Geology Commons^™

Environmental Influences On Tree-Driven Karst Bedrock Physical Weathering, Cole Robert Jimerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The role of tree roots as stressors that contribute to physical weathering processes and thus soil generation remains an open question in critical zone science. While evidence suggests roots may be able to damage rock by accessing pre-existing fractures, where they can expand due to water uptake or generate forces on rock in response to wind gusts, these processes have not been investigated in temperate karst regions until now. I monitored forces at the root-rock interface for an American elm and Hackberry tree between September 2019 and May 2020. I used piezoelectric force sensors to determine if differences in species, …

Effects Of Terrestrial Weathering On Rare Earth Element Concentrations And Sulfur Isotopic Signatures Of Carbonaceous And Ordinary Chondrites, Ruby Virginia Patterson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the effects of weathering of chondrites is essential to gaining accurate and useful information about the formation of our solar system, as well as a more detailed account of the mobilization of chondritic compounds when they encounter terrestrial conditions. Elemental concentrations and stable isotope analyses of chondrites, considered to be the most primordial material in the solar system, are two tools which help unlock the weathering patterns of these specimens when they enter the earth system. However, it is not currently known exactly how time spent in the field alters rare earth element (REE) concentration or δ34S signatures within …

Fayetteville And Imo Shales: Punctuated Upper Mississippian Shallowing Upward Sequence, Southern Ozark Region, Northern Arkansas, Joshua Stevens

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The late Mississippian lithostratigraphic succession in the southern Ozark region, northern Arkansas, include, in ascending order, the Meramecan Moorefield Shale, Batesville Sandstone (with Hindsville Member); Chesterian Fayetteville Shale and Pitkin Limestone (with Imo Member). This interval is now interpreted as a single transgressive-regressive, unconformity-bounded, eustatic, third order cycle (Stevens and Manger, 2018). The Moorefield lowstand wedge is bound by a basal unconformity and succeeded by the transgressive Batesville Sandstone with its Hindsville Member. This succession reflects accretionary deposition along strike of the rising strand line, likely as a barrier island system, as its equivalents are shale (basinward) and limestone (laterally …

Variability Of Selected Mineral Contents In Marine Fish From Local Markets In Tanzania, Stella Shija, Matobola Mihale, Daniel Shilla

Tanzania Journal of Science

Mineral contents (K, Na, Ca and Mg) in selected marine fish species (Alectis ciliaris, Lethrinus harak, Rastrelliger kanagurta and Siganus canaliculatus) from local fish markets were analysed in wet and dry seasons. The processing methods (frying and boiling) were also assessed for their influence on the mineral contents. Samples were randomly collected from Tanga, Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam and Mtwara seaports, analysed using established methods and determined by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Mean mineral contents in individual and all analysed fish species were high during dry season compared to wet season except Ca and the difference was statistically significant …

Soil-Plant Nutrient Cycling In Old Cocoa Farms In A Part Of South Western Nigerian Forest Belt, Olusola Afolayan

Tanzania Journal of Science

Apart from pests and diseases, a vital issue in the early mature of cocoa crop in Nigeria is soil nutrient degradation in relation to the ageing of the farms and annual mining of nutrients via yield harvests. Indigenous production of cocoa in southwest Nigeria has been on without fertilizer applications. This is the basis for the reduction average lifespan and productive years of the plantation. The aim of this study was to quantify the rates of soil nutrient losses via cycling channels in old cocoa farm using cocoa beans, leaves, litters, and pod husks in south western Nigeria forest belt. …

Structural, Mineralogical And Quantitative Characterizations Of Compositions Of Products Linked To Explosive Volcanic Eruption At Haleakala, Usa, Aderemi Alabi, Ibukun Akinsola, Saminu Olatunji, Comfort Ogunyinka1, Oluwatoyin Osanyinlusi

Tanzania Journal of Science

This research focused the analysis vis-à-vis structural, mineralogical and quantitative characterizations of the samples which appeared to be formed from leftover of volcanic eruption sourced from basaltic magma obtained from Haleakala Hill, USA. The results show the presence of natural minerals like pyrolusite, zincite, magnetite, quartz, and diopside with their compositional concentrations in the samples. The geophysical analysis done corroborates the results obtained from the Scanning Electron Micrograph, which confirms the porosity of one of the samples. The X-Ray Diffraction results reveal the average grain sizes of the samples to range between 16 nm and 25 nm. Sample 'A' showed …

Short Wavelength Infrared Spectral Characterization Of The Mineralogy Of Gokona And Nyabigena Andesite-Hosted Gold Deposits In North Mara, Tanzania, Emmanuel Kazimoto

Tanzania Journal of Science

The mineralogy of Gokona and Nyabigena gold deposits in Tanzania have been studied using Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR) Spectrometry technique with an aim to fingerprint hydrothermal system responsible for the formation of the deposits and establish pertinent mineralogical signatures for gold deposition. Gokona and Nyabigena deposits are hosted in porphyritic andesite to basaltic andesite that contains plagioclase phenocrysts, pyroxene, hornblende and Fe-Ti oxides as primary minerals. Other minerals are actinolite, chlorite, epidote, albite and hematite, which indicate metamorphism of the rock under greenschist facies conditions. Hydrothermal alteration of the rock produced chlorite, sericite, carbonates (ankerite, siderite and calcite), pyrite and …

