Geology Commons^™

Origins And Mechanisms Of Mobility Of Geogenic Arsenic Contamination In Toutle And Silver Lake, Wa, Usa, William A. Hays

All Master's Theses

Arsenic (As), a common contaminant in groundwater, is toxic to human health and has a maximum contaminant level of 10 ppb set by both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ATSDR, 2007). In Toutle, WA, USA (30 km west of Mount Saint Helens), a private well, labelled TOU1, was previously identified with ~670 ppb of As and was the impetus of this study. This study targeted private wells in the vicinity of TOU1 to identify the extent of the arsenic contamination, identify the aquifer(s) of concern, and identify the mechanism(s) of mobility.

The wells were screened …

Gravity And Magnetic Analysis Of The Amu Darya Basin Of Turkmenistan And Uzbekistan, Logan R. Rogers

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Jurassic-Tertiary Amu Darya Basin is mainly located within Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan with a small portion extending into Afghanistan and Iran. The basin is one of the largest petroleum systems in central Asia. The basin is located in the southeast corner of the Turan platform, where both the Middle Paleozoic Turkestan and Early Mesozoic Tethys oceans were closed during different orogenies. The southern boundary of the basin is along the Bande Turkestan fold belt, the Afghan-Tajik basin to the east, Paleozoic metamorphic terranes to the north, and the Karakum high (Paleozoic basement rocks) to the west. Several blocks and terranes …

Evaluation Of Practical Methods To Determine If A Karst Creek Is Gaining Or Losing: Case Study Of Leith Creek, Elizabeth Jones

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Karst landscapes are abundant in Missouri, with features such as caves, springs, and sinkholes that form through the dissolution of limestone. Leith Creek is a small stream in Polk County, Missouri fed by two springs and the shallow unconfined Springfield Plateau aquifer, a highly karstified aquifer which is made up of limestone and minor interbedded shale-mudstone units. To determine if Leith Creek is gaining or losing, stream flow, water chemistry and temperature sensors were monitored. Stream flow results required multiple visits to take measurements while temperature sensors required two visits, one to install the dataloggers and another to remove the …

Critical Mineral Exploration In The Superior Province Of Northwestern Minnesota - A Geophysical Data Analysis, Michell L. Waterman

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Archean basement geology of northwest Minnesota, a region covered by glacial deposits and historically underexplored for minerals, was analyzed using gravity, magnetic, radiometric, and geochemical data. These datasets were integrated to aid in identifying subsurface structures and evaluating the area's potential for economic mineralization within the Wabigoon, Quetico, and Wawa Subprovinces of the Superior Province. Gravity and magnetic datasets, analyzed through upward continuation, derivative maps, and two-dimensional modeling, revealed distinct northeast-to-southwest-trending maxima corresponding to fault-bounded, high-density, and magnetically susceptible bodies. These features were interpreted as mafic to ultramafic intrusions and dikes, several of which align with known Proterozoic fault …

Zircon Age And Oxidation State Estimates For Plutons Spatially Associated With Mineral Deposits Along The Kettle Detachment Fault In The Orient Quadrangle, Northeastern Washington, Karla Ortega

All Master's Theses

Critical minerals are essential to national security, economic stability, and the transition to clean energy, making them a priority in geologic research and exploration. To better understand the magmatic conditions associated with critical mineral concentration, zircon, a recorder of magmatic history, was analyzed using U-Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry. The analyses were conducted via LASS-ICP-MS on ten plutonic samples from the Orient quadrangle in northeastern Washington and one sample from the Adams Mountain and Hunter (AMH) quadrangles to constrain the geological processes leading to ore deposit formation, including tungsten (W). This region, cut by the Kettle Detachment fault, is …

Assessing Potential For Managed Aquifer Recharge On The Manastash Alluvial Fan: A Geochemical Analysis, Elif A. Myers

