Geology Commons^™

Fate Of Fish Production In A Seasonally Flooded Saltmarsh, Philip W. Stevens, Clay L. Montague, Kenneth J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Although saltmarshes are thought to enhance the productivity of open estuarine water, the mechanism by which energy transfer occurs has been debated for decades. One possible mechanism is the transfer of saltmarsh production to estuarine waters by vagile fishes and invertebrates. Monthly estimates of fish standing stock, net fish ingress, and predation were used to develop a bio-mass budget to estimates annual production of fishes and the relative yield to predatory fish, birds, and direct migration to the estuary. Annual production of saltmarsh fishes was estimated to 31.0 gm^-2 saltmarsh, which falls within the range of previously reported values …

Spatial Analysis Of Substantiated Child Maltreatment In Metro Atlanta, Georgia, Yueqin Zhou

Geosciences Theses

Identifying high-risk areas for child maltreatment to ultimately aid public health agencies for interventions is necessary for protecting children at high risk. Rates of substantiated neglect and physical/emotional abuse in 2000-2002 are computed for the census tracts in the urban area of five counties in Metro Atlanta, Georgia, and analyzed using spatial regression to determine their relationships with twelve risk variables computed from the Vital Records births and the 2000 Census data. After accounting for multicollinearity among risk variables and spatial autocorrelation among observations for neighboring locations, it is found that high percentages of (1) births to non-married mothers, (2) …

A Linear Modulation Osl Study Of The Unstable Ultrafast Component In Samples From Glacial Lake Hitchcock, Massachusetts, Usa, R. J. Goble, Tammy M. Rittenour

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Optical ages were determined for samples from delta and sand dune deposits associated with Glacial Lake Hitchcock near Amherst, Massachusetts using the single aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) technique. However, a strong unstable ultrafast component caused initial rejection of data from a large proportion of aliquots. A linearly modulated blue OSL (LM-OSL) study was undertaken on the sample with the strongest ultrafast component, with the data modelled using the equation of Bulur et al. (2000) as 5 fast, medium and slow components, and 1 ultrafast component.

The ultrafast component dominates the LM–OSL, almost completely obscuring the fast component. …

Thermodynamics Of Metals Adsorption Onto Uranium Dioxide, Koi Ling Lim

Masters Theses

Wastes and pollution containing uranium are released to the environment through mining, ore processing, industrial manufacture of nuclear fuel and weapons materials, and the disposal of spent nuclear fuel. There are a wide variety of processes that can affect UO₂ stability. This research focuses on the surface reactivity of UO₂ in reducing aqueous solutions, with an emphasis on assessment of the pH-dependent surface charge, reactive surface area, and the adsorption of dissolved lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), lanthanum (La) onto UO₂ particles. A surface complexation model was used to explain the adsorption and titration phenomena of UO_{2 …}

Investigation Of Oxy-Anion Legand Adsorption Onto Surfaces Of Iron Oxide And Bacteria In Groundwater Aquifers, Haile Mengistu

Dissertations

We have measured adsorption of dissolved phosphate onto synthetic hydrous ferric oxide (HFO), dissolved arsenate and chromate onto the cell membrane of a bacterium species, S. putrefaciens as a function of pH, ionic strength, and relative concentrations of the respective oxy-ligands. Our experimental data were used to constrain optimal values for surface complexation reactions involving dissolved oxi-ligands (phosphate, and chromate) and the HFO surface and the cell membrane of S. putrefaciens respectively according to the diffuse layer model.

Our results provide a more accurate fit to experimental measurements over a broader range of pH (3 - 12), ionic strength and …

Identification, Characterization And Analysis Of Wrench Related Faulting In Southwestern Warren County, Kentucky, Joseph Islas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Warren County, Kentucky is located south of the southern boundary of the Rough Creek Graben marked by the Pennyrile fault system. The Pennyrile fault system is a regional southwest-northeast trending fault system that extends into Kentucky from the Reelfoot rift zone. The Rough Creek fault system bounds the northern arm of the Rough Creek Graben and trends northwest-southeast also extending from the Reelfoot rift zone. The Rough Creek fault system is related to the Shawneetown fault system in southeastern Illinois and occupies the southern end of the Illinois Basin. The East Continent Rift Basin intersects the Rough Creek Graben near …

