Geology Commons^™

Effects Of Terrestrial Weathering On Rare Earth Element Concentrations And Sulfur Isotopic Signatures Of Carbonaceous And Ordinary Chondrites, Ruby Virginia Patterson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the effects of weathering of chondrites is essential to gaining accurate and useful information about the formation of our solar system, as well as a more detailed account of the mobilization of chondritic compounds when they encounter terrestrial conditions. Elemental concentrations and stable isotope analyses of chondrites, considered to be the most primordial material in the solar system, are two tools which help unlock the weathering patterns of these specimens when they enter the earth system. However, it is not currently known exactly how time spent in the field alters rare earth element (REE) concentration or δ34S signatures within …

Structural, Mineralogical And Quantitative Characterizations Of Compositions Of Products Linked To Explosive Volcanic Eruption At Haleakala, Usa, Aderemi Alabi, Ibukun Akinsola, Saminu Olatunji, Comfort Ogunyinka1, Oluwatoyin Osanyinlusi

Tanzania Journal of Science

This research focused the analysis vis-à-vis structural, mineralogical and quantitative characterizations of the samples which appeared to be formed from leftover of volcanic eruption sourced from basaltic magma obtained from Haleakala Hill, USA. The results show the presence of natural minerals like pyrolusite, zincite, magnetite, quartz, and diopside with their compositional concentrations in the samples. The geophysical analysis done corroborates the results obtained from the Scanning Electron Micrograph, which confirms the porosity of one of the samples. The X-Ray Diffraction results reveal the average grain sizes of the samples to range between 16 nm and 25 nm. Sample 'A' showed …

Short Wavelength Infrared Spectral Characterization Of The Mineralogy Of Gokona And Nyabigena Andesite-Hosted Gold Deposits In North Mara, Tanzania, Emmanuel Kazimoto

Tanzania Journal of Science

The mineralogy of Gokona and Nyabigena gold deposits in Tanzania have been studied using Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) Spectrometry technique with an aim to fingerprint hydrothermal system responsible for the formation of the deposits and establish pertinent mineralogical signatures for gold deposition. Gokona and Nyabigena deposits are hosted in porphyritic andesite to basaltic andesite that contains plagioclase phenocrysts, pyroxene, hornblende and Fe-Ti oxides as primary minerals. Other minerals are actinolite, chlorite, epidote, albite and hematite, which indicate metamorphism of the rock under greenschist facies conditions. Hydrothermal alteration of the rock produced chlorite, sericite, carbonates (ankerite, siderite and calcite), pyrite and …

Sedimentology And Paleocurrent Study Of The Early Triassic Rocks In The Ruhuhu Basin, Sw Tanzania, Audax Kiwango, Diwakar Mishra

Tanzania Journal of Science

The sedimentary succession ranging in age from Permian to Early Triassic in Ruhuhu basin was subdivided into eight informal lithostratigraphic units, identified by the symbols from K1 to K8. Manda Formation (K8) belongs to Early Triassic age and comprises two Members, i.e., Lower Kingori Member and Upper Lifua Member (150-200 m thickness). The implications of present study relate to inter and intra basinal correlations which may provide regional depositional framework from a mass of local details. Present investigation connoting the lithofacies studies in conjunction with palaeocurrent and grain size analysis of the early Triassic strata aims at interpreting the depositional …

Variability Of Selected Mineral Contents In Marine Fish From Local Markets In Tanzania, Stella Shija, Matobola Mihale, Daniel Shilla

Tanzania Journal of Science

Mineral contents (K, Na, Ca and Mg) in selected marine fish species (Alectis ciliaris, Lethrinus harak, Rastrelliger kanagurta and Siganus canaliculatus) from local fish markets were analysed in wet and dry seasons. The processing methods (frying and boiling) were also assessed for their influence on the mineral contents. Samples were randomly collected from Tanga, Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam and Mtwara seaports, analysed using established methods and determined by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Mean mineral contents in individual and all analysed fish species were high during dry season compared to wet season except Ca and the difference was statistically significant …

Soil-Plant Nutrient Cycling In Old Cocoa Farms In A Part Of South Western Nigerian Forest Belt, Olusola Afolayan

Tanzania Journal of Science

Apart from pests and diseases, a vital issue in the early mature of cocoa crop in Nigeria is soil nutrient degradation in relation to the ageing of the farms and annual mining of nutrients via yield harvests. Indigenous production of cocoa in southwest Nigeria has been on without fertilizer applications. This is the basis for the reduction average lifespan and productive years of the plantation. The aim of this study was to quantify the rates of soil nutrient losses via cycling channels in old cocoa farm using cocoa beans, leaves, litters, and pod husks in south western Nigeria forest belt. …

The Effects Of Surface-Water Flow On The Quality Of Groundwater And Surface-Water Systems, Quanghee Yi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research has focused on the effects of surface-water flow on the quality of groundwater and surfacewater systems. For the first part of my research (Chapter 2 ), I s tudied the effects of s urface flow system changes in the water-conservation areas and canals in southeast Florida on the quality of groundwater in the surficial aquifer system.

