Geology Commons^™

Internal Composition, Structure, And Hydrological Significance Of Rock Glaciers In The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Adam Riffle

All Master's Theses

Low summer river base flow places a strain on natural and economic resources of the Eastern Cascades. A major contributor to stream flow in this region is snow pack which has declined over the past few decades because of a warming climate. In addition, glacial runoff, which contributes significantly to base flow in summer dry periods, will diminish from glacial recession. However, rock glaciers, because their internal ice (i.e., permafrost) is insulated by an outer debris layer, react slowly to climate change, thus acting as sinks for ice and liquid water storage in mountain environments. This study utilized ground penetrating …

Spatial And Temporal Characterization Of The Petrified Springs Fault, Central Walker Lane, Nevada: Documenting Middle Miocene Dextral Slip, Andrew Hoxey

All Master's Theses

The Central Walker Lane, NV is an active dextral shear zone superimposed on the western boundary of the Basin and Range extensional province. Approximately 25% of dextral shear along the Pacific-North American plate boundary accommodated in the Walker Lane, a NW-striking, intracontinental dextral fault system in eastern California- western Nevada. In the Central Walker Lane, shear is accommodated on five major NW- striking faults, one of which is the Petrified Springs fault, with poorly constrained slip magnitudes, slip rates, and initiation ages. We completed new detailed geologic mapping, combined with structural studies, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronology document offset …

Quantifying Crustal Assimilation In Historical To Recent (1329-2005) Lavas At Mt. Etna, Italy: Insights From Thermodynamic Modeling, Marie Takach

All Master's Theses

The nearly continuous volcanic eruption record at Mt. Etna dating back approximately 700 years provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the geochemical evolution of a highly active volcano. Of particular interest is elucidating the cause of a selective enrichment in alkali elements (K, Rb, Cs) and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. This alkali enrichment trend, which began in the 17^th century and accelerated after 1971, was accompanied by an increase in the volume, frequency, and explosivity of eruptions. To explain this enrichment, two major arguments are invoked: (1) crustal contributions (e.g., assimilation of the sedimentary basement), and (2) changes in …

Geomorphic Consequences Of Hydroelectricity And Transportation Development Near Celilo Falls, Lower Mid-Columbia River, Washington, Noah I. Oliver

All Master's Theses

Along the Columbia River, hundreds of miles of transportation infrastructure and over sixty hydroelectric dams have been constructed. This altered a rich cultural landscape with evidence of 10,000 years of continuous occupation. Researchers have attempted to understand the impacts of anthropogenic factors on the Columbia River, focusing on the riverine environment. However, the effect of transportation and hydroelectricity developments to eolian landforms on the floodplains and adjoining slopes have not been studied. Focusing on 2,800 acres near Celilo Falls, this study 1) establishes a baseline condition of eolian landforms from 1805 to 1900; 2) conducts an air photo increment analysis …

Advanced Ion Management To Improve Oil Recovery In Oil-Wet Carbonate-Sandstone Composite Reservoirs, Ali K. Alhuraishawy, Baojun Bai, Mingzhen Wei, Waleed H. Al-Bazzaz

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Waterflooding with different ionic composition called advanced ion management which play a role with ionic composition of injected water to enhance the oil production. In the last decade, many studies pointed out that the composition of injected water could changes rock wettability during waterflooding. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of SO4 and low salinity water on improving oil recovery in oil-wet carbonate reservoirs. Sulfate ion concentration, low salinity water, rock composition, porosity, and permeability were examined using a designed model. Typical seawater, increase SO₄, two and three times in the seawater, and …

3d Seismic Attribute Analysis And Machine Learning For Reservoir Characterization In Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, Aamer Alhakeem

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Kapuni group within the Taranaki Basin in New Zealand is a potential petroleum reservoir. The objective of the study includes building a sequential approach to identify different geological features and facies sequences within the strata, through visualizing the targeted formations by interpreting and correlating the regional geological data, 3D seismic, and well data by following a sequential workflow. First, seismic interpretation is performed targeting the Kapuni group formations, mainly, the Mangahewa C-sand and Kaimiro D-sand. Synthetic seismograms and well ties are conducted for structural maps, horizon slices, isopach, and velocity maps. Well log and morphological analyses are performed for …

