Geology Commons^™

An Integrated Structural Analysis On Seismic Of A Paleo Mound Development (Woolsey Mound, Northern Gulf Of Mexico), Ricardo Tomas Troco Kabila

Theses and Dissertations

Woolsey Mound is ~1 km diameter thermogenic gas hydrate and cold seep (GHCS) complex system. It is located at ~900 m water depth in the Mississippi Canyon Lease Block 118 (MC–118) on the upper continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Due to its complex geology, widespread hydrate seepage activity and presence of benthic habitat, the mound serves as a permanent research site for a multidisciplinary seafloor observatory, thus providing insights into the dynamics of shallow fluid expulsion, their spatial and time variations and possible geological forcing mechanisms.

This study utilizes a set of high resolution 2D autonomous …

Ecohydrology And Groundwater Dynamics In A Salt Marsh Island, Andrea L. H. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

Tidal salt marshes are extraordinarily productive and valuable ecosystems that provide via groundwater a not insignificant portion of coastal solute and nutrient budgets. Among the many goods and services they provide are habitat for diverse wildlife, protection for coastal communities during storms, and protection for coastal surface waters by filtering anthropogenic pollutants. One threat to the health of tidal salt marshes along the East Coast have been episodes of Acute Marsh Dieback (AMD) from 1999 to 2001. Dieback was observed at North Inlet salt marsh from 2000 to 2001. Since salt marsh hydrology is dominated by the local tidal regime, …

An Association Between A Cusk Eel (Bassozetus Sp.) And A Black Coral (Schizopathes Sp.) In The Deep Western Indian Ocean, Andrew R. Gates, Kirsty J. Morris, Daniel O. Jones, Kenneth J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Detailed observations in the deep sea can reveal previously unknown behaviour, species interactions and fine-scale habitat heterogeneity. Here, the first in situ images of the black coral Schizopathes sp. (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) in the deep western Indian Ocean have been obtained from remotely operated vehicle video footage and time-lapse photography. In these images, there appears to be an association with the cusk eel Bassozetus (Family: Ophidiidae). In the primary observation, chance encounters revealed the fish interacted with the anitpatharian on multiple occasions over several days. Subsequent time-lapse camera footage showed the fish remained almost exclusively underneath the antipatharian for the duration …

Mineralogical Transformations And Soil Development In Shale Across A Latitudinal Climosequence, Ashlee L.D. Dere, Timothy S. White, Richard H. April, Susan L. Brantley

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

To investigate factors controlling soil formation, we established a climosequence as part of the Susquehanna-Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) in central Pennsylvania, USA. Sites were located on organic matter-poor, iron-rich Silurian-aged shale in Wales, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Puerto Rico, although this last site is underlain by a younger shale. Across the climosequence, mean annual temperature (MAT) increases from 7 to 24°C and mean annual precipitation (MAP) ranges from 100 to 250 cm. Variations in soil characteristics along the climosequence, including depth, morphology, particle-size distribution, geochemistry, and bulk and clay mineralogy, were characterized to investigate the role of …

A Spatio-Temporal Comparison Of Avian Migration Phenology Using Citizen Science Data, Ali Arab, Jason R. Courter, Jessica Zelt

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The effects of climate change have wide-ranging impacts on wildlife species and recent studies indicate that birds’ spring arrival dates are advancing in response to changes in global climates. In this paper, we propose a spatio-temporal approach for comparing avian first arrival data for multiple species. As an example, we analyze spring arrival data for two long-distance migrants (Rubythroated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris; and Purple Martin Progne subis) in eastern North America from 2001–2010 using Citizen Science data. The proposed approach provides researchers with a tool to compare mean arrival dates while accounting for spatial and temporal variability. Our results show …

Optimizing Methods For Extraction Of Organic Compounds From Molluscan Shells, Kaydee Jo West

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mollusk shells contain proteins within and between the crystals of calcium carbonate. These organic molecules play an important role in biomineralization and shell function, and their stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen are also thought to record important ecological information about the animal's diet and nutrient sources. These proteins can be preserved for millions of years, offering potential insight into pre-anthropogenic ecological conditions. However, shell organics in older shells are typically recovered in reduced abundances due to leaching and remaining organics are often converted from insoluble proteins to soluble, free amino acids, making them difficult to detect and recover. …

