Geology Commons^™

Geochemical And Petrological Studies On The Origin Of Nickel-Copper Sulfide Mineralization At The Eagle Lntrusion In Marquette County, Michigan, Benjamin Davis Hinks

Masters Theses

The Eagle magmatic intrusion is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Marquette County. It hosts a high grade magmatic nickel-copper sulfide ore deposit. Country rocks surrounding the Eagle intrusion are metamorphosed slate and greywacke of the Proterozoic Michigamme Formation and Archean granite-gneiss. The aim of this thesis is to characterize the magmatic sulfide mineral deposit at Eagle and to establish its relationship to the surrounding host rocks of the Baraga Basin area.

The Eagle East intrusion is located 600 meters east of the Eagle intrusion. These two intrusions are similar in composition and sulfide mineralization. Sulfide textural domains …

Stable Isotope Investigations Of Two Components Of The Cryosphere: Snow And Icicle Formation, Thomas C. Brubaker

Masters Theses

Understanding the processes that govern the cryosphere is necessary to understand the water budget within an area that receives significant winter precipitation. This research investigates two components of the cryosphere, namely snow and icicle formation, through the application of the stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen.

Stable isotope measurements from precipitation collected throughout the winter of 2013-2014 are presented. The measured isotope values are in discord with known isotope effects. This discrepancy hints at a previously unexplored atmospheric phenomenon, where the enriched oxygen isotope signature of atmospheric ozone was incorporated, via photochemical reactions, into water vapor which subsequently fell as …

Geochemical And Petrological Characterizations Of Peridotite And Related Rocks In Marquette County, Michigan, Andrew Lloyd Sasso

Masters Theses

This study characterizes the following rock units in Marquette County, Michigan in terms of geochemistry and petrology: (1) Presque Isle Peridotite, (2) Deer Lake Peridotite, (3) Yellowdog Peridotite, and (4) Black Rock Point Gabbro. Analyses were conducted to determine if any petrological or geochemical relationships exist between these units, and to assess the potential of these units to host magmatic sulfide deposits.

The generated data and chosen geotectonic proxies indicate that Black Rock Point Gabbro and Deer Lake Peridotite crystallized from unrelated magmas, probably during the formation of the Great Lakes Tectonic Zone (2.7-1.85 Ga). No evidence was found which …

Global And Regional Chitinozoan Biodiversity Dynamics In The Ordovician: Relationships To Sea-Level, Carbon Cycling And Tectonics, Jordan Watson

Honors Theses

Fossil species provide extensive information about the past history of life on Earth. This thesis focuses on the global and regional biodiversity dynamics of the extinct fossil group Chitinozoa, and analyzes the impact and influences of sea-level, global carbon cycling and tectonics on their biodiversity. Biodiversity curves were generated from three different paleo-continents, Laurentia, Baltica, and Gondwana using the automated graphic correlation computer program CONOP9. Traditional methods of biodiversity analysis count fossil taxa in individual intervals of geologic time. The results of these methods are highly dependent upon interval length and the relationship of taxon range to interval boundaries. CONOP9 …

Extent Of Capillary Rise In Sands And Silts, Rachel Lynn Salim

Masters Theses

The values reported in literature for the height of capillary rise in fine sands, silts, and clays are contradictory. Most of the values were based on mathematical models, which used estimated rather than measured input data. This work measured capillary rise values in laboratory experiments in fine-grained sands and silts.

Two uniform sands with grains 0.35--0.7 mm in diameter and 0.3-0.6 mm in diameter, silt with an average grain size below 40 microns, and 0.35--0.7 mm sand coated with a water-repellant spray were carefully packed into two-inch diameter glass columns. These columns were placed into clear plastic tanks with water …

Iron Concretions In The Cretaceous Dakota Formation, Anthony Kohtz, Richard Kettler, David Loope

UCARE: Research Products

The Cretaceous Dakota Formation contains abundant iron oxide concretions. The precursors to the iron concretions are siderite (FeCO3) nodules that formed in a reducing floodplain environment. A variety of concretion morphologies formed when the precursor siderite nodules were dissolved by oxidizing groundwater in a paleoaquifer. Iron-oxidizing bacteria are able to oxidize aqueous Fe(II) to Fe(III) oxy-hydroxide at microaerophilic and neutrophilic conditions. This study investigated these concretions to determine if there was a microbial element in their formation and to characterize the concretion morphologies present in the Dakota. This is important for complete paleoenvironment interpretations and astrobiology pursuits.

