Geology Commons^™

The Paleoecologic Significance Of Paleocene Palynomorph Assemblages From The Ludow, Slope, And Cannonball Formations, Southwestern North Dakota, Timothy J. Kroeger

Theses and Dissertations

Paleoenvironment exerted control on the distribution of 133 palynomorph taxa from the Ludlow and Slope Formations and Boyce and Three V Tongues of the Cannonball Formation (Fort Union Group, I Paleocene) of southwestern North Dakota. The strata represent fluvial deltaic systems that prograded eastward into the Cannonball Sea. Depositional environments include distributary channels, crevasse splays, crevasse-splay feeder channels, lignite-producing swamps and/or marshes, lakes, brackish to slightly brackish bays, lake and bay fills, and marshes

Paleoenvironmentally sensitive palynomorph taxa were identified by subjective examination of pollen diagrams and objective analysis using detrended correspondence analysis. Two paleoenvironmentally restricted palynomorph associations were recognized. …

Evaluation Of A Possible Subsurface Impact Crater: The Newporte Structure, Northwestern Renville County, North Dakota, Timothy R. Gerlach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if enough evidence exists to support an impact origin hypothesis the Newporte structure. Newporte, a petroliferous, subsurface, crater-shaped feature is located one mile south of the North Dakota - Saskatchewan border in Renville County. It is evident in Precambrian through Ordovician strata at depths of 9100 to 9600 ft (2774 to 2926 m) structure is approximately 2.0 miles (J.2 km) in diameter. Shell Oil company discovered Newporte field when testing this seismically-defined structure in 1977.

Seismic reflection profiling data and synthetic seismograms were used to generate maps that confirmed the circularity of …

A Comparison Of Wellhead Protection Area Delineation Methods At Larimore, North Dakota, Barbara L. Sahl

Theses and Dissertations

Many communities in North Dakota rely on water from shallow, unconfined aquifers that are vulnerable to contamination. A strategy to protect public groundwater supplies is the delineation of wellhead protection areas (WHPAs) around the area which contributes water to a well. Several delineation methods are available, all of which have simplifying assumptions which affect the size or shape of a predicted WHPA.

Five WHPA delineation methods were compared to determine which simplified the aquifer/well system while preserving essential hydrogeologic features. A simple system may not require a complex model to predict an accurate WHPA. Sensitivity of each to changes in …

Preferential Flow Mechanisms : Their Interaction And Effect On Dye Movement In Till And Glaciolacustrine Sediment, Calvin D. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Contamination of groundwater by agricultural chemicals is of concern to the population of the Northern Great Plains. Preferential flow (macropore, finger, and funnel) allows such chemicals to move relatively rapidly through materials considered to be aquitards. Preferential flow mechanisms at two sites in North Dakota, one in till, the other in glaciolacustrine sediments were determined by application of blue dye (FD&C No 1) solution to framed sites (9m2 & 4m2) with the topsoil removed. The sites were then cored and blocks hand-excavated to depths of 1.5 and 2.5-meters. The three types of preferential flow (macropore, finger, and funnel) were analyzed …

Isostatic Rebound In The Lake Agassiz Basin Since The Late Wisconsinan, Eric C. Brevik

Theses and Dissertations

This study addressed three main questions: I) how thick was the ice that covered the southern Lake Agassiz basin during the Wisconsinan and how much that ice depressed the crust, 2) how much rebound has occurred since deglaciation and whether or not rebound is complete, and 3) what were the effects of this rebound on the basin.

The most direct method of measuring rebound in the Lake Agassiz basin is from strandlines left by glacial Lake Agassiz. The oldest complete strandline, the Herman, presumably rebounded, with the northern end rebounding more because the ice was thicker there and had melted …

A High Resolution Gravity Survey For The Detection Of Pleistocene Aquifers Underlying The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, North Dakota, Mark R. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

A high resolution gravity survey was performed over portions of McLean, Mountrail, and Ward Counties in central North Dakota during the fall and winter of 1990-1991. The study was performed to locate and map Pleistocene sand and gravel aquifers. Well data indicate that aquifers beneath the study area range in thickness from 1 to 60 meters. The Bouguer gravity anomalies resulting from these shallow aquifers was estimated to be on the order of 1 to 2 mgals. Previous studies have focused on available well data and by mapping topographic lows. Due to the inferential nature of these studies, the detailed …

Diagenetic Controls Of Reservoir Quality In The Mississippian Wayne Beds In The Williston Basin, Bottineau County, North Dakota, Michael M. Wetmore

Theses and Dissertations

The carbonate Wayne beds of the Frobisher-Alida interval (Mississippian Mission Canyon Formation) in the Williston Basin, North Dakota, are capable of producing as much as 400,000 barrels of oil per well at depths of only 3,100 feet. Wayne production is from structural traps in the intertidal packstone-wackestone lithofacies; however, the ultimate recoverable reserves of oil per well is controlled neither by structure, nor by depositional environments.

