Geophysics and Seismology Commons^™

An Investigation Into The Origin, Composition, And Commercial Significance Of A Sedimentary Subsalt Formation: Keathley Canyon, Gulf Of Mexico, David Aaron Brassieur

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Sub-salt oil and gas formations in deep-water northern Gulf of Mexico are high priority targets. Advances in seismic processing allow for high-resolution, below-salt imaging. Understanding the modes of salt emplacement provide insight into sub-salt traps and potential drilling hazards.

A sub-salt sedimentary unit lies in the Keathley Canyon protraction. Autosutures created the transport-parallel lineaments of the upper surface of the unit. In addition, highly variable sediment aggradation rates created ramps, flats, and basal cutoffs along the base of the allochthon as salt and sediment competed for space. Seismic models identify modes of salt emplacement, salt/sediment interactions, and mechanisms responsible for …

Anomaly Detection From Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Imagery, Qiandong Guo, Ruiliang Pu, Jun Cheng

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Hyperspectral remote sensing imagery contains much more information in the spectral domain than does multispectral imagery. The consecutive and abundant spectral signals provide a great potential for classification and anomaly detection. In this study, two real hyperspectral data sets were used for anomaly detection. One data set was an Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data covering the post-attack World Trade Center (WTC) and anomalies are fire spots. The other data set called SpecTIR contained fabric panels as anomalies compared to their background. Existing anomaly detection algorithms including the Reed–Xiaoli detector (RXD), the blocked adaptive computation efficient outlier nominator (BACON), the …

Soil Moduli Obtained From A Back Pressure Constant Rate Of Strain Bender Element Consolidation Apparatus, Yi Zhao

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A back-pressure saturated, constant-rate-of-strain consolidation device was modified to incorporate bender elements (BP-CRS-BE) and thus allowed for shear wave measurements during consolidation tests. This newly fabricated system has many advantages over other previous or current devices: 1) it can be utilized not only for laboratory prepared soil samples but also for field sampled soils such as Shelby tube samples, and 2) continuous compression curves, and continuous values of vertical hydraulic conductivity and coefficient of consolidation can be acquired with a significant reduction in testing time. Soil modulus values such as shear modulus and constrained modulus are also able to be …

Impact Of Spatial Averaging On Radar Reflectivity At Internal Snowpack Layer Boundaries, N. Rutter, H.P. Marshall, K. Tape, R. Essery, J. King

CGISS Publications and Presentations

Microwave radar amplitude within a snowpack can be strongly influenced by spatial variability of internal layer boundaries. We quantify the impact of spatial averaging of snow stratigraphy and physical snowpack properties on surface scattering from near-nadir frequency-modulated continuous- wave radar at 12–18 GHz. Relative permittivity, density, grain size and stratigraphic boundaries were measured in-situ at high resolution along the length of a 9 m snow trench. An optimal range of horizontal averaging (4–6 m) was identified to attribute variations in surface scattering at layer boundaries to dielectric contrasts estimated from centimetre-scale measurements of snowpack stratigraphy and bulk layer properties. Single …

Characterization And Delineation Of Karst Geohazards Along Rm652 Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Culberson County, Texas, Adam F. Majzoub

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Delaware Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico is the major western subdivision of the Permian Basin and a northern extension of the Chihuahuan Desert. The major evaporite unit within the Delaware Basin is the Castile Formation, which consists of gypsum/anhydrite and is highly susceptible to dissolution and karsting. Manifestations of karst within the Castile outcrop are abundant and include sinkholes, subsidence features and caves, both epigene and hypogene in origin.

Land reconnaissance surveys conducted during the summer of 2015 documented abundant karst landforms in close proximity to a major thoroughfare, RM 652, in Culberson County, Texas. 2D …

Using Near-Infrared Photography To Better Study Snow Microstructure And Its Variability Over Time And Space, Jesse Raymond Dean

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The methods typically used to study snow stratigraphy, microstructure, and variability are expensive, cumbersome, and often highly subjective. Near-infrared (NIR) photography is a low-cost, portable tool to rapidly collect high-resolution, objective measurements of snow microstructure and variability. To expand its application, an active-source NIR flash was introduced to the traditionally passive-source method. NIR imagery was collected alongside proven snowpit methods such as manual observation, Snow Fork wetness, and Snow Micro-Penetrometer hardness profiles. NIR photography was also deployed in five pits along a 10.6 km transect in Grand Mesa, CO, to track stratigraphy variations in space. The NIR flash was found …

