Geology Commons^™

Surface Temperature And Spectral Measurements At Santiaguito Lava Dome, Guatemala, Steve T. M. Sahetapy-Engel, Luke P. Flynn, Andrew J. L. Harris, Gregg J. Bluth, William I. Rose, Otoniel Matias

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

An infrared thermometer, spectroradiometer and digital video camera were used to observe and document short-term evolution of surface brightness temperature and morphology at Santiaguito lava dome, Guatemala. The thermometer dataset shows 40–70 minute-long cooling cycles, each defined by a cooling curve that is both initiated and terminated by rapid increases in temperature due to regular ash venting. The average cooling rate calculated for each cycle range from 0.9 to 1.6°C/min. We applied a two-component thermal mixture model to the spectroradiometer (0.4–2.5 μm) dataset. The results suggest that the observed surface morphology changed from a cool (120–250°C) crust-dominated surface with high …

Evaluating Uranium Depth Versus Socio-Economic Statistics For Residential Radon Vulnerability In Warren County, Kentucky, Anthony Iovanna

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Residences in Warren County, Kentucky, are characterized by high levels of residential radon, which is one of the radioactive daughter products of uranium. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), radon exposure causes approximately 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States per year. The City of Bowling Green, in Warren County, is underlain by karst, an easily soluble limestone subsurface, which allows radon gas to travel easily through cracks and fissures. Carbonate rocks under Bowling Green are underlain by the Devonian Chattanooga Shale, a low-grade uranium ore and a potential source of radon gas. A digital …

Geogram 2004, David J. Keeling Editor, Wku Department Of Geography And Geology

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Publications

No abstract provided.

Significant Crustal Thinning Beneath The Baikal Rift Zone: New Constraints From Receiver Function Analysis, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu, Chizheng Chen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thinning of the crust of more than 10 km is a major feature of typical continental rifts such as the East African (EAR) and Rio Grande (RGR) rifts. However, numerous previous studies across the Baikal rift zone (BRZ), which has similar surface expressions and tectonic history, and more active seismicity relative to EAR and RGR, have resulted in contradicting amount of thinning, ranging from almost none to more than 10 km. We measure crustal thickness by stacking teleseismic receiver functions beneath 51 sites on the southern and central parts of the BRZ and adjacent Siberian Platform and Sayan-Baikal-Mongolian Foldbelt. Our …

Hydrologic Variations Within Created And Natural Wetlands In Southeastern Virginia, Aaron Dyer Despres

OES Theses and Dissertations

The hydrology of wetlands, particularly how wetland soils collect, store, and redistribute water strongly affects how wetland systems function. In created wetlands, construction processes and materials influence the hydrology and consequently, the potential for successful reestablishment of target vegetation communities. During .2002- 2004, the Virginia Department of Transportation constructed large mitigation wetlands on two different Quaternary aged surfaces with very similar hydrogeomorphic conditions. The Sandy Bottom Nature Park site (SBNP) located in Hampton, VA and rests on the sandy loam Tabb Formation while the Charles City Wetland site (CCW) lies on the older and clay-rich Shirley Formation. This study documents …

Influence Of Lithophysae Geometry And Distribution On Mechanical Properties Of Topopah Spring Tuff, Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Justin Fenton, Moses Karakouzian, Jaime Gonzalez, Amy J. Smiecinski, Raymond E. Keeler

Publications (YM)

The current Site Recommendation study for the proposed high level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain locates the repository emplacement drifts approximately 81% within the lower lithophysal unit of the Topopah Springs Formation (Tptpll), 4% within the upper lithophysal unit of the Topopah Springs Formation (Tptpul), and roughly 15% within the middle, non-lithophysal unit (Tptpmn) of the same formation. A major geomechanical issue facing the Yucca Mountain Project is to understand the thermomechanical behavior of lithophysal tuff, which comprises roughly 85% of the repository host rock.