Iron Mobility In Desert Sandstone Aquifers: The Possible Role Of Siderite, Lubna Al Azri, David Loope

UCARE: Research Products

Jordanians and a large number of refugees are drinking radiumcontaminated water from a sandstone aquifer. The problem is that this water passed through sandstone of the Disi Formation only after carbon dioxide and methane had bleached the sandstone, dissolving the Iron-oxide coatings and liberating heavy metals and radionuclides . The Iron that once coated the grains migrated to form Iron bands in the lower Um Ishrin Formation.

The major practical significance of this study involves water quality. The movement of Iron sandstone aquifers can drastically change groundwater chemistry; understanding how and when this movement takes place will help in locating …

Gps Constraints On Interplate Locking Within The Makran Subduction Zone, Elyse Frohling, Walter Szeliga

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The Makran subduction zone is one of the last convergent margins to be investigated using space-based geodesy. While there is a lack of historical and modern instrumentation in the region, a sparse sampling of continuous and campaign measurements over the past decade has allowed us to make the first estimates of convergence rates. We combine GPS measurements from 20 stations located in Iran, Pakistan and Oman along with hypocentral locations from the International Seismological Centre to create a preliminary 3-D estimate of the geometry of the megathrust, along with a preliminary fault-coupling model for the Makran subduction zone. Using a …

Lnfluence Of Persulfate On Solidification/Stabilization Characteristics Of Iss Treatment, Jeffrey M. Hudson

Masters Theses

Two environmental remediation technologies that lend themselves well to being combined in a single application are In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) using activated persulfate (PS), and In Situ Stabilization (ISS). Persulfate can be activated by increasing the pH to 10.5 and/or increasing temperatures to 30ºC. Many common ISS amendments increase temperature to 30°C and/or pH to 10.5 when in contact with soil water. Laboratory experiments were conducted with various soils to determine the ability of eight ISS amendments to activate persulfate. All eight ISS amendments activated persulfate. This work also showed that the relative contribution of heat vs. alkaline activation …

Differentiating Saginaw From Huron-Erie Lce Lobe Meltwater Deposits In South Central Michigan Using Longitudinal Profiles, Grain Size Analysis, And Lithology, Nathan R. Erber

Masters Theses

The Saginaw and Huron-Erie lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet had a significant impact on the landscape of south-central Michigan after the Late Glacial Maximum. During the advances and retreats of these lobes, a complicated network of meltwater channels developed. Two goals of this study are: 1) to use sand-grain lithology, grain-size analysis, and longitudinal profiles to determine if a difference exists between Saginaw lobe and Huron-Erie lobe meltwater deposits; and 2) to determine if a large meltwater sluiceway containing the modern St. Joseph River had a source of meltwater and outwash from the Huron-Erie lobe. Two cores from drumlinized …

Stratigraphic Analysis Of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Using Magnetic Susceptibility, Geochemical Comparison, And Gamma Ray Spectroscopy, Jennifer Kenyon

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A New Volcanic Event Recurrence Rate Model And Code For Estimating Uncertainty In Recurrence Rate And Volume Flux Through Time With Selected Examples, James Adams Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recurrence rate is often used to describe volcanic activity. There are numerous documented ex- amples of non-constant recurrence rate (e.g. Dohrenwend et al., 1984; Condit and Connor, 1996; Cronin et al., 2001; Bebbington and Cronin, 2011; Bevilacqua, 2015), but current techniques for calculating recurrence rate are unable to fully account for temporal changes in recurrence rate. A local–window recurrence rate model, which allows for non-constant recurrence rate, is used to calculate recurrence rate from an age model consisting of estimated ages of volcanic eruption from a Monte Carlo simulation. The Monte Carlo age assignment algorithm utilizes paleomagnetic and stratigraphic information …