The Wayne beds underwent cementation and micritization in the marine phreatic diagenetic environment. Hypersaline diagenesis caused minor dolomitization and anhydritization. Dissolution and minor cementation occurred in the freshwater vadose zone. Freshwater phreatic diagenesis resulted …

Estimation Of A Water Budget For Agnes Marsh, Grand Forks County, North Dakota, Allen E. Comeskey

Theses and Dissertations

Agnes Marsh is a semipermanent wetland in the Red River Valley of northeastern North Dakota. The marsh overlies and is in direct hydraulic connection with the unconfined Elk Valley aquifer. Recent irrigation development nearby raised concerns about the hydrological impact to the marsh by a declining water table in the aquifer. The purpose of this study was to determine how Agnes Marsh interacts with the underlying Elk Valley aquifer and how sensitive the marsh is to declining water levels in the aquifer.

Three methods were used to assess how the marsh interacts with the aquifer. First, stratigraphic analysis revealed the …

Petrography And Inorganic Geochemistry Of The Rosebud Coal Seam At The Absaloka, Big Sky And Rosebud Mines, Powder River Basin, Montana, Lingbu Kong

Theses and Dissertations

Quantitative maceral and microlithotype analyses, huminite reflectance measurements and inorganic constituent analyses of the samples of the Rosebud subbituminous coal seam from the Absaloka, Big Sky and Rosebud Mines were used in the interpretation of the depositional environment of the seam and for prediction of ash formation during combustion. The mean huminite reflectance varies from 0.31% at the Rosebud Mine to 0.34% at the Absaloka Mine and 0.39% at the Big Sky Mine, indicating that the coal rank is transitional from lignite to subbituminous C. Despite the variation in huminite reflectance, samples from the three mines are similar in mean …

Depositional And Diagenetic Controls On Porosity Evolution In The "C" Zone, Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician), Divide County, North Dakota, John S. Fox

Theses and Dissertations

Carbonates and evaporites in the "C" zone c: the Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician) in the subsurface of Divide County, North Dakota, were studied in order to determine the geologic framework of porosity evolution in this important hydrocarbon-producing formation. Examination of 28 cores, petrographic analysis, geochemical analysis, and mapping based on 120 geophysical log suites allowed the characterization of "C" zone lithologies and diagenetic features and suggests that the entire "C" zone was deposited subtidally in an increasingly restricted basin, rather than in a subtidal to supratidal regressive sequence as interpreted by others in different parts of the basin.

The …

Denitrification In The Elk Valley Aquifer, Northeastern North Dakota, Gale G. Mayer

Theses and Dissertations

Biological denitrification controls nitrate distribution in the Elk Valley aquifer, which underlies approximately 725 square kilometres of northeastern North Dakota and provides drinking water for farms and rural communities in the area. Increased irrigation has raised concerns over potential contamination from agricultural practices. The purpose of this study was to establish the role of biological denitrification in minimizing concentration and distribution of nitrate and to determine the effect irrigation practices have on groundwater flow and nitrate distribution in the saturated zone.

The aquifer is unconfined and consists of up to 20 metres of glacial outwash and deltaic shale-rich sand deposits. …

The Stratigraphy And Sedimentology Of The Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene) In South-Central Williams County, North Dakota, Wesley D. Peck

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 163 meters (535 feet) of the Paleocene Sentinel Butte Formation crop out in southcentral Williams county, North Dakota. To determine their mode of deposition and stratigraphic position within the formation, twelve stratigraphic sections were measured. These strata were deposited in alternating fluvial and lacustrine environments as determined by sedimentary structures, lithology, lithologic sequences, and fossil occurrences. A fining upward trend in grain size of the tabular sandstones, and the identification of epsilon cross-stratification in the tabular sandstones support a fluvial origin for some of the strata. The strongest evidence for the interpretation of lacustrine deposition is the presence of …

Effect Of Sinkholes On Soil Moisture And Ground Water Recharge At An Abandoned Underground Coal Mine Near Wilton, North Dakota, Michael M. Sonderman

