Geology Commons^™

Exploring Potential Water-Ice Occurrence On Asteroid 4 Vesta Using Orbital Radar Observations By The Dawn Mission, Elizabeth M. Palmer

Dissertations

Airless, differentiated planetesimals in the inner solar system were presumed to have been depleted of most of their initial volatile content during formation. However, water-ice has been discovered at the lunar poles (Li et al., 2018), is inferred to exist in polar craters on Mercury (e.g., Butler, Slade & Muhleman, 1993, and suggested to survive beneath the dusty regolith of objects in the main asteroid belt if buried at sufficient depths—at least one meter for small-bodies in the outer main-belt (Schorghofer, 2008). Hence, the study of volatile occurrence, past or present, on airless, desiccated small-bodies provides insights into the timing, …

Predicted Deepwater Bathymetry From Satellite Altimetry: Non-Fourier Transform Alternatives, Maxsimo Salazar

Dissertations

Robert Parker (1972) demonstrated the effectiveness of Fourier Transforms (FT) to compute gravitational potential anomalies caused by uneven, non-uniform layers of material. This important calculation relates the gravitational potential anomaly to sea-floor topography. As outlined by Sandwell and Smith (1997), a six-step procedure, utilizing the FT, then demonstrated how satellite altimetry measurements of marine geoid height are inverted into seafloor topography. However, FTs are not local in space and produce Gibb’s phenomenon around discontinuities. Seafloor features exhibit spatial locality and features such as seamounts and ridges often have sharp inclines. Initial tests compared the windowed-FT to wavelets in reconstruction of …

Hydrogeologic Framework Studies Of Portions Of The Niobrara River, Douglas R. Hallum, Steven S. Sibray, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) and Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District (UNWNRD) expressed interest in improving understanding and their ability to effectively manage water resources in and around a particular reach of the Niobrara River. Aquifer-thickness contours mapped by the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) indicate that the principle aquifer has zero thickness in this area. Additionally, the statewide geologic bedrock map produced by CSD shows non-aquifer strata of the White River Group along the same reach, and this setting is consistent with the designation of an “aquifer absent area,” as in the present document. Water-management policy development …

Compositional And Thermodynamic Variability In A Stratified Magma Chamber: Evidence From The Green Tuff Ignimbrite (Pantelleria, Italy)., Katarzyna M. Liszewska, John C. White, Ray Macdonald, Bogusław Bagiński

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The Green Tuff Ignimbrite, Pantelleria, is compositionally zoned from pantellerite at the base to comenditic trachyte at the top, the variation apparently representing an inverted vertical zonation in the pre-eruptive reservoir. The main phenocryst assemblages are alkali feldspar + olivine + clinopyroxene + ilmenite + apatite in the trachytes and alkali feldspar + aenigmatite + clinopyroxene + quartz in the rhyolites. Thermodynamic modelling indicates that the temperature range was ~900–700°C, fO2 FMQ –1.5 to FMQ –0.5 (where FMQ is fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer) and aSiO2 (relative to quartz saturation) 0.74–1.00. Melt water contents ranged from ~1wt % in the trachytes to ~4wt …

Late Quaternary Evolution And Stratigraphic Framework Influence On Coastal Systems Along The North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Usa, Robert Hollis

Master's Theses

Coastal systems in the Gulf of Mexico are threatened to reduced sediment supply, storm impacts and relative sea level rise (RSLR). The geologic record can provide insights of geomorphic threshold crossings (formation, progradation, transgression, destruction) to these forcing mechanisms to predict future barrier evolution to climate change. The stratigraphic framework and antecedent topography directly influence coastal evolution over geologic timescales. This study synthesizes ~2100km of geophysical data, 700+ sediment cores, and 63 radiocarbon dates to regionally map two sequence boundaries, multiple ravinement surfaces and fourteen depositional facies. One marine isotope stage (MIS) 6 valley’s fill provided up to 300 x10 …