All Master's Theses

In south-central Washington, the Yakima River Basin spans 6,100 square miles, encompassing approximately 10% of the state. With a growing population and over 400,000 acres of irrigated cropland, reliable water availability is vital for supporting agricultural irrigation, municipal needs, and aquatic habitats. To ensure water for future use, Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), the practice of applying surface water to aquifers for storage or hydrologic system benefit, has been proposed within the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan (YBIP). This research explores the Manastash alluvial fan–located west of Ellensburg, Washington as a potential region for two MAR methods: Shallow Aquifer Recharge (SAR) and …

Applying Multi-Method P-T Estimation Techniques To Constrain Deep Crustal Tectonic Processes: An Example From Hp Granulites North Qaidam Terrane, China, James A. Anderson

All Master's Theses

High pressure (HP) granulites form within collisional and subduction zone tectonic environments. Due to high temperature and presence of melt, it is difficult to recover their pressure and temperature (P-T) history by conventional methods. An integration of multi-method P-T estimations provides insight on these deep crustal processes.

We apply petrographic analysis, Zr-in-Rt thermometry, phase equilibria modeling, and conventional thermobarometric calculations to constrain metamorphic conditions of Early Paleozoic HP granulite samples formed during late stage continental subduction/collision from the North Qaidam terrane.

HP granulites contain the mineral assemblage Grt + Pl ± Cpx + Qtz + Ky + Rt ± Czo. …

Distribution And Tooth Morphoguilds Of Mosasaurids (Squamata) Of The Campanian Western Interior Seaway With Implications For Controls On Mosasaur Paleobiogeography, Alec Zaborniak

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The Western Interior Seaway (WIS) of North America is well known for its mosasaurid squamate diversity, particularly during the Campanian of the Late Cretaceous. Mosasaurid diversity has historically been examined at a fine scale, with many studies investigating the faunal composition of specific assemblages; however, studies focusing on mosasaur communities within the Western Interior Seaway during specific Ages are currently lacking. Mosasaur tooth morphology has also been extensively studied, with tooth characteristics commonly being used as phylogenetic characters. However, many studies examining mosasaur communities and tooth morphology have been focused on broader spatiotemporal or phylogenetic scales. This study investigates the …

The Effects Of Return To Prairie In Barber County, Kansas: A Case Study Using Ndvi And Dendrochronology, Elijah O. Joy

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This study aims to evaluate the impact of prairie restoration efforts in Barber County, Kansas, with a focus on removal of Eastern Red Cedar. Restoration effectiveness was assessed using remote sensing of satellite scenes via NDVI, density analysis, and dendrochronological methods. The tree density analysis revealed a 66% reduction across the study area and a 99% reduction in the fully restored zones. NDVI analysis from 2010 to 2024 showed higher summer vegetation health and seasonal fluctuations influenced by climate variability and fire events. Dendrochronological data from tree cores reveals growth patterns and establishes a baseline for future dendrochronological chronologies. The …

Oil-Oil Correlation Across Sedimentary Basins In Kansas Using Molecular Geochemistry And Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Oluwaseun V. Omoyemi

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Hydrocarbons are produced from different subbasins and stratigraphic intervals in Kansas. However, the geochemical characteristics and sources of these hydrocarbons are still poorly understood. While reservoir rocks, seals, and traps that are essential for petroleum systems are well defined within the state, the possible source rocks are often considered thermally immature, raising questions about their ability to generate the volume of hydrocarbons currently being produced. This research project tries to evaluate the geochemical characteristics of hydrocarbons produced in the state of Kansas and determine if the hydrocarbons from the different subbasins and stratigraphic units are genetically related. Thirty-seven crude oil …

A Histological Survey Of A Large, Sub-Adult Tylosaurus Nepaeolicus With Implications On The Validity Of Tylosaurus Kansasensis, Carson Cope