Sedimentology And Paleocurrent Study Of The Early Triassic Rocks In The Ruhuhu Basin, Sw Tanzania, Audax Kiwango, Diwakar Mishra

Tanzania Journal of Science

The sedimentary succession ranging in age from Permian to Early Triassic in Ruhuhu basin was subdivided into eight informal lithostratigraphic units, identified by the symbols from K1 to K8. Manda Formation (K8) belongs to Early Triassic age and comprises two Members, i.e., Lower Kingori Member and Upper Lifua Member (150-200 m thickness). The implications of present study relate to inter and intra basinal correlations which may provide regional depositional framework from a mass of local details. Present investigation connoting the lithofacies studies in conjunction with palaeocurrent and grain size analysis of the early Triassic strata aims at interpreting the depositional …

The Effects Of Surface-Water Flow On The Quality Of Groundwater And Surface-Water Systems, Quanghee Yi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research has focused on the effects of surface-water flow on the quality of groundwater and surfacewater systems. For the first part of my research (Chapter 2 ), I s tudied the effects of s urface flow system changes in the water-conservation areas and canals in southeast Florida on the quality of groundwater in the surficial aquifer system.

For the second part of my research, by developing analytical models using the superposition method, I investigated the effects of bidirectional surface-water flow on the conservative contaminant concentrations (Chapter 4) and mean residence time (Chapter 5) in streams and rivers as well …

Studies Of Quaternary Depositional Systems Of The Coastal Plain And Inner Continental Shelf Along The Georgia Bight: South Carolina And Georgia, U.S.A., Joshua H. Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Quaternary stratigraphy of the continental shelf offshore of South Carolina consists of stratigraphic units deposited in coastal plain, shallow marine, and shelfal environments bound by composite erosional surfaces that developed in response to numerous glacioeustatic cycles and overprinted by regional uplift. These units are commonly distributed laterally rather than stacked vertically, a function of the long-term, low shelf gradient and the resulting lack of accommodation. This study integrates high-resolution geological and geophysical data sets acquired offshore and onshore with existing data onshore into a comprehensive conceptual model describing the Quaternary geologic evolution of the coastal plain and continental shelf …

Using Geophysical And Geodetic Data To Improve Natural And Human-Induced Hazard Assessments, Fanghui Deng

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I use geophysical and geodetic data to study dynamics of the Earth System, including volcanoes and induced seismicity, aiming to improve related hazard assessment at different time and space scales. My dissertation consists of the following three projects: 1) Geophysical model for the origin of volcano vent clusters (Deng et al., 2017). We developed a conceptual model to simulate long-term magma transport to explain the origin of volcanic vent clusters in Quaternary Colorado Plateau volcanic fields. We used density contrast inverted from gravity data to constrain the magma transport model. The development of vent clusters appears to be influenced by …

Development Of A Benthic Foraminifera Based Marine Biotic Index (Foram-Ambi) For The Gulf Of Mexico: A Decision Support Tool, Bryan O'Malley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is an economically important region (e.g. oil and gas, fisheries) and with the expansion of oil drilling, harmful algal bloom events, oil blowouts, dead zones, anthropogenic eutrophication and contaminant loading, it is important that the ecological quality statuses (EcoQS) of different localities in the Gulf are closely monitored. The EcoQS, as implemented by the European Water Framework Directive, is an effective tool for monitoring ecological health and developing reference conditions. One such index used to define EcoQS is the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), which pairs species abundance with environmental stressors. Benthic foraminifera are ideal …

Structural Controls On Crustal Fluid Circulation And Hot Spring Geochemistry Above A Flat‐Slab Subduction Zone, Peru, Brandt E. Scott, Dennis L. Newell, M. J. Jessup, T. A. Grambling, C. A. Shaw

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Hot spring geochemistry from the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru, reveal the influence of crustal‐scale structures on geothermal fluid circulation in an amagmatic region located above a flat‐slab subduction zone. To test the influence of contrasting modes of faulting in these regions, springs were targeted along the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault, within its hanging wall, in the footwall of the detachment, and in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Hot springs along the Cordillera Blanca detachment fault zone are associated with recent extension and normal faulting, and those in its footwall and the Cordillera Huayhuash are located in the Marañon fold and …

Anthropogenically Expedited Transit Reduces Organic Carbon Loss In The Lower Mississippi River: Dataset, Zhixiong Shen, Brad E. Rosenheim, Torbjörn E. Törnqvist, Andreas Lang

College of Science Data Sets

This dataset presents data to investigate the change of organic carbon carried by the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) related to river engineering. The dataset includes (1) OSL data, (2) 14C data; (3) the channel centerline of the LMR in the 1970s, (4) the channel centerline of the LMR in 2019, and (5) the migration rates of the LMR between the 1970s and 2019.