Theses and Dissertations

Subsidence at abandoned underground mines in south-central and southwest North Dakota has produced numerous sinkholes. Previous studies in the Northern Great Plains have suggested depression-focused recharge may be a significant ground water recharge mechanism in this region. Thus, sinkholes may increase soil moisture and ground water recharge. Current reclamation practices include filling sinkholes with non-topsoil fill material. However, the benefits of increases in soil moisture and ground water supplies may outweigh the benefits of expensive reclamation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether soil moisture and, hence, the potential for ground water recharge, was greater in sinkholes than …

Metamorphic Petrology And Gravity Studies Of The Archean English River Subprovince, Western Superior Province, Manitoba And Ontario, Canada, Moira E. Campion

Theses and Dissertations

The tectonic development of the English River Subprovince (ERSP) of the Superior Province in Ontario and Manitoba, as with other Archean medium-high grade metasedimentary/gneiss terranes, is an area of active research. Geochemical and geophysical data were collected during this study to determine the metamorphic conditions of formation, and the relationship between surface and subsurface geology. The results of metamorphic studies by Henke (1984), Baumann (1985), Chipera (1985) and Roob (1987) were also integrated with those of this study. The temperatures and pressures of formation, as well as detailed gravity characteristics, constrain the postulated tectonic model for the ERSP.

Chemical data …

Hydrogeologic Characterization Of A Discharge Wetland In Northeastern Grand Forks County, North Dakota, Dean R. Goebel

Theses and Dissertations

Soil salinization associated with saline groundwater discharge results in decreased agricultural production in the central glacial Lake Agassiz plain of North Dakota. Saline discharge occurs in a belt of ephemeral wetlands in the lake plain. The physical and chemical hydrology of .the Lunby-stewart saline discharge wetland were investigated in order to provide information which could facilitate land management strategies applicable to this and other discharge wetlands.

Hydrologic data used to characterize the wetland were obtained from monitoring wells, staff gages, precipitation gages, borings, and earth electrical resistivity soundings. Temporal and spatial variations were observed in the water table, the vertical …

A Detailed Gravity Study Over A Known Devonian Carbonate Buildup: The Shell Golden Reef, Northwestern North Dakota, Stephen M. Braun

Theses and Dissertations

A detailed gravity study was conducted over the Shell Golden reef in the northwestern North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin. The Shell Golden reef has been previously interpreted to be reefal facies within the Winnipegosis Formation (Devonian) located at a depth of about 2400 meters. Based only on information from wireline logs and core from two boreholes, the Shell Golden well #34X-34 has been previously interpreted as a pinnacle reef with 70 meters of relief and undetermined diameter. The basin regime of the Elk Point shelf created an environment that allowed the growth and development of the Shell Golden …

Erosion Of Fractured Banks, Lake Sakakawea, Western North Dakota, Mark C. Elliott

Theses and Dissertations

Shoreline erosion at Lake Sakakawea has exceeded originally predicted rates. This thesis is a continuation of a project, begun in 1983, to study erosion rates, causes, and prediction; the purpose has been to describe variations in fracture patterns in shoreline banks and assess their affects on erosion rates.

During the first phase of this project (1983-1986), average bank recession was rapid (l.Sm/yr) and factors related to wave action, including fetch, bank orientation, and beach composition, were most important. Since 1986, low lake levels have persisted and wave action has not been a factor; however banks continue to recede, but at …

Fracture-Enhanced Porosity And Permeability Trends In The Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, Western North Dakota, Wayne B. Freisatz

Theses and Dissertations

Fractures play a critical role in oil production from the Bakken Formation (Devonian and Mississippian) in the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin. The Bakken Formation in the study area is known for its low matrix porosity and permeability, high organic content, thermal maturity, and relative lateral homogeneity. Core analysis has shown the effective porosity and permeability development within the Bakken Formation to be primarily related to fracturing.

