Geomorphology Commons^™

Water Quality Of Groundwater Used For Public Supply In Principal Aquifers Of The Western United States, Celia C. Rosencrans, Marylynn Musgrove

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Groundwater provides nearly half of the Nation’s drinking water. As the Nation’s population grows, the importance of (and need for) high-quality drinking-water supplies increases. As part of a national-scale effort to assess groundwater quality in principal aquifers (PAs) that supply most of the groundwater used for public supply, the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project staff sampled six principal aquifers in the western United States between 2013 and 2017: (1) the Basin and Range carbonate-rock aquifers, (2) Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers, (3) Rio Grande aquifer system, (4) High Plains aquifer, (5) Colorado Plateaus aquifers, and (6) Columbia …

Estimated Groundwater Withdrawals From Principal Aquifers In The United States, 2015, John K. Lovelace, Martha G. Nielsen, Amy L. Read, Chid J. Murphy, Molly A. Maupin

United States Geological Survey: Publications

In 2015, about 84,600 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of groundwater were withdrawn in the United States for various uses including public supply, self-supplied domestic, industrial, mining, thermoelectric power, aquaculture, livestock, and irrigation. Of this total, about 94 percent (79,200 Mgal/d) was withdrawn from principal aquifers, which are defined as regionally extensive aquifers or aquifer systems that have the potential to be used as sources of water of suitable quality and quantity to meet various needs. The remaining 6 percent (5,400 Mgal/d) was withdrawn from other, nonprincipal aquifers in the United States. Sixty-six principal aquifers belonging to 5 major lithologic …

Correlating The Plant Height Of Wheat With Above-Ground Biomass And Crop Yield Using Drone Imagery And Crop Surface Model, A Case Study From Nepal, U. S. Panday, Nawaraj Shrestha, S. Maharjan, A. K. Pratihast, Shahnawaz, K. L. Shrestha, J. Aryal

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

2019 Nebraska Water Leaders Academy Final Report, M.E. Burbach, R.M. Joeckel, G.S. Matkin

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Tracing Source Contributions To Assess Spatial Patterns Of Erosion In A Mixed Land Use Environment: Otter Creek Catchment, Fort Knox, Kentucky, Cara Peterman

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

There is an inherent difficulty in predicting source contributions of fine-grained fluvial sediment in mixed land-use watersheds. Over a 56-week period, the spatial and temporal variability in sediment-source contributions and water quality was monitored at three sites along Otter Creek in Hardin and Meade counties, Kentucky (USA). The 203-km² study area drains rural and agricultural lands and includes Fort Knox Army Post’s tracked-vehicle training areas. The main objectives for sediment source apportionment were to 1) identify and differentiate characteristics of civilian and military source soils to Otter Creek and 2) to apportion sediment at locations along Otter Creek to …

Biogeomorphology Of Bedrock Fluvial Systems: Example From Shawnee Run, Kentucky, Usa, Tasnuba Jerin

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

The dynamic interactions between fluvial processes and vegetation vary in different environments and are uncertain in bedrock settings. Bedrock streams are much less studied than alluvial in all aspects, and in many respects act in qualitatively different ways. This research seeks to fill this lacuna by studying bedrock streams from a biogeomorphic perspective. The first part of this research aims to identify the impacts of woody vegetation that may be common to fluvial systems and rocky hillslopes in general, or that may be unique to bedrock channels. A review of the existing literature on biogeomorphology — mostly fluvial and rocky …

Sedimentological, Architectural, And Paleoenvironmental Analysis Of The Fluvial Upper Devonian Catskill Formation, North-Central Pennsylvania, Usa, Matylda Zaklicki

Honors Theses

During the Late Devonian time period, sediments eroded from the Acadian mountains were transported westward and deposited in fluvial environments, but the morphology of the rivers, avulsion style, and controls on basin infilling remain unclear. This study assesses the sedimentology, channel geometry, stratigraphic architecture, and avulsion style of the paleochannels and floodplains of the uppermost 80 meters of the Catskill Formation near Blossburg, Pennsylvania, using field-based lithofacies observations, high-resolution panoramic photographs, and terrestrial lidar scanning.

