Geology Commons^™

A Fracture Analysis Of Glacial Tills In Southwest Michigan, Ralph L. Freed

Masters Theses

Fractures were recorded and measured at seven southwest Michigan glacial till locations to identify geometry and spacing. Strong preferred orientations were shown at azimuths of 110° and 140° for two sites, and at azimuths of 85°, 110°, and 135°, and at 44° and 167° for two sites. Several sites had numerous oblique fractures.

Thirty-eight azimuthal Wenner arrays and four Schlumberger surveys show apparent resistivities vary widely with depth of penetration and material composition. Eleven percent of azimuthal surveys show an elliptical data array coinciding with preferred orientation of an adjacent fracture set. The relationship between azimuthal survey and fractures is …

The Health And Short-Term Change Of Two Coral Patch Reefs, Fernandez Bay, San Salvador Island, Bahamas, H. Allen Curran, Durelle P. Smith, Lucy Chambers Meigs, Ann E. Pufall, Mary Lisa Greer

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Two coral patch reefs on the leeward shelf of San Salvador Island have been studied with surveys in 1983-84 and 1992 to monitor their ecological health and short-term change. Snapshot Reef covers an area of 50 x 50m and is dominated by Montastrea annularis. The reef was mapped in detail to show the position and size of its coral heads and 64 of these heads were studied in detail. To describe the reef, measurements were made of the height of each head, percent live coral coverage, the dominant coral species, total number of coral species present, M. annularis morphotypes presents, …

The Effects Of Composting Of Yard Wastes On The Ground-Water Quality: Wmu Farms Site, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Bryan Kirk Allen

Masters Theses

In the rush to find alternatives to landfilling of yard waste, federal and state agencies have identified composting as the main solution. There is therefore a need to address the possible environmental problems which could be associated with such composting operations. Compost may contain nutrients, organic acids, pesticides, and metals which could leach through soils to the ground water posing a potential contamination problem.

At the WMU Farms Site, two sites have been used for the composting of leaves by the City of Kalamazoo. The physical and chemical hydrogeology of these sites were characterized.

The results suggest that the presence …

Groundwater Chemistry Analysis Of The Saginaw Formation In Delhi Township, Michigan, Sam L. Kitchin

Masters Theses

Groundwater chemistry and well data provided by the Ingham County (Michigan) Health Department were used to evaluate the distribution of inorganic chemical constituents in the groundwater flow system of the Saginaw Formation, in Delhi Township, Michigan. The data also were used to study the distribution of chemical constituents with respect to different rock types of the Saginaw Formation. The data were analyzed to examine if variations in the concentrations of the chemical constituents and the values of other chemical parameters relate to rock-water interactions, groundwater flow systems, or groundwater contamination.

The results indicate that patterns of increasing or decreasing concentrations …

The Mobrup Catchment Working Plan - A Resource Inventory And Strategies, Steven Garrad

Soil conservation survey collection

The Mobrup LCDC has persevered for three years with its efforts to produce a catchment plan. They readily acknowledge that their work is just beginning as they now wrestle with this working plan to form something which will have application on each individual's enterprise to ensure a sustainable future for this catchment.This report is a collation of their ideas, an inventory of works done in the catchment and the best advice which research and local knowledge can provide.

Hydrogeology And Hydrochemistry Of The Delta Wadi El-Arish Area Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Medhat A. El-Bihery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Delta Wadi El-Arish, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, forms one of the most important parts of Egypt for industrial and agricultural expansion projects. This study focuses on the hydrogeology and the hydrochemistry of the Quaternary aquifer in the delta Wadi El-Arish area. Accurate information about the groundwater characteristics of the Quaternary aquifer will allow implementation of a sound water management policy for the Wadi El-Arish area.

