Geology Commons^™

Discontinuities In The Icebox Formation (Ordovician), Williston Basin, North Dakota And Montana, Aaron J. Ulishney

Theses and Dissertations

The Ordovician Winnipeg Group is composed of three formations; in ascending order, the Black Island Formation, the Icebox Formation, and the Roughlock Formation. The Icebox Formation is largely composed of shale. This work shows that discontinuities and coarser facies exist within the Icebox Formation and that they are traceable throughout the subsurface of North Dakota and eastern Montana. This work also illustrates possible sea-level changes during the deposition of the Icebox Formation along with probable source areas providing detrital sediments into the study area.

Gamma-ray wireline logs were used to distinguish the formations of the Winnipeg Group from each other, …

Delineation Of Mass Movement Prone Areas By Landsat 7 And Digitial Image Processing, Shiloh Marie Howland

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of whether Landsat 7 data could be used to delineate areas prone to mass movement, particularly debris flows and landslides, was examined using three techniques: change detection in NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), change detection in band 5, and the tasseled cap transformation. These techniques were applied to areas that had recently experienced mass movement: Layton, Davis County and Alpine, Spanish Fork Canyon and Santaquin, Utah County. No distinctive spectral characteristics were found with any of these techniques with two possible explanations: 1. That despite improved spatial resolution in Landat 7 over its predecessors and improved digital image …

Development Of A Regional Curve To Relate Discharge And Drainage Area To Hydraulic Geometry For The Red River Of The North Basin, Melanie H. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Restoration of riparian corridors and stream channels is important for many reasons, including preserving water quality, maintaining channel stability and controlling floods. Regional hydraulic geometry curves allow estimation of stable hydraulic geometry relationships that are necessary to engineer successful restoration projects. These curves can also be used to approximate discharge data for ungaged streams with lmown hydraulic geometry and drainage area. Hydraulic geometry data were collected in the field for twenty-five stream gage sites in the Red River of the North Basin. Recurrence intervals for bankfull ranged from 1.2 to 1.6 years, with an average recurrence interval of 1.4. Discharge …

Effect Of Geochemical Processes And Environment On The Spatial Pattern Of Selenium In Soil, Surface Water, And Groundwater At The Hovland Ranch, Central South Dakota, Salah U. Sharif

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this paper is to test and review some of the published hypotheses as that may relate to selenium geochemistry in soil and water system at the Hovland Ranch, Haakon County, South Dakota. Representative samples were collected from soil, water, and soil moisture in the field. Preparation of samples and chemical analysis were done in the Water Quality Laboratory, Dept. of Geology and Geological Engineering, University of North Dakota and Human Nutrition Research Center Lab, USDA/ARS, Grand Forks, North Dakota. The analysis results were statistically analyzed to find correlation between the occurrence of selenium and other associated chemical …

A High Resolution Gravity Survey Of The Lake St. Martin Impact Structure, Manitoba, Canada, Christina Davids

Theses and Dissertations

There are roughly 160 known impact craters listed in the Cratering Database (Earth Impact Database, 2002) of these approximately 20% are buried structures. Geophysical methods of investigation are used to study buried impact structures and add to the growing knowledge base of crater properties. Approximately three to five craters are discovered each year, some of which may be identified through gravity anomalies. A high-resolution gravity survey of the Lake St. Martin impact structure, southern Manitoba, Canada, was conducted to further interpret the structure's gravity anomaly. Previous studies have suggested two different crater diameters for Lake St. Martin, one of 23-km …

Contributions From Mafic Alkaline Magmas To The Bingham Porphyry Cu-Au-Mo Deposit, Utah, U.S.A., Daniel T. Maughan

Theses and Dissertations

The Bingham porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Utah, may only be world-class because of substantial contributions of sulfur and metals from mafic alkaline magma to an otherwise unremarkable calc-alkaline system. Volcanic mafic alkaline rocks in the district are enriched in Cr, Ni, and Ba as well as ore-related constituents of Cu, Au, platinum group elements (PGE) and S. The bulk of the volcanic section that is comagmatic with ore-related porphyries is dacitic to trachytic in composition, but has inherited the geochemical signature of high Cr, Ni, and Ba from magma mixing with the mafic alkaline rocks. The volcanic section that most closely …

Laboratory Denitrification Using Sediments From The Elk Valley Aquifer, Alison E. Kammer

Theses and Dissertations

An experiment was conducted to determine if a decrease in the content of sulfides related to denitrification could be measured in the laboratory using sediments of the Elk Valley Aquifer in eastern North Dakota. The experiment entailed analyzing sediments for sulfides and solid organic carbon and isolating them in sample containers with a nitrate solution to determine if a measurable decrease in these components could be observed.

