Geology Commons^™

A Quantitative Analysis Of Shoreline Erosion Processes, Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota, Mark D. Millsop

Theses and Dissertations

Shoreline erosion is a problem at Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon, North Dakota. Land is lost, water quality is adversely affected, and reservoir storage capacity is decreased.

Instrumentation of the eastern shores of both lakes began in 1983 to quantify bank erosion by process (e.g., wave erosion, rainsplash and runoff, and frost-thaw failure). Other data gathered included: pool level fluctuations; wind velocity, direction, and duration; precipita tion; soil moisture; frost penetration; freeze-thaw cycles; and geology (e.g., texture, clay mineralogy and structure).

The magnitude of shoreline erosion is highly variable, especially within Lake Sakakawea. For the interval of May 1983 through …

Geochemistry And Petrology Of The Lake Vermilion Formation, Ely Greenstone Belt, Northeastern Minnesota, Scott E. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Alteration in the Lake Vermilion Formation took place at low water/rock ratios. Calculations using the method of Grescens (1967) indicate that the amount of open-system elemental exchange was slight. During secondary alteration, Ca, Na, K, Rb, Sr, and Ba were very mobile; Mg and Fe were less mobile; Si, Al, Ti, Zr, Y, and Ni were slightly mobile. Chemically the rocks resemble modern spilites and keratophyres.

The dacites and basalts are depleted in Ti, Zr, and Y relative to Tertiary igneous rocks of similar composition. The Lake Vermilion Formation basalts display a volcanic arc basalt trend of constant Ti02 with …

Metamorphism In The Eastern Lac Seul Region Of The English River Subprovince, Ontario, Steve J. Chipera

Theses and Dissertations

The English River subprovince of the Superior Province, Canada, is a linear, east-west trending high-grade metamorphic belt which extends from Lake Winnipeg in the west, to the James Bay lowlands in the east. It is composed of two prominent lithologic domains: a northern sedimentary gneiss-migmatite domain, and a southern plutonic domain. The northern domain consists primarily of alternating migmatized layers of garnet-biotite "wacke" and garnet-cordierite-biotite "pelitic" metasediments. The southern domain is composed mainly of intermediate granitic to trondhjemitic plutons. Bordering to the north and south are the lower grade Uchi and Wabigoon greenstone belts. Metamorphism and migmatization occurred during the …

Late Quaternary Environmental And Climatic History Of The Southern Chilean Lake Region Interpreted From Coleopteran (Beetle) Assemblages, John W. Hoganson

Theses and Dissertations

A diverse Coleoptera fauna of 462 species in 48 families was collected from 41 locations in the Parque Nacional de Puyehue and adjacent parts of the Lake Region of southern Chile. The sample locations ranged from rain forest habitats at sea-level to Andean tundra habitats at 1500 m msl. Cluster analysis of a Dice similarity coefficient matrix revealed a broad pattern of bioassociations within the large data base, Boundaries between the bioassociations correspond largely with those of the major vegetation zones implying that the distribution of the fauna is strongly influenced by the distribution of plants. Evidence from fossils indicates …

Depositional Environments And Diagenesis Of Carbonates And Associated Evaporites, Frobisher-Alida Interval, Madison Group (Mississippian), Williston Basin, Northwestern North Dakota, Thomas J. Obelenus

Theses and Dissertations

The Frobisher-Alida interval is a subsurface, marker-defined unit, one of several units designated for rocks of the Madison Group (Mississippian) in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. The Frobisher Alida conformably overlies the Tilston interval and is conformably overlain by the Ratcliffe interval. 1t attains a maximum thickness of a little over 400 feet (123 m) and thins to an erosional edge along the eastern margin of the Basin.

The Frobisher-Alida is composed of limestones, dolomitic limestones, and dolostones of the Mission Canyon Formation and anhydrites of the overlying Charles Formation which exist in a complex facies relationship within the …

The Geology And Hydrocarbon Potential Of The Dawson Bay Formation Carbonate Unit (Middle Devonian), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Wayne R. Pound

Theses and Dissertations

The Middle Devonian Dawson Bay Formation carbonate unit is present in the subsurface of North Dakota except where truncated by post-depositional erosion. The carbonate unit thickens from the erosional limit to a maximum thickness of 47.5 m (156 ft.) in Renville County and reaches a maximum depth of 3798 m (12, 432 ft.) below the surface in McKenzie County. In North Dakota, a submarine hardground separates the carbonate unit from the underlying “Second Red Bed member” of the Dawson Bay Formation. The upper contact with the Souris River Formation is conformable except in those areas where the Dawson Bay Formation …