Reprocessing Of The 2 Hz P-P Data From The Blackfoot 3c-2d Survey With Special Reference To Multicomponent Seismic Processing, Onur Akturk

Masters Theses

"The 3C-2D multicomponent seismic survey was acquired in the Blackfoot Field, which is located 15 km southeast of Strathmore, Alberta. The 2 Hz vertical component data were reprocessed to better image the target reservoir, the Glauconitic sand formation at approximately 1150 ms. The zone of the major reflector at about 1550 ms was also taken into consideration to determine the better seismic section for further processing. The main characteristics of the converted wave processing, such as common conversion point (CCP), asymptotic binning, gamma ratios, receiver statics, rotation of the data, positive/negative offsets, and anisotropy, were also summarized in this study. …

3d Seismic Imaging Of Submarine Stratovolcanic And Salt Structures Beneath The Taranaki Basin, New Zealand And The Gulf Of Mexico, Ersin Erdem Unkaracalar

Masters Theses

"The relationship of submarine stratovolcanic and salt structures with overlying sediments creates a significant role in the petroleum system due to the emplacement and burial of volcano and salt. This study characterizes the spatial and temporal distribution of structural and stratigraphic features associated with submarine stratovolcano and salt body to provide insights for elements and processes of petroleum geology related to regional tectonics.

The stratovolcanic and salt structures are clearly identified on seismic sections. However, distortion of ray paths passing through the salt and turning seismic waves prevents accurate identification of steep flanks of salt. The seismic response to a …

Application Of Seismic Attributes For 3-D Seismic Visualization Contributed In Structural And Stratigraphic Interpretation Of The Tangahoe And Farewell Formations In The Kupe Field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, Housam Hussein Grabeel

Masters Theses

"Taranaki Basin is a mainly offshore basin covering an area of approximately 100,000 km², elongated across the western margin of New Zealand's north island. However, the modern limit of the basin is extended toward the deep water to cover about 330,000 km². The basin is divided by tectonic activities into northern and southern grabens. The southern region has become the most extensively researched district in recent years as its prime lithology and structural trap distributions provide numerous hydrocarbon fields. One such field is the Kupe Field (256 km²), which lies on a northerly-plunging, reverse-faulted, …

Global Sea-Level Budget 1993-Present, Wcrp Global Sea Level Budget Group, Benjamin Hamlington

CCPO Publications

Global mean sea level is an integral of changes occurring in the climate system in response to unforced climate variability as well as natural and anthropogenic forcing factors. Its temporal evolution allows changes (e.g.,acceleration) to be detected in one or more components. Study of the sea-level budget provides constraints on missing or poorly known contributions, such as the unsurveyed deep ocean or the still uncertain land water component. In the context of the World Climate Research Programme Grand Challenge entitled "Regional Sea Level and Coastal Impacts", an international effort involving the sea-level community worldwide has been recently initiated with the …

Correlation Of Sand Reservoirs Of The Lower Tuscaloosa Formation In The Smithdale And East Fork Fields In Amite County, Mississippi, Alexandra Warren

Honors Theses

The Upper Cretaceous Lower Tuscaloosa Formation has been a major hydrocarbon producer in southwest Mississippi since the 1940s, with discovered oil reserves in the billions of barrels. The mid-Cenomanian unconformity underlying the Lower Tuscaloosa created an extensive network of incised valleys. The transgressive sequences that occurred during the deposition of the Massive and Stringer Sand Members filled the incised valleys with sediments, due to the low accommodation space, and this created a series of stacked channel sand deposits. The Smithdale and East Fork oil fields located in Amite County, Mississippi produce from the Stringer Sand Member of the Lower Tuscaloosa. …

Temporal And Geochemical Signatures In Granitoids Of Northwestern Nevada: Evidence For The Continuity Of The Mesozoic Magmatic Arc Through The Western Great Basin, Kenneth L. Brown, William K. Hart, Richard J. Stuck

