Geochemistry Commons^™

“The Tale Of 3,000 Zircons”: An Investigation Of Grenville Sedimentation In Amazonia Using U/Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronology, Felicia R. Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The continental collision between Laurentia and Amazonia that generated Rodinia and the Grenville Orogen is proposed to be one of the largest, hottest and longest-lived orogens in Earth history. Subsequent erosion and weathering led to a mountain range’s worth of sediment recycled into clastic systems across North America, otherwise known as the “Great Grenville Sedimentation Event”. The Sunsas orogeny in Amazonia is correlative to the Grenville in North America and is proposed to be the result of final Rodinian collision at 1200-1000 Ma. Despite the connection between the two ranges and the robust sedimentary record in North America, little work …

Altitude Of The Potentiometric Surface In The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, Spring 2018, Virginia L. Mcguire, Ronald C. Seanor, William H. Asquith, Anna M. Nottmeier, David C. Smith, Roland W. Tollett, Wade H. Kress, Kellan R. Strauch

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The Mississippi River Valley alluvial (MRVA) aquifer is an important surficial aquifer in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) area. The aquifer is generally considered to be an unconfined aquifer (fig. 1; Clark and others, 2011), and withdrawals are primarily used for irrigation (Maupin and Barber, 2005). These groundwater withdrawals have resulted in substantial areas of water-level decline in parts of the aquifer. Concerns about water-level declines and the sustainability of the MRVA aquifer have prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the USGS Water Availability and Use Science Program and with assistance from other Federal, State, and local …

Water Quality Of Groundwater Used For Public Supply In Principal Aquifers Of The Western United States, Celia C. Rosencrans, Marylynn Musgrove

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Groundwater provides nearly half of the Nation’s drinking water. As the Nation’s population grows, the importance of (and need for) high-quality drinking-water supplies increases. As part of a national-scale effort to assess groundwater quality in principal aquifers (PAs) that supply most of the groundwater used for public supply, the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project staff sampled six principal aquifers in the western United States between 2013 and 2017: (1) the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers, (2) Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers, (3) Rio Grande aquifer system, (4) High Plains aquifer, (5) Colorado Plateaus aquifers, and (6) Columbia …

Estimated Groundwater Withdrawals From Principal Aquifers In The United States, 2015, John K. Lovelace, Martha G. Nielsen, Amy L. Read, Chid J. Murphy, Molly A. Maupin

United States Geological Survey: Publications

In 2015, about 84,600 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of groundwater were withdrawn in the United States for various uses including public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, mining, thermoelectric power, aquaculture, livestock, and irrigation. Of this total, about 94 percent (79,200 Mgal/d) was withdrawn from principal aquifers, which are defined as regionally extensive aquifers or aquifer systems that have the potential to be used as sources of water of suitable quality and quantity to meet various needs. The remaining 6 percent (5,400 Mgal/d) was withdrawn from other, nonprincipal aquifers in the United States. Sixty-six principal aquifers belonging to 5 major lithologic …

Uranium Series Dating And Geochemistry Of Fault Zone Precipitated Secondary Carbonates: Insights Into Paleo Fluid Sources, Tectonics And Climate In The Rio Grande Rift, Victor Higareda Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fault zones in the shallow crust impact a variety of geological processes including mineral deposition, fluid flow patterns in shallow and deep groundwater aquifers, and most importantly seismic activity. The specific interplays of fault zones, seismicity, and groundwater flows are complex and not well understood despite the importance they have to society. The Rio Grande rift is a region impacted by seismic and volcanic activity that place the first order control on mineral formation and fluid flow patterns. It is also a region that is often disregarded as a seismic hazard due to its inferred low tectonic rates and long …

A Multi-Method Investigation Of The Modern Sedimentation And Late Holocene Paleolimnology Of June Lake (Mono County, Ca), And A Survey-Based Analysis Of Ninth Graders’ Attitudes Towards Geology, Eva Lyon

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Three distinct manuscripts comprise this dissertation. The first analyzes the modern sedimentary basin of June Lake, a small glacial lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada of California (USA) using a number of data sets, including bathymetry, surface sediment composition, and seismic stratigraphy. The seismic survey revealed sublacustrine morphological features that suggest the basin originated due to ice scour, as well as four acoustically distinct stratigraphic units that reflect the history of sedimentation following glacial scouring. Corroborating the seismic record, sediment cores from the youngest unit are composed of hemipelagically deposited, organic-rich, laminated diatomaceous oozes alternating with coarse tephra beds. The …

