Stratigraphy Commons^™

Chemical Contaminants As Stratigraphic Markers For The Anthropocene, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Thousands and even millions of years from now, widespread anthropogenic contaminants in sediments would likely persist, incorporated into the geological record. They would inadvertently preserve evidence of our present era (informally designated as the Anthropocene Epoch) characterized by large human populations engaged in intensive industrial and agricultural activities.

Hypothetical geologists in the distant future would likely find unusually high concentrations of a wide variety of contaminants at stratigraphic levels corresponding to our present time, analogous to the iridium anomaly marking the bolide impact event at the close of the Cretaceous Period. These would include both organic and inorganic substances, such …

Detrital Carbonates In A Sequence Stratigraphic Framework: An Example From The Furongian Slope Environment In The Hot Creek Range Of Central Nevada, Leon Taufani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An integrated sedimentological study of detrital carbonates of the late Cambrian (Furongian) Hales Limestone in central Nevada was conducted in order to model facies distribution and controlling mechanisms of carbonate gravity-flow deposits. Seven closely-spaced sections and numerous traceable short sections were measured to investigate temporal and spatial changes of detrital carbonates within a high-resolution stratigraphic framework supported by biostratigraphic and carbon isotope chemostratigraphic constraints and by key physical surfaces. Polished slabs and thin section petrographic analysis were used to identify micro- and macro-scale textures and diagenesis.

Ten lithofacies are identified from the Hales Limestone. Lateral tracing of these facies reveals …

Diagenesis And Reservoir Characterization Of The Pennsylvanian Middle Atoka Formation, Sebastian And Logan Counties, West-Central Arkansas, Elvis Chekwube Bello

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Middle Atoka Formation evolved from a stable passive margin during the early Pennsylvanian time to a rapidly subsiding basin, with the sedimentary fill thickening greatly southward during the middle Pennsylvanian time. The basin dips in north-south direction. An east-west anticlines and synclines were observed.

The purpose of this study is to establish the stratigraphic units, reservoir geometry and distribution, and infer the depositional environments and reservoir quality. Well correlation and petrographic studies are used to achieve the goals.

Sandstone Point Count method was used. The Point Counts was divided into five categories. They include the framework grains (quartz, feldspar, …

Stratigraphic Variations In The Carboniferous Section Across The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line Arch, Tyler Dean Engelhardt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State Line Arch is represented by a structural high that trends through the study area in a loose alignment with the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Evidence of the arch extending further to the north includes a structural high and stratigraphic variation at an outcrop on Highway 59 near Evansville Mountain in Crawford County, Arkansas. The exact timing of the formation of the arch remains undetermined, but upper Devonian thinning at the top of the arch indicates the structure is pre-Mississippian. The reason for the development of the arch is poorly understood, but evidence linking Mississippian-aged Waulsortian mounds to Precambrian Spavinaw …

Geologic Observations Along The Steamboat Trace Trail, Markers 16-20, In The Vicinity Of Peru, Nemaha County, Nebraska (Including On The Indian Cave Sandstone), Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

This section of the Steamboat Trace Trail from markers 16 through 20 (Figure 1) offers especially good examples of geologic features in this part of Nebraska (Figure 2). These include: The Missouri River, its valley, river cuts into the valley side, tributaries to the river, and flood control structures; Sites of active and potential landslides; Wind-deposited silts (called loess by geologists and soil scientists); Glacial deposits; Bedrock exposures of ancient sandstone, shale, conglomerate, and limestone; Fossils of ocean- and land-dwelling plants and animals; Coal deposits.

