Geology Commons^™

The Sorption Of Chemical And Nuclear Contaminants From Soil And Water Using Nanosize Particles Of Hydroxyapatite, Chyrene Joseph

Masters Theses

"High surface area (>200 m²/g) crystals composed of nanosize (30-50nm) hydroxyapatite; (Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH) particles are being investigated as an alternative in cleaing [sic] contaminated groundwater and soil by removing toxic wastes and radionuclides. Static batch tests were carried out at 2, 4, 8, 24 and 120 hour time periods by reacting hydroxyapatite with individual solutions prepared with specific elements to evaluate the applicability of hydroxyapatite in removing potential contaminants. Chemical analyses on leachant solutions, leachate solutions, and post-reaction digested solids were conducted by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy to determine the extent of ion removal. Removal of these ions is expected …

Morpho-Tectonic Analysis Of The Tekeze And The Blue Nile Drainage Systems Of Northwestern Ethiopian Plateau, Ethiopia, Elamin Hassan Dai Ismail

Masters Theses

"This study examines the morpho-tectonic evolution of the drainage system in the northwestern Ethiopian plateau by focusing on the Tekeze and the Blue Nile Rivers. The plateau is underlain by Precambrian crystalline rocks, overlain by Mesozoic sedimentary section that is topped with a 1-3 km thick pile of Oligocene-Quaternary volcanic rocks. It is bounded in the east and southeast by the Afar Depression (AD) and the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Satellite derived Digital Elevation Models are analyzed using ArcGIS and RiverTools to extract morpho-tectonic parameters of tributaries of the Tekeze and Blue Nile Rivers including Normalized Steepness Index (K_{sn …}

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Data For Lithological Mapping In Arid Regions: A Quantitative Approach With Examples From The Makkah Neoproterozoic Region, Saudi Arabia, Nawwaf Awad Al Muntshry

Masters Theses

"This work quantitatively evaluates the effectiveness of multi-spectral remote sensing data for geological mapping in arid regions. For this, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data covering part of the Neoproterozoic Arabian Shield around the Makkah region in Saudi Arabia are used. The Makkah region is dominated by a variety of layered and intrusive rocks covered by unconsolidated sediments. The Landsat TM data have six spectral bands in the visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) with thirty meters spatial resolution.

The Optimum Index Factor (OIF) has been computed to determine the best Red-Green-Blue (RGB) band combination emerging from the …

Geological And Geomorphological Evolution Of The Egyptian Nile Between Aswan And Kom Ombo: A Remote Sensing And Field Study Approach, Leslie Lansbery

Masters Theses

"This work uses field and remote sensing studies to examine structural controls of the Egyptian Nile between Aswan and Kom Ombo (referred here to as AKN). This segment of the Egyptian Nile incises through Cretaceous Nubian sandstone and Precambrian crystalline rocks separated by a shallowly-dipping to theN unconformity. It was only 0.8 Ma that the Egyptian Nile connected to the rest of the sub-Sahara Africa drainage system. Prior to this time, the Egyptian Nile evolved independently through 8 phases: Pre-Eonile (Ma), Eonile (6.0-5. 4 Ma), Gulf Phase (5.4-3.3 Ma), Paleonile Phase (3.3-1.8 Ma), Desert Phase (1.8-0.8 Ma), Prenile Phase (0.8-0.4 …

A Detailed Petrographic Analysis Of The Mt. Sheridan Roosevelt Gabbro And Associated Rock Types, Daniel Russell Lasco

Masters Theses

"The Mt. Sheridan Roosevelt Gabbro of the Wichita Mountains igneous province in Southwestern Oklahoma underwent dynamic crystallization, resulting in three distinct gabbro zones with a range of pegmatite morphologies spread throughout. The three zones are informally named the lower, central, and upper zones. The lower zone consists of a quartz and alkali feldspar poor, plagioclase and pyroxene rich, poorly altered, gabbro cumulate. The central zone is comprised of a heavily altered quartz and alkali feldspar rich gabbro with few cumulate textures. The upper zone is mineralogically and texturally identical to the lower zone, distinguished only by its higher elevation. The …

Lithology And Internal Structure Of The San Andreas Fault At Depth Based On Characterization Of Phase 3 Whole-Rock Core In The San Andreas Fault Observatory At Depth (Safod) Borehole, Kelly Keighley Bradbury, James P. Evans, J. S. Chester, F. M. Chester, D. L. Kirshner

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We characterize the lithology and structure of the spot core obtained in 2007 during Phase 3 drilling of the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) in order to determine the composition, structure, and deformation processes of the fault zone at 3 km depth where creep and microseismicity occur. A total of approximately 41 m of spot core was taken from three separate sections of the borehole; the core samples consist of fractured arkosic sandstones and shale west of the SAF zone (Pacific Plate) and sheared fine-grained sedimentary rocks, ultrafine black fault-related rocks, and phyllosilicate-rich fault gouge within the fault …

Glacial Deposits, Vol. 39, 2010-2011, Department Of Geography-Geology

Glacial Deposits

Newsletter of the Department of Geography-Geology

Sequence Stratigraphy And Source Rock Characterization Of Organic-Rich Shales Within The Jurassic Smackover Formation, Conecuh Embayment, Alabama, U.S.A., Patrick W. Niemeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation is a prolific producer of hydrocarbons known throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast region, and typically consists of carbonate lime mudstones, ooid grainstones, microbial boundstones, and dolostones. Recent exploration efforts in the Conecuh Embayment of southwest Alabama revealed the presence of two black, siliciclastic shale layers containing abundant terrestrially derived organic matter within the Smackover Formation. The shale layers provide interesting insight into the sequence stratigraphy and paleoclimate of the Conecuh Embayment, and the source of the hydrocarbons accumulated there. The two shale layers reach a maximum thickness of 50 feet along the longitudinal axis of …

Volcanism And Astrobiology: Life On Earth And Beyond, Charles S. Cockell, Sherry L. Cady, Nicola Mcloughlin

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial Introduction to the 2011 Special Issue of Astrobiology.

Potential Fossil Endoliths In Vesicular Pillow Basalt, Coral Patch Seamount, Eastern North Atlantic Ocean, Barbara Cavalazzi, Frances Westall, Sherry L. Cady, Roberto Barbieri, Frédéric Foucher

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The chilled rinds of pillow basalt from the Ampere-Coral Patch Seamounts in the eastern North Atlantic were studied as a potential habitat of microbial life. A variety of putative biogenic structures, which include filamentous and spherical microfossil-like structures, were detected in K-phillipsite-filled amygdules within the chilled rinds. The filamentous structures (similar to 2.5 mu m in diameter) occur as K-phillipsite tubules surrounded by an Fe-oxyhydroxide (lepidocrocite) rich membranous structure, whereas the spherical structures (from 4 to 2 mu m in diameter) are associated with Ti oxide (anatase) and carbonaceous matter. Several lines of evidence indicate that the microfossil-like structures in …

Identifying Potential Geothermal Resources From Co-Produced Fluids Using Existing Data From Drilling Logs : Williston, North Dakota, Anna M. Crowell

Theses and Dissertations

With the current need for technology that will allow for environmentally-friendly power generation, geothermal power has become an attractive resource given its low environmental impact and potential cost savings. One specific resource is co-produced water from oil wells that are not currently producing, but can yield formation waters that are both high enough in temperature and fluid volume to operate the turbines of binary geothermal power systems. The data required to identify sites, i.e. bottom-hole temperatures (BHT), latitude, longitude, total depth of hole (TD) in meters, the identification number, and the amount of water produced in gallons, can be mined …

Annual Outflow And Annual Inflow Of Water From/To Nebraska, 1950- 2010, Susan Olafsen-Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Reference List For Describing Cuttings And Cores Of Sediments And Sedimentary Rocks In Nebraska, J. T. Korus, Robert Matthew Joeckel, P. R. Hanson, J. W. Goeke, S. O. Lackey, M. B. Burbach

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Annual Outflow Of Water From Nebraska, 1950 - 2010, S. Olafsen-Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Spawning Migration Patterns And Predicting Spawning Success Of Shovelnose Sturgeon In The Lower Missouri River, M. L. Wildhaber, S. H. Holan, G. M. Davis, D. W. Gladish, A. J. Delonay, Diana M. Papoulias, D. K. Sommerhauser

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Approaches using telemetry, precise reproductive assessments, and surgically implanted data storage tags (DSTs) were used in combination with novel applications of analytical techniques for fish movement studies to describe patterns in migratory behavior and predict spawning success of gravid shovelnose sturgeon. From 2004 to 2007, over 300 gravid female shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) from the Lower Missouri River, that were expected to spawn in the year they were collected, were surgically implanted with transmitters and archival DSTs. Functional cluster modeling of telemetry data from the spawning season suggested two common migration patterns of gravid female shovelnose sturgeon. Fish …

Land Change Variability And Human–Environment Dynamics In The United States Great Plains, Mark A, Drummond, Roger F. Auch, Krista A. Karstensen, Kristi L. Sayler, Janis L. Taylor, Thomas Loveland

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Land use and land cover changes have complex linkages to climate variability and change, biophysical resources, and socioeconomic driving forces. To assess these land change dynamics and their causes in the Great Plains, we compare and contrast contemporary changes across 16 ecoregions using Landsat satellite data and statistical analysis. Large-area change analysis of agricultural regions is often hampered by change detection error and the tendency for land conversions to occur at the local-scale. To facilitate a regional-scale analysis, a statistical sampling design of randomly selected 10 km × 10 km blocks is used to efficiently identify the types and rates …

Introduction To “Environmental Contaminants In Biota, 2nd Edition”, W. Nelson Beyer, James P. Meador

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Ecotoxicology is the study of the movement of environmental contaminants through ecosystems and their effects on plants and animals. Examining tissue residues of these contaminants in biota is basic to ecotoxicology, both for understanding the movement of contaminants within organisms and through food chains, and for understanding and quantifying injuries to organisms and their communities. This book provides guidance on interpreting tissue concentrations of environmental contaminants.

Tissue concentrations have long been used both to identify the cause of toxicity in animals and as a measure of the severity of toxicity. More recently, they have been incorporated into environmental models, tying …

Lead In Birds, J. Christian Franson, Deborah J. Pain

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Lead is a highly toxic heavy metal that acts as a nonspecific poison affecting all body systems and has no known biological requirement. Absorption of low concentrations may result in a wide range of sublethal effects in animals, and higher concentrations may result in mortality (Demayo et al. 1982).

Lead has been mined and smelted by humans for centuries, but the use of lead-based products increased greatly following the Industrial Revolution. Consequently, lead today is ubiquitous in air, water, and soil, in both urban and rural environments (Eisler 2000). Vertebrates are exposed to lead mainly via inhalation and ingestion. A …

Spatial Patch Occupancy Patterns Of The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, Mitchell J. Eaton, Phillip T. Hughes, James D. Nichols, Anne Morkill, Chad Anderson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Reliable estimates of presence or absence of a species can provide substantial information on management questions related to distribution and habitat use but should incorporate the probability of detection to reduce bias. We surveyed for the endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) in habitat patches on 5 Florida Key islands, USA, to estimate occupancy and detection probabilities. We derived detection probabilities using spatial replication of plots and evaluated hypotheses that patch location (coastal or interior) and patch size influence occupancy and detection. Results demonstrate that detection probability, given rabbits were present, was <0.5 and suggest that naı¨ve estimates (i.e., estimates without consideration of imperfect detection) of patch occupancy are negatively biased. We found that patch size and location influenced probability of occupancy but not detection. Our findings will be used by Refuge managers to evaluate population trends of Lower Keys marsh rabbits from historical data and to guide management decisions for species recovery. The sampling and analytical methods we used may be useful for researchers and managers of other endangered lagomorphs and cryptic or fossorial animals occupying diverse habitats.

Estimating Age From Recapture Data: Integrating Incremental Growth Measures With Ancillary Data To Infer Age-At-Length, Mitchell J. Eaton, William A. Link

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Estimating the age of individuals in wild populations can be of fundamental importance for answering ecological questions, modeling population demographics, and managing exploited or threatened species. Significant effort has been devoted to determining age through the use of growth annuli, secondary physical characteristics related to age, and growth models. Many species, however, either do not exhibit physical characteristics useful for independent age validation or are too rare to justify sacrificing a large number of individuals to establish the relationship between size and age. Length-at-age models are well represented in the fisheries and other wildlife management literature. Many of these models …

Spatial Patch Occupancy Patterns Of The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, Mitchell J. Eaton, Phillip T. Hughes, James D. Nichols, Anne Morkill, Chad Anderson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Reliable estimates of presence or absence of a species can provide substantial information on management questions related to distribution and habitat use but should incorporate the probability of detection to reduce bias. We surveyed for the endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris hefneri) in habitat patches on 5 Florida Key islands, USA, to estimate occupancy and detection probabilities. We derived detection probabilities using spatial replication of plots and evaluated hypotheses that patch location (coastal or interior) and patch size influence occupancy and detection. Results demonstrate that detection probability, given rabbits were present, was <0.5 and suggest that naı¨ve estimates (i.e., estimates without consideration of imperfect detection) of patch occupancy are negatively biased. We found that patch size and location influenced probability of occupancy but not detection. Our findings will be used by Refuge managers to evaluate population trends of Lower Keys marsh rabbits from historical data and to guide management decisions for species recovery. The sampling and analytical methods we used may be useful for researchers and managers of other endangered lagomorphs and cryptic or fossorial animals occupying diverse habitats.

Rapid Wetland Expansion During European Settlement And Its Implication For Marsh Survival Under Modern Sediment Delivery Rates, Matthew L. Kirwan, A. Brad Murray, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, D. Reide Corbett

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Fluctuations in sea-level rise rates are thought to dominate the formation and evolution of coastal wetlands. Here we demonstrate a contrasting scenario in which land-use–related changes in sediment delivery rates drive the formation of expansive marshland, and vegetation feedbacks maintain their morphology despite recent sediment supply reduction. Stratigraphic analysis and radiocarbon dating in the Plum Island Estuary (Massachusetts, United States) suggest that salt marshes expanded rapidly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries due to increased rates of sediment delivery following deforestation associated with European settlement. Numerical modeling coupled with the stratigraphic observations suggests that existing marshland could survive, but not …

Adaptive Resource Management And The Value Of Information, Byron K. Williams, Mitchell J. Eaton, David R. Breininger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The value of information is a general and broadly applicable concept that has been used for several decades to aid in making decisions in the face of uncertainty. Yet there are relatively few examples of its use in ecology and natural resources management, and almost none that are framed in terms of the future impacts of management decisions. In this paper we discuss the value of information in a context of adaptive management, in which actions are taken sequentially over a timeframe and both future resource conditions and residual uncertainties about resource responses are taken into account. Our objective is …

A Loess–Paleosol Record Of Climate And Glacial History Over The Past Two Glacial–Interglacial Cycles (~150 Ka), Southern Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Kenneth L. Pierce, Daniel R. Muhs, Maynard A. Fosberg, Shannon A. Mahan, Joseph G. Rosenbaum, Joseph M. Licciardi, Milan J. Pavich

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Loess accumulated on a Bull Lake outwash terrace of Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6) age in southern Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The 9 m section displays eight intervals of loess deposition (Loess 1 to Loess 8, oldest), each followed by soil development. Our age-depth model is constrained by thermoluminescence, meteoric ¹⁰Be accumulation in soils, and cosmogenic ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages. We use particle size, geochemical, mineral-magnetic, and clay mineralogical data to interpret loess sources and pedogenesis. Deposition of MIS 6 loess was followed by a tripartite soil/thin loess complex (Soils 8, 7, and 6) apparently re!ecting the …

Using Temperature Profiles To Investigate The Hyporheic Zone In An Agricultural Drainage Ditch, Richard A. Suggs

Theses and Dissertations

During the last three decades, there has been much research on ground water/surface water interaction and hyporheic zone processes in natural rivers and streams. Research into natural systems has revealed significant ground water/surface water interaction and a complex variability that depends primarily on surface conditions, subsurface composition, and seasonal influences. Hyporheic zone interaction is an important factor contributing to water quality of both surface water and ground water systems.

This research expands on the concept of using heat transport, as revealed by temperature variation, as an analogue for water movement within a surface water/ground water system to include the man-made …

2011-2012 Unlv Mcnair Journal, Cyndy Anang, Sajar Camara, Pamela Cornejo, Carla Antonieta Farcello, Ilse Anahi Garcia, Natiera Magnuson, William L. Mccurdy, Lorena Munoz, Maxym V. Myroshnychenko, Ricardo Rios, Theodore Waldeck, Barbara Wallen, Ana Zuniga, Brenda M. Aguilar, Tiffany Alexandra Alvarez, Daniel N. Erosa, Paige C. Espinosa, Carla Antonieta Farcello, Julienne Jochel Paraiso, Nathaniel Derek Phillipps, Carmen Vallin, Jacent N. Wamala, Ernesto Zamora-Ramos

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program

Table of Contents

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements:

Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Using Water Balance Models To Approximate The Effects Of Climate Change On Spring Catchment Discharge : Mt. Hanang, Tanzania , Randall E. Fish

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

This project addresses the potential impacts of changing climate on dry-season water storage and discharge from a small, mountain catchment in Tanzania. Villagers and water managers around the catchment have experienced worsening water scarcity and attribute it to increasing population and demand, but very little has been done to understand the physical characteristics and hydrological behavior of the spring catchment. The physical nature of the aquifer was characterized and water balance models were calibrated to discharge observations so as to be able to explore relative changes in aquifer storage resulting from climate changes.

To characterize the shallow aquifer supplying water …

"The Need Obliged Us" : Culture As Capacity During The Hurricane Stan Emergency Response. A Case Study From Tectitan, Huehuetenango, Guatemala , Jesse Silverman

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

A major deficiency in disaster management plans is the assumption that pre-disaster civil-society does not have the capacity to respond effectively during crises. Following from this assumption a dominant emergency management strategy is to replace weak civil-society organizations with specialized disaster organizations that are often either military or Para-military and seek to centralize decision-making. Many criticisms have been made of this approach, but few specifically addresses disasters in the developing world. Disasters in the developing world present unique problems not seen in the developed world because they often occur in the context of compromised governments, and marginalized populations. In this …

A Proposed Epithermal Model For The High Grade District, California, Michael Nicholas Feinstein

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A historic gold mining district in northeastern California has not been incorporated into the global knowledge base for precious metal vein deposits. This study collected various data types which are important characteristics in the classification and understanding of vein deposits. The High Grade District (HGD) is a gold mining site located in the northeast corner of Modoc County, California, in the Warner Mountains. The Warner Mountains are composed of Tertiary eruptive centers, cropping out between valleys formed through extensional tectonics. Mineralization of the HGD displays abundant silicification, adularia, and gold; these characteristics are sufficient to classify mineralization as low-sulfidation epithermal …

Evidence Of Ancient Rifts Beneath Texas, Keisuke Irie

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Continental rifts are defined as geological features where Earth's lithosphere is pulled away by surface expansion of the Earth. Their physiographic features include linear rift valleys associated with active volcanism. Many rifts fail to split a continent and ancient rifts that failed to split can be found by using seismic waves to image these ancient structures. Using seismic data collected by EarthScope USArray stations in Texas, teleseismic receiver functions was calculated and utilized surface wave dispersion curves to simultaneously invert for the 2D velocity structure beneath each seismic station. EarthScope is a scientific program funded by NSF that provides geophysical …