Geology Commons^™

Thermal Maturation Modeling Of The Michigan Basin, Jack H. Hybza

Masters Theses

Given present day heat flow and burial depths in the Michigan Basin, hydrocarbons should be immature. However, oil and gas are abundant within the basin. Our hypothesis is that thermal maturation distributions in the Michigan Basin can be explained by variations in proximity to the Midcontinent Rift (MCR) system, thermal cooling, crustal convection, high temperature fluid advection, and eroded overburden.

For each of the seven wells in this study, a geohistory plot is coupled with a range of geodynamic models to calculate the thermal and maturation histories of each sediment unit within the well. Backstripping was used to generate basement …

The Effect Of Evapotranspiration On The Groundwater Dome And Past Drought Conditions At Cape Henry, Virginia, Bryce Omar Shoup

OES Theses and Dissertations

First Landing State Park, located in Virginia Beach, is a cuspate foreland developed from a succession of erosional and progradational events forming a series of dunes and interdunal swales. Low-lying swales dominate the southern portion of the park forming many wetlands, but the northern portion of the park has fewer wetlands. An asymmetric groundwater dome has been observed on Cape Henry, cresting north of the geographic center of the cuspate foreland. The purpose of this study was to determine if the wetlands that dominate the southern portion of the park are the major driver of the asymmetric groundwater dome and …

Suspended Sediment Transport Revealed By Patterns In Turbidity And Electrical Conductivity Curves In Three Cave Systems In Missouri, Usa., Caroline M. Mierzejewski

LSU Master's Theses

In cave streams, the movement of sediment as suspended and bed loads are linked to the occurrence of precipitation events on the surface. During precipitation events, the discharge of the streams in the basin increases. As those surface streams flow into cave streams via sinkholes or fissures, the discharge in cave streams increase. In addition to changes in discharge, the response of the surface and cave streams to precipitation include changes in turbidity and electrical conductivity of the stream water.

Changes in turbidity (Tu), electrical conductivity (EC), and discharge (Q) of water in the cave stream can be used to …

Flow Alteration-Ecology Relationships In Ozark Highland Streams: Consequences For Fish, Crayfish And Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, Dustin Thomas Lynch, Douglas R. Leasure, Daniel D. Magoulick

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We examined flowalteration-ecology relationships in benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and crayfish assemblages in Ozark Highland streams, USA, over two years with contrasting environmental conditions, a drought year (2012) and a flood year (2013). We hypothesized that: 1) there would be temporal variation in flow alteration-ecology relationships between the two years, 2) flow alteration-ecology relationshipswould be stronger during the drought year vs the flood year, and 3) fish assemblages would show the strongest relationships with flow alteration. We used a quantitative richest-targeted habitat (RTH) method and a qualitative multihabitat (QMH) method to collect macroinvertebrates at 16 USGS gaged sites during both years. …

Nitrogen And Phosphorus Uptake In An Urban Stream Ecosystem, Nicolette A. Sheffield

Theses and Dissertations

Urban stream ecosystems are faced with high input levels of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from anthropogenic activities. N and P are important to plant growth and stream health; however, high levels can lead to algal blooms and eutrophication, a harmful effect to both aquatic life and water quality. Common urban sources of N and P include fertilizer, atmospheric deposition, stormwater outfall, and leaf-litter decomposition. Common urban stream features such as a flashier hydrograph, altered channel stability and morphology, increase in nutrient output (such as N and P), and heat retention, have been shown to result in an overall decrease …

Flow Alteration-Ecology Relationships In Ozark Highland Streams: Consequences For Fish, Crayfish And Macroinvertebrate Assemblages, Dustin T. Lynch, Douglas R. Easure, Daniel D. Magoulick

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We examined flowalteration-ecology relationships in benthic macroinvertebrate, fish, and crayfish assemblages in Ozark Highland streams, USA, over two years with contrasting environmental conditions, a drought year (2012) and a flood year (2013). We hypothesized that: 1) there would be temporal variation in flow alteration-ecology relationships between the two years, 2) flow alteration-ecology relationshipswould be stronger during the drought year vs the flood year, and 3) fish assemblages would show the strongest relationships with flow alteration. We used a quantitative richest-targeted habitat (RTH) method and a qualitative multihabitat (QMH) method to collect macroinvertebrates at 16 USGS gaged sites during both years. …