Modeling The Sediment Fill Of The Upper Troy Pre-Glacial Bedrock Valley, Mchenry County, Illinois, Usa, Jodi Lau, Jason F. Thomason, David H. Malone, Eric W. Peterson

Faculty Publications - Geography, Geology, and the Environment

The Troy Bedrock Valley (TBV) and its tributary valleys are the principal pre-glacial drainage in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, USA. This study focused on the headwaters of a tributary that occurs in McHenry County, IL. Drilling, geophysical surveys, and the analysis of existing geologic and water well data were used to determine the lithologic and geometric characteristics of the sediments that fill the paleovalley. A 3D geologic model of these sediments was then developed in Petrel. More than 65 m of Quaternary sediments filled the paleovalley. The model domain covers approximately 30 km2. The valley drains to the west …

Trajectory Analysis Of Black Carbon In The Arctic Region, Kimberly Gottschalk

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Black carbon (BC) is a troubling particulate. Commonly known as soot, BC forms through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass. It has a very low albedo compared to natural particulates making it a very efficient absorber of solar radiation. As BC is deposited on snow and ice, albedo is decreased - enhancing solar heating and increasing meltwater production. With rising air temperatures, melting rates of polar ice are increasing and are being enhanced by BC, leading to accelerated global sea level rise.

This study aimed to document sources and deposition areas of BC in the Arctic. Utilizing …

Concentration Trends For Lead And Calcium-Normalized Lead In Fish Fillets From The Big River, A Mining-Contaminated Stream In Southeastern Missouri Usa, Christopher J. Schmitt, Michael J. Mckee

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Lead (Pb) and calcium (Ca) concentrations were measured in fillet samples of longear sunfish (Lepomis megalotis) and redhorse suckers (Moxostoma spp.) collected in 2005–2012 from the Big River, which drains a historical mining area in southeastern Missouri and where a consumption advisory is in effect due to elevated Pb concentrations in fish. Lead tends to accumulated in Ca-rich tissues such as bone and scale. Concentrations of Pb in fish muscle are typically low, but can become elevated in fillets from Pb-contaminated sites depending in part on how much bone, scale, and skin is included in the sample. We used analysis-of-covariance …

Pollutants And Foraminiferal Assemblages In Torrecillas Lagoon: An Environmental Micropaleontology Approach, Michael Martinez-Colon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Torrecillas Lagoon in the North Coast of Puerto Rico has experienced extensive anthropogenic influence over the past 400 years. Elevated concentrations of Potential Toxic Elements (PTEs) have been reported in surficial sediments. The main goal of this dissertation was to implement in Puerto Rico the use of benthic foraminifers as a bioindicators of PTEs and to compare the impact of Cu(II) on field samples with results of experimental work using cultures.

Analyses included geochemical assessment for bulk and carbonate- soluble bioavailable concentrations of PTEs in surface, core and pore-water samples, as well as analyses of grain-size, Percent Total Organic Carbon …

Alumni Narratives On Computational Geology (Spring 1997 – Fall 2013), Victor J. Ricchezza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent meetings and publications have discussed what geoscience undergraduates should learn for professional success, and among other items, have identified several quantitative skills and habits of mind as being necessary for geoscience students; many of these items are commonly associated with Quantitative Literacy (QL). The Computational Geology course in the geology department has been evolving at USF for 20 years. The course teaches QL in a geologic setting independent of specific core geology topics. This course has long preceded the national acknowledgment of the need for what it teaches within the field. As the first of a series of related …

Shell Bluff – A Fossiliferous Ridge, The Site Of The Extinct Oyster Crassostrea Gigantissima And History Of Its Identification, Elliott O. Edwards Jr.