Origin And Tectonic Evolution Of The Southern Appalachian Neoacadin Crystalline Core: Evidence From The Geology Of The Gilreath 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, North Carolina, Crystal Gayle Wilson

Masters Theses

Detailed geologic mapping of the Gilreath 7.5-minute quadrangle recognizes the northernmost continuation of the Brindle Creek fault, a terrane boundary that separates Neoproterozic-Ordovician metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the western Tugaloo terrane (western Inner Piedmont) from Silurian-Devonian metasedimentary rocks and Devonian-Mississippian anatectic granitoids of the Cat Square terrane (eastern Inner Piedmont). The Brindle Creek fault is folded in the study area and exposes the Ordovician Brooks Crossroads Granite in a reentrant. Low high-field strength element concentrations and a flatter rare earth element patterns typical of western Inner Piedmont granitoids, support a footwall setting for the Brooks Crossroads Granite.

New geochemical …

Petrogenesis Of Apollo 15 Olivine-Normative And Quartz-Normative Mare Basalts, Darren W. Schnare

Masters Theses

New data are presented for four Apollo 15 low-Ti mare basalts, two from the olivine-normative suite (15106, and 15555) and two from the quartz-normative suite (15475, and 15499). Previous studies have examined the relationships between these groups on the basis of whole-rock chemistry, many with analyses that may have been of insufficient sample-size, or of limited range of elements analyzed. To determine a relationship between these basalts, these samples have been analyzed for their mineral major-element and trace-element compositions by electron-microprobe and laser-ablation inductively-coupled-plasma mass-spectrometry, respectively.

The trace-element compositions of the main silicate phases, olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase, are consistent …

Climate Change And Late Pliocene Acceleration Of Erosion In The Himalaya, Katharine Huntington, Ann Blythe, Kip Hodges

Ann Blythe

Studies of active mountain ranges suggest that atmospheric and geodynamic processes may be strongly coupled through erosion — a hypothesis that has led to a debate over the relative importance of climate and far-field tectonic forcing in influencing erosion. We addressed this debate by developing the detailed long-term erosional history of a transect in the central Annapurna Range of Nepal for comparison with the climate and tectonic forcing histories of the region. Patterns of apatite fission-track and muscovite 40Ar/39Ar apparent ages with elevation indicate a five-fold increase in apparent erosion rate between 2.5 and 0.9 Ma ago. The time frame …

Petrogenesis Of Eocene-Oligocene Magmatism Of The Sulphur Springs Range, Central Nevada: The Role Of Magma Mixing, Elizabeth Balls Ryskamp

Theses and Dissertations

Widespread base- and precious-metal anomalies, altered porphyry intrusions and oxidized veins occur in a portion of the Sulphur Springs Range, Nevada (adjacent to the Au-producing Carlin Trend). Some of the Eocene-Oligocene intrusions and cogenetic volcanic rocks in the range exhibit evidence of magma mixing and invite comparisons with other mineralized, Eocene mixed magma systems like the Bingham porphyry Cu deposit 300 km farther to the east. The Sulphur Springs igneous suite ranges compositionally through rhyolite, dacite, andesite and basaltic andesite but is less alkaline than the Bingham volcanic suite. However, the alkali content of the Sulphur Springs suite is similar …

Garnetites Of The Cardigan Pluton - Evidence For Restite And Implications For Source Rock Compositions., Teresa K. Pett

Theses and Dissertations

The Cardigan pluton, located in the southern half of New Hampshire, is a strongly peraluminous, S-type granite which is granodioritic in composition. It is inferred to have been emplaced rapidly, thrust up along west-verging nappes during the Acadian orogeny. Distinctive pods, consisting of 50 to 70 percent modal garnet, are found throughout the pluton in assemblages of garnet + sillimanite + biotite + plagioclase + quartz. These garnetite rocks present an intriguing case for restite. Textural features of the garnetite rocks, such as fibrolitic sillimanite mats and flat, unzoned major and trace-element garnet grain profiles, provide evidence for biotite dehydration …

Quaternary Deposits Near The San Emigdio Mountains, California: Evidence For A Paleolandscape?, Paul G. Lavelle

Earth and Soil Sciences

Discontinuous low-relief surfaces are scattered throughout relatively high topography within the San Emigdio Mountains, California. These surfaces are considered anomalous, as they are preserved in a dissected, mountainous region that is affected by ongoing orogeny. Previous research has suggested that the low-relief surfaces may represent a once-contiguous alluvial surface. This project utilizes field mapping and sedimentological analysis to determine if the surfaces represent a paleo landscape. What is apparent from field work is the presence of two morphologically distinct lithologic units that most likely represent surficial geologic components of the same relict landscape.