Variations Of Sedimentary Biogenic Silica In The Gulf Of Mexico During The Deepwater Horizon And Ixtoc-I Oil Spill., Jong Jin Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to understand the impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the 1970-1980 IXTOC-I oil spill and other anthropogenic activity (e.g. dam construction) on surface water primary productivity by measuring sedimentary biogenic silica. It is known that sedimentary biogenic silica is distinct from mineral – bound silica, therefore it has been used as a proxy record for surface water primary productivity (e.g. diatom blooms). The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulted in a widespread Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation (MOSSFA) event. The IXTOC-I oil spill was one of the largest oil spills …

Exploring Geochemical Proxies For Identifying Cryptic Sequence Boundaries In The Geologic Past Using Modern Bahamian Analogues, Evan B. Magette

LSU Master's Theses

Previous studies of carbonate diagenesis have suggested that bulk Sr concentrations and inorganic δ¹³C values may be a useful proxy for identifying cryptic sequence boundaries in meteorically altered limestones due to geochemical processes associated with carbonate mineral stabilization in cement precipitation in the meteoric diagenetic environment. However, it is possible that natural geochemical variation in sediments may produce geochemical shift which could be misinterpreted as a cryptic sequence boundary. To test this, the Two Pines roadcut containing a previously identified protosol on Eleuthera, Bahamas, which has been affected by vadose meteoric diagenesis was sampled for bulk geochemical analysis. …

Seismic Landslide Hazard Mapping For Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Ali Fallah Yeznabad, Sheri E. Molnar, Hesham M. El Naggar

Western Research Forum

The lower Mainland of southwest British Columbia (BC) hosts about 3.5 million people and significant infrastructures of national importance. Southwestern BC has the highest seismic risk in Canada with significant potential to cause earthquake-induced hazards including tsunamis, liquefaction and landslides. A Cascadia mega-thrust (M_W 9) earthquake is predicted to generate $75 billion Canadian dollars in losses. This damage can be resulted from ground shaking or its secondary phenomena like landslides; ground shaking during earthquakes may trigger landslides that can damage or destroy buildings, bury roads and highways and kill and injure people. In Canada, during the past century and …

Nitrate Concentrations In Streams As A Function Of Crop Cover In Midwestern Agricultural Watersheds: Assessing The Role Of Corn And Soybeans, Jacob Tyler Piske

Theses and Dissertations

Increased availability and reduced cost of synthetic-nitrogen fertilizers have led to excess nitrogen being deposited in reservoirs. The accumulation of nitrogen (N) in reservoirs has negative effects, generating algal blooms, hypoxic zones, and poor drinking water quality. Corn and soybean utilize nitrogen at different rates, resulting in higher nitrogen fertilizer application to fields for corn than for soybean. This work examines whether the nitrate concentration in a stream may be correlated to the percentage of land devoted to growing corn or soybeans in the watershed. To investigate potential relationships, discharge (Q) and nitrate concentration data from ten USGS gauging stations …

Assessing Paleo-Coastal Caves Evolution And Sea Level Changes In Mallorca: Results From Radiometric Dating Of Speleothems, Giuseppe Lucia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sea level affects the littoral morphology and structure in different ways. In coastal karst basins, dissolutional and depositional processes are strictly related to sea level variation. A great variety of karst-related geomorphological features and cave deposits exist above, below, and at sea level, and are extremely useful to study past changes of relative sea level. Within these, vadose speleothems such as flowstones and stalagmite, can document unequivocal maximum sea level constraints as well as record phreatic phases of sea level rise. Here we present a series of geochronological data from the eastern Mallorca and show the implication of relative sea …

Examining The Spatial And Temporal Variations In Co2 Partial Pressure In The Deep Vadose Zone Above Jinapsan Cave, Guam, Jamar Regis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Carbon dioxide is the primary driver of dissolution and precipitation reactions in epigene limestone caves. While much work has been conducted on CO2 dynamics involved in dissolution in the phreatic zone, less research has been conducted on vadose CO2 dynamics, especially in tropical caves developed in eogenetic limestones. In this study, we investigate spatial and temporal variation in pCO2 in the deep vadose zone of eogenetic limestone above Jinapsan Cave, located in northern Guam. Five years of carbonate chemistry data from three dripwater sites in Jinapsan Cave (Flatman, Station1, and Trinity) were used to model the theoretical pCO2 with which …

Volcanic Stratigraphy And Age Model Of The Kimama Deep Borehole (Project Hotspot): Evidence For 5.8 Million Years Of Continuous Basalt Volcanism, Central Snake River Plain, Idaho, Katherine E. Potter, Duane E. Champion, Robert A. Duncan, John W. Shervais

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The Snake River Plain of central Idaho represents the world’s best example of a mantle hotspot track impinging upon continental crust and provides a record of bimodal volcanism extending over 12 Ma to the present. Project Hotspot recovered almost 2 km of continuous drill core from the Kimama borehole, located in central Idaho on the axial volcanic zone. The Kimama drill core represents the most complete record of mafic volcanism along the Yellowstone–Snake River Plain hotspot track.

