Geology Commons^™

Correlation And Paleoenvironments Above West T9.3 Tuff, Pisco Formation, Peru, Caleb Stanton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Pisco Basin is a Cenozoic forearc basin in west central Peru. Though outcrops are well exposed, contain little diagenetic overprint, or complex structural deformation, only rudimentary correlations between outcrops are published and no attempts have been made to define time-bounded subunits. The goal of this study is to develop high resolution-stratigraphy and paleoenvironmental interpretations for a time-bounded unit in the lower part of the Miocene Pisco Formation. In this study, we correlated, mapped, and dated a tuff couplet and associated beds over 25 km2. We measured eight sections that include the tuffs and conducted detailed facies analysis. Sections were …

Sedimentological And Stratigraphic Study Of A Falling-Stage Delta Complex In The Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron Sandstone Member Of The Mancos Shale, South-Central Utah, Usa, Fares Alaboud

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The character and distribution of lithofacies in falling-stage deltas are incompletely documented. This paper presents a sedimentological and stratigraphic evaluation of a superbly-exposed interval of Cretaceous deltaic strata that are believed to be of falling stage origin. The studied interval forms part of the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in the southernmost Henry Mountains Basin of south-central Utah, USA. The interval of interest is exposed in three dimensions over a 20 km² area in a series of canyon walls. Observed facies include fine-grained mudrocks (offshore basin), mudrocks with thinly interlaminated sandstone (prodelta), thinly interbedded …

Watershed And Aquatic Ecosystem Evolution During The Late-Glacial And Early-Holocene Inferred From High-Resolution Diatom And Geochemical Records In The Yellowstone Region, Yanbin Lu

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High-resolution diatom records spanning the late-glacial and early-Holocene were developed from three lakes in the Yellowstone region to infer the lake history and to evaluate the relative importance of climatic versus non-climatic factors on the aquatic ecosystem evolution. Synchronous shifts in diatom community structure occurred in all lakes, which are located in regions of varied surficial geology and precipitation seasonality, in the intervals of 13.9-13.8, 13.2-13.1, 11.3-11.0 and 8.8-8.7 cal ka. The synchronous diatom community structure shifts suggest that large-scale climatic change is the primary driver of the aquatic ecosystem evolution in this region, whereas the influence of non-climatic factors …

Origin And Distribution Of The Mississippian–Pennsylvanian Boundary Unconformity In Marine Carbonate Successions With A Case Study Of The Karst Development Atop The Madison Formation In The Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, Lucien Nana Yobo

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The causal mechanism of the widespread unconformity that encompasses the Mississippian – Pennsylvanian boundary remains poorly understood. This unconformity, first thought to be restricted to North America, is now known to be present in other regions of the globe. Possible causes for the unconformity include (1) sea level draw down from the onset of glaciation at start of the late Paleozoic ice age and (2) increased tectonic activity from the formation of the supercontinent of Pangea. Thus the origin of the unconformity is still poorly constrained.

This study examines possible causal mechanisms for the widespread unconformity that encompasses the Mississippian …

Exploring The Link Between Otolith Growth And Function Along The Biological Continuum In The Context Of Ocean Acidification, Eric D. Wilcox Freeburg

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Oceans are acidifying as atmospheric CO₂ is drawn down. This process, known as ocean acidification (OA), is well known and documented. Over the next 100 years, pH of the surface ocean is projected to decrease by up to 0.35 units. This CO₂ draw down has a direct effect on dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) balance in the ocean. OA is expected to impact calcifying organisms that rely on constituencies of the DIC system, specifically carbonate ion [CO₃2-]. It is clear that externally calcified structures, such as coral skeletons, bivalve shells, etc., will be significantly affected as pH, …

Geophysical Applications For Levee Assessment, Hussein Khalefa Chlaib

Theses and Dissertations

Levees are important engineering structures that build along the rivers to protect the human lives and shield the communities as well as agriculture lands from the high water level events. Animal burrows, subsurface cavities, and low density (high permeability) zones are weakness features within the levee body that increase its risk of failure. To prevent such failure, continuous monitoring of the structure integrity and early detection of the weakness features must be conducted. Application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Capacitively Coupled Resistivity (CCR) methods were found to be very effective in assessing the levees and detect zones of weakness …