Seasonal Variation In The Stable Isotopic Composition Of Precipitation In The Tropical Montane Forests Of Monteverde, Costa Rica, Amy L. Rhodes, Andrew J. Guswa, Silvia E. Newell

Engineering: Faculty Publications

Climate and land use change may diminish orographic clouds over tropical montane forests, stressing biota and water resources during dry seasons. From 2003 to 2005 we measured the stable isotopic composition of precipitation and throughfall in Monteverde, Costa Rica, to distinguish convective, wet season rainfall associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) from dry season, orographic rain produced by northeasterly trade winds. While event-to-event fluctuations of δ18O and δ2H are high, monthly samples reveal a seasonal signal that may be used to trace water through the hydrologic cycle. Deuterium excess indicates that water evaporated from land is an important flux …

Mantle Transition Zone Discontinuities Beneath The Baikal Rift And Adjacent Areas, Kelly H. Liu, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Like most other major continental rifts, the Baikal rift zone (BRZ) in Siberia is presumably underlain by a hot and partially molten mantle, which has a reduced seismic velocity relative to surrounding areas. Recent seismic tomography studies, however, gave conflicting results about the depth extent and even the existence of the low-velocity anomaly beneath the BRZ, suggesting that additional constraints are needed. Here we present results from stacking of about 1700 radial P-to-S receiver functions from a single long-running seismic station, TLY, located at the SW tip of Lake Baikal. A clear uplift of the 410 km discontinuity (d410) with …

Improving Database Quality Through Eliminating Duplicate Records, Mingzhen Wei, Andrew H. Sung, Martha E. Cather

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Redundant or duplicate data are the most troublesome problem in database management and applications. Approximate field matching is the key solution to resolve the problem by identifying semantically equivalent string values in syntactically different representations. This paper considers token-based solutions and proposes a general field matching framework to generalize the field matching problem in different domains. By introducing a concept of String Matching Points (SMP) in string comparison, string matching accuracy and efficiency are improved, compared with other commonly-applied field matching algorithms. The paper discusses the development of field matching algorithms from the developed general framework. The framework and corresponding …

Water Resources And Geologic Field Trip In York And Seward Counties, Nebraska, Michael J. Jess, Mark Burbach

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Atmospheric Chemistry Of A 33–34 Hour Old Volcanic Cloud From Hekla Volcano (Iceland): Insights From Direct Sampling And The Application Of Chemical Box Modeling, William I. Rose, Genevieve A. Millard, Tamsin A. Mather, Donald E. Hunton, Bruce Anderson, Clive Oppenheimer, Brett F. Thornton, Terrence M. Gerlach, Albert A. Viggiano, Yutaka Kondo, Thomas M. Miller, John O. Ballenthin

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

On 28 February 2000, a volcanic cloud from Hekla volcano, Iceland, was serendipitously sampled by a DC-8 research aircraft during the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE I). It was encountered at night at 10.4 km above sea level (in the lower stratosphere) and 33–34 hours after emission. The cloud is readily identified by abundant SO2 (≤1 ppmv), HCl (≤70 ppbv), HF (≤60 ppbv), and particles (which may have included fine silicate ash). We compare observed and modeled cloud compositions to understand its chemical evolution. Abundances of sulfur and halogen species indicate some oxidation of sulfur gases but …

Provenance Of A Garnet-Rich Beach Placer Deposit, Montauk Point, Long Island, Ny, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Zarine Ali, Olalekan Jemilugba

