Geology Commons^™

Ichnogenic Megaporosity And Permeability In Carbonate Aquifers And Reservoirs: Definitions And Examples, H. Allen Curran, Kevin J. Cunningham

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Biogenic megaporosity in sedimentary deposits (readily visible without magnification) typically has body-fossil moldic or ichnogenic origin. We consider ichnogenic megaporosity as pores greater than 4 mm associated with either burrow- or rhizolith-dominated ichnofabrics. Dominant bioturbators in shallow-marine environments typically include thalassinidean crustaceans and polychaetes. Callianassid shrimp commonly dominate the deep-tier fauna in carbonate and siliciclastic, sandy, shallow-marine settings; when fossilized their thickly lined, pelleted burrows (cm-scale outside diameters) are assigned to the ichnogenus Ophiomorpha. In the mostly Pleistocene carbonate rocks of the Biscayne aquifer of south Florida, Ophiomorpha is well lithified and burrows form a rigid framework, with interburrow macroporosity …

Geogram 2013, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Limits Of Luminescence Dating: An Update Regarding Quartz Of The Southern Alps Of New Zealand And The Olympic Mountains, Washington, Usa, Cianna E. Wyshnytzky, Tammy M. Rittenour

Graduate Student Posters

Late Pleistocene glacial sediments from the South Fork Hoh River valley in the Olympic Mountains, Washington, USA and the Lake Hawea valley in the Southern Alps, New Zealand were dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) on quartz and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) on feldspar sand from 2011-2013. High sediment supply (typical of glacial environments), short transport distances, and sediment newly eroded from bedrock sources were expected to pose problems for luminescence dating in these locations. Samples were collected from a variety of depositional environments and inferred distances from the ice-front to assess how luminescence signals may vary due to these …

Making Reliable Shear-Wave Splitting Measurements, Kelly H. Liu, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Shear-wave splitting (SWS) analysis using SKS, SKKS, and PKS (hereafter collectively called XKS) phases is one of the most commonly used techniques in structural seismology. In spite of the apparent simplicity in performing SWS measurements, large discrepancies in published SWS parameters (fast direction and splitting time) suggest that a significant portion of splitting parameters has been incorrectly determined. Here, based on the popularly used minimization of transverse energy technique, we present a procedure that combines automatic data processing and careful manual screening, which includes adjusting the XKS window used for splitting analysis, modifying band-pass filtering corner frequencies, and verifying and …

Hydrogeologic Variations Across A Barrier Island That Influence Inter-Dune Wetlands False Cape State Park, Virginia, Matthew Collier Richardson

OES Theses and Dissertations

False Cape State Park in southeastern Virginia Beach, Virginia contains a transgressive barrier island complex. Inter-dune swales located on the eastern coast of the barrier island contain soils that experience hydric conditions. However, these swales lack the prolonged presence of hydric soil indicators that are necessary for a site to be officially recognized as a jurisdictional wetland. The appearance and subsequent disappearance of redoximorphic wetland soil features in the young, sandy soils of the inter-dune swales here may stem from changes in the patterns of groundwater recharge and discharge across the island. These soils are being monitored by the Mid …

Late Holocene Tsunami Deposits At Salt Creek, Washington, Usa, Ian Hutchinson, Curt D. Peterson, Sarah L. Sterling

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We interpret two thin sand layers in the estuarine marsh at Salt Creek, on the southern shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, as the products of tsunamis propagated by earthquakes at the Cascadia subduction zone. The sand layers extend for about 60 m along the left bank of the creek about 800 m from the mouth, and can be traced to the base of a nearby upland area. One layer is exposed in the creek bank about 400 m further upstream, but they are only patchily distributed in the rest of the central area of the marsh. Both …

Stratigraphic Framework, Discontinuity Surfaces, And Regional Significance Of Campanian Slope To Ramp Carbonates From Central Dalmatia, Croatia, M. Brlek, T. Korbar, B. Cvetko Tešović, B. Glumac, L. Fuček