Contact Zone Mineralogy And Geochemistry Of The Mt. Mica Pegmatite, Oxford County, Maine, Kimberly T. Clark

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on exocontact mineral assemblages to determine composition, thermal signatures, and the extent of exomorphism that occurred between the Mt. Mica pegmatite and the migmatite host rock at the contact. Biotite-garnet thermometry of country rock samples resulted in an average temperature estimate of 630 °C. Measured biotite Fe/(Fe+Mg) ratios were used to calculate an fO2 of -18. The results indicate that the country rock and pegmatite formed under similar oxidizing conditions near the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) equilibria buffer. Whole rock (REE) analysis indicates an interaction trend between the country rock and pegmatite. Exomorphism does not appear to have …

Geochemistry, Mineralogy And Evolution Of Mica And Feldspar From Within The Mount Mica Pegmatite, Maine, Usa, Karen L. Marchal

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Mount Mica is a poorly zoned sodic LCT-type pegmatite consisting dominantly of quartz, albite and muscovite in the outer portions. Potassium feldspar and lepidolite are restricted to the core zone. Micas in the wall zone are chemically homogeneous, but abruptly evolve into higher Cs + Rb bearing lithian muscovites and lepidolites in the core zone. The abrupt increase of the Cs, Rb in K-feldspar, and Cs, Rb and F in muscovite, and lepidolite combined with the occurrence of highly evolved species lepidolite, pollucite, elbaite, beryl and spodumene in the core zone suggests that incompatible elements were retained in residual …

Mineralogy And Geochemistry Of The Erongo Granite And Interior Quartz-Tourmaline Orbicules And Nyf-Type Miarolitic Pegmatites, Namibia, Andrew P. Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The early Cretaceous anorogenic Erongo Granite of Namibia is known to host abundant boron mineralization in rounded, quartz-tourmaline clusters and in NYF-type miarolitic, pegmatitic cavities. Rock and mineral samples were taken from the bulk granite, tourmaline nests, and miarolitic cavities and analyzed using a variety of modern analytical techniques. Geochemical and mineralogical data suggest substantial input from the metasedimentary rocks of the Damara orogen was important in the genesis of the Erongo Granite magma. The geochemical signature of the Damara orogen is most evident in the tourmaline clusters and miarolitic cavities, where fractional crystallization accumulated volatile and incompatible elements enough …

An Analysis Of The Green Knoll Salt Dome, Located In The Southeast Green Canyon, Deep Water Gulf Of Mexico, Randal J. Broussard

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The western portion of the Mississippi/Atwater fold belt in the Gulf of Mexico contains what is known as The Green Knoll Salt Dome. The creation and growth of this salt diapir is punctuated by salt deposition, salt migration, sediment loading, and is linked to the “Frampton” fold belt. An indicator of these growth periods is exhibited in an angular unconformity (halo-kinetic sequence boundary) that flanks the diapir. This unconformity developed during the Miocene-Pliocene chronostratigraphic boundary. The “Redwood” (Green Canyon 1001) prospect was drilled after the discovery of middle Miocene sands containing hydrocarbons in the Mad Dog field (GC 826). The …

Open-Source, Low-Cost Sensor For Custom Water Level Monitoring In Observation Wells And Piezometers, Leslie A. Mowbray

Student Research Symposium

Many commercial sensors exist for monitoring water levels in piezometers and wells. However, these sensors tend to be expensive and contain proprietary hardware and software that make customization by users difficult. Recently, the vast open-source Arduino programming community has enabled the development of highly customizable, low cost sensors with the precision and accuracy needed for scientific research. Here, an ultrasonic distance sensor is developed to monitor the water level in a 2” piezometer with sub-centimeter resolution, powered by a lead-acid battery and solar cell to record sub-minute time increments for duration of days to weeks. This sensor was developed specifically …

Water Water Everywhere: Analyzing Long Island's Water Issues And Finding Solutions For A Sustainable Future, Anthony T. Becker

