Geology Commons^™

Examining Student Severe Weather Behavior During A Hypothetical Tornado Scenario, C Martin Leavitt

Theses

No abstract provided.

Brownfield Action: Dissemination Of A Sencer Model Curriculum And The Creation Of A Collaborative Stem Education Network, Peter Bower, Ryan Kelsey, Joseph Liddicoat, Doug M. Thompson, Angelo Lampousis, Bret Bennington, Bess Greenbaum Seewald, Arthur D. Kney, Saugata Datta, Lawrence D. Lemke, Briane Sorice Miccio, Tamara Graham

Publications and Research

Brownfield Action (BA) is a web-based environmental site assessment (ESA) simulation in which students form geotechnical consulting companies and work together to solve problems in environmental forensics. Developed at Barnard College with the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning, BA has been disseminated to ten colleges, universities, and high schools, resulting in a collaborative network of educators. The experiences of current users are presented describing how they have incorporated the BA curriculum into their courses, as well as how BA affected teaching and learning. The experiences demonstrate that BA can be used in whole or in part, is …

Determining Hillslope Diffusion Rates In A Boreal Forest: Quaternary Fluvial Terraces In The Nenana River Valley, Central Alaska Range, Laurel Anne Walker

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The subarctic boreal forest biome is predicted to experience higher magnitudes of warming than other biomes due to climate change. The effects of this warming will be pronounced in areas underlain by discontinuous permafrost where melting permafrost and distinct changes in vegetation patterns are expected. To better understand rates of hillslope diffusion in the boreal forest I have used a geomorphic process modeling approach, using data from a sequence of Quaternary fluvial terraces located in the Nenana River valley of central Alaska. I hypothesized that diffusion rates here would be slower when compared to the mid-latitudes, and faster on north …

Holocene Sedimentary Responses To Growth Faulting In A Back-Barrier Setting: East Matagorda Peninsula, Texas, Phillip Wolfe

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The structural framework of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastal zone is characterized by numerous growth fault systems. Neotectonic processes in coastal marshes in this region have been shown to be important drivers of relative sea-level rise as well as having significant influence on marsh accretion processes. One active growth fault has been identified at East Matagorda Peninsula, Texas. To characterize the Holocene behavior of this fault and the consequent sedimentary responses, a suite of fallout radionuclides (⁷Be, ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb) and radiocarbon, supplemented by sediment physical property data have been used to determine sediment mixing depths, …

A Petrographic Characterization Of The Leatherwood Coal Bed In Eastern Kentucky, Michelle N. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Eastern Kentucky Coal Field is located in the central portion of the Appalachian Basin. The Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation in this region is characterized by numerous sequences of bituminous coal-bearing sedimentary rocks. These coals have distinct maceral compositions due to variations in depositional environments. Coal characterization is an important method for determining conditions that influenced peat accumulation and overall depositional settings of mires.

This study focuses on the characterization of the maceral composition of the Middle Pennsylvanian-age Leatherwood coal bed. It utilizes petrographical, palynological, and geochemical analyses to describe specific depositional environments and associated peat accumulation conditions.

Petrographic analyses indicate …

Age Of The Walden Creek Group, Western Blue Ridge Province: Resolving A Decades-Old Controversy Via Detrital Mineral Geochronology And Sedimentary Provenance Analysis, Evan A. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Originally mapped as Precambrian and uppermost Ocoee Supergroup (OS), recent discoveries of Paleozoic microfossils have placed the Walden Creek Group (WCG), eastern Tennessee, into a younger depositional framework (Silurian or younger). In this study, monazite geochronology using SIMs, detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology determined by LA-ICP-MS, feldspar compositions determined by microprobe, zircon-tourmaline-rutile (ZTR) indices, and framework mineral modes were used to characterize provenance of sandstones of the WCG. Monazite ages cluster at 450 and 1050 Ma. All Ordovician ages are from grains that, in BSE images, have inclusion-rich microtextures interpreted as diagenetic and/or metamorphic, thus requiring that the WCG was deposited …

The Nature And Origin Of Cyclicity In The Cleveland Member Of The Ohio Shale (Upper Devonian), Northeastern Kentucky, U.S.A., Alice C. O'Bryan

