What Martian Meteorites Reveal About The Interior And Surface Of Mars,
2020
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
What Martian Meteorites Reveal About The Interior And Surface Of Mars, Arya Udry, G. H. Howarth, C. D.K. Herd, J. M.D. Day, T. J. Lapen, J. Filiberto
Geoscience Faculty Research
Martian meteorites are the only direct samples from Mars, thus far. Currently, there are a total of 262 individual samples originating from at least 11 ejection events. Geochemical analyses, through techniques that are also used on terrestrial rocks, provide fundamental insights into the bulk composition, differentiation and evolution, mantle heterogeneity, and role of secondary processes, such as aqueous alteration and shock, on Mars. Martian meteorites display a wide range in mineralogy and chemistry, but are predominantly basaltic in composition. Over the past 6 years, the number of martian meteorites recovered has almost doubled allowing for studies that evaluate these meteorites …
Boron Adsorption In Clay Minerals: Implications For Martian Groundwater Chemistry And Prebiotic Processes,
2020
University of New Mexico
Boron Adsorption In Clay Minerals: Implications For Martian Groundwater Chemistry And Prebiotic Processes, Matthew A. Nellessen, Laura Crossey, Patrick J. Gasda, Horton Newsom, Abdulmehdi Ali, Eric J. Peterson, Nina Lanza, Adriana Reyes-Newell, Dorothea Delapp, Chris Yeager, Andrea Labouriau, Roger C. Wiens, Samuel Clegg, Shelbie Legett, Debarati Das
Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs
Boron has been detected on Mars [Gasda et al., 2017, Das et al., 2019, 2020] within calciumsulfate veins found within clay-rich rocks on Mars by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis. Boron plays a vital role in stabilizing ribose on Earth and has been suggested as a key requirement for life [Scorei et al., 2006, 2012; Furukawa et al., 2013, 2017; Becker et al., 2019]. Additionally, boron readily adsorbs to phyllosilicate clay minerals and is often associated with biologic processes in clay soils. The discovery of boron on Mars in proximity to phyllosilicate …
Plio-Pleistocene Antarctic Ice-Ocean Interactions In The Ross Sea,
2020
University of South Florida
Plio-Pleistocene Antarctic Ice-Ocean Interactions In The Ross Sea, Catherine Prunella
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Warm, intermediate-depth Southern Ocean waters are implicated in recent Antarctic ice mass loss. Direct observations of Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) retreat are temporally limited, necessitating paleoceanographic records of ocean-ice interactions during past warm climate intervals. Deepsea and ice-proximal sediments record orbitally-paced glacial-interglacial fluctuations in AIS volume during the Plio-Pleistocene (last 5 million years; Ma), but the total contribution of the AIS and the role of ocean heat in these fluctuations remain unresolved. To address the response of Antarctica’s ice sheets to changing ocean temperatures during the Plio-Pleistocene, International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 recovered sediments from the Ross Sea …
Xenon Iron Oxides Predicted As Potential Xe Hosts In Earth’S Lower Mantle,
2020
Luoyang Normal University
Xenon Iron Oxides Predicted As Potential Xe Hosts In Earth’S Lower Mantle, Feng Peng, Xianqi Song, Chang Liu, Quan Li, Maosheng Miao, Changfeng Chen, Yanming Ma
Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research
An enduring geological mystery concerns the missing xenon problem, referring to the abnormally low concentration of xenon compared to other noble gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Identifying mantle minerals that can capture and stabilize xenon has been a great challenge in materials physics and xenon chemistry. Here, using an advanced crystal structure search algorithm in conjunction with first-principles calculations we find reactions of xenon with recently discovered iron peroxide FeO2, forming robust xenon-iron oxides Xe2FeO2 and XeFe3O6 with significant Xe-O bonding in a wide range of pressure-temperature conditions corresponding to vast regions in Earth’s lower mantle. Calculated mass density and sound …
Historical And Future Antarctic Precipitation Based On Cmip5 Models, Reanalysis Data And In Situ Measurements,
2020
Universiti Malaya
Historical And Future Antarctic Precipitation Based On Cmip5 Models, Reanalysis Data And In Situ Measurements, Malcolm Tang Siong Yii
Student Works (2020-2029)
The study of precipitation in Antarctica is one of the most studied research topics today. The reliability and accuracy of climate models in simulating Antarctic precipitation, however, are still debatable. Measuring precipitation in Antarctica poses many distinctive challenges. This work attempts to establish a comprehensive study of precipitation in Antarctica. The first part of the study assesses a year-long measurements from five precipitation instruments with reanalysis datatsets and satellite data. The tipping bucket gauges (TBGs) were observed to be less sensitive compared to laser-based sensors (LBSs). Case studies of the daily precipitation and seasonal precipitation measurements showed VPF-730 to be …
Trends In Water Quality Of Cave Pools At Timpanogos Cave National Monument, July 2008–September 2018,
2020
Northern Colorado Plateau Network, National Park Service
Trends In Water Quality Of Cave Pools At Timpanogos Cave National Monument, July 2008–September 2018, Rebecca Weissinger, Andy Armstrong, Kirsten Bahr, Chris Groves
Crawford Hydrology Laboratory
No abstract provided.