Publications and Research

Garnet and magnetite rich sand, also enriched in monazite and zircon, has been observed and sampled near Montauk Point, Long Island. The sediment is derived from the glacial till and stratified drift of the Ronkonkoma Moraine by mechanical weathering and erosion due to wave action at Montauk Point, the headland on the eastern tip of Long Island. Sand sized sediment is moved westward along the southern shore of Long Island by longshore transport. The garnet and magnetite components of this sediment are significantly denser than the quartzo-feldspathic components. This allows for hydraulic segregation of these components, by wave action, …

Halogen Emissions From A Small Volcanic Eruption: Modeling The Peak Concentrations, Dispersion, And Volcanically Induced Ozone Loss In The Stratosphere, G. A. Millard, T. A. Mather, D. M. Pyle, William I. Rose, B. Thornton

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Aircraft measurements in the Hekla, Iceland volcanic plume in February 2000 revealed large quantities of hydrogen halides within the stratosphere correlated to volcanic SO2. Investigation of the longer-term stratospheric impact of these emissions, using the 3D chemical transport model, SLIMCAT suggests that volcanic enhancements of H2O and HNO3 increased HNO3·3H2O particle availability within the plume. These particles activated volcanic HCl and HBr, enhancing model plume concentrations of ClOx (20 ppb) and BrOx (50 ppt). Model O3 concentrations decreased to near-zero in places, and plume average O3 remained 30% lower after two weeks. Reductions in the model O3column reduced UV shielding …

Geogram 2006, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

The Jabal Qarah Caves Of The Hofuf Area, Northeastern Saudi Arabia: A Geological Investigation, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Mahbub Hussain, Fadhel Al-Khalifah

Publications and Research

The Jabal Al Qarah Caves, located approximately 13 km east of Al Hofuf, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, are an intricate cave system developed in the calcareous sandstone, marl and clay of the Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene Hofuf Formation. Physiographically, the hill of Jabal Al Qarah is an outlier mesa that is located at the eastern edge of the Shedgum Plateau, the southern extension of the As Summan Plateau, and the larger Syrian Plateau to the north. Based on cave morphology and interpreted evolutionary histoty, the Jabal Al Qarah caves appear to be significantly different from other limestone caves …

Precarious Rock Methodology For Seismic Hazard: Physical Testing, Numerical Modeling, And Coherence Studies, Rasool Anooshehpoor, James N. Brune, Amy J. Smiecinski, Raymond E. Keeler

Publications (YM)

The precarious rock methodology used for seismic hazard assessment includes location, age dating, field measurements of the quasi-static toppling acceleration of balanced rocks, and study of their dynamic response to realistic strong motion seismograms using numerical modeling. The work scope is contained in the task description issued by the DOE to the Seismology Laboratory of the University of Nevada, Reno and is itemized in section 2.3 below. In addition, measurement of the coherence of seismic energy at high frequencies, critical to the understanding of the variability of high frequency ground motions at the repository level, will be estimated based on …

Detection Of A Landslide Glide Plane Using Seismic Reflection Methods: Investigation At Little Valley Landslide In Draper, Utah, Brady E. Tingey

Theses and Dissertations

An integration of geological and geophysical techniques has been used to characterize the internal structure of the Little Valley Landslide in Draper, Utah, USA. The Little Valley Landslide is a pre-historic landslide as old as 13ka B.P. It is found to consist of chaotic and disturbed weathered volcanic units derived from Tertiary age volcanics that comprise a great portion of the Wasatch Range. Geotechnical investigations that were integrated with the geophysical results included excavation of trenches and drilling of boreholes. Geophysical methods, in particular high-resolution seismic data, were used to provide a framework for interpreting the geotechnical observations. High-resolution seismic …

Deep-Water Antipatharians: Proxies Of Environmental Change, B. Williams, M.J. Risk, S.W. Ross, K.J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Deep-water (307–697 m) antipatharian (black coral) specimens were collected from the southeastern continental slope of the United States and the north-central Gulf of Mexico. The sclerochronology of the specimens indicates that skeletal growth takes place by formation of concentric coeval layers. We used 210Pb to estimate radial growth rate of two specimens, and to establish that they were several centuries old. Bands were delaminated in KOH and analyzed for carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. Carbon values ranged from _16.4‰ to _15.7‰; the oldest specimen displayed the largest range in values. Nitrogen values ranged from 7.7‰ to 8.6‰. …

