Geology Commons^™

An Attempt To Identify Source Areas Of Clastic Deposits From Selected Caves Of The Prokletije Mountains (Montenegro): A Mineralogical And U-Series Geochemistry Approach, Ditta Kicińska, Jacek Pawlak, Jacek Stienss

International Journal of Speleology

The Prokletije Mountains/Albanian Alps are the highest part of the Dinaric Mountains. Paradoxically, these mountains and their cave areas remain among the most enigmatic in Europe, having only recently become subjects of scientific research and cave exploration. This paper focuses on the Kolata and Greben massifs, where the highest, and thus the oldest, cave systems are located. Through the analysis of heavy mineral composition, the apatite-tourmaline index, and cluster analysis for mineralogical composition and uranium isotopic data, it becomes possible to identify the source areas for the cave clastic deposits. It also allow to distinguish multiple paleoflow directions, each corresponding …

Experimental Data Supporting Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery And Storage Potential In The Bakken Petroleum System (Bps), University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet on CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Bakken petroleum system. Highlights experimental data concerning CO₂’s role in oil recovery in the region.

Carbon Isotope Chemostratigraphy, Geochemistry, And Biostratigraphy Of The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, Deepwater Wilcox Group, Gulf Of Mexico (Usa), Glenn R. Sharman, Eugene Szymanski, Rebecca A. Hackworth, Alicia C.M. Kahn, Lawrence A. Febo, Jordan Oefinger, Gunnar M. Gregory

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) represents the most pronounced hyperthermal of the Cenozoic era and is hypothesized to have resulted in an intensification of the paleohydrologic cycle, including enhanced seasonality and increased sediment discharge to the coastal ocean. Although the PETM has been widely documented, there are few records from deposits that form the distal, deepwater components of large sediment-routing systems. This study presents new constraints on the stratigraphic placement of the PETM in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico basin through analysis of geochemical, carbon isotopic, and biostratigraphic data within a ∼124 m cored interval of the Wilcox Group. Biostratigraphic …

Applications Of Observational Seismology: Insights Into Volcanic And Near Surface Processes, Justin T. Wilgus

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The field of observational seismology has made tremendous progress in the past two decades. This progress has been multi-faceted in form, but significant contributions emanated from 1) increases in both the quality and the quantity of seismic data 2) advances in computational power 3) advances in algorithmic capability, including machine learning. In this dissertation I report on three distinctly different seismic applications made possible by the aforementioned progress and discuss the insights these applications have provided in understanding volcanic and near surface processes of the Earth.

In the first chapter titled, “Shear Velocity Evidence of Upper Crustal Magma Storage Beneath …

Insar Time Series Analysis To Evaluate Subsidence Risk Of Monumental Chandigarh City (India) And Surroundings, Jungrack Kim, Shih-Yuan Lin, Tejpal Singh, Ramesh P. Singh

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Groundwater depletion is one of the serious geo-environmental issues causing ground subsidence, which damage buildings, infrastructures and causes loss of life. The quantitative and qualitative evaluation of groundwater variability requires multiple approaches to measure hydraulic head level and geodetic deformation. In this study, we have made efforts to integrate multiple hierarchical space-borne data, including Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), Sentinel-1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), geological and hydrological data, to quantify subsidence in Chandigarh city and its surroundings. First, we conducted New-Small BAseline Subsets (NSBAS) and pointwise persistent scatterer (PS) InSAR techniques in parallel, using three-years Sentinel-1 data showing …

Grounding Line And Calving Front Retreat In Glomar Challenger Basin And Pennell Trough Of Ross Sea, Antarctica Reconstructed From Diatom Abundances And Assemblages, Jaren Bradford

LSU Master's Theses

Previous studies showed that West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) retreat from the Whales Deep Basin continental shelf edge in eastern Ross Sea was underway by 14.7 ± 0.4 cal kyr BP. Following an ice-shelf breakup at 12.3 ± 0.6 cal kyr BP, a calving cliff margin remained within 60 km of the shelf edge until 11.5 ± 0.3 cal kyr BP. McGlannan et al. (2017) inferred that an ice shelf reformed immediately during a subsequent rapid retreat. That interpretation of grounding-line retreat with an intact ice shelf is being reevaluated by Sivils (in prep.). Here, we conducted a similar synthesis …