Holocene Formation And Evolution Of Horn Island, Mississippi, Usa, Nina Gal

Master's Theses

Horn Island, one of the most stable barriers along the Mississippi-Alabama chain, provides critical habitat, helps regulate estuarine conditions in the Mississippi Sound, and reduces wave energy and storm surge for the mainland. This study integrates 2,200 km of high-resolution geophysics, 35 sediment cores, and 15 radiocarbon ages to better understand the formation and evolution of the island in response to sea-level rise, storms, and antecedent geology. The Biloxi and Pascagoula incised valleys converge at Horn Island and have played a profound role in the evolution of the system. Within the incised valleys, numerous shallow paleochannels between 4 and 9 …

Improving Sinkhole Mapping Using Lidar Data And Locating Sinkhole Hotspots In Johnson City, Tn, Kingsley Fasesin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Predicting infrastructure damage and economic impact of sinkholes requires high accuracy mapping distribution and development. The study mapped sinkholes and sinkhole hotpsots in Johnson City, TN using LiDAR-derived Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and a database of known sinkholes which were matched to LiDAR-derived depressions. For all matched depressions (n = 404), three metrics were calculated: circularity index, ratio of length to width of the Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR) and percent coverage of the MBR by the depression, and 3,634 new sinkholes were identified. Newly developed hotspots were identified in north Johnson City and other areas in the south near the …

New Ca-Id-Tims Detrital Zircon Constraints On Middle Neoproterozoic Sedimentary Successions, Southwestern United States, Abigail R. Bullard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three related sedimentary successions located in Arizona, Utah, and California were deposited in basins on proto-North America during the early rifting of Rodinia (~780 Mya). Previous detrital zircon U-Pb maximum ages for the units are inexact, making it difficult to piece together what happened at this point in Earth history.

We report better maximum age constraints on these units obtained by subjecting detrital zircons to high-precision CA-ID-TIMS analysis, which provide more exact ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages. These new data significantly improve the precision for the base of the ChUMP units, with an average age of 775.63 ± 0.27 Ma …

Subsurface Analysis Of Mississippian Tripolitic Chert In Northwest Arkansas, Thomas Jason Liner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 70 years the Mississippian strata of Northwest Arkansas have been studied in great detail. The study area is located on the escarpment between the Boston Mountains Plateau and the Springfield Plateau where a surface occurrence of Mississippian age rock allows for access to outcrops in close proximity to gas wells that encounter subsurface Mississippian strata. Many outcrops found in Northwest Arkansas expose Lower Mississippian (Kinderhookian-Osagean) strata that represent a full third order transgressive/regressive sequence that is unconformity bounded. These Mississippian outcrops are commonly treated as surface analogs to the Mississippi Lime Play in North Central Oklahoma. This …

Speleogenesis In Turbulent Flow, Max P. Cooper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Existing models of speleogenesis neglect the shape of cross-sections, which can hold information related to climate, tectonics, and sediment supply in their widths. The first study of this dissertation simulates cross-sections of phreatic tubes, vadose canyons, and paragenetic galleries using a method developed for bedrock channels. Successful simulation of these cross-sections depends on erosion scaling with shear stress, in conflict with speleogenesis theory. Scaling of equilibrium width in paragenetic galleries was explored through analytical derivation and simulations, showing that width scales positively with discharge to the 1/2 power, and negatively with a weak power of sediment supply. Negative scaling of …

Margaret White Springs Recharge Study, Buffalo National River, North-Central Arkansas, Usa, Ashlon Elizabeth Leonard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Margaret White Springs (MWS) is one of the largest springs in the middle section of the Buffalo National River (BNR) and contributes several tens of cubic feet per second of flow to river discharge on average, yet the source of the water has not been fully studied or documented. The spring is located approximately 4 miles downstream from Robertson Hole, a losing reach of the river. At Robertson Hole the river loses a significant amount of flow to groundwater, which during the dry season (summer) can be as much as 100%. Flow in the main channel is re-established at MWS; …

Assessing Land Deformation And Sea Encroachment In The Nile Delta: A Radar Interferometric And Modeling Approach, Esayas Gebrekidan Gebremichael

