Geochemistry Commons^™

Manganese Oxides In Martian Meteorites Northwest Africa (Nwa) 7034 And 7533, Yang Liu, Woodward W. Fischer, Chi Ma, John R. Beckett, Oliver Tschauner, Yunbin Guan, Usha F. Lingappa, Samuel M. Webb, Vitali B. Prakapenka, Nina L. Lanza, Carl B. Agee

Geoscience Faculty Research

We report the discovery of indigenous Mn-oxides in Martian regolith breccias Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 and 7533. These Mn-oxides occur in Mn-rich regions as nanocrystals mixed with silicates, FeOOH, and possible phosphates. The Mn-rich regions contain up to 34 wt% Mn and typically display large chemical gradients on the scale of 10–20 μm. The Martian origin of Mn-oxides was established by the presence of Mn-rich glass (4.8–5.6 wt% Mn) in the fusion crust that crosscuts a Mn-oxides-bearing monzonite clast and by the absence of Mn-oxides on the environmentally exposed surfaces (exterior and fractures) of the meteorites. Manganese K-edge X-ray absorption …

Reconstructing Surface Water Carbonate Ion Concentration Changes In The Eastern Equatorial Pacific Across Glacial Transitions, Lenzie Gail Ward

OES Theses and Dissertations

Today, the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) plays a critical role in the global CO₂ budget as a major source of CO₂ to the atmosphere, but recent studies suggest the region may shift to a sink for atmospheric CO₂ under different climate states. Here, I focus on two transitional periods, the last deglaciation (25 kyr to present) and last glaciation (the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a-4 transition, 96 to 60 kyr), to investigate how the carbon system in the EEP responds to major climate changes. I measured B/Ca ratios in the planktic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides from core MV1014-17JC …

Investigating The Impact Of Meteoric Diagenesis On The Geochemistry Of Carbonate Eolianites, Eleuthera And Water Cay, The Bahamas, Graham S. Bonnot

LSU Master's Theses

The geochemical signatures imparted in major, minor, and trace elements, combined with light isotopes, suggest promising applications regarding the stabilization of meteorically altered limestone eolianites. Previous high-resolution studies have indicated that elements associated with carbonate diagenesis such as Mg and Sr can be valuable proxies for salinity and aragonite dissolution, respectively. In addition to testing these proxies, the analyses of several temperature-, diagenetic-, bioactive-, and redox-sensitive elements were evaluated using laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to identify additional indicators during carbonate diagenesis. Two geochemical drivers of U were identified; (1) aragonite dissolution similar to Sr and (2) oxidation …

Application Of Compound-Specific Stable Isotopes And Molecular Biomarkers To Paleoclimatic And Paleoecological Reconstructions, Mingqiu Hou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Compound-specific stable isotope analysis and biomarker-based paleothermometry have been increasingly applied to for paleoclimate and paleoecology studies. The first project aims to reconstruct the paleoclimate in the Qaidam Basin during the last glacial period. Qaidam Basin in the Northern Tibetan Plateau is a critical eolian factory located at a unique geographic location that links the Westerlies and the Asian summer monsoons. However, how the interactions of two climatic systems influence the paleohydrology that in turn impacts the eolian production in the Qaidam Basin has been seldom explored. Our compound-specific hydrogen isotope and U^K ₃₇ temperature data found that the …

Reassessing Hydrothermal Heat Discharge And The Relationship Of Hot Springs In The North Oregon Cascades, Aaron Alexander Orr

Dissertations and Theses

Reservoir temperatures of hydrothermal systems in the Pacific Northwest reflect the feasibility of geothermal energy production and the tectonic framework of the region. Multicomponent geothermometry techniques were applied to new and historic water chemistry data in the north-central Oregon Western Cascades and the lower Wind River Valley in southern Washington in order to recalculate reservoir temperatures. Revised reservoir temperatures, water chemistry, and isotope data were used to determine relationships between hot springs in the north-central Oregon Cascades. Geothermal reservoir temperatures were estimated for the lower Wind River Valley (98.44 ± 0.96°C) and for Austin and Bagby Hot Springs (100.10 ± …

Atmosphere/Landscape Co2 Interactions In Mammoth Cave National Park: Hydrochemistry Of Cascade River, Great Onyx Cave, Jessica Williams

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

High-resolution analysis of water/CO₂/carbonate rock geochemistry was conducted at the Great Onyx Groundwater Basin in Mammoth Cave National Park. The purpose of this work has been to undertake hydrochemical characterization of the karst groundwater in Cascade River, the largest cave stream in the upper level of Great Onyx Cave, which is below a relatively pristine karst landscape.