Loess In Eastern Equatorial Pangea Archives A Dusty Atmosphere And Possible Upland Glaciation, Lily Pfeifer, Gerilyn S. Soreghan, Stephane Pochat, Jean Van Den Driessche

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Carboniferous–Permian strata in basins within the Central Pangean Mountains in France archive regional paleoequatorial climate during a unique interval in geological history (Pangea assembly, ice-age collapse, megamonsoon inception). The voluminous (∼1.5 km) succession of exclusively fine-grained red beds that comprises the Permian Salagou Formation (Lodève Basin, France) has long been interpreted to record either lacustrine or fluvial deposition, primarily based on a local emphasis of subaqueous features in the upper ∼25% of the section. In contrast, data presented here indicate that the lower-middle Salagou Formation is dominated by up to 15-m-thick beds of internally massive red mudstone with abundant pedogenic …

Great Basin Paleoclimate And Aridity Linked To Artic Warming And Tropical Pacific Sea Surface Temperature, Matthew S. Lachniet, Yemane Asmerom, Victor Polyak, Rhawn Denniston

Geoscience Faculty Research

The arid southwestern United States is susceptible to sustained droughts that impact water resources and economic activity for millions of residents. Previous work has not systematically investigated the structure, timing, and possible forcings of Holocene Great Basin sub‐orbital hydroclimate changes, impeding our ability to understand the potential future controls on Southwestern aridity. The objective of this paper is to constrain the potential forcings on Holocene aridity and temperature, via comparison of new high‐resolution speleothem data, an Aridity Index synthesizing hydroclimate records, and linkages of Southwestern paleoclimate to other regions. The high‐resolution data from Leviathan Cave provide a paleoclimate record since …

Speleothems In Quartz-Sandstone Caves Of Ponta Grossa Municipality, Campos Gerais Region, Paraná State, Southern Brazil, Henrique S. Pontes, Luiz A. Fernandes, Mário S. De Melo, Gilson B. Guimarães, Laís L. Massuqueto

International Journal of Speleology

The present communication characterizes and discusses the genesis of cave speleothems developed in Furnas Formation (Silurian-Devonian) and Vila Velha sub-unit (Campo Mourão Formation, Upper Carboniferous) quartz-sandstones, in southern Brazil. The research, which involved stratigraphic and petrographic studies, was conducted to identify the faciological context of occurrence of these features, and to determine, through different analytical methods, their mineralogical composition and porosity, and also the action of microbial markers on the genesis of these secondary mineral deposits. The speleothems were classified into six types based on form, composition and genesis: (1) arborescent (coral), (2) mushroom-shaped, (3) stalactitic, (4) stalagmitic, (5) columnar …

Wrack & Ruin: A Tale Of Tortured Trees, John T. Van Stan Ii, Albertus Tyasseta, Siloy, Graphic Artist

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Bookshelf

Here, we visit a community of trees living along the Georgia coast, just above the high tide line, on a little lump of sand called a "hammock." This hammock plant community is battered by a hurricane. The plants that survive soon realize that they have fallen prey to a hydrological torture wrack - one composed of the salty corpses of their neighboring marsh plants (Spartina alterniflora). This sci comic is based on the publication, "Wrack and ruin: Legacy hydrologic effects of hurricane-deposited wrack..." (https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ab9527).

Wrack And Ruin: Legacy Hydrologic Effects Of Hurricane-Deposited Wrack On Hardwood-Hammock Coastal Islands, John T. Van Stan Ii, Scott T. Allen, Travis Swanson

Earth, Environment & Sustainability: Faculty Publications

Hurricanes can cause immediate catastrophic destruction of marsh vegetation and erosion of soils; however, they also have long-lasting ecological impacts. Those impacts include the deposition of tremendous amounts of saltmarsh litter ('wrack') onto upland ecosystems, the hydrologic effects of which have not previously been investigated. When Hurricane Irma battered the southeastern US coastline, widespread wrack deposition was reported (often exceeding 0.5 m depth), especially in vulnerable coastal hammock ecosystems: locally-elevated forests within the saltmarshes that rely on freshwater inputs from rain. We report the impacts of this deposited wrack, which has persisted for 2 years, on effective precipitation inputs to …

Chemostratigraphy Of Carbonate Gravity Flows Of The Wolfcamp Formation In Crockett County, Midland Basin, Texas, Alex Blizzard, Julie Bloxson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sediment gravity flows into deep-water environments are important stratigraphic traps in lithologically diverse reservoirs generating multiple plays for hydrocarbon exploration. These highly heterogeneous deposits can be studied by utilizing chemostratigraphy and higher-order sequence stratigraphy; being an accurate method for reservoir characterization. Studying these gravity flows along a carbonate platform’s slope can further expand an understanding of the stratigraphy that is filling adjacent basins. The application of elemental analyses can support in identifying mineralogy that impact reservoir quality, especially when conventional testing cannot be applied.

This study utilizes five cores containing the Wolfcamp Formation from the southeastern slope of the Central …