Geology Commons^™

Quantifying Factors That Influence Road Deicer Retention And Export In A Multi-Landuse Upstate New York Watershed, David Joseph Saba

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Chloride contamination of streams and groundwater has become a prevalent issue throughout urbanizing areas in the last half century, particularly in northern latitudes where deicing salts are applied to roadways. This study determined how deicer impacted runoff disperses through sub-urban and urban areas on seasonal and multi-year scales. Chloride concentration changes were then modelled under varying pollutant loading scenarios through an integrated catchment model (INCA-Cl).

Six in-stream conductivity/stage/temperature sondes, recording at 15-minute intervals, were installed within the small (~9.6 km2) Fuler Hollow Creek multi-landuse watershed in Broome County NY and monitored over a 1-year period. Weekly grab samples were taken …

Estimating Sand Loss: Using Eolian Sand Ramps As A Proxy For Estimating Past Erosion Within The Lincoln City Dune Sheet; Lincoln City, Oregon, Kara E. P. Kingen, John Bershaw, Curt D. Peterson

Student Research Symposium

Eolian sand ramps are features that are sculpted from beach sand blowing up against sea cliffs or bluffs. In some coastal areas, sand ramp deposits only appear as the erosional remnants of pre-existing ramps that have been truncated at eroded shorelines, separating them from their previous sediment supply. Although sand ramp features have been observed in other areas on the western coast of the United States , they had not been studied or documented within the Lincoln City Dune Sheet (LINC) prior to this study – which documents the existence of truncated eolian sand ramps in LINC and uses them …

Petrographic And Stratigraphic Analysis Along The Lower Cretaceous Strata, In Kimble County Texas, Austin C. Wilkerson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The upper Trinity Group is predominantly a carbonate system with minor clastic couplets that were deposited during the Middle Cretaceous in the south Llano Uplift region. The upper Trinity Group was deposited on a southward dipping platform in the Kimble County area. Stratigraphic units of the upper Trinity Group are the Hensel Formation, determined to be supratidal claystones, the Glen Rose Formation, which are mudstones that were deposited in a carbonate lagoon, and the Walnut and Fort Terrett formations, which are wackestones to packstones interpreted to have been deposited on a shallow carbonate shelf.

Nine stratigraphic sections were measured along …

New Geochemical And Isotopic Approaches To Shallow Crust Landform Evolution, David Decker

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Many researchers have studied the Guadalupe Mountains in detail and starting with King (1948), many of them have speculated about the timing of the uplift of the Guadalupe block. There are several competing hypotheses including Laramide, Basin and Range, and Rio Grande Rifting uplift scenarios. Using uranium-lead dating of scalenohedral spar found in small vug caves throughout the study area, I have dated the episodes of spar formation to two major phases, 36 to 33 Ma and 30 to 27 Ma. These two episodes of spar formation are in good agreement with the time frame of the ignimbrite flare up …

Analysis Of Surface Soil Lead Contamination In Urban Neighborhoods Of Davenport, Ia, Joseph Teresi

Geology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Davenport, IA, is a typical Midwestern city with a population of ~102,600 residents and is characterized by aging infrastructure and housing stock. Consequently, alarmingly high rates of child lead poisoning—as a result of deteriorating lead paint—constitute a major public health concern in some urban neighborhoods. Augustana College’s Upper Mississippi Center is an organization that helps urban and rural communities solve sustainability challenges by mobilizing the college’s resources. In conjunction with their Sustainable Working Landscapes Initiative (SWLI), a research team conducted free home lead screenings in vulnerable Davenport neighborhoods to better understand the severity of the problem. Via appointment, 27 homes …

Geology Of The Purgatory Saddle 7.5 Minute Quadrangle, And Gravity And Magnetic Analysis Of Accreted Terrane Boundary, Western Idaho, Sourav Krishna Nandi

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Western Idaho (USA) contains deformation associated with the Mesozoic accretion of volcanic island arc terranes of the Blue Mountains Province to Laurentia. The near vertical boundary between the accretionary orogeny and Precambrian North America is represented by the transpressional western Idaho shear zone, which lies east of metamorphic rocks in the Salmon River suture zone. The Blue Mountains Province in western Idaho contains four accreted crustal blocks: the Wallowa, Olds Ferry, Baker, and Izee terranes. The purpose of this study is to understand the structural relationship of the pre-accretionary, syn-accretionary and post-accretionary tectonic features along the accreted terrane boundary in …

Regional Stratigraphy And Distribution Of The Coastal Group, St. Elizabeth Parish, Southwestern Jamaica, Brett M. Kenning

