Geology Commons^™

Examination Of Spatial Variations In Recrystallization Mechanisms In Quartz, Emma N. Beck

Honors Theses

S-C mylonites form as a result of non-coaxial deformation in ductile shear zones. Planes of weakness develop and delineate two domains, the S and the C Each of these domains accommodates variable amounts of strain. Sample WMSZ-188 exhibits subgrain rotation (SGR) recrystallization in the C domains, and grain boundary migration (GBM) recrystallization in the S domains. This partitioning of recrystallization mechanisms indicates either: (1) strain-rate partitioning during a single deformation event; or (2) a second, lower-temperature deformation event that over-printed the C domains. This study tests these two hypotheses. Optical and EBSD analyses were used to look for evidence of …

Varying Sediment Sources (Hudson Strait, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Bay) To The Nw Labrador Sea Slope Between And During Heinrich Events 0 To 4, J. T. Andrews, Donald C. Barber, A. E. Jennings, D. D. Erbel, B. Maclean, M. E. Kirby, J. S. Stoner

Geology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Core HU97048-007PC was recovered from the continental Labrador Sea slope at a water depth of 945m, 250km seaward from the mouth of Cumberland Sound, and 400km north of Hudson Strait. Cumberland Sound is a structural trough partly floored by Cretaceous mudstones and Paleozoic carbonates. The record extends from ~ 10 to 58k cal a BP. On-board logging revealed a complex series of lithofacies, including buff-colored detrital carbonate-rich sediments [Heinrich (H)-events] frequently bracketed by black facies. We investigate the provenance of these facies using quantitative X-ray diffraction on drill-core samples from Paleozoic and Cretaceous bedrock from the SE Baffin Island Shelf, …

Fine Scale Sediment Structure And Geochemical Signature Between Eastern And Western North Atlantic During Heinrich Events 1 And 2, H. Rashid, F. Saint-Ange, Donald C. Barber, M. E. Smith, N. Devalia

Geology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Heinrich iceberg-rafting events 1 and 2 (H1 and H2) in the Labrador Sea are identified by their typical nepheloid-flow deposit sedimentary structure, high bulk carbonate, increase in iceberg-rafted detritus (IRD), and depletion of δ¹⁸O in the surface-dwelling foraminifer, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s). H-layers in this region have sedimentological characteristics different than those in the North Atlantic, and consist of IRD interspersed in pelagic sediments. High resolution ¹⁴C-AMS dates allowed us to delineate the leads and lags in instability between different ice-streams of the former Laurentide ice-sheet (LIS). Our data suggest that the discharge from the Hudson Strait ice-stream …

Sh-Wave Refraction And Reflection Investigation Of Quaternary Geology―Central United States Seismic Observatory, Carrington L. Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Central United States Seismic Observatory (CUSSO) consists of an array of vertical strong motion accelerometers and medium period seismometers that penetrate 585 m into the Mississippi Embayment sediments and terminates into Paleozoic bedrock. The array is located in the New Madrid Seismic Zone within the upper embayment. The thick unconsolidated Quaternary sediments have the potential to influence strong motions; understanding how these sediments affect ground motion is the goal of the CUSSO array. Nine SH-wave refraction and five P-wave common midpoint reflection surveys were collected within a 1 km radius around the CUSSO borehole in order to characterize the …

Geothermobarometric Analysis And Tectonic Evolution Of The Liverpool Land Eclogites, East Greenland Caledonides, Gabriel E. Richarde

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Mineral chemistry and thermobarometry of mafic pods in the Liverpool Land Eclogite Terrane (LLET) provide insight into potential relationships with regional high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terranes such as the North East Greenland Eclogite Province (NEGEP), the Western Gneiss Region (WGR), and HP granulites in the East Greenland Caledonides at Payer Land. Grt-cpx thermometry and jadeite barometry performed on garnet and omphacite cores in a sequence of retrogressed eclogites give minimum and average P-T values across six samples for eclogite at 18.4 ± 3.7 kbar at 764 ± 156 °C. Granulite facies conditions based on early retrograde Opx-Plag symplectites, garnet …