Impacts Of Forest Management And Timber Harvest Practices On Karst Critical Zone Processes In Tongass National Forest, Alaska,
2020
Western Kentucky University
Impacts Of Forest Management And Timber Harvest Practices On Karst Critical Zone Processes In Tongass National Forest, Alaska, Anna Gwendolyn Harris
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This study characterizes the throughfall, hydrogeochemistry, dissolution rates, and carbon sources of two proximate temperate rainforest cave systems within the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska (Tongass). Study sites include: an old-growth forest, characterized by having never been logged (containing Walkabout Cave system); and a previously logged – within thirty years, second-growth forest (containing Zina Cave system). Precipitation data were recorded over a five-month period at 10-minute intervals, to understand the effects of throughfall between the altering old and second-growth canopies. At each major spring for the two cave systems, high-resolution data were collected from June 29 through November 21, …
Interpretations Of Lava Flow Properties From Radar Remote Sensing Data,
2020
Western University
Interpretations Of Lava Flow Properties From Radar Remote Sensing Data, Gavin Douglas Tolometti, Catherine Neish, Gordon R. Osinski, Scott S. Hughes, Shannon E. Kobs-Nawotniak
Earth Sciences Publications
The surface morphology and roughness of a lava flow provides insight on its lava properties and emplacement processes. This is essential information for understanding the eruption history of lava fields, and magmatic processes beneath the surface of Earth and other planetary bodies such as the Moon. The surface morphology is influenced by lava properties such as viscosity, temperature, composition, and rate of shear. In this work, we seek to understand how we can interpret the emplacement processes and lava properties of lava flows using remote sensing data. Craters of the Moon (COTM) National Monument and Preserve in Idaho hosts a …
Iron Speciation In Pm2.5 From Urban, Agriculture, And Mixed Environments In Colorado, Usa,
2020
University of Denver
Iron Speciation In Pm2.5 From Urban, Agriculture, And Mixed Environments In Colorado, Usa, Joseph R. Salazar, David J. Pfotenhauer, Frank Leresche, Fernando L. Rosario-Ortiz, Michael P. Hannigan, Sirine C. Fakra, Brian Majestic
Chemistry and Biochemistry: Faculty Scholarship
Atmospheric iron solubility varies depending on whether the particles are collected in rural or urban areas, with urban areas showing increased iron solubility. In this study, we investigate if the iron species present in different environments affects its ultimate solubility. Field data are presented from the Platte River Air Pollution and Photochemistry Experiment (PRAPPE), aimed at understanding the interactions between organic carbon and trace elements in atmospheric particulate matter (PM). 24-hr PM2.5 samples were collected during the summer and winter (2016–2017), at three different sites on the Eastern Colorado plains: an urban, agricultural, and a mixed site. Downtown Denver had …
Experimental And Thermodynamic Constraints On Mineral Equilibrium In Pantelleritic Magmas.,
2020
Universita degli Studi di Palermo
Experimental And Thermodynamic Constraints On Mineral Equilibrium In Pantelleritic Magmas., Pierangelo Romano, Bruno Scaillet, John C. White, Joan Andujar, Ida Di Carlo, Silvio G. Rotolo
EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship
Crystallization experiments on two pantellerites from Pantelleria, Italy, provide new evidence for the relation-ships between mineral phases in pantelleritic rocks as well as the influence of temperature and redox conditionson mineral assemblages. Experiments were performed at 1 kbar with temperature ranging between 750–900°C,andfluid saturation conditions with XH2O (=H2O/H2O+CO2) between 0 and 1. Redox conditions were fixed at, or slightly below, the FMQ buffer. Results show that at temperature of 900 °C pantelleritic magmas are well above the liquidus regardless their water content; we also observed a decrease in liquidus temperature (800°C) with increasingly reducing conditions. Mineral assemblages of the natural …
Molecular Tests Support The Viability Of Rare Earth Elements As Proxies For Fossil Biomolecule Preservation,
2020
Rowan University
Molecular Tests Support The Viability Of Rare Earth Elements As Proxies For Fossil Biomolecule Preservation, Paul V. Ullmann, Kristyn K. Voegele, David E. Grandstaff, Richard D. Ash, Wenxia Zheng, Elena R. Schroeter, Mary H. Schweitzer, Kenneth J. Lacovara
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