2014 Student Theses

Over three million people call Long Island their home. With access to beautiful landscapes, world-renowned beaches, and proximity to New York City, it is no wonder that so many proudly call this geographic stretch of glacial till their home. However, throughout the years our actions do not necessarily reflect this affection we have to our home. Years of sprawl and human infestation across the island have resulted in widespread environmental degradation. Specifically, the water we drink and the beaches we enjoy have become endangered. I plan on studying the urban ecology of how intensified population growth led to the eutrophication …

High-Resolution Lacustrine Records Of Historical Environmental Change In Glacier National Park, Montana, Usa, Heidi Anderson

Geology Honors Projects

Multi-proxy geochemical analyses of lacustrine sediment cores from a chain of lakes in east Glacier National Park, Montana reflect increasing human activity, glacier response, and regional climate change over the past ~1400 years. We analyzed sediments from four lake cores from three lakes for carbon/nitrogen (C:N), carbon and nitrogen isotopes values (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N), mass accumulation rate (MAR), and percent total organic and inorganic carbon (%TOC and %TIC). An abrupt increase in %TIC, C:N and δ¹³C in Lake Josephine at 1650 A.D. clearly defines the initiation of the Little Ice Age (LIA) in the …

Zircon: Tiny Crystals With Long History And Big Uses, Jiawen Li

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The first known written record about zircon dates back to c.1400. Zircon forms in felsic magmas and thus is commonly found in plutonic felsic rocks. Because of its physical resistibility to weathering and metamorphism, it is also often found in metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. zircon is an orthosilicate and therefore is made up of isolated silica tetrahedra with zirconium ions filling in the gaps. This common structure allows zircon to incorporate many trace elements, such as thorium and uranium. Zircons long physical and chemical durability and the trace elements give rise to its use in geochronology. Thorium in zircon retain …

From The Depths Of Great Pond (Maine): Anthropogenic And Natural Influences On Bottom Sediments And The Implications For Local Sustainability, Sara George, Clara Bicher

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

As part of a Maine EPSCoR grant focusing on sustainability in the Belgrade Lakes watershed of central Maine, current research consists of collecting bottom sediment samples from Great Pond. Samples were analyzed to create a sediment map of the lake basin in regards to depth, grain-size distribution, organic content (%C), C:N ratios and phosphorus concentration. Results will aid in the understanding of the glacial formation of the lake, distribution of sediment within, and human impact on the lake. Additionally, knowing the distribution of phosphorus within the sediments may allow development of a strategy to avoid accelerated eutrophication. This research will …

The Limestone Neutralization Of Potential Acid Mine Drainage From Bald Mountain In Aroostook County, Maine, Brendan Cosgrove

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Due to the loosening of environmental regulations in 2012, J.D. Irving, Limited may begin mining operations on massive Cu-Zn sulfide ored at Bald Mountain in Aroostook County, Maine. The Bald Mountain Project will positively and negatively impact the local economy with job creation, higher wages and income levels, but a potential decline in the recreational industry. The likely acid mine drainage (AMD) of the Bald Mountain Project can degrade aquatic ecosystems and reduce water quality and brook trout populations by metal contamination and acid loading in the local watershed. In West Virginia, in-stream limestone sand application has successfully restored streams …

Stratigraphy And Mapping Of Sandy River Floodplain Terraces, Franklin And Mercer County, Maine, Hannah Dhonau, Gift Ntuli

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Our project details the stratigraphy and chronology of floodplain terraces along the Sandy River in Franklin and Mercer Counties in Central Maine. Using field observations, USGS aerial photographs, and Google Earth imagery, we were able to identify three separate terraces and compare their locations to previous mapping projects in the area.