Dissertations

Many of the deltas of the world are experiencing land deformation, subsidence or uplift of landmass, due to natural or anthropogenic causes, or a combination of both processes and causes. These deltaic settings are densely populated and border some of our world’s largest water bodies (oceans and seas). The land deformation, especially the subsidence component, when combined with the climate change-induced sea level rise, coastal erosion, and other anthropogenic drivers, will undoubtedly impact the population and economy of coastal areas of deltas. For the Nile Delta of Egypt, the land deformation processes and the factors that control the deformation processes …

Subsurface Stratigraphic Interpretation Of The Lower Atoka Formation, Northern Arkoma Basin, Arkansas, William Stephen Denham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Arkoma Basin is a Carboniferous peripheral foreland basin creating a structural depression covering an approximate area of 33,800 miles2 that extends through east-central Oklahoma and west-central Arkansas. The entire basin fill includes Pre-Mississippian carbonate shelf deposits, Mississippian marine carbonates and black shales, and Pennsylvanian mixed carbonated/clastic and shore zone/deltaic deposits. The Lower Atoka formation (Pennsylvanian) occurs in outcrop along the southern Boston Mountain Plateau in northern Arkansas and extends into the subsurface of the Arkoma Basin over an area of 2,300 miles2. The Lower Atoka ranges from 600 to 1500 feet in thickness and represents a cyclic succession of …

An Integrated Well Log And 3d Seismic Interpretation Of Missourian Clinoforms, Osage County, Oklahoma, Abram Max Barker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Integrated analysis of well and geophysical data can provide detailed geologic interpretation of the subsurface in Osage County, Oklahoma. Systems tracts and depositional system successions can be interpreted at marginal seismic resolution using well log motif with seismic reflector character within a depositional context. Shelf-prism and subaqueous, delta-scale clinoforms of Missourian age observed in 3D seismic were interpreted with greater sequence stratigraphic detail when coupled with wireline well logs. The Late Pennsylvanian Midcontinent Sea was thought to be approximately 150 feet average depth across the southern Midcontinent during the Missourian Stage, and deepen towards the Arkoma and Anadarko Basins to …

Molecular Fossils From Phytoplankton Reveal Secular Pco2 Trend Over The Phanerozoic, Caitlyn R. Witkowski, Johan W. H. Weijers, Brian S. Blais, Stefan Schouten, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté

Science and Technology Department Faculty Journal Articles

Past changes in the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (PCO2) have had a major impact on earth system dynamics; yet, reconstructing secular trends of past PCO2 remains a prevalent challenge in paleoclimate studies. The current long-term PCO2reconstructions rely largely on the compilation of many different proxies, often with discrepancies among proxies, particularly for periods older than 100 million years (Ma). Here, we reconstructed Phanerozoic PCO2 from a single proxy: the stable carbon isotopic fractionation associated with photosynthesis (Ɛp) that increases as PCO2 increases. This concept has been widely applied to alkenones, but here, we …

Flux Of Particulate Elements In The North Atlantic Ocean Constrained By Multiple Radionuclides, Christopher T. Hayes, Erin E. Black, Robert F. Anderson, Mark Baskaran, Ken O. Buesseler, Matthew A. Charette, Hai Cheng, J. Kirk Cochran, R. Lawrence Edwards, Patrick Fitzgerald, Phoebe J. Lam, Yanbin Lu, Stephanie O. Morris, Daniel C. Ohnemus, Frank J. Pavia, Gillian Stewart, Yi Tang

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Sinking particles strongly regulate the distribution of reactive chemical substances in the ocean, including particulate organic carbon and other elements (e.g., P, Cd, Mn, Cu, Co, Fe, Al, and 232Th). Yet, the sinking fluxes of trace elements have not been well described in the global ocean. The U.S. GEOTRACES campaign in the North Atlantic (GA03) offers the first data set in which the sinking flux of carbon and trace elements can be derived using four different radionuclide pairs (238U:234Th ;210Pb:210Po; 228Ra:228Th; and 234U:230Th) at stations co-located with sediment trap fluxes for comparison. Particulate organic carbon, particulate P, and particulate Cd …