A total of 432 basalt flow units, representing 183 basalt flows, 78 basalt flow groups, and 34 super groups, along with 42 sediment …

Modeled Affinity Constants For Phosphorus Adsorption And Desorption Due To Saltwater Intrusion, Yasemin Taşcı

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is important to understand the processes that regulate phosphorus (P) fluxes to coastal environments, because P is an important nutrient in coastal ecosystems. Phosphorus adsorbs to the surface of minerals in sediment and bedrock, and an influx of seawater can cause some of that P to desorb, raising the P concentration of ambient water. Although seawater-induced P desorption is thought to be an important source of P to coastal environments, the chemical reactions that underlie it have not been established. Previous work provides some relevant surface reactions and associated affinity constants between various aqueous P species and the surface …

The Modern Mississippi: Provenance Indicators And Human Impact, Brittney Anne Gregory

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Given the significant degree to which the modern Mississippi River and its tributaries have been altered through dams, levees, and diversions, it is important to understand how sediment is transported from source to sink. The objective of this dissertation is to explore how the modern Mississippi River transports sediment from its tributaries to its delta using three independent proxies. Provenance indicators have traditionally been an effective way with which to characterize sediment transport in large river systems. First, detrital U-Pb zircon dating is used to investigate modern flux and possible anthropogenic influences on coarse-grained sediment within the modern Mississippi River. …

Deltaic Wetland Dynamics From Seasonal To Centennial Scales, Giancarlo A. Restreppo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The lower plain of the Mississippi River Delta contains approximately five coastal sedimentary basins that are topographically defined, and one shelf-crossing depocenter (the Birds Foot Delta). These depositional systems receive varying quantities of sediment from fluvial and marine sources and have rates of coastal land loss that are roughly inversely proportional to fluvial sediment supply. To combat land loss along these regions, Louisiana has launched a historic campaign to sustain and regrow coastal lands using, in part, river sediment diversions. Fine sediments constitute the majority of sediment load in the Mississippi River, but are under-studied with respect to dispersal processes, …

Pleistocene Glacial History Of The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, Eleanor Rainsley, Chris S.M. Turney, Nicholas R. Golledge, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Matt S. Mcglone, Alan G. Hogg, Bo Li, Zoë A. Thomas, Richard Roberts, Richard T. Jones, Jonathan G. Palmer, Verity Flett, Gregory De Wet, David K. Hutchinson, Mathew J. Lipson, Pavla Fenwick, Ben Hines, Umberto Binetti, Christopher J. Fogwill

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

The New Zealand subantarctic islands of Auckland and Campbell, situated between the subtropical front and the Antarctic Convergence in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, provide valuable terrestrial records from a globally important climatic region. Whilst the islands show clear evidence of past glaciation, the timing and mechanisms behind Pleistocene environmental and climate changes remain uncertain. Here we present a multidisciplinary study of the islands-including marine and terrestrial geomorphological surveys, extensive analyses of sedimentary sequences, a comprehensive dating programme, and glacier flow line modelling-to investigate multiple phases of glaciation across the islands. We find evidence that the Auckland Islands …

Using Watershed Pour-Point Elevations To Evaluate The Base Of Fresh Groundwater In The Cumberland Plateau Of Eastern Kentucky, Ethan S. L. Davis, Thomas M. Parris, Jerrad Grider

Report of Investigations--KGS

Horizontal drilling with hydraulic fracturing at shallow depths (less than 2,200 ft) in the Devonian Berea Sandstone oil and gas play, along with the potential for high-volume hydraulic fracturing in the nascent Cambrian Rogersville Shale gas play, have generated a renewed interest in protecting groundwater quality in eastern Kentucky. A critical component of protection is an accurate understanding of the distribution of fresh water in the subsurface. The “Fresh-Saline Water Interface Map of Kentucky” by H.T. Hopkins, published by the U.S. Geological Survey and Kentucky Geological Survey in 1966, has been a critical reference for assessing the maximum depth of …

Mississippian-Devonian Black Shales Of Kentucky: East-West Transect In Five Cores From The Appalachian Basin To The Illinois Basin, Patrick J. Gooding, Frank R. Ettensohn