Previous denitrification studies in the Elk Valley Aquifer showed an increase in sulfate in conjunction with a decrease in the concentration of nitrate. Sulfate is a by product of autotrophic denitrification where sulfide …

Lithospheric Flexure Of The Devils Lake Basin, North Dakota, Erica M. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Devils Lake is the largest lake in a chain of approximately 20 interconnected lakes in east central North Dakota. The Devils Lake drainage basin of approximately 8,600 km2, lies in a bowl sculpted by glaciation; thus it is closed and receives and loses water only through precipitation and evapotranspiration. Since 1940, the lake level has risen 14.4 m due to increased precipitation. Geological data show that in the past 10,000 years the lake has alternately dried up and filled due to climate fluctuations (Murphy et al., 1997). During this time it has reached its spill elevation of 444. 7 m …

Flow Through Well Screens As A Function Of Pump Intake Location, Kristjan F. Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Greater well efficiency and lower production costs may result from a knowledge of water flow through well screens. Current practice generally locates the intake of a pump in the cased section of the well above the screen. This work shows that placing the pump within the screen will increase well efficiency and therefore lower energy cost. This work also shows a correlation of increased well efficiency with respect to larger sand size, larger screen slot size, and lower flow rates.

A semicircular model based on the radial symmetry of a well and screen was used to simulate water flow from …

Small-Scale Variability Of Groundwater-Lake Interaction At Shingobee Lake, Minnesota, Hans F. Kishel

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater discharge is an important contributor to the water budget of a lake. The variability of hydraulic parameters of lake and groundwater systems causes difficulties in estimating the contribution of groundwater to a lake water budget. This study attempts to show that amount of variability for a small portion of the lake and shore (8 x 15 meter section, starting approximately five meters from shore and extending nine meters into the lake).

Piezometers were installed at a depth of one half and one meter in nests at 70 locations in the rectangular study site. Water levels were collected from the …

Air-Ground Temperature Exchange, William L. Schmidt

Theses and Dissertations

Most borehole paleoclimate studies have been based on the assumption that the exchange of temperature between the air and ground surface remains constant. However, secular changes in boundary-layer factors can generate anomalous ground temperatures. This dissertation is an investigation of factors that cause separation of air and ground temperatures on a seasonal to inter-annual time scale, including snow cover duration, latent energy of ground freezing, daily sunlight, precipitation, and vegetation.

Continual records of surface air and near-surface ground temperatures from five sites in North Dakota show similar trends in seasonal air-ground temperature separation. Statistical regressions of mean annual ground temperatures …

Characterization Of Hyporheic Zone Processes Of A Northern Prairie Stream, David B. Rush

Theses and Dissertations

A hyporheic zone occurs beneath and adjacent to streams where surface water and groundwater mix. This zone is known to be a reservoir for solutes and a habitat for interstitial organisms. Hyporheic zone boundaries in the Tongue River, North Dakota, were investigated through examination of the physicochemical and biological gradients present in the stream channel and bank sediments. The effects of cattle grazing at the streamside interface of the riparian zone were also examined at two locations to determine land use impacts on the hyporheic zone.

Electrical conductivity (EC) and ammonium gradients were observed beneath the stream channel via nests …

Description And Taphonomy Of A Turtle Assemblage (Chelonia: Trionychidae) In The Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene), Billings County, North Dakota, Glenn B. Kays

Theses and Dissertations

Soft-shelled turtle fossils (Family: Trionychidae) are common in Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic freshwater terrestrial deposits throughout western North America. Taxonomy of the Trionychidae is confusing for two reasons: 1) there are differences of opinion as to which characters are important in defining the lower systematic groups; 2) trionychid fossil material is often incomplete and fragmentary and has been used as the basis for numerous taxonomic descriptions.

