Geochemistry Commons^™

A Geochemical And Mineralogical Evaluation Of The Mona Lisa Turquoise Mine, Polk County, Arkansas, Alexander Arai Goodsuhm

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The presence of turquoise in Arkansas has long been disputed by geologists and gem collectors. Despite the prevalence of other phosphate minerals in Arkansas, such as planerite, wavellite, and variscite, the absence of an obvious copper (Cu) source required for turquoise formation was considered too great of an obstacle for turquoise mineralization. In this study, geologic, mineralogical, and geochemical techniques provide overwhelming evidence that the novaculite-hosted Mona Lisa Mine in Arkansas does produce turquoise. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy have confirmed the structural nature of the material and identified other phosphate minerals, such as crandallite, often found in assemblage with …

Monitoring Sars-Cov-2 Risk With Co2. The Importance Of Ventilation, Masks, And Vaccinations., Preston Betz

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

To assess airborne pathogen infection risk, concentrations of interior carbon dioxide and changes in relative humidity serve as proxies for human respiration products. Yanes and Yapp, 2010, demonstrated that interior air carbon dioxide concentrations and ¹³C/¹²C ratios display a two-component mixing relationship between respiration carbon dioxide which is highly concentrated (>100x atmospheric) in respiration air CO₂ at >40,000 ppm compared with ambient air (~410 ppm). In the absence of combustion carbon dioxide, the concentration of carbon dioxide, in an interior space, depends on the rate of respiration CO₂ addition relative to the amount of …

Method Development For Preconcentration And Quantification Of Critical And Valuable Elements In Permian Basin Produced Waters, Joshua Matthew Lewis

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Produced waters are a voluminous byproduct of unconventional oil and gas production. Produced water volumes are primarily addressed by subsurface reinjection through saltwater disposal wells (SWDs) and reuse within the oil and gas industry. Oil and gas operators continue to evaluate and trial novel methods to improve produced water handling, and reduce freshwater use, and disposal volumes. Here, we present results for method development to quantify Critical and Valuable Elements (CVEs; defined here as the lanthanide series, high field strength elements, industrial elements and precious metals in brines. CVE concentrations in produced waters and other high-salinity waters are poorly understood …

Wetland Uranium Transport Via Iron-Organic Matter Flocs And Hyporheic Exchange, Connor J. Parker

All Dissertations

Uranium (U) released from the M-Area at the Department of Energy Savannah River Site into Tims Branch, a seasonal wetland and braided stream system, is estimated to be 43,500 kg between 1965 and 1984. The motivation for this work is the uranium’s persistence in the wetland for decades, where it is estimated that 80% of the U currently remains in the Tims Branch wetland. U has begun to incorporate into wetland iron (Fe) and carbon cycles, associating with local Fe mineralogy and deposits of rich wetland organic matter (OM). The objective of this work is to characterize the chemical phases …

Evaluating Alternative Ebullition Models For Predicting Peatland Methane Emission And Its Pathways Via Data–Model Fusion, Shuang Ma, Lifen Jiang, Rachel M. Wilson, Jeff P. Chanton, Scott Bridgham, Shuli Niu, Colleen M. Iversen, Avni Malhotra, Jiang Jiang, Xingjie Lu, Jason Keller, Xiaofeng Xu, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Paul J. Hanson, Yiqi Luo

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the dynamics of peatland methane (CH₄) emissions and quantifying sources of uncertainty in estimating peatland CH₄ emissions are critical for mitigating climate change. The relative contributions of CH₄ emission pathways through ebullition, plant-mediated transport, and diffusion, together with their different transport rates and vulnerability to oxidation, determine the quantity of CH₄ to be oxidized before leaving the soil. Notwithstanding their importance, the relative contributions of the emission pathways are highly uncertain. In particular, the ebullition process is more uncertain and can lead to large uncertainties in modeled CH₄ emissions. To improve model simulations …