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Cleveland Shale displays a characteristic and distinctive pattern of promontories and recessed intervals on weathered outcrops, which appears to represent cyclicity. This weathering pattern can be observed in other shales, both within and outside the Appalachian Basin; so determining the nature of these cycles may be critical for understanding the origin of, not only the Cleveland Shale, but also of black shales in general. Cyclicity in the Cleveland was examined on a decimeter-to-meter scale using lithologic characterization, gamma-ray stratigraphy and x-ray fluorescence, and on a millimeter-to-centimeter scale using organic petrography. Lithologic characterization and gamma-ray stratigraphy revealed Milankovitch-band fourth- and …

Paleoseismic And Structural Characterization Of The Hines Creek Fault: Denali National Park And Preserve, Alaska, Sara E. Federschmidt

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Hines Creek fault (HCF) is a Holocene-active fault in central Alaska. Its trace has been mapped several times, but data on the history of fault displacement is scarce. As a major crustal-scale geologic boundary with uncertain Quaternary tectonic activity, it is a priority for more to be known about the activity of this fault to better understand the hazards it presents to the Denali National Park and Preserve and Alaskan infrastructure. This study characterizes the late Quaternary activity of the HCF through surficial geologic mapping and paleoseismic investigations. Mapping revealed a very steep (~84°-88° apparent dip), north dipping fault …

Instrument Correction And Dynamic Site Profile Validation At The Central United States Seismic Observatory, New Madrid Seismic Zone, Clayton M.J. Brengman

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Central United States Seismic Observatory (CUSSO), is a fifteen-element array of three-component accelerometers and seismometers in the New Madrid seismic zone, within the upper Mississippi embayment. Its location within the thick (up to 1 km) sequences of unlithified sediment comprising the embayment, make CUSSO a unique array in its ability to directly measure seismic wave propagation, including ground motion site effect; however, before the observational data can be used for analysis, the orientation and instrument response of the CUSSO array must be defined. This study used cross-correlation and direct comparisons to filter out the instrument response and determine the …

Application Of The Kalman Filter On Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry Data Around The Vinton Salt Dome, Louisiana, Mahnaz Sepehrmanesh

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Full tensor gravity (FTG) data are known for their high resolution but also for higher noise in its components due to the dynamic nature of the platform used for data acquisition. Although a review of the literature suggests steady increase in the success of gravity gradiometry, we still cannot take advantage of the full potential of the method, mostly because of the noise with the same amplitude and wavenumber characteristics as the signal that affects these data. Smoothing from common low pass filters removes small wavelength features and makes it difficult to detect structural features and other density variations of …

Geology Of The West Half Of The Cove Creek Gap Quadrangle And Adjacent Areas, Western North Carolina: Insights Into Eastern Great Smoky Mountains Tectonometamorphism, Daniel F. Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Three outstanding problems related to the tectonic evolution of the Western Blue Ridge in the eastern Great Smoky Mtns. (GSM) include: (1) the nature of the Greenbrier Fault, previously interpreted as a younger over older pre-Taconic thrust fault with ~24 km of displacement between the Snowbird and Great Smoky Groups; (2) the relationship of regional metamorphism, expressed by the growth of porphyroblastic index minerals, to folding and foliation development in pelitic metasediments; (3) the relation of deformation to regional Taconian metamorphism. These problems were addressed in previous studies that did not have detailed mapping and petrography as a context. By …

From Geology To Art History: Ceramist Alexandre Brongniart’S Overlooked Contribution To The Developing Science Of Art History In The Early Nineteenth Century, Julia A. Carr-Trebelhorn

Theses and Dissertations--Art and Visual Studies

Alexandre Brongniart was known for his work as an important geologist and as an administrator at the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, but his roles as art historian and museologist are overlooked. Brongniart created a holistic methodology taken directly from science and applied it to ceramic art of all cultures and eras. He had a uniquely modern perspective on time, world culture, and archeology. Brongniart wrote about the art of Asia and the Americas on an equal status with that of the Classical West at least fifty years before it became a mainstream idea. Brongniart integrated scientific principle and practice into the …

Reconstruction Of The Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) Palaeotopography In The Upper Yangtze Region, Linna Zhang, Junxuan Fan, Qing Chen, Shuang-Ye Wu