The Ash Coulee Quarry is a fossil turtle assemblage located within the lower portion of the Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene) in Billings County, North Dakota. This quarry has produced at least 40 individual …

In-Situ Measurement Of Denitrification In The Elk Valley Aquifer, Allen Schlag

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater serves more than half of North Dakota's population as a drinking water source. Nitrate (NO₃¯) is a common groundwater contaminant associated with fertilizers, septic systems and livestock waste in shallow unconfined aquifers. As a suspected carcinogen and cause of potentially lethal methemoglobinemia in infants, the natural attenuation of NO₃¯ by denitrification can be an important process in keeping groundwater as a reliable source of clean drinking water for North Dakota. Organic carbon is often considered the most important electron donor for the chemical reduction of NO₃¯ into harmless nitrogen gas. However, several studies have shown that inorganic electron donors …

A Methodology For Studying Denitrification By Recently Formed Sulfides, Bethany A. Bolles

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate (N03) contamination due to anthropogenic sources is a serious and widespread health problem. In many groundwater systems, N03-can be reduced to a harmless gas, N2, through the bacterially mediated process of denitrification. During this process, bacteria gain energy by transferring electrons from an "electron donor" to nitrate, the "electron acceptor". It is typically believed that organic carbon is the most important electron donor in the denitrification process; however, increasing amounts of research suggest the importance of inorganic electron donors. The most extensive studies involving the reduction ofN03- by inorganic species have focused on pyrite (FeS2) and Fe(II). Few studies …

Paleosols As Holocene Proxy Climate Indicators, Mclean County, North Dakota, Deborah L. Beck

Theses and Dissertations

An exposure with 15 buried A-horizons near Douglas Creek, Lake Sakakawea, central North Dakota, has provided an excellent opportunity for paleoclimate reconstruction. Analyses included texture, stable carbon, radiocarbon, pollen, and phytoliths. The variations in these properties between individual soil horizons served to reconstruct the former environments of each soil horizon.

The paleosols were developed in a sequence of deposits in a mile-long tributary to the Missouri River. The soils are in a shallow valley fill exposed by wave action along the north shore of Lake Sakakawea. The 1996 exposure was up to 4m high and 51.5m wide. There were up …

Effects Of Physical And Chemical Properties Of Bright And Dull Coal Lithotypes On The Formation Of Char Particles, Chad G. Tomforde

Theses and Dissertations

The Energy and Environmental Research Center is working with EPRI and a consortium of companies in partnership with DOE to determine factors causing sticky ash to blind or bridge hot-gas cleanup filters. In this study, bright and dull lithotypes were separated from bituminous, subbituminous and lignitic coals to determine physical and chemical properties that may lead to the formation of different charforms, and consequently, fine and sticky ash that is problematic in coal-fired combustion systems.

Proximate and ultimate, maceral, and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analyses were used to characterize each lithotype. A bench-scale pressurized fluidized-bed reactor (PFBR) was used …

Determining Capture Zones For Three-Dimensional, Heterogeneous, Anisotropic Aquifers By Monte Carlo Analysis, Jon Paul Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Most methods of delineating capture zones for pump-and-treat remedial design and wellhead protection assume a two-dimensional, homogeneous aquifer. Aquifers, however, are three-dimensional and heterogeneous, thereby introducing uncertainty in capture zone analysis. This study used a Monte Carlo analysis of three sets of statistical parameters defining aquifer heterogeneity. Each set had a different variance for the mean natural log hydraulic conductivity, which varied among the sets by a factor of four. The ensemble means of the capture zones for each set were estimated from 10 randomly generated fields with 12 layers each which were superimposed on each other for a total …

Chemistry And Environmental Implications Of Thio-Red And 2,4,6-Trimercaptotriazine Compounds, Kevin R. Henke

Theses and Dissertations

Many compounds, including Thio-Red® and 2,4,6-trimercaptotriazine, trisodium salt (TMT-55), have been marketed to precipitate mercury and other heavy metals from water, including contaminated ground waters. For the products to be effective, information is needed on the chemistry of the products, how they precipitate metals from aqueous solutions, and the chemistries and stabilities of the precipitates.