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Tylosaurus nepaeolicus is a basal, medium-sized tylosaurine mosasaur that lived during the late Coniacian and early Santonian in the Western Interior Seaway. Despite being a well-studied species, there is debate over whether Tylosaurus kansasensis represents the juvenile form of T. nepaeolicus, or if the two species are distinct. Osteohistology can determine organism age at time of death and can be used to help resolve this debate and provide a better understanding of the growth of T. nepaeolicus. Thin-sections were taken from a humerus, rib, and vertebra of a single individual (FHSM VP-2209). All thin-sections show primarily parallel-fibered cortical …

Investigation Of Dynamic Adsorption And Desorption Of Polymer Nanogel In Porous Media Through Microfluidics, Junchen Liu, Fuqiao Bai, Abdulaziz A. Almakimi, Mingzhen Wei, Xiaoming He, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Baojun Bai

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Understanding the transport and retention of elastic nanogel and microgel particles in porous media has been a significant research subject for decades, essential to the application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR). However, a lack of dynamic adsorption and desorption studies, in which the kinetics in porous media are seldom investigated, hinders the design and application of polymer nanogel in underground porous media. In this work, we visualized and quantified the transport and dynamic adsorption of polymer nanogel in 3D glass micromodels that were manufactured by packing glass beads in capillaries. Calibrating the linearity of fluorescence intensity to concentration, we calculated …

Quantifying So₂ Emissions From Explosive Events Of The 2021 La Soufrière Eruption Using Dscovr/Epic, Yuxi Jin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Volcanic eruptions release large quantities of gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO₂), aerosol precursors, and ash into the atmosphere. Quantifying the emission fluxes and temporal variability of SO₂ is crucial for understanding volcanic processes and assessing their impacts on air quality, climate, and aviation safety. Episodic vulcanian to sub-Plinian explosive eruptions are a common feature of many arc volcanoes, but the underlying causes of such episodic behavior remain poorly understood. The 2021 La Soufrière eruption (St. Vincent) featured up to 40 discrete eruptive events between April 9 and April 22, presenting a rare opportunity to analyze time-resolved volcanic SO₂ emissions during …

The Serendipity Of Discovery: Life Of A Geochemist, Willard S. Moore

Faculty Publications

My strategy for writing this autobiography is to use examples of how working on seemingly different projects can often lead to outcomes more important than originally envisioned. Serendipity is a "happy accident"; specifically, the accident of discovering something useful without directly looking for it. This often occurs when two research projects converge unexpectedly. The main text contains examples of how serendipity has led me to important discoveries including: (a) finding surprisingly high ²²⁸Ra activities in the ocean, (b) developing a means of rapidly and quantitatively extracting radium from seawater, (c) devising a rapid, sensitive method of measuring ²²⁴Ra …

Conservation And Survey Division 2024 Annual Report, R.M. Joeckel, Michele Waszgis

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The Conservation and Survey Division of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln is the agency designated by statute to investigate and interpret the geologically related natural resources of the State, to make available to the public the results of these investigations, and to assist in the development and conservation of these resources. It consists of program areas in geology, water, soils and remote sensing-geographic information systems.

Using Trace Gas Measurements As A Transport Diagnostic For Tropical Convection: A Combined Model And Observation Study, Albane Hoxha

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Water Quality And Microplastic Contamination In An Urbanizing City Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, Boonyarak Chuanchit

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) are synthetic polymer particles less than 5 mm in size that originate from both primary manufacturing and the breakdown of larger plastics. Extensive studies have examined their occurrence in other environments, while little is known about their presence and behavior in groundwater, especially in urbanizing regions in Southeast Asia. This study investigates the occurrence and abundance of microplastics within groundwater systems of Nakhon Pathom, an urbanizing province in central Thailand.