Trace Metal Analysis Of Pond Sediments To Measure Deposition From A Coal-Fired Power Plant In Ackerman Mississippi, Charles Bills

Theses and Dissertations

Trace element sediment pollution due to coal power plants have been reported in many countries. In this study, pond sediment samples collected from locations around a coal fired power plant in Ackerman, MS, were evaluated for their trace element concentration and pollution status. The samples were collected at two depths to study changes in element accumulation over time. The samples were digested and the elements, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, and Zn were analyzed using ICP-MS. Results were then compared to known background concentrations as well as sediment quality guidelines and pollution thresholds. The sample locations downwind of the …

Investigating The Impact On Private Water Supply Of Hydraulic Fracturing Communication With An Abandoned Conventional Gas Well In New Freeport, Pa, Kiley Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In June of 2022 a “frac out” occurred in New Freeport, PA when an unconventional gas well under development by hydraulic fracturing, communicated with an abandoned gas well to the surface. An initial “zone of impact” encompassed much of the town’s main thoroughfare. Water samples were obtained from 17 private water wells, 5 springs and 1 pond (31 total samples) and analyzed for cations, anions, and light hydrocarbons. Methane was found in 18 of the samples, both located within and outside of the “zone of impact”. Mass ratio analyses indicated contamination from both unconventional and conventional wells. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture …

A Predictive Flood Model For Urban Karst Groundwater Systems, Trayson Lawler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Urban karst environments are often plagued by groundwater flooding, which occurs when water rises from the subsurface to the surface through the underlying caves and other karst features. The heterogeneity and interconnectedness of karst systems often makes them very unpredictable, especially during intense storm events; urbanization exacerbates the problem with the addition of many impervious surfaces. Residents in such areas are frequently disturbed and financially burdened by the effects of karst groundwater flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers limited protection to citizens living near flood-prone areas as they primarily focus on the areas near surface bodies of water. …

Structural And Kinematic Investigation Of The Dadeville Complex-Brevard Zone Contact (Southern Appalachians): Polyphase Emplacement Of An Allochthonous Terrane On The Laurentian Margin, Andrew Williams

Master's Theses

The Dadeville Complex (DC) lies in the Inner Piedmont of eastern Alabama and western Georgia. The DC formed as a volcanic island arc during the Taconic orogeny (Ordovician Period) and was accreted onto Laurentia during the Acadian orogeny (Devonian-Mississippian Periods); however, the mechanism and role of accretion during the Acadian orogeny is not well constrained. Three proposed emplacement mechanisms for the DC include: (1) orogen-perpendicular translation; (2) orogen-parallel translation; (3) orogenic channel flow.

Today, the DC is a major (over 100 kilometers long) allochthonous terrane composed mostly of meta-igneous rocks. This study investigated structural fabrics and kinematic indicators in the …

New Insights Into The Tectonic Framework & Geologic Features Of The Bengal Basin, Bangladesh, Shahriar Bin Shahid

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this research, high-resolution SRTM-based NASA Digital Elevation Models (DEM) data and published literature have used to gain new insights regarding South-east Asian surficial geology, fluvial geomorphology, and tectonics, focusing on the Bengal Basin. Seismic databased discovery of shallow, down-warping and >30 km thick Indian crust challenges prior knowledge of crustal origin, which was thought to be oceanic rather than continental in origin due to high-angle subduction. Furthermore, the collapse of the Indian passive margin beneath the Shillong Plateau may have formed a 20 km thick Surma Basin on top and has led to substantial earthquake risks. To update the …

Seismic Analysis Of The Upper & Lower Falls Of The Yellowstone River, Loring Schaible

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Twelve years of concurrent hydrologic and continuous seismic data along with temporary seismic data demonstrate that the Upper and Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River comprise a highly localized source of 0.5-5 Hz seismic energy that overwhelms anthropogenic contributions. In aggregate, seismic amplitude from 2008-2019 is linearly related to discharge with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. Repeated deviations from this linear relationship persist for 1-2 weeks prior to the date that Yellowstone Lake becomes clear of winter ice coverage. Seismic efficiency increases by ~50-250% during this period of ice-breakup, during which lake ice flows into the …

Origin Of The Mega-Streamlined Morphology In Ne Africa And Arabia: Remote Sensing And Field-Based Investigations, Mohamed Samy Mohamed Elhebery