CS32-, HS-, and S2- are the dominant sulfur species in Thio-Red®. They precipitate heavy metals from water as sulfides (e.g., HgS, PbS, and ZnS). Thio-Red® also contains traces of poisonous carbon disulfide (CS2). Additional CS2 could form from reactions between dissolved heavy metals and CS32-. …

Knickpoint Analysis Of Streams In North Dakota, South Dakota, And Nebraska, Trent D. Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of stream profiles, seismic reflection studies, engineering studies, and historical earthquakes indicates uplift in south-central South Dakota and north-central Nebraska over the last 5-10 ma. The purpose of this study was to determine if this uplift could be detected by constructing topographic profiles along, and in close proximity to several streams in this region. The Cannonball River, ND, was used to compare the streams in South Dakota and Nebraska to a stream beyond the affected area.

Data for the profiles were collected from 7 .5 minute topographic maps as well as GPS surveys. Abrupt changes in slope (irregularities) were …

The Effects Of Non-Linear Bromide Adsorption On Apparent Macrodispersivity, Eron J. Dodak

Theses and Dissertations

Macrodispersivity estimates are crucial in predicting the subsurface transport of contaminants. These predictions have become increasingly important as the number of contaminated sites continues to increase. In addition, the longevity of many contaminants can affect water quality over extended periods of time.

Anionic tracers such as bromide and chloride are commonly used as groundwater tracers in dispersivity experiments because they are inexpensive, easily detected, and are commonly believed to behave conservatively. It has been found, however, that anionic tracers do not always behave conservatively; sediments with a net positive surface charge can adsorb some-of the tracer.

A weakly non-linear, experimentally …

Hydrogeological Characterization Of The Akzo Salt Company, Williston Facility, Williston, North Dakota, Jane K. Geiger

Theses and Dissertations

Operations at the Akzo Salt Company near Williston, ND, have resulted in saline contamination of the surface and subsurface in the general vicinity of the company property and possibly the surrounding area. The company site lies on the floodplain of Stony Creek and waste salt is buried just north of the plant. The salt dump poses surface and groundwater hazards. A recent flood on the plant site in August of 1993 resulted in groundwater corning into contact with buried salt. Groundwater quality and water level elevation data collected by the North Dakota Health Department, the North Dakota Geological Survey and …

Hydrogeology And Recharge Of The Split Rock Creek Aquifer, Southeastern South Dakota, Stan F. Pence

Theses and Dissertations

The rapid growth of the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has created a great demand for additional sources of ground water. Due to limited information on the buried, confined Split Rock Creek aquifer near Sioux Falls, a detailed hydrogeologic assessment of the aquifer was conducted to determine the mechanism of recharge to the aquifer.

A four-fold plan was earned out to gather the necessary data. . This plan involved determining the general hydrostratigraphy of the study area by reviewing available data and by drilling test holes where data were limited, collecting water-level data over an extended period, collecting water …

The Depositional Environment Of The Kisbey Sandstone From The Madison Group (Mississippian), North-Central North Dakota, Gregory D. Waltz

Theses and Dissertations

The Kisbey Sandstone, also known as the K-2 marker, was studied to understand its depositional environment. It occurs within the Madison Group (Mississippian) of North Dakota. The Madison Group is a regressive, near-shore sequence. In descending order, this Group comprises the Charles, Mission Canyon, and Lodgepole Formations. The K-2 marker appears as well-log defined unit between the Charles and Mission Canyon Formations. Seven counties comprise the 7100 square mile study area. They include Rolette, Bottineau, Renville, McHenry, Ward, Burke, Mountrail Counties, and the southern most adjacent townships in Canada.