Hydrochemical monitoring of Cascade River at Biz Falls using field, laboratory, and high-resolution electronic data-sonde measurements has provided a detailed picture of the stream’s behavior with respect to the transport and influence of carbon dioxide in the surface and groundwater system …

Soils And Paleosols, Daniel R. Muhs

United States Geological Survey: Publications

This article reviews the nature of modern and ancient soils. Soils are naturally occurring bodies that mantle most of the land surface of the Earth. They are found on virtually every part of the Earth’s land surface, other than areas covered by water bodies (lakes and rivers), glacial ice, or steep slopes in mountainous terrain. Soils occur at the interface of the geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere and are the medium of growth for much of the Earth’s plant and animal life. The study of soils as naturally occurring bodies on the Earth’s surface is called pedology (in contrast to …

Peralkaline Silicic Extrusive Rocks: Magma Genesis, Evolution, Plumbing Systems, And Eruption., Ray Macdonald, John C. White, Harvey E. Belkin

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Peralkaline silicic extrusive rocks are an important component of the volcanological record. Here we review several aspects of their formation and evolution, including the tectonic settings in which they occur, their main petrological and geochemical features, the magmatic lineages along which they evolve, and the parameters (T, P, fO₂, melt water contents) that control the lineages. Particular attention is paid to the composition of the extraordinary melts formed at the lowest temperatures. Various lines of evidence are presented to explain the silica-gaps in some lineages. The partial melting of continental crust and the role of crustal contamination …

Miocene-Pleistocene Diatom Oxygen Isotope And Biogenic Silica Record From Iodp Site U1523, Ross Sea, Antarctica, Donald James Mclennan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) plays a significant role in Earth’s climate. WAIS is currently retreating due to changes in wind-driven oceanic currents resulting in an increasing flux of warm waters to ice margins. Brine rejection in the Ross Sea is also major source of High Salinity Shelf water (HSSW) and Antarctica Bottom Waters (AABW), which creates a stratified ocean and plays a significant role in regulating Earth’s climate. Currently, there are very limited proxies that can quantify the variable input of HSSW formation on geologic time scales. Here we provide a 18Odiatom and biogenic silica (BSi) record which …

Timing Of Regional Metamorphism In The Inner Piedmont And Blue Ridge Of North Carolina: Evidence From Monazite U-Pb Geochronology, Nicholas Edwin Powell

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Channel and escape flow, or lower crustal ductile flow and redirection from orogen-normal to orogen-parallel flow, are among the most impactful concepts introduced to explain shortening accommodation in large, hot orogens. In the Inner Piedmont (IP), southern Appalachians, channel and escape flow were proposed to have occurred during the Neo-Acadian (376–340 Ma) orogeny. However, the polymetamorphic history of the southern Appalachians makes it difficult to isolate thermal and deformational events for process-focused studies necessary to test these ideas in the IP. To address this, we used in situ laser ablation split stream (LASS) monazite U-Pb geochronology alongside new garnet chemical …

Relationships Among Mineralogy, Geochemistry, And Oil And Gas Production In The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale, Hayley Roxana Beitel

Masters Theses

"The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) is an unconventional shale reservoir located in southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Limited mineralogical and geochemical data for the TMS have been published. The data that do exist indicate that the formation is heterogeneous. Consequently, previous investigators and oil and gas companies have not managed to effectively link mineralogical and chemical changes to oil and gas production in the TMS. These linkages are critical to establish for future exploration efforts. In this study, we attempt to establish these relationships by gathering all existing mineralogical and chemical data in the TMS, including newly acquired data from …

Multiple Generations Of Phlogopite In An Alnöite Diatreme: Insights Into The Petrogenesis Of The Avon Alkaline Igneous Province, Missouri, Nathan Gregory Limbaugh