Palynology Of The Hagel Lignite Bed And Associated Strata, Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene), In Central North Dakota, Edward N. Steadman

Theses and Dissertations

The Hagel bed is an economically important lignite and is the lowest named lignite in the Sentinel Butte Formation, Fort Union Group. The Hagel bed extends throughout the Knife River Basin coal-mining area of central North Dakota. Stratigraphic sections of the Hagel bed, including intercalated clastic rocks, were measured in the highwalls of the Center mine, Glenharold mine, and Falkirk mine.

Samples from the stratigraphic sections were described and analyzed, using standard palynological techniques, for their palynomorph content. Palynomorphs proved to be well preserved and abundant. Maceration of Hagel bed samples yielded a diverse collection of palynomorphs. A total of …

Macrofossils And Biostratigraphy Of The Bakken Formation (Devonian And Mississippian) In Western North Dakota, Lawrence C. Thrasher

Theses and Dissertations

The Bakken Formation, up to 145 feet thick in North Dakota, is a subsurface formation in the Williston Basin that typically consists of two black shale members separated by a middle member of predominantly gray siltstone or silty limestone up to 85 feet thick.

Well over 500 macrofossils representing more than 50 taxa were collected from cores of 40 wells. Brachiopods, the most common fossil, represent 17 genera, 1 of which have not been previously reported from the Bakken. Nonbrachiopod fossils of this study, mostly not previously reported from the Bakken, are a hylothyrid, a conulariid, a syringoporid coral, several …

Petrology Of The Beulah-Zap Lignite Bed, Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene), Mercer County, North Dakota, David R. Kleesattel

Theses and Dissertations

The Beulah-Zap lignite bed is one of several economically important lignites in the Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene). This lignite occurs as a subsurface unit in the Knife River Basin of Mercer and I Oliver counties of North Dakota. The Beulah-Zap lignite is a heterogeneous carbonaceous rock unit composed of megascopic and microscopic I components, which are lithotypes and macerals, respectively. Relationships between the maceral contents of the lithotypes follow patterns similar to those of bituminous coals. Coal petrology, the study of maceral and lithotype occurrence and I distribution, was applied to determine: 1) mode of coalification, and 2) depositional environment …

Stratigraphy And Depositional Environments Of The Three Forks Formation (Upper Devonian), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Gayle M. Dumonceaux

Theses and Dissertations

The Three Forks Formation (Upper Devonian) is present in the subsurface in the western two-thirds of North Dakota and is generally conformable with the underlying Birdbear Formation and the overlying Bakken Formation.

The Three Forks attains a maximum thickness of 265 feet (81 meters) in the central basin, east and south of the Nesson Anticline, and thins to an erosional edge in eastern North Dakota. The Three Forks is composed of micrite and dolomicrite, which may be fcssiliferous and argillaceous. From the study of core samples and detailed petrographic analysis of thin sections, five lithofacies were recognized and their extent …

Bivalve Associations Of The Cannonball Formation (Paleocene, Danian) Of North Dakota, Rosanne M. Lindholm

Theses and Dissertations

The Cannonball Formation (Paleocene, Danian) is best exposed in southwest-central North Dakota. Here, two major lithotypes, mudstone and sandstone, occur. In this area, the Cannonball can be informally subdivided into four lithologic units: lower (primarily thinly-bedded sandstone and mudstone), lower-middle (sandstone), upper-middle (mudstone), and upper (sandstone). The Cannonball is also exposed in southwestern North Dakota where it occurs as two mudstone tongues (upper and lower).

During July and August, 1982, thirteen Cannonball outcrops were studied. Bivalves, along with other macrofossils, were collected quantitatively in an attempt to determine fossil species dominance. Rock samples were also collected and analyzed for textural …

The Geochemical Evolution Of Saline Groundwater Within A Fresh Water Aquifer South Of Oakes, North Dakota, David L. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

An area of saline/brackish groundwater south of Oakes, North Dakota has been reported by the North Dakota State Water Commission. The concentrated water (over 12,000 mg/L of total dissolved solids) is in direct hydraulic connection with relatively fresh water and shows an abrupt change in concentration and water chemistry between these two end members. The saline/brackish water is beneath a shallow trough or depression which has an approximate area of 6 square miles (15.5 square kilometres). The trough is within the northern part of the Glacial Lake Dakota plain. Sediments in the lake plain, which is an unconfined aquifer, are …

