Geology Commons^™

The Bou Dahar Jurassic Carbonate-Hosted Pb–Zn–Ba Deposits (Oriental High Atlas, Morocco): Fluid-Inclusion And C–O–S–Pb Isotope Studies, Larbi Rddad, Salah Bouhlel

Publications and Research

The Bou Dahar Pb–Zn–Ba (±Sr) is hosted in the Lower and Middle Liassic carbonate platform in the oriental High Atlas of Morocco. The paragenetic sequence includes quartz–pyrite–melnicovite–sphalerite–galena– calcite–barite ± fluorite– ± celestite. Fluid-inclusion studies were conducted on sphalerite (early mineralizing stage) and barite, and celestite (late mineralizing stage). These studies reveal two end-member fluids, a hot (~143 °C) and saline fluid (~23 wt.% NaCl eq.) and a cooler (b50 °C) and diluted fluid (~5 wt.% NaCl eq.). Based on fluid-inclusion and C–O–S isotope studies, a conclusion is reached that the Bou Dahar ore deposits were formed by the mixing of …

Geochemistry Of Upper Cretaceous Sediments Of Bozeş Formation (Apuseni Mts., Romania) – Provenance Implications, Luminiţa Zaharia, Romona Bălc, Cosmin C. Stremţan, Adriana Socaciu

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

A whole-rock geochemical study was carried out on sandstones from the Upper Cretaceous Bozeş Formation in the southeastern part of the Apuseni Mountains (Romania) in order to constrain their provenance and depositional setting. The geochemical results were compared and integrated with previously reported provenance indicators, such as framework composition and heavy mineral assemblages. The chemical composition is similar for all samples investigated, with limited ranges for both major oxides and trace elements. The sandstones are potassic (Na₂O/K₂O < 1) and can be classified mainly as arenites with a few greywackes. Their immature to relatively mature character is revealed by the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratios, ranging between 3.90 and 11.25, as well as their high Sr/Rb ratios. The …

Geographically Isolated Wetlands Are Part Of The Hydrological Landscape, Mark Rains, S. G. Leibowitz, M. J. Cohen, I. F. Creed, H. E. Golden, J. W. Jawitz, P. Kalla, C. R. Lane, M. W. Lang, D. L. Mclaughlin

School of Geosciences Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Exhumation Of The Nacimiento Block: A Thermochronologic Analysis, Lisa Marie Arnold Lori

Masters Theses

"Through the analysis of both U-Pb and (U-Th)/He ages from detrital zircon grains we can constrain thermal histories by establishing ages which correspond to crystallization and exhumation events, respectively. This combined geo-/thermochronologic approach is used here to constrain the history of the polyphase Nacimiento fault. This fault traverses central and southern California and has accumulated at least 150 km of slip since Late Cretaceous time. Major displacements along the structure occurred between 75 and 56 Ma, with Neogene to Holocene strike-slip remobilization linked to the San Andreas fault system. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology from Franciscan subduction assemblages west of the …

Characterization Of Fracture Initiation In Non-Cylindrical Buckle Folds Using 3d Finite Element Analysis, Eli Jacob Steinbeck

Masters Theses

"The spatial distribution of fracture sets associated with buckle folds has been well documented in field studies. There are difficulties, however, in placing accurate constraints on the timing of the initiation of individual fracture sets during the deformation history of the fold under in-situ conditions. This study investigates specific conditions that give rise to the initiation of various fracture sets in the hinge and limb of a pericline, based on an analysis of the effective stress evolution during the processes of buckling and erosional unloading. A 3D finite element modeling approach is used to simulate the effective stress evolution in …