Lithium Abundance And Isotope Systematics Of Forearc Serpentinites, Conical Seamount, Mariana Forearc: Insights Into The Mechanics Of Slab-Mantle Exchange During Subduction, Laurie D. Benton, Jeffrey G. Ryan, Ivan P. Savov

Geology Faculty Publications

[1] Variable lithium contents and contrasting Li isotopic signatures are evident in the serpentininite muds and clasts extruded at Conical Seamount in the Mariana forearc. The muds have high Li contents compared to mantle values (3–7 ppm) and a mean δ7Li value of ∼+6‰. The clasts are generally lower in Li, and δ7Li varies from −6‰ to +10‰, with higher δ7Li correlating broadly to higher lithium contents. The diverse δ7Li in the serpentinite clasts suggests Li exchanges between mantle rocks and evolving slab‐derived fluids from different depths, producing a subarc mantle that is zoned in terms of Li abundances and …

Southern Cascadia Episodic Slow Earthquakes, Walter Szeliga, Timothy I. Melbourne, M. Meghan Miller, Marcelo Santillan

Faculty Scholarship for the Cascadia Hazards Institute

Continuous GPS and seismic data from northern California show that slow earthquakes periodically rupture the Gorda-North America plate interface within southern Cascadia. On average, these creep events have occurred every 10.9±1.2 months since at least 1998. Appearing as week-long GPS extensional transients that reverse secular forearc contraction, the data show a recurrence interval 22% shorter than slow events recognized to the north. Seismic tremor here accompanies the GPS reversals, correlated across as many as 5 northern California seismometers. Tremor occurs sporadically throughout the year, but increases in duration and intensity by a factor of about 10 simultaneous with the GPS …

Numerical Modeling Of Geophysical Granular Flows: 2. Computer Simulations Of Plinian Clouds And Pyroclastic Flows And Surges, Sebastien Dartevelle, William I. Rose, John Stix, Karim Kelfoun, James W. Vallance

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Geophysical granular flows display complex nonlinear, nonuniform, and unsteady rheologies, depending on the volumetric grain concentration within the flow: kinetic, kinetic-collisional, and frictional. To account for the whole spectrum of granular rheologies (and hence concentrations), we have used and further developed for geophysical-atmospheric applications a multiphase computer model initially developed by U.S. Department of Energy laboratories: (Geophysical) Multiphase Flow with Interphase Exchange. As demonstrated in this manuscript, (G)MFIX can successfully simulate a large span of pyroclastic phenomena and related processes: plinian clouds, pyroclastic flows and surges, flow transformations, and depositional processes. Plinian cloud simulations agree well with the classical plume …

Scattering Matrices Of Volcanic Ash Particles Of Mount St. Helens, Redoubt, And Mount Spurr Volcanoes, O. Muñoz, H. Volten, J. W. Hovenier, B. Veihelmann, W. J. Van Der Zande, L. B. F. M. Waters, William I. Rose

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

We present measurements of the whole scattering matrix as a function of the scattering angle at a wavelength of 632.8 nm in the scattering angle range 3°–174° of randomly oriented particles taken from seven samples of volcanic ashes corresponding to four different volcanic eruptions: the 18 May 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, the 1989–1990 Redoubt eruption, and the 18 August and 17 September 1992 Mount Spurr eruptions. The samples were collected at different distances from the vent. The samples studied contain large mass fractions of fine particles and were chosen to represent ash that could remain in the atmosphere for …

An Unusually Large Aulocopella Winnipegensis And Associated Demosponges From The Upper Ordovician Beaverfoot Formation, Southeastern British Columbia, J. Keith Rigby, Paul A. Johnston

Faculty Publications

An unusually large specimen of the rare digitate to bladed Aulocopella winnipegensis Rauff and three relatively normal sized specimens of ashtray-shaped Hudsonospongia? sp. constitute the first record of demosponges from the Upper Ordovician Beaverfoot Formation in southeastern British Columbia and the first record of these taxa from western Canada. Gross form and canal structure are well preserved, but dolomitization and (or) coarse microsphaeroidal silicification have obliterated spicules and other structural details. We interpret these sponges as epifaunal recliners, without means of attachment to the substrate, a life mode rarely encountered in the modern sponge biota.