Evaluating Alternative Ebullition Models For Predicting Peatland Methane Emission And Its Pathways Via Data–Model Fusion, Shuang Ma, Lifen Jiang, Rachel M. Wilson, Jeff P. Chanton, Scott Bridgham, Shuli Niu, Colleen M. Iversen, Avni Malhotra, Jiang Jiang, Xingjie Lu, Yuanyuan Huang, Jason Keller, Xiaofeng Xu, Daniel M. Ricciuto, Paul J. Hanson, Yiqi Luo

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Understanding the dynamics of peatland methane (CH4) emissions and quantifying sources of uncertainty in estimating peatland CH4 emissions are critical for mitigating climate change. The relative contributions of CH4 emission pathways through ebullition, plant-mediated transport, and diffusion, together with their different transport rates and vulnerability to oxidation, determine the quantity of CH4 to be oxidized before leaving the soil. Notwithstanding their importance, the relative contributions of the emission pathways are highly uncertain. In particular, the ebullition process is more uncertain and can lead to large uncertainties in modeled CH4 emissions. To improve model simulations of CH4 emission and its pathways, …

Connections Between Interglacial Variation And Lithological Variability Within Midland Basin Permian Shale Rocks In Martin County, Texas, Helen Rice Hammon

LSU Master's Theses

The Upper Pennsylvanian (323.2–289.9 Ma) and Lower Permian (289.9-251 Ma), (Wolfcamp and Spraberry formations) interval of the Midland Basin, West Texas, contains a mixed succession of shale, carbonate, and siltstone/sandstone lithofacies that accumulated in a deep-water marine environment under variable hydrographic restrictions. The heterogenous stratigraphy found in the Wolfcamp and Spraberry formation was formed in response to variations in sea level and a transition from a glacial to an interglacial climate during the Early Permian. These fluctuations left behind alternating beds of mudstone and carbonate, interwoven with thin sandstone beds. Because the Wolfcamp and Spraberry formations are highly heterolithic, it …

Connections Between Interglacial Variation And Lithological Variability Within Midland Basin Permian Shale Rocks In Martin County, Texas, Helen Rice Hammon

LSU Master's Theses

The Upper Pennsylvanian (323.2–289.9 Ma) and Lower Permian (289.9-251 Ma), (Wolfcamp and Spraberry formations) interval of the Midland Basin, West Texas, contains a mixed succession of shale, carbonate, and siltstone/sandstone lithofacies that accumulated in a deep-water marine environment under variable hydrographic restrictions. The heterogenous stratigraphy found in the Wolfcamp and Spraberry formation was formed in response to variations in sea level and a transition from a glacial to an interglacial climate during the Early Permian. These fluctuations left behind alternating beds of mudstone and carbonate, interwoven with thin sandstone beds. Because the Wolfcamp and Spraberry formations are highly heterolithic, it …

Experimental Insights Into The Origin Of Microcrystalline Calcites, Mohammed Hashim

Dissertations

A significant proportion of modern marine calcium carbonate sediments is dominated by metastable aragonite and high Mg calcite that either dissolves or stabilizes to low-Mg-calcite (calcite) or dolomite during diagenesis. Sediment dissolution and stabilization have implications for the CaCO3 budget in the ocean and carbon burial rates. Yet, the diagenetic conditions that promote each process and their relative importance are poorly understood. Further, stabilization most commonly produces calcite microcrystals that exhibit various textures and host micropores. Despite their ubiquity in the rock record, the controls on microcrystal textures remain unclear. Here, laboratory experiments were used to investigate aragonite-to-calcite stabilization as …

The Mineralogy And Geochemistry Of Illinois Basin Paleosols: Recognizing Detrital, Pedogenic, And Diagenetic Minerals, Julia A. Mcintosh