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

The sedimentology, microfacies, and stratigraphic age (from planktonic and benthic foraminifera and strontium-isotope stratigraphy) of a 300-m-thick Upper Cretaceous carbonate succession from the Island of Čiovo (central Dalmatia, Croatia) were analyzed in order to determine the lithostratigraphic, depositional, and chronostratigraphic framework. The Cretaceous strata were deposited in the southern part of the long-lasting (Late Triassic to Paleogene) Adriatic-Dinaridic Carbonate Platform (ADCP), one of a few late Mesozoic, intra-Tethyan, peri-Adriatic (sub)tropical archipelagos. The succession is separated by a firmground formational boundary into two lithostratigraphic units: the underlying Middle to Upper Campanian Dol Formation consisting of slope pelagic limestone with intercalated turbidites …

Rapid River Incision Across An Inactive Fault - Implications For Patterns Of Erosion And Deformation In The Central Colorado Plateau, Joel L. Pederson, Neil Burnside, Zoe Shipton, Tammy M. Rittenour

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The Colorado Plateau presents a contrast between deep and seemingly recent erosion and apparently only mild late Cenozoic tectonic activity. Researchers have recently proposed multiple sources of epeirogenic uplift and intriguing patterns of differential incision, yet little or no quantitative constraints exist in the heart of the plateau to test these ideas. Here, we use both optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and uranium-series dating to delimit the record of fluvial strath terraces at Crystal Geyser in southeastern Utah, where the Little Grand Wash fault crosses the Green River in the broad Mancos Shale badlands of the central plateau. Results indicate there …

Unusual Polygenetic Void And Cave Development In Dolomitized Miocene Chalks On Barbados, West Indies, Jonathan B. Sumrall, John E. Mylroie, Hans G. Machel

International Journal of Speleology

Barbados provides an unusual case of polygenetic cave development within dolomitized chalks and marls of the Miocene Oceanics Group. These diagenetic processes are driven by a succession and interplay of tectonic uplift, fracturing, hypogene fluid injection, overprinting by mixing zone diagenesis, and mechanical and biological erosion in the current littoral zone. The significance of the voids and caves within the chalks on Barbados are: 1) these appear to be the first dissolution caves documented in dolomitized chalk, and 2) these features show a polygenetic origin documenting the diagenetic changes in lithology that allowed the development and preservation of these cave …

Phanerozoic Surface History Of The Slavecraton, Alexis K. Ault, Rebecca M. Flowers, Samuel A. Bowring

Geosciences Faculty Publications

New apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) thermochronometry data and key geologic constraints from Slave craton kimberlites are used to develop a model for the Phanerozoic burial, unroofing, and hypsometric history of the northwestern Canadian shield. AHe dates range from 210 ± 13 to 382 ± 79 Ma, are older in the eastern Slave craton and decrease westward, and resolve the spatial extent, thickness, and history of now-denuded sedimentary units. Results indicate Paleozoic heating to temperatures ≥85–90°C, suggesting regional burial beneath ≥2.8 km of strata while the region was at sea level, followed by the westward migration of unroofing across the craton. This …

Paleoseismology Of The Southern Panamint Valley Fault: Implications For Regional Earthquake Occurrence And Seismic Hazard In Southern California, Lee J. Mcauliffe, James F. Dolan, Eric Kirby, Chris Rollins, Ben Haravitch, Steve Alm, Tammy M. Rittenour

Geosciences Faculty Publications

[1] Paleoseismologic data from the southern Panamint Valley fault (PVF) reveal evidence of at least four surface ruptures during late Holocene time (0.33–0.48 ka, 0.9–3.0 ka, 3.3–3.6 ka, and >4.1 ka). These paleo‐earthquake ages indicate that the southern PVF has ruptured at least once and possibly twice during the ongoing (≤1.5 ka) seismic cluster in the Mojave section of the eastern California shear zone (ECSZ). The most recent event (MRE) on the PVF is also similar in age to the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake and the geomorphically youthful MRE on the Death Valley fault. The timing of the three oldest …

Wmu Research Facility Assists In Rediscovery Of Rare Mineral Deposit, Cheryl Roland

MGRRE News

WMU News article about the rediscovery of a long-forgotten mineral deposit, potash, which is located under two West Michigan counties.