Dissertations

Mega-streamlined landforms on Earth and Mars have been attributed to aeolian, glaciogenic, fluvial, and tectonic processes. Identifying the forces that shaped these landforms is paramount for understanding landscape evolution and constraining paleo-climate models and ice sheet reconstructions. Exhumed Late Ordovician glacial deposits and landscape of the North Gondwana are reported here for the first time from SE Egypt. Using field and remote sensing (Advanced Land Observing Satellite [ALOS], Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) radar, multispectral Landsat TM datasets, and digital elevation models (DEMs) I mapped the distribution of the Late Ordovician glacial features (i.e. deposits and landforms) in …

Reservoir Characterization Of The Utica Shale Play Using Well Log Data In Columbiana, Ohio, Tyler L. West

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Ordovician Utica shale play is rapidly developing throughout the Appalachian Basin. The play is a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic system that grades from primarily carbonates at its base in the Lexington/Trenton limestones into primarily shale within the Utica shale. As of January 2021, it is the third highest-producing dry shale gas play in the contiguous U.S., although it is known to produce wet gas and oil in various parts of the basin. In addition to being an unconventional reservoir, the Utica shale, an informal unit in Ohio where the main fairway is located, is a known source rock for much of …

Quantifying The Contribution Of Atmospheric And Land Surface Characteristics To The Prediction Of Sub-Pixel Scale Surface Soil Moisture In The Jornada Experimental Range Through Interpretable Machine Learning, Stephanie Nicole Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study presents machine learning-based approaches for understanding and predicting plot-scale soil moisture's spatial variability using hydrometeorological and biogeophysical data from in-situ, multi-sensor and remote sensing sources. The high-resolution input features include numerical and categorical data such as land surface temperature, ground albedo, 1-day, 1-week and 2-week antecedent precipitation, soil type, land cover type, distance to nearest vegetation individual, terrain slope and elevation, and normalized differenced vegetation index (NDVI). Soil moisture measurements are collected within a 3 km x 3 km desert grid with Campbell Scientific Hydrosense II-12 soil moisture sensors and validated with a gravimetric method of measuring volumetric …

High P-T Single Crystal Elasticity Of Zircon And Its Implications For Determining Metamorphic P-T Conditions In Nature, Arlacee Luu

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Understanding the natural petrologic and tectonic processes, such as slab subduction, requires accurate determination of the pressure (P) and temperature (T) conditions of these processes. Recent development of elastic thermobarometry based on the difference between the elastic evolution of mineral inclusions and their host minerals allows constraining the formation P-T conditions of the inclusion/host system without assuming thermodynamic equilibrium, which is typically needed for the widely used chemistry-based thermobarometry in metamorphic petrology. However, the reliability of elastic thermobarometry heavily depends on the accurate determination of the high P-T single-crystal elastic properties of relevant minerals. In this study, we performed the …

Seismic Shadow Zone Investigation In The Upper Magma Reservoir Of The Yellowstone Caldera, Sarah Nolt-Caraway

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

This study investigates whether the Yellowstone Caldera has enough melt to mute S-waves, creating a seismic shadow zone. Using a dense nodal deployment of ~650 stations, 7-9 earthquakes during the nodal deployment, and 21 broadband stations with 3,000-4,000 events per station; amplitude and noise maps, seismograms, and automatic phase picks probabilities from a deep learning model were analyzed to assess the potential role of melt, crustal attenuation, and noise in affecting body waves, particularly S-phases. The results are inconclusive, with unclear evidence whether observed amplitude decay is normal signal decay due to distance, noise-related, melt, or from scattering and intrinsic …

Weathering, Erosion, And Dust Accumulation At Stoneman Lake, Arizona, Usa: Timescales And Drivers Of Geomorphic Activity Across The Southwest, Spencer Staley, Peter J. Fawcett, R. Scott Anderson, Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno, Vera Markgraf, Erik T. Brown, Matthew E. Kirby

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Lengthy and well-dated terrestrial records of the Quaternary Period with the appropriate proxies show how the critical zone responds to environmental change. In southwestern North America, resolving the many effects of aridity through time provides crucial context for addressing contemporary climate issues. However, arid conditions are generally non-conducive to paleo-record preservation, causing knowledge gaps during relevant climatic episodes. An ~80 m-long sediment core (STL14) from Stoneman Lake contains a continuous archive of conditions from local to regional scale since the early Pleistocene (~1.3 Ma) and is, therefore, a unique and immensely valuable scientific resource. STL is situated in a montane …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Using Strain Measured During Sinusoidal Rate Pumping Tests To Characterize An Aquifer, Riley Blais