Classifying Mollisol Soils Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data, Adil M. Wadia

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil classification is a complex task that involves several factors. Soil classifications that have been published usually need to be updated as soil series definitions and boundaries change over time. Most existing soil classification surveys in the United States, although often very good, lack the required accuracy for selected applications such as precision agriculture. 111 Hyperspectral remote sensing data, with its 100+ bands and very high spectral resolution can help facilitate soil classification detail not achieved through traditional remote sensing methods. The study area selected for research was Wolf Field, near Homer, Champaign County, Illinois, which is a very agriculturally …

Experimental Investigation Of Time Dependent Behavior Of Welded Topopah Spring Tuff, Lumin Ma

Publications (YM)

Four types of laboratory tests have been performed. Specimens were attained from four lithophysal zones of the welded Topopah Spring Tuff unit at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: upper lithophysal, middle nonlithophysal, lower lithophysal and lower nonlithophysal zones. Two types of tests are conducted to study time-dependent behavior: constant strain rate and creep tests. Sixty five specimens from the middle nonlithophysal zone were tested at six strain rates: 10 , 10 , 10 , 10 , 10 , and 10 . Test durations range from 2 seconds to 7 days. Fourteen specimens from middle nonlithophysal, lower lithophysal and lower nonlithophysal zones are …

Volatile Light Hydrocarbons In Geothermal Gas Emissions From Yellowstone National Park, Usa, And Comparisons To El Salvador And Honduras, Bethany Burnett

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Twenty-six samples from hot springs and fumaroles in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and 11 in Central America were analyzed for inorganic gases (CO₂, SO₂, H₂S, HCl, Ar, N₂, CO, H₂, He, 0₂), methane, and trace volatile light hydrocarbons. Stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen were used in conjunction with the gas geochemistry to determine potential sources of hydrocarbons.

δ¹³C-CH₄ values ranged between -37.6 and-18.2‰ for YNP, from -31.9 to -30.2‰ for El Salvador, and from -38.8 to -23.9‰ for Honduras. δ¹³C-CO_{2 …}

Lewis And Clark State Park Signs, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Les Howard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Bob Diffendal wrote text and Les Howard created maps for new Lewis and Clark signs at Ponca State Park on the Missouri River.

The Corps of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reached what is now southeastern Nebraska on July 10, 1804. It arrived at the point on the Missouri River adjacent to what is now Ponca State Park on August 22, 1804; and entered fully into South Dakota on September 8, 1804. Over this span of nearly two months members of the expedition saw and described many geologic features. The locations of some of the more prominent …

Anthropogenic Lead Deposition And Four National Parks In Poland As Determined By Lead Isotope Ratios, Shannon Simcoe

OES Theses and Dissertations

Polluted soils are recognized by having high concentrations of heavy metals, including Pb. Partitioning of metals in geochemical fractions, by sequential chemical extractions, may indicate whether a metal has been recently deposited in the soil. While concentration levels alone cannot distinguish between natural and anthropogenic Pb, studies have demonstrated that anthropogenic pollution is accurately recorded by specific Pb isotope signatures, which differ from natural Pb isotopes. The objective of this project was to use ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotope ratios to differentiate between the anthropogenic Pb input and the naturally occurring Pb in four national …

Sediments, Facies Tracts, And Variations In Sedimentation Rates Of Holocene Platform Carbonate Sediments And Associated Deposits, Northern Belize -- Implications For "Representative" Sedimentation Rates, Wan Yang, Salvatore J. Mazzullo, Chellie S. Teal

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In stratigraphic analysis and simulation, sedimentation rates are typically assumed to be constant for meter-scale sedimentation units of similar lithology. The rates of Holocene, shallow-marine carbonate and associated sediments within an 820 km² area of Chetumal Bay in northern Belize were evaluated to test this assumption. Rates were determined from thickness data from 363 locations, durations derived from ¹⁴C age dates of mangrove peat on Pleistocene bedrock limestone and of overlying cerithid gravels, and reference to a sea-level curve for this area. The rate of entire Holocene sections (basal transgressive mangrove peat, shelly gravel, and overlying carbonate) varies …

Platinum Group Element Mineralization In "Ballrooms" Of The J-M Reef Of The Stillwater Complex, Montana, Matthew P. Harper

