Geology Commons^™

Distributed Modeling Of Ablation (1996–2011) And Climate Sensitivity On The Glaciers Of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Matthew J. Hoffman, Andrew G. Fountain, Glen E. Liston

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica host the coldest and driest ecosystem on Earth, which is acutely sensitive to the availability of water coming from glacial runoff. We modeled the spatial variability in ablation and assessed climate sensitivity of the glacier ablation zones using 16 years of meteorological and surface mass-balance observations collected in Taylor Valley. Sublimation was the primary form of mass loss over much of the ablation zones, except for near the termini where melt, primarily below the surface, dominated. Microclimates in ~10 m scale topographic basins generated melt rates up to ten times higher than over smooth …

Processes Controlling Carbon Cycling In Antarctic Glacier Surface Ecosystems, Elizabeth A. Bagshaw, Martyn Tranter, Jemma L. Wadham, Andrew G. Fountain, A. Dubnick, S. Fitzsimons

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glacier surface ecosystems, including cryoconite holes and cryolakes, are significant contributors to regional carbon cycles. Incubation experiments to determine the net production (NEP) of organic matter in cryoconite typically have durations of 6-24 hours, and produce a wide range of results, many of which indicate that the system is net heterotrophic. We employ longer term incubations to examine the temporal variation of NEP in cryoconite from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica to examine the effect of sediment disturbance on system production, and to understand processes controlling production over the lifetimes of glacier surface ecosystems. The shorter-term incubations have durations of …

Slope Failure Detection Through Multi-Temporal Lidar Data And Geotechnical Soils Analysis Of The Deep-Seated Madrone Landslide, Coast Range, Oregon, Michael Scott Marshall

Dissertations and Theses

Landslide hazard assessment of densely forested, remote, and difficult to access areas can be rapidly accomplished with airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) data. An evaluation of geomorphic change by lidar-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) coupled with geotechnical soils analysis, aerial photographs, ground measurements, precipitation data, and numerical modeling can provide valuable insight to the reactivation process of unstable landslides. A landslide was selected based on previous work by Mickleson (2011) and Burns et al. (2010) that identified the Madrone Landslide with significant volumetric changes. This study expands on previous work though an evaluation of the timing and causation of …

Surficial Geology And Provenance Of Glacial Deposits Of The Saybrook 7.5 Minute Quadrangle, Mclean County, Illinois, Ellyn S. Rickels

Theses and Dissertations

The glaciated landscape of much of Illinois is a product of the most recent glacial episode, which is characterized by a series of end moraines composed predominantly of till and deposited by ice flowing into Illinois from the east and northeast around 20,000 years before present time. Two separate projects were completed as part of this thesis to better understand the surficial geology and the source areas of glacial sediment in central Illinois: the creation of a surficial geologic map of the Saybrook 7.5 Minute Quadrangle and a provenance study of granitic clasts from two moraines in the area.

A …

The Relationship Between Elevation Roughness And Tornado Activity: A Spatial Statistical Model Fit To Data From The Central Great Plains, James B. Elsner, Tyler Fricker, Holly M. Widen, Carla M. Castillo, John Humphreys, Jihoon Jung, Shoumik Rahman, Amanda Richard, Thomas H. Jagger, Tachanat Bhatrasataponkul, Christian Gredzens, Paul Grady Dixon Ph.D.

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The statistical relationship between elevation roughness and tornado activity is quantified using a spatial model that controls for the effect of population on the availability of reports. Across a large portion of the central Great Plains the model shows that areas with uniform elevation tend to have more tornadoes on average than areas with variable elevation. The effect amounts to a 2.3% [(1.6%, 3.0%) = 95% credible interval] increase in the rate of a tornado occurrence per meter of decrease in elevation roughness, defined as the highest minus the lowest elevation locally. The effect remains unchanged if the model is …

Geostatistical And Statistical Classification Of Sea-Ice Properties And Provinces From Sar Data, Ute C. Herzfeld, Scott Williams, John Heinrichs, James Maslanik, Steven Sucht

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Recent drastic reductions in the Arctic sea-ice cover have raised an interest in understanding the role of sea ice in the global system as well as pointed out a need to understand the physical processes that lead to such changes. Satellite remote-sensing data provide important information about remote ice areas, and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data have the advantages of penetration of the omnipresent cloud cover and of high spatial resolution. A challenge addressed in this paper is how to extract information on sea-ice types and sea-ice processes from SAR data. We introduce, validate and apply geostatistical and statistical approaches …

A New Radiometric Date And Assessment Of The Last Glacial Megafauna Of Dream Cave, Derbyshire, Uk, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Joyce Lundberg, Guy Van Rentergem, Eliza Howlett, Chris Stimpson

KGI Faculty Publications and Research

The extinct fauna of Dream Cave, Derbyshire, has played a significant role in the history of British cave paleontology, a near-complete woolly rhinoceros from the cave having been famously illustrated in 1823. The fauna was not subsequently re-studied until 2000, with the publication of an indirect radiometric date by uranium-series disequilibrium dating of a presumed-overlying flowstone. Here we present a direct radiocarbon date of 43,330 +/- 1800 rcyBP, 45083 - 48613 calBP (1 σ) on a representative Bos/Bison bone, with additional comments on the fauna and the taphonomy of the site.