Groundwater was collected representing shallow and deep aquifers between May 2023 and May 2025. The analyses included physical-chemical parameters, major ions, heavy metals, and microplastic abundance and composition. …

The Use Of Lidar In The Study Of Terrain Ruggedness Of Tsunami Inudation Areas At Grewingk Lake And Taan Fiord, Alaska Usa, Shannon P. Mckinnion

All Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

THE USE OF LIDAR IN THE STUDY OF TERRAIN RUGGEDNESS OF TSUNAMI INUDATION AREAS AT GREWINGK LAKE AND TAAN FIORD, ALASKA USA

by

Shannon Patricia McKinnion

In order to test the hypothesis that lidar technologies can detect possible changes in terrain ruggedness due tsunami inundation within a designated area, digital elevation models (DEM) were generated from lidar data for two sites with known tsunami inundation— Grewingk Lake, Alaska and Taan Fiord, Alaska. Cobbles and boulders in these locations were examined using existing terrain ruggedness tools in ArcHydro— Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI) and Vector Ruggedness Measurement (VRM). The average values …

Constraining The Timing And Degree Of Metamorphism In The Echo Canyon Region: Evidence For A Cryptic Contact Aureole, Keanu Montañez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Local occurrences of andalusite and kyanite in Echo Canyon, within the Funeral Mountains metamorphic corecomplex, overprint chlorite-grade phyllites and reveal the presence of a hidden pluton and its contact aureole. Phase equilibria models indicate minimum conditions of 0.45 GPa and 535 °C in the highest-grade zone of the aureole, with significantly higher temperatures than previously estimated for the area. This study applied phase equilibria pressure-temperature modeling, petrography, Raman spectroscopy, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology on muscovite to characterize this anomalous metamorphism and to place it within a revised tectonic framework. Two potentially coeval prograde metamorphic events have been recognized based on petrographic …

Geology, Paleoecology And Vertebrate Biostratigraphy Of The Hell Creek Formation, Carter County, Montana, Usa, Joshua Collin Mathews

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Hell Creek Formation of the Northern Great Plains records one of the greatest mass extinction events in Earth’s history, bringing to a close the reign of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. This rock unit comprises one of the most studied geological formations in the world and is one of the few locations on the planet that preserve terrestrial deposits containing ejecta from the bolide impact that slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago. This profound event in the geologic record has led to numerous studies of paleobiotas, climate change, ecosystem recovery dynamics, and …

Changes In Efficiency And Magnitude Of Recharge Due To Climate Change For Headwater Catchments In The Mountain West, Harrison Mcgillen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Changes to groundwater recharge and stream flow were simulated from downscaled CMIP6 global climate models in a headwater catchment of the Blackfoot River, MT. A calibrated, 3-D, coupled surface and groundwater GSFLOW model, forced with minimum and maximum temperature, and precipitation from a downscaled CMIP6 simulation was used to quantify groundwater recharge and stream flow. The model was calibrated against measured groundwater head and stream flow using observed temperature and precipitation boundary conditions. The calibrated model was then forced with downscaled temperature and precipitation from the CANESM5 model for the SSP245, 370 and 585 scenarios, as well as a manual …

Provenance Of The Uppermost Carboniferous–Lower Triassic Sandstones, Bogda Mountains, Nw China: Implications On The Late Paleozoic Tectonic History Of The Southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, Sixuan Wu

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Permian-Triassic period represents a significant but insufficiently understood tectonic transition stage in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) between the Paleozoic continental amalgamation and Cenozoic orogenic reactivation. This study integrates fieldwork, petrographic, and detrital zircon geochronological data to document the trend of depositional environments, framework grain compositions, and dates of detrital zircon grains of the uppermost Carboniferous–Lower Triassic sandstones from three study areas in Bogda Mountains, the greater Turpan-Junggar basin, NW China, to decipher the spatial and temporal changes in the provenance lithology and area and reconstruct the unroofing history of the southern CAOB.