Mapped Overland Distance Of Paleotsunami High-Velocity Inundation N Back-Barrier Wetlands Of The Central Cascadia Margin, U.S.A, Robert B. Schlichting, Curt D. Peterson

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Investigations of back-barrier, open-coastal plain settings have been used to establish minimum inundation distances of prehistoric tsunamis produced by great subduction zone earthquakes in the central Cascadia margin. Distinctive sand sheets were characterized at four localities within the central Cascadia margin, a shoreline distance of about 250 km. The sand sheets vary in thickness from 0.2 to 25 cm. They thin in the landward direction and consist of well-sorted beach sand that fines upsection. Many of the sand sheets include capping layers of organic-rich detritus, as well as assimilated mud rip-up clasts and soil litter. Marine diatoms and bromine (i.e., …

Geomorphologic Controls On The Age Of Particulate Organic Carbon From Small Mountainous And Upland Rivers, El Leithold, Ne Blair, Dw Perkey

VIMS Articles

To assess the role that erosion processes play in governing the character of particulate organic carbon (POC) discharged from small mountainous and upland rivers, a suite of watersheds from Oregon, California, and New Zealand was investigated. The rivers share similar geology, tectonic setting, and climate, but have sediment yields that range over 3 orders of magnitude. The (14)C age of the POC loads is highly correlated with sediment yield. Carbon isotope mass balances reveal that the rivers carry bimodal mixtures of modern-plant-and ancient-rock-derived OC. At lower yields, modern plant OC dominates the material delivered to the river by sheetwash and …

Microbial Growth And Biofilm Formation In Geologic Media Is Detected With Complex Conductivity Measurements, Caroline A. Davis, Estella A. Atekwana, Eliot A. Atekwana, Lee D. Slater, Silvia Rossbach, Melanie R. Mormile

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Complex conductivity measurements (0.1-1000 Hz) were obtained from biostimulated sand-packed columns to investigate the effect of microbial growth and biofilm formation on the electrical properties of porous media. Microbial growth was verified by direct microbial counts, pH measurements, and environmental scanning electron microscope imaging. Peaks in imaginary (interfacial) conductivity in the biostimulated columns were coincident with peaks in the microbial cell concentrations extracted from sands. However, the real conductivity component showed no discernible relationship to microbial cell concentration. We suggest that the observed dynamic changes in the imaginary conductivity (σ″) arise from the growth and attachment of microbial cells and …

The Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

Caves, the cornerstone feature of karst aquifers, are little understood in Florida. This dissertation, which analyzes the morphology, elevation, lithologic setting, and hydrology of caves in west-central Florida, demonstrates that the karst of the unconfined Floridan aquifer differs from the paradigm view of karst presented in modern geology textbooks. The differences reflect setting: eogenetic (west-central Florida) vs. telogenetic (conventional).

Sinkhole Structure Imaging In Covered Karst Terrain, Sarah E. Kruse, M. Grasmueck, Matthew Weiss, D. Viggiano

Geology Faculty Publications

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) and resistivity techniques have been widely used to map the locations of sinkholes in covered karst terrain. To determine whether a sinkhole is a likely preferential conduit for groundwater flow, however, requires higher-resolution imaging than that used in conventional sinkhole mapping surveys. Field observations combined with simulated surveys for a 15-m diameter 3-m deep sinkhole in west-central Florida are used to assess the resolution of GPR and resistivity surveys targeting the semiconfining unit that floors the sinkhole depression. 2D resistivity surveys clearly show the central depression as well as resistivity contrasts between the cover sediments within …

Maximum A Posteriori Resampling Of Noisy, Spatially Correlated Data, John A. Goff, Chris Jenkins, Brian R. Calder

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

In any geologic application, noisy data are sources of consternation for researchers, inhibiting interpretability and marring images with unsightly and unrealistic artifacts. Filtering is the typical solution to dealing with noisy data. However, filtering commonly suffers from ad hoc (i.e., uncalibrated, ungoverned) application. We present here an alternative to filtering: a newly developed method for correcting noise in data by finding the “best” value given available information. The motivating rationale is that data points that are close to each other in space cannot differ by “too much,” where “too much” is governed by the field covariance. Data with large uncertainties …