Identification Of The Causes And Extent Of Elevated Methane Concentrations In The Groundwater Of Eastern Kentucky, Cristopher Alvarez Villa

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Recent development of unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources has prompted concerns about its potential impact on public health and the quality of water and air resources. Elevated dissolved methane concentrations (> 1 mg/L) have been associated with proximity to UOG development and stray gas, but also with natural microbial activity. Baseline gas data, local hydrogeology and geochemistry context can aid assessment of methane sources and interactions. Methane concentrations in eastern Kentucky groundwater are above the “immediate action” level in some private/domestic water wells, show wide variations over small distances, and have been hypothesized to have different relationships to mining. …

Characterization Of Rare Earth Elements In The Illinois Basin Coals, Alireza Valian

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The purpose of this study is to characterize the distribution and occurrence of rare earth elements (REEs) in the coal and coal-related material from the Illinois Basin. For characterizing the distribution of REEs, 17 core samples were investigated from various parts in the basin. Also, several individual samples from coal preparation plants and isolated geological occurrences were included in the study. In result, the average REE concentrations were calculated on a bed-to-bed basis, although the distribution of REEs in the coal beds was found laterally and vertically heterogeneous. A number of trends were found that describe the variations. Most importantly, …

Geochemical Flux Analysis Of Glacial River Runoff For Sólheimajökull, Iceland, Jessica Garrison

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Geochemical fluxes in aqueous studies are an essential component of research to understand weathering and changes in a hydrologic system. These data can indicate any discrepancies, outliers, or gradual changes in a water environment to gain information on pollutants, carbon cycles, biological input, etc. Glacial melt is the majority of the surface water present throughout the country. The melting amount is increasing with the temperatures, which can be monitored by the changes in geochemical flux during increased discharge in glacial rivers. A high-resolution data set of Sόlheimajökull Glacier in Iceland was used to determine how changing climatic conditions for the …

Crystalline Architecture And Stratigraphy Of Coral Skeletal Density Banding: A Geobiological Record Of Changing Coral Reef Ecology, Kyle Fouke

Honors Theses

Coral skeletal density banding (CSDB), composed of alternating high density band (HDB) and low density band (LDB) layers that comprise the CaCO₃ (aragonite) skeleton of scleractinian corals, are used as chronometers for global paleoclimatic reconstructions of sea surface temperature (SST). Scleractinian coral skeletons have been intensively studied for centuries with detail analysis of the macro- and microscale skeletal structure to establish taxonomic and evolutionary relationships of coral species, mechanisms of biomineralization, and seafloor physical, chemical and biological alteration (diagenesis) of the skeleton. This study is the first to determine the crystalline architecture of HDBs and CSDB stratigraphic …

The Role Of Cumulate Plagioclase Entrainment In The Steens Basalt, Se Oregon: Insights From The Magma Chamber Simulator, Valerie Strasser

All Master's Theses

The Steens Basalt, located in SE Oregon, is the oldest and most mafic member of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG). Because the Steens Basalt contains large (up to 6 cm) and abundant (up to 40%) plagioclase crystals, it is classified as a Giant Plagioclase basalt (GPB). Understanding the origin of these giant plagioclase yields insight into magmatic processes like recharge, crustal assimilation, cumulate entrainment, and fractional crystallization. Because large and abundant plagioclase are found in other flood basalt provinces worldwide, these results could also enhance understanding of magma evolution and storage conditions for GPB worldwide. The Steens basalt is …

Mineral Compositions Of Meteorite Samples Alha 77005, Nwa 7397, Nwa 5480, And Ausson: Implications For Geodynamic Processes On Their Parent Bodies And Meteorite Reclassification, Kaylin Agnata Tunnell

Masters Theses

“This study investigates the major, minor, and trace element compositions of minerals from a series of meteorites which represent different stages of planetary evolution including two sample from Mars (ALHA 77005 and NWA 7397), one sample from Vesta (NWA 5480), and one ordinary chondrite (Ausson). The goal of this study is to investigate if petrogenetic tracers commonly employed to understand terrestrial samples can also be applied to extraterrestrial samples. The data presented here show that mineral trace element data allow for novel insight into the magmatic history of meteorite samples. For example, V/Sc and Fe/Mn ratios in olivine provide insight …

Applying Garnet And Zircon Ree Linkages To Determine Timing Of P-T Conditions And Tectonic Implications For Uhp Eclogites And Hp Granulites, Dulan Uhp Terrane, China, Wesley Weisberg

