasion of plastic waste in the environment has long been known to form microplastics (MPs). These ubiquitous contaminants are easily mobilized into hydrologic systems. MPs are now being found in karst aquifers around the world, including several across Kentucky, USA. Due to their size (< 5 mm in diameter), chemical properties, abundance, and wide distribution, MPs pose numerous ecological hazards, including uptake by organisms and as substrates for contaminant sorption. Karst groundwater is especially vulnerable to surface contaminants; however, knowledge of the extent of karst MP contamination is limited, with most studies focused on individual sites or small areas. In this study, we created a MP contamination dataset for 30 karst springs and 10 locations where cave sediments were characterized across Kentucky. MP concentrations in groundwater samples ranged from 0 to 41.1 items/L and yielded an average of 4.9 ± 8.7 items/L. Sediment MP concentrations ranged from 0 to 306 items/kg. We performed statistical analyses and linear regressions to examine whether groundwater MP concentrations could be explained by factors including land use, population density, basin area, numbers of sinkholes, and sinking streams. Our models revealed that population density, agrarian land use, sinking stream density, and basin area were related to MP concentrations. All factors except basin area trended positively with MP concentration, while basin area trended negatively. These relations are generally corroborated by existing literature, however they indicate that further studies with considerably larger sample sizes are needed to determine mechanistic relationships.

Visualizing And Automating Past, Real-Time, And Forecast Dynamic Hazard Maps For Shallow Colluvial Landslides In Eastern Kentucky, Nathaniel O'Leary

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Landslide hazards are a persistent threat to communities and infrastructure in Eastern Kentucky, where steep slopes, shallow colluvial soils, and variable hydrological conditions make slope failures frequent. This thesis presents an integrated approach to landslide hazard mapping (LHM) through the development of dynamic, spatiotemporal LHMs for shallow colluvial landslides. Two studies within this work investigate and refine the use of the Lu and Godt (2008) factor of safety (FS) equation to improve landslide predictions. The first study establishes a novel LHM workflow using Hydrus-1D to simulate soil moisture infiltration and fluctuations from precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) data. This study also …

Sh-Wave Seismic-Reflection Efficiency Technique For Investigating The Wolf Island Fault, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Usa, Stephanie Vicroy

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Reelfoot Fault within the New Madrid seismic zone has displacement at seismogenic depth to which the surface expression has unequal displacement. Previous work identified northeast-oriented transpressional fault strands northeast of a bend in the scarp as evidence for a through-going shear-zone, acting as potential accommodation for the observed strain imbalance. This investigation projected the trend of these faults to their intersection with an industry seismic survey at Wolf Island, Missouri, which exhibits a similarly structured faulted zone. We suggest this structure is the continuation of the through-going shear zone representing a previously unknown 22-km-long Quaternary-active fault that can affect …

Alteration Of Ultramafic Lamprophyres And Its Effect On Rare Earth Element Distribution In The Illinois-Ketucky Fluorspar District, Zachary O. Walton

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The ultramafic lamprophyres of the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District (IKFD) have been identified as a potential domestic source of rare earth elements (REEs). The present distribution of the REEs and the role of the carbonate alteration in the distribution of the REEs is poorly understood. Petrographic and geochemical analyses were employed to determine the nature of the mantle source region and timing of the carbonate mineralization. Ratios of ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd vs. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr demonstrate that in addition to the intrusion of primitive magma into the crust, a melt was generated from a mantle source region metasomatized by …

Re-Examination Of A Middle Mississippian Carbonate Mud-Mound Complex From The Fort Payne Formation In South-Central, Kentucky, Maxwell Mickelson

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

This study examines the origin of a 213-m (700-ft) long, Middle Mississippian, carbonate “mud-mound complex” in the Fort Payne Formation of south-central Kentucky. The complex’s well-exposed, easily accessible, and well-preserved nature provides an opportunity to understand how mounds like this developed during a time of sediment starvation, basinward of the largely abandoned Borden-Grainger Delta complex.

The mound complex is formed of small, accretionary mounds that accreted onto the flanks of an eroded structural high and onto the backs of each other, apparently for protection from storms. Each sub-mound is composed of micrite-rich wackestone, comprising one of two biofacies: 1) alternating …

High Resolution Sedimentary Investigations Of Extant Lakes In North America, John Dilworth

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Investigation of past lake environments forms the discipline of paleolimnology. Paleolimnological studies seek to evaluate geophysical, geochemical, and ecological proxies and indicators contained within lake sediment archives. Using these potential stores of high-resolution environmental information, questions regarding climate, biological, and geochemical changes experienced by a lake and its watershed can be investigated. This dissertation research utilized lake sediment records from two lakes within North America to study different aspects of environmental change. This dissertation consists of three separate studies presented in three chapters.

Chapter Two presents a retrospective environmental assessment of Jackson Lake, Wyoming to investigate the impacts of dam …

Utilizing Isotope Tracing To Assess Land Use Implications To Tap And Stream Water Chemistry, Katrina Alexis Mcfadden

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Water quality is an issue that continues to be worsened by extreme flooding, specifically in Eastern Kentucky. The most recent 2022 flooding event in Eastern Kentucky resulted in loss of human life, over $23.3 billion in damaged infrastructure, and impaired human health. Infrastructure failures, such as leaky pipes, are a growing challenge in these regions as rebuilding has occurred. Therefore, the goal of this project was to evaluate water quality in two of the counties most impacted by the 2022 flood in Kentucky, Breathitt and Perry Counties, using sulfur isotopes as a novel tracer to identify potentially failures in distribution …

Rapid Expansion Of The Limpkin Aramus Guarauna Across Anglo-America, A. Alam, R. Kaddoura, J. Jackson, R. Kannan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We quantitatively document and describe the recent rapid expansion of the Limpkin Aramus guarauna across Anglo-America (United States and Canada). Using data downloaded from eBird (www.eBird.org), we present graphs showing the explosive growth in reports of number of individual birds and frequencies in checklists for this species in several parts of Anglo- America outside Florida (its traditional Anglo- American range). We also provide geographic progression maps to illustrate the expansion through time (2013-2023) and furnish qualitative information on foods consumed by the bird in new areas, based on a survey of 274 images uploaded by citizen scientists in eBird. Possible …