The rare earth element (REE) composition of a fossil bone reflects its chemical alteration during diagenesis. Consequently, fossils presenting low REE concentrations and/or REE profiles indicative of simple diffusion, signifying minimal alteration, have been proposed as ideal candidates for paleomolecular investigation. We directly tested this prediction by conducting multiple biomolecular assays on a well-preserved fibula of the dinosaur Edmontosaurus from the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation previously found to exhibit low REE concentrations and steeply-declining REE profiles. Gel electrophoresis identified the presence of organic material in this specimen, and subsequent immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays identified preservation of epitopes of the …
Geology, Geochemistry And Petrotectonic Setting Of Idanre Granite Complex, Southwestern Nigeria,
2020
Universiti Malaya
Geology, Geochemistry And Petrotectonic Setting Of Idanre Granite Complex, Southwestern Nigeria, Akinola Oluwatoyin Olagoke
Student Works (2020-2029)
During Neoproterozoic, Nigeria like many other Pan-African countries witnessed extensive magmatic activities which resulted in emplacement of granite popularly referred to as Older Granite in Nigeria. The study area is characterized by a large population of this rock type than any other part of Nigeria, so these rocks are investigated in this research. Idanre is underlain by migmatite-gneiss, charnockite and granite. Migmatite form the country rock and are low-lying, charnockite was surrounded by granite, while the granite forms large inselbergs. Three textural types of granite occur in the area, they are coarse-grained granite (undifferentiated) (OGu), porphyritic granite (OGp) and the …
Investigation Of The Interaction Of Gadolinium With Several Organic Ligands And Humic Acid By Ligand Competition Using 4-(2-Pyridylazo)-Resorcinol (Par),
2020
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Investigation Of The Interaction Of Gadolinium With Several Organic Ligands And Humic Acid By Ligand Competition Using 4-(2-Pyridylazo)-Resorcinol (Par), Spencer Steinberg, Vernon Hodge, Luis Becerra-Hernandez
Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research
Gd3+ forms a strongly colored complex with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) in aqueous solutions. We characterized the Gd3+-PAR complex in order to use it as a probe of Gd3+ speciation in the presence of environmentally relevant ligands. The formation of the Gd3+-PAR complex was investigated from pH 5 to 8 in the presence of excess PAR. The absorbance of the Gd3+-PAR complex dramatically increased from pH 5 to 8 and application of the method of continuous variation indicates that the complex was primarily 1:2 Gd(PAR)2 at pH 8. Stability constants for Gd3+ with other ligands can be quantified by competitive displacement of …
Geochemical Characterization Of Base Metals In Stream Water And Sediments In The Caddo Lake Watershed, Cass, Harrison, And Marion Counties, Texas,
2020
Stephen F Austin State University
Geochemical Characterization Of Base Metals In Stream Water And Sediments In The Caddo Lake Watershed, Cass, Harrison, And Marion Counties, Texas, Melinda S. Faulkner, Melanie L. Ertons, Joseph D. Watkins
Faculty Publications
The Caddo Lake watershed is located in northeastern Texas and encompasses much of Cass, Harrison, and Marion counties. The watershed is drained by major streams and tributaries flowing in an easterly direction over Eocene-aged rocks and sediments of the Wilcox and Claiborne groups, and empty into the western arm of Caddo Lake. Since 1995, Caddo Lake and some of its tributaries have been included on the State of Texas Clean Water Act 303(d) list by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for impairment due to mercury content in edible tissue, depressed dissolved oxygen, base metal concentrations, and low pH …
Distribution, Geochronology, And Petrogenesis Of The Picture Gorge Basalt With Special Focus On Petrological Relationships To The Main Columbia River Basalt Group,
2020
Portland State University
Distribution, Geochronology, And Petrogenesis Of The Picture Gorge Basalt With Special Focus On Petrological Relationships To The Main Columbia River Basalt Group, Emily Bogdan Cahoon
Dissertations and Theses
The Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) is the youngest and volumetrically smallest continental flood basalt exposed across the Pacific Northwest, USA. Similar to other large igneous provinces, the majority of material erupted during the initial 1 million years of activity, these lavas are subdivided into four main-phase units. The Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) is the only main-phase unit of the CRBG whose age is not precisely known and understanding of PGB petrogenesis is largely based on a limited number of samples when compared with other main-phase units. It is suggested that a time gap of over 0.5 myr existed between …
Connections Between Hydrothermal System Geochemistry And Microbiology: Traversing Tectonic Boundaries In The South-Central Peruvian Andes,