Tectonics And Sedimentary Facies Interpretation Of The Mesozoic Giron Group, Colombia, Hernando Martinez-Sacristan, Ricardo Mier-Umana, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer, Diana Lucia Leon-Martinez

Publications and Research

Preliminary field investigations involving exposed Giron Group sediments in Colombia provided some interesting geologic information in terms of provenance, depositional environments, and development of the Mesozoic synrift sedimentary basins in Colombia. Overall, the synrift Triassic-Jurassic rift-related volcanic rocks, redbeds, and evaporites are prominent in Colombia, and a thick basin sequence of Cretaceous sandstones and shales dominates the central part of the Cordillera Oriental. These were mostly deposited in dominantly north-trending grabens. Identified sedimentary rock types were arkose, clast-and-matrix-supported conglomerate, red mudstone, variegated sandstone, siltstone and breccia. Extensive kaolinitization was noticeable in several sandstone samples. Among the notable sedimentary structures were …

Nebraska's Wetlands: Their Wildlife And Ecology, Paul A. Johnsgard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

1 An Overview of Nebraska's Wetlands

2 The Missouri Valley • Natural History Profiles of Some Missouri Valley Wetland Species • The Missouri Valley Wetlands

3 The Niobrara Valley Region • Natural History Profiles of Some Niobrara Valley Wetland Species • The Niobrara Valley Wetlands

4 The Platte Valley Region • Natural History Profiles of Some Platte Valley Wetland Species • The Central Platte Valley Wetlands • The North Platte Valley Wetlands

5 Other River Valley Wetlands • Natural History Profiles of Some Typical Riverine Species • The Elkhorn Valley Wetlands • The Loup Valley Wetlands • The Republican Valley …

Sediment Mixing In The Tropical Pacific And Radiolarian Stratigraphy, Ted C. Moore Jr, Larry A. Mayer, Mitchell Lyle

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The reworking of older radiolarian microfossils into near-surface sediments of the tropical Pacific has long been the source of confusion for the development of radiolarian stratigraphy and of puzzlement over the mechanism(s) that could effect such pervasive reworking. Widespread dissolution “pits” in the sediments of the tropical Pacific are believed to be associated with hydrothermal circulation cells in the older oceanic crust and are here linked to processes which expose older sections and inject older non-carbonate material into near-bottom waters. Discharging waters of these circulation cells tend to dissolve carbonate in near-surface sediments; thus, only the non-carbonate material (including radiolarians) …

Outcrop Investigation Of The Reeds Spring (Boone, Mississippian) Of The Hindsville Quarry Using Terrestrial Lidar, Terryl Glenn Daniels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas the Reeds Springs Formation (Boone, Mississippian) is a hydrocarbon exploration objective (Mazullo et al, 2011). The Hindsville quarry located in the northeastern portion of Washington County in Arkansas is the focus of this study. The objective of this study is to characterize the Reeds Spring at the Hindsville Quarry. The use of terrestrial light detecting and ranging(LiDAR) is used to assist in the characterization of the quarry.

The unit architecture within the Hindsville Quarry outlines varying transitional periods that give insight into the deposition of the Reeds Springs Formation. There are comparable formations within …

Reservoir Characterization And Outcrop Analog: The Osagean Reeds Spring Formation (Lower Boone), Western Osage And Eastern Kay County, Oklahoma, Taylor Friesenhahn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Reeds Spring Formation (Osagean) is a member of the Lower Mississippian carbonate series developed on the Cherokee Platform Province of northeastern Oklahoma. On the western flank of the Ozark Dome, these rocks dip in a west-southwest direction into the subsurface where they are oil and gas reservoirs. A series of road cuts and surface exposures are cropped out in the tri-state area of northwest Arkansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and southwestern Missouri. Outcrop characteristics, including an abundant amount of nodular, anastomosing chert, generally finer-grained carbonate texture, and stratigraphic relationships provide an analog for its subsurface counterpart. Based on core description and …

Evaluation Of Possible Source Rocks In Northern Nye County, Nevada: Implications For Hydrocarbon Exploration, Inessa Yurchenko

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The presence of oil outside of Railroad Valley, northern Nye County has sparked the interest of exploration companies in Nevada. The geology in this region is very complex and the level of petroleum exploration is low. In order to understand the distribution of oil, a complete petroleum systems analysis is required. Previous studies confirmed that the Mississippian Chainman Shale and Cretaceous to Paleocene Sheep Pass Formation, Member B are source rocks. However, a number of other possible source rocks exist in northern Nye County, but they are not confirmed because of incomplete datasets. The goal of this thesis project is …