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

The geochemical compositions of minerals in paleosols are assumed to be homogenous and attained through chemical weathering processes during episodes of pedogenesis in the geologic past. As such, the geochemical composition of minerals from paleosols may be used to reconstruct ancient climates and environments. One problem with this assumption is that paleosols were initially clastic sedimentary rocks or substrate prior to pedogenesis, thus it is likely that some portion of the paleosol is still composed of detrital minerals. Secondly, conditions may change in a sedimentary basin as the basin is buried and later uplifted, potentially triggering new mineralization or transformation …

Empirical And Modeled Δ13c And Δ15n Isoscapes In The Gulf Of Mexico And Their Application To Fish Eye Lens Migration Studies, Brianna Michaud

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Isoscapes are depictions of the spatial patterns of isotopic values in a given area. Isoscapes can be created using measurements form samples (empirical isoscapes) or using statistical models of spatial isotopic variation (modeled isoscapes). Isoscapes have a wide variety of potential applications though, in the realm of marine ecology, they are most often used infer ecological processes, food web linkages, the origin of samples, and the movements of marine organisms.

However, to use isoscapes for these applications, it is necessary to have isoscapes at spatial scales relevant to the application in question. It is also necessary to have isoscapes that …

Augmenting Field Nuclear Forensics Capabilities With Handheld Atomic Spectroscopy Devices For Nuclear Debris Analysis, Ashwin P. Rao, Christopher M. Sutphin, Christina L. Dugan

Faculty Publications

The realm of technical nuclear forensics remains a critical part of joint counterproliferation capabilities. Since the passage of the Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act (H.R.730) in 2010, the nuclear science community has undertaken steps to bolster national nuclear forensics capabilities under the National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center. Within the technical nuclear forensics umbrella, one particular area of interest involves developing capabilities for in-field analysis of nuclear material. This includes engaging in field training exercises across relevant branches of the military and investigating new technologies to conduct field nuclear forensic analyses. The integration of novel analytical technologies into real-world nuclear detection …

Contrasting Styles Of Inter-Caldera Volcanism In A Peralkaline System: Case Studies From Pantelleria (Sicily Channel, Italy), Pierangelo Romano, John C. White, Silvio G. Rotolo, Nina J. Jordan, Rosolino Cirrincione, Giovanni De Giorgio, Patrizia Fiannacca, Epifanio Vaccaro

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The recent (<190 ka) volcanic history of Pantelleria is characterized by the eruption of nine peralkaline ignimbrites, ranging in composition from comenditic trachyte to comendite to pantellerite. The ~46 ka Green Tuff (GT) was the last of these ignimbrites, which was followed by many effusive and explosive low-volume eruptions of pantellerite from vents within the caldera moat and along the caldera rim. Although recent studies have shed additional light on the age, petrochemistry, and volcanology of the older ignimbrites, there is very little knowledge of magmatism that occurred between these older ignimbrites, primarily due to the very scarce exposures. In this paper, we present new field descriptions and geochemical data for three local peralkaline centers never studied before, two pre-GT and one post-GT, which share a similar setting with respect to the caldera scarps but differ in terms of their age, composition, and eruptive style. These centers include: (i) the older (~125 ka) Giache center (comenditic trachyte), (ii) the ~67 ka Attalora center (comendite, pantellerite), and (iii) the younger (~14 ka) Patite center (pantellerite).

Stratigraphic And Geochemical Evaluation Of Distal Flows Of The Columbia River Flood Basalts In The Greater Vale Area, Southeastern Oregon, Lena Marie Fox

Dissertations and Theses

Exposures of Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) in southeastern Oregon are dominated by the four main phase CRBG units: Steens Basalt, Imnaha Basalt, Grande Ronde Basalt (GRB), and Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB). These units are best seen in stratigraphic sequence along the Malheur Gorge corridor of southeastern Oregon, between the towns of Vale and Juntura, with flows of Steens Basalt from the south overlain by flows of Imnaha and GRB from the north. Recently, PGB flows were found to be part of the eastern Malheur Gorge stratigraphy as well.

