Geology Commons^™

Integrating Geochronologic And Instrumental Approaches Across The Bengal Basin, Carol Wilson

Faculty Publications

Constraining time is of critical importance to evaluating the rates and relative contributions of processes driving landscape change in sedimentary basins. The geomorphic character of the field setting guides the application of geochronologic or instrumental tools to this problem, because the viability of methods can be highly influenced by geomorphic attributes. For example, sediment yield and the linked potential for organic preservation may govern the usefulness of radiocarbon dating. Similarly, the rate of sediment transport from source to sink may determine the maturity and/or light exposure of mineral grains arriving in the delta and thus the feasibility of luminescence dating. …

Integrating Geochronologic And Instrumental Approaches Across The Bengal Basin, Elizabeth L. Chamberlain, Steven L. Goodbred, Richard Hale, Michael S. Steckler, Jakob Willinga, Carol Wilson

OES Faculty Publications

Constraining time is of critical importance to evaluating the rates and relative contributions of processes driving landscape change in sedimentary basins. The geomorphic character of the field setting guides the application of geochronologic or instrumental tools to this problem, because the viability of methods can be highly influenced by geomorphic attributes. For example, sediment yield and the linked potential for organic preservation may govern the usefulness of radiocarbon dating. Similarly, the rate of sediment transport from source to sink may determine the maturity and/or light exposure of mineral grains arriving in the delta and thus the feasibility of luminescence dating. …

Grids & Datums, Clifford J. Mugnier

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Holocene And Last Interglacial Climate Of The Faroe Islands From Sedimentary Plant Wax Hydrogen And Carbon Isotopes, Lorelei Curtin, William J. D'Andrea, Nicholas Balascio, Genevieve Pugsley, Gregory De Wet, Raymond Bradley

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

The Last Interglacial period (LIG) is Earth's most recent globally warm period and is analogous in some ways to projected future global warming. However, questions remain regarding the state of the climate during the LIG in the North Atlantic, a region that is extremely sensitive to changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation. Here, we present hydrogen and carbon isotope (δD and δ13C) records from a suite of plant wax biomarkers preserved in Holocene and LIG lacustrine sediments from the North Atlantic Faroe Islands and interpret them as qualitative proxies for temperature and hydroclimate variability. These data are used to directly …

Extraction And Visualization Of Orientation Data From Virtual Geologic Surfaces With Matlab®, Avery J. Welker, John Patrick Hogan, Andreas Eckert

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-resolution visualization of surfaces of geologic interest, at a multitude of scales, using 3D point cloud technologies provides an opportunity to analyze spatial relationships of surfaces using orientation data. We present a MATLAB® script that produces planar geologic attitude data (e.g., strike, dip, and dip-direction data) from 3D datasets (e.g., point clouds, 3D scanning). The method utilizes Cartesian coordinates of triangular planar surfaces and converts them into matrices of conventional geologic attitude data. Spatial relationships among data points can be investigated, using polar tangent diagrams, stereographic analysis, or geologic curvature analysis. We utilize this script to create "synthetic" graphical plots …

Boron Variation And The Subducted Sediment Component In The Volcanics From The Bifurcated Portion Of The Lesser Antilles Island Arc (Laia), Ami Margret Ngo Ward

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

North of Martinique island the Lesser Antilles volcanic arc bifurcates, creating a double arc. Here volcanic activity has migrated up to 50 km westward with time, resulting in two volcanic lines that are distinct in age. The eastern line, commonly referred to as the old arc, was active from Early Eocene to Mid-Miocene (Nagle, 1971; Nagle et al., 1976; Westercamp and Tazieff, 1980; Andreieff et al., 1988). The western line, commonly referred to as the recent arc, has been active since the late Pliocene, ~6 Ma ago (Nagle, 1971; Nagle et al., 1976; Westercamp and Tazieff, 1980; Andreieff et al., …

Neogene Chemical Weathering And Provenance Records Of The Western Himalaya Preserved In The Arabian Sea, Peng Zhou

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Some tectonic models for the Himalaya emphasize the importance of surface processes in controlling the structural evolution. To investigate this tectonic–climatic interactions, and the weathering and erosion of the western Himalaya, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 355 drilled two sites (site U1456 and U1457) in Laxmi Basin, which located in the Eastern Arabian Sea. In my research project, I plan to use a series of geochemical and geochronological methods on the sediment samples from the cores of these two sites, and sediments from an industrial borehole Indus Marine A-1, which near the Indus river mouth, to reconstruct a climatic …