For the second part of my research, by developing analytical models using the superposition method, I investigated the effects of bidirectional surface-water flow on the conservative contaminant concentrations (Chapter 4) and mean residence time (Chapter 5) in streams and rivers as well …

Studies Of Quaternary Depositional Systems Of The Coastal Plain And Inner Continental Shelf Along The Georgia Bight: South Carolina And Georgia, U.S.A., Joshua H. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Quaternary stratigraphy of the continental shelf offshore of South Carolina consists of stratigraphic units deposited in coastal plain, shallow marine, and shelfal environments bound by composite erosional surfaces that developed in response to numerous glacioeustatic cycles and overprinted by regional uplift. These units are commonly distributed laterally rather than stacked vertically, a function of the long-term, low shelf gradient and the resulting lack of accommodation. This study integrates high-resolution geological and geophysical data sets acquired offshore and onshore with existing data onshore into a comprehensive conceptual model describing the Quaternary geologic evolution of the coastal plain and continental shelf …

Using Geophysical And Geodetic Data To Improve Natural And Human-Induced Hazard Assessments, Fanghui Deng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I use geophysical and geodetic data to study dynamics of the Earth System, including volcanoes and induced seismicity, aiming to improve related hazard assessment at different time and space scales. My dissertation consists of the following three projects: 1) Geophysical model for the origin of volcano vent clusters (Deng et al., 2017). We developed a conceptual model to simulate long-term magma transport to explain the origin of volcanic vent clusters in Quaternary Colorado Plateau volcanic fields. We used density contrast inverted from gravity data to constrain the magma transport model. The development of vent clusters appears to be influenced by …

Development Of A Benthic Foraminifera Based Marine Biotic Index (Foram-Ambi) For The Gulf Of Mexico: A Decision Support Tool, Bryan O'Malley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an economically important region (e.g. oil and gas, fisheries) and with the expansion of oil drilling, harmful algal bloom events, oil blowouts, dead zones, anthropogenic eutrophication and contaminant loading, it is important that the ecological quality statuses (EcoQS) of different localities in the Gulf are closely monitored. The EcoQS, as implemented by the European Water Framework Directive, is an effective tool for monitoring ecological health and developing reference conditions. One such index used to define EcoQS is the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), which pairs species abundance with environmental stressors. Benthic foraminifera are ideal …

Structural Controls On Crustal Fluid Circulation And Hot Spring Geochemistry Above A Flat‐Slab Subduction Zone, Peru, Brandt E. Scott, Dennis L. Newell, M. J. Jessup, T. A. Grambling, C. A. Shaw

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Hot spring geochemistry from the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, reveal the influence of crustal‐scale structures on geothermal fluid circulation in an amagmatic region located above a flat‐slab subduction zone. To test the influence of contrasting modes of faulting in these regions, springs were targeted along the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault, within its hanging wall, in the footwall of the detachment, and in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Hot springs along the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault zone are associated with recent extension and normal faulting, and those in its footwall and the Cordillera Huayhuash are located in the Marañon fold and …

Anthropogenically Expedited Transit Reduces Organic Carbon Loss In The Lower Mississippi River: Dataset, Zhixiong Shen, Brad E. Rosenheim, Torbjörn E. Törnqvist, Andreas Lang

College of Science Data Sets

This dataset presents data to investigate the change of organic carbon carried by the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) related to river engineering. The dataset includes (1) OSL data, (2) 14C data; (3) the channel centerline of the LMR in the 1970s, (4) the channel centerline of the LMR in 2019, and (5) the migration rates of the LMR between the 1970s and 2019.