Upper Catskill Formation strata at Blossburg Middle consist of sandy channel and muddy floodplain deposits. Floodplain deposits were categorized into either proximal floodplain deposits or …

Fluvial Sedimentology And Architecture Of Two Latest Devonian Lower Huntley Mountain Formation Outcrops, North-Central Pennsylvania, Usa, Evan W. Filion

Honors Theses

Thick successions of river deposits accumulated in the north-central Pennsylvania region of the Appalachian foreland basin during Late Devonian time (~380-360 Ma). The properties and morphologies of these paleorivers are not well characterized. Latest Devonian tectonic, climatic, and eustatic controls on river dynamics and basin infilling also remain unclear. This study assesses the sedimentology, facies architecture, paleochannel depths, and grain size of a 133 m thick section of fluvial strata exposed across two outcrops, Blossburg South (older) and Blossburg West (younger), mapped as lower Huntley Mountain Formation near Blossburg, Pennsylvania. Field-based lithofacies observations, high-resolution panoramic photography, terrestrial lidar scanning, and …

Modeling Cle Elum Reservoir Shoreline Erosion: Gis Analysis To Support Cultural And Environmental Resource Management, Yakima Basin, Washington, Michael H. Horner

All Master's Theses

In the Yakima Basin, managers are expanding reservoirs including Cle Elum Lake to increase the availability of water. The objective of this study was to examine areas prone to further shoreline erosion to inform resource management. This research included the use of airphotos and fieldwork to identify erosional shorelines. Erosion was verified in the field using a video survey as well as indicators such as shoreline slope, sediment size, and nearshore width. Near-term erosional segments were identified by more rapidly receding bluffs while long-term erosional segments included both bedrock cliffs and bluffs. Although most of the shoreline is depositional, near-term …

Distribution Of Invasive Plant Species On Debris Cones At Mount Rainier National Park, Shaun Morrison

All Master's Theses

Invasive plant populations within Mount Rainier National Park are a biological and ecological threat to the unique mountain landscape. A better understanding of their distribution and transport within the landscape is needed to improve invasive species monitoring for National Park Service management. This study investigates how invasive plant populations in Stevens Canyon are utilizing the debris cone disturbances and associated geomorphic processes to facilitate movement within the park. Vegetation transects were performed along Stevens Canyon Road (to observe the roadside community composition) and on the debris cone features (to observe species movement from the roadside). These vegetation observations are presented …

The Role Of Cumulate Plagioclase Entrainment In The Steens Basalt, Se Oregon: Insights From The Magma Chamber Simulator, Valerie Strasser

All Master's Theses

The Steens Basalt, located in SE Oregon, is the oldest and most mafic member of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG). Because the Steens Basalt contains large (up to 6 cm) and abundant (up to 40%) plagioclase crystals, it is classified as a Giant Plagioclase basalt (GPB). Understanding the origin of these giant plagioclase yields insight into magmatic processes like recharge, crustal assimilation, cumulate entrainment, and fractional crystallization. Because large and abundant plagioclase are found in other flood basalt provinces worldwide, these results could also enhance understanding of magma evolution and storage conditions for GPB worldwide. The Steens basalt is …

Late Holocene Paleoflood Hydrology Of The Snake River In The Lower Hells Canyon, Idaho, Kent C. Allen

All Master's Theses

The Snake River watershed spans a large geographic region from the Rocky Mountains to the inland Pacific Northwest, and a comprehensive paleoflood chronology on the mainstem of the river is key to identifying the frequency and magnitude of large prehistoric floods within the region. We examined and compared four sites of slackwater deposits along a 20-km reach of the Lower Hells Canyon on the Snake River, Idaho. The sites contain evidence of up to 34 paleofloods within the last 1700 years. Stratigraphic breaks, soils, and in-situ plant or archaeological materials demarcate distinct layers that represent discrete paleoflood events. Radiocarbon dates …

Interpretive Geologic Maps And Cross Sections For Phelps, Kearney, And Adams Counties In Nebraska, Dana Divine, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Data from thousands of test-hole and well logs were interpreted to improve understanding and management of the High Plains aquifer in a three-county study area adjacent to the Big Bend reach of the Platte River. Five principal conclusions resulted from these interpretations: (1) the extent of Neogene Ogallala deposits beneath the study area is different than previously mapped; (2) a large paleovalley incised into Cretaceous bedrock probably cuts across Kearney and Adams counties and may be the course of the ancestral Platte River prior to formation of the Big Bend; (3) a groundwater mound created by irrigation canals artificially raises …

The Quartz Of Arkansas: Geology, History And Legend, Thomas R. Paradise

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Quartz Crystals has been treasured and utilized through history, and this chapter addresses its many uses, mineralogy, history, and legend over time...