Sequence Stratigraphy And Depositional Systems Of The Mansfield Sand, Upper Atoka Formation, Arkoma Basin, Arkansas, Scott Cherry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Mansfield sand is an informally named member of the Pennsylvanian Atoka Formation in Arkansas. Once a productive gas reservoir, the Mansfield is situated in a double plunging anticline in the southern portion of the Arkoma Basin. The formation is internally composed of sandstone units ranging in thickness from tens of feet to over a hundred feet interbedded with shale units ranging in thickness from several tens of feet to hundreds of feet. Previous studies have focused on the stratigraphy of the lower and middle Atoka. A detailed subsurface study of the stratigraphic framework of the Mansfield sand was conducted …

A Subsurface Stratigraphic Study Of The Middle Atoka, Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sara Beth Sutton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Raster log images were analyzed to study the subsurface stratigraphy of the Middle Atoka in the Arkoma Basin of the western portion (Sebastian County) of Arkansas. The most significant sandstone units of the Middle Atoka in this area were determined to be two generally coarsening-upward sequences in the lower portion of the formation. Based on lithologic correlations, these two units were determined to be the informally named Casey and Freiburg members of the Middle Atoka. Thickness information based on picked tops was used to create isopach maps of the units of interest. The log signatures and geometry of the sand …

Stratigraphy Of Quaternary Dunes By Sand Mineralogy And Pedogenic Features, Los Osos, California, Lyssa A. Cousineau

Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to assess mineralogy and pedogenic features of sand dunes in a stratigraphic sequence. The purpose was to determine whether these features significantly differ to reflect age differences with depth within the sequence. This study was conducted in Montaña de Oro State Park, located on the central Californian coast eighteen kilometers northwest of San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County.

Samples were collected from the vertical exposure of one dune face by stratified random sampling at 1.0-m vertical intervals. Particle size distribution was determined through particle-size analysis by hydrometer and sieve. Electrical conductivity and …

Chronostratigraphic Framework For The Iodp Expedition 318 Cores From The Wilkes Land Margin: Constraints For Paleoceanographic Reconstruction, Lisa Tauxe, Catherine E. Stickley, Saiko Sugisaki, Peter K. Bijl, Steven M. Bohaty, Henk Brinkhuis, Carlota Escutia, J. A. Flores, A. J. P. Houben, M. Iwai, Francisco J. Jiménez‐Espejo, Robert Mckay, Sandra Passchier, Jörg Pross, Christina Riesselman, Ursula Röhl, Francesca Sangiorgi, Kevin Welsh, Adam Klaus, Annick Fehr, James Bendle, Robert B. Dunbar, J. Gonzàlez, T. Hayden, K. Katsuki, M. P. Olney, Stephen Pekar, P. K. Shrivastava, Tina Van De Flierdt, Trevor Williams, M. Yamane

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

[1] The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 318 to the Wilkes Land margin of Antarctica recovered a sedimentary succession ranging in age from lower Eocene to the Holocene. Excellent stratigraphic control is key to understanding the timing of paleoceanographic events through critical climate intervals. Drill sites recovered the lower and middle Eocene, nearly the entire Oligocene, the Miocene from about 17 Ma, the entire Pliocene and much of the Pleistocene. The paleomagnetic properties are generally suitable for magnetostratigraphic interpretation, with well‐behaved demagnetization diagrams, uniform distribution of declinations, and a clear separation into two inclination modes. Although the sequences were discontinuously …

4th International Union Of Soil Sciences Soil Classification Conference Field Tour Guidebook

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

North Central Region Soil Survey Conference Field Tour

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Transitional Facies And Sequence Stratigraphic Complexity Of Shallow-Marine Star Point Formation To Coastal-Plain Blackhawk Formation Along Depositional-Strike, Wasatch Plateau, Utah, Andrew M. Ranson