In theory, lineaments mapped on the surface reflect the geometry of basement blocks and the zones of fracturing propagated upward from them. Fracturing in the Williston Basin is thought to have …

Tectonic History Of Billings And Southern Mckenzie Counties, Southwestern North Dakota, John J. Crashell

Theses and Dissertations

Billings and southern McKenzie Counties contain about 40 active oil and gas fields. In the same area, two major structural highs and several minor ones can be recognized. The first of these, the Billings anticline, extends approximately 60 km (18 mi.) along a north-south line in central Billings County, and is composed of two parallel folds. A second major structure, here termed the Rough Rider anticline, lies west of the Billings anticline, and also extends about 60 km (18 mi.) along a north-south line from north-central Billings County into southern McKenzie County. Both of these structures are fault-bounded on their …

The Hydrogeologic Effects Of Fly Ash Utilization In Concrete At Coal Creek Station, Underwood, North Dakota, Terry R. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Coal Creek Station is a two-unit 1100 megawatt electrical power plant located in southern McLean county, North Dakota. Annually, 5 million tons (4.5 million metric tons) of lignite are burned at the plant producing 550,000 tons (500,000 metric tons) of fly ash. Approximately 80,000 tons (72,624 metric tons) of ash are sold as a cement replacement, while the remainder is disposed of in lined evaporation ponds. The present study investigates the environmental consequences of ash utilization as an alternative to disposal, The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) provided funding for this investigation which involves the installation of 5,288 cu yds …

Depositional Environments, Ichnology And Diagenesis Of The Upper Frobisher-Alida Beds Of The Elkhorn Ranch And Roughrider Fields Of Western North Dakota, Jeffrey R. Valvik

Theses and Dissertations

The upper Frobisher-Alida interval of western North Dakota was studied in order to determine the depositional envirornnents, bioturbation features, and the diagenetic history of these carbonate and evaporite rocks.

Detailed examination resulted in the identification of six distinct lithotypes: 1) crinoid, coral packstone-wackestone (LT-1); 2) brachiopod, skeletal wackestone (LT-2); 3) skeletal, burrowed mudstone-wackestone; 4) intraclast, peloid packstone-grainstone; 5) peloid, intraclast, ostracode packstone-wackestone; 6) nodular and bedded anhydrite (LT-6). Lithofacies generally follow a depositional sequence of thick units of sublittoral carbonates, followed by a thin sequence of littoral carbonates, and culminating in a thick unit of sublittoral evaporites. Sublittoral rocks dominate …

The Broom Creek Formation (Permian), In Southwestern North Dakota: Depositional Environments And Nitrogen Occurrence, Marvin E. Rygh

Theses and Dissertations

In North Dakota, the Broom Creek Formation (Wolfcampian> exists in the subsurface as the upper unit of the Minnelusa Group. The Broom Creek Formation consists of pink quartzarenite with some intervening dolostone beds. The identification of lithofacies, areal distribution, and stratigraphic relationships were determined from oil well logs, mainly the dual laterolog suite and the FDC-CNL log suite, and macroscopic and microscopic core analysis. were examined from four wells.

The major lithofacies identified are, 1) eolian Cores sandstone, 2) nearshore marine sandstone, and 3) marine carbonate. From the sandstone-dolostone distribution, marine predominance existed in the eastern part of the study …

Neogastropods (Melongenidae, Fasciolariidae, Turridae) From The Cannonball Formation (Paleocene: Thanetian), North Dakota And South Dakota, Brian E. Silfer

Theses and Dissertations

The Cannonball Formation of Paleocene age is a shallow-marine, clastic sequence exposed primarily in southwest-central North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. The formation is characterized by alternating, poorly consolidated, relatively thin sandstone and thick mudstone units. The Cannonball neogastropod families Melongenidae, Fasciolariidae, and Turridae contain 20 species assigned to 15 genera based on 334 individuals from 50 localities. Four genera, Alticollarum, Obtusicarina, Vitticoncha, and Ericksonia are new, whereas Serrifusus, Mesorhytis, Rhombopsis, and Deussenia are first reported occurrences from Tertiary strata. Marshallaria is newly reported from North America and likely from the Northern Hemisphere. Twelve species are additions to the Cannonball …

Depositional Environments And Sandstone Diagenesis In The Tyler Formation (Pennsylvanian), Western North Dakota, Larry R. Quandt

Theses and Dissertations

Thirty-three oil well cores were examined and approximately 3,100 oil well logs were used to determine the depositional environments of the Tyler Formation (Pennsylvanian) in northwestern North Dakota. Ninety sandstone thin-sections were described and twenty-nine sandstone samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscope/X-ray microanalysis techniques to characterize sandstone diagenesis.