The objectives of this study include: 1) determining the relationships between groundwater extraction and water levels and water quality using water-level measurements, total extraction of the wells, and chemical analyses of water samples; 2) determining the …

Internal Deformation, Evolution, And Fluid Flow In Basement-Involved Thrust Faults, Northwestern Wyoming, James V. Goddard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An integrated field, microstructure, fracture statistic , geochemistry, and laboratory permeability study of the East Fork and White Rock fault zones, of similar age and tectonic regime but different structural level and hydrogeologic history, provides detailed information about the internal deformation and fluid flow processes in fault zones. The primary conclusions of this research are: 1) Fault zones can be separated into subzones of protolith, damaged zone , and gouge /cataclasite, based on physical morphology and permeability structure. At deep structural levels, gouge/cataclasite zones are more evolved (thicker with increased grain size reduction) due to strain localization, higher pressure and …

Geochemistry, Alluvial Facies Distribution, Hydrogeology, And Groundwater Quality Of The Dallas-Monmouth Area, Oregon, Rodney R. Caldwell

Dissertations and Theses

The Dallas-Monmouth area, located in the west-central Willamette Valley, Oregon, consists of Tertiary marine and volcanic bedrock units which are locally overlain by alluvium. The occurrence of groundwater with high salinities has forced many rural residents to use public water supplies. Lithologic descriptions from driller's logs, geochemical (INAA), and x-ray diffraction analyses were used to determine alluvial facies distribution, geochemical and clay mineral distinctions among the units, and possible sediment sources. Driller's log, chemical and isotopic analysis, and specific conductance information from wells and springs were used to study the hydrogeologic characteristics of the aquifers and determine the distribution, characteristics, …

Age Determination Of Recent Cave Deposits Using Excess 210Pb - A New Technique, M. Baskaran, Thomas M. Iliffe

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Cave deposits have been widely used as proxy recorders in deciphering palaeoclimate during the last glacial/interglacial maxima (∼ 120 ka) [Harmon et al., 1975; Atkinson et al., 1978; Goede and Harmon, 1983; Ayliffe and Veeh, 1989]. Palaeoclimatic studies of cave deposits for the past 1–1000 yr time scale require a precise dating technique, that until now has been lacking. Due to the multiple sources of carbon in speleothems, ¹⁴C dates obtained for recently deposited calcite are highly variable and thus, ¹⁴C dating techniques are not suitable to obtain speleothem ages for the past 1–1000 years.

Here, we show …

Ground-Water Contamination By Volatile Organic Compounds: Sources Of Error, Temporal And Spatial Variability, Gary Thomas Blinkiewicz

Masters Theses

Data on the distributions of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), principally trichloroethane and dichloroethylenes, in a shallow sand and gravel aquifer near Rockford, IL have been collected for a number of years. Synoptic sampling events from a dense monitoring well network within a greater than 4 mi^2 area, provide the basis for the evaluation of sources of variability in concentrations in space and time. Sampling, and analysis-related variability in these data contribute less than 10% of total variance. Spatial and temporal variability over periods of months to years are significant Results suggest that contaminant distributions can be resolved best by using …

Improved Filter-Pack Design For Hydrocarbon Recovery Wells In Unconsolidated Aquifers, Thomas R. Barrett

Masters Theses

Laboratory sand tank experiments and two field studies were conducted to determine filter-pack designs that would increase the hydrocarbon flow rate into hydrocarbon recovery wells. Previous laboratory experiments have shown that using filter-packs of Teflon chips or sands treated with a water repellent spray will increase the rate of hydrocarbon recovery into wells in laboratory bail down test experiments.

The results of the laboratory investigations suggest that using a hydrophobic filter-pack with a median grain-size of 2.5-3.5 greater than that of the aquifer will provide the greatest rate of hydrocarbon recovery.

In two field studies, wells constructed with a hydrophobic …

Lithofacies Of The Pliocene-Pleistocene Lucayan Limestone, Great Abaco Island, Little Bahama Bank, Mary K. Mullen

OES Theses and Dissertations

Petrographic and sedimentologic analyses of eleven shallow subsurface cores (3 to 19 meters in length) from the Lucayan Limestone where it occurs along northeastern Great Abaco Island (little Bahama Bank) are used to delineate five carbonate lithofacies. The most prevalent lithofacies is a mottled, nonskeletal, peloidal packstone to grainstone. Other lithofacies include a rudstone, a laminated nonskeletal grainstone, a crossbedded grainstone and a mudstone-wackestone.