Map and Chart--KGS

Devonian-Mississippian black shales are widespread across North America and underlie nearly 70 percent of Kentucky (Kepferle and Roen, 1981; Ettensohn and others, 1988). These black-shale units are among the most thoroughly investigated format ions in the commonwealth, because t hey have sourced most of t he conventional hydrocarbons (Gooding and Ettensohn, 2008; Gooding, 2013), have been major producers of gas in both the Illinois and Appalachian Basins, and have major potential as unconventional producers in both basins. In fact, maturation indicators such as vitrinite reflectance and total organic carbon, from both basins, show that the shales are most ly mature …

Geophysical Analysis Of The Midcontinent Rift’S Subsurface Structure In Southeastern Nebraska, Patrick Szopinski

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Midcontinent Rift System (MCRS) is a 1.1 billion-year-old failed rift system that spans much of the North American continental interior. The MCRS is exposed at Lake Superior and is buried in the subsurface along its southwest-extending arm through southeastern Nebraska. Due to the presence of buried volcanic rocks, the MCRS has characteristic highly-pronounced potential field anomalies (gravity and magnetic). Despite these large anomalies, not much is known about the subsurface faulting associated with the rift zone in the Midwest. The goal of this project is to attempt to use integrated analysis of collected geophysical data from multiple methods to …

Reflector Dip Trends In Seismic Sh-Wave Imaging Of A Modern Lower Mississippi River Point Bar, Adam Gostic

LSU Master's Theses

Various studies of ancient point bars have noted that a relationship can be observed between the dip angle and grain size of point bar lateral accretion deposits, with the most mud-rich deposits tending to exhibit the greatest dip. No analysis and only cursory explanations for this relationship have been provided. Additionally, buried mid-channel bars are absent from typical models of point bar architecture.

We successfully image the architecture of late-stage point bar deposits with a near surface 2D seismic SH-wave reflection survey and generate an SH-wave velocity model of the subsurface in the study area in order to interpret the …

The Boring Millions? Vegetation, Atmospheric Co2 , And Climate Revolutions Of The Late Miocene, Pratigya Polissar

Sustainability Seminar Series

During the late Miocene (11-5 Ma), global ice volume and deep ocean temperatures appear to be relatively unchanging. These “boring millions” suggest stasis of the climate system with the expectation of only moderate global changes in climate, CO2 and vegetation. However, during this time tropical ecosystems underwent profound changes and surface ocean temperatures declined dramatically. When did these changes occur, what drove them, and what role if any did atmospheric carbon dioxide levels play? I will address these questions through new observations of the onset, pace and geographic extent of vegetation transformations and hydrologic changes reconstructed from molecular biomarkers. I …

The Potential Science And Engineering Value Of Samples Delivered To Earth By Mars Sample Return, David W. Beaty, Monica M. Grady, Harry Y. Mcsween, Elliot Sefton-Nash, B. L. Carrier, Francesca Altieri, Yuri Amelin, Eleonora Ammannito, Mahesh Anand, Liane G. Benning, Janice L. Bishop, Lars E. Borg, Dale Boucher, John R. Brucato, Henner Busemann, Kathleen A. Campbell, Andrew D. Czaja, Vinciane Debaille, David J. Des Marais, Michael Dixon, Bethany L. Ehlmann, Jack D. Farmer, David C. Fernandez-Remolar, Justin Filiberto, Jennifer Fogarty, Daniel P. Galvin, Y. S. Goreva, Lydia J. Hallis, Andrea Dawn Harrington, Elisabeth M. Hausrath, Chris D.K. Herd

Geoscience Faculty Research

Executive summary provided in lieu of abstract.

Engaging The Greater Lafayette Community In A Journey Through The Earth Sciences: Purdue’S Eaps Earth Science Passport Day Event, Dara Laczniak, Bradley Garczynski

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Investigation Into Strath Terrace Production In The Mud Hills, California, Patrick Morley Miller

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon comprise deeply dissected uplands in the Mud Hills region near Barstow, California in the western portion of the Basin and Range geologic province. These erosional landscapes are formed in sediment deposited in a Miocene-time extensional basin. The basin was then filled with sediment before being inverted due to tectonic uplift beginning roughly 10 Ma. Sometime after 250 to 300 ka strath terraces were produced and preserved in the two drainage basins in Rainbow Basin, but not in the single drainage basin of Owl Canyon. The reason behind this difference is the main problem to be …