The Utility Of The Conductivity Mass-Balance Method For Base Flow Separation In Rivers And Streams, Darline Alegria Lott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Freshwater for ecosystems, drinking water, and water for various businesses are important resources and those resources are rapidly diminishing globally due to drought and overuse. In order to manage the availability of water for all concerned, good estimates of base flow (groundwater) is required. Base flow, a component of streamflow, is deduced by separating a stream hydrograph into two components, base flow and runoff. There are several techniques used to perform base flow separation; however two techniques are used in this study, chemical mass-balance and analytical methods. This dissertation explains how an analytical technique was derived from a mass-balance method, …

Interpreting The Origin And Evolution Of ‘Karst’ Features From A Siliceous Hydrothermal Terrane: A Case Study From The Upper Geyser Basin In Yellowstone National Park, Usa, Kevin W. Blackwood, Lainee A. Sanders, Stacy I. Gantt-Blackwood

International Journal of Speleology

The Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park occurs over a siliceous hydrothermal terrane containing numerous hot springs and geysers. The pool and vent-conduit geometries of these hydrothermal features share a resemblance to conventional karst features known from other rock types, suggesting karst processes could be responsible for their origin and/or evolution. Hypogene speleogenesis is a cave-forming process in which the formation of caves is decoupled from and occurs independently of surface recharge. The geologic setting for hypogene speleogenesis typically occurs at the distal end of regional groundwater systems wherein the hydrogeology is manifested by ascending fluids and/or by geochemical …

Mantle-To-Surface Neotectonic Connections In The San Juan Mountains Documented By 3he/4he, Co2 Flux Meaurements, And Hydrochemical Analysis Of The Geothermal System Near Rico, Colorado, Benjamin D. Holt

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

This project investigates the controls on geothermal fluids and their conduit systems which may account for high mantle helium components of geothermal fluids in intracratonic continental regions. The field laboratory is the western San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado where the structural setting and hydrochemistry of carbonic springs suggest potential connections among surface hot springs, fault networks, CO2 degassing, significant geothermal potential, young volcanic and plutonic rocks (< 7 Ma), and low-velocity upper mantle. The Rico Hot Springs have the highest mantle volatile component of any spring in Colorado with air-corrected values of 3He/4He = 5.88 RA indicating 73% mantle helium component. This near-MORB mantle helium value at Rico indicates that volatiles degassing from the mantle must be rapidly transmitted into the groundwater system along deep-seated faults such that accumulation of 4He from radiogenic crust has not swamped mantle-derived primordial 3He. Geologic features that are important for volatile transport and spring chemistry controls include a complex conduit system and fault network involving the Precambrian-cored Rico Dome, ~4 Ma intrusive rocks at Calico Peak and Priest Gulch, and a low-velocity upper mantle. Therefore, Rico and the surrounding region is a natural laboratory for studying geothermal fluid and mantle volatile pathways. Additional noble gas analyses and hydrochemistry data were gathered from regional springs and modeled via chemical geothermometers. New noble gas measurements from this study, paired with literature values, reveal highest air corrected 3He/4He at Rico (4.09-5.88 RA), Dunton (3.11-4.54 RA), Geyser Warm Spring (3.39 RA), and Paradise Warm Spring (2.72 RA). Water volume is dominated by meteoric fluids as shown by stable isotope data but hydrochemistry indicates high TDS, high CO2, and high He come from a geothermal fluid endmember. Variable mixing and water-rock interactions are processes that can explain chemistry variations between spatially proximal springs. CO2 flux measurements (up to 36.2 g/m2/hr) vary across structural features and demonstrate that the faults act as pathways for CO2 flux suggesting ongoing degassing. Overall, we find that local high mantle helium signature is localized directly above regions of lowest upper mantle velocity in the San Juan mantle anomaly and is derived from neotectonic mantle melts in those regions.