Cementation varies from poor to very well cemented core intervals. Cements observed included equant granular, equant blocky, drusy, meniscus, and needle fiber "whisker" cements. These cements reflect a variety of diagenetic environments such as the vadose, …

Paleobathymetric Interpretation Of Pleistocene Sediments In The South Padre Island Area, Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Using Benthic Foraminiferal Morphology, Karen Ianthe Kruebbe-Belwood

OES Theses and Dissertations

This study tested the validity of using intraspecific variation in benthic foraminifera as a means for determining Pleistocene paleobathymetry. Canonical variate analysis was used as a means for determining visually undetectable but statistically significant differences in the morphology of selected species. Two species, Cassidulina subglobosa and Uvigerina peregrina, were collected from Pleistocene well cuttings from the northwest Gulf of Mexico. The canonical analysis involved comparing the intraspecific variation of these Pleistocene species to their counterparts occurring in the modern Gulf of Mexico, where intraspecific variation was previously analyzed and found to be sufficient to allow detection of bathymetric differences …

Recent Benthic Foraminifera, Petrology, And Implications For Recent Transport In Wilmington And South Heyes Submarine Canyons, U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin, Jason James Lundquist

OES Theses and Dissertations

Two hundred and forty-six species of benthic foraminifera have been recognized in fourteen short cores (≤ 24cm) taken from within the Wilmington and South Heyes submarine canyons along the slope and rise of the United States Atlantic Continental Margin. Of these one hundred and forty-five species were identified to the species level, thirty were closely related to known species, sixty-six could not be assigned specific names, and five species were of uncertain generic placement. The petrologic character of the sediments was determined for each of the seventy-eight micropaleontogical samples.

Cluster analysis of benthic foraminiferal data identified twelve groups which, together …

Petrology Of A Large Granophyre-Rich Mesozoic Diabase Dike Near Farmville, Virginia, Philip Thomas Rogan

OES Theses and Dissertations

Up to 37% granophyre occurs in the center of a 150m-wide Mesozoic diabase dike near Farmville, Virginia. The exceptional abundance of granophyre compared with other Mesozoic diabase dikes suggests unusual petrogenetic processes are involved in formation of the dike. Petrographic analyses show that granophyre increases from 5-10% near the flanks of the dike to a maximum of 37% in the core of the dike, and that granophyre distribution is approximately symmetrical about the center of the dike. Major and trace element concentrations parallel variations in the modal abundance of granophyre, with SiO₂ , Na₂O and K_{2 …}

Paleocene To Miocene Foraminifera From A Well Near Gloucester, Virginia, Nelson Stanley Ford

OES Theses and Dissertations

Lithologic analysis of twenty-one core samples from a well near Gloucester, Virginia, when compared to published descriptions of formations occurring in the study area, indicates the presence of five formations. From oldest to youngest these units are the Aquia (late Paleocene), Nanjemoy (early Eocene), Chickahominy (late Eocene), Old Church (late Oligocene and early Miocene), and Eastover (late Miocene) formations. Comparison of the stratigraphic ranges of key planktic and benthic foraminifera from each of the core samples shows chronological agreement with previously published ages for each of these formations.

Paleoenvironmental analysis of each of the formations in the well is based …

Understanding Groundwater Starts With The Rocks: Geologic Fralnework, Groundwater Occurrence And Irrigation Development In Nebraska, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Nebraska is blessed with abundant groundwater. This groundwater is found beneath much of the state, principally in the sediments and sedimentary rocks that blanket the ancient and largely crystalline rocks geologists call Precambrian (see block diagram of Nebraska's geology, p. 50). These younger deposits contain pieces of evidence such as fossils and sedimentary features that reveal the tremendous changes in the environment that have gone on over the last 570 million years, during which these deposits accumulated. Change is the name of the game in geologic history, just as it is in human history. Fundamental changes in geologic history across …

Profiles: Nelson Horatio Darton: His Surveys Laid The Foundation, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