Depositional Environments And History Of The Winnipeg Group (Ordovician), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Stephen C. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The Winnipeg Group (Ordovician) in the Williston Basin, North Dakota, contains three formations. They are, in ascending order, the Black Island Formation, herein informally divided into lower and upper members, the Icebox Formation, and the Roughlock Formation. Strata of the Winnipeg Group (maximum thickness 400 ft., 122 m) represent the initial deposits of a Middle Ordovician craton-wide transgression. Throughout most of North Dakota, the Winnipeg is unconformably underlain by the Deadwood Formation (Upper Cambrian-Lower Ordovician) and conformably overlain by the Red River Formation (Upper Ordovician).

The strata of the lower member of the Black Island Formation consist of a red-bed …

The Effects Of Seismic Blasting On Shallow Water Wells And Aquifers In Western North Dakota, Frank W. Beaver Jr. P. E.

Theses and Dissertations

Seismographic petroleum exploration throughout North Dakota has generated concern over the effects of blasting on groundwater supplies and wells. A preliminary investigation revealed complaints alleging declining productivity and decreased water quality in regions where coal aquifers are extensively used. Unplugged shotholes were frequently cited as a source of problems.

Experimental results indicate that changes due to blasting occur within long term physical the aquifers rather than in specific water wells. Pumping tests conducted in a sand and coal aquifer system showed no apparent physical effects when shots were detonated one quarter mile away from the pumping wells. Shots 500 feet …

Groundwater-Lake Interactions, Wood Lake, Benson County, North Dakota, Lori J. Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

Wood Lake is a kettle lake within the McHenry end moraine (late Wisconsinan) in eastern Benson County, North Dakota. It is part of the Devils Lake interior basin, near the drainage divide between the Devils Lake basin and the Big Coulee - Sheyenne River drainage. The moraine deposits, part of the Coleharbor Group, are composed of complexly interfingering lenses of gravel, sand, silt, and clay within the till.

Water levels in piezometers around Wood Lake indicate groundwater flows from the southwest into the west side of the lake and out of the lake along the east shore, toward the northeast. …

Sedimentology Of The Bullion Creek And Sentinel Butte Formations (Paleocene) In A Part Of Southern Mckenzie County, North Dakota, Brian P. Wallick

Theses and Dissertations

The environment of deposition of the Bullion Creek and Sentinel Butte Formations (Paleocene) in western North Dakota has been variously ascribed to lacustrine, meandering fluvial, and deltaic settings. The purpose of this study was to interpret the depositional environments, depositional history, and provenance of the strata in T. 145 and 146 N., R. 102 W., McKenzie County, North Dakota.

A total of 24 stratigraphic sections were measured and described. In addition, paleocurrent data were gathered from primary sedimentary structures, positions of paleochannel outcrops were noted, and samples were collected. Laboratory work consisted of thin-section petrography, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray …

Archean Metamorphism In Northwestern Ontario And Southeastern Manitoba, Kevin R. Henke

Theses and Dissertations

Four areas are considered in this study. In Ontario, north-south traverses were made along Highway 599 between Savant Lake and Central Patricia, along the Vermilion River road (40 kilometers northeast of Sioux Lookout) and along Highway 105 between Vermilion Bay and Ear Falls (Fig. 3). The fourth area is centered at Bird River, northeast of Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba. The study areas are located in the Uchi, English River and Wabigoon Subprovinces.

The traverse along Highway 599 between Savant Lake and Central Patricia crosses the three subprovinces (Fig. 3). Pelites in the eastern Lake St. Joseph area (Uchi Sub province) …

Tertiary Alkalic Igneous Activity, Potassic Fenitization, Carbonatitic Magmatism, And Hydrothermal Activity In The Central And Southeastern Bear Lodge Mountains, Crook County, Wyoming, Gordon A. Jenner

Theses and Dissertations

The Bear Lodge Mountains are located in Crook County in north eastern Wyoming. The core of the uplift consists of alkalic igneous rocks that range from Early to Late Eocene in age. A petrologic and geochemical study of surface and subsurface samples from the southeastern and central portions of the core reveals a complex history of multiple alkalic igneous events, potassic metasomatism, carbonatitic magmatism, and hydrothermal alteration.