All Theses

Pumping tests with sinusoidal variation in pumping rate have been proposed as a method for improving aquifer characterization. These tests can interrogate a larger aquifer volume than slug tests and they can be more sensitive to small variations in drawdown. Current methods of using sinusoidal variations of rate are based on measuring pressure signals from the reservoir or aquifer, which requires access to monitoring wells. An alternative approach has been developed that measures the strain in the vadose zone instead of pressure in the reservoir. An instrument has been developed at Clemson University that can measure small strains using optical …

Constraining High Temperature Deformation And Metamorphism In The Southern Wet Mountains, Colorado, Usa: Implications For The Regional Extent Of The Picuris Orogeny, Sarah Morse

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Wet Mountains of Colorado are underlain by exhumed Proterozoic metamorphic rock that lies north of the recently identified 1.46 to 1.40 Ga Picuris orogen in northern New Mexico. The Picuris orogen is inferred to have formed in response to a Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1.49-1.40 Ga) contractional to transpressional event extrapolated to be regional in extent. It has been proposed that the Picuris orogen composes the westernmost tectonic segment of the Pinware-Baraboo-Picuris orogen that formed along an evolving convergent margin that becomes younger from northeast to southwest. This study is focused on the record of high temperature deformation, metamorphism, and plutonism …

Evaluating How Well Active Fault Mapping Predicts Earthquake Surface-Rupture Locations, Chelsea Scott, Ramon Arrowsmith, Rachel Adam, Christopher Madugo, Joseph Powell, John Ford, Brian Gray, Ashley Streig, Multiple Additional Authors

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Earthquake surface-fault rupture location uncertainty is a key factor in fault displacement hazard analysis and informs hazard and risk mitigation strategies. Geologists often predict future rupture locations from fault mapping based on the geomorphology interpreted from remote-sensing data sets. However, surface processes can obscure fault location, fault traces may be mapped in error, and a future rupture may not break every fault trace. We assessed how well geomorphology-based fault mapping predicted surface ruptures for seven earthquakes: 1983 M 6.9 Borah Peak, 2004 M 6.0 Parkfield, 2010 M 7.2 El Mayor–Cucapah, 2011 M 6.7 Fukushima-Hamadori, 2014 M 6.0 South Napa, 2016 …

Growth Of Purple Sulfur Bacteria Allochromatium Vinosum On Solid Phase Metal Sulfides As Sulfur And Electron Sources, Hugo Alarcon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) are photosynthetic microorganisms known for their vital roles in geochemical cycles, especially the sulfur cycle, within anoxic photic environments. PSB are also key contributors to the nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen cycles. This study focuses on the autotrophic growth of Allochromatium vinosum, a model strain of PSB, that utilize solid-phase metal sulfides (MS) as both sulfur and electron donors. Through characterizing the growth profiles of A. vinosum on pyrite (FeS2), nickel sulfide (NiS), and iron monosulfide (FeS) nanoparticles, respectively, and investigating the bacteria-MS interaction mechanisms, this work expands our current knowledge of the metabolic capabilities and flexibility …

Paradox Diapir Inclusions As A Window Into Diapiric Processes In Proximity To The Uncompahgre Uplift And The Early History Of The Paradox Basin, Utah And Colorado, Madison Clare Woelfel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Layered evaporite sequences, cyclic, kilometer-thick deposits of salt, are among the most unusual and fascinating lithologies that geologists encounter. There is no recent analogue to their formation, and their ability to flow when subject to differential pressure makes them unique. Salt structures serve as sources for halite, bittern salts, metals, and hydrocarbons and can be used for storage of materials, including hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and nuclear waste. Basins in which layered evaporite sequences are deposited receive detrital input sporadically from adjacent areas, depositing inclusions of non-evaporite lithologies that are entrained when salt flows. These inclusions are exposed in a …

History Of Ice-Rafting In The Arctic Ocean During Glacial Maxima Through Marine Isotope Stage 6, Shannon M. Cofield

OES Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies attempted to reconstruct Arctic paleoclimate, specifically ice mass timing and locations, during glacial maxima. While some regions, like the Barents-Svalbard Ice Sheet (BSIS) are well-studied, they may benefit from a high-resolution paleo proxy. Other regions are highly contested, such as the East Siberian Sea or the presence of a central Arctic Ocean ice mass.