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Facies and stratigraphic architecture right at the transition from marine to non-marine environments is poorly documented. In the Cretaceous outcrops of Utah, Star Point and Blackhawk Formations are well studied. The nature of spatio-temporal transition of these two Formations, in the deposition-strike orientation, remains undocumented. This study characterizes facies and stratigraphic complexity at the transition of the two Formations that crop out in depositional-strike orientation in the Wasatch Plateau. Data from outcrop including photomosiacs and measured sections demonstrate this complexity at a range of scales. The Star Point constitutes a shoreface environment. The Blackhawk constitutes a coastal-fluvial environment.

In the …

High-Resolution Correlation Of The Upper Cretaceous Stratigraphy Between The Book Cliffs And The Western Henry Mountains Syncline, Utah, U.S.A., Drew L. Seymour

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study presents high-resolution correlations of the Upper Cretaceous stratigraphy between the Book Cliffs and the western Henry Mountains Syncline in Utah. The objective of this study is to understand changes in patterns of regional sediment dispersal during the Late Cretaceous on the western margin of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. The intensely studied Book Cliffs consist of formations deposited in terrestrial, marginal-marine, and open-marine environments. A composite section was logged at Coal Canyon near Green River, UT. The western Henry Mountains Syncline is located in south-central Utah ~135 km S-SW of Coal Canyon. A composite section was logged at …

Burial And Exhumation History Of Mississippian Strata In East-Central Nevada, Yuki Yunika Agulia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Zircon (U-Th)/He analyses and vitrinite reflectance (Ro) analyses were performed on a suite of Mississippian sedimentary rocks collected in east-central Nevada in order to test Permian exhumation described in a previous study.

The zircon analyses produced three clusters of ages: 1) older than, 2) similar to, and 3) younger than depositional age. The majority of zircons shows ages that are older than the sandstone deposition age. Young ages were recorded in three localities that may indicate reset ages/residence within the (U-Th)/He partial retention zone (HePRZ). Moderate-high ratios of Th/U may indicate a magmatic source. Vitrinite reflectance (Ro) analyses show values …

The Effects Of Salt Diapirs On The Thermal Maturity Of Surrounding Sediments In The Western Pyrenees, Spain, Nicholas Martin Downs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Salt diapirs have been modeled as having a large effect on the thermal maturity of surrounding sediments as a result of the high thermal conductivity contrast between halite and other lithologies. The goal of this study was to confirm these and other theoretical predictions through sampling of three salt structures in the western Pyrenees, Spain. Stratigraphic units around these three diapirs were targeted based on their lithologies and positions relative to the diapirs. Samples were analyzed for vitrinite reflectance and quartz cementation to determine their levels of thermal maturity. Remote sensing instruments were used to attempt to measure present day …

Muddy Creek Formation: A Record Of Late Neogene Tectonics And Sedimentation In Southern Nevada, Thomas William Muntean

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Late Neogene Muddy Creek Formation (MCF), exposed in the vicinity of Lake Mead in southern Nevada, represents the youngest widespread Cenozoic sedimentary sequence in the region and is the focus of this study. Historically, the MCF has been largely ignored, with limited previous studies providing only regional-scale constraint on the age, stratigraphy, and mode of deposition for the formation; resulting in a data gap for our understanding of the Late Cenozoic tectonic and sedimentological evolution of southern Nevada.

