Geology Commons^™

Water Water Everywhere: Analyzing Long Island's Water Issues And Finding Solutions For A Sustainable Future, Anthony T. Becker

2014 Student Theses

Over three million people call Long Island their home. With access to beautiful landscapes, world-renowned beaches, and proximity to New York City, it is no wonder that so many proudly call this geographic stretch of glacial till their home. However, throughout the years our actions do not necessarily reflect this affection we have to our home. Years of sprawl and human infestation across the island have resulted in widespread environmental degradation. Specifically, the water we drink and the beaches we enjoy have become endangered. I plan on studying the urban ecology of how intensified population growth led to the eutrophication …

Addressing Water Resource Issues In Barbados Through An Isotopic And Atmospheric Characterization Of Precipitation Variability, Veronica Hall

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Numerous studies have analyzed isotopic variation of meteoric and dripwater in karst environments for paleoclimate reconstructions or aquifer recharge capacity. What is poorly understood is how the isotopic signal of δ¹⁸O and δ²H is transferred through the hydrologic cycle based upon storm type, frequency, intensity, and teleconnection activity in the tropical karst areas. At Harrison’s Cave, Barbados, a Hobo Onset event data logger was attached to a tipping bucket rain gauge to count the tips and record the total rainfall every 10 minutes. In the cave a Hobo data logger was used to record relative humidity …

Relationship Between Altitude And Lithium In Groundwater In The United States Of America: Results Of A 1992–2003 Study, Rebekah S. Huber, Namkug Kim, Carl E. Renshaw, Perry F. Renshaw, Douglas Kondo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Therapeutic dosages of lithium are known to reduce suicide rates, which has led to investigations of confounding environmental risk factors for suicide such as lithium in groundwater. It has been speculated that this might play a role in the potential relationship between suicide and altitude. A recent study in Austria involving geospatial analysis of lithium in groundwater and suicide found lower levels of lithium at higher altitudes. Since there is no reason to suspect this correlation is universal given variation in geology, the current study set out to investigate the relationship between altitude and lithium in groundwater in the United …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2014, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Hydrogeologic Investigations Of Pavement Subsidence In The Cumberland Gap Tunnel, James S. Dinger, James C. Currens, Junfeng Zhu, Steven E. Webb, Brad W. Rister, R. C. Graves, David L. Allen, Tim C. Scully

Report of Investigations--KGS

Cumberland Gap Tunnel was constructed under Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in 1996 to improve transportation on a segment of U.S. 25E, connecting Kentucky and Tennessee and restoring Cumberland Gap to its historical appearance.

The concrete pavement in the tunnel started to subside in 2001. Ground penetrating radar surveys revealed voids in many areas of the limestone roadbed aggregate beneath the pavement. To investigate possible hydrogeologic processes that may have caused favorable conditions for voids to form in the aggregate, we studied geology, groundwater flow, and groundwater chemistry in the tunnel using a variety of methods, including bore drilling, packer …

Shallow Groundwater Monitoring Associated With The Deep Saline Reservoir Co2 Storage Test In Hancock County, Kentucky, E. Glynn Beck

Report of Investigations--KGS

A carbon dioxide injection test well was drilled in 2009 to a depth of 8,126 ft below ground surface in Hancock County, Kentucky. Six hundred ninety tons of CO₂ was successfully injected into Knox Group saline aquifers. Two domestic wells (MB and GB) and two domestic springs (CA and RC) were sampled to monitor any potential changes in groundwater quality associated with possible migration of CO₂ from deeper saline aquifers into shallow freshwater aquifers. The four sites were sampled for pH, bicarbonate, total dissolved solids, turbidity, anions, total dissolved metals, dissolved inorganic carbon, total CO₂, and …

Hydrogeologic Variations Across A Barrier Island That Influence Inter-Dune Wetlands False Cape State Park, Virginia, Matthew Collier Richardson