Continuous Snow Water Equivalent Measurements With Ultra-Wideband Radar: Towards A New Generation Of Real-Time Automated Snow Sensor Arrays, Mark Edward Robertson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Snow accounts for the majority of precipitation in many areas of the Western United States, and accurate measurements of the amount of water contained in the snowpack, known as snow water equivalent (SWE), are therefore important for water resource managers. The National Resources Conservation Service Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites are the current standard remote measurement of SWE, with approximately 800 sites across the Western United States. Measurements at these sites are made by snow pillows, which weigh the overburden pressure of a snowpack, and are relatively expensive to install and maintain. Spring runoff is modeled using a 30-year average of …

Using Infrasound Waves To Monitor Tropospheric Weather And Crater Morphology Changes, Hugo David Ortiz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Infrasound waves generated during volcanic eruptions and recorded near the vent are used to study both changing atmospheric conditions and volcano eruption source characteristics. Infrasound data were recorded for a 32 month period at Volcán Tungurahua (Ecuador) by a five-station network located within 6.5 km from the vent. Infrasound detections made through cross-network correlation indicate cyclic eruptive behavior, which is corroborated by reports from the Ecuadorian monitoring agency. Cross-network correlation lag times are used to compute _10 m resolution infrasound source positions, which take into account NOAA models of local wind and temperature. Variable infrasound-derived source locations suggests source migration …

Pcor Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, Earl P. Battle, Megan M. Grove, Kyle A. Glazewski, Joyce M. Riske, Charles D. Gorecki, Edward N. Steadman, John A. Harju

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas provides a regional profile of CO₂ sources and potential CO₂ storage locations across the PCOR Partnership region. The fifth edition provides an up-to-date look at PCOR Partnership activities, including additional regional characterization and updates on full-scale demonstration projects. Additional background information on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is included to give a better understanding of how CCUS addresses concerns about climate change while allowing future energy needs to be met.

Investigation Of Ambient Seismic Noise Using Seismic Interferometry In The Midwestern United States, Joshua Dakota Boschelli

Open Access Theses

The portion of the North American craton occupied by the Midwestern United States is a cratonic platform, where a veneer of Phanerozoic sedimentary strata buries the Precambrian basement up to 7 km. Due to the sediment cover and low topographic relief, the at depth structure of the region remains poorly understood. This region is of particular interest because over the past half-billion years tectonic forces have resulted in the formation of epeirogenic provinces in a stable cratonic interior. Using the OIINK flexible seismic array and the Earthscope Transportable Array, Ambient Seismic Noise Tomography was applied to investigate the crustal structure …

Hydrocode Modeling Of Oblique Impacts Into Terrestrial Planets, Jordan D. Kendall

Open Access Dissertations

The abundance of moderately siderophile elements (“iron-loving”; e.g., Co, Ni) in the Earth’s mantle is 10 to 100 times larger than predicted by chemical equilibrium between silicate melt and iron at low pressure, but it does match expectation for equilibrium at high pressure and temperature. Recent studies of differentiated planetesimal impacts assume that planetesimal cores survive the impact intact as concentrated masses that passively settle from a zero initial velocity and undergo turbulent entrainment in a global magma ocean; under these conditions, cores greater than 10 km in diameter do not fully mix without a sufficiently deep magma ocean. I …

Facies Reconstruction And Stratigraphy Of A Late Pleistocene Bald Cypress Forest Discovered On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Continental Shelf, Suyapa Gonzalez-Rodriguez

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Facies Reconstruction And Stratigraphy Of A Late Pleistocene Bald Cypress Forest Discovered On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Continental Shelf, Suyapa Gonzalez

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Improved 2d And 3d Resistivity Surveys Using Buried Electrodes And Optimized Arrays: The Multi-Electrode Resistivity Implant Technique (Merit), Henok Gidey Kiflu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a novel resistivity method called Multi-Electrode resistivity technique (MERIT) that is used for high resolution imaging of complex geologic features at depth and near the edges of survey lines. The MERIT electrodes are especially shaped and designed to be self-driven using a robust-direct push technique. Measurements are taken using optimized arrays that are generated using a modified version of the “Compare-R” optimization algorithm. This work focused on both two-dimensional (MERIT2D) and three-dimensional (MERIT3D) applications of the buried array and show the relevance of the additional information gained by the addition of deep electrodes especially in sites with …