Masters Theses

“Alkaline Ultramafic Carbonatite (AUC) complexes, although rare, are valued for diamonds and REEs, and as windows into subcontinental and mantle processes as recorded by rock fabrics, mineral spatial relationships, and mineral compositions. We report specifically on olivine and phlogopite petrographic relationships and compositions from the Devonian alnoite diatreme-facies of the Avon Alkaline Igneous Province, Missouri. The diatreme alnoite is a mixture of domains of olivine magmaclasts (OM) set in a crystal-rich melilite matrix. OM are highly fractured, serpentinized olivine pseudomorphs with variable amounts of pristine olivine fragments. Larger olivine domains typically exhibit clear crystal faces and irregular “channels” indicative of …

Petrogenesis And Tectonic Implications Of Cordierite-Orthoamphibole Gneisses (Cog) In The Nw Wyoming Province, Brianna K. Crenshaw Ms

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Studying cordierite orthoamphibole gneisses (COG) from five different mountain ranges across the Montana Metasedimentary Terrane (MMT) of the Wyoming Province offers a unique opportunity to elucidate the enigmatic origins and petrogenesis of the lithology in addition to gaining a further understanding of Precambrian crustal assembly processes. Geochemical analyses suggest that COG originates from a basalt that underwent metasomatic alteration, likely via seawater, prior to metamorphism. Moreover, COG is considered to represent oceanic crust that was part of the epicontinental sea adjacent to the Wyoming Province before collision with the Medicine Hat Block. Field observations of associated lithologies such as marbles, …

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 …

Artisanal Mining Impacts In Urbanized Semi-Arid Environments: Lessons From Historic Arsenic Mining Near San Diego, California, James A. Wright

Theses

Anomalously elevated arsenic concentrations occur at an abandoned artisanal mine site in an open space recreational park in urban San Diego County, California. Although mining at the site ceased 100 years ago little to no remediation efforts took place leaving shafts, adits, waste piles and derelict infrastructure accessible by inquisitive hikers and adventurers frequenting Black Mountain Open Space Park. This study evaluates the geochemical mechanisms of As transport downgradient from the mine and examines the contribution of both climate and urbanization on the restriction of As mobility. Sediment As concentrations reach 2,320 mg/kg (483 times background crustal concentrations; n=73) along …

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 …

Alteration Reactions In A Hornblende-Biotite-Anthophyllite-Fluid System: Implications For Cu-Au Ore Deposits, James Mitchell Lightner

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

High-grade porphyry Cu-Au ore deposits are typically contained in the potassic alteration zone, which forms through the alteration of preexisting country rock by a magmatic volatile phase (MVP) exsolved from an igneous intrusion. The MVP is a H2O dominant phase that contains high concentrations of NaCl, KCl, FeCl2, HCl, sulfur (as H2S or SO2) and minor concentrations of metals. The minerals in the potassic alteration zone are predominantly K-feldspar and biotite with a shreddy texture. Shreddy biotite forms from the replacement of prismatic-tabular shaped hornblende crystals, resulting in a characteristic shreddy texture. The alteration of hornblende to biotite can neutralize …

Genesis Of Trondhjemite By Low-Pressure Fraction Anatexis Of Hornblende-Gabbro At Alvand Plutonic Complex (Hamedan, Nw Iran): Insights From Geochemical Modelling., Federico Lucci, Adel Saki, Mirmohammad Miri, Ahmad Rabiee, John C. White

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Amphibole-dominated dehydration melting of gabbro is the primary process responsible for the genesis of adakites, low-K tonalites, modern trondhjemites, and plagiogranites aswell as Archean tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suites that represent the earliest examples of continental crust. Previous literature has mostly focused on the role of Al-rich amphibole during anatexis of a mafic source and many of these studies have investigated this process through experimental melting runs. However, due to experimental boundary conditions, little is known about partial melting of amphibole-bearing mafic rock at temperatures < 800°C for upper crustal conditions (pressure < 500 MPa). Classic and forward thermobarometric modelling suggests that in situ trondhjemite leucosomes, hosted by Cheshmeh-Ghasaban mafic metatexites (Alvand Plutonic Complex, Hamedan, NW Iran), represent a rare natural case study of a low-temperature incipient amphibole-dominated anatectic event of a mafic source with a primary assemblage (Pl+Hbl+Cpx+Bt+Opx) typical of a hornblende-bearing gabbroic rock.