Georgia Journal of Science

Shell Bluff is described by geologists as stratigraphically one of the most important exposures in the Georgia Coastal Plain because the bluff is home to the large oyster, Crassostrea gigantissima, now extinct. Native Americans inhabited this area prior to Hernando DeSoto and his men who visited the area in 1540. They were probably the first Europeans to visit Shell Bluff. John and son William Bartram visited the bluff in 1764 and John described the bluff in his journal and the existence of large oysters. The British naturalist, John Finch, described a fossil oyster taken from the site in 1824 as …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of The Bixler House

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: AlBashaireh, Amineh; Jimerson, Cole; Luna, Eduardo; Wiesenberg, Nicholas; Wiles, Greg

The Terroir Of Pinot Noir Wine In The Willamette Valley, Oregon : A Broad Analysis Of Vineyard Soils, Grape Juice And Wine Chemistry, Kathryn Nora Barnard

Dissertations and Theses

Terroir is determined by a combination of factors in the vineyard including the grape varietal, geology and soil, soil hydrology, physiography, and climate. Although most studies have examined regional differences in wine flavors and associated provenance of wine based on chemistry, few have examined the chemistry of the soil and the ability to trace that chemistry to grape juice and, finally, to the wine. This dissertation examines what soil physical and chemical differences specific to this region might influence grape juice chemistry and wine chemistry.

Wine-grapes in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, are grown on three major soil parent materials: volcanic, …

Structure And Geochronology Of The White Fork Pluton, Southern Sierra Nevada, Ian Richard Mahaffey

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The Sierra Nevada batholith represents an archetypal continental arc, although the style of deformation throughout the history of the arc is only poorly understood, in part due to the voluminous nature of Late Cretaceous magmatism that has overprinted earlier structures. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of pre-Late Cretaceous deformation in the Sierra Nevada batholith through a structural and geochronological study of the Jurassic White Fork pluton. A Jurassic age for the White Fork pluton is indicated by its inclusion of numerous 148 Ma Independence dikes, and geochronology on the White Fork pluton is limited …

Quartz Crystal Preferred Orientation And Recrystallization Patterns From Naturally Deformed Rocks Under Constriction, Riley Quine

Materials Engineering

This study analyzes crystal preferred orientation (CPO) patterns within constrictional quartz-rich gneisses. Quartz deformation and CPO patterns are an area of interest because quartz is one of the most prevalent minerals in earth's crust. Understanding the typical way that quartz crystals reorient under different states of strain can provide geologists with an additional tool for understanding paleo-strain. Temperature and strain geometry are two dominant factors that control the orientation of quartz crystals within a rock. Temperature determines which slip planes are active and slip planes typically reorient so that they are perpendicular to maximum stress. Previous workers have suggested that …

Contrasting Sediment Melt And Fluid Signatures For Magma Components In The Aeolian Arc: Implications For Numerical Modeling Of Subduction Systems, Denis Zamboni, Esteban Gazel, Jeffrey G. Ryan, Claudia Cannatelli, Federico Lucchi, Zachary D. Atlas, Jarek Trela, Sarah E. Mazza, Benedetto De Vivo

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

The complex geodynamic evolution of Aeolian Arc in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea resulted in melts with some of the most pronounced along the arc geochemical variation in incompatible trace elements and radiogenic isotopes worldwide, likely reflecting variations in arc magma source components. Here we elucidate the effects of subducted components on magma sources along different sections of the Aeolian Arc by evaluating systematics of elements depleted in the upper mantle but enriched in the subducting slab, focusing on a new set of B, Be, As, and Li measurements. Based on our new results, we suggest that both hydrous fluids and …

Shear Wave Splitting Analyses In Tian Shan: Geodynamic Implications Of Complex Seismic Anisotropy, Solomon G. Cherie, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu, Ahmed A. Elsheikh, Fansheng Kong, Cory A. Reed, Bin B. Yang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Tian Shan is a tectonically complex intracontinental orogenic belt situated between the Tarim Basin and the Kazakh Shield. The vast majority of the previous shear wave splitting (SWS) measurements were presented as station averages, which are only valid when the anisotropy structure can be approximated by a single layer of anisotropy with a horizontal axis of symmetry, i.e., a model of simple anisotropy. A variety of anisotropy-forming hypotheses have been proposed based on the station-averaged measurements. In this study, we measure the splitting parameters at 25 stations that recorded high-quality data from a wide back azimuthal range for the …

