Geochemistry Commons^™

Cobalt Partitioning And Solubility In Low-Temperature Carbonate-Hydrothermal Systems, Seth Kurtis Coursey

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Cobalt mineralization has been documented in low temperature Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits in southeast Missouri. Lead and zinc are the most economically important metals in these deposits and are contained within galena (PbS) and sphalerite (ZnS), respectively. Cobalt is also mined in some of the deposits with cobalt-bearing ores, e.g., siegenite ((Ni,Co)3S4) and fletcherite (Cu,(Ni,Co)2S4), occurring stratigraphically below main-stage galena and sphalerite. The hydrothermal fluids responsible for cobalt mineralization are thought to be chemically distinct from the predominant MVT ore-bearing fluids and represent a distinct mineralizing event. Cobalt is likely transported as CoCl2 in hydrothermal fluids and sourced from structures …

Physical And Chemical Properties Of Clastic Sediments From Two Caves In The Northern Karst Region Of Puerto Rico, Autum R. Downey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Geochemical properties and organic characteristics are essential to understanding the general depositional dynamics of a cave. Most work on clastic cave sediments focuses on physical properties of sediments. Little work has been done on bulk organic matter and geochemical properties.

This project reports physical and geochemical characterization of cave sediments from two caves in the northern karst region of Puerto Rico: El Tallonal Cave and Cueva Clara. Core and grab samples were collected and analyzed for particle size, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, organic matter characteristics using fluorescence spectroscopy, and major and minor elements using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The sediments …

Investigating Effects Of Carbonate Minerals On Shale- Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Interactions In The Marcellus Shale, Brennan Matthew Ferguson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Natural gas extracted from tight shale formations, such as the Marcellus Shale, represent an important and developing front in energy exploration. By fracturing these formations using pressurized fracturing fluid, previously unobtainable hydrocarbon reserves may be tapped. While pursuing this resource hydraulic fracturing operations leave chemically complex fluids in the shale formation for at least two weeks. This provides a substantial opportunity for the hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) to react with the shale formation at reservoir temperature and pressure. In this study, we investigated the effects of the carbonates on shale-HFF reactions with a focus on the Marcellus Shale. We determined …

Relating Recharge Mechanisms To Chemical Changes In An Updip Appalachian Coal Mine Discharge: A Case Study From Lambert Run, West Virginia, Matthew Lewis Bell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Impaired drainage from active and abandoned mines degrades the water quality of receiving streams and aquifers. Coal mine drainage (CMD) has been studied for decades in Appalachia, but unknowns and uncertainties are still present, including the influence of mine hydrogeology on the outflow chemistry of above-drainage mines. To evaluate the influence of recharge type on above-drainage mine chemistry, samples were collected every two weeks at a CMD outflow treatment system in Harrison County, West Virginia.

Samples were collected to measure geochemical changes taking place in the mine workings and along the flowpath of the passive treatment system. Samples were divided …

Recovering Lost Information From Avocational Projectile Point Collections, Mackenzie Hughes

All Master's Theses

Human prehistory in North America has sparked the interest of private citizens for decades, sometimes leading to an accumulation of avocational artifact collections that lack site-level provenience. The Wild/Clymer artifacts (n = 1,371) are one such collection where precise site provenience was lost. The analysis aims to recover regional provenience by using morphology, raw material sourcing, and typology to create a data set. The avocational collection data set was analyzed by comparing it to the professionally recorded archaeological data sets from within 100 miles of Frenchglen, Oregon. A paradigmatic classification approach identified 606 typeable points in the avocational collection, in …

Model-Based Estimates Of The Timing Of Brine Flux Into The Victoria Land Basin From The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Valerie Nicole Voisin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) at a continental scale is one of the least constrained components of the hydrologic cycle and may represent a significant flux of iron and silica waters to the global ocean. Quantifying SGD along the Antarctic margin is complicated by complex subglacial and subsurface hydrogeology and limited observational data. Airborne transient electromagnetic (AEM) surveys have identified extensive high-salinity subsurface brines in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) that are hydrologically connected to surface features in the MDV (e.g. Taylor Glacier, saline lakes) and are potentially a significant source of SGD to McMurdo Sound. A 2D numerical model was …