OES Theses and Dissertations

False Cape State Park in southeastern Virginia Beach, Virginia contains a transgressive barrier island complex. Inter-dune swales located on the eastern coast of the barrier island contain soils that experience hydric conditions. However, these swales lack the prolonged presence of hydric soil indicators that are necessary for a site to be officially recognized as a jurisdictional wetland. The appearance and subsequent disappearance of redoximorphic wetland soil features in the young, sandy soils of the inter-dune swales here may stem from changes in the patterns of groundwater recharge and discharge across the island. These soils are being monitored by the Mid …

Self-Potential Signals Generated By The Corrosion Of Buried Metallic Objects With Application To Contaminant Plumes, Justin B. R. Rittgers, Andre Revil, Marios C. Karaoulis, Michael A. Mooney, Lee D. Slater, Estella A. Atekwana

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Large-amplitude (>100 mV) negative electric (self)-potential anomalies are often observed in the vicinity of buried metallic objects and ore bodies or over groundwater plumes associated with organic contaminants. To explain the physical and chemical mechanisms that generate such electrical signals, a controlled laboratory experiment was carried out involving two metallic cylinders buried with vertical and horizontal orientations and centered through and in the capillary fringe within a sandbox. The 2D and 3D self-potential (SP) data were collected at several time steps along with collocated pH and redox potential measurements. Large dipolar SP and redox potential anomalies developed in association …

The Evaluation Of Water Storage In Death Valley Using Grace Satellite Data, Maile Sweigart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As drought conditions spread across the United States, concerns over water supplies, water use, and water management policies are growing and possible contributing environmental factors are continually being scrutinized. This thesis examines Death Valley as an analog for Southern Nevada and utilizes NASA EOS data, combined with ancillary climate data, to assess the effect of decadal climate variability on groundwater storage in the Death Valley area. Historical climate data, combined with satellite imagery observations, were compiled and calculated for analyses. Conclusions derived from statistical analyses infer trends between GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite data and fluctuating levels of …

A Combined Radio- And Stable-Isotopic Study Of A California Coastal Aquifer System, Peter W. Swarzenski, Mark Baskaran, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Brian D. Edwards, Michael Land

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Stable and radioactive tracers were utilized in concert to characterize geochemical processes in a complex coastal groundwater system and to provide constraints on the kinetics of rock/water interactions. Groundwater samples from wells within the Dominguez Gap region of Los Angeles County, California were analyzed for a suite of major cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) and anions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻), silica, alkalinity, select trace elements (Ba, B, Sr), dissolved oxygen, stable isotopes of hydrogen (δD), oxygen (δ¹⁸O), dissolved inorganic carbon (δ¹³C_DIC), and radioactive …

Preliminary Groundwater Level Changes At Selected Sites In Nebraska Following The Drought Of 2012, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Groundwater Atlas Of Nebraska, Jesse T. Korus, Leslie M. Howard, Aaron R. Young, Dana P. Divine, Mark E. Burbach, J. Michael Jess, Douglas R. Hallum, R.F. Diffendal, Jr., R.M. Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Groundwater has long been important to inhabitants of Nebraska. Native Americans in the Great Plains erected their villages near water sources. Early explorers from Europe and pioneers heading west following river valleys depended on ample freshwater in the Nebraska Territory for drinking water and livestock supplies. These Europeans, however, considered the Nebraska Territory part of “The Great American Desert” and few people had an idea of the vast groundwater resource in Nebraska.

Groundwater-Level Changes In Nebraska - Spring 2012 To Spring 2013, A. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2013, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Applicability And Estimation Of Error For Determination Of Hydraulic Conductivity Values Based Upon Traditional Aquifer Test Methods For 2-D Groundwater Modeling, Timothy W. Freed Sr.