Systematics, Diversity, And Origins Of Upper Cretaceous Continental Molluscan Fauna In The Infra- And Intertrappean Strata Of The Deccan Plateau, Central India, Marron J. Bingle-Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The Deccan Plateau in western and central India has been a major area of interest for researchers since the 1800s. In 1840, James Sowerby described the molluscan collection sent to him by John Malcolmson. In 1860, Stephen Hislop identified new molluscan species and redescribed based on better preserved material. Although this seminal work was comprehensive, interpretations have changed since the mid 1800s. Species need to be reassigned to current and/or accurate taxa, as well as revalidated statistically. Seventeen character traits were measured on over 600 specimens from five eastern Deccan Plateau localities representing a stratigraphic and temporal sequence. Cluster analysis …

Study On Underground Coal Gasification Combined Cycle Coupled With On-Site Carbon Capture And Storage, Peng Pei

Theses and Dissertations

The North Dakota portion of the Williston basin holds huge, but economically unmineable lignite resources in the Fort Union formation. A technology coupling the underground coal gasification with carbon capture and storage (UCG-CCS) is proposed in this study to recover these lignite resources in North Dakota. The UCG-CCS system provides a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach to convert the lignite to electricity and beneficially utilize the by-product of CO2 at the same time. The target coal seam is the Harmon lignite in the Fort Union formation in western North Dakota. The main objectives of this study are to set up the …

Limnoarchaeology Using Commercially Available Side Scan Sonar: The Locks Of The Muscle Shoals Canal, Alabama, Robert Kavanaugh

Geography

This research aims to introduce, utilize and analyze commercially available side-scan sonar units as a viable scientific research tool in the interest of historic preservation and archaeological inventory of submerged structures and landscapes using a case study of the Muscle Shoals Canal in Alabama. Opened in November 1890, the nine locks of the Muscle Shoals Canal allowed traffic on the Tennessee River to circumvent the treacherous "Muscle Shoals", an achievement that replaced an abandoned attempt from over a half century earlier. The canal would continue operations until April 1918, when construction of Wilson Dam blocked river traffic through the canal. …

Assessment Of Coal Geology, Resources, And Reserves In The Montana Powder River Basin, Jon E. Haacke, David C. Scott, Lee M. Osmonson, James A. Luppens, Paul E. Pierce, Jay A. Gunderson

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The purpose of this report is to summarize geology, coal resources, and coal reserves in the Montana Powder River Basin (MTPRB) assessment area in southeastern Montana. This report represents the fourth assessment area within the Powder River Basin to be evaluated in the continuing U.S. Geological Survey regional coal assessment program.

There are four active coal mines in the MTPRB assessment area: the Spring Creek and Decker Mines, both near Decker; the Rosebud Mine, near Colstrip; and the Absaloka Mine, west of Colstrip. During 2011, coal production from these four mines totaled approximately 36 million short tons (MST). A fifth …

Copper Pellets Simulating Oral Exposure To Copper Ammunition: Absence Of Toxicity In American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), J. Christian Franson, Lesanna L. Lahner, Carol U. Meteyer, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

To evaluate the potential toxicity of copper

(Cu) in raptors that may consume Cu bullets, shotgun

pellets containing Cu, or Cu fragments as they feed on

wildlife carcasses, we studied the effects of metallic Cu

exposure in a surrogate, the American kestrel (Falco

sparverius). Sixteen kestrels were orally administered

5 mg Cu/g body mass in the form of Cu pellets

(1.18–2.00 mm in diameter) nine times during 38 days and

10 controls were sham gavaged on the same schedule. With

one exception, all birds retained the pellets for at least 1 h,

but most (69%) regurgitated pellets during …

Mapping Recent Decadal Climate Variations In Precipitation And Temperature Across Eastern Africa And The Sahel, Christopher Funk, Joel Michaelsen, Michael T. Marshall

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

This chapter presents a novel interpolation approach that combines long-term mean satellite observations, station data, and topographic fields to produce grids of climate normals and trends. The approach was developed by the Climate Hazard Group (CHG) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), to support food security analyses for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). The resulting FEWS NET Climatology (FCLIM) combines moving window regressions (MWRs) with geostatistical interpolation (kriging). Satellite and topographic fields often exhibit strong local correlations with in situ measurements of air temperature and rainfall. The FCLIM method …