Arsenic Mobilization From Silicic Volcanic Rocks In The Southern Willamette Valley, Gabriela Ribeiro De Sena Ferreira

Dissertations and Theses

Volcanic tuffs and tuffaceous sediments are frequently associated with elevated As groundwater concentrations even though their bulk As contents (~ 5 mg kg^-1; Savoie, 2013) are only marginally greater than the average crustal abundance of 4.8 mg g^-1 (Rudnick & Gao, 2003). Thus, As mobilization must be facilitated by conditions particular to these rocks. Alkaline desorption, anionic competition, reactive glass dissolution, and reductive dissolution of iron oxides are proposed processes of As release from volcanic rocks. Geogenic As contamination of groundwater in the southern Willamette Valley in western Oregon has been well-documented since the early 1960s, and …

The Differing Biogeochemical And Microbial Signatures Of Glaciers And Rock Glaciers, Timothy S. Fegel, Jill S. Baron, Andrew G. Fountain, Gunnar F. Johnson, Ed K. Hall

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glaciers and rock glaciers supply water and bioavailable nutrients to headwater mountain lakes and streams across all regions of the American West. Here we present a comparative study of the metal, nutrient, and microbial characteristics of glacial and rock glacial influence on headwater ecosystems in three mountain ranges of the contiguous U.S.: the Cascade Mountains, Rocky Mountains, and Sierra Nevada. Several meltwater characteristics (water temperature, conductivity, pH, metals, nutrients, complexity of dissolved organic matter (DOM), and bacterial richness and diversity) differed significantly between glacier and rock glacier meltwaters, while other characteristics (Ca²+, Fe³+, SiO₂ concentrations, …

Modeling The Construction And Evolution Of Distributed Volcanic Fields On Earth And Mars, Jacob Armstrong Richardson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magmatism is a dominant process on Earth and Mars that has significantly modified and evolved the lithospheres of each planet by delivering magma to shallow depths and to the surface. Two common modes of volcanism are present on both Earth and Mars: central-vent dominated volcanism that creates large edifices from concentrating magma in chambers before eruptions and distributed volcanism that creates many smaller edifices on the surface through the independent ascent of individual magmatic dikes. In regions of distributed volcanism, clusters of volcanoes develop over thousands to millions of years. This dissertation explores the geology of distributed volcanism on Earth …

Geology Of The Platte River Valley Near Kearney, Nebraska, Jeremy S. Dillon, Paul R. Hanson, Ashley Larsen, Jacob Bruihler, Carissa Raymond

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Agenda: A Celebration Of The Work Of Charles Wilkinson: Served With Tasty Stories And Some Slices Of Roast, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment

A Celebration of the Work of Charles Wilkinson (Martz Winter Symposium, March 10-11)

Conference held at the University of Colorado, Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom, Thursday, March 10th and Friday, March 11th, 2016.

Conference moderators, panelists and speakers included University of Colorado Law School professors Phil Weiser, Sarah Krakoff, William Boyd, Kristen Carpenter, Britt Banks, Harold Bruff, Richard Collins, Carla Fredericks, Mark Squillace, and Charles Wilkinson

"We celebrate the work of Distinguished Professor Charles Wilkinson, a prolific and passionate writer, teacher, and advocate for the people and places of the West. Charles's influence extends beyond place, yet his work has always originated in a deep love of and commitment to particular places. We …

Geology Of The Northern Llano Uplift, Junction To Llano, Texas, R. Larell Nielson, Chris Barker

Faculty Publications

This year's Texas Academy of Science Geology Field Trip will visit nine interesting locations in two different areas in the Texas Hill Country (Figure 1). In the first area we will look at the Cretaceous stratigraphy around Junction, Texas (Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4). The expedition will then travel to the northern part of the Llano uplift and study Cambrian and Precambrian stratigraphy and structure of the northern Llano Uplift (Figures 4 and 5). Stop 9 will be at Cooper’s BBQ for lunch.