My Pet Mineral: Augite, Jacob Wall

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Augite is typically known for its greenish black color, nice vitreous luster, two directions of cleavage and of course its simple chemical formula: (Ca,Na,Mg,Fe2+,Fe3+Al,Ti)2[(Si,Al)2]O6]. Augite has a hardness of 5.5, 2 planes of cleavage and massive habit. Augite is an important rock-forming silicate mineral and occurs in a wide variety of basic igneous rocks, including gabbros, dolerites and basalts. Augite also occurs in ultrabasic and intermediate rocks as well as a limited number of high-grade metamorphic rocks such as granulites and charnockites. Augites range widely in composition and show a continuoius variation in chemical composition. Iron rich augites are restricted …

Addressing Water Resource Issues In Barbados Through An Isotopic And Atmospheric Characterization Of Precipitation Variability, Veronica Hall

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Numerous studies have analyzed isotopic variation of meteoric and dripwater in karst environments for paleoclimate reconstructions or aquifer recharge capacity. What is poorly understood is how the isotopic signal of δ¹⁸O and δ²H is transferred through the hydrologic cycle based upon storm type, frequency, intensity, and teleconnection activity in the tropical karst areas. At Harrison’s Cave, Barbados, a Hobo Onset event data logger was attached to a tipping bucket rain gauge to count the tips and record the total rainfall every 10 minutes. In the cave a Hobo data logger was used to record relative humidity …

Combining Quantitative Eye-Tracking And Gis Techniques With Qualitative Research Methods To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of 2d And Static, 3d Karst Visualizations: Seeing Through The Complexities Of Karst Environments, Elizabeth Katharyn Tyrie

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Karst environments are interconnected landscapes vulnerable to degradation. Many instances of anthropogenic karst disturbance are unintentional, and occur because of the public's lack of understanding or exposure to karst knowledge. When attempts are made to educate the general public about these landscapes, the concepts taught are often too abstract to be fully understood. Thus, karst educational pursuits must use only the most efficient and effective learning materials. A technique useful for assessing educational effectiveness of learning materials is eye-tracking, which allows scientists to quantitatively measure an individual's points of interest and eye movements when viewing a 2D or 3D visualization. …

Geologic Factors Affecting Hydrocarbon Occurrence In Paleovalleys Of The Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Unconformity In The Illinois Basin, Jeremy Taylor London

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Paleovalleys associated with the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian unconformity have been identified as potential targets for hydrocarbon exploration in the Illinois Basin. Though there is little literature addressing the geologic factors controlling hydrocarbon accumulation in sub-Pennsylvanian paleovalleys basin-wide, much work has been done to identify the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian unconformity, characterize the Chesterian and basal Pennsylvanian lithology, map the sub-Pennsylvanian paleogeology and delineate the pre-Pennsylvanian paleovalleys in the Illinois Basin. This study uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to determine the geologic factors controlling the distribution of hydrocarbon-bearing sub-Pennsylvanian paleovalley fill in the Illinois Basin. A methodology was developed to identify densely-drilled areas without associated petroleum …

Investigating Telogenetic Karst Aquifer Processes And Evolution In South-Central Kentucky, U.S., Using High-Resolution Storm Hydrology And Geochemistry Monitoring, Nicholas Lawhon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Recent studies have investigated the hydrological and geochemical characteristics of karst aquifers in different settings; however, telogenetic karst aquifer processes remain poorly understood. In south-central Kentucky, the iconic Lost River Cave and Valley represents a large, complex telogenetic karst drainage basin with a series of discharge points along a collapsed section of the cave. Two Campbell Scientific® CR1000 automated dataloggers were installed at Blue Hole Four, a primary discharge point of the Lost River Karst Aquifer (LRKA). These dataloggers recorded spring discharge, water temperature, specific conductance (SpC), and pH at ten-minute intervals from January to November, 2013. During the year, …

Subsurface To Surface Correlation Of The Tensleep Sandstone In The West Flank Of The Pryor Mountains In Carbon County, Montana, William B. Rhyne

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone is an eolian and nearshore marine/sabka quartz arenite unit with prominent outcrops along the western Pryor/Bighorn Mountain front east of Red Lodge, MT. Regionally, the formation represents one of the largest ergs in the global geologic record. High permeability makes it an important oil and gas reservoir and aquifer in south central Montana and throughout much of Wyoming. The Tensleep Sandstone’s high percentage of quartz content and grain roundness, due to its eolian origin, makes it a prospective source for natural proppant sand.