Miocene Contourite Deposition (Along-Slope) Near Desoto Canyon, Gulf Of Mexico: A Product Of An Enhanced Paleo-Loop Current, Shane Christopher Dunn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Neogene contourite depositional system was identified and mapped along the DeSoto Slope in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, U.S.A. A series of drift deposits comprising the larger contourite depositional system were interpreted from a 2-D industry seismic data set. The now subsurface drift deposits are adjacent to the anomalous seabed feature, the DeSoto Canyon, and these data suggest contourite deposition and ocean currents are in integral part of the canyon’s depositional history. The contourite depositional system is underlain by an extensive, middle Miocene aged, erosional unconformity formed by ocean currents. The timing of this erosional surface is in alignment …

The Hydrogeologic Information In Cross-Borehole Complex Conductivity Data From An Unconsolidated Conglomeratic Sedimentary Aquifer, Andrew Binley, John Keery, Lee Slater, Warren Barrash, Mike Cardiff

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Accurate estimation of the hydrological properties of near-surface aquifers is important because these properties strongly influence groundwater flow and solute transport. Laboratory-based investigations have indicated that induced polarization (IP) properties of porous media may be linked, through either semi-empirical or fully mechanistic models, to hydrological properties including hydraulic conductivity. Therefore, there is a need for field assessments of the value of IP measurements in providing insights into the hydrological properties of aquifers. A cross-borehole IP survey was carried out at the Boise Hydrogeophysical Research Site (BHRS), an unconsolidated fluvial aquifer that has previously been well-studied with a variety of geophysical …

Plate Boundary Observatory And Related Networks: Gps Data Analysis Methods And Geodetic Products, Thomas A. Herring, Timothy I. Melbourne, Mark H. Murray, Michael A. Floyd, Walter M. Szeliga, Robert W. King, David A. Phillips, Christine M. Puskas, Marcelo Santillan, Lei Wang

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The Geodesy Advancing Geosciences and EarthScope (GAGE) Facility Global Positioning System (GPS) Data Analysis Centers produce position time series, velocities, and other parameters for approximately 2000 continuously operating GPS receivers spanning a quadrant of Earth’s surface encompassing the high Arctic, North America, and Caribbean. The purpose of this review is to document the methodology for generating station positions and their evolution over time and to describe the requisite trade-offs involved with combination of results. GAGE GPS analysis involves formal merging within a Kalman filter of two independent, loosely constrained solutions: one is based on precise point positioning produced with the …

Middle Permian U-Pb Zircon Ages Of The "Glacial" Deposits Of The Atkan Formation, Ayan-Yuryakh Anticlinorium, Magadan Province, Ne Russia: Their Significance For Global Climatic Interpretations, V. I. Davydov, A. S. Biakov, J. L. Isbell, J. Crowley, M. D. Schmitz, I. L. Vedernikov

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Atkan Formation in the Ayan-Yuryakh anticlinorium, Magadan province, northeastern Russia, is of great interest because of the occurrence of deposits of apparent “dropstones” and “ice rafted debris” that have been previously interpreted as glacial. Two high-precision U-Pb zircon ages, one for an intercalated volcanic tuff (262.5 ± 0.2 Ma) and the other for a boulder clast (269.8 ± 0.1 Ma) within a diamictite of the Atkan Formation, constrain the age of the Atkan Formation as Guadalupian (middle Permian). Sedimentologic study of the Atkan Formation casts doubt on the glacial nature of the diamictites. Deposition of rocks of the Atkan …

Modeling The Thickness Of Perennial Ice Covers On Stratified Lakes Of The Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Maciej K. Obryk, Peter T. Doran, Jared A. Hicks, Christopher P. Mckay, John Charles Priscu