Martian Magmatism From Plume Metasomatized Mantle, James M. D. Day, Kimberly T. Tait, Arya Udry, Frédéric Moynier, Yang Liu, Clive R. Neal

Geoscience Faculty Research

Direct analysis of the composition of Mars is possible through delivery of meteorites to Earth. Martian meteorites include ∼165 to 2400 Ma shergottites, originating from depleted to enriched mantle sources, and ∼1340 Ma nakhlites and chassignites, formed by low degree partial melting of a depleted mantle source. To date, no unified model has been proposed to explain the petrogenesis of these distinct rock types, despite their importance for understanding the formation and evolution of Mars. Here we report a coherent geochemical dataset for shergottites, nakhlites and chassignites revealing fundamental differences in sources. Shergottites have lower Nb/Y at a given Zr/Y …

Post-Impact Light Vapor Incorporation During Lunar Formation Based On Triple Oxygen Isotopes, Erick J. Cano

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Initial triple oxygen isotope analyses of lunar samples showed them to be indistinguishable from Earth, which led to numerous papers aimed at explaining the similarities. Recent high-precision analyses suggested either a subtle enrichment in Δ'¹⁷O or virtually no difference between the Earth and Moon. Herein we expand on previous studies by correlating the triple oxygen isotope measurements with different lunar lithologies. We show that these data can be explained by mixing between a light vapor phase, generated during the Giant Impact, and the residual material from the proto-lunar impactor ‘Theia’. There is a general decrease in Δ'^{17 …}

Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of Core Stl14: An Early Pleistocene-To-Present Paleoclimate Archive From Stoneman Lake, Arizona, Spencer Staley

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

An 80 m lacustrine sediment core (STL14) from Stoneman Lake, Coconino County, Arizona, contains a sedimentary sequence of at least 1.5 million years, chronicling the complete history of basin infill and recording an extensive and high-resolution archive of climatic and hydrologic fluctuations. Lake levels in this small, internally-drained catchment are sensitive to changes in regional hydrologic balance. Consistent groundwater inflow, even during regionally dry episodes in the lake’s history, has prevented complete desiccation of the lake and sustained continuous lacustrine deposition except for one soil horizon. Multiproxy analysis of sedimentological indicators including lithofacies, color, wet bulk density, magnetic susceptibility, preliminary …

Radionuclides In Rainwater And Their Impact On Background Radiation, Damien M. Milazzo

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Radioactive waste has accrued throughout the continental United States and in the Oceans surrounding the country. Significant quantities of the waste are poorly documented regarding their location and the radioisotopes contained in the waste. Locating the waste is not an easy matter, as its locations are not well documented, and its method of disposal may be covered with plants, soils, and sediments. A common tool used to locate the waste is a gamma spectrometer, which measure the gamma emissions spectrum of radionuclides. The effectiveness of this tool when utilized to locate gamma emitting waste may be reduced due to the …

The Fate Of Sulfur During Melting And Crystallization: Implications For Sulfur Transfer From Mantle To The Crust-Atmosphere System, Shuo Ding

Sustainability Seminar Series

Sulfur (S) is one of the most abundant volatiles; one that has a fundamental impact on various magmatic processes, from the mantle to the Earth’s surface. Ocean island basalts (OIB) are one of the critical probes for understanding the chemical, lithological and thermal variations in the Earth’s mantle. Therefore, S abundances of primary OIB that sample peridotite partial melts, as well as deeply recycled components, can provide a better understanding of the long-term S cycle on Earth. In this study, we developed a model to describe the behavior of sulfide and copper (Cu) during decompression melting of the mantle by …

Natural Trace Element Salinization Of The Jemez River, New Mexico By Geothermal Springs And Major Tributaries, Jon K. Golla, Laura J. Crossey, Abdul-Mehdi S. Ali, Karl E. Karlstrom