A Terrestrial Reconstruction Of Gona, Ethiopia Before And During The African Humid Period, Marie N. White, Gary E. Stinchcomb

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The African Humid Period (AHP) resulted in more humid conditions across Northern and Eastern Africa from 15 to 5 thousand years ago (ka). This wetter climate affected flora, fauna and the Homo sapiens living in East Africa. The lack of terrestrial paleoenvironmental reconstructions is a problem in East Africa, especially during the AHP, where most are done utilizing lacustrine or marine proxies. In the case of Gona, Ethiopia, terrestrial proxies are desired due to the rich archaeological and fossil concentrations that occur in the area. Paleosols provide more direct, localized reconstructions that provide context for these finds. This study utilizes …

On The Ablation Of Meteors And The Implications On Organic Delivery To Earth, Christopher Alan Mehta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The synthesis of prebiotic organic compounds is a key step in the origin of life. Sources of these materials are divided into endogenous and exogenous sources. Endogenous synthesis—occurring potentially on the surface of the Earth—includes such historic experiments as the Miller spark discharge and formose chemistry. However, one avenue for exogenous synthesis to occur is when meteors enters an atmosphere. Using principles of orbital mechanics, geology, physics, and chemistry, we study meteor ablation and the transport of organic matter to the surface of Earth. To do so, I create numerical models that simulates meteors traveling through the atmosphere of Earth …

Nanoscale Evidence For Temperature-Induced Transient Rheology And Postseismic Fault Healing, Alexis K. Ault, Jordan L. Jensen, Robert G. Mcdermott, F.-A. Shen, B. R. Van Devener

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Friction-generated heat and the subsequent thermal evolution control fault material properties and thus strength during the earthquake cycle. We document evidence for transient, nanoscale fault rheology on a high-gloss, light-reflective hematite fault mirror (FM). The FM cuts specularite with minor quartz from the Pleistocene El Laco Fe-ore deposit, northern Chile. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy data reveal that the FM volume comprises a2+ suboxides. Sub–5-nm-thick silica films encase hematite grains and connect to amorphous interstitial silica. Observations imply that coseismic shear heating (temperature >1000 °C) generated transiently amorphous, intermixed but immiscible, and rheologically weak Fe-oxide and silica. Hematite regrowth in …

Short- And Intermediate-Range Structure And Dynamics Of Fe-Ni-C Liquid Under Compression, Jianwei Wang

Faculty Publications

Properties of liquid Fe alloys under high-pressure conditions are crucial for understanding the composition, thermal state, and dynamics of Earth's core. Experiments on such liquids, however, are often performed under pressures far below those of the outer core, necessitating long extrapolations of experimental results to core conditions. Such estimates can be complicated by light elements possibly forming pressure-dependent molecular clusters that can significantly affect the physical properties of liquids as core conditions are approached. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations were employed to compute the properties of an Fe-Ni-C liquid with a composition of Fe3.7Ni0.37C at 1673 K and pressures from 0 …

Short- And Intermediate-Range Structure And Dynamics Of Fe-Ni-C Liquid Under Compression, Jianwei Wang

Faculty Publications

Properties of liquid Fe alloys under high-pressure conditions are crucial for understanding the composition, thermal state, and dynamics of Earth's core. Experiments on such liquids, however, are often performed under pressures far below those of the outer core, necessitating long extrapolations of experimental results to core conditions. Such estimates can be complicated by light elements possibly forming pressure-dependent molecular clusters that can significantly affect the physical properties of liquids as core conditions are approached. First-principles molecular dynamics simulations were employed to compute the properties of an Fe-Ni-C liquid with a composition of Fe3.7Ni0.37C at 1673 K and pressures from 0 …

Deep Open Storage And Shallow Closed Transport System For A Continental Flood Basalt Sequence Revealed With Magma Chamber Simulator, Jussi S. Heinonen, Arto V. Luttinen, Frank J. Spera, Wendy A. Bohrson

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The Magma Chamber Simulator (MCS) quantitatively models the phase equilibria, mineral chemistry, major and trace elements, and radiogenic isotopes in a multicomponent–multiphase magma + wallrock + recharge system by minimization or maximization of the appropriate thermodynamic potential for the given process. In this study, we utilize MCS to decipher the differentiation history of a continental flood basalt sequence from the Antarctic portion of the ~ 180 Ma Karoo large igneous province. Typical of many flood basalts, this suite exhibits geochemical evidence (e.g., negative initial εNd) of interaction with crustal materials. We show that isobaric assimilation-fractional crystallization models fail to …