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

This contribution examines the characteristics and ages of sedimentary units in the Coastal Group located along the southwestern Jamaica coast between Great Pedro Bluff and Fort Charles Bay in southwestern St. Elizabeth Parish. The coastline is characterized by laterally discontinuous low cliff exposures, separated by modern beach deposits and tectonically raised shore platforms composed of the White Limestone Group (mid-Eocene to mid-Miocene) and coral rudstone to floatstone and calcareous sandstone of the Coastal Group (late Pleistocene). Electron-Spin Resonance spectroscopy conducted on corals collected from a coral rudstone to floatstone facies yielded an estimated age of 120 ka. The coral facies …

Lithium And The Foreseeable Future, Paolo Vargas

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper aims to clarify the uncertainties regarding worldwide lithium resource availability in the years to come. Previous studies made on the subject are presented with some ambiguity and this work intends to fill the gaps. The information and data presented throughout this script with respect to global lithium resources and reserves are mostly based on data released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Lithium resource availability in the future is a point of paramount significance primarily for the automotive, portable electronics, and the power generation industry. Since, a change of supply would ultimately affect the price of lithium, …

Energizing North Dakota's Future, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the Energy & Environmental Research Center’s 2018 goals for North Dakota’s natural resources and energy production. Goals include resource sustainability, eliminating pipeline leaks, and education. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Sequence Stratigraphy, Chemostratigraphy And Facies Analysis Of Cambrian Series 2 - Series 3 Boundary Strata In Northwestern Scotland, Luke E. Faggetter, Paul B. Wignall, Sara B. Pruss, Yadong Sun, Robert J. Raine, Robert J. Newton, Mike Widdowson, Michael M. Joachimski, Paul M. Smith

Geosciences: Faculty Publications

Globally, the Series 2 - Series 3 boundary of the Cambrian System coincides with a major carbon isotope excursion, sea-level changes and trilobite extinctions. Here we examine the sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and carbon isotope record of this interval in the Cambrian strata (Durness Group) of NW Scotland. Carbonate carbon isotope data from the lower part of the Durness Group (Ghrudaidh Formation) show that the shallow-marine, Laurentian margin carbonates record two linked sea-level and carbon isotopic events. Whilst the carbon isotope excursions are not as pronounced as those expressed elsewhere, correlation with global records (Sauk I - Sauk II boundary and …

Structural Geology Of The Caddo Gap Area, Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, Martin Messmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Caddo Gap quadrangle is located on the southern margin of the Benton Uplift, the orogenic core of the Ouachita Mountains. Recent field mapping focused on delineating stratigraphic and structural relationships in the southern part of the quadrangle to improve existing reconnaissance-scale maps of the area. New structures were discovered that provide further information about the structural evolution of the Ouachita fold and thrust belt.

Field work included mapping the three informal members (Lower, Middle and Upper) of the Arkansas Novaculite. Major folds within the study area include the Nelson Mountain Anticline and two synclinal folds (“South Caddo Mountain” and …

Characterization Of Metamorphic Zones In The Tennessee Blue Ridge Using Gis And Digital Imaging Processing, Hayley Beitel

Honors Theses

The origin of metamorphic zones of the Blue Ridge is attributed to metamorphic events that affected sedimentary rocks of debated age, leading the topic to be controversial and continuously studied. The present study seeks to refine the metamorphic isograds of the Tennessee Blue Ridge based on Barrovian index minerals in pelitic rocks and the texture patterns these pelitic rocks present. Methods used in the present study are supported by conventional petrography, powder X-ray diffraction, and by GIS and digital image processing. Metamorphic isograds in the Blue Ridge have been determined mainly by identification of index minerals using a polarizing petrographic …

Application Of Ps Scattering Kernels To Imaging The Mantle Transition Zone With Receiver Functions, Han Zhang, Brandon Schmandt

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Both the thermal structures and the hydrated level of the mantle transition zone are attractive to researchers in solid Earth science fields. Although some aspects of the questions have been answered based on current geophysical observations, a high resolution seismic map of such layer on a continental scale is still valuable for improving our understanding of the lateral variations inside the mantle transition zone. Here we extend a 3D pre-stacking migration method to make it more applicable for imaging the mantle transition zone depths. After the validation of the method with 1D synthetic data, two types of 2D structures are …

Evolution And Controls Of Large Glacial Lakes In The Nepal Himalaya, Umesh K. Haritashya, Jeffrey S. Kargel, Dan H. Shugar, Gregory J. Leonard, Katherine Strattman, C. Scott Watson, David Shean, Stephan Harrison, Kyle T. Mandli, Dhananjay Regmi