The Tyler Formation in northwestern North Dakota is correlative with the lower unit of the Tyler Formation in southwestern North Dakota. The upper unit of the Tyler Formation in southwestern North Dakota is not present in northwestern North Dakota, contrary to previous workers suggestions. The Tyler Formation in northwestern North Dakota …

Depositional Environments And Diagenesis Of The Lower Duperow Formation (Devonian), Billings Anticline, North Dakota, Randolph B. Burke

Theses and Dissertations

The Duperow Formation is an Upper Devonian (Frasnian) subsurface unit in the Williston Basin in the north-central United States and south-central Canada. Despite its economic importance for hydrocarbons, no detailed accounts have been published on the Duperow Formation that integrate depositional environments, lithology, diagenesis, and pore studies on either a regional or local scale. It was the purpose of this study to construct a model of the depositional environments and diagenesis of the lower Duperow Formation in the Billings Anticline of west-central North Dakota, based on detailed analysis of 17 cores (225 m, 739 ft) and associated wireline logs and …

Foraminiferida Of The Madison Group (Mississippian) Of The Williston Basin, North Dakota, Kurt E. Eylands

Theses and Dissertations

More than 1500 thin-sections from 73 wells in the North Dakota part of the Williston Basin were searched for their foraminiferal content. This thin-section survey of the Bottineau, Tilston, Frobisher-Alida, and Ratcliffe intervals yielded more than 700 identifiable foraminifers assigned to 26 species.

Most of the Madison foraminifers of the Williston Basin can be placed in one of two superfamilies, the Tournayellacia and the Endothyracea. The Bottineau and Tilston intervals yielded more specimens from the superfamily Tournayellacea while the Frobisher-Alida and Ratcliffe intervals yielded more specimens from the superfamily Endothyracea.

The foraminifers occurred in irregular stratigraphic zones The Bottineau and …

Hydrogeological And Hydrogeochemical Evaluation Of A Proposed Flue Gas Cleanup Dry Waste Disposal Pit Near Beulah, North Dakota, Nathan T. Hunke

Theses and Dissertations

The Coyote I electrical operating station of the Montana Dakota Utilities Company (MDU) is located near Beulah, North Dakota. Flue gas cleanup {FGC) dry waste is generated by the facility in the conversion of coal to electricity. MDU submitted a permit application to the North Dakota State Department of Health {NDSDH) to dispose of FGC dry waste in a strip-mined area 1.6 kilometres northeast of the plant.

Two disposal pits were proposed by MDU, a Phase I and Phase II pit. The objectives of the investigation were to determine the hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical suitability of the site for FGC waste …

Sedimentary Depositional Cyclicity, Mission Canyon And Charles Formations (Mississippian), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Jean L. Hoff

Theses and Dissertations

Workers within the Williston Basin have repeatedly reported the presence of sedimentary cyclicity within the carbonate and evaporite succession of the Mississippian Madison Group. Descriptions of cyclicity are diverse and commonly conflict. Previous work has been exclusively qualitative. This study used a group of statistical techniques in a method designed specifically for the objective identification and evaluation of cyclicity in the lithofacies sequence of the Mission Canyon and lower Charles Formations in North Dakota.

Twelve cores were sampled at every visually distinguishable lithologic unit. Forty-six lithologic components were counted in each sample on a presence-absence basis. The phi association coefficient …

The Hydrogeology Of A Landfill Located In Fine-Grained Lacustrine Sediments In A Saline Discharge Area West Of Grand Forks, North Dakota, John T. B. Betcher

Theses and Dissertations

The Grand Forks Municipal Landfill, located in the Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota, accepts household refuse from the city of Grand Forks and from surrounding rural communities including several towns in northwestern Minnesota. The landfill occupies 160 acres (64.8 hectars) and another 160 acres (64.8 hectars) is available for expansion. The trench method of disposal is used at the landfill.

A geologic and hydrogeologic investigation was undertaken at the landfill to determine the characteristics of the shallow, saturated, fine-grained lacustrine sediments for solid waste disposal. Test holes were drilled to collect core samples for textural analysis, clay mineralogy …

Stratigraphy And Depositional History Of The Deadwood Formation (Upper Cambrian And Lower Ordovician), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Douglas B. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Based on gamma-ray characteristics, the Deadwood Formation is divided into six informal, attribute-defined units, members A through F. Members A and Bare Late Cambrian in age; members C through Fare Early Ordovician in age. The type section of the Deadwood, in the northern Black Hills, is dominated by Upper Cambrian strata. Much thicker Lower Ordovician rocks occur in the deeper portion of the Williston Basin.

The Deadwood comprises the Sauk sequence and represents the initial Paleozoic transgression or the seas on the North American craton. Eight smaller-scale transgressive-regressive events occurred on the craton during the Late Cambrian and the Early …