Geology Commons^™

Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-138_88, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-139_2, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-139_29, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-139_64, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-139_69, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-139_57, Mgrre

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Mgrre_Thinsections_Mgrre-139_74, Mgrre

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Response Of Botovskaya Cave To Local And Regional Environmental Dynamics, Jade Margerum, Oksana Gutareva, Franziska Lechleitner, Maria Box, Stuart Umbo, Anton Vaks, Hanno Meyer, Aleksandr Kononov, Aleksander Osintsev, Dimitri Sokol'nikov, Norbert Marwan, Ola Kwiecien, Sebastian Breitenbach

International Journal of Speleology

Speleothems from caves in near-permafrost regions can provide unique insights into the climatic history of temperature-sensitive environments. These regions are often remote and only seasonally accessible, which makes cave monitoring – a requirement for speleothem-based proxy interpretation – challenging. We document ventilation, the infiltration regime, and the isotopic composition of dripwater in Botovskaya Cave in southern Siberia, a host to speleothems previously used to reconstruct Quaternary permafrost dynamics in continental Eurasia. We explore surface and cave temperature records, cave air CO₂ concentration data and stable isotopes in precipitation and dripwater and evaluate infiltration conditions and the sensitivity of speleothems …

Pedagogy On Teaching A Totally Blind Student Physical & Historical Geology & Labs, Kenneth R. Neuhauser

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Teaching the salient points of both physical and historical geology and labs to a totally blind student was accomplished through pre-planning, extra staff, daily preparation, low-cost supplies, teamwork, and at times ‘on-the-spot’ creativity.

Exceptional Variety Of Baryte-Celestine-Series Speleothems In Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, Usa), Max Wisshak, Johannes Birkenstock, Andrea Schröder-Ritzrau, Norbert Frank, Hazel A. Barton, Harvey R. Duchene

International Journal of Speleology

An inventory of speleothems primarily composed of the closely related sulfate minerals baryte (BaSO₄) and celestine (SrSO₄) in Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, USA) has revealed an extraordinary variety. This includes subaerial stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coralloids, wall crusts, floor crystals, snow, frostwork, and subaqueous pool crystals. Large baryte and celestine crystals have also been documented in hydrothermal veins in the host rock, predating the cave and truncated when intersected by it. The respective carbonate mineral phases witherite (BaCO₃) and strontianite (SrCO₃), in contrast, were found to be rare in the studied speleothem samples, …

Evaluating Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions At Selected Streams In The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, Usa, And Comparison To Regional Potentiometric Surfaces, Joshua Michael Blackstock, Oladipo S. Obembe, Aaron Shew, Phillip Hays, Phillip R. Owens, Christopher D. Delhom

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Field measurements of groundwater-surface water interactions (GWSW) are critical for quantifying stream leakage, but are often limited in availability. In the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (MRVAA), USA, GWSW interactions are often inferred through interpolated potentiometric surfaces, which can provide information on GWSW changes through time, but are often limited in spatial resolution. Field measurements of GWSW interactions were conducted at several locations and compared with potentiometric surfaces using objectively calculated cell sizes. The potentiometric surfaces showed similar regional-scale groundwater-flow patterns irrespective of grid cell size. Field measurements of GWSW interactions exhibited a broader range of gaining and losing conditions …

Pitfalls Of Multiplied 3d Landforms Projection: Mapping Deep Multilevel Cave Systems In The Alps (Gamssteig Cave System, Göll Massif), Mateusz Golicz, Jacek Szczygieł

International Journal of Speleology

Cave mapping represents one of the most complex challenges in geomorphological cartography, as it must convey the true three-dimensional geometry of subterranean spaces such as overlapping passages, irregular cross-sections, and variable ceiling and floor morphologies, within a two-dimensional framework. This study examines the methodological and interpretive challenges of cave mapping, utilizing the Gamssteighöhle cave in the Austrian Alps as a case study. During the 11 years of exploration, over 10 km of passages were surveyed using the DistoX vector survey method. Yet, the complex morphological forms necessitated deviations from the standard symbology recommended by the International Union of Speleology. Several …

Ureilite Meteorite Petrofabrics: Evolution And Formation Deformational Conditions, Benjamin Botwe Agyemang