Nebraska Statewide Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report 2018, Aaron R. Young, Mark E. Burbach, Leslie M. Howard, Michele M. Waszgis, Sue Olafsen Lackey, Robert Matthew Joeckel

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The term “groundwater” has come to be all but synonymous with Nebraska. Nearly three-quarters of the total volume of the High Plains Aquifer lies beneath the State. Groundwater maintains our streams, our ecosystems, our people, and our vitally important agricultural economy. Nebraska’s total groundwater resource is vast, yet it is also vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic changes, necessitating a long-term commitment to wise management through informed decision making. Monitoring, studying, and reporting form the essential basis for such management and, ultimately, for meeting the myriad challenges presented by change.

The personnel of the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) are pleased …

High-Resolution Record Reveals Climate-Driven Environmental And Sedimentary Changes In An Active Rift, Lisa C. Mcneill, Donna J. Shillington, Gareth D. O. Carter, Jeremy D. Everest, Robert L. Gawthorpe, Clint Miller, Marcie P. Phillips, Richard E. Ll. Collier, Aleksandra Cvetkoska, Gino De Gelder, Paula Diz, Mai-Linh Doan, Mary Ford, Maria Geraga, Jack Gillespie, Romain Hemelsdael, Emilio Herrero-Bervera, Mohammad Ismaiel, Liliane Janikian, Katerina Kouli, Erwan Le Ber, Shunli Li, Marco Maffione, Carol Mahoney, Malka L. Machlus, Georgios Michas, Casey W. Nixon, Sabire Asli Oflaz, Abah P. Omale, Kostas Panagiotopoulos, Sofia Pechlivanidou, Simone Sauer, Joana Seguin, Spyros Sergiou, Natalia V. Zakharova, Sophie Green

Publications and Research

Young rifts are shaped by combined tectonic and surface processes and climate, yet few records exist to evaluate the interplay of these processes over an extended period of early rift-basin development. Here, we present the longest and highest resolution record of sediment flux and paleoenvinronmental changes when a young rift connects to the global concerns. New results from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 381 in the Corinth Rift shows 10s-100s of kyr cyclic variations in basin paleoenvironment as eustatic sea level fluctuated with respect to sills bounding this semi-isolated basin, and reveal substantial corresponding changes in the volume and …

A Theoretical Model Of Underground Dipole Antennas For Communications In Internet Of Underground Things, Abdul Salam, Mehmet C. Vuran, Xin Dong, Christos Argyropoulos, Suat Irmak

Faculty Publications

The realization of Internet of Underground Things (IOUT) relies on the establishment of reliable communication links, where the antenna becomes a major design component due to the significant impacts of soil. In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to capture the impacts of change of soil moisture on the return loss, resonant frequency, and bandwidth of a buried dipole antenna. Experiments are conducted in silty clay loam, sandy, and silt loam soil, to characterize the effects of soil, in an indoor testbed and field testbeds. It is shown that at subsurface burial depths (0.1-0.4m), change in soil moisture impacts …

Timing And Rates Of Events In The Generic Volcanic Earthquake Swarm Model, Tianyu Rong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I combine data from 29 volcanic earthquake swarms that follow the pattern predicted by the Generic Volcanic Earthquake Swarm Model (GVESM; Benoit and McNutt, 1996) to investigate whether the relative timing of various parameters of pre-eruptive volcanic earthquake swarms could be used to forecast the time of an impending eruption. Based on the analysis of seismic unrest preceding many eruptions, the GVESM suggests that it is common to see an increase first in high-frequency earthquakes, then low-frequency earthquakes, then the onset of volcanic tremor. While this pattern is useful to volcano-seismologists, the relative timing and durations of …

Solute Fluxes Through Restored Prairie And Intensively Managed Critical Zones In Nebraska And Iowa, Ashlee L. Dere, Andrew W. Miller, Amy M. Hemje, Sara K. Parcher, Courtney A. Capalli, E. Arthur Bettis Iii

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Agricultural activities in the Midwestern United States have potentially altered geochemical fluxes within the critical zone (CZ) compared to native prairie systems that previously dominated the region. To quantify the impact of agricultural land use on soil and stream solute behavior, we are studying two watersheds in the region: Glacier Creek Preserve (GCP) in eastern Nebraska and the Intensively Managed Landscapes Critical Zone Observatory (IML-CZO) in eastern Iowa. Both watersheds were initially under agricultural land use for over 100 years, but part of each watershed was restored to prairie 20 – 50 years ago. Soils at both sites formed in …