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Reconstruction of the Hirnantian (Late Ordovician) palaeotopography in South China is important for understanding the distribution pattern of the Hirnantian marine depositional environment. In this study, we reconstructed the Hirnantian palaeotopography in the Upper Yangtze region based on the rankings of the palaeo-water depths, which were inferred according to the lithofacies and biofacies characteristics of the sections. Data from 374 Hirnantian sections were collected and standardized through the online Geobiodiversity Database. The Ordinary Kriging interpolation method in the ArcGIS software was applied to create the continuous surface of the palaeo-water depths, i.e. the Hirnantian palaeotopography. Meanwhile, the line transect analysis …

Exploring The Hydrogeologic Controls On Brackish Water And Its Suitability For Use In Hydraulic Fracturing: The Dockum Aquifer, Midland Basin, Texas, Francisco Ruben Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Water scarcity in arid regions can limit or impede certain hydrocarbon production activities, such as hydraulic fracturing and well drilling. The Midland Basin, a major oil-producing area in semi-arid far west Texas and the eastern sub-basin of the Permian Basin, is already impacted by limited freshwater availability. A typical tight oil well in the Midland Basin requires ~3.8–11.4 × 103 m3 of water per fracture treatment (Nicot et al., 2012). Despite draught conditions and limited resources, data for 2011 indicate freshwater comprises ~70% of the water used in hydraulic fracturing in the Midland basin. Thus, the Midland Basin represents an …

Geodesy- And Geology-Based Slip-Rate Models For The Western United States (Excluding California) National Seismic Hazard Maps, Mark D. Petersen, Yuehua Zeng, Kathleen M. Haller, Robert Mccaffrey, William C. Hammond, Peter Bird, Morgan Moschetti, Zheng-Kang Shen, Jayne Bormann, Wayne R. Thatcher

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The 2014 National Seismic Hazard Maps for the conterminous United States incorporate additional uncertainty in fault slip-rate parameter that controls the earthquake-activity rates than was applied in previous versions of the hazard maps. This additional uncertainty is accounted for by new geodesy- and geology-based slip-rate models for the Western United States. Models that were considered include an updated geologic model based on expert opinion and four combined inversion models informed by both geologic and geodetic input. The two block models considered indicate significantly higher slip rates than the expert opinion and the two fault-based combined inversion models. For the hazard …

Calcite Dissolution Under Turbulent Flow Conditions: A Remaining Conundrum, Matthew D. Covington

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

A significant body of experimental and theoretical work has examined the dissolution rates of calcite, and other carbonate minerals, under varying chemical and hydrodynamic conditions (see Morse & Arvidson (2002) for a comprehensive review). The relationships derived from this work have been applied extensively to the development of mechanistic models of speleogenesis (e.g. Dreybrodt 1996; Dreybrodt et al. 2005; Birk et al. 2005; Rehrl et al. 2008; Kaufmann 2009; Szymczak & Ladd 2011). However, the primary focus of these models has been on the early stages of cave formation, with less attention toward the later stages of cave evolution and …

Elemental Chemostratigraphy Of The Three Forks Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota, Brian R. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

The Three Forks Formation of the Williston Basin in northwestern North Dakota is an Upper Devonian stratigraphic unit unconformably overlain by the Bakken Formation. It consists principally of dolostone, shale and anhydrite. The Three Forks is a productive tight oil resource play, which in recent years has been increasingly targeted and developed as part of the unconventional Bakken Petroleum System. Core analysis via energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) is a non-destructive, high-resolution chemostratigraphic data collection method that has been used here to produce concentration logs which reflect both lithologic heterogeneity and paleoredox conditions for the Three Forks Formation. These geochemical …

The Depositional Environment And Diagenetic Effects On Sand Bodies Within The Unconventional Resource Play Of The Spearfish Formation (Triassic) In North Central North Dakota, Matthew J. Sebade

Theses and Dissertations

The Triassic Spearfish Formation in North Dakota is comprised of three members, the Belfield, Pine, and Saude Members, in ascending order. This study focuses on the Saude Member in north-central North Dakota on the eastern margin of the Williston basin. Both the upper and lower contacts of the Spearfish in the study area are unconformable. In this region, the lateral distribution of red sandstone and argillaceous siltstone lithofacies were mapped using well log data. Four sandstone bodies were identified then mapped across the region using gamma ray logs. Sandstone bodies in descending order are the A sand, B sand, water …

How Unusual Is Tropical Storm Irene? A Case Study Of Storm Deposition In Littleville Lake, Huntington, Ma, Catherine Dunn