Trondhjemite Leucosomes Generated By Partial Melting Of A Hornblende-Gabbro (Alvand Plutonic Complex, Hamedan, Nw Iran), Adel Saki, Federico Lucci, Mirmohammad Miri, John C. White

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

This work describes the petrogenesis of in situ and in-source trondhjemite leucosomes generated by low-degree partial melting of the Jurassic Cheshmeh-Ghasaban hornblende-gabbros in the northern Alvand batholith (Hamedan, NW Iran). These leucosomes occur in a metatexite migmatite as patches, net-structures, veinlets, and dikes at scales ranging from a few millimetres to a few metres. They have high SiO2 (mean ≈ 78 wt%) and Na2O (4–5 wt%) with low Al2O3 (wt%), K2 O (

Interpretation Of Hydrogeologic Data To Support Groundwater Management, Bazile Groundwater Management Area, Northeast Nebraska, 2019—A Case Demonstration Of The Nebraska Geocloud, Christopher M. Hobza, Gregory V. Steele

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Nitrate, age tracer, and continuous groundwater-level data were interpreted in conjunction with airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey data to understand the movement of nitrate within the Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA) in northeastern Nebraska. Previously published age tracer data and nitrate data indicated vertical stratification of groundwater quality. Younger groundwater sampled within shallow parts of the aquifer had higher concentrations of nitrate, with 70 percent exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 10 milligrams per liter. In contrast, groundwater sampled from deeper parts of the aquifer indicated that nitrate concentrations were less than 2 milligrams per liter and …

The Persistence Of Acid Mine Drainage At An East Texas Coal Mine, Sarah Zagurski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to estimate the time it will take for acid forming materials (pyrite) to be weathered to a state of equilibrium and thus cease to produce acid in ground and surface waters within Oak Hill Mine. This was accomplished using an ex-situ kinetic leaching study incorporating a humidity cell in a controlled laboratory setting. Leaching was conducted on soil cores obtained from the vadose zone at Oak Hill Mine and the humidity cell was used to accelerate oxidation of the pyrite within the cores.

An in-situ field study was also conducted that monitored groundwater conditions …

Microbe-Mineral Interactions During Exceptional Fossil Preservation, Stromatolite Formation, And Desert Varnish Growth, Michael Strange

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Ediacaran to Cambrian Deep Spring Formation consists of mixed carbonate-siliciclastic strata which contain an increasingly complex and biogeographically important biota. Past investigations of the Deep Spring Formation at Mt. Dunfee, Nevada, explored the highly diverse microbialite reefs consisting of a wide range of stromatolite morphologies which exerted significant control on local sedimentation and topography. Early investigations also documented the biomineralizing metazoan Cloudina (an Ediacaran index fossil). However, recent exploration of the area has resulted in the discovery of several new metazoan fossil communities consisting of a diverse assemblage of Ediacaran soft-tissue tubicolous vermiforms (tube fossils) similar to Cloudina. The …

Boron Adsorption In Clay Minerals: Implications For Martian Groundwater Chemistry And Prebiotic Processes, Matthew A. Nellessen, Laura Crossey, Patrick J. Gasda, Horton Newsom, Abdulmehdi Ali, Eric J. Peterson, Nina Lanza, Adriana Reyes-Newell, Dorothea Delapp, Chris Yeager, Andrea Labouriau, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel Clegg, Shelbie Legett, Debarati Das

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Boron has been detected on Mars [Gasda et al., 2017, Das et al., 2019, 2020] within calciumsulfate veins found within clay-rich rocks on Mars by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis. Boron plays a vital role in stabilizing ribose on Earth and has been suggested as a key requirement for life [Scorei et al., 2006, 2012; Furukawa et al., 2013, 2017; Becker et al., 2019]. Additionally, boron readily adsorbs to phyllosilicate clay minerals and is often associated with biologic processes in clay soils. The discovery of boron on Mars in proximity to phyllosilicate …

Plio-Pleistocene Antarctic Ice-Ocean Interactions In The Ross Sea, Catherine Prunella

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Warm, intermediate-depth Southern Ocean waters are implicated in recent Antarctic ice mass loss. Direct observations of Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) retreat are temporally limited, necessitating paleoceanographic records of ocean-ice interactions during past warm climate intervals. Deepsea and ice-proximal sediments record orbitally-paced glacial-interglacial fluctuations in AIS volume during the Plio-Pleistocene (last 5 million years; Ma), but the total contribution of the AIS and the role of ocean heat in these fluctuations remain unresolved. To address the response of Antarctica’s ice sheets to changing ocean temperatures during the Plio-Pleistocene, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 recovered sediments from the Ross Sea …

Trends In Water Quality Of Cave Pools At Timpanogos Cave National Monument, July 2008–September 2018, Rebecca Weissinger, Andy Armstrong, Kirsten Bahr, Chris Groves

Crawford Hydrology Laboratory

No abstract provided.