Palynomorph And Palynofacies Assemblages Of Neutral-Alkaline And Acid Lakes South Of Norseman, Southern Western Australia, Lutfia Grabel

Masters Theses

"The Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia hosts hundreds of shallow ephemeral hypersaline lakes, the majority of which have acid to neutral pH values. As part of a multidisciplinary study of the evolution of hypersalinity and acidity in the region, three drill cores were studied for their palynofacies and palynomorph contents in order to characterize palynofloral response to environmental changes. Drill cores from two acid lakes, Prado Lake (PL1-09 and PL2-09) and Twin Lake West (TLW1-09), and the neutral-alkaline Gastropod Lake (GLE1-09) south of Norseman recovered Miocene to Holocene sediments of the Revenge and Polar Bear formations. Transmitted light microscopy was …

Using Lidar As A Monitoring Device To Calculate Volume Of Rockfall Over Time, Travis James Kassebaum

Masters Theses

"There are many natural hazards which threaten the stability of highway infrastructure and the safety of motoring public. Rockfall and unstable slopes are one of the major concerns. This thesis describes a method which safely and accurately evaluates rockfall on rock outcrops through the use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. LiDAR is an imaging technology which can be used to measure and evaluate possible rock outcrop hazards such as: rockfall, rock-avalanches, debris flows, and landslides. LiDAR produces a three dimensional point cloud of millions of points which gives spatial data on the scanned object, accurate to millimeters, in …

Instruments And Methods: A Method For Recording Ice Ablation Using A Low-Cost Ultrasonic Rangefinder, M. Len Keeler, Keith A. Brugger

Geology Publications

We have adapted inexpensive ultrasonic rangefinders to measure ablation rates on the surface of a glacier.While ultrasonic rangers are commercially available for this purpose, our goal was to utilize rangefinders typically used in hobby robotics without significantly compromising performance. To correct for environmental factors that affect the speed of sound we use two ultrasonic rangefinders, one focused on a fixed target. Measurements of ablation correlate well with manual measurements with an uncertainty of about 3 cm, suggesting an accuracy comparable with other non-manual methods of recording ablation. The limitations of our rangefinder include those inherent in commercially available units as …

Using Lidar To Map Landslides In Kenton And Campbell Counties, Kentucky, Matthew M. Crawford

Report of Investigations--KGS

The geology and topography of northern Kentucky and Cincinnati make the area susceptible to landslides. Decades of development and slope modification have contributed to the area being prone to landslides and having one of the highest costs per capita in the United States for landslide damage. The slow nature of some landslides and incremental damage that can span several decades often result in lack of awareness of the problem, however. Many of the landslides go unreported, and citizens do not take advantage of resources to become educated about mitigating the problem.

Research at the Kentucky Geological Survey developed a methodology …

Could Satellite Altimetry Have Improved Early Detection And Warning Of The 2011 Tohoku Tsunami?, B. D. Hamlington, R. R. Leben, O. A. Godin, E. Gica, V. V. Titov, B. J. Haines, S. D. Desai

CCPO Publications

The 2011 Tohoku tsunami devastated Japan and affected coastal populations all around the Pacific Ocean. Accurate early warning of an impending tsunami requires the detection of the tsunami in the open ocean. While the lead-time was not sufficient for use in warning coastal populations in Japan, satellite altimetry observations of the tsunami could have been used to improve predictions and warnings for other affected areas. By comparing to both model results and historical satellite altimeter data, we use near-real-time satellite altimeter measurements to demonstrate the potential for detecting the 2011 Tohoku tsunami within a few hours of the tsunami being …

Limnoarchaeology Using Commercially Available Side Scan Sonar: The Locks Of The Muscle Shoals Canal, Alabama, Robert Kavanaugh

Theses

No abstract provided.