No serious researcher studying the development of water resources in Nebraska, or for that matter in the central Great Plains, can overlook the works of Nelson Horatio Darton, the first geologist to study and publish about those resources in any detail. Darton originally published the names and characteristics of many hydrogeologic units beneath much of Nebraska, now used by groups as diverse as scientists, well drillers and the general public. These works are listed below. As an indication of the value of these early efforts, I have used these works for my research and can testify to their accuracy and …

Flat Water: A History Of Nebraska And Its Water, Robert D. Kuzelka, Charles A. Flowerday, Robert N. Manley, Bradley C. Rundquist, Sally J. Herrin

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Shapes Of Venusian "Pancake" Domes Imply Episodic Emplacement And Silicic Composition, Jonathan H. Fink, Nathan T. Bridges, Robert E. Grimm

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The main evidence available for constraining the composition of the large circular "pancake" domes on Venus is their gross morphology. Laboratory simulations using polyethylene glycol show that the height to diameter (aspect) ratios of domes given total volume depend critically on whether their extrusion was continuous or episodic, with more episodes leading to greater cooling and taller domes. Thus without observations of their emplacement, the compositions of venusian domes cannot be uniquely constrained by their morphology. However, by considering a population of 51 venusian domes to sent a sampling of many stages during the growth of domes with comparable histories, …

Geological Field Guide To The Cedar Point Biological Station, Keith County, Nebraska, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Roger K. Pabian

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This field guide was produced by staff members of the Conservation and Survey Division of the University of Nebraska originally in 1979 at the request of Dr. Brent Nickol, former Director of the Cedar Point Biological Station. It is an introduction to the geologic history and paleoecology of the Cedar Point area intended for students, staff, and other persons using the camp. This revision has been made some 15 years after the first version to reflect changes in ideas resulting from new data collected during that time.

Users of this guide should take care when studying the rock exposures described …

Calculation Of Acoustic Parameters By A Filter-Correlation Method, Robert C. Courtney, Larry A. Mayer

Affiliate Scholarship

This paper presents the filter correlation method, a technique for extracting consistent and accurate estimates of attenuation parameters from acoustic waveform data. The method minimizes problems associated with short time windows and multipath secondary arrivals. The method comprises two stages: a causal passband filter stage followed by a cross-correlation step. The results of the filter-correlation estimator are compared to those of the spectral difference approach for short time series with and without a secondary multipath arrival. Preliminary analyses of acoustic data collected on cored marine silts and clays show the attenuation properties of these materials cannot be described by a …

The Origin And Evolution Of The Southern Snake Range Decollement, East Central Nevada, Allen J. Mcgrew

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Regional and local stratigraphic, metamorphic, and structural constraints permit reconstruction of the southern Snake Range extensional deformational system in east central Nevada. The dominant structure of the range, the southern Snake Range décollement (SSRD), operated during Oligocene and Miocene extensional deformation to exhume a footwall of multiply deformed metasedimentary and plutonic rocks. Intrusion of three plutons (∼160 Ma, 79.1 ± 0.5 Ma, and 36 ± 1 Ma, respectively) and development of two cleavages preceded the onset of extensional deformation. Plastic deformation of lower plate metasedimentary rocks accompanied the early phases of regional extension and produced bedding-parallel grain shape foliations and …

Conservation For Production : Kings Rocks Catchment Report, William Oldfield

Agriculture reports

The aim of this report is to bring together current information on the land and ideas which will provide landholders of the King Rocks catchment group with a basis to make more informed decisions about managing the land. The report contains information on how the landscape was formed, how areas become degraded, what are the present recommended ways of fixing land degradation and what are the most productive means of farming the land.

Dolomite Cement Stratigraphy Of The Reelfoot Rift And The Relationship Of These Cements To Dolomite Cements Found In Southeast Missouri, Timothy James Keller

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The formation of the southeast Missouri Mississippi Valley-type Pb, Zn, Cu ore districts have been a subject of controversy. Using petrology and geochemistry, earlier studies have attempted to reveal fluid flow, composition, and origin of the ore forming fluids. In this study, the potential role of the Reelfoot rift (New Madrid seismic zone) as a source and/or conduit for ore forming fluids is addressed. By observing cuttings and cores from four oil test wells within the Reelfoot rift using cathodluminescence, four cement types were described: 1) A multiple generation cement type similar to that observed associated with mineralization in southeastern …