Loess In Eastern Equatorial Pangea Archives A Dusty Atmosphere And Possible Upland Glaciation, Lily Pfeifer, Gerilyn S. Soreghan, Stephane Pochat, Jean Van Den Driessche

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Carboniferous–Permian strata in basins within the Central Pangean Mountains in France archive regional paleoequatorial climate during a unique interval in geological history (Pangea assembly, ice-age collapse, megamonsoon inception). The voluminous (∼1.5 km) succession of exclusively fine-grained red beds that comprises the Permian Salagou Formation (Lodève Basin, France) has long been interpreted to record either lacustrine or fluvial deposition, primarily based on a local emphasis of subaqueous features in the upper ∼25% of the section. In contrast, data presented here indicate that the lower-middle Salagou Formation is dominated by up to 15-m-thick beds of internally massive red mudstone with abundant pedogenic …

Great Basin Paleoclimate And Aridity Linked To Artic Warming And Tropical Pacific Sea Surface Temperature, Matthew S. Lachniet, Yemane Asmerom, Victor Polyak, Rhawn Denniston

Geoscience Faculty Research

The arid southwestern United States is susceptible to sustained droughts that impact water resources and economic activity for millions of residents. Previous work has not systematically investigated the structure, timing, and possible forcings of Holocene Great Basin sub‐orbital hydroclimate changes, impeding our ability to understand the potential future controls on Southwestern aridity. The objective of this paper is to constrain the potential forcings on Holocene aridity and temperature, via comparison of new high‐resolution speleothem data, an Aridity Index synthesizing hydroclimate records, and linkages of Southwestern paleoclimate to other regions. The high‐resolution data from Leviathan Cave provide a paleoclimate record since …

Speleothems In Quartz-Sandstone Caves Of Ponta Grossa Municipality, Campos Gerais Region, Paraná State, Southern Brazil, Henrique S. Pontes, Luiz A. Fernandes, Mário S. De Melo, Gilson B. Guimarães, Laís L. Massuqueto

International Journal of Speleology

The present communication characterizes and discusses the genesis of cave speleothems developed in Furnas Formation (Silurian-Devonian) and Vila Velha sub-unit (Campo Mourão Formation, Upper Carboniferous) quartz-sandstones, in southern Brazil. The research, which involved stratigraphic and petrographic studies, was conducted to identify the faciological context of occurrence of these features, and to determine, through different analytical methods, their mineralogical composition and porosity, and also the action of microbial markers on the genesis of these secondary mineral deposits. The speleothems were classified into six types based on form, composition and genesis: (1) arborescent (coral), (2) mushroom-shaped, (3) stalactitic, (4) stalagmitic, (5) columnar …

Wrack & Ruin: A Tale Of Tortured Trees, John T. Van Stan Ii, Albertus Tyasseta, Siloy, Graphic Artist

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Bookshelf

Here, we visit a community of trees living along the Georgia coast, just above the high tide line, on a little lump of sand called a "hammock." This hammock plant community is battered by a hurricane. The plants that survive soon realize that they have fallen prey to a hydrological torture wrack - one composed of the salty corpses of their neighboring marsh plants (Spartina alterniflora). This sci comic is based on the publication, "Wrack and ruin: Legacy hydrologic effects of hurricane-deposited wrack..." (https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ab9527).

Wrack And Ruin: Legacy Hydrologic Effects Of Hurricane-Deposited Wrack On Hardwood-Hammock Coastal Islands, John T. Van Stan Ii, Scott T. Allen, Travis Swanson

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Publications

Hurricanes can cause immediate catastrophic destruction of marsh vegetation and erosion of soils; however, they also have long-lasting ecological impacts. Those impacts include the deposition of tremendous amounts of saltmarsh litter ('wrack') onto upland ecosystems, the hydrologic effects of which have not previously been investigated. When Hurricane Irma battered the southeastern US coastline, widespread wrack deposition was reported (often exceeding 0.5 m depth), especially in vulnerable coastal hammock ecosystems: locally-elevated forests within the saltmarshes that rely on freshwater inputs from rain. We report the impacts of this deposited wrack, which has persisted for 2 years, on effective precipitation inputs to …

Chemostratigraphy Of Carbonate Gravity Flows Of The Wolfcamp Formation In Crockett County, Midland Basin, Texas, Alex Blizzard, Julie Bloxson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment gravity flows into deep-water environments are important stratigraphic traps in lithologically diverse reservoirs generating multiple plays for hydrocarbon exploration. These highly heterogeneous deposits can be studied by utilizing chemostratigraphy and higher-order sequence stratigraphy; being an accurate method for reservoir characterization. Studying these gravity flows along a carbonate platform’s slope can further expand an understanding of the stratigraphy that is filling adjacent basins. The application of elemental analyses can support in identifying mineralogy that impact reservoir quality, especially when conventional testing cannot be applied.