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the origin and development of crystallographic fabrics in ureilites, which are primitive achondritic meteorites interpreted as residues of partial melting from a differentiated parent body. In this study, we evaluate three fabric-forming mechanisms: gravitational cumulate crystallization, shock-induced deformation, and flow alignment associated with melt extraction and convective stirring. A quantitative Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis was conducted on six ureilitic meteorites to assess olivine Lattice Preferred Orientation (LPO), Shape Preferred Orientation (SPO), the connection between SPO and LPO, and other deformation metrics, including Grain Orientation Spread (GOS), and Crystal Rotation Axis (CRA). Our results suggest that most …

Microbial Communities And Biogeochemistry Of A Melting Rocky Mountain Glacier, Pacifica Sommers, Elizabeth Traver, Alison Orthel, Andrew G. Fountain, Jacki Klancher, Steven K. Schmidt

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Mountain glaciers are disappearing rapidly, and with their disappearance, we may be losing unstudied biodiversity and genetic resources. A variety of habitats for microorganisms exist on glaciers, especially within pockets of supraglacial sediments (cryoconite) that support high levels of biological activity and diversity. We used biogeochemical approaches, high-throughput DNA sequencing, and microscopy to describe the biogeochemistry and microbial communities of supraglacial sediments on the Dinwoody Glacier in the Wind River Range, Wyoming. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations were high, and C:N ratios were close to the Redfield ratio indicating active nutrient cycling. We found unique microbial communities in sediments …

Exploring Mesoproterozoic Marine Redox States In A Young Banded Iron Formation From The Needle Mountains, Jaya Sharma, Brenhin Keller

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters

Banded iron formations (BIF), as redox-dependent chemical sedimentary rocks, have served as proxies for marine and atmospheric oxygen and iron conditions throughout Earth history. While abundant in the Archean and early Proterozoic, the widespread deposition of BIFs declined following the Great Oxidation Event, as oxygenated surface waters prevented the accumulation of ferrous iron. However, the Needle Mountains, located in southwestern Colorado, houses an anomalously young BIFs deposited between 1.786±10 - 1.801±6 Ga given existing geochronology. Here, we use rare earth element (REE) systematics, bulk chemistry, and petrographic analysis to determine the depositional conditions under which this BIF was formed. We …

Timing, Orbital Pacing, And Provenance Of Late Paleogene Loess In The Western United States, Xiangwei Guo

Earth & Environmental Sciences Dissertations - Archive

This project examines the timing of loess emergence, the nature of the fluvial–eolian transition, orbital forcing on dust accumulation, and sediment recycling in the late Paleogene White River Formation (Group) of Wyoming and Nebraska, western United States. By integrating traditional sedimentology with machine learning–enhanced grain-size analysis, this research shows that loess accumulation at Flagstaff Rim in central Wyoming began during active fluvial deposition at approximately 35.8 Ma, indicating a gradual transition from fluvial to eolian conditions. Machine learning complements field sedimentology and granulometric interpretation while enabling the development of new, testable hypotheses. Extending this framework eastward to Toadstool Geologic Park …

Effect Of Ionic Strength On Gelation Time And Strength Of Amps-Based Polymer Gels, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Xuyang Tian, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, Yin Zhang, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polymer gel treatment has been widely applied for improving sweep efficiency and controlling excessive water and gas production. Their performance depends on gelation time and final gel strength. In most studies, brine salinity is used to describe the effect of formation water on gel behavior. However, changing salinity also changes ionic strength and ion composition at the same time. Because of this coupling, it is difficult to identify the mechanisms controlling gelation, which has led to inconsistent trends in the literature. Increasing salinity has been reported to either slow or accelerate gelation and to weaken or strengthen gels depending on …

Empirical-Based Model Of Spatio-Temporal Errors, Godwin Naaba Ndaa

Masters Theses

This research develops an empirical model to characterize spatial-temporal InSAR errors and improve the accuracy of deformation time-series analysis. Using standardized Sentinel-1 HyP3 products and MintPy, the study quantifies how correlated noise affects velocity precision and validates the results against continuous GNSS velocities.