Geology Of Michigan, William B. Harrison Iii

MGRRE News

The research staff at Western Michigan University's Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education regularly participates in industry workshops across the state of Michigan. Here is a an educational PowerPoint on Michigan geology.

Ua24 Mcicsl Newsletter - January 2016, Shannon R. Trimboli Education Coordinator

MCICSL Newsletter

This issue includes the following:

Information about the upcoming 11th Research Symposium

New Stonefly species

Winter Bat Monitoring

as well as research highlights and education highlights

Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures In The Paleoproterozoic, Upper Huronian Supergroup, Canada, Carolyn Hill, Patricia I. Corcoran, Rohan Aranha, Fred Longstaffe

Earth Sciences Publications

The Paleoproterozoic Gordon Lake and Bar River formations, Huronian Supergroup, contain a variety of sedimentary structures in the Flack Lake area of Ontario, Canada, that have been considered of debatable origin. We identify these structures as microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS). The preserved MISS are related to microbial mat destruction and decay, and include sand cracks, mat chips, remnant gas domes, pyrite patches, and iron laminae. A biological origin for the fossil structures is supported by their similarities to modern and ancient documented examples of MISS, the sand-dominated nature of the substrate in which they are preserved, and key microtextures …

Formation Of The Neoarchean Bad Vermillion Lake Anorthosite Complex And Spatially Associated Granitic Rocks At A Convergent Plate Margin, Superior Province, Western Ontario, Canada, Shuda Zhou, Ali Polat, Fred Longstaffe, Kunguang Yang, Brian J. Fryer, Crhis Weisener

Earth Sciences Publications

The Bad Vermilion Lake Anorthosite Complex (henceforth, the BVLA Complex) in western Ontario is one of the well-exposed, anorthosite-bearing, Archean layered intrusions in the Superior Province, Canada. This study presents new whole-rock major and trace element data for the various units of the Complex, oxygen isotope data for the anorthosite, and major and trace element data for the spatially associated granitic rocks intruding the BVLA Complex to constrain their petrogenetic and geodynamic origin. Zircons from granitic rocks have yielded a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 2716 ± 18 Ma, constraining the minimum intrusion age of the Complex. Despite deformation …

Climatic Cycles Recorded In Glacially Influenced Rhythmites Of The Gowganda Formation, Huronian Supergroup, Tim S. Howe, Patricia L. Corcoran, Fred Longstaffe, Elizabeth A. Webb, R Gerhard Pratt

Earth Sciences Publications

The Gowganda Formation of the 2.45–2.2 Ga Huronian Supergroup contains glacially-induced, varve-like rhythmites that potentially preserve a detailed record of climatic conditions during the Paleoproterozoic Era. Four rhythmic couplet thickness records were measured at two outcrops near Wharncliffe, Ontario for the purpose of time-series analysis. The couplets, which range from 1 to 32 mm thick, are composed of alternating layers of siltstone and claystone. Time-series analysis of the couplet thickness records using the MTM Toolkit of Mann and Lees (1996) consistently revealed periodicities in the range of 2.2–2.9 couplets per cycle, which is consistent with climatic cycles such as the …

A Brief Account Of New Petrographic And Isotopic Insights Into The Hertfordshire And Buckinghamshire Puddingstones Of Se England, Jennifer Huggett, Fred Longstaffe

Earth Sciences Publications

Determining the process of silicification in silcretes is essential to understanding their environmental significance. For the late Paleocene silcretes of the Anglo-Paris basin this is of particular interest due to their association with the PETM (Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum). Here puddingstone samples from Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire have been examined by optical, BSEM and CL petrography, X-ray diffraction and oxygen isotope analysis. The range of quartz sand luminescence colours indicates a diverse provenance. Flint pebbles show little variability, consistent with a single source. The oxygen isotope compositional range of the flint pebbles is consistent with chemical sedimentation at normal temperatures from Cretaceous …

Urban Sprawl As A Risk Factor In Motor Vehicle Crashes, Reid Ewing, Shima Hamidi, James B. Grace

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A decade ago, compactness/sprawl indices were developed for metropolitan areas and counties which have been widely used in health and other research. In this study, we first update the original county index to 2010, then develop a refined index that accounts for more relevant factors, and finally seek to test the relationship between sprawl and traffic crash rates using structural equation modelling. Controlling for covariates, we find that sprawl is associated with significantly higher direct and indirect effects on fatal crash rates. The direct effect is likely due to the higher traffic speeds in sprawling areas, and the indirect effect …