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 40, 2011-2012, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Variability In The Mass Flux Of The Ross Sea Ice Streams, Antarctica, Over The Last Millennium, Ginny Catania, Christina L. Hulbe, Howard Conway, Ted A. Scambos, C. F. Raymond

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We synthesize previously published remote-sensing observations, radar data and model output to obtain a ~1000 year ice flow history for the Siple Coast ice-stream system in West Antarctica to investigate the timing and magnitude of changes in mass flux. The synthesized history shows significant short-term variability in ice-stream shear margin and grounding line position due to internal variability of the coupled system. The chronology highlights the interplay between adjacent ice streams, which implies that the behavior of any individual ice stream should not be examined in isolation. Furthermore, individual events cannot be fully interpreted without an understanding of the broad-scale, …

Integrated Geophysical Investigation Of Karst Features – Inner Bluegrass Region Of Kentucky, Jamin C. Frommel

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

High-resolution electrical-resistivity, seismic-refraction, and seismic-reflection surveys were performed at three locations in the Inner Bluegrass Region of Kentucky along coincident survey lines in order to correlate results and determine which method is most effective at locating karst features in this area. The first two survey locations at Slack’s Cave and the Kentucky Horse Park were chosen in order to investigate known karst features. High and low electrical-resistivity anomalies were correlated to air- and water-filled karst voids, respectively. Seismic velocity anomalies, including parabolic time suppressions, amplitude terminations, and surface-wave backscatters, were also observed and correlated to these karst voids. These findings …

The Evolution Of Grenville Basement In The Eastern Great Smoky Mountains; Constraints From U-Pb Zircon Geochronology, Whole Rock Sm-Nd, And Feldspar Pb Geochemistry, Ryan Joel Quinn

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Identifying the crustal affinity of Grenville basement rocks in the Dellwood quadrangle, western NC, provides insight into the tectonic evolution of eastern Laurentia during Grenville orogenesis. U-Pb zircon geochronology of orthogneiss, augen gneiss, and mafic xenoliths in orthogneiss reveal magmatic pulses at 1130, 1180, and 1330 Ma and metamorphic episodes at 450 and 1040 Ma. Xenoliths in 1330 Ma orthogneiss are as old as 1382 Ma and represent the oldest component of Blue Ridge basement identified to-date. Feldspar Pb isotope values span a range between juvenile-Laurentian and southern-central Appalachian basement/Amazonia. Most Pb isotope data define an array consistent with crustal …

Geology Of The Eau Claire Formation And Conasauga Group In Part Of Kentucky And Analysis Of Their Suitability As Caprocks For Deeper Co2 Sequestration, Ralph E. Bandy Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Carbon sequestration, or carbon capture and storage (CCS), is the process of capturing anthropogenically generated CO₂, transporting the CO₂ to an injection site, and then injecting the CO₂ into suitable reservoirs for long-term storage, or sequestration. Integral to the successful sequestration of CO₂ is an understanding of the confining intervals (seals) above potential reservoirs. The purpose of this thesis research was to perform a detailed geological study of the Eau Claire Formation and equivalent parts of the Conasauga Group in part of the Ohio River Valley region in order to better evaluate its suitability as …

Effectiveness Of Four Water-Bearing Zones Of The Glacierized Basin In Meltwater Runoff Modeling, Umesh K. Haritashya

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Meltwater runoff modeling from glacierized basins needs several input data, including total meltwater contributing area. This study utilizes optical remote sensing data to assess glacierized basins in the central Himalayas where snow and glaciers contribute substantially to the water resources. Result shows that there are four main water-bearing zones in the basin: (a) dry snow, (b) wet snow, (c) exposed glacial ice, and (d) debris-covered glacial ice, and it is possible to differentiate and map these zones and their spatio-temporal variations from satellite sensor data. These zones can then be incorporated in meltwater runoff modeling as separate entities because they …

Scientific Drilling Of Speleothems – A Technical Note, Christoph Spötl, David Mattey

International Journal of Speleology

This short article provides detailed descriptions of custom-made and commercially available hand-held drilling gear and options for water-flushing units specifically designed to obtained good-quality core material from speleothems even in remote cave regions. We use small-diameter (6-7 mm) diamond drill bits to obtain aliquots of calcite (as little as a few hundreds of milligram) from the interior of the basal part of in-situ stalagmites. These small cores are used to date the onset of stalagmite growth and occasionally to obtain other compositional information. Larger diameter drill bits produce cores 25-32 mm in diameter and up to 1.3 m in length …

In Defense Of A Fluctuating-Interface, Particle-Accretion Origin Of Folia, Donald G. Davis