2020
Utah State University
Connections Between Hydrothermal System Geochemistry And Microbiology: Traversing Tectonic Boundaries In The South-Central Peruvian Andes, Heather Upin
All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023
Geochemistry and microbiology are inherently tied in the natural world. The study of geomicrobiology has historically taken place in extreme systems, like hot springs of Yellowstone National Park and deep-sea hydrothermal vents, because the organisms that exist there have deep lineages on the tree of life and provide insight into early life on Earth. These microbes use chemical energy from nutrients available in their environment rather than relying on photosynthesis, energy obtained from the sun, to support their metabolism. The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of geological controls (for example the tectonic setting) on hot spring …
Detrital Zircon Petrochronology For Sedimentary Provenance Analysis: Source To Sink Of The Mississippi/Missouri River Drainage Basin,
2020
Missouri State University
Detrital Zircon Petrochronology For Sedimentary Provenance Analysis: Source To Sink Of The Mississippi/Missouri River Drainage Basin, Sage Denali Muttel
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
Detrital petrochronology can provide a detailed look into sedimentary provenance through integrated mineral radioisotopic ages with corresponding mineral chemistry. By combining U-Pb ages and Th/U values of detrital zircon from 13 samples collected from Quaternary sand deposits in the Upper Missouri, Yellowstone, Bighorn, Platte, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Red and Brazos Rivers, an interpretation of detailed signatures that record evidence of the evolution of the Mississippi/Missouri River drainage and the tectonic events that shaped it were observed. Low Th/U values in zircon correlate temporally to convergent magmatism, whereas, higher and more variable Th/U zircon are coeval with known extensional tectonism. Using …
The Legacy Of Mining In Southwest Missouri: Past And Present Conditions Of The Tri-State Mining District,
2020
Missouri State University
The Legacy Of Mining In Southwest Missouri: Past And Present Conditions Of The Tri-State Mining District, Anastasia M C Mcclanahan
Graduate Theses/Dissertations
The historic Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma has a history of lead and zinc mining that extended over a hundred years. During the district’s peak production period, the TSMD was one of the world’s largest producers of lead and zinc. The mining activities in the TSMD produced economic growth that supported the local communities and were essential to the victory of the Allied Forces during World War I and World War II. Beginning in the 1920s, the mining activities in the district slowly began to cease due to depletion of metal ores and …
Geochemical Variability & Implications For Magma Transport At 14°N On The Mid-Atlantic Ridge,
2020
Boise State University
Geochemical Variability & Implications For Magma Transport At 14°N On The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Emma Elizabeth Mccully
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Observations of seafloor bathymetry and gravity surveys indicate that magma focuses in the center of slow spreading Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR) segments, however; it is not well constrained how magma is generated, stored, and transported to the segment ends. There are two end-member models for magma transport: 1) a focused magma model wherein the magma upwells beneath the entire ridge axis, is focused and pools beneath the center of the segment, and is then transported towards the segment ends via lateral diking in the shallow crust and 2) a distributed magma model wherein magma vertically upwells and is erupted on the …
Structural Characterization Of Organic Matter In Oil Shales Using Multiple Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Techniques,
2020
Old Dominion University
Structural Characterization Of Organic Matter In Oil Shales Using Multiple Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Techniques, Wenying Chu
Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations
Oil shale is a promising source of hydrocarbon fuel that is distributed throughout the world. The petroleum generating potential of oil shale is related to the molecular structure of the organic matter in source rock. The major fraction of organic matter of oil shale is termed kerogen, and due to its insolubility in organic solvents, 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the best ways to directly measure the insoluble organic matter without changing its chemical structures. This dissertation investigated oil shale samples using advanced solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy techniques and high resolution magic angle …