The Lampenflora In Show Caves And Its Treatment: An Emerging Ecological Problem, Carlos Baquedano Estévez, Luis Moreno Merino, Almudena De La Losa Román, Juan J. Durán Valsero

International Journal of Speleology

The artificial lighting of caves adapted for touristic visits, leads to the appearance and propagation of a complex community of phototrophic organisms known as “lampenflora”. Formed mainly by algae and cyanobacteria, they produce the degradation of the colonized substrates and decrease the show value of the caves. This phenomenon became famous worldwide in the 1960s due to the damage caused to the paintings in the Lascaux Cave (France). Since then it has become an issue of serious concern to both managers of show caves and to the international scientific community. Over time, the problem has been approached following two complementary …

Remote Characterization Of Dominant Wavelengths From Surface Folding On Lava Flows Using Lidar And Discrete Fourier Transform Analyses, Nicholas Deardorff, Adam M. Booth, Katharine Cashman

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Surface folding is common in lava flows of all compositions and is believed to be due to changes in viscosity and flow velocity between the cooling crust and the more fluid flow interior. However, our understanding of the relationship between surface folding and flow rheology is incomplete. In this study we analyze digital terrain models of eight lava flows ranging in composition from basaltic andesite to rhyolite using a discrete Fourier transform analysis to quantitatively determine dominant surface fold wavelengths. Our discrete Fourier transform analyses show that each lava flow has multiple fold generations and that dominant wavelengths are more …

Influence Of Spring Flow Reversals On Cave Dissolution In A Telogenetic Karst Aquifer, Mammoth Cave, Ky, Chelsey Kipper

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An often overlooked connection between karst groundwater systems and surface water is spring flow reversal, the flow of river water into karst springs caused by changes in hydraulic gradient. Karst aquifers are subject to the intrusion of river water when the hydraulic head of a base level river is higher than the hydraulic head of a base level spring. When this occurs, the flow out of the spring reverses, allowing river water to enter base level conduits. River water thus becomes a source of recharge into karst basins, transporting both valuable nutrients and harmful contaminants into karst aquifers. The rapid …

Application Of 3d Salt Modeling: An Example From The Northeastern Gulf Of Mexico, Adam Mattson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Salt tectonics has important implications for hydrocarbon exploration in saltbearing basins since salt deformation can directly or indirectly form hydrocarbon traps, influence hydrocarbon migration, and can control deepwater depositional systems. In various basins around the globe, extensive research has been conducted on initiation of salt mobilization, subsequent deformation, and eventual cessation, mostly from subsurface two-dimensional (2D) sections. However, 3D seismic data has dominated the petroleum industry for the last 30 years. Despite the plethora of 3D seismic data acquired in salt-bearing basins, there has been hardly any published work on the 3D geometries of complex salt bodies. 3D salt mapping …

Pacts 1.0: A Crowdsourced Reporting Standard For Paleoclimate Data, D. Khider, J. Emile-Geay, N. P. Mckay, Y. Gil, D. Garijo, V. Ratnakar, M. Alonso-Garcia, S. Bertrand, O. Bothe, P. Brewer, A. Bunn, M. Chevalier, L. Comas-Bru, J. Hertzberg, Y. Zhou

OES Faculty Publications

The progress of science is tied to the standardization of measurements, instruments, and data. This is especially true in the Big Data age, where analyzing large data volumes critically hinges on the data being standardized. Accordingly, the lack of community-sanctioned data standards in paleoclimatology has largely precluded the benefits of Big Data advances in the field. Building upon recent efforts to standardize the format and terminology of paleoclimate data, this article describes the Paleoclimate Community reporTing Standard (PaCTS), a crowdsourced reporting standard for such data. PaCTS captures which information should be included when reporting paleoclimate data, with the goal of …

Nature Of The Crust In The Northern Gulf Of California And Salton Trough, Patricia Persaud

Faculty Publications

In the southern Gulf of California, the generation of new oceanic crust has resulted in linear magnetic anomalies and seafloor bathymetry that are characteristic of active seafloor-spreading systems. In the northern Gulf of California and the onshore (southeastern California, USA) Salton Trough region, a thick sedimentary package overlies the crystalline crust, masking its nature, and linear magnetic anomalies are absent. We use potential-field data and a geotherm analysis to constrain the composition of the crust (oceanic or continental) and develop a conceptual model for rifting. Gravity anomalies in the northern Gulf of California and Salton Trough are best fit with …