Residual velocities are near-Gaussian, with σ ~0.92–2.04 cm/yr and ~1 cm/yr on average. Variograms show power-law spatial structure with a non-zero nugget implicating troposphere and decorrelation while errors drop exponentially with more acquisitions; spatial uncertainty is strongly affected by unwrapping errors, coherence, and tropospheric noise, not simply troposphere.

A comparative assessment of on-demand cloud processing with other …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2025, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert Matthew Joeckel, Jeffrey Westrop

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

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Evaluation Of Chromium-Crosslinked Amps-Hpam Copolymer Gels: Effects Of Key Parameters On Gelation Time And Strength, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman, Yin Zhang, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Controlling CO₂ channeling in heterogeneous reservoirs remains a major challenge for both enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and secure geological storage. AMPS-HPAM copolymers exhibit high-temperature resistance and brine tolerance compared with conventional HPAM gels, making them well suited for the harsh environments associated with CO₂ injection. Chromium-based crosslinkers (CrAc and CrCl₃) were investigated because sulfonic acid groups in AMPS can coordinate with trivalent chromium ions, enabling dual ionic crosslinking and the formation of a robust gel network. While organic crosslinked AMPS-HPAM gels have been widely studied, the behavior of chromium-crosslinked AMPS-containing systems, particularly their gelation kinetics under …

Solubility And Dissolution Mechanism Of Novel Multi-Ester Headgroup Surfactants In Supercritical Co2, Ning Xu, Yan Ling Wang, Baojun Bai, Shi Zhang Cui, Yu Zhang, Wen Jing Shi, Zhao Nian Zhang, Wen Hui Ding, Pei Xu Ma, Zan Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To address the limited solubility and applicability of conventional hydrocarbon surfactants in supercritical CO₂, a series of multi-ester headgroup surfactants were designed and synthesized by leveraging the CO₂-philic properties of ester groups. The molecular structures were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ¹H NMR. A custom-designed laser-based apparatus was developed to quantify surfactant solubility and systematically investigate phase behavior in CO2. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed to elucidate structure–solubility relationships across multiple scales, including solubility parameters, interaction energies, radial distribution functions (RDFs), and free volume fractions. Results indicate that, at 323.15 K, …

Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel For Conformance Control In Ultra-High Temperature Reservoirs, Yanbo Liu, Tao Song, Caleb Kwasi Darko, Thomas P. Schuman, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preferential fluid flow remains a major challenge in subsurface energy production and gas storage operations, resulting in excessive water production in mature oil fields, reduced heat extraction in geothermal reservoirs, and low sweep and storage efficiency in CO₂-EOR projects. Polymer gels are widely used to mitigate high-permeability channels; however, conventional systems exhibit limited plugging efficiency and short lifetimes in ultra-high-temperature reservoirs due to poor thermal stability. This study presents a novel ultra-high-temperature-resistant preformed particle gel (UHT-PPG) developed for conformance control in reservoirs with temperatures of 150–275 °C and severe super-K or channeling problems. The material was evaluated in …

Geochemical And Petrological Observations Of The June Lake Basalt, Eastern California, Daniel Jacob Abel

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The June Lake basalt is a monogenetic cinder cone and 11-km-long lava flow in eastern California located ~10 km NW of the Long Valley caldera. The stratigraphic position of the June Lake basalt between Tahoe and Tioga glacial deposits suggests an eruption age of only ~20-45ka. This age places the June Lake Basalt among the youngest volcanic eruptions in the Long Valley-Mono Basin region, where volcanic activity spans from the late Pliocene to the Holocene. The goal of this study is to use field observations coupled with whole-rock and crystal geochemical analyses to investigate the magma source and pre-eruption magma …

Metamorphosed Components In Cv Chondrites Camel Donga 003 And Camel Donga 040 As Evidence For Varying Degrees Of Metamorphism Within The Parent Body, Kathryn E. Stone

Honors Theses

The CV carbonaceous chondrites are a group of primitive stony meteorites that record early solar-system evolution processes. They are typically of low metamorphic grade, though some metamorphosed CVs have recently been found. Two CV chondrite breccias, Camel Donga 003 (CD 003) and Camel Donga 040 (CD 040) consist of multiple lithologies. CD 003 consists of three lithologies, one of which – Lithology C – has been metamorphosed to petrologic type ~3.7 (Alevy et al. 2025). CD 040 consists of two lithologies, one of which is metamorphosed to petrologic type 3.7 (Dunn and Alevy, 2024; Dunn et al. unpublished). Both samples …