Honors Papers

Tropical Storm Irene hit the northeastern United States in August 2011 with impressive rates of precipitation and river discharge. However, it was the combination of this heavy rain with high antecedent soil moisture that made Irene so unusual. The Connecticut River had a particularly high sediment yield after the storm, with a sediment concentration over 1,000 mg/L at the mouth of the river. Littleville Lake on the Westfield River was selected as a study site because of its flood control feature, which allows for the calculation of trapping efficiency in dammed rivers. Coring in the lake showed that there was …

Full Of Hot Air: Heat Flow At The Medicine Lake Volcano Hot Spot, Modoc County, California, Katrina D. Gelwick

Honors Papers

Changes in volcanic hydrothermal systems can shed light on the physical processes associated with volcanic unrest such as changes in an underlying magma body. The U.S. Geological Survey recently implemented an experimental hydrothermal monitoring network throughout the Cascade volcanic arc. Despite being ranked as the 12th highest threat among all Cascade volcanoes, Medicine Lake Volcano in northeastern California is considered under-monitored. The primary hydrothermal-monitoring site at Medicine Lake Volcano is a weak fumarole contained within a small area of heated ground, called the Hot Spot, located near the caldera rim. This study uses data from a survey conducted in August …

The Effect Of Rainfall And Post-Revolutionary Land-Use Changes On Sediment Yield In Weixi Basin, Yunnan, China : New Insights From Multi-Temporal Land-Use Classification And Radionuclide Analyses, Yue Qiu

Honors Papers

This paper looks at the dynamic interphase connecting post-revolutionary politics, modern land use practices, precipitation patterns, basin slope, and sediment yield records in Weixi basin, a small mountainous watershed in Southwestern China with a total upstream area of 198 m2. The goal is to identify what processes, climatic or not, account for the changes in local sediment yield and erosion budget. Weixi basin has an average annual sediment yield of 175 ton/km2 with two anomalously large peaks in 1979 and 1984. Precipitation is moderately correlated with sediment yield at interannual scale. It also affects seasonal fluctuations in sediment yield as …

Eclogites And Eclogites: Oxygen Isotope Evidence Of A Shared Subduction Origin For Franciscan Eclogites And Moses Rock Eclogite Xenoliths, William F. Hoover

Honors Papers

Eclogites can be found in two distinct tectonic settings in the western USA: in the Franciscan Complex as tectonic blocks in a fossil accretionary wedge, and in the Navajo Volcanic Field as xenoliths in diatremes. Intra-crystal oxygen isotope analyses of garnets from these two settings provide important information on the source, composition and timing of fluid interactions in both eclogite settings. Because of the well-documented relationship between Franciscan subduction and the volcanism in the Navajo Volcanic Field, the samples in this study can be directly compared to determine if they share a common origin. The Navajo eclogites in this study …

Central Cascadia Subduction Zone Creep, Gina M. Schmalzle, Robert Mccaffrey, Kenneth C. Creager

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Central Cascadia between 43ºN and 46ºN has reduced interseismic uplift observed in geodetic data and coseismic subsidence seen in multiple thrust earthquakes, suggesting elevated persistent fault creep in this section of the subduction zone. We estimate subduction thrust "decade-scale" locking and crustal block rotations from three-component continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) time series from 1997 to 2013, as well as 80 year tide gauge and leveling-derived uplift rates. Geodetic observations indicatecoastal central Oregon is rising at a slower rate than coastal Washington, southern Oregon and northern California. Modeled locking distributions suggest a wide locking transition zone that extends inland undercentral …

Deformation And Exhumation Across Gianbul Dome, Nw India: Insight From Deformation Kinematics And Temperatures, And 40ar/39ar Thermochronology, Meilani Bowman-Kamaha’O

All Master's Theses

New kinematic, microtextural, and thermochronology studies test the hypothesis that high temperature-moderate pressure rocks exposed in Gianbul Dome, NW India, were exhumed south of the southern Tibetan detachment system by the southward extrusion of a mid-crustal ductile channel. Mesoscopic and microscopic kinematic indicators record normal-sense shear in the Khanjar and Zanskar shear zones, which define the southwest and northeast flanks of Gianbul Dome, respectively. Microtextural analyses indicate deformation at >400°C along dome flanks increasing to > 700°C in the core. Moderate temperature cooling is asymmetric across the dome, initiating at ~22 Ma on the southwest flank of the dome-and at ~20 …