Designing A Suite Of Measurements To Understand The Critical Zone, Susan L. Brantley, Roman A. Dibiase, Tess A. Russo, Yuning Shi, Henry Lin, Kenneth J. Davis, Margot Kaye, Lillian Hill, Jason Kaye, David M. Eissenstat, Beth Hoagland, Ashlee L.D. Dere, Andrew L. Neal, Kristen M. Brubaker, Dan K. Arthur

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Many scientists have begun to refer to the earth surface environment from the upper canopy to the depths of bedrock as the critical zone (CZ). Identification of the CZ as an integral object worthy of study implicitly posits that the study of the whole earth surface will provide benefits that do not arise when studying the individual parts. To study the CZ, however, requires prioritizing among the measurements that can be made – and we do not generally agree on the priorities. Currently, the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) is expanding from a small original focus area (0.08 …

Stream Energy Impacting Sediment Transport Through Low-Gradient Agricultural Streams, Paula Jane Pryor

Theses and Dissertations

Water quality can be severely impacted by increased sediment transport, particularly agriculturally-dominated systems like those found in central Illinois. Many low-gradient sediment studies focus on the fine material transported in suspension. However, coarse-material transport can be equally important for understanding sediment loads to surficial reservoirs for local drinking water. To address a general gap in knowledge of coarse-sediment transport through agricultural streams, seasonal changes and watershed differences in sediment transport were examined in a low-gradient system. This was accomplished through the installation of bedload traps, scour-fill markers, and bank erosion pins at two streams, Six Mile Creek and Money Creek …

Michigan Geology: A Bibliography, March 2016, Peter Voice

MGRRE News

The Michigan Geological Survey produced a historic Index of Michigan Geology with an extensive bibliography in 1956. This current bibliography is an update of the bibliography in the Martin and Straight compilation. It is not comprehensive, but provides a starting place for anyone interested in Michigan Geology. The Michigan Geological Survey plans to update this bibliography periodically with newly published citations as well as other older citations we find.

Trace Element Inputs From Natural And Anthropogenic Sources In An Agricultural Watershed, Middle Provo River, Utah, Timothy Holman Goodsell

Theses and Dissertations

Water chemistry in rivers is impacted by a variety of natural and anthropogenic processes including agricultural runoff, urban runoff, storm runoff, groundwater inputs, and the built environment. In this study we used trace element concentrations (including As, B, Ce, Co, Cu, Li, Mn, Rb, Sb, Sr, Tl, V, and Zn) and continuous measurements of flow rates and specific conductance to investigate dynamic processes affecting water quality in a rapidly urbanizing agricultural area typical of the western U.S. The middle Provo River, located in northern Utah, USA, was selected as the study area because it is well instrumented with water quality …

A Uniform Database Of Teleseismic Shear-Wave Splitting Measurements For The Western And Central United States: December 2014 Update, Bin B. Yang, Kelly H. Liu, Haider H. Dahm, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present a new version of a shear-wave splitting (SWS) database for the western and central United States (WCUS) using broadband seismic data recorded up to the end of 2014 to update a previous version that used data recorded prior to the end of 2012, when the USArray Transportable Array stations were still recording in the easternmost region of theWCUS. A total of 7452 pairs of additional measurements recorded by 1202 digital broadband seismic stations are obtained, and all the measurements in the previous database are rechecked. The resulting uniform SWS database contains a total of 23,448 pairs of well-defined …

Improving Landslide Hazard And Risk Mapping In Guatemala Using Terrain Aspect, Yuri Gorohkovich, Elia Axinia Machado, Luis Ivan Giron Melgar, Mahta Ghahremani