This study utilizes five cores containing the Wolfcamp Formation from the southeastern slope of the Central …

Soil Fatigue Hazard Screening Analyses Framework For Spacio-Temporally Clustered Induced Seismicity With Examples Of Damage Potential Due To Liquefaction, Merissa L. Zuzulock, Oliver Denzil S. Taylor, Norbert H. Maerz

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Current studies that focus solely on the cause of the increase in seismicity neglect to include considerations for effects of small magnitude cluster events on federal infrastructure. These effects can be almost undetectable at first, but if left unchecked can evolve into a larger issue. The need to reassess and potentially modify the established risk assessment practices for evaluations of federal infrastructure needs to be reviewed to ensure the continued ability of the structure to function as intended. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for hydroelectric power, flood protection, recreational areas, navigational channels and water supply along …

A Geochemical Perspective On The Hydrocarbon Compositional Variation Within East Malay Basin: Implication For Oil Exploration, Mohd Sharef Nurfadhila

Student Works (2020-2029)

Malay Basin is a prospective basin which perceived to be matured basin in terms of hydrocarbon generating potential. Many significant oil discoveries made since 1970’s includes Seligi, Pulai, Tapis and Bekok oil fields. These fields have been producing until now. Despite its matured stage, there are still more oil discoveries in various parts of Malay Basin until now. Oil discoveries include light and high density oils with various challenges in oil development project. This dissertation focuses on oil fields in East Malay Basin particularly Lerek, Chermingat, Lawang and Serudon oil fields. The objectives of this research are to study the …

Integrating Detailed Petrography, Geochemistry, And Mineralogy To Elucidate Extensive Early Diagenesis In The Eocene Carbonates Of Qatar, Brooks H. Ryan

Dissertations

Eocene carbonates comprising the Umm er Radhuma (UER), Rus, and Dammam Formations, cover 80% of the surface and extend >300 m into the subsurface of Qatar. These rocks record marine sedimentation in shallow sub-tidal to restricted settings. Despite undergoing only shallow burial (<1000 m), extensive diagenetic alteration has occurred. Given that little work on this topic has been published previously, the objectives of this work are to document diagenesis in the Eocene, and to integrate petrography, mineralogy, and geochemistry to delineate the timing and environments of diagenesis of these Eocene carbonates. Detailed petrographic data show that dolomitization occurred early in the UER, before the formation of diagenetic chert, palygorskite, pyrite, calcite, and gypsum cements. Bulk dolomite δ¹⁸O values, coupled with clumped isotope-derived (Δ47) temperatures and dolomitizing fluid δ¹⁸O values, suggest dolomitization took place in near-normal marine fluids, perhaps during shallow burial. These data challenge the current paradigm of large-scale, top-down hypersaline reflux dolomitization in the UER. Associated depth trends of increasing crystal size and with increasing stoichiometry and cation ordering …

Collisional Formation Of Top-Shaped Asteroids And Implications For The Origins Of Ryugu And Bennu, P. Michel, R.-L. Ballouz, O. S. Barnouin, M. Jutzi, K. J. Walsh, B. H. May, C. Manzoni, D. C. Richardson, S. R. Schwartz, S. Sugita, S. Watanabe, H. Miyamoto, M. Hirabayashi, W. F. Bottke, Harold Connolly Jr., M. Yoshikawa, D. S. Lauretta

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Asteroid shapes and hydration levels can serve as tracers of their history and origin. For instance, the asteroids (162173) Ryugu and (101955) Bennu have an oblate spheroidal shape with a pronounced equator, but contain different surface hydration levels. Here we show, through numerical simulations of large asteroid disruptions, that oblate spheroids, some of which have a pronounced equator defining a spinning top shape, can form directly through gravitational reaccumulation. We further show that rubble piles formed in a single disruption can have similar porosities but variable degrees of hydration. The direct formation of top shapes from single disruption alone can …

Integrated Studies Of Intracontinental Deformation In The Interior Western Usa, Cretaceous To Recent, Jacob Oliver Thacker

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The advent of plate tectonic theory satisfactorily explained a number of deformation belts around the world. However intracontinental deformation (deformation inboard of a plate margin) remains poorly understood in plate tectonic models. In order to further our understanding of intracontinental tectonics and its effects, this dissertation examines paleotectonic and neotectonic settings within the interior western USA.