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Granitoid magmatism in the Basin and Range Province of northwestern Nevada remains an important gap in our understanding of the along-strike variability of Mesozoic Cordilleran arc systems. We present a comprehensive investigation on a suite of intrusions within the Santa Rosa Range (SRR) and Bloody Run Hills (BRH) of northwestern Nevada. Petrography, whole-rock geochemistry, and zircon U-Pb geochronology indicate two distinct magmatic systems in the SRR: an older, mafic, and metaluminous pulse (Santa Rosa/Andorno [SRA] group—ca. 102–100 Ma) and a younger, felsic, and peraluminous pulse (Granite Peak/Sawtooth [GPS] group—ca. 94–92 Ma). Within the BRH to the south, the Flynn (ca. …

Effect Of A Pre-Existing Lattice Preferred Orientation On The Strength Of Quartzite, Casey Braccia

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Ductile deformation of the middle to lower crust during interseismic periods influences loading of brittle faults in the upper crust. Quartz is a common mineral in the middle to lower continental crust and is thought to significantly affect the strength of this zone. Quartz deformed by dislocation creep produces a crystallographic alignment of quartz grains, or lattice preferred orientation (LPO), because deformation is easier along specific crystallographic planes and directions. However, formation of a LPO may cause the strength of the quartz aggregates to be anisotropic, approaching the properties of a single crystal.

In order to determine the viscous anisotropy …

A Machine Learning Approach To Rendering 3d Stratigraphic Models Of The Hueco Bolson, Western Texas And Northern Mexico, Joel Gerardo Castro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Data visualization is an effective way to analyze large amounts of spatial information to identify correlations, trends, outliers, and patterns. In this Thesis I test the application of supervised machine learning algorithms to render a series of 3D visualizations designed to highlight general traits of the Hueco Bolson, a geologic basin located east of the Franklin Mountains in far west Texas and northern Mexico. A geologic basin is one of the most common inland places where sediments are collected. The geology of basins is of much interest to geophysicists, hydrologists, paleontologists, and oil prospectors. Here the task of 3D geologic …

Linear Dune Morphometrics In Titan’S Belet Sand Sea And A Comparison With The Namib Sand Sea, Corbin Robert Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Despite atmospheric and compositional differences on Titan and Earth, the similarity in the shape and spacing of linear dunes of the Belet Sand Sea of Titan and the Namib Sand Sea of Earth suggests that comparisons will yield a better understanding of the dictating factors of duneforming processes. We present a methodology for the collection of dune width and spacing measurements representative of the Namib and Belet sand seas. 94,304 locations in Belet from Cassini SAR images and 5,563 locations in the Namib from IKONOS images are used for measurements. The average width and spacing of linear dunes in Belet …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 43, 2018, Department Of Geography, Geology, And The Environment

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Continued Monitoring Of The Effects Of Two Dam Removals On The Middle Cuyahoga River Summit County, Ohio, Connor Estes

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In order to improve water quality of the middle Cuyahoga River, the Munroe Falls and Lefever Dams were removed in 2005, and 2013, respectively. These dam removals have provided an opportunity to quantify how rivers respond to dam removal. This thesis research extends eleven years of river morphology monitoring by measuring channel sedimentologic properties of sediment samples as well as geomorphic transects in 2016 and determined the volume of impoundment sediment prior to the removal of the Munroe Falls Dam.

In the three years following the removal of the Munroe Falls Dam, flow energy increased and the sediment in the …

Characterizing Variable Flow Pathways And Geochemical History Of Seepage Under The Mississippi River Levee: 2011, 2015, And 2016 Floods, Kaitlin Marie Voll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seepage beneath levees during flood stage becomes a concern when piping occurs, creating channels beneath the levee and forming sand boils where transported sediments discharge. Along the lower Mississippi River, pathways beneath the levee vary with surface geology, following deeper paths where the levee overlies channel fill deposits, and shallower paths where it overlies sand bar deposits. A preliminary investigation north of Vicksburg, MS, during the 2011 flood, demonstrated the potential for using aqueous geochemistry to differentiate sand boils forming at the end of deep and shallow flow pathways, though the study was limited to cation and trace metal analyses. …

Analyzing The Life-Cycle Of Unstable Slopes Using Applied Remote Sensing Within An Asset Management Framework, El Hachemi Y. Bouali