Publications and Research

Guatemala is in the path of numerous atmospheric hazards that trigger landslides by saturating mountain slopes with water reducing their safety factor. Available local studies of landslide characterization in Guatemala have indicated the importance of slope in hazard and risk mapping, but, for the most part, ignored another topographic index: aspect. However, many regional studies analyzing the effect of hurricanes on terrain show that Caribbean and Central American locations experience higher impact from hurricanes and storms on eastern, southeastern, southern and southwestern slopes. Since hazard and risk mapping focuses on infrastructure and settlements located on slopes with various orientations, this …

The Mantle Transition Zone Beneath The Afar Depression And Adjacent Regions: Implications For Mantle Plumes And Hydration, Cory A. Reed, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu, Y. Yu

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Afar Depression and its adjacent areas are underlain by an upper mantle marked by some of the world's largest negative velocity anomalies, which are frequently attributed to the thermal influences of a lower-mantle plume. In spite of numerous studies, however, the existence of a plume beneath the area remains enigmatic, partially due to inadequate quantities of broad-band seismic data and the limited vertical resolution at the mantle transition zone (MTZ) depth of the techniques employed by previous investigations. In this study, we use an unprecedented quantity (over 14 500) of P-to-S receiver functions (RFs) recorded by 139 stations from …

Taphonomy Of Sediments: Bioturbation In The Triassic Moenkopi Formation In Southwestern Utah, James Vernon Bird Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Measurement of bioturbation reflects physical and biological processes operating over time and can be used to reveal information about paleo-environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the intensity of bioturbation in Triassic Moenkopi Formation at Hurricane Mesa in Southwestern Utah. This formation is interpreted as having been deposited mostly in large ancient river channels, tidal flats, delta and shallow marine environments. Five stratigraphic sections measured in the Virgin Limestone Member provided the basis for this study. Detailed descriptions and quantification of bioturbation were recorded in each of the sections. Similar treatment was given to additional study sites in …

Lineations And Structural Mapping Of Io's Paterae And Mountains: Implications For Internal Stresses, Alexandra Anne Ahern

Theses and Dissertations

Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system, also has some of the tallest and steepest mountains. The mountains seem to be tectonic in origin, yet the methods of their formation have not been decisively constrained and their associations with volcanic paterae are yet unclear. We have compiled global spatial statistics on mountain dimensions and orientations, lineations attributed to structures, straight patera margins, and patera dimensions in order to better define their genetic relationships and the mechanisms forming each type of feature. Additionally, we have produced 4 regional structural maps of mountain complexes and have proposed tectonic histories. …

Field Geology And Petrologic Investigation Of The Strawberry Volcanics, Northeast Oregon, Arron Richard Steiner

Dissertations and Theses

The Strawberry Volcanics of Northeast Oregon are a group of geochemically related lavas with a diverse chemical range (basalt to rhyolite) that erupted between 16.2 and 12.5 Ma and co-erupted with the large, (~200,000 km3) Middle Miocene tholeiitic lavas of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), which erupted near and geographically surround the Strawberry Volcanics. The rhyolitic lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics produced the oldest 40Ar/39Ar ages measured in this study with ages ranging from 16.2 Ma to 14.6 Ma, and have an estimated total erupted volume of 100 km3. The mafic and intermediate lavas of the Strawberry Volcanics include …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of The Biggio Barn

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: 2016 Climate Change Class

Three-Dimensional Geologic Model Of Glacial Outwash In Mclean County, Illinois, Based On Seismic Refraction Studies, Matthew Hartz, David H. Malone, Robert Nelson

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Seven two-dimensional (2-D) seismic refraction lines were used to determine the thickness and geometry of a valley train outwash deposit of the Quaternary Henry Formation near Heyworth in southern McLean County, Illinois. These refraction data were collected and processed in 2-D, then imported into a Petrel, a three-dimensional (3-D) geological modeling software package. The 3-D geologic model was built using the velocity attribute of the seismic refraction data. The 3-D velocity model was then verified manually by moving a cross-section through the velocity model at 20 m increments. These selected data points were used to create 3-D horizons, surfaces, and …