Chapter 1 focuses on late Miocene–Recent deformation inboard of the San Andreas plate margin fault and its role on the integration history of the lower Colorado River. The neotectonic analysis included geometric and kinematic fault data collected in key geologic units to characterize the …

Crystal Queer: Fracturing The Binaries Of Matter, Creation, And Landscape, Sarah Knight

Graduate School of Art Theses

In this thesis, I compile a series of fragments consisting an analysis of my artwork in the gendered contexts of landscape, self-identity, mythology, and philosophy. I develop my concept of a “queer mark” in my art that serves as a form of queering, a disruption of visual and conceptual cohesion. I form a picture of how our contemporary selves are influenced by our gendered understanding of the landscape through the analysis of philosophical, artistic, and mythological concepts of creation. I see my sculptures as an atlas to an alternative means of understanding identity, a queering of these historical and exclusionary …

Band Extension And Possible Ridge Compression On Europa, Sarah Chinski

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Jupiter's icy moon Europa has captivated and perplexed the scientific community since the discovery of its global liquid water ocean. Over the course of several missions to the Jovian system, high-resolution observations of Europa have determined that there are spreading zones where new crust is created, similar to the mid-ocean spreading tectonic process we observe on Earth. These features, known as bands, have symmetric hills and valleys, indicating brief events of activity where material from the interior is exuded through a central crack, and solidifies on both sides, creating two positive topography. Recently, Europan scientists have been questioning how these …

Refractory Black Carbon (Rbc) Variability In A 47-Year West Antarctic Snow And Firn Core, Marquetto Luciano, Susan Kaspari, Jefferson Cardia Simões

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Black carbon (BC) is an important climate-forcing agent that affects snow albedo. In this work, we present a record of refractory black carbon (rBC) variability, measured from a 20m deep snow and firn core drilled in West Antarctica (79°55’34.600” S, 94°21’13.3”W, 2122m above sea level) during the 2014–2015 austral summer. This is the highest elevation rBC record from West Antarctica. The core was analyzed using the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) coupled to a CETAC Marin-5 nebulizer. Results show a well-defined seasonality with geometric mean concentrations of 0.015 μg L^-1 for the wet season (austral summer–fall) and 0.057 μg …

Crabs From The Cane River Formation Of Northern Louisiana: A Study Of Neozanthopsis Americana And Associated Fauna, Katie Mclain

Honors Theses

Neozanthopsis Americana is a crab from the middle Eocene Claiborne Group that lived along the Gulf of Mexico, and has been documented in Texas and Louisiana. This species was discovered by Rathburn (1928) and was later amended and added to by Schweitzer (2014). The specimens in this paper are found near Natchitoches, Louisiana, and along with their accompanying fossils are used to describe the depositional environment of the locality. Sediments were taken from the site and analyzed under a standard microscope for microfossils, which were collected and further analyzed under scanning electron microscope. In addition to the microfossils, the cuticles …

Delineating Subsurface Karst Potential Using Electrical Resistivity In The Shell Mountain Province, Fort Hood Military Installation, Texas, Annie Robison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fort Hood Military Installation is located within the Lampasas Cut Plain in Bell and Coryell counties, Texas, and is characterized by exposures of Lower Cretaceous Trinity and Fredericksburg Group carbonates. The Shell Mountain Province is an elevated plateau located in western Fort Hood utilized by the military for heavy mechanical (troop and wheeled) maneuver training and hosts significant surficial and subsurface karst. Ongoing karst inventories in western Fort Hood conducted by range managers have documented over 100 individual karst features. Recent studies utilizing LiDAR and remote sensing techniques delineated karst potential in this area and identified over 13,909 discrete depressions. …

Test Using Sedimentary Records To Quantify Extreme Paleo-Flood: A Case Study Of An Oxbow Lake In South Carolina, Molly Aeschliman

Honors Theses

Extreme flooding has become an increasing issue along the coasts for people’s health and infrastructure stability. As the effect of climate change continues to persist, the need to prepare for such events becomes imperative. To improve the understanding of climatic forecasting with regards to extreme flooding, there is merit in searching flooding history beyond the instrumental records. There has been some work done in the past to correlate extreme flooding and its sedimentary traces preserved in floodplain depressions, such as oxbow lakes, based on the assumption that the coarser grain sediments in the sediment layers correspond with higher peak discharges …

Using Foraminifera To Identify Overwash Deposits In St Vincent Island, Florida In The Wake Of Hurricane Michael, Kayla Washington

Honors Theses

Major hurricanes have geomorphic and stratigraphic impacts in coast environments that can be used to identify and characterize the storms. One of the approaches to identify storm impact is by studying assemblage of foraminifera, small organisms that live primarily in marine environments with some species living in marshes, in coastal marshes or ponds, with the assumption that storm-induced overwash flooding brings marine species ashore. Hurricane Michael made landfall ~40 km northwest of St Vincent Island (SVI), Florida, on October 10, 2018, as a Category 5 storm. The storm surge of Michael inundated a large part of SVI, which offers a …