Fluid Flow Through Deformation Band, Huining Zhang

Masters Theses

"Cataclastic deformation bands, which are common in porous sandstone, have the potential to restrict fluid flow. Geological studies have shown that permeability of deformation band shear zones can be one to five orders of magnitude less than for the sandstone host rock. However, recent studies based on simplified analytical estimates have shown that fluid flow in jointed deformation bands may not be retarded since joints play an important role in conducting fluids. In this study, 2 dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) is used to simulate the total discharge flow rate through jointed deformations. Variations of single planar and conjugate jointed …

Periclinal Folding In Ozark Plateau: A Record Of Local Karst Collapse Or Regional Tectonic Forces?, Chao Liu

Masters Theses

"The Ordovician Rubidoux Formation of the Ozark Plateau, Missouri is typically identified as mechanically competent sub-horizontal beds of medium grained sandstone. North of Licking, MO, the Rubidoux Formation was deformed into a series of dome-and-basin shaped buckle folds, exposed in road cuts over a distance of ~10 km. Such folds are highly unusual within the Ozark Plateau and their origin remains controversial. Three major hypotheses have been proposed based on field observations and stereographic analysis. Given the pervasive distribution of karst collapse throughout Missouri, one hypothesis to explain these folds is that the Roubidoux Formation sagged into collapsed caverns. A …

Paleosol Development And Trace Fossils In The Upper Triassic Cooper Canyon Formation Of The Dockum Group In Andrews County, Texas, Michael Charles Gratzer

Honors Theses

It is unknown whether a relationship exists between paleosol development and the number of burrows in a paleosol. It is also unknown whether a relationship exists between the number of burrows in a paleosol and the diameters of those burrows. This paper details the methods, results, and conclusions of an investigation of these relationships. I assess the development of several paleosols in a core sample of the Upper Triassic Cooper Canyon Formation of the Dockum Group from well B-133 in Andrews County, Texas, using development scales based on methods from Bown and Kraus (1993) and Abels et al. (2013). I …

Statistical Analysis Of Arsenic Concentrations In Subsurface Soils At The University Of Mississippi Field Station, David Thomas Webb

Honors Theses

The purpose of this investigation is to determine how arsenic concentration varies in soils with respect to soil structures, grain size, soil type, and depth. The investigation was conducted at the University of Mississippi Field Station (UMFS). The UMFS is located in Abbeville, MS and is roughly 700 acres in size. It includes ponds and former agricultural fields, and lies within an internally draining basin. Seven boreholes were drilled using a direct push geoprobe and sampled. The cores obtained from the borings were then cut at one foot intervals, producing a total of 90 soil samples. Each sample was observed …

Quantifying A Mining Investability Quotient To Mitigate Junior Mining Investment Risk, Jonathan Mickey Merguerian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Uncertainty and risk are inherent features of investing in mineral exploration ventures. Investors rely on qualitative and quantitative analysis to evaluate risk of capital. The distinction between risk and uncertainty pertaining to mineral exploration is that risk is an opportunity for loss and uncertainty can be described as the range of probabilities that some condition may occur (Rose, 1987). Stakeholders rely on a combination of investment conferences, risk analysis equations, press releases, financial reports, and investment research to determine if an investment potential. J. M. Cozzolini developed a formula for Risk Adjusted Value (RAV) of an exploration venture. The study …

Tectonostratigraphic Evolution Of A Suprasalt Minibasin, Oligocene - Miocene Western Slope Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Felix Alan Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The petroleum industry has focused Gulf of Mexico exploration efforts on salt-related geologic provinces in search of major hydrocarbon accumulations. This work has led to recognition of the influence that salt tectonics has had on play elements of the petroleum system in the producing salt basins. In particular, the complex depositional patterns of the reservoir rocks controlled by shifting depocenters resulting from the accommodation space generated by salt withdrawal from minibasins.