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Glacier recession driven by climate change produces glacial lakes, some of which are hazardous. Our study assesses the evolution of three of the most hazardous moraine-dammed proglacial lakes in the Nepal Himalaya—Imja, Lower Barun, and Thulagi. Imja Lake (up to 150 m deep; 78.4 x 10⁶ m³ volume; surveyed in October 2014) and Lower Barun Lake (205 m maximum observed depth; 112.3 x 10⁶ m³ volume; surveyed in October 2015) are much deeper than previously measured, and their readily drainable volumes are slowly growing. Their surface areas have been increasing at an accelerating pace from a …

Supplemental Data For 'Evolution And Controls Of Large Glacial Lakes In The Nepal Himalaya', Umesh K. Haritashya, Jeffrey S. Kargel, Dan H. Shugar, Gregory J. Leonard, Katherine Strattman, C. Scott Watson, David Shean, Stephan Harrison, Kyle T. Mandli, Dhananjay Regmi

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Supplementary data for the article "Evolution and Controls of Large Glacial Lakes in the Nepal Himalaya"

Chemical And Statistical Analysis Of Karst Groundwater Basin Signatures - Springfield, Mo, Benjamin E. Lockwood

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Springfield, MO is located on the Springfield Plateau physiographic province. The Springfield plateau contains a number of Mississippian aged units and is mainly capped by the Burlington-Keokuk Formation. The Burlington-Keokuk is a highly fossiliferous limestone with nodular and interbedded chert. Beneath the Burlington-Keokuk lies the Elsey, Reeds Spring, and Pierson Formations respectively which comprise the Springfield Plateau aquifer hydrostratigraphic unit. Within the Springfield Plateau aquifer, a well-developed karst system includes springs, sinkholes, and caves. The Springfield Plateau aquifer is the predominant source for springs and seeps in the Springfield area. The purpose of this study was to understand the differences …

Stratigraphic Reconstruction Of A Late Pleistocene Bald Cypress Forest Discovered On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Continental Shelf, Suyapa Michell Gonzalez Rodriguez

LSU Master's Theses

A previously buried bald cypress forest (Taxodium distichum) was discovered on the continental shelf, offshore of Orange Beach, Alabama, USA, in ~20 m water depth. The forest was exhumed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and is now exposed as stumps in life position in a trough located in the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf seafloor. We are investigating the local stratigraphy, paleo-landscape, and mode of forest preservation of this unique site. In August 2015 and July 2016, submersible vibracores (18 in total) were collected. Core analysis included: bulk density and imaging via Geotek multi sensor core logger, …

Interpretation And Fracture Characterization Of Early-Cretaceous Buda Limestone Formation Using Post-Stack 3d Seismic Data In Zavala County, Texas, Andrey Smirnov

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Buda Limestone is a naturally fractured Early Cretaceous carbonate formation in south Texas which unconformably underlies the Eagle Ford Shale. Matrix porosity of the Buda is less than 6%, therefore natural fractures improve the potential for commercial hydrocarbon production from this tight limestone formation. This presents a challenge for producers to identify these zones using well log and post stack 3D seismic data typically available to medium or small exploration companies. This project provides a workflow based on well log analysis tied to seismic acoustic impedance (AI) inversion to locate areas of probable natural fractures. Acoustic impedance inversion was …

Gis Modeling Of The Prominent Geohazards In Arkansas, Kyle Walker Rowden

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State of Arkansas is prone to numerous geohazards. This thesis is a twofold study of prominent geohazards in Arkansas: the first fold includes a novel triggerless approach for mass wasting susceptibility modeling applied to the Boston Mountains in NW Arkansas, and the second fold is a GIS-based regression modeling of the extreme weather patterns at the state level. Each study fold is presented in this thesis as a separate chapter embracing a published peer-reviewed paper. In the first paper, I have used the analytical hierarchy process to assign preliminary statistical weights to the most cogent variables influencing mass wasting …

Prospecting For Coal Bed Uranium In Kansas Through The Use Of Arcgis And Uranium Proxies, Logan Howell

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The potential implications for the discovery of coal bed uranium in Kansas not only have a significant scientific and human health interest impact, but also a possible future economic one as well. This study sought to look for coal bed uranium within the Cretaceous Dakota Formation located in north-central of Kansas. This study utilized the two coal bed uranium proxies of historic subbituminous coal production and radon, and ArcGIS to produce a field-site selection map. This map was used to pick counties within Kansas to collect samples from. Once samples were collected, they were scanned for radiation using all available …