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Theis method and its derivative Cooper-Jacob method are commonly used for determining hydraulic conductivity (K) for aquifer studies using two-dimensional (2-D) groundwater modeling. Theis and derivative equations assume isotropic, homogeneous aquifers and horizontal flow. In nature, saturated permeable layers of an aquifer are often separated by less permeable layers or lenses, which commonly have K's that are lower by several orders of magnitude. The presence of such geologic features induces vertical flow during aquifer tests violating assumptions for Theis based methods. This study assesses the appropriateness and error of using Theis based equations to determine K for use in …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2012, A. R. Young, M. E. Burbach, J. T. Korus, L. M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Arsenic Heterogeneity In Aquifer Sediments From West Bengal, India, Emily Eastridge

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Multiple studies in the Bengal basin have shown that elevated As in groundwater coincides with reduced, relatively dark sediments of Himalayan provenance. In West Bengal state (India), As concentrations > 10 μg/L tend to occur east of the River Bhagirathi-Hoogly, the main distributary of the Ganges. Associations among sediment chemistry and mineralogy for four cores from either side of the Bhagirathi-Hoogly (cores 1 and 2 to the east, 3 and 4 to the west) in Murshidabad district were investigated. Ten sediment samples were collected from each boring at various depths to a maximum of 38 to 43 m. Sediment chemistry was …

Sources And Occurrences Of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals In Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck

Information Circular--KGS

Groundwater from the Jackson Purchase Region was sampled to investigate possible contamination by nonpoint-source chemicals. Conclusions drawn from the resulting data and methodology can be found in “Sources and Occurrences of Nonpoint-Source Chemicals in Groundwater, Jackson Purchase Region, Kentucky,” Kentucky Geological Survey Report of Investigations 22 (series 12), by R.S. Fisher and E.G. Beck.

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In An Abandoned Feedlot, Henderson County, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

A three-phase project investigated the influence of past and present agricultural practices on groundwater resources in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Phase II concentrated on past practices, specifically those associated with an abandoned dairy feedlot and an old homestead. Results of phase II analyses are presented in this report.

Assessment Of Groundwater Quality In A Remediated Abandoned Feedlot, Henderson County, Kentucky: Data Report, E. Glynn Beck, James S. Dinger, John Grove, Eugenia Pena-Yewtukhiw

Information Circular--KGS

A three-phase project investigated the influence of past and present agricultural practices on groundwater resources in the Western Kentucky Coal Field. Phase III concentrated on an abandoned dairy feedlot that had been remediated. Results of phase III analyses are presented in this report.

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2010, J. T. Korus, M. E. Burbach, L. M. Howard, R. M. Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Temporal Geophysical Signatures From Contaminant-Mass Remediation, Vukenkeng Che-Alota, Estella A. Atekwana, Eliot A. Atekwana, William August Sauck, D. Dale Werkema

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We have previously documented changes in bulk electrical conductivity, self-potential (SP), and ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) reflections in a field setting caused by biogeochemical transformations of hydrocarbon-contaminated media. These transformations are associated with hydrocarbon biodegradation. The results of surface geophysical surveys acquired in 1996, 2003, and 2007 document changes in geophysical signatures associated with removing hydrocarbon mass in the contaminated zone. Initial investigations in 1996 showed that relative to background, the contaminated area was characterized by higher bulk electrical conductivity, positive SP anomaly, and attenuated GPR reflections. Repeated surveys in 2003 and 2007 over the contaminated area showed that in 2007, the …

Vadose Zone Hydrology Near The Vicinity Of Edna's Dome, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, Johnny Merideth

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study examines the differences in key physical aqueous parameters at two different cave sites separated by only a few tens of meters. One site (FF) has a freefalling water component where water descends nearly 30 meters from the ceiling of a vertical shaft. The other location (WW) appears to have continuous water to rock contact as it descends to near the same level in the cave.

Water samples were collected at the two sites in two week intervals from May to August 2002. While both sites were proximal, they demonstrated very different behaviors, particularly during storm events. Differences in …

A Geologic And Hydrochemical Investigation Of The Suitability Of Central Utah's Navajo Sandstone For The Disposal Of Saline Process Water And Co2, Kevin L. Randall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Salt water is produced from the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in central Utah as part of the production of coalbed methane (CBM) and is disposed of by injection predominantly into the Navajo Sandstone between 4,500 feet to 7,300 feet and is considered to be a hazardous waste. Local government agencies are concerned about the potential impacts on shallow groundwater because of this disposal method.