The Role Of Introductory Geoscience Courses In Preparing Teachers—And All Students—For The Future: Are We Making The Grade?, Anne E. Egger

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Introductory geoscience courses enroll hundreds of thousands of students a year, most of whom do not major in the geosciences. For many, including future K–12 teachers, an introductory course is the only place they will encounter Earth science at the college level. New standards for K–12 science education have profound implications for teacher preparation, particularly in Earth science. The new standards call for taking a systems approach, highlighting how humans interact with Earth, making use of science and engineering practices, and engaging students in discourse. Analysis of responses to the National Geoscience Faculty Survey (n = 813 in 2004; …

Sediment Resuspension In A Microtidal Estuary: Causative Forces And Links With Algal Blooms, Samantha C. Mcgill

OES Theses and Dissertations

After years of efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay, bacterial levels are down and species diversity has increased, however, algal blooms (primarily dinoflagellates) persist, occurring nearly every summer. Dinoflagellates produce resting cysts that accumulate in the bottom sediments and are thought to provide seed populations for future algal blooms when they are resuspended. When estuarine sediments are advected from a bed, other materials, such as pollutants, nutrients, and organic matter are also released into the water column. Thus, resuspended sediments can contribute to the degradation of water quality, habitat, and aquatic life, and impart negative impacts on local ecosystems and …

Circum-Arctic Mineralogy & Pan-Arctic Chronostratigraphy Of Late Pleistocene Sediments: Developing A Comprehensive Age Model For The Western Arctic Ocean Using Unique Ice-Rafted Signals, Wesley Blake Myers

OES Theses and Dissertations

To improve understanding of geographic mineral distribution from the circum-Arctic Ocean, samples from the Arctic periphery were collected and analyzed for (semi-) quantitative mineral composition. Most samples were collected from the North American region of the Arctic Ocean, a region which has had limited mineral investigation. In addition, more than 1000 published clay mineral data points were gathered to provide the most comprehensive clay mineral distribution map to date. The identification of a smectite source within the Canadian Arctic may reduce the usefulness of this mineral as a unique provenance signal for the Eurasian region. Smectite speciation may be useful …

Fault Deformation At The Base Of And Within The Crescent Formation Along The Dosewallips River, Olympic Mountains Peninsula, Washington, Usa, Christine Meryl Maher

Dissertations and Theses

The Olympic Mountains, in the cost ranges of northwest Washington, expose a Cenozoic accretionary complex east of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Accreted material consists of metasedimentary deposits thrust eastward beneath a basaltic terrane (i.e., the basaltic Crescent Formation and the basal Blue Mountain Unit [BMU] turbidite) along a major fault, the Hurricane Ridge Fault (HRF). Recent isotopic dating of zircons from the BMU indicate that it is about 8 my younger than the basalt, implying another major fault may exist east of the HRF, between the BMU and the Crescent Fm. Field observations, data, and samples for microstructural analysis were …

Coupled Landscape And Channel Dynamics Across The Ganges-Brahmaputra Tidal-Fluvial Continuum, Southwest Bangladesh, Edwin Jefferson Bomer Iv

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Ganges-Brahmaputra (G-B) Delta of Bangladesh and India is widely considered to be one of the most vulnerable coastal systems in the world, owing to locally-accelerated sea level rise and landscape modification by human activities. Recent research efforts have identified pronounced elevation differences between natural and embanked areas in the G-B tidal delta plain, suggesting that natural landscapes are keeping pace with sea-level rise while anthropogenic locations are actively subsiding. However, this observation represents a singular point in time, and longitudinal trends of surface elevation in these regions are presently unknown. For communities residing in upstream regions of G-B delta …

An Engineering Geological Anatomy Of The Padma River Bank Failure And Erosion, 2018: A Case Study Of Naria Bank Section, Bangladesh, Mir Fazlul Karim, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Shahidul Haque, M. Zillur Rahman, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Asm Maksud Kamal, Masud Ahmed, Belal A. Sayeed