An early episode of alkalic igneous activity is represented by latite and trachyte porphyries, phonolite and trachyte porphyries, and natrolite-garnet syenites and malignites. Throughout much of the complex, the composition of these older …

Stratigraphy And Depositional Environments Of The Fox Hills Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Bowman County, North Dakota, Daniel J. Daly

Theses and Dissertations

The sedimentary structures, trace fossils, and lithology of the Upper Cretaceous Fox Hills Formation in Bowman County, North Dakota, were studied during the summer of 1979 and the spring of 1983. Twenty-three stratigraphic sections were measured and described and lithologic samples were collected for textural and mineralogical analysis, also, the major outcrops of the formation in the Dakotas and Montana were visited.

The formation in the study area was previously defined as a 27-mthick sandstone unit, containing three members--ascending, Trail City, Timber Lake, and Colgate--that was conformable with the underlying Pierre and overlying Hell Creek Formations. The Fox Hills, as …

Conodonts Of The Bakken Formation (Devonian And Mississippian), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Michael D. Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

The Bakken Formation is a thin (maximum 145 ft., 44 m), predominantly elastic unit in the subsurface of the Williston Basin in the United States and Canada. The formation consists of two, mostly non-calcareous, grayish-black to brownish-black shales separated by light to dark gray, calcareous and dolomitic siltstone and fine-grained sandstone. The carbonaceous, black shales of the Bakken produce a distinctive geophysical marker and are a major source rock for hydrocarbons in the Williston Basin.

Conodonts were selectively sampled from cores of the Bakken in North Dakota in an effort to determine the age and thermal maturity of the formation. …

The Ashern Formation (Middle Devonian) In The Williston Basin, North Dakota, Frederick K. Lobdell

Theses and Dissertations

The Ashern Formation (Middle Devonian) is the basal unit of the Kaskaskia Sequence in North Dakota. It unconformably overlies the Interlake Formation (Silurian) and underlies, probably paraconformably, the Winnipegosis Formation (Middle Devonian). The Ashern is present in the northwestern one-half of the state, and attains a maximum thickness of 180 feet (55 meters) The Ashern Formation may be subdivided into a lower red member and an upper gray member. The latter directly overlies the Interlake Formation where the red member is absent. Both members are argillaceous, microcrystalline dolostones containing minor quartz silt. Anhydrite, present in both members, is much more …

Paleohydraulics Of Pleistocene Drainage Development Of The Souris, Des Lacs, And Moose Mountain Spillways, Saskatchewan And North Dakota, Mark L. Lord

Theses and Dissertations

Recent recognition of the rapid draining of numerous glacial lakes, including some in the Northern Plains, has revealed 'a need for further research concerning this process. Geomorphic interpretation of the Souris, Des Lacs, and Moose Mountain Valleys, and the gravel deposits in them, has resulted in the recognition of five phases in the development of the drainageways. Textural analyses and paleohydraulic methods were applied to the sediments associated with each phase to distinguish and characterize the discharges. Four of the five phases of development involved short-lived, high velocity (>4 m/s) discharges resulting from the rapid draining of glacial lakes; …

Depositional Cycles And Coral Distribution, Mission Canyon And Charles Formations, Madison Group (Mississippian), Williston Basin, North Dakota, Douglas L. Waters

Theses and Dissertations

The distribution of corals, other fossils, and rock types of the Madison Group in the Williston Basin were studied in 29 cores (involving over 6,200 feet of core) from the Bottineau, Tilston, Frobisher-Alida, and Ratcliffe intervals in the western half of North Dakota. Occurrence of rock types, corals, and other fossils (brachiopods, bryozoans, red algae, and gastropods) of the Mission Canyon and lower Charles Formations were plotted in three cross-sections against the informal marker-defined intervals (Tilston, Frobisher-Alida, and Ratcliffe), as identified from well logs. Distribution and abundance of corals in nine of the more extensive cores were related to interpreted …

Heavy Minerals Of The Cretaceous Hell Creek And Paleocene Ludlow Formations Of Slope And Bowman Counties, North Dakota, Robert A. Farris

Theses and Dissertations

The Cretaceous Hell Creek and Paleocene Ludlow Formations of southwestern North Dakota are nonmarine sediments of alluvial origin. The heavy minerals of these formations were specifically studied to determine the source rock types and their provenance, and generally assess the diagenetic processes which affected the heavy minerals.