Scavenging, Cycling And Removal Fluxes Of 210Po And 210Pb At The Bermuda Time-Series Study Site, G. H. Hong, M. Baskaran, T. M. Church, M. Conte

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Quantifying relative affinities of Po and Pb in different populations of marine particulate matter is of great importance in utilizing ²¹⁰Po as a tracer for carbon cycling. We collected and analyzed water samples for the concentrations of dissolved and total ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb from the upper 600 m of the water column at Bermuda Time-series Study site (September 1999 to September 2000) to investigate their seasonality of concentrations and their ac-tivity ratio (²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activity ratio, AR). Sinking particles collected in sediment traps at depths of 500 m, 1500 m, and 3200 m from …

Self-Potential Signals Generated By The Corrosion Of Buried Metallic Objects With Application To Contaminant Plumes, Justin B. R. Rittgers, Andre Revil, Marios C. Karaoulis, Michael A. Mooney, Lee D. Slater, Estella A. Atekwana

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Large-amplitude (>100 mV) negative electric (self)-potential anomalies are often observed in the vicinity of buried metallic objects and ore bodies or over groundwater plumes associated with organic contaminants. To explain the physical and chemical mechanisms that generate such electrical signals, a controlled laboratory experiment was carried out involving two metallic cylinders buried with vertical and horizontal orientations and centered through and in the capillary fringe within a sandbox. The 2D and 3D self-potential (SP) data were collected at several time steps along with collocated pH and redox potential measurements. Large dipolar SP and redox potential anomalies developed in association …

Accommodation Space Controls On The Latest Pleistocene And Holocene (16–0 Ka) Sediment Size And Bypassing In The Lower Columbia River Valley: A Large Fluvial–Tidal System In Oregon And Washington, Usa, Curt D. Peterson

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, we establish the roles that increasing basin accommodation space have on sediment size and bypassing in the transgressive fill (16–0 ka) in the submerged Lower Columbia River Valley (LCRV). The antecedent forearc valley (225 km in length, 4–8 km in width, and 60–115 m in axial valley depth) is characterized by high sediment supply rates (10–15 million t y-1) but no delta at its mouth to the Pacific Ocean. Core sample sediment textures (N ¼ 1600) are analyzed from 3000 m of borehole sections in 58 representative boreholes to characterize the ancestral valley fill: 57% sand, 17% …

Integrated Geophysical Investigation Of The St. James Fault Complex: A Case Study, Robert W. Jacob, Jeremy B. Byler, Mary Beth Gray

Faculty Journal Articles

We noninvasively detected the characteristics and location of a regional fault in an area of poor bedrock exposure complicated by karst weathering features in the subsurface. Because this regional fault is associated with sinkhole formation, its location is important for hazard avoidance. The bedrock lithologies on either side of the fault trace are similar; hence, we chose an approach that capitalized on the complementary strengths of very low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic, resistivity, and gravity methods. VLF proved most useful as a first-order reconnaissance tool, allowing us to define a narrow target area for further geophysical exploration. Fault-related epikarst was delineated …

Hypogenic Origin Of Provalata Cave, Republic Of Macedonia: A Distinct Case Of Successive Thermal Carbonic And Sulfuric Acid Speleogenesis, Marjan Temovski, Philippe Audra, Andrej Mihevc, Jorge E. Spangenberg, Victor Polyak, William Mcintosh, Jean-Yves Bigot

International Journal of Speleology

Provalata Cave (Republic of Macedonia) is a small but remarkable hypogenic cave, developed in Cambrian marbles by successive thermal carbonic and sulfuric acid speleogenesis. The cave has a thick partly corroded calcite crust, abundant gypsum deposits, with cupolas, ceiling and wall channels, feeders and replacement pockets as some of the most characteristic morphological features. Distribution of morphology and deposits suggest a hypogenic origin in two distinct speleogenetic phases: the first by thermal CO₂ rich waters, the second by sulfuric acid dissolution, which were separated by complete infilling of cave passages with pyroclastic-derived clays. In the first phase of speleogenesis, …

Concentration And Stable Carbon Isotopic Composition Of Co2 In Cave Air Of Postojnska Jama, Slovenia, Magda Mandić, Andrej Mihevc, Albrecht Leis, Ines Krajcar Bronić