Polaris: A 30-Meter Probabilistic Soil Series Map Of The Contiguous United States, Nathaniel W. Chaney, Eric F. Wood, Alexander B. Mcbratney, Jonathan W. Hempel, Travis W. Nauman, Colby W. Brungard, Nathan P. Odgers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

A newcomplete map of soil series probabilities has been produced for the contiguous United States at a 30mspatial resolution. This innovative database, named POLARIS, is constructed using available high-resolution geospatial environmental data and a state-of-the-art machine learning algorithm (DSMART-HPC) to remap the Soil Survey Geographic (SSURGO) database. This 9 billion grid cell database is possible using available high performance computing resources. POLARIS provides a spatially continuous, internally consistent, quantitative prediction of soil series. It offers potential solutions to the primary weaknesses in SSURGO: 1) unmapped areas are gap-filled using survey data from the surrounding regions, 2) the artificial discontinuities at …

Paying The Pipers: Mitigating The Impact Of Anticoagulant Rodenticides On Predators And Scavengers, John E. Elliott, Barnett A. Rattner, Richard F. Shore, Nico W. Van Den Brink

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Anticoagulant rodenticides, mainly second-generation forms, or SGARs, dominate the global market for rodent control. Introduced in the 1970s to counter genetic resistance in rodent populations to first-generation compounds such as warfarin, SGARs are extremely toxic and highly effective killers. However, their tendency to persist and accumulate in the body has led to the widespread contamination of terrestrial predators and scavengers. Commercial chemicals that are classified by regulators as persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals and that are widely used with potential environmental release, such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been removed from commerce. However, despite consistently failing …

Chesapeake Bay Fish–Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus) Food Chain: Evaluation Of Contaminant Exposure And Genetic Damage, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner, Peter C. Mcgowan, Robert C. Hale, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Richard A. Erickson, Mary Ann Ottinger

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

From 2011 to 2013, a large-scale ecotoxicological study was conducted in several Chesapeake Bay (USA) tributaries (Susquehanna River and flats, the Back, Baltimore Harbor/Patapsco Rivers, Anacostia/ middle Potomac, Elizabeth and James Rivers) and Poplar Island as a mid-Bay reference site. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) diet and the transfer of contaminants from fish to osprey eggs were evaluated. The most bioaccumulative compounds (biomagnification factor>5) included p,p’-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), total polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and bromodiphenyl ether (BDE) congeners 47, 99, 100, and 154. This analysis suggested that alternative brominated flame retardants and other compounds (methoxytriclosan) are not appreciably …

Immunoglobulin Detection Inwild Birds: Effectiveness Of Three Secondary Anti-Avian Igy Antibodies In Direct Elisas In 41 Avian Species, Carol A. Fassbinder-Orth, Travis E. Wilcoxen, Tiffany Tran, Raoul K. Boughton, Jeanne M. Fair, Erik K. Hofmeister, Jennifer L. Grindstaff, Jen C. Owen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

1.Immunological reagents for wild, non-model species are limited or often non-existent for many species.

2. In this study, we compare the reactivity of a newanti-passerine IgY secondary antibody with existing secondary antibodies developed for use with birds. Samples from 41 species from the following six avian orders were analysed: Anseriformes (1 family, 1 species), Columbiformes (1 family, 2 species), Galliformes (1 family, 1 species), Passeriformes (16 families, 34 species), Piciformes (1 family, 2 species) and Suliformes (1 family, 1 species). Direct ELISAs were performed to detect total IgY using goat anti-passerine IgY, goat anti-chicken IgY or goat anti-bird IgY secondary …

Endangered Species Research In The Caribbean, James W. Wiley

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Although indigenous Amerindian populations adversely affected the biota of their island environments, it was not until the arrival of Europeans that populations of many plant and animal species in the Caribbean Islands declined dramatically (Snyder and others, 1987). Island species are particularly vulnerable to changes in the environment, which, in the extreme, can lead to their extinction. The small populations of many species that occupy islands have limited gene pools and typically show extremes of specialization, characteristics that place those species at high risk for decline and extinction with rapid environmental change. The most important factor in the decline of …

The Bird Banding Laboratory: Support For And Collaboration With Research At Patuxent, John Tautin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Located at Patuxent Research Refuge (PRR) and functionally part of the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Patuxent), Laurel, MD, the Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is the service and administrative center for bird banding in the United States. Over the years, the BBL has been associated with both the PRR and Patuxent, which collectively are commonly referred to by the public (and in this chapter) as “Patuxent.” The BBL issues permits and bands; supplies banding software, instructional materials, and technical advice; coordinates the use of auxiliary markers such as neck collars and radio transmitters; serves as the repository for banding records and …