The heavy minerals include zircon, rutile, tourmaline, garnet, ilmenite, spinel, apatite, epidote, sphene, pyroxene, dolomite, biotite, andalusite, pyrite, monazite, and barite. Most of the heavy minerals have angular shapes, indicating one cycle of erosion and deposition.

The heavy mineral percentages of the concretions and surrounding sediments were compared within and between the Hell …

The Effect Of Waste Stabilization Pond Seepage On Groundwater Quality Of Shallow Aquifers In Eastern North Dakota, David J. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The use of stabilization ponds to dispose of municipal wastes has become popular with many North Dakota cities. When managed properly they are an efficient and economical method of waste disposal and may not adversely affect groundwater quality. In order to achieve efficient treatment, the ponds must be built in sediment that has permeability low enough to inhibit excessive percolation of wastewater into the subsurface. Some North Dakota cities have not met this basic requirement in the construction of their ponds. As a result, insufficiently treated pond liquids are allowed to reach the water table, potentially contaminating groundwater supplies. Three …

The Effect Of Oil-And-Gas Well Drilling Fluids On Shallow Groundwater In Western North Dakota, Edward C. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

Upon completion of an oil-and-gas well in North Dakota the drilling fluid is buried in the reserve pit at the site. Reclamation of the drill site is expedited by digging a series of trenches which radiate out from the reserve pit, The majority of buried drilling fluid is ultimately contained within these 5-7 metre deep trenches. These fluids are commonly salt-based, i.e. they contain a con centration of 300,000±20,000 ppm NaCl. In addition, these drilling fluids also contain additives including toxic trace-metal compounds.

Four reclaimed oil~and-gas well sites were chosen for study in western North Dakota. The ages of these …

Quaternary Geology Of The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, John Reiten

Theses and Dissertations

The archeology of the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is being studied by the University of North Dakota Anthropology Department. The age of the near surface sediment and depositional history of Quaternary sediments are useful to archeologists involved in locating and interpreting the cultural resources of this area.

There are eight river terraces within a 300 square kilometre area surrounding the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, near Stanton, North Dakota. , The terraces are former river floodplains that have been preserved above the present floodplain. The elevation above river level of the Pleistocene terraces are listed: …

A Survey Of 24 Elements In North Dakota Lignite (Fort Union Group, Paleocene) And Possible Geologic Implications, Susan A. Zimmer-Dauphinee

Theses and Dissertations

Calystone, carbonaceous shale, lignitic shale, and lignite samples were collected from western North Dakota for element analysis during May 1978, April 1979, and August 1979. Lignite was collected from the Sentinel Butte Formatlon--Hagel Bed (Oliver and McClean Counties), Beulah-Zap Bed (Mercer County), Lehigh Bed (Stark County)-- and from the Bullion Creek Formation--Harmon Bed (Bowman County). Claystone samples were also collected from clay partings present in the Hagel Bed and Harmon Bed. Control samples were collected from an outcrop of the marine lower middle Cannonball Formation (carbonaceous shale) south of Mandan, North Dakota and from an outcrop of the brackish oyster …

Stratigraphy Of The Inyan Kara Formation (Lower Cretaceous) In The Vicinity Of The Nesson Anticline, Northwestern North Dakota, Brad L. Wartman

Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Cretaceous Inyan Kara Formation, at the base of the Dakota Group, consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale, and coal. The stratigraphy of the Inyan Kara and facies relationships within the formation and with the underlying Swift and overlying Skull Creek Formations in the vicinity of the Nesson Anticline, northwestern North Dakota, were evaluated using 11 cross-sections, 163 borehole geophysical logs, and 1 well core.

The Inyan Kara can be differentiated on well logs into three members. The basal member, "A", consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale, and coal. It is about 200 feet (60 m) to 400 feet (122 m) …

Glacial Stratigraphy Of Northwestern Cass County, North Dakota, Sharon K. Falcone

Theses and Dissertations

Field mapping, construction of cross-sections, and laboratory analyses of field samples were used to map, describe, and correlate the Late Wisconsinan glacial sediments of northwestern Cass County, North Dakota and to interpret the glacial history of the area.

The surficial geology of the area was interpreted as: 1) collapsed glacial sediment, 2) glacial sediment draped over pre-existing glaciolacustrine topography, 3) proglacia1 lake sediment, 4) wave-eroded glacial and lake sediments and 5) recent river sediment. Landforms within each of these areas include eskers, abandoned or overfit river channels, transverse ridges, ice thrust masses, kettles and beach deposits.

Seven lithostratigraphic units were …