Copper And Gold In Vapors And Liquids As A Function Of Hcl At 700°C And 100 Mpa, Corrie A. Lucchesi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Porphyry ore deposits are major sources of copper (Cu) and gold (Au) and form when a magmatic volatile phase (MVP) exsolves from a porphyritic intermediate to felsic melt and transports metals to surrounding country rock where they precipitate in an ore zone. There is a consensus that the chloride concentration of the MVP has a direct relationship to the concentration of Cu and Au in the MVP, but the role of dissolved HCl on Cu and Au concentrations has not been addressed. It is hypothesized that increasing HCl concentrations in the MVP will result in higher concentrations of Cu and …

The Limits Of Lead (Pb) Phytoextraction And Possibilities Of Phytostabilization In Contaminated Soil: A Critical Review, Sara Perl Egendorf, Peter M. Groffman, Gerry Moore, Zhongqi Cheng

Advanced Science Research Center

This review article focuses on lead (Pb), one of the most ubiquitous and harmful toxicants found in soil. Our objective is to address misconceptions regarding the ability of plants to uptake Pb through their roots and translocate it to above-ground tissues, and their ability to act as hyperaccumulators and thereby phytoextract Pb. In accordance with a number of cited definitions, we suggest that species capable of Pb phytoextraction can be rated with the following three criteria: (1) root uptake above a nominal threshold of 1,000 mg Pb/kg, (2) bioconcentration factor (BCF or shoot/soil concentration) >1, and (3) translocation factor (TF …

History Of Natural And Anthropogenic Activities In Lake Izabal, Eastern Guatemala: Using Geochemical Evidence To Record Recent Contamination, Elisandra Hernandez

Doctoral Dissertations

”Water is essential for human subsistence. Stable freshwater supplies are needed as a source of food, drinking water, for transportation, recreation and economic development. Despite their recognized importance, anthropogenic activities have altered freshwater ecosystems around the world. Lake Izabal is the habitat for diverse aquatic species of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic and endangered. Its importance notwithstanding, anthropogenic activities developed in Lake Izabal’s catchment in recent years have compromised its status. This study used paleolimnological techniques to link past and recent anthropogenic activities such as mining operations and recent tilapia aquaculture. Relative abundances and concentrations of Pb, …

Anatomy Of The Magmatic Plumbing System Of Los Humeros Caldera (Mexico): Implications For Geothermal Systems., Federico Lucci, Gerardo Carrasco-Nuñez, Federico Rossetti, Thomas Theye, John C. White, Stefano Urbani, Hossein Azzizi, Yosihiro Asahara, Guido Giordano

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Understanding the anatomy of magma plumbing systems of active volcanoes is essential not only for unraveling magma dynamics and eruptive behaviors but also to define the geometry, depth, and temperature of the heat sources for geothermal exploration. The Pleistocene–Holocene Los Humeros volcanic complex is part of the eastern Trans- Mexican Volcanic Belt (central Mexico), and it constitutes one of the most important exploited geothermal fields in Mexico with ca. 90MWof produced electricity. With the aim to decipher the anatomy (geometry and structure) of the magmatic plumbing system feeding the geothermal field at Los Humeros, we carried out a field-based petrological …

Reconstructing Hydrologic Conditions And Metals Supplied By The Peace River To The Peace-Athabasca Delta, Jelle André Faber

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) in northern Alberta, Canada, is recognized internationally for its ecological, historical, and cultural significance. The delta is mostly within Wood Buffalo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. The construction of the WAC Bennett Dam (1967) and the Site C Dam (ongoing, 2024) on the Peace River, and expansion of the Alberta Oil Sands industry along the Athabasca River have raised concerns over water quantity and quality in the delta. When industry operations began, effective monitoring had not been implemented. Consequently, pre-industrial reference conditions are unknown and can …

Investigating Diel, Seasonal, And Interannual Variability Of Dissolved And Particulate Stable Carbon Isotope Values In A Eutrophic Boreal Lake, Rachel Henderson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lakes are globally significant sources, sinks, and conduits of carbon. Cultural eutrophication of freshwater promotes the growth of phytoplankton blooms, which can transform, respire, and sequester large amounts of carbon. Analysis of stable carbon isotopes is a common tool to study the movement of carbon through the aquatic carbon cycle. The causes of temporal variability in δ¹³C values at different timescales are not well understood, and differ between lakes. In this study, I investigated diel, seasonal, and interannual variability in δ¹³C values of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in Lake 227, an …