Testing The Limits Of Provenance Analysis From Basaltic Fluvial Sediment Near Sandvatn, Iceland, As A Mars Analog, Audrey R. Putnam, Kirsten L. Siebach, Michael T. Thorpe, Valerie M. Tu, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Candice C. Bedford, Gelu Costin, Joseph J. Tamborski

OES Faculty Publications

Detrital sediments that accumulate downstream and are preserved in sedimentary rocks can allow characterization of geologic formations that are inaccessible for spatial or temporal reasons. However, mixing, sorting, and alteration of sediment during transport may complicate reconstruction of protolith characteristics. We test the preservation of three key provenance signals in coarse fluvial sand at a Mars analog watershed in Iceland to determine whether detrital sediments capture (a) watershed magmatic chemical variation, (b) textural indicators of lava-water interaction during eruption and cooling, and (c) hydrothermal alteration. Specifically, we tested whether diagnostic variations in rock mineralogy, chemistry, and texture can be recovered …

The Effects Of A Microplate On Plume-Ridge Interactions: Constraints From Comparing Easter And Juan Fernandez Microplates In The Eastern Pacific Ocean, Katherine Ames, Jennifer Georgen

OES Faculty Publications

This study investigates the nature of plume-ridge interactions near a tectonic microplate using mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) gravity calculations. The focus of this investigation is a comparison of the Easter and Juan Fernandez microplates, which are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean along the Pacific, Nazca, and Antarctic plate boundaries. The microplates have several similar characteristics, including general size, time of formation, and clockwise rotation within the larger bounding mid-ocean ridge systems. Unlike the Juan Fernandez microplate, however, the Easter microplate is located near a mantle plume (Easter/Salas y Gomez). Previously published geochemical data suggest that material from this plume …

Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery In The Dickinson Lodgepole Mounds, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the Dickinson Lodgepole Mounds of Stark County, North Dakota. Includes geological information and how stored CO₂ increases local oil production.

Fulbright Project In Iceland In The Summer Of 2026, Irina Filina

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

This upcoming Fulbright project is inspired by an ongoing debate in the scientific community about the tectonic origin of Iceland. A long-standing theory of Iceland’s formation by excessive magmatism at the Mid-Atlantic spreading center over the well-known hot spot (i.e., oceanic crustal affinity) was recently challenged by the alternative hypothesis that the Icelandic crust is continental in nature and is being stretched and gradually modified by magmatic processes. Based on this hypothesis, a new sunken continent, Icelandia, has been proposed. One of the foundations for the proposed Icelandia is the presence of felsic lavas (indicative of continental flavor in the …

Preliminary Investigation Of The Carbon Storage Potential In The Fort Worth Basin: Reservoir Characterization And Modeling Of The Lower Atoka Grant South Sand In Tarrant County, Texas, Mary Ann M. Moody

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is crucial for mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions that rise from industrial activities. Paleozoic sedimentary basins in Texas are significant reservoirs for hydrocarbon production, and when depleted, show promise for CCS. Long-term reservoir storage suitability requires a multifaceted approach, including site screening and ranking, as well as reservoir characterization, modeling, and simulation. This project first evaluates the CCS potential for the Fort Worth Basin in North Central Texas, then focuses on reservoir characterization of the Lower Atoka Grant South (STH) Sand in Tarrant County and finally assesses the sand’s CO₂ storage …

Supplemental Bibliographic Details. From 2001 Mars Odyssey To Earth’S Climate Crisis: Integrating Gamma Spectroscopy, Martian Soil Simulants, And Plant Genomes For Agroecology, Anchored In Sri Lanka’S Mars-Context Serpentinites, Suniti Karunatillake, Maheshi Dassanayake, Carlos Gary Bicas

Planetary Science Lab

Bibliographic details follow to supplement hyperlinked citations in the multinational GANGOTRI-supporting project conceived by Karunatillake, Dassanayake, and Gary-Bicas