Knickzones In Southwest Pennsylvania Streams Indicate Accelerated Pleistocene Landscape Evolution, Mark D. Swift

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A set of 22 southwestern Pennsylvania streams flowing into the Monongahela and Ohio rivers with drainage areas ranging from 8 km² to >512 km² exhibit knickzones, when compared to Mackin’s (1948) idealized graded stream profile. Watersheds delineated from LiDAR-derived 1 m DEMs were processed using Esri’s ArcGIS for Desktop 10.6 to extract stream elevation data used to create stream profiles. These data were exported to MS Excel, where gradients were calculated and compared. This study used a new methodology in which gradient was calculated using incremental measurement distances (d) at every meter along the length of …

Mapping Surficial Geology In The New River Gorge National River And Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia, Using Lidar-Derived Digital Elevation Data, Marla K. Denicola

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if the surficial geology of Bluestone National Scenic River (BLUE) and New River Gorge National River (NERI), two areas of similar geology, can be mapped using visual interpretation methods applied to digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. Surficial geology in BLUE was field mapped using GPS, following definitions and characterizations for surficial geology units established with the guidance of Dr. J. Steven Kite. A 2m x 2m LiDAR-derived DEM was used for BLUE and most of NERI using US Army Corps of Engineers (USCOE) LiDAR data, …

Assessing The Accuracy Of A Uav Snow Depth Survey: Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska Calm Grid, Ian Nichols

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Active layer depth and snow depth are annually collected across the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) Network to observe the response of the active layer and near-surface permafrost to climate change over decadal-time scales. Snow depth is typically measured using a graduated steel probe at each grid node but, in this paper, we explore the viability of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) (drone) technology to collect snow depth measurements at the 1 km² Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska CALM grid. This is achieved by comparing estimated UAV snow depths to measured snow depths collected using a MagnaProbe (MP) at each of …

Evolution And Stratigraphic Architecture Of Tidal Point Bars With And Without Fluvial Input: Influence Of Variable Flow Regimes On Sediment And Facies Distribution, And Lateral Accretion, Pricilla Souza

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Tide-influenced point bars represent a significant proportion of shallow-marine deposits, commonly developed along meandering channels in most backbarrier and estuarine systems. However, sedimentological studies to characterize this type of deposit are still emerging. They often present very heterogeneous internal architectures which development is controlled by the complex flow patterns operating in tidal environments. The study of the sedimentological and morphological characteristics of these features provides better understanding of the hydrodynamic processes that shape coastal systems and control their evolution as well as it contributes to better reservoir potential prediction and production strategy optimization, as tidal point bars may represent hydrocarbon …

Resolving Time-Space Histories Of Late Cenozoic Bedrock Incision Along The Upper Colorado River, Usa, Andres Aslan, Karl E. Karlstrom, Eric Kirby, Matthew T. Heizler, Darryl E. Granger, James K. Feathers, Paul R. Hanson, Shannon A. Mahan

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The upper Colorado River basin drains the western slope of the Rocky Mountains province of North America and hosts a rich record of fluvial terraces and volcanic deposits that provide an archive of bedrock river incision since the Late Miocene. Here we present new geochronology from fluvial deposits and associated volcanic units using multiple methods (luminescence, cosmogenic-burial, 40Ar/39Ar basalt and detrital sanidine, and U/Pb detrital zircon) to reconstruct a detailed record of bedrock incision in the upper Colorado River over timescales ranging from Miocene to Late Pleistocene. Late Miocene (ca. 11–8 Ma) basalt flows perched 800–1700 m above the Colorado …

Step-Pool Channel Morphology, Forcing Effects, And Geomorphic Classification In The Ozark Highlands, Se Missouri, Triston Ralland Rice