This research uses an Fe-grain provenance method to (1) define how the BSIS behaved during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, 4, and 6, and when it retreated; (2) determine the presence and ages of Shelf Ice Masses (SIMs) in the Beaufort Sea and East …

Lidar Monitoring Of Annual And Storm-Driven Episodic Erosion At Rainsford Island, Alan H. Bartels

Graduate Masters Theses

Boston Harbor and its thirty-four islands are subject to erosion, driven by rain, winds, and waves. Climate change threatens to increase erosion over time as sea levels rise and the frequency and intensity of storms increase. Understanding the dynamics of coastal erosion is key to guiding the design of coastal shoreline protections, the research of which a goal of Stone Living Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Boston. To better understand the impact of both annual weather and episodic severe storms, the high-resolution Riegl VZ400i LiDAR was deployed four times over 14 months from July 22, 2021 to October 19, …

Measurement Of Microplastics In A Freshwater Micro-Watershed, Cole Bowman

All Theses

The role of microplastics as an emerging contaminant can be complex to study because of the lack of standardization in the collection and analysis of microplastic particles. The purpose of this manuscript is to detail an iterative process of different collection methods in trying to understand microplastic deposition and transport in a freshwater micro-watershed through lab-based and field-based studies. A flume experiment was conducted to test the trapping efficiency of a sediment trap design at two different velocities (1.12 m/s and 2.24 m/s). Eight types of microplastics varying in morphology and density were introduced to the flume in order to …

A Hybrid Lateral Flow Sand Filter Wastewater Treatment System: An Evaluation On The Treatment And Disposal Capabilities Of A Modified Sand Filter, Harry Mccaskill Iv

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Decentralized wastewater treatment exists primarily in suburban and rural areas where centralized treatment is not an option. Traditional on-site treatment systems usually include the use of a septic tank and a drain field. This orthodox method works well when implemented into environments that are accommodating for the infiltration of effluents, and thus allowing for soil treatment. Unfortunately, there are some circumstances that prevent traditional systems from working such as impermeable soil conditions. The Wastewater Treatment System analyzed in this thesis was created to overcome such inhospitable environments. More specifically, this system is catered towards the rural residences of The Alabama …

Chemostratigraphic And Paleoclimatic Studies Of Cloverly Formation, Northern Wyoming, U.S.A, Queen Amarachi Kalu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Early – Late Cretaceous transition in Western North America recorded a period of rapid climatic and tectonic change in Earth’s history. Major climate events associated with large igneous province eruptions caused several instances of ocean anoxic events (OAE) and perturbations to the global carbon (C) – cycle. These perturbations to the global C-cycle are observed in the bulk organic C record of both marine and terrestrial deposits and can be used to correlate units across major depositional basins. Major efforts are being made to generate time-constrained palaeontologic and paleoclimate information from the North American Cordilleran foreland basin and C-isotope …

High-Energy Storm Events And Their Impacts On Carbon Storage In Tidal Wetlands Of South Carolina, Gavin Gleasman

All Dissertations

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations have been increasing at an accelerating rate for the past two centuries, profoundly impacting global climate change. Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are influenced by the global carbon cycle through physical and biogeochemical pathways. Tidal wetland environments play a vital role in the global carbon cycle by offsetting atmospheric CO₂ concentrations through their natural physiochemical processes of high autotrophic productivity, allochthonous organic matter deposition, anoxic soils, and continuous accretion which promotes carbon sequestration with long-term storage at the land-ocean margin. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and United States Global Change Research …

Magmatic Processes Leading To Compositional Diversity In The Mars Crust, Amanda Marie Ostwald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The ancient Mars crust can yield insights into planet formation and evolution that Earth cannot. Direct investigation of the martian surface is limited to studies on meteorites and rover-obtained analyses. The nakhlites and chassignites, two classes of martian meteorites, are together the largest suite of martian meteorites derived from a single location on the surface. As such, they present a rare opportunity to study the Mars crust in detail using samples bearing a contextual relationship. Rover studies have found a surprising amount of compositional diversity in surface materials, the formation mechanisms of which are not well-constrained. This dissertation leverages meteorites …