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

An asset management framework provides a methodology for monitoring and maintaining assets, which include anthropogenic infrastructure (e.g., dams, embankments, and retaining structures) and natural geological features (e.g., soil and rock slopes). It is imperative that these assets operate efficiently, effectively, safely, and at a high standard since many assets are located along transportation corridors (highways, railways, and waterways) and can cause severe damage if compromised. Assets built on or around regions prone to natural hazards are at an increased risk of deterioration and failure. The objective of this study is to utilize remote sensing techniques such as InSAR, LiDAR, and …

Salt Tectonism In The Carolina Trough, Ceren Postaagasi

Theses and Dissertations

The Carolina Trough is a major linear sedimentary basin along the eastern continental margin of North America which formed as a result of tectonic and thermal subsidence during continental rifting in Mesozoic time (Hutchinson et al., 1982). The Carolina Trough is unique along the southeastern U.S. margin where the only known evaporite deposits are found, and this salt basin may reserve large amounts of oil and gas (Carpenter & Amato, 1992). Therefore, analysis of 2D multichannel seismic reflection surveys that were conducted in the Mid-South Atlantic Ocean in 1982 plays an important role in Petroleum industry. In addition, current interpretations …

Vegetation Responses To Sagebrush-Reduction Treatments Measured By Satellites, Aaron N. Johnston, Erik A. Beever, Jerod A. Merkle, Geneva Chong

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Time series of vegetative indices derived from satellite imagery constitute tools to measure ecological effects of natural and management-induced disturbances to ecosystems. Over the past century, sagebrush-reduction treatments have been applied widely throughout western North America to increase herbaceous vegetation for livestock and wildlife. We used indices from satellite imagery to 1) quantify effects of prescribed-fire, herbicide, and mechanical treatments on vegetative cover, productivity, and phenology, and 2) describe how vegetation changed over time following these treatments. We hypothesized that treatments would increase herbaceous cover and accordingly shift phenologies towards those typical of grass-dominated systems. We expected prescribed burns would …

Exotic Invasive Pomacea Maculata (Giant Apple Snail) Will Depredate Eggs Of Frog And Toad Species Of The Southeastern Us, Jacoby Carter, Darren Johnson, Sergio Merino

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Pomacea maculata (Giant Apple Snail) is a freshwater snail from South America that is an invasive species on the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. A sister species has been shown to prey on amphibian eggs in Asia. To test whether the Giant Apple Snail will prey on amphibian eggs, we presented eggs of Lithobates palustris (Pickerel Frog), Lithobates pipiens (Northern Leopard Frog), and Anaxyrus americanus (American Toad) to Giant Apple Snails in a laboratory experiment. Giant Apple Snails ate the eggs of all 3 species.

Evaluating Restored Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, Andrew H. Baldwin, Richard S. Hammerschlag, Donald R. Cahoon

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Tidal freshwater wetlands are recognized as highly productive coastal wetlands that support diverse assemblages of plants and animals and complex biogeochemical cycles (in this book, see Chapter 18 by Whigham et al. and Chapter 19 by Megonigal and Neubauer). Many tidal freshwater wetlands and their associated ecosystem services have been damaged or destroyed by urbanization, agriculture, and other human activities (Baldwin, 2004; Barendregt et al., 2006). Increasing recognition of the value of remaining wetlands and environmental regulations requiring wetland mitigation (i.e., enhancement, creation, or restoration of wetlands to compensate for wetland losses; Kentula, 2000) has driven the restoration of all …

Evaluating The Waterfowl Breeding Population And Habitat Survey For Scaup, Michael L. Schummer, Alan D. Afton, Shannon S. Badzinski, Scott A. Petrie, Glenn H. Olsen, Mark A. Mitchell

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Potential bias in breeding population estimates of certain duck species from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) has been a concern for decades. The WBPHS does not differentiate between lesser (Aythya affinis) and greater (A. marila) scaup, but lesser scaup comprise 89% of the combined scaup population and their population estimates are suspected to be biased. We marked female lesser scaup (i.e., marked scaup) in the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways, Canada and United States, with implantable satellite transmitters to track their spring migration through the traditional and eastern survey areas of the WBPHS, 2005–2010. Our goal was to …

Evaluating The Waterfowl Breeding Population And Habitat Survey For Scaup, Michael L. Schummer, Alan D. Afton, Shannon S. Badzinski, Scott A. Petrie, Glenn H. Olsen, Mark A. Mitchell