Depositional Facies Analysis And Sea Level Curve Determination From The Soth Western St. Francois Mts. To The Western Margin Of The Reelfoot Rift, Missouri, Aaron Ramon Rezendez

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Knowledge of the relative influence of eustatic and tectonic controls on sedimentation in basins is important to developing a regional facies model. The Reelfoot Rift basin is located on the southern margin of the North American Craton. The tectonic and sedimentary history of the rift began during Middle Cambrian time and extended through the Early Ordovician. Oil test well cuttings and cores were used to construct a stratigraphic fence extending from the Cambro- Ordovician platform west of the St. Francois Mts. southeastward info the rifted basin. Three major transgressive-regressive sequences and numerous minor transgressive-regressive sequences were observed in Cambro-Ordovician rocks …

Flooding Of The Sinking Creek Karst Area In Jessamine And Woodford Counties, Kentucky, James C. Currens, C. Douglas R. Graham

Report of Investigations--KGS

Tashamingo Subdivision in Sinking Creek Karst Valley, a tributary of the Garretts Spring Drainage Basin in Jessamine and Woodford Counties, Kentucky, was flooded in February 1989. To determine the cause of flooding, the boundary of the ground-water basin was mapped, discharge data were measured to determine intake capacity of swallow holes, and hydrologic modeling of the basin was conducted. Swallow-hole capacity was determined to be limited by the hydraulic parameters of the conduit, rather than by obstruction by trash. Flooding from a precipitation event is more likely, and will be higher, when antecedent soil moisture conditions in the watershed are …

Application Of Sealevel Stratigraphy To Neogene Great Plains Stratigraphy, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., A. Lowrie

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Absolute-dated high frequency (Milankovitch cycles) marine climate/sealevel oscillatory stratigraphy can be correlated generally with continental stratigraphies. Improvements in absolute dating of Neogene formations across the North American Great Plains make this a candidate area in which to correlate marine and continental stratigraphies. Mid-latitude continental areas respond directly to climate variations. During glaciated/ cold climates, sealevel lowering results in steepened river gradients, increased erosion all along the river channel, and larger stress-bed loads. This, combined with glacial catastrophic flooding, produces greater cut-and-fill sequences along river systems than crevasse splays along the emergent coastal plain, deltas along the shelf, and submarine fans …

Seismic Stratigraphy Of The Ontong Java Plateau, David Mosher, Larry A. Mayer, Tom H. Shipley, Edward L. Winterer, Rick A. Hagen, Janice C. Marsters, Frank Bassinot, Roy H. Wilkens, Mitchell Lyle

Affiliate Scholarship

The Ontong Java Plateau, a large, deep-water carbonate plateau in the western equatorial Pacific, is an ideal location for studying responses of carbonate sedimentation to the effects of changing paleoceanographic conditions. These carbonate responses are often reflected in the physical properties of the sediment, which in turn control the appearance of seismic reflection profiles. Seismic stratigraphy analyses, correlating eight reflector horizons to each drill site, have been conducted in an attempt to map stratigraphic data. Accurate correlation of seismic stratigraphic data to drilling results requires conversion of traveltime to depth in meters. Synthetic seismogram models, using shipboard physical properties data, …

Laboratory And Well-Log Velocity And Density Measurements From The Ontong Java Plateau: New In-Situ Corrections To Laboratory Data For Pelagic Carbonates, Jozsef Urmos, Roy H. Wilkens, Frank Bassinot, Mitchell Lyle, Janice C. Masters, Larry A. Mayer, David Mosher

Affiliate Scholarship

During Ocean Drilling Program Leg 130, sonic velocity and bulk density/porosity well logs were measured in five separate holes drilled through the sequence of pelagic carbonate oozes, chalks, and limestones that comprise the thick, continuous sedimentary cover on the Ontong Java Plateau. An internally consistent and continuous suite of shipboard laboratory velocity and sediment physical properties measurements were made from the top of each hole down through the entire logged interval. Because of the high quality of the data, extensive overlap of 500 m or more between the log and laboratory measurements at each hole, and the homogeneous nature of …