International Journal of Speleology

Partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂) and its isotopic composition (δ¹³C_airCO2) were measured in Postojnska jama, Slovenia, at 10 locations inside the cave and outside the cave during a one-year period. At all interior locations the pCO₂ was higher and δ¹³C_airCO2 lower than in the outside atmosphere. Strong seasonal fluctuations in both parameters were observed at locations deeper in the cave, which are isolated from the cave air circulation. By using a binary mixing model of two sources of CO₂, one of them being the atmospheric CO_{2 …}

Carbon And Oxygen Isotope Study Of Carbonates From Watling's Blue Hole And Blue Hole Five, San Salvador, Bahamas, Elaine D. Flynn

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Carbonate platforms, such as the Bahamas, formed through deposition and sea level fluctuations. These platforms contain records of rapid interglacial climate change and are useful in studying the impacts of climate change on similar tropical carbonate environments. Blue holes are dissolution lakes that may be beneficial for understanding climate change and anthropogenic impact. A δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O study was conducted on lake sediment core samples from Watling’s Blue Hole and Blue Hole Five on San Salvador Island, Bahamas. These lakes are located in a failed housing development and Watling’s Blue Hole was once part of an …

A Bond Valence-Based Force Field: A Multi-Body Approach, Matthew Harris Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The typical form for a molecular mechanics force field consists of a foundation of pair-wise terms to describe bonded and non-bonded atomic interactions, with multi-body correction terms to deal with the limitations of pair-wise terms. I present here the first attempts of a molecular mechanics model that is founded on multi-body terms, which are based on the Bond Valence Model (Brown, 2002) and recent developments in the Vectorial Bond Valence Model (Bickmore et al., 2013a; Harvey et al., 2006). I calibrated these models on pressure vs. energy curves for a set of SiO2 polymorphs. The average deviation for the best-fit …

The Size Range Of Bubbles That Produce Ash During Explosive Volcanic Eruptions, Kimberly Genareau, Gopal K. Mulukutla, Alexander A. Proussevitch, Adam J. Durant, William I. Rose, Dork L. Sahagian

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Volcanic eruptions can produce ash particles with a range of sizes and morphologies. Here we morphologically distinguish two textural types: Simple (generally smaller) ash particles, where the observable surface displays a single measureable bubble because there is at most one vesicle imprint preserved on each facet of the particle; and complex ash particles, which display multiple vesicle imprints on their surfaces for measurement and may contain complete, unfragmented vesicles in their interiors. Digital elevation models from stereo-scanning electron microscopic images of complex ash particles from the 14 October 1974 sub-Plinian eruption of Volcán Fuego, Guatemala and the 18 May 1980 …

Assessing The Reliability Of Stable Isotopes In Fossil Bone: A Unique Case Study Of Prehistoric Lung Pathology., Kathleen Bundy, Samuel D. Matson

Student Research Initiative

Mammals at Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park (NE Nebraska) offer a unique opportunity to test for the preservation of primary isotopic signatures in fossilized materials. At this site, large herbivores such as rhinoceroses, horses and camels are buried in volcanic ash sourced from an eruption of the Bruneau-Jarbridge caldera (Idaho/Nevada) ca. 11.8 million years ago. Most fossils from Ashfall display pathologic bone symptomatic of a lung disease (hypertrophic osteopathy or HPOA) likely related to inhalation of volcanic ash. In this study, we compare the stable oxygen isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O) of pathologic bone with that of normal cortical …

The Influence Of Soil Organic Matter Stabilization Mechanisms On Carbon Mean Residence Time Within Various Ecosystems In The United States, Vicky Lynn Giese, Kate Heckman Phd

STAR Program Research Presentations

Some terrestrial ecosystems and soils serve as carbon sinks, partially offsetting rising atmospheric CO₂ levels. Physiochemical mechanisms of soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization affect how carbon stocks respond to global warming. In order to clarify the variance in SOM stabilization mechanisms across different soil types, SOM abundance, distribution and mean residence time (MRT) were compared for thirty-two soil samples from six ecosystems across the United States. Soils were previously described, collected and archived by the United States Geological Survey. Samples were processed by LLNL at the Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (CAMS) using density fractionation to separate particulate organics …

Is Security Sustainable?, Jeremy W. Crampton

Geography Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Lithic Analysis Of Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site Sediments, Kaitlin M. Hill, George V. Last

STAR Program Research Presentations

The landforms and geologic layers of Southeastern Washington record fascinating, unique geologic events, including repeated catastrophic flooding that occurred during the last Ice Age. These floods left behind many distinctive features, and a variety of fossils. After discovery of mammoth-sized bones in 1999, and confirmation that more bones were still in place in 2008, the Coyote Canyon Mammoth Site near Kennewick, Washington was secured for research, and formal excavation began in 2010.