Shared Knowledge Conference

The Jemez River (JR), a tributary of the Rio Grande, is in north-central New Mexico within the Jemez Mountains, which houses the active, high-temperature (≤ 300 oC), liquid-dominated Valles Caldera geothermal system (VC). This work focuses on the northern portion of the JR, spanning a reach from the East Fork JR to the town of San Ysidro. Previous decadal work during low-flow or baseflow conditions (~10-20 cfs) has identified and characterized significant major-solute contributions from two outflow expressions of the VC, Soda Dam Springs and Jemez Hot Springs, and two major tributaries, Rio San Antonio and Rio Guadalupe. There is …

Microbial Diversity In Urban Environments: Concern For Antibiotic Resistance, Ality Aghedo, Mangala Tawde, Nazrul I. Khandaker

Publications and Research

We are almost oblivious to the presence of microorganisms in our daily lives, but they exist and come into contact with us all the time. While some bacteria are harmless, and even beneficial, other bacteria can cause infections. A common treatment to bacterial infections is antibiotics and the success of an antibiotic depends on the resistance of the bacteria to the antibiotic. We conducted experiments to identify the types of bacteria that can be found on surfaces or within soil environments that come into contact with a vast number of people on a daily basis and how this can affect …

An Overview Of Smartwater Management System: Strategic Potential In Bangladesh, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Mir F. Karim, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Jowaher Raza

Publications and Research

Water loss management is becoming an increasingly important as supplies are stressed by population growth or water scarcity. A SmartWater system ensures optimum consumption and prediction of future water use. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to global climate change considering its rapid urbanization, inequitable land use, low income and greater reliance on climate sensitive sectors, particularly agriculture. Agricultural lands used for cropping and livestock rearing are more susceptible to degradation than non-agricultural lands. Most farmers irrigate through flooding, losing up to 75% of water to evaporation and creating a substantial drawdown of much needed water for …

Water Flow Net Characterization By Using A Tank Model: Preliminary Outcome, Jasmin Budhan, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

A model study was conducted to observe and characterize the flow of water through sandy soil. One of the most relevant tools used for characterizing groundwater flow is the flow net. Assuming that water is incompressible and there is zero volume change in the soil mass, it is known that the total rate of inflow is to equal the total rate of outflow. Thus, following the principle of flow continuity, we use the Laplace equation of continuity, to observe the concept of the flow net. Computing the flow through a miniature channel, we observed the total head difference from the …

Nasa Maa (Murep Aerospace Academy) Stem Project At York College: Ensuring Future Stem Pipeline, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Shuayb Siddique, Matthew Khargie, Brandon Dhanraj, Zachary A. Sanichar, Mildred M. Selby, Chabenauth Ramnauth, Theresa Deepan, Yougeeta Singh, Krishna Mahabir, Sashi Singh, Omadevi Singh

Publications and Research

Our ongoing K1-12 NASA-supported STEM activities has served over 5000 children since 2015, largely from groups that are undeserved and underrepresented in the sciences. These STEM activities have been successfully delivered for several years and include earth science, meteorite geology, rocketry, aerodynamics, star gazing, EV3 Mindstorm robotics, basic coding exercises, wind tunnel, 3D-printing, etc., conducted largely through our present MAA (MUREP Aerospace Academy) Project. Corporate funding from the Con Edison and National Grid ensures additional STEM dissemination to the students during the summer operation. Significant positive component of the MAA program is the availability and willingness of the former student …

The Status Of Engineering Geology: Constraints On Infrastructure Development In Bangladesh, Mir Fazlul Karim, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Masud Ahmed, Belal Ahmed Sayeed

Publications and Research

In recent years, megacity Dhaka is known to have one of the fastest urban population growths in Bangladesh. The population in Dhaka and other megacities has increased from 7 to 50 million during the last four decades. The rapid rate of urban population growth, along with the extreme paucity of real-estate for new infrastructure development or upgrading existing facilities, is already exacerbating the situation for the city planners and exerting tremendous pressure to come-up with viable solutions. Although practice of engineering geology, geotechnical exploration, and testing exists in Bangladesh; the system has still yet to adopt controlled quality standards with …