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Understanding headwater streams and their morphology is inherently difficult in contrast to larger streams in downstream valleys. Geomorphic forcing can occur over short distances (<10 >m) and influence channel geometry due to geologic factors such as colluvial inputs and resistant bedrock or biologic factors such as fluvial wood inputs and tree growth in the channel. How and where these geomorphic variables effect step-pool channel characteristics is poorly understood in the Ozark Highlands. Step-pool channel form is typically controlled by gradient, substrate characteristics, and sediment supply. This study reports on a geomorphic assessment of step-pool characteristics and classifies channel form using …

Geomorphology And Geochronology Of Sand Ramps Adjoining The Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kane County, Utah, Kerri E. Spuller

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Projected climate change is expected to have widespread impacts on arid regions of the world. Inland, continental dune fields are sensitive to changes in climate and the surrounding environment and are an important source for understanding interactions between Earth’s surface, atmosphere, and biosphere in drylands. Reconstructing past periods of aeolian activity from dune fields can provide insights into how landscapes have responded to previous changes in climate. However, the nature of aeolian systems to recycle older deposits leads to a preservation bias towards only the youngest deposits. Targeting geomorphic settings that are conducive to preserving older records is critical to …

The Shelf To Basin Transition And Tectonostratigraphy Of The Atoka Formation (Lower Pennsylvanian) In The Arkoma Basin, Northwest Arkansas, Travis Gibson White

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The east-to-west oriented Arkoma Basin is a peripheral foreland basin or depositional trough that developed during the Carboniferous Period. This formation covers an aerial extent of approximately 33,800 square miles and spans from west-central Arkansas into southeastern Oklahoma (McGilvery, Manger, and Zachry, 2016; Perry, 1995). The Atoka Formation, deposited during the early Pennsylvanian, is the largest Paleozoic formation by aerial extent in the state of Arkansas and is located within and comprises the bulk of Arkoma Basin sediments (McFarland, 2004; Nance, 2018). This formation has been informally divided into three divisions, the lower, middle, and upper, based on their stratigraphic …

Quantifying The Effectiveness Of Cedar Revetment In Mitigating Bank Erosion In Riceford Creek, Minnesota, Talia A. Klein

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Southeastern Minnesota has incised streams that are susceptible to bank erosion. Previously, efforts have been made to identify sections of Riceford Creek that have high erosion susceptibility using the Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI). Locally harvested cedars were then used as a revetment strategy to mitigate erosion of the stream banks prioritized by the BEHI analysis. This study aims to 1) determine if cedar revetment effectively mitigates bank erosion in Riceford Creek and 2) determine if the BEHI method is an effective way of quantifying erosion hazard in Riceford Creek. This study focuses on two sections in Riceford Creek where …

Streambed Flux Measurement Informed By Distributed Temperature Sensing Leads To A Significantly Different Characterization Of Groundwater Discharge, Troy E. Gilmore, Mason Johnson, Jesse T. Korus, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Marty A. Briggs, Vitaly A. Zlotnik, Sydney Corcoran

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Groundwater discharge though streambeds is often focused toward discrete zones, indicating that preliminary reconnaissance may be useful for capturing the full spectrum of groundwater discharge rates using point-scale quantitative methods. However, many direct-contact reconnaissance techniques can be time-consuming, and remote sensing (e.g., thermal infrared) typically does not penetrate the water column to locate submerged seepages. In this study, we tested whether dozens of groundwater discharge measurements made at “uninformed” (i.e., selected without knowledge on high-resolution temperature variations at the streambed) point locations along a reach would yield significantly dierent Darcy-based groundwater discharge rates when compared with “informed” measurements, focused at …

Integrating Geochronologic And Instrumental Approaches Across The Bengal Basin, Elizabeth L. Chamberlain, Steven L. Goodbred, Richard Hale, Michael S. Steckler, Jakob Willinga, Carol Wilson

OES Faculty Publications

Constraining time is of critical importance to evaluating the rates and relative contributions of processes driving landscape change in sedimentary basins. The geomorphic character of the field setting guides the application of geochronologic or instrumental tools to this problem, because the viability of methods can be highly influenced by geomorphic attributes. For example, sediment yield and the linked potential for organic preservation may govern the usefulness of radiocarbon dating. Similarly, the rate of sediment transport from source to sink may determine the maturity and/or light exposure of mineral grains arriving in the delta and thus the feasibility of luminescence dating. …