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

A 1-D ice cover model was developed to predict and constrain drivers of long-term ice thick-ness trends in chemically stratified lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica. The model is driven by surface ra-diative heat fluxes and heat fluxes from the underlying water column. The model successfully reproduced 16 a (between 1996 and 2012) of ice thickness changes for the west lobe of Lake Bonney (average ice thickness = 3.53 m) and Lake Fryxell (average ice thickness = 4.22 m). Long-term ice thick-ness trends require coupling with the thermal structure of the water column. The heat stored within the temperature maximum of …

The Geophysical Kitchen Sink Approach To Improving Our Understanding Of Volcano-Tectonic Interactions, Ophelia Ann George

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A multi-prong approach was taken in this dissertation to understand volcanic processes from both a long-term and more immediate hazard perspective. In the long-term, magma sources within the crust may produce measurable surficial response and long-wavelength gravity anomalies that provide information about the extent and depth of this magma. Long-term volcanic hazard forecasting is also improved by developing as complete a record as possible of past events. In the short-term, a long-standing question has been on the casting of precursory volcanic activity in terms of future volcanic hazards. Three studies are presented in this dissertation to address these issues. Inversion …

Isolating Retrograde And Prograde Rayleigh-Wave Modes Using A Polarity Mute, Gabriel Gribler, Lee M. Liberty, T. Dylan Mikesell, Paul Michaels

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Estimates of S-wave velocity with depth from Rayleigh-wave dispersion data are limited by the accuracy of fundamental and/or higher mode signal identification. In many scenarios, the fundamental mode propagates in retrograde motion, whereas higher modes propagate in prograde motion. This difference in particle motion (or polarity) can be used by joint analysis of vertical and horizontal inline recordings. We have developed a novel method that isolates modes by separating prograde and retrograde motions; we call this a polarity mute. Applying this polarity mute prior to traditional multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) analysis improves phase velocity estimation for fundamental and …

Biotic Paleothermometry Constrains On Arctic Plates Reconstructions: Carboniferous And Permian (Zhokhov Island, De-Longa Group Islands, New Siberian Archipelago), Vladimir I. Davydov

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

A warm-water fauna and flora from a Carboniferous limestone xenolith that was captured during penetration of deep intraplate Cenozoic basalts through a Paleozoic carbonate platform have been found on Zhokhov Island, New Siberian Archipelago (NSA). This limestone xenolith contains a very high taxonomic diversity of Moscovian (Middle Pennsylvanian) tropical foraminifera and calcareous algae. As this warm-water biota never occurs north of the forbiddance line, i.e., 30–35°N/S, this fauna and algal flora constrain the paleogeography and interpretation of the paleotectonics in the region. Thus, the location of the most of the New Siberian Archipelago islands at that time must have been …

3d Post-Stack Seismic Inversion Using Global Optimization Techniques: Gulf Of Mexico Example, Elijah A. Adedeji

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Seismic inversion using a global optimization algorithm is a non-linear, model-driven process. It yields an optimal solution of the cost function – reflectivity/acoustic impedance, when prior information is sparse. The inversion result offers detailed interpretations of thin layers, internal stratigraphy, and lateral continuity and connectivity of sand bodies. This study compared two stable and robust global optimization techniques, Simulated Annealing (SA) and Basis Pursuit Inversion (BPI) as applied to post-stack seismic data from the Gulf of Mexico.

Both methods use different routines and constraints to search for the minimum error energy function. Estimation of inversion parameters in SA is rigorous …

Particle Swarm Transport In Porous Media, Alison R. Hoe, Laura J Pyrak-Nolte

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In recent years, interest in particulate transport in the subsurface has increased with the increased use of micro-particulates in consumer products. In this research, we study particulate swarm transport through porous media that depends on the complexity of the flow paths, on the size and shape of the particles and on the physical interactions among the particles, fluids, and matrix. Specifically, we investigate the effect of pore geometry and grain wettability on swarm evolution under gravity. Swarms were composed of 3 micron polystyrene beads in either water or water with KCL (%). Two types of grains are used to simulate …

Linking In Situ Lai And Fine Resolution Remote Sensing Data To Map Reference Lai Over Cropland And Grassland Using Geostatistical Regression Method, Yaqian He, Yanchen Bo, Leilei Chai, Xiaolong Liu, Aihua Li