Publications and Research

The Naria town of Bangladesh is developed on the right bank of the Padma River. The bank is an old natural levee of Meghna River. The Holocene-Recent geology of Naria is actively dominated by the fluvial processes of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River system where the deltaic sediments are characterized as unconsolidated fine sand and silt, covered by thin veneer of clayey silt and loam. The annual volume of water discharge and flow dynamics are dependent on the intensity of the rainfall, runoff and the length of dry winter. Excessive river bank erosion, channel avulsion, renewed submergence of floodplains, and formation of natural …

Coccidioidomycosis: Medical And Spatio-Temporal Perspectives, Nikias Sarafoglou, Rafael Laniado-Laborin, Menas Kafatos

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is a disease of major public health importance due to the challenges in its diagnosis and treatment. To understand CM requires the attributes of a multidisciplinary network analysis to appreciate the complexity of the medical, the environmental and the social issues involved: public health, public policy, geology, atmospheric science, agronomy, social sciences and finally humanities, all which provide insight into this population transformation.

In section 1 of this paper, we describe the CM-epidemiology, the clinical features, the diagnosis and finally the treatment.

In section 2, we highlight the most important contributions and controversies in the history of the …

Utilizing Dplot, Sedlog, And Arcgis Pro To Enhance Geologic Field Skills: Rosendale, Ulster County New York, Malek Shami, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Zarine Ali, Leonardo Sanchez, Gugu Ginindza, Tyn Tyn Nai

Publications and Research

Capstone geologic field mapping courses in undergraduate geoscience programs aim to compliment the academic knowledge with technical field skills. As a pilot study, these tools were used to collect field data using folded lower Paleozoic to mid-Paleozoic sedimentary outcrops consisting of clastic, non-clastic and occasional mixed siliciclastics in Rosendale, Ulster County, New York. Rosendale is known for its classic geological outcrops with variable structural, stratigraphic, paleontological and sedimentological complexities – ideal for a field mapping course. Traditionally, students’ data acquisition in the field and its subsequent laboratory analysis to produce a final geologic field report utilized acetate overlays to produce …

Using Water Quality Index To Assess Groundwater Suitability At Gazipur District, Bangladesh, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Jowaher Raza, Mir F. Karim, Nazrul I. Khandaker

Publications and Research

This study targeted to the suitability of groundwater for drinking purpose at Gazipur District undergoing rapid urbanization and increasing industrialization. The District has an area of 1741.53 km², located in between 23°53' and 24°21' north latitudes and in between 90°09' and 92°39' east longitudes. From six Upazilas in Gazipur District, a total of 130 groundwater samples were collected, which are, Gazipur Sadar Upazila, Sreepur Upazila, Kaliakoir Upazila, Kapasia Upazila, and Kaligonj Upazila. A recent field observation review of industrial sludge found that heavy metal concentration was above the acceptable limit for agricultural soil. Gazipur being adjacent to Dhaka …

Positive Outcomes Of Involving Undergraduate And High School Students In Broader Aspect Of Earth System Science Through Peer Mentoring And Research Activities, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Shuayb Siddique, Matthew Khargie, Juanpablo Rodriguez, Adacia Teemal, Krishna Mahabir, Michael Robinson, Ality Aghedo, Zachary A. Sanichar, Sol De Leon, Tamzid Mubin, Elton Selby

Publications and Research

The importance of involving undergraduates and high school students in field-and-laboratory research investigations at an early stage through peer mentoring has been clearly demonstrated as a critical tool for essential training to fully comprehend academic content and a deeper understanding of the various STEM, geoscience-and- environmental science related topics. As far as we are concerned, student presenters/participants (over 1000) in our topical sessions since 2004 have always found face-to-face presentation through poster sessions to be an ideal scientific venue where exchange of knowledge and discussion are fruitful, constructive and encouraging. It is quite revealing to note that among the student …

Paleoenvironment Of The Devonian Fossiliferous Glenerie Limestone, Rosendale, Upstate New York, Gugu Ginindza, B'Jorn K. Forde, Sebastian R. Agustin, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Malek Shami, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

The Devonian Glenerie limestone outcrops throughout the Hudson Valley and is believed to correlate with the glauconite-rich Oriskany sandstone elsewhere in upstate New York. Field inspection of well-preserved outcrops in Rosendale, upstate New York, indicated the Glenerie formation to be composed of both thin and thickly-bedded chert, interbedded shale, and both calcareous to arenaceous limestone. The Glenerie formation is dominated by spirifer arenosis fossil, which is the index fossil for this formation. The goal of this research is to determine the conditions of the paleoenvironment prevalent to the deposition of the Glenerie formation. Within the arenaceous layers are the spirifer …