Water samples were gathered from four shallow water-supply wells, and nine salt water disposal (SWD) wells to compare hydrochemistries as an indicator of potential mixing. Shallow water-supply wells are likely recharged by local …

The Pecos River Hypogene Speleogenetic Province: A Basin-Scale Karst Paradigm For Eastern New Mexico And West Texas, Usa, Kevin W. Stafford, Alexander Klimchouk, Lewis Land, Marcus O. Gary

Faculty Publications

Since the mid-Tertiary, lateral migration and entrenchment of the Pecos River Valley in eastern New Mexico and west Texas, USA, has significantly influenced regional groundwater flow paths, providing a focus for ascending flow in multi-storey artesian systems and a powerful potentiometric driving force for hypogene speleogenesis. Individual occurrences of hypogene karst phenomena associated with the central Pecos River Valley are widespread throughout the greater Delaware Basin region, including development in a wide range of Permian carbonate and evaporate fades. Hypogene occurrences are well-documented as far north as Santa Rosa, New Mexico and as far south as Lake Amistad, Texas. Throughout …

Mapped Karst Groundwater Basins In The Tell City And Part Of The Jasper 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangles, Joseph A. Ray, Jack R. Moody, Robert J. Blair, James C. Currens, Randall L. Paylor

Map and Chart--KGS

No abstract provided.

Use Of Surface Geophysical Techniques To Locate A Karst Conduit In The Cane Run - Royal Spring Basin, Kentucky, Ganesh N. Tripathi

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Groundwater flow in karst terrains is difficult to map because it can be concentrated through conduits that do not necessarily coincide with the surface features. We applied electrical resistivity (ER) and self-potential (SP) techniques at three sites to locate an inferred trunk conduit feeding a major spring in the Inner Bluegrass region of Kentucky. Royal Spring is the primary water supply for the city of Georgetown; the upper part of its basin coincides with the Cane Run watershed. ER and SP profiles were perpendicular to the inferred trunk conduit orientation. ER profiles (972 m total length) were measured using a …

Simulation Modeling Of Karst Aquifer Conduit Evolution And Relations To Climate, John D. Broome

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

ABSTRACT Karst regions of the world that receive relatively similar amounts of precipitation display a wide variety of landscapes. It has been suggested (Groves and Meiman, 2005) that climates exhibiting larger discrete storm events have more dissolving power and consequently higher rates of conduit growth than climates with more uniform precipitation distributions. To study this concept, a computer program “Cave Growth” was developed that modeled the growth of a cross-section of a cave passage under dynamic flow and chemical conditions. A series of 46 simulation datasets were created to represent different climatic conditions. These simulations had the same total annual …

Contribution Of Recharge Along Regional Flow Paths To Discharge At Ash Meadows, Nevada, Michelle Bushman

Theses and Dissertations

Springs in the Ash Meadows, Nevada wetland area are discharging groundwater at a high volume that cannot be sustained by local, present-day precipitation and associated recharge. Previous groundwater flow models for this region have required groundwater to flow through complex geology for long distances (160km) through fractures that, in the current stress field, should be closed in many instances in the presumed flow direction. This thesis examines several possible flow paths and evaluates each flow path using chemical and isotopic signatures in the water, as well as geologic and geophysical constraints, and determines that flow from beneath the Yucca Mountain …

A Conceptual Model Of Groundwater Flow In Spring Valley, Nv, And Snake Valley, Nv-Ut, Jeremy Micheal Gillespie

Theses and Dissertations

A geochemical study of major springs and wells in Spring Valley, Nevada, and Snake Valley, Utah-Nevada was initiated in response to the Clark, Lincoln and White Pine Counties Groundwater Development Project proposed by the South Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). Water budget estimates suggest that interbasin flow accounts for a significant portion (~25%) of the water budgets in Spring and Snake Valleys. Although interbasin flow is possible in some areas, alternative plausible explanations place significant uncertainty on water budget allocations. To examine the plausibility of local and interbasin flow paths the groundwater flow in Spring and Snake Valleys was evaluated using …