Previous research suggests that the remains are buried in Ice Age flood deposits, which are overlain by eolian sediments, and those in turn overlain by slope wash. We …

Late Holocene Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction In Barbados, Gilman Reno Ouellette

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Barbados is the easternmost island in the Caribbean region, and is uniquely situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Being an isolated island with a karstified aquifer providing the majority of the nation’s water resources, Barbados has found itself in water scarce situations in recent years. In order to better understand natural shifts in groundwater recharge (which is determined by shifts in precipitation), longer records of precipitation are needed than are available from modern measurements. This study presents a paleoclimate reconstruction for the late Holocene on Barbados using stable and radiogenic isotope ratios in speleothem lamina as proxies. In …

Analysis Of Kyrock For Leaching Of Impurities In Synthetic Rainwater, Santhosh Kumar Kasulavada

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Kyrock is a coarse grained sandstone with a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. Mining of Kyrock is for use in road construction and roofing. Kyrock samples were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy to obtain elemental analysis. High levels of carbon indicate the presence of organic compounds. Analysis of an acid digestion of the samples using inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy showed inorganic compounds such as titanium oxide, vanadium oxide along with traces of arsenic. Elemental analysis of samples indicates a percent of carbon, and sulfur with no notable traces of nitrogen. Pyrolysis of the samples was done using gas …

Tectonosedimentologic Significance Of The Upper Cretaceous Foreland Basin Siliciclastics: Western Interior, Usa, Nazrul I. Khandaker

Publications and Research

The Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation exposed along the western margin of the western interior foreland basin is composed of clastic sediments that were deposited during the initial late Cretaceous transgressive-regressive phases of the Western Interior Seaway across Wyoming (Figure 1). Current study is aimed at providing attendees with the best practices associated with tectonic, lithofacies and sedimentologic interpretation of foreland basin sequences and emphasizing the need for utilizing field, structural, geochemical, and compositional data for reconstructing a viable scenario connected with foreland basin sedimentary packages. An attempt will be made to compare documented sedimentological findings with foreland basins located in …

Wettability Alteration Of Sandstone By Chemical Treatments, Yanling Wang, Li Ma, Baojun Bai, Guancheng Jiang, Jiafeng Jin, Zengbao Wang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Liquid condensation in the reservoir near a wellbore may kill gas production in gas-condensate reservoirs when pressure drops lower than the dew point. It is clear from investigations reported in the literature that gas production could be improved by altering the rock wettability from liquid-wetness to gas-wetness. In this paper, three different fluorosurfactants FG1105, FC911, and FG40 were evaluated for altering the wettability of sandstone rocks from liquid-wetting to gas-wetting using contact angle measurement. The results showed that FG40 provided the best wettability alteration effect with a concentration of 0.3% and FC911 at the concentration of 0.3%.

Cyclic Distributional Model Of The Late Moscovian Fusulinids In The Donets Basin (Ukraine) In Response To Eustatic Sea Level Fluctuations And Its Application In Biostratigraphy And Correlation, Rimma Khodjanyazova

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The continuous Pennsylvanian shallow-marine, paralic, siliciclastic succession in the Donets Basin is pivotal for correlation of marine and continental strata in northern Pangaea with coeval shallow-marine mainly carbonate strata in the Moscow Basin, a historical type area of Moscovian Horizons. The details of the history of establishment, lithostratigraphy and current biostratigraphy of Podolskian and Myachkovian Horizons in the Moscow Basin that are not readily available in Western literature are reviewed.

A model of cyclic recurrence (~0.6 —1myr) of three main fusulinid assemblages in the Pennsylvanian siliciclastic-carbonate succession in the Donets Basin is proposed. A Hemifusulina-association (A) indicates the onset …