The Growth And Ecology Of Upper Cambrian Microbialite Biostromes From The Notch Peak Formation In Utah, Ken P. Coulson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Exposure of carbonate rocks within the uplifted mountains of southwestern Utah presents a unique opportunity to study the growth, morphology and ecology of two upper Cambrian microbialite reefs located within the Hellnmaria Member of the Notch Peak Formation. The first reef contains meter-length, strongly elongate microbialites that grew in a deep, subtidal marine environment. These elongate microbialites formed as a result of coalescence of round ‘algal’ heads, a process known to produce compound microbialite structures in shallow water, but seldom explored as a key factor in the elongation of deep, subtidal forms that grew in ancient environments. The second reef …

The Influence Of The Great Falls Tectonic Zone On The Thrust Sheet Geometry Of The Southern Sawtooth Range, Montana, Usa, Caroline M. Burberry, J. M. Palu

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The reactivation potential of pre-existing deep-seated structures influences deformation structures produced in subsequent compression. This contribution investigates thrust geometries produced in surface thrust sheets of the Sawtooth Range, Montana, USA, deforming over a previously faulted sedimentary section. Surface thrust fault patterns were picked using existing maps and remote sensing. Thrust location and regional transport direction was also verified in the field. These observations were used to design a series of analogue models, involving deformation of a brittle cover sequence over a lower section with varying numbers of vertical faults. A final model tested the effect of decoupling the upper cover …

Designing An Instructional Publication On The Geology Of Capitol Reef National Park, Kinsey Gayle Spiel

Theses and Dissertations

The wide variety of strata, structural features, and landscapes of Capitol Reef National Park result from its complex, yet discoverable history. Our task was to write and design an informative book on this complexity while making it engaging for the public. We approached the design of this book using Stufflebeam's (2007) CIPP model. The CIPP model uses both summative and formative evaluations in the categories of context, input, process, and product. It provides the framework to methodically investigate the value of a product and identify and correct less effective pedagogical and design elements during its development. We demonstrated the use …

Bathymetric Survey For Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo, Hispaniola, Michael Piasecki, Mahrokh Moknatian, Fred Moshary, Joseph Cleto, Yolanda Leon, Jorge Gonzalez, Daniel Comarazamy

Publications and Research

The two largest lakes on the Caribbean Island of Hispaniola, Lake Azuei in Haiti and Lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic, have experienced dramatic growth and surface area expansion over the past few years leading to severe flooding and loss of arable land around the lake perimeters. In order to better understand the reasons for this unprecedented rate of expansion and the resulting consequences a multi-disciplinary team comprised of researchers from Haiti, the DR, and the US have embarked on an extensive data collecting and hydrologic and climatological modeling campaign. While the sensor deployment entails stations that measure climatological data …

Sedimentology Of Kingston Peak Formation Kp1 Beds In Beck Canyon Region, Kingston Range, California, Dominic Joel Ombati

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Neoproterozoic Kingston Peak Formation (KPF) is known for its diamictites interpreted as of glacial origin. The KPF overlies the Beck Spring Dolomite (BSD) that contains microfossils and microbialites. This study aims to test correlation between outcrops and understand the abrupt change from BSD to KPF. It focuses on the basal 4 meters of the KP1 subunit of the KPF as it appears in the Beck Canyon region, Kingston Range, California. We describe and correlate sedimentary rocks at and immediately overlying the contact and analyze the sedimentary structures, textures and sequences. We have found only three sites in the northern …

Spatial Trends And Facies Distribution Of The High-Energy Alluvial Cutler Formation, Southeastern Utah, Isaac John Allred

Theses and Dissertations

The Cutler Formation is composed of thick, arkosic, alluvial conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone shed southwestward from the Uncompahgre Uplift into the Paradox Basin. More basin-ward the Cutler is recognized as a group consisting of differentiable formations. Discrete formations historically have not been distinguished near the uplift, but this study identified several separate successions in the Richardson Amphitheater. Research at the Richardson Amphitheater, ~12 km southwest of the uplift and ~30 km northeast of Moab, Utah, led to a systematic subdivision of the Permian Cutler Formation proximal to the uplift. Likely driven by channel cutting and migration across the alluvial fan, …

Geochemistry Of The Fluorine- And Beryllium-Rich Spor Mountain Rhyolite, Western Utah, Shane Robert Dailey