Theses and Dissertations

The J-M Reef of the Stillwater Complex, Montana (a large layered mafic intrusion), is one of the highest grade platinum group element (PGE) deposits known in the world, producing primarily palladium and platinum in a 3.4:1 ratio. "Ballrooms" of the Stillwater Complex are anomalously wide areas within or stratigraphically below the J-M Reef that host platinum group element mineralization. Ballrooms have two typical morphologies (type 1 and type 2); the first is an abrupt thickening of the mineralization that extends below the Reef Package and the second is a gentle widening of the Reef Package and associated reef mineralization to …

Karst Of Western Cuba: Observations, Geomorphology, And Diagenesis, Larry D. Seale, Limaris R. Soto, Lee J. Florea, Beth Fratesi

Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

In Cuba, we observed many karst features in a variety of hydrogeologic settings. These hy-drogeologic settings occur in close proximity only because of the complex tectonic history of the is-land. We observed caves within rocks ranging from Pleistocene to Jurassic, and representing a range of diagenetic ages from eogenetic to teloge-netic. Our observations are from the western one-third of the island of Cuba; however, we believe they are representative of hydrogeologic settings found throughout the island.

Point Load Strength Testing Of Irregular Rock Fragments Of Welded Tuff, Jaak J.K. Daemen, George Danko, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

Yucca Mountain is composed of a thick sequence of variably welded and nonwelded ashflow tuffs (Rautman and Engstrom, 1996). The understanding of the rock mechanical properties is useful for characterizing the mechanical stability of the potential repository and for estimating the amount of ground support needed in underground construction (Sweetkind et al, 2003). According to Brook (1993), knowledge of lump point load strength is helpful because it can help in estimating the compressive strength. Lump point load testing is one basic mechanical characterization test to support the study of long term drift stability at the potential High Level Waste repository …

Marine Anthropogenic Debris Surveys On Hanna Bay And East Beaches, San Salvador Island, Bahamas, 1998–2004, Virginia White, H. Allen Curran

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Reprinted from: R.L. Davis & D. Gamble, eds., Proceedings of the 12th Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas and Other Carbonate Regions, San Salvador, Gerace Research Center

Effects Of Microbial Processes On Electrolytic And Interfacial Electrical Properties Of Unconsolidated Sediments, Gamal Z. Abdal Aal, Estella A. Atekwana, Lee D. Slater, Eliot A. Atekwana

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effect of microbial processes on electrical properties of unconsolidated sediments was investigated in a laboratory experiment consisting of biotic and abiotic sand columns. The biotic column (nutrient, diesel and bacteria) showed (a) temporal increase in the real, imaginary, and surface conductivity, and (b) temporal decrease in the formation factor. The abiotic columns (nutrient; and nutrient and diesel) showed no significant changes. Increase in microbial population numbers, decrease in organic carbon source, nitrate, and sulfate and increase in dissolved inorganic carbon and fluid conductivity were indicative of microbial activity in the biotic column. We also measure relative increase in the …

Particles In The Great Pinatubo Volcanic Cloud Of June 1991:The Role Of Ice, Song Guo, William I. Rose, Gregg J. S. Bluth, M. I. Watson

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Pinatubo's 15 June 1991 eruption was Earth's largest of the last 25 years, and it formed a substantial volcanic cloud. We present results of analysis of satellite-based infrared remote sensing using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder/High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder/2 (TOVS/HIRS/2) sensors, during the first few days of atmospheric residence of the Pinatubo volcanic cloud, as it drifted from the Philippines toward Africa. An SO₂-rich upper (25 km) portion drifted westward slightly faster than an ash-rich lower (22 km) part, though uncertainty exists due to difficulty in precisely locating the ash cloud. …

Defining Archaeological Stratigraphy: Evaluating Microartifact Sampling, David N. Holycross