The focus of this research is to understand the structural and stratigraphic components that controlled the evolution of an Oligocene - Miocene suprasalt minibasin located in the upper continental …

Geochemical Signatures As A Chemostratigraphic Tool To Correlate Stacked Carbonates Of The Glorieta, Victorio Peak, Cutoff, And Upper San Andres Formations West Dog Canyon, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, Eric Bergersen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For oil exploration, stratigraphic correlation of formations over distance and across structural complications is essential. I tested if an established method – carbon and oxygen isotope composition of carbonates (δ 18Ocarbonate, δ13Ccarbonate) and a new chemostratigraphic tool – sulfur isotope composition of Carbonate Associated Sulfate (δ34SCAS) can aid in the correlation of rock packages belonging to multiple stacked carbonate horizons from a carbonate platform.

In my study area, located in the Brokeoff Mountains, north of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the δ18Ocarbonate, δ 13Ccarbonate and δ34SCAS scatter strongly within single beds of the Leonardian-aged Victorio Peak Formation. In stratigraphic order, …

Regional Geochemical Mapping Of The Superior Upland Province; Ichnology Of The Cretaceous Mesilla Valley Formation, Cerro De Cristo Rey; A New Ichnospecies Of Cardioichnus From The Cretaceous (Albian) Of New Mexico; A Pedagogy For The Cerro De Cristo Rey Tracksite; Walking In The Footprints Of Dino, Eric J. Kappus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This is a multi-disciplinary study that covers a variety of geoscience topics on both international borders of the continental United States. This Dissertation is the product of several separate investigations. First is a report on the landscape geochemistry of the Superior Upland Province of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with regional maps of 37 chemical elements interpreted in terms of bedrock, glacial reworking, and anthropogenic influence. The next 2 sections are reports on the invertebrate ichnology of the Cretaceous Mesilla Valley Formation at Cerro de Cristo Rey, including the proposal of a new ichnospecies of echinoid resting trace, Cardioichnus biloba nov. …

The Origin Of Anomalous Carbonate Units Outcropping At The Salt Sediment Interface Of The Southern End Of Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Paradox Basin, Colorado, Allison M. Mast

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding structural, stratigraphic, and petrographic complexities at the salt-sediment interface of diapirs has important implications in accurately assessing hydrocarbon reservoir quality and near-diapir trap geometries, and may aid in more accurate predictions for locating the true margin of salt in diapiric layered evaporites. The southwest margin of the exhumed Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Paradox Basin, southwest Colorado, provides a rare view of this interface where onlapping and overlapping wedges of Late Permian and Jurassic halokinetic sequences overlie an angular unconformity truncating near-vertical, highly deformed carbonate beds formerly mapped as Pennsylvanian Honaker Trail Formation. This study investigates three possible alternative origins …

Salt Tectonic Controls On Facies And Sequence Stratigraphy Of The Triassic Chinle Formation, Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Colorado, Elizabeth Heness

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on mapping the facies geometry and depositional sequences of the Chinle Formation adjacent to the Gypsum Valley Salt Wall (GVSW). Interactions between salt tectonics and fluvial systems can affect sediment distribution. The upper Triassic Chinle Formation was deposited across the western U.S. in an intra-cratonic, fluvial environment. Throughout the Paradox Basin in Utah and Colorado, deformation associated with rising salt anticlines and subsiding minibasins coincided with Chinle deposition. In most areas, only small and isolated remnant Chinle outcrops actually expose the contact between Chinle sediments and the salt diapir. In Gypsum Valley three study areas were mapped …

Geology, Geochemistry, And 3d Geological Modelling Of The Independencia - Los Bancos Ag-Au Epithermal Vein Systems In The Palmarejo District, Chihuahua, Mexico, Arturo Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) is a Cretaceous-Tertiary silicic ignimbrite province in northwestern Mexico. It is the result of tectonic and magmatic events produced by the subduction of the Farallon plate under North America (80-40 Ma) and the opening of the Gulf of California (14-12 Ma), thus forming the SMO metallogenic provinces. The Late Eocene to Oligocene was a major period of metallic mineralization hosting various deposit types, principally Ag-Au (±Pb-Zn-Cu) epithermal veins