Coupled Landscape And Channel Dynamics Across The Ganges-Brahmaputra Tidal-Fluvial Continuum, Southwest Bangladesh, Edwin Jefferson Bomer Iv

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Ganges-Brahmaputra (G-B) Delta of Bangladesh and India is widely considered to be one of the most vulnerable coastal systems in the world, owing to locally-accelerated sea level rise and landscape modification by human activities. Recent research efforts have identified pronounced elevation differences between natural and embanked areas in the G-B tidal delta plain, suggesting that natural landscapes are keeping pace with sea-level rise while anthropogenic locations are actively subsiding. However, this observation represents a singular point in time, and longitudinal trends of surface elevation in these regions are presently unknown. For communities residing in upstream regions of G-B delta …

An Engineering Geological Anatomy Of The Padma River Bank Failure And Erosion, 2018: A Case Study Of Naria Bank Section, Bangladesh, Mir Fazlul Karim, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Shahidul Haque, M. Zillur Rahman, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Asm Maksud Kamal, Masud Ahmed, Belal A. Sayeed

Publications and Research

The Naria town of Bangladesh is developed on the right bank of the Padma River. The bank is an old natural levee of Meghna River. The Holocene-Recent geology of Naria is actively dominated by the fluvial processes of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River system where the deltaic sediments are characterized as unconsolidated fine sand and silt, covered by thin veneer of clayey silt and loam. The annual volume of water discharge and flow dynamics are dependent on the intensity of the rainfall, runoff and the length of dry winter. Excessive river bank erosion, channel avulsion, renewed submergence of floodplains, and formation of natural …

Utilizing Dplot, Sedlog, And Arcgis Pro To Enhance Geologic Field Skills: Rosendale, Ulster County New York, Malek Shami, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Zarine Ali, Leonardo Sanchez, Gugu Ginindza, Tyn Tyn Nai

Publications and Research

Capstone geologic field mapping courses in undergraduate geoscience programs aim to compliment the academic knowledge with technical field skills. As a pilot study, these tools were used to collect field data using folded lower Paleozoic to mid-Paleozoic sedimentary outcrops consisting of clastic, non-clastic and occasional mixed siliciclastics in Rosendale, Ulster County, New York. Rosendale is known for its classic geological outcrops with variable structural, stratigraphic, paleontological and sedimentological complexities – ideal for a field mapping course. Traditionally, students’ data acquisition in the field and its subsequent laboratory analysis to produce a final geologic field report utilized acetate overlays to produce …

Using Water Quality Index To Assess Groundwater Suitability At Gazipur District, Bangladesh, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Jowaher Raza, Mir F. Karim, Nazrul I. Khandaker

Publications and Research

This study targeted to the suitability of groundwater for drinking purpose at Gazipur District undergoing rapid urbanization and increasing industrialization. The District has an area of 1741.53 km², located in between 23°53' and 24°21' north latitudes and in between 90°09' and 92°39' east longitudes. From six Upazilas in Gazipur District, a total of 130 groundwater samples were collected, which are, Gazipur Sadar Upazila, Sreepur Upazila, Kaliakoir Upazila, Kapasia Upazila, and Kaligonj Upazila. A recent field observation review of industrial sludge found that heavy metal concentration was above the acceptable limit for agricultural soil. Gazipur being adjacent to Dhaka …

Positive Outcomes Of Involving Undergraduate And High School Students In Broader Aspect Of Earth System Science Through Peer Mentoring And Research Activities, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Shuayb Siddique, Matthew Khargie, Juanpablo Rodriguez, Adacia Teemal, Krishna Mahabir, Michael Robinson, Ality Aghedo, Zachary A. Sanichar, Sol De Leon, Tamzid Mubin, Elton Selby

Publications and Research

The importance of involving undergraduates and high school students in field-and-laboratory research investigations at an early stage through peer mentoring has been clearly demonstrated as a critical tool for essential training to fully comprehend academic content and a deeper understanding of the various STEM, geoscience-and- environmental science related topics. As far as we are concerned, student presenters/participants (over 1000) in our topical sessions since 2004 have always found face-to-face presentation through poster sessions to be an ideal scientific venue where exchange of knowledge and discussion are fruitful, constructive and encouraging. It is quite revealing to note that among the student …