Constraints On Interplate Locking Within The Makran Subduction Zone Using Gps, Elyse Erin Frohling

All Master's Theses

We use GPS measurements from 20 stations located in Iran, Pakistan, and Oman along with International Seismological Centre hypocentral locations to create a fault coupling model for the Makran subduction zone. The 3-D geometry of the megathrust fault is estimated from five profiles landward of the Makran trench. Continuous GPS on the Arabian plate show convergence of ~27 mm/year, and interseismic deformation is calculated using the back-slip method of Savage [ 1983]. We find the entire subduction zone appears to be accumulating stress uniformly from ~15-60 km depth and find no evidence of along-strike segmentation in strain accumulation, suggesting the …

Structural Deformation Across The Southwest Mina Deflection, California-Nevada: Field Studies In The Huntoon Spring Quadrangle, Eliya R. Hogan

All Master's Theses

New geologic data provides insight into Pliocene strain rates across the southwest Mina deflection. ⁴⁰ Ar/³⁹ Ar geochronology of geologic units indicate cooling of Miocene ignimbrite at 11.86 ± 0.01 Ma, Pliocene basalt lavas at 3.7241 ± 0.0051 and 3.5262 ± 0.0172 Ma, and basaltic andesite and andesite lavas at 3.4715 ± 0.0107 Ma and 3.1078 ± 0.0088 Ma. Pliocene cinder cones and Quaternary sediments are also exposed in the Huntoon Spring quadrangle. Volcanic units are cut by a dominant set of NNE-, NE-, and ENE- striking sinistral faults and a lesser set of NNW- and NW- striking normal …

Development Of Structural Basins And Domes On The Sinn El-Kaddab Plateau, Egypt: Insights From In Situ Data And Application Of Moderate Resolution Orbital Imagery Of The Seiyal Fault, Thomas J. Jerris

Masters Theses

"The Seiyal Fault, one of many east-west trending faults located in the Western Desert of Egypt, and associated structural basins and domes are investigated using remote sensing imagery and field studies. Analysis of Shuttle Reconnaissance Topography Mission data, multi-spectral data from the Landsat Thematic Mapper (LM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectometer (ASTER) data, and imagery from Google Earth. Band combinations 3-2-1 and 7-4-2 in ETM+ and 3N-2-1 and 7-3-1 in ASTER, and Google Earth provided the most useful images for geologic mapping. The Seiyal Fault is best characterized as a zone …

Shear-Wave Splitting And Mantle Deformation Beneath The Western Tibetan Plateau, Melissa Ann Ray

Masters Theses

"The Tibetan Plateau has been an enigma to the scientific community since scientists first began to focus their attention on the area. Numerous studies over the decades were conducted to address how the plateau formed, mostly in the central and eastern portions of the Tibetan Plateau. Many questions still remain regarding the western Tibetan Plateau, and this study will add constraints to the mechanisms which regulated the formation of the plateau.

Data was acquired from over 13,000 measurements from 172 stations covering the western region of the plateau encompassing the Qiangtang Terrane, the Lhasa Terrane, and the Himalayan Orogenic Zone. …

Relationship Between Static Stress Change And Volcanism. How And If Tectonic Earthquake Could Influence Volcanic Activity. Example Of El Reventador Volcano, Ecuador, Daniele Alami

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Upper Pleistocene And Holocene Palaeoenvironmental Records In Cueva Mayor Karst (Atapuerca, Spain) From Different Proxies: Speleothem Crystal Fabrics, Palynology And Archaeology., Virginia Martínez-Pillado, Arantza Aranburu, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Blanca Ruiz-Zapata, Maria José Gil-García, Heather Stoll, Iñaki Yusta, Eneko Iriarte, José Miguel Carretero, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng

International Journal of Speleology

The Cueva Mayor karst system of Atapuerca, in Northern Spain, hosts a highly significant record of human occupation from the Pleistocene. The climatic context of the human activities during the Pleistocene-Holocene for this inland site has not been well constrained, since existing records of the palaeoclimatic evolution of the Northern Iberian Peninsula are from more distal coastal and high-elevation sites. In this study, we interpret the palaeoenvironmental information recorded on the petrography of a stalagmite and the pollen spectra of the Sierra de Atapuerca karst system during the last 20 kyr. The integration of both types of records has allowed …