International Journal of Speleology

Two recent papers have proposed radically different modes of origin for cave folia. Audra et al. (2009) propose subaqueous origin of carbonate folia via hypogenic CO₂ bubble trapping, with concurrent condensation-corrosion and evaporative precipitation within individual folia gas pockets. Queen (2009) proposes that at least some folia are analogous to suboceanic tufa-tower "flanges" and may result from subaqueous freshwater mixing into a briny environment. The purpose of this paper is to show that neither of these mechanisms can be the fundamental process responsible for folia morphology in cave deposits, and that accretion from adherent particles at fluctuating interfaces is …

Diagenesis Of A Drapery Speleothem From Castañar Cave: From Dissolution To Dolomitization, Andrea Martín-Pérez, Rebeca Martín-García, Ana M. Alonso-Zarza

International Journal of Speleology

A drapery speleothem (DRA-1) from Castañar Cave in Spain was subjected to a detailed petrographical study in order to identify its primary and diagenetic features. The drapery’s present day characteristics are the result of the combined effects of the primary and diagenetic processes that DRA-1 underwent. Its primary minerals are calcite, aragonite and huntite. Calcite is the main constituent of the speleothem, whereas aragonite forms as frostwork over the calcite. Huntite is the main mineral of moonmilk which covers the tips of aragonite. These primary minerals have undergone a set of diagenetic processes, which include: 1) partial dissolution or corrosion …

Trap Efficiency Of A Silted Prairie Reservoir: Rapidan Reservoir, Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Katherine Brosch Rassmussen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Rapidan Dam and Reservoir are located along the Blue Earth River south of Mankato, Minnesota. The dam was constructed in 1911 as a source of hydroelectric power to supplement the surroundings communities. Currently, the reservoir is heavily silted and provides little hydroelectric benefit while proving costly to maintain. This study (1) defines the sedimentary, geomorphic, stream flow and suspended load characteristics of the reservoir for 2008-2009 and (2) compares these parameters with those available from 1985 (23 years prior). Stream gauging and sediment sampling took place in 2008 and 2009 at three monitoring locations (two upstream and one downstream of …

Interseismic Strain Accumulation Along The Western Boundary Of The Indian Subcontinent, Walter Szeliga, Roger Bilham, Din Mohammad Kakar, Sarosh H. Lodi

Faculty Scholarship for the Cascadia Hazards Institute

Despite an overall sinistral slip rate of approximately 3 cm/yr, few major earthquakes have occurred in the past 200 years along the Chaman fault system, the western boundary of the India Plate with the Eurasia Plate. GPS and InSAR data reported here indicate sinistral shear velocities of 8-17 mm/yr across the westernmost branches of the fault system, suggesting that a significant fraction of the plate boundary slip is distributed in the fold and fault belt to the east. At its southernmost on-land segment, near the triple junction between the Arabia, Eurasia, and India Plates, we find the velocity across the …

Possible Early Foraminiferans In Post-Sturtian (716-635 Ma) Cap Carbonates, Tanja Bosak, Daniel J.G. Lahr, Sara B. Pruss, Francis A. Macdonald, Andrew J. Gooday, Lilly Dalton, Emily D. Matys

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Foraminifera are an ecologically important group of modern heterotrophic amoeboid eukaryotes whose naked and testate ancestors are thought to have evolved ~1 Ga ago. However, the single-chambered agglutinated tests of these protists appear in the fossil record only after ca. 580 Ma, coinciding with the appearance of macro scopic and mineralized animals. Here we report the discovery of small, slender tubular microfossils in the Sturtian (ca. 716-635 Ma) cap carbonate of the Rasthof Formation in Namibia. The tubes are 200-1300 μm long and 20-70μm wide, and preserve apertures and variably wide lumens, folds, constrictions, and ridges. Their sometimes fl exible …

Diagenesis Of The Middle Member Of The Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota, Katharine L. Kimber

Theses and Dissertations

The shales of the Bakken Formation have been extensively studied since the discovery of oil, but little attention has been paid to the middle reservoir member. Successfully produced wells are concentrated in multiple fields throughout the Williston Basin, there has been no definitive way to determine a well’s potential productivity. This study used core samples, point counting, and petrography to determine the diagenetic traits common to the Middle Member of the Bakken Formation and their effect on oil production. Cores from forty-one wells were examined. Thin sections were made from sixteen cores, eight producing wells and eight dry wells. All …