Data Integration And Reservoir Characterization Of The Pennsylvanian Bartlesville Sandstone, Caroline Vance O'Keefe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Glenn Pool Oil Field of Northeastern Oklahoma was established as the first major oil discovery of the fledgling state of Oklahoma. Fully developed by 1912, the field is now nearing depletion even under secondary and tertiary recovery efforts after production for approximately 100 years. Large amounts of residual oil estimated to still be in place have motivated exploration into other recovery methods, including polymer flooding and horizontal drilling. Success of these programs is dependent upon accurate characterization of the reservoir. Because most of the drilling occurred many decades ago, much of the data associated with this field predates electric …

Stratigraphy And Provenance Of Shallow Sandstones Endountered In Wells In Townships 9 And 10 North, Ranges 6 And 7 West, White County, Arkansas, Lacie Knight

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Paleozoic formations in western Arkansas have been well-studied; however, they are not well-understood in the eastern part of the state. The study area encompasses Townships 9. N. and 10. N., Ranges 6. W. and 7. W. in north-central White County, Arkansas. This area is at the intersection of four physiographic provinces as defined by the Arkansas Geologic Survey- the Ozark Plateaus, the Arkansas River Valley, the Ouachita Mountains, and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Interpretations of the surface unit in the area disagree. The Arkansas Geologic Map shows that the Morrowan Hale Formation crops out in the area; however, various petroleum …

U/Pb Detrital Zircon Study Of The Upper Cretaceous To Miocene Strata Of Kodiak Island, Alaska, Sarah J. Olivas^, Cameron Davidson, John I. Garver, Diane I. Doser*, Hannah Hilbert-Wolf

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Sensitivity Analysis Of The Gems Soil Organic Carbon Model To Land Cover Land Use Classification Uncertainties Under Different Climate Scenarios In Senegal, Amadou M. Dieye, David P. Roy, N. P. Hanan, S. Lui, M. Hansen, A. Toure

GSCE Faculty Publications

Spatially explicit land cover land use (LCLU) change information is needed to drive biogeochemical models that simulate soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics. Such information is increasingly being mapped using remotely sensed satellite data with classification schemes and uncertainties constrained by the sensing system, classification algorithms and land cover schemes. In this study, automated LCLU classification of multi-temporal Landsat satellite data were used to assess the sensitivity of SOC modeled by the Global Ensemble Biogeochemical Modeling System (GEMS). The GEMS was run for an area of 1560km2 in Senegal under three climate change scenarios with LCLU maps generated using different Landsat …

Depositional Environments And Sequence Stratigraphy Of A Breathitt Group Exposure, U.S. 25e, Flat Lick, Kentucky, Kathryn E. Hoffmeister, Eric G. Hogan, Steven M. Holland

Information Circular--KGS

The Pennsylvanian fluvial deltaic Breathitt Group is exposed along U.S. 25E near Flat Lick, Ky. This exposure is ideal for field trips because of the quality of the exposure, its accessibility, the range of facies present, and its potential for demonstrating principles of outcrop-based sequence-stratigraphic interpretation. Eight facies are present and represent deposition in fluvial, delta-plain, and delta-front environments. Several facies contain an abundance of trace fossils, and a wide range of sedimentary structures are also present. Flooding surfaces are well developed in the delta front and delta plain and are characterized by abrupt contacts with distal, deeper-water deltaic environments …

Three-Dimensional Hydrostratigraphy Of The Platte River Valley Near Ashland, Nebraska: Results From Helicopter Electromagnetic (Hem) Mapping In The Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (Enwra), P. R. Hanson, Jesse T. Korus, Dana Divine

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Role Of Organic Matter Accumulation On Delta Evolution, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, Vaughan Voller, Chris Paola, Robert Twilley, Azure Bevington

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We explore the role of plant matter accumulation in the sediment column in determining the response of fluvial-deltas to base-level rise and simple subsidence profiles. Making the assumption that delta building processes operate to preserve the geometry of the delta plain, we model organic sedimentation in terms of the plant matter accumulation and accommodation (space made for sediment deposition) rates. A spatial integration of the organic sedimentation, added to the known river sediment input, leads to a model of delta evolution that estimates the fraction of organic sediments preserved in the delta. The model predicts that the maximum organic fraction …

Three-Dimensional Hydrostratigraphy Of The Sprague, Nebraska Area: Results From Helicopter Electromagnetic (Hem) Mapping For The Eastern Nebraska Water Resources Assessment (Enwra), Dana Divine, Jesse T. Korus

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.