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Potential bias in breeding population estimates of certain duck species from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) has been a concern for decades. The WBPHS does not differentiate between lesser (Aythya affinis) and greater (A. marila) scaup, but lesser scaup comprise 89% of the combined scaup population and their population estimates are suspected to be biased. We marked female lesser scaup (i.e., marked scaup) in the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways, Canada and United States, with implantable satellite transmitters to track their spring migration through the traditional and eastern survey areas of the WBPHS, 2005–2010. Our goal was to …

Risks And Hazards Of Rodenticide To Non-Raptor Birds, Nimish B. Vyas

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Incident data can support risk assessments by providing evidence of adverse effects of rodenticides to birds following operational applications. Traditionally, field monitoring for rodenticide incidents has focused primarily on raptors. However, nonraptor birds may also be poisoned (rodenticide exposure resulting in adverse effects including mortality) by rodenticides through consumption of the rodenticide bait and contaminated prey. I conducted a literature search canvassing 12 government and scholarly databases for rodenticide incidents (evidence of exposure to a rodenticide, adverse effects, or exposure to placebo baits) involving non-raptor birds. I used the search terms ‘rodenticide’ and ‘birds’ and from these results, I excluded …

Tuhualite In A Peralkaline Rhyolitic Ignimbrite From Pantelleria, Italy, Boguslaw Baginski, Ray Macdonald, John C. White, Lidia Jezak

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

An occurrence of the rare mineral tuhualite (NaFe3+Fe2+Si6O15) is reported in a peralkaline rhyolitic ignimbrite from the 11 island of Pantelleria, Italy. The mineral formed during devitrification of glassy fiamme and varies in form from anhedral plates to 12 perfect euhedral in open vesicles. There is significant replacement of Fe2+ by Mn (FMQ in the presence of a 14 hydrous fluid.

Spatial Feedback As A Mechanism To Improve Topographic Map Literacy Using The Augmented Reality Sandbox, Justin Wayne Moore

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Topographic maps represent three-dimensional (3D) terrain using a system of two-dimensional (2D) symbols. To facilitate students’ understanding of topographic maps, the Augmented Reality (AR) Sandbox reads the elevation of actual sand and projects elevation information onto the sand’s surface (e.g., contour lines). Although over 600 institutions have built AR Sandboxes to help people interpret topographic maps, classroom studies using the AR Sandbox have not found significant gains on topographic map assessments. The present study is a 22 design testing the affordances of the AR Sandbox in a one on one, laboratory setting. In the first level of the study, participants …

Nevada Desert Dust With Heavy Metals Suppresses Igm Antibody Production, Deborah E. Keil, Brenda J. Buck, Dirk Goossens, Brett Mclaurin, Lacey Murphy, Mallory Leetham-Spencer, Yuanxin Teng, James E. Pollard, Russell Gerads, Jamie C. Dewitt

Geoscience Faculty Research

Systemic health effects from exposure to a complex natural dust containing heavy metals from the Nellis Dunes Recreation Area (NDRA) near Las Vegas, NV, were evaluated. Several toxicological parameters were examined following lung exposure to emissive dust from three geologic sediment types heavily used for recreational off-road activities: yellow sand very rich in arsenic (termed CBN 5); a shallow cover of loose dune sand overlying a gravelly subsoil bordering dune fields (termed CBN 6); and brown claystone and siltstone (termed CBN 7). Adult female B6C3F1 mice were exposed by oropharyngeal administration to these three types of geogenic dusts at 0.01–100 …

Insights Into The Proterozoic To Cretaceous Evolution Of The Western Clearwater Metamorphic Core Complex, Northern Idaho, Through Petrologic And Geochronologic Analysis, Nora Dwyer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Clearwater metamorphic core complex (CMCC) in northern Idaho contains a rare exposure of the contact of the basal section of the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup with underlying Paleoproterozoic basement. Prior to this study, this contact had not been well documented. In addition, the rocks within the CMCC preserve a complex history of metamorphism, including both Mesoproterozoic and Cretaceous-Eocene regional events. Detrital zircon analysis of five coarsely recrystallized, clean quartzite samples at this contact reveal a bimodal age distribution with peaks at around 1800 - 1900 Ma and 2650 Ma. Several grains are younger than 1700 Ma, with the youngest being …