Theses and Dissertations

The Miocene rhyolites of the Spor Mountain Formation hosts the world's largest beryllium deposit which produced 85% of the world's beryllium in 2010. The fresh lava is extremely enriched in Be (up to 75 ppm in matrix glass). We have examined the rhyolite to understand the Be enrichment. The Spor Mountain rhyolite contains ~40% quartz, ~40% sanidine, ~10% biotite, and ~10% plagioclase, along with accessory fluorite, columbite, euxenite, fergusonite, monazite, thorite, and zircon. Two types of rhyolite erupted within the Spor Mountain Formation, a less evolved magma (1150 ppm Rb, 42 ppm Be, 0.68 wt% F in matrix glass) and …

Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of The Middle Jurassic Preuss Sandstonein Northern Utah And Eastern Idaho, Preston Scott Cook

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Middle Jurassic Preuss Sandstone and re-evaluate past sedimentological interpretations. The Preuss is located in northern Utah, western Wyoming and eastern Idaho and is stratigraphically equivalent to the Entrada Sandstone, which is Callovian in age (Dossett et al., 2014). This study is the first attempt at 1) a sequence stratigraphic framework, 2) a petroleum system analysis and 3) an extraterrestrial analog study for the Preuss. This study frames the Preuss within three broad facies groups: marine, coastal and terrestrial. The marine group includes the open marine and …

In-Air Hearing Of A Diving Duck: A Comparison Of Psychoacoustic And Auditory Brainstem Response Thresholds, Sara E. Crowell, Alicia M. Wells-Berlin, Ronald E. Therrien, Sally E. Yannuzzi, Catherine E. Carr

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Auditory sensitivity was measured in a species of diving duck that is not often kept in captivity, the lesser scaup. Behavioral (psychoacoustics) and electrophysiological [the auditory brainstem response (ABR)] methods were used to measure in-air auditory sensitivity, and the resulting audiograms were compared. Both approaches yielded audiograms with similar U-shapes and regions of greatest sensitivity (2000-3000 Hz). However, ABR thresholds were higher than psychoacoustic thresholds at all frequencies. This difference was least at the highest frequency tested using both methods (5700 Hz) and greatest at 1000 Hz, where the ABR threshold was 26.8 dB higher than the behavioral measure of …

Channel Flow Studies Using Driftwood Density Analysis In Elger Bay, Camano Island, Wa, Rebeca Becerra, Jasmine Bates, Clairissa De La Vergne

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Previous studies on Elger Bay, Camano Island, WA hypothesized that the bay has been emptying of stored driftwood since the 1970's. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a research project using a combination of field data and historical imagery analysis with Google Earth and ArcGIS to mathematically compare the density of driftwood. Changes in driftwood area may indicate changes in sea level rise, bay subsidence, and/or anthropogenic activity. We found that the maximum driftwood extent was actually closer to the 1950's than the 1970's. In addition to overall extent we investigated the overall channel flow along Elger Bay by analyzing …

The Spatial Distribution And Origins Of Sandstone Monoliths In The Swauk Watershed, Kittitas County, Wa, Rebeca Becerra, Daniel O'Dell

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Large groups of gigantic sandstone and conglomerate monoliths populate the Swauk Watershed of northern Kittitas County. These monoliths rest on side slopes in the watershed and distinctively project from their surroundings. The origins of these features are unknown. We studied these monoliths in the field by mapping their spatial distribution, describing their morphology and composition, and measuring their orientation and sizes in order to determine their origins. We used Google Earth and topographic maps to locate the monoliths and map their distribution. Interpretations were based from field work data and past research. Our field results show commonalities between the features …

Cone In Cone Concretions Of The Stanley Group In Southeastern Oklahoma, Kyle B. Ayres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cone in cone concretions found in the Stanley Group of Southeastern Oklahoma have a variety of external and internal attributes which allow diagenetic and theoretical models of formation to be hypothesized. Stanley Group carbonate cone in cone concretions are initially formed in sulfur reducing horizons at shallow burial depths in a poorly circulated possibly deep trough containing siliceous sediments and organic matter. Collected concretions near the town of Smithville, Oklahoma displayed four different external morphologies and four variations of mineral constituents. All concretions contained microscopic cones which initiated diffusion and/or fluid patterns and is an early cementation process that directly …