Interpretations Of Lava Flow Properties From Radar Remote Sensing Data, Gavin Douglas Tolometti, Catherine Neish, Gordon R. Osinski, Scott S. Hughes, Shannon E. Kobs-Nawotniak

Earth Sciences Publications

The surface morphology and roughness of a lava flow provides insight on its lava properties and emplacement processes. This is essential information for understanding the eruption history of lava fields, and magmatic processes beneath the surface of Earth and other planetary bodies such as the Moon. The surface morphology is influenced by lava properties such as viscosity, temperature, composition, and rate of shear. In this work, we seek to understand how we can interpret the emplacement processes and lava properties of lava flows using remote sensing data. Craters of the Moon (COTM) National Monument and Preserve in Idaho hosts a …

Experimental And Thermodynamic Constraints On Mineral Equilibrium In Pantelleritic Magmas., Pierangelo Romano, Bruno Scaillet, John C. White, Joan Andujar, Ida Di Carlo, Silvio G. Rotolo

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Crystallization experiments on two pantellerites from Pantelleria, Italy, provide new evidence for the relation-ships between mineral phases in pantelleritic rocks as well as the influence of temperature and redox conditionson mineral assemblages. Experiments were performed at 1 kbar with temperature ranging between 750–900°C,andfluid saturation conditions with XH2O (=H2O/H2O+CO2) between 0 and 1. Redox conditions were fixed at, or slightly below, the FMQ buffer. Results show that at temperature of 900 °C pantelleritic magmas are well above the liquidus regardless their water content; we also observed a decrease in liquidus temperature (800°C) with increasingly reducing conditions. Mineral assemblages of the natural …

Geology, Geochemistry And Petrotectonic Setting Of Idanre Granite Complex, Southwestern Nigeria, Akinola Oluwatoyin Olagoke

Student Works (2020-2029)

During Neoproterozoic, Nigeria like many other Pan-African countries witnessed extensive magmatic activities which resulted in emplacement of granite popularly referred to as Older Granite in Nigeria. The study area is characterized by a large population of this rock type than any other part of Nigeria, so these rocks are investigated in this research. Idanre is underlain by migmatite-gneiss, charnockite and granite. Migmatite form the country rock and are low-lying, charnockite was surrounded by granite, while the granite forms large inselbergs. Three textural types of granite occur in the area, they are coarse-grained granite (undifferentiated) (OGu), porphyritic granite (OGp) and the …

Geochemical Characterization Of Base Metals In Stream Water And Sediments In The Caddo Lake Watershed, Cass, Harrison, And Marion Counties, Texas, Melinda S. Faulkner, Melanie L. Ertons, Joseph D. Watkins

Faculty Publications

The Caddo Lake watershed is located in northeastern Texas and encompasses much of Cass, Harrison, and Marion counties. The watershed is drained by major streams and tributaries flowing in an easterly direction over Eocene-aged rocks and sediments of the Wilcox and Claiborne groups, and empty into the western arm of Caddo Lake. Since 1995, Caddo Lake and some of its tributaries have been included on the State of Texas Clean Water Act 303(d) list by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for impairment due to mercury content in edible tissue, depressed dissolved oxygen, base metal concentrations, and low pH …

Distribution, Geochronology, And Petrogenesis Of The Picture Gorge Basalt With Special Focus On Petrological Relationships To The Main Columbia River Basalt Group, Emily Bogdan Cahoon

Dissertations and Theses

The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) is the youngest and volumetrically smallest continental flood basalt exposed across the Pacific Northwest, USA. Similar to other large igneous provinces, the majority of material erupted during the initial 1 million years of activity, these lavas are subdivided into four main-phase units. The Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) is the only main-phase unit of the CRBG whose age is not precisely known and understanding of PGB petrogenesis is largely based on a limited number of samples when compared with other main-phase units. It is suggested that a time gap of over 0.5 myr existed between …