In Malheur Gorge, local units of Birch and Hunter Creek Basalt …

Geologic Homogenization, Conditioning, & Reuse, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Energy & Environmental Research Center project to evaluate the geologic homogenization, conditioning, and reuse (GHCR) concept of water management. Describes the GHCR concept and summarizes results of the multiyear project.

Exceptional Agate Formation Found In Spokane Basalt, Matthew J. Markus

2022 Symposium

People don’t normally associate semi-precious gems with basalt or the “boring black rock” that dominates the Eastern Washington landscape. However, a site just northeast of Cheney in the West Planes of Spokane, shows where a system of gem-filled veins can be found nestled into the 16-million-year-old (Kasbohm and Schoene, 2018) Priest Rapids Member of the Wanapum Basalt that is a part of the greater Columbia River Basalt. The volcanic rocks are the host to millimeter - 10 cm wide fractures with variable colored agate and opal.

Spatial Geochemical Changes In Central And East Texas Soils Over Time Resulting From Human Decomposition, Isabela Marisol Overturf

CMC Senior Theses

Human decomposition is studied to aid forensic investigations and better understand the impact of cemeteries on urban resources like soil and groundwater. The purpose of this study was to identify changes in soil geochemistry at and around a human grave to search for lateral nutrient movement and possibly identify new patterns in elemental concentrations that could be used in estimating post-mortem intervals (PMIs). At the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) at Texas State San Marcos, soil samples were collected from a shallow grave over the course of 54 days to conduct analysis for organic matter content, texture, pH, and bulk …

Using Triple Oxygen Isotopes To Reveal The Origin And Evolution Of Mantle Eclogite, Catherine Mary Peshek

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Triple oxygen isotope (TOI) measurements of mantle eclogite from the Orapa kimberlite pipe have reconstructed bulk rock '18O values from 4.587 to 9.542‰ (vs. VSMOW) and '17O from -0.075 to -0.044‰ (vs. VSMOW,  ~0.528). TOI values show increasing '18O with decreasing '17O, overlapping with modern measured altered oceanic crust. Orapa eclogite xenoliths with alkali enrichments show variable mantle-like and heavy 18O, consistent with subduction of seafloor altered basalt. Na# (Na/Na+Ca) in clinopyroxene for some xenoliths pairs with mantle-like oxygen, variable and extreme LREE enrichment, elevated Mg# and lower jadeite contents. These samples preserve records of eclogite melting, mantle interaction …

Validation Of The Use Of Clathromorphum Compactum Growth And Skeletal Δ18o As A Proxy For Seawater Conditions, Teagan Mcmahon

Pitzer Senior Theses

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are important organisms that create benthic habitat in the photic zone of oceans worldwide. CCAs mechanisms of photosynthesis and calcification may, in some cases, make them vulnerable to climate change and ocean acidification. Therefore, CCA are important not only for their ecological role within ecosystems but also for their ability to indicate the effects that ocean acidification and climate change may have on other marine calcifying organisms. Some species of CCA are known to be useful recorders of paleo oceanic conditions. These climate archives and reconstructions of past environmental conditions are important for understanding past changes …

Pascoite Minerals And Potential Application Of Nmr Spectroscopy, Craig C. Mclauchlan, Beth Trent-Ringer, Debbie C. Crans

Faculty Publications – Chemistry

The 20 minerals encompassing the pascoite family of decavanadate isopolyanion-containing [V₁₀O₂₈]⁶⁻ minerals include a few minerals, such as rakovanite, that have been described as containing a protonated decavanadate anion. Rakovanite was originally assigned the formula Na₃[H₃V₁₀O₂₈]•15H₂O and now is redefined with an ideal formula (NH₄)₃Na₃[V₁₀O₂₈]•12H₂O. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and particularly ⁵¹V NMR spectroscopy is an informative method used to describe the protonation state and speciation in both solid and solution states …