Three continuous 4-inch cores were obtained during a cooperative project between Montana Tech …

Hot Faults:Iridescent Slip Surfaces With Metallic Luster Document High-Temperature Ancientseismicity In The Wasatch Fault Zone, Ut, Usa, James P. Evans, Mitchell R. Prante, Susanne U. Janecke, Alexis K. Ault, Dennis L. Newell

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We document new geological indicators of ancient seismicity in the form of highly reflective, iridescent, hematite-coated fault surfaces. Small faults that cut the Paleoproterozoic Farmington Canyon Complex in the footwall damage zone of the Brigham City segment of the Wasatch fault (Utah, USA) are smooth to striated surfaces, tens of square centimeters to 30 m2 in area. The dull-rusty to high-metallic luster and moderate- to high-gloss surfaces exhibit multicolored elliptical iridescent patches ∼0.5–3 cm across. Preexisting hematite crystals were deformed during slip on 1–200-mm-thick slip surfaces. Textural observations, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron backscattered diffraction analysis, surface metrology, and …

The Effects Of Changes In Population Density On Discharges For The Midwestern United States, Catherine Konieczny

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

River baseflow is the river discharge supported predominantly by groundwater, and can be greatly impacted by changes in land. Intuitively, the baseflow of a river would decrease with increased urbanization, as urbanization increases the amount of impervious surfaces, limiting the ability of precipitation to infiltrate into the ground and recharge the local groundwater. However, evidence suggests that the baseflow of rivers in urbanized areas can increase as a result of leaky subsurface water infrastructures that add water to groundwater and replenish baseflow. Another reason for the baseflow increase in urbanized watersheds is that water supply systems are over-pressurized by design …

Monitoring, Verification, And Accounting Plans Of Water Resources During The Geologic Storage Of Carbon Dioxide, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet examines the CO₂ monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) framework. Highlights measures taken to protect water resources. Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Working Group. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

A Uniform Database Of Teleseismic Shear Wave Splitting Measurements For The Western And Central United States, Kelly H. Liu, Ahmed Elsheikh, Awas Lemnifi, Uranbaigal Purevsuren, Melissa Ray, Hesham Refayee, Bin B. Yang, Youqiang Yu, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present a shear wave splitting (SWS) database for the western and central United States as part of a lasting effort to build a uniform SWS database for the entire North America. The SWS measurements were obtained by minimizing the energy on the transverse component of the PKS, SKKS, and SKS phases. Each of the individual measurements was visually checked to ensure quality. This version of the database contains 16,105 pairs of splitting parameters. The data used to generate the parameters were recorded by 1774 digital broadband seismic stations over the period of 1989-2012, and represented all the available data …

Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Water Working Group, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the U.S. Department of Energy Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership’s Water Working Group. Includes information on the role of water in carbon capture and storage (CCS), and addressing stakeholder concerns regarding technological development. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Assessing Layer Parallel Shortening In The Eastern Colorado Front Range Using Thin Section Analysis And Analog Sandbox Models, Nicole Pierson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Layer parallel shortening (LPS) is an expression of compressive strain that occurs parallel to bedding surfaces. LPS is chiefly expressed by chemical changes to sediment volume, including stylolitization, porosity reduction and impingement of grains. This strain is typically omitted in the process of cross-section restoration due to a lack of understanding of spatial and temporal LPS accommodation. Bulk shortening calculated is considered to be a minimum shortening estimate. However, dismissing this inaccuracy due to shortening can lead to significant error in subsurface predictions and reconstructions.

To address this problem, a combination of thin section analysis and analog modeling assessed the …

Pore Water Extraction For Unsaturated Zone Isotope Research: An Investigation Using An Immiscible Displacement Fluid And A Centrifuge, Caitlin Burnett Weaver

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Accurate and reliable pore water extraction techniques are important to an array of scientific fields including, but not limited to, hydrogeology, soil science, and paleoenvironmental research. The aim of the current project is to test the applicability of an immiscible displacement extraction technique for stable isotopes of water under a range of textural, hydrologic, and chemical conditions. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted to establish the extent to which the proposed method 1) achieves sufficient yield for laboratory isotopic analyses, 2) results in isotopic exchange between water and the displacement fluid, 3) conserves initial isotopic compositions of spike test …