In the first part …

The Petrology And Geochemistry Of The Montagna Grande-Monte Gibele Trachytic Shield Volcano (Pantelleria, Italy)., John C. White, Ray Macdonald, Pierangelo Romano, Boguslaw Baginski, Silvio G. Rotolo, Beata Marciniak-Maliszewska, Alessandra Cinquegrani

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The 45.7 ± 1.0 ka (2σ) eruption of the compositionally zoned (comenditic trachyte to pantellerite) Green Tuff ignimbrite on the volcanic island of Pantelleria, Italy, was followed by the extrusion of a series of post-caldera metaluminous to mildly peralkaline trachyte lavas between 26.2 ± 2.0 and 22.3 ± 2.9 ka (2σ). This study uses whole-rock major- and trace-element compositions, mineral compositions, geothermobarometry, and petrogenetic models to examine the role of trachytes in the evolution of the Pantelleria magma system. Although previous studies have suggested that all of these units are consanguineous and form a liquid line of descent (LLOD) from …

Stream Response To A Dam Removal: Mill Creek, Davenport, Ca, Jessica J. Williamson

Master's Theses

Dams have many effects on stream morphology and ecology, including a loss of sediment supply downstream, reduced access to the entire stream for aquatic fauna, and a flooded area upstream of the dam. Dams are a hurdle for migrating organisms such as anadromous fish, which is a group of concern. An over 100-year-old dam on Mill Creek, a stream draining a coastal watershed in central California, was removed in the fall of 2021. The site is in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where endangered salmonids such as steelhead, Oncorhynchus mykiss, have historically lived. To study the change in the stream from …

Sulfate Sources In Groundwater From An Agricultural Area Central Illinois, Christabel I. Obi

Theses and Dissertations

Increasing sulfate (SO₄^2-) concentrations in the water environment, corresponding with increases in urbanization and industrialization, are a rising global concern. Over 250 mg/L, sulfate threatens human health and ecosystems. Elevated concentrations influence carbonate rock weathering, contributing to the evolution of the global carbon cycle. Knowledge of sulfate sources, whether natural or anthropogenic, is essential for understanding sulfate transport and fate in groundwater. This study investigates SO₄^2- origin and transport in groundwater in an area dominated by agricultural land use in Mclean County, Illinois. Specifically, we explored these questions: 1) Do sulfate concentrations change with groundwater …

Fault Box Modeling Of Dip Slip Faults: A Framework For Fault Box Design And Future Studies, Hailey Pressnell

Master's Theses

The behavior of soils during surface fault rupture is a serious concern in the planning and design of infrastructure that may be located within or near a fault zone. Challenges associated with developing mitigation measures for surface fault rupture include the uncertainty of fault rupture and the variability of fault behavior. Current analytical procedures define surface fault rupture according to the type of fault movement (strike slip, normal or reverse), the amount of displacement on the fault, and the mechanics of the material overlying the fault. The purpose of this thesis is to reconfirm analytical solutions and gain a better …

A Paleobiological And Paleoecological Analysis Of Mississippian Trilobites With Segmentation Abnormalities, April Catherine Cerami

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trilobites are a well-preserved group of arthropods, with a fossil record extending from the Cambrian to the end of the Permian. Abnormalities, such as injuries or teratological defects, have been observed and described in multiple individuals, although investigating how these abnormalities occur in populations has been largely overlooked.

One possible cause of abnormalities in marine arthropods is heavy metal pollution. Such metals can leave individuals more susceptible to teratological deformities and injuries, interfering with the molting and healing process. Here, methods for analyzing elemental composition and preservation of the trilobite cuticle were refined, finding that 30 μm thin sections are …

Proximal Seismic Tracking Of Pyroclastic Density Currents At Volcán De Fuego, Guatemala, Jacob A. Krier

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs) are deadly flows of ash, tephra, gas, and solidified magma which predominantly occur when an ash plume collapses during a volcanic eruption. PDCs are also able to form when large deposits of ash at the summit of a volcano are displaced during an eruption and flow downslope. This is typically the mechanism behind PDCs that occur at Volcán de Fuego such as one that occurred in 2018 killing at least 430 people. The purpose of this paper is to track the propagation of PDCs that occurred at Fuego seismologically in order to better understand how they …