For this study, 1677 well-logs were examined. These data were analyzed …

Hydrologic Factors Affecting The Discharge Of Ground Water In The Red River Of The North Basin, Northeastern North Dakota, Michael Lee Strobel

Theses and Dissertations

Ground-water discharge from bedrock aquifers contributes significant amounts of salinity to the Red River of the North. The area of major discharge is represented on the land surface by saline soils, wetlands, and flowing wells. As tributaries flow through these areas, the dissolved-solids concentrations in the streams increase. This salinity is then transported to the Red River of the North and northward to Canada. The bedrock units that supply the saline water are mainly the Dakota Group. Overlying the bedrock are sediments from numerous glacial advances and lacustrine sediments from glacial Lake Agassiz. These units form confining layers over the …

The Effects Of Mass Extinction On Escalation Of The Naticid Gastropod Predator-Prey System At The Eocene-Oligocene, Vicky D. Melland

Theses and Dissertations

In 1987, Vermeij proposed the hypothesis of escalation, which states that biological hazards, such as predation, have increased through the Phanerozoic. This hypothesis has been extremely controversial due to the fact that it assumes that biotic factors, such as predation, have had an important role in evolution. Several studies have focused on the validity of the hypothesis of escalation. Kelley and Hansen (1996) offered a modified exposition of the escalation hypothesis. The Kelley-Hansen hypothesis states that escalation cycles are punctuated by periods of mass extinction. The periods of mass extinction would preferentially eliminate the highly escalated prey and, therefore, a …

Depositional History, Environments Of Deposition, And Hydrocarbon Potential Of The Newcastle Formation (Lower Cretaceous) Of Eastern North Dakota, Gerald G. Mccloskey

Theses and Dissertations

The Newcastle Formation (Albian) in North Dakota is composed primarily of fine grained sandstone, mudstone and shale. This study examined the Newcastle within the eastern two thirds of North Dakota, with the goal of determining the various depositional environments, the depositional history, and the hydrocarbon potential of the unit. A total of 2191 geophysical well logs and 21 lithologic cores were examined. Isopach maps of the Newcastle Formation and the Skull Creek Shale were generated, as was a structural top map of the Mowry Shale.

The depositional history of the unit is directly linked to the regression and subsequent transgression …

Prey Selectivity By Naticid Gastropods From Tertiary Sediments Of The United States Coastal Plain, Robert N. Sickler

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have shown that naticid gastropod predators are highly selective of prey species in accordance with the Kitchell et al. (1981) cost-benefit model. In addition, earlier studies have demonstrated selectivity of drillhole siting and intraspecific prey size. This study focuses on prey selectivity by Oligocene naticid gastropods and is used to test Vermeij's (1987) hypothesis of escalation. The hypothesis of escalation states that biologic hazards have increased during the Phanerozoic and that organisms have either had to adapt to these hazards or face possible extinction (Vermeij, 1987). Naticid predation on molluscan assemblages is one of several examples used to …

Depositional Environments And Paleogeography Of The Winnipeg Group (Ordovician), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Jonathan B. Ellingson

Theses and Dissertations

The Winnipeg Group (Upper Ordovician) unconformably overlies the Deadwood Formation (Cambrian - Lower Ordovician) over most of North Dakota, except in the extreme eastern part, where it lies directly on Precambrian basement rocks. The Winnipeg is conformably overlain by the Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician). The Winnipeg reaches a maximum thickness of 448 feet (136.6 m) in the center of the basin, Williams County. The Winnipeg Group consists of three formations, in ascending order, the Black Island, Icebox, and Roughlock Formations. The Black Island Formation is, herein, formally divided into the Hawkeye Valley and the Garland Members.

The Hawkeye Valley …

Salinity, Radon, And Radon Precursors In The Soils Of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, Kevin L. Solie

Theses and Dissertations

High levels of indoor radon have been observed in many areas of the Red River Valley and particularly in Grand Forks County of North Dakota. Data from the University of North Dakota (UND) Radon Monitoring Facility indicated more than 80% of the dwellings tested had radon levels greater than the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) action limit of 4 pCi/l. High radon levels may pose a health threat (USEPA, 1986) to valley residents.

A review of existing data indicates that areas of the Red River Valley in North Dakota with elevated soil salinity also exhibit higher equivalent uranium (eU) …