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is an important parameter of vegetation structure. A number of moderate resolution LAI products have been produced in urgent need of large scale vegetation monitoring. High resolution LAI reference maps are necessary to validate these LAI products. This study used a geostatistical regression (GR) method to estimate LAI reference maps by linking in situ LAI and Landsat TM/ETM+ and SPOT-HRV data over two cropland and two grassland sites. To explore the discrepancies of employing different vegetation indices (VIs) on estimating LAI reference maps, this study established the GR models for different VIs, including difference vegetation index …

Geologic, Geochemical, And Geophysical Characterization Of The Gold Deposits Of The Horseshoe Bend Mining District, Idaho: Building A Four Dimensional Model For Ore Exploration, Joshua Ekhoff

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Eocene aged Trans-Challis Fault System of central Idaho provides the tectonic and magmatic framework for a series of Au-Ag and Cu-Mo ore deposits. From its northernmost extension near Butte, Montana to its southwestern terminus in the Boise Basin of south-central Idaho the Trans-Challis Fault System is associated with some of the richest precious metal deposits found in Idaho. However, the southernmost tip of the Trans-Challis Fault System, composed of the Horseshoe Bend and Pearl mining districts, remains understudied, receiving little economic or academic attention. As a result, how the Pearl to Horseshoe Bend mining districts fit within the established …

Lava Lake Eruptive Processes Quantified With Infrasound And Video At Mount Erebus, Antarctica, Alexander Miller

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A natural laboratory exists at Mount Erebus where strombolian activity from the lava lake is directly observed from the crater rim. Lava lake eruptions occur when pressurized bubble slugs distend the lake surface before bursting within a few tenths of a second. The unique setting presents an ideal site to quantify bubble growth through infrasound and video analysis. Two infrasound sensors and one video camera recorded eruptions ~330 m from the lava lake in 2006. Infrasound waveforms exhibit a high-amplitude bipolar pulse followed by a coda consisting of about five decaying oscillations. Video records are quantified by tracking the expanding …

Seismic Body-Wave Interferometry Using Noise Autocorrelations For Crustal Structure And A Tutorial On 3d Seismic Processing And Imaging Using Madagascar, Can Oren

Open Access Theses

Seismic body-wave interferometry is applied to selected seismic stations from the USArray Earthscope Transportable Array (TA) by autocorrelating ambient seismic noise recordings to construct effective zero-offset reflection seismograms. The robustness of the auto-correlations of noise traces is first tested on a TA station in Nevada where body-wave reflections similar to those found in an earlier study are identified. This approach is then applied to several TA stations in the central U.S., and the results are compared with synthetic data. Different stacking time periods are then examined to find the shortest time intervals that provide stable correlation stacks.

A tutorial on …

Implications For The North American Lower Crustal 7.Xx Km/S Layer From An Exhumed Crustal Root, Western Canadian Shield, Calvin Everette Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies of the Thorsby magnetic low, the southern extent of the 2,800 km-long Snowbird

Tectonic Zone (STZ) in Alberta, Canada, show pronounced lower crustal seismic reflectivity and preservation of a crustal root. These features may be correlative to the well-exposed central STZ, where two lower crustal tectonic events have been identified at 2.6-2.55 Ga and 1.92-1.89 Ga. High-resolution cross-sections of the central STZ reveal the late-stage interaction of Paleoproterozoic intracontinental thrust and strike-slip shear zones responsible for juxtaposing ca. >20,000 km2 of lower continental crust (0.9-1.5 GPa) with middle continental crust (0.5 GPa) (Mahan and Williams, 2005; Dumond et al., …

3d Seismic Interpretation Of Paleokarst Sinkholes, Boone Limestone, Lower Mississippian: Subsurface Eastern Arkoma Basin, Conway County, Arkansas, Daniel James Moser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Unconventional natural gas discoveries in the Fayetteville Shale of the eastern Arkoma Basin have led to improved understanding of subsurface geology in central Arkansas. This study interprets 3D seismic data for evidence of paleokarst within the Mississippian formations in a portion of the subsurface of Conway County, Arkansas. Quantitative data interpretation suggests that sinkholes developed during the Mississippian portion of the eastern Arkoma Basin record.

In a nine square mile area, 3D seismic mapping of Mississippian formations show 14 closed depressions interpreted as karst sinkholes. Time and depth structure maps were created and utilized to estimate the timing of dissolution …