All Master's Theses

The Dulan ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane in western China hosts rocks that record continental collision, however; the timing of peak P-T conditions in UHP eclogites and HP granulites, and the tectonic significance of their spatial relationship within the Dulan UHP terrane are not well understood. This study, (1) evaluates rare earth element (REE) equilibrium between garnet and zircon, to assess coeval growth; (2) links timing (from zircon) to the P-T history (from garnet) to constrain the P-T-t path of the Dulan UHP terrane and interpret implications for zircon growth; (3) refines P-T conditions for HP granulite; and (4) evaluates the tectonic …

Development Of A Synthesis Method For O2-Releasing Compound For Microbiological Experiments, Danae Greco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many celestial bodies within our solar system may have habitable environments due to the presence of liquid water. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, may be habitable because of its liquid ocean and other potentially biologically favorable conditions. The ocean on Europa is hypothesized to contain large amounts of oxidants and low pH due to the radiolytically processed icy ocean shell. This suspected environment on Europa is similar to the composition of acid mine drainage on Earth, which can house microbial communities in environments of extreme acidity. Similar chemical reactions in Europa’s ocean may occur to produce the appropriate reduction-oxidation gradients …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Groundwater Investigations To Support Irrigated Agriculture At La Grange, Western Australia: 2013–18 Results, Robert J. Paul, Gregory Paul Raper, Richard J. George Dr, Nicholas J. Wright, Adam M. Lillicrap, Peter S. Gardiner

Resource management technical reports

The Broome Sandstone aquifer is the main aquifer and groundwater resource in the La Grange area, near Broome in the West Kimberley, Western Australia. Land use is dominated by cattle grazing on pastoral stations, dispersed mining and tourism. Irrigated agriculture has developed at a small scale, with about 470 hectares under cultivation in 2014. Groundwater abstraction is licensed under the La Grange groundwater allocation plan (Department of Water 2010) and managed by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. The La Grange groundwater allocation area is split into the La Grange North subarea and La Grange South subarea, with groundwater …

Temporal And Spatial Scales Of Correlation In Marine Phytoplankton Communities, A. M. Kuhn, S. Dutkiewicz, O. Jahn, Sophie Clayton, T. A. Rynearson, M. R. Mazloff, A. D. Barton

OES Faculty Publications

Ocean circulation shapes marine phytoplankton communities by setting environmental conditions and dispersing organisms. In addition, processes acting on the water column (e.g., heat fluxes and mixing) affect the community structure by modulating environmental variables that determine in situ growth and loss rates. Understanding the scales over which phytoplankton communities vary in time and space is key to elucidate the relative contributions of local processes and ocean circulation on phytoplankton distributions. Using a global ocean ecosystem model, we quantify temporal and spatial correlation scales for phytoplankton phenotypes with diverse functional traits and cell sizes. Through this analysis, we address these questions: …

A Granger Causality Analysis Of Groundwater Patterns Over A Half-Century, Nitin K. Singh, David M. Borrok

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Groundwater depletion in many areas of the world has been broadly attributed to irrigation. However, more formal, data-driven, causal mechanisms of long-term groundwater patterns have not been assessed. Here, we conducted the first Granger causality analysis to identify the "causes" of groundwater patterns using the rice-producing parishes of Louisiana, USA, as an example. Trend analysis showed a decline of up to 6 m in groundwater level over 51 years. We found that no single cause explained groundwater patterns for all parishes. Causal linkages were noted between groundwater and area harvested, number of irrigation wells, summer precipitation totals, and drought. Bi-directional …

Characterizing Hydrothermal System Groundwater Dynamics Using Conservative And Non-Conservative Tracers: Insights And Implications Drawn From Study At The Taupo Volcanic Zone (New Zealand) And Valles Caldera (Usa), Joshua Michael Blackstock

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hydrothermal systems constitute an important component of heat and mass transport within Earth’s crust having direct and indirect impacts to society. Investigating contemporary hydrochemical differences and change are critical to evaluating and deconvolving factors that influence geothermal systems through time. In this dissertation, groundwater mixing approaches were used to study hydrochemical differences in two globally significant hydrothermal areas, which included fabrication of a low-cost dissolved CO2 monitoring for dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). In the Taupo Volcanic Zone (New Zealand), empirical spatial relations were used to derive low-temperature groundwater end-members of Cl and Cl/Br for end-member mixing analysis (EMMA). Using EMMA, …