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A variety of subsurface methods have been used to discover and evaluate buried archaeological occupations. Researchers such as Stafford (1993,1995) have proposed that micro artifacts are an effective means of defining the archaeological stratigraphy of deposits, but only limited evaluation of this approach has been undertaken. This study tested the utility of microartifacts within a range of sample size and site density characteristics at three Ohio Valley archaeological sites buried within early and late Holocene age landforms. Occupations were typically detected in unit-to-core comparisons, within acceptable margins of error, and microartifacts often revealed a more complex stratigraphy than reflected by …

Sulfide Sulfur Concentration And Sulfur Isotopic Composition Of Methane Seep Sediments, V. Lynn Means, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Geochemistry Of Ground Water - Surface Water Interactions And Metals Loading Rates In The North Fork Of The American Fork River, Utah, From An Abandoned Silver/Lead Mine, Neil I. Burk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The aqueous geochemistry and hydrology of the North Fork of the American Fork River, its tributaries, and the ground water in the vicinity of the Pacific Mine site were investigated in order to determine what impact ground water entering the North Fork has on toxic metal loads in the river. Toxic metal contamination in the North Fork is great enough that brown and cutthroat trout have absorbed lead, cadmium, and arsenic in their tissues at concentrations that are hazardous to human health if consumed. Ground water that flows through the mine site flows directly through the mine tailings before entering …

Hydraulic Testing Of The Big Hole Fault, Northern San Rafael Swell, Utah, William M. Schieb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Six cross-hole packer tests were conducted at the Big Hole fault, a dip-slip normal fault in the northern San Rafael Swell of east-central Utah. Three tests were conducted at each of two locations along the fault, each location having a different total displacement. Water was injected in the footwall, hanging wall, and fault core and pressure changes were monitored in isolated intervals in the adjoining wells. Response curves were analyzed using the type curves developed by Hsieh and Neuman, and Theis, in order to evaluate the hydraulic properties of the fault and its associated damage zone.

The tests were not …

Structural Analysis Of Co2 Leakage Through The Salt Wash And Little Grand Wash Faults From Natural Reservoirs In The Colorado Plateau, Southeastern Utah, Anthony P. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Little Grand Wash fault and the Salt Wash Graben in the Colorado Plateau of southeastern Utah emit CO₂ gas from abandoned drillholes, springs, and a hydrocarbon seep. Similar CO₂-charged water has also been emitted in the past, as shown by large localized travertine deposits and veins along and near the fault traces. The faults cut natural CO₂ reservoirs and provide an excellent analog for geologic CO₂ sequestration. The faults cut a north-plunging anticline of rocks consisting of siltstones, shales, and sandstones from the Permian Cutler Formation through the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. The Little Grand …

Geologic Context Of Geodetic Data Across A Basin And Range Normal Fault, Crescent Valley, Nevada, A. M. Friedrich, Jeffrey Lee, B. P. Wernicke, K. Sieh

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Geodetic strain and late Quaternary faulting in the Basin and Range province is distributed over a region much wider than historic seismicity, which is localized near the margins of the province. In the relatively aseismic interior, both the magnitude and direction of geodetic strain may be inconsistent with the Holocene faulting record. We document the best example of such a disagreement across the NE striking, ∼55° NW dipping Crescent normal fault, where a NW oriented, 70 km geodetic baseline records contemporary shortening of ∼2 mm/yr orthogonal to the fault trace. In contrast, our geomorphic, paleoseismic, and geochronologic analyses of the …

Re-Evaluation Of So2 Release Of The 15 June 1991 Pinatubo Eruption Using Ultraviolet And Infrared Satellite Sensors, Song Guo, Gregg J. S. Bluth, William I. Rose, M. I. Watson, A. J. Prata

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

In this study, ultraviolet TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) satellite data for SO₂ are re-evaluated for the first 15 days following the 15 June 1991 Pinatubo eruption to reflect new data retrieval and reduction methods. Infrared satellite SO₂ data from the TOVS/HIRS/2 (TIROS (Television Infrared Observation Satellite) Optical Vertical Sounder/High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder/2) sensor, whose data sets have a higher temporal resolution, are also analyzed for the first time for Pinatubo. Extrapolation of SO₂ masses calculated from TOMS and TOVS satellite measurements 19–118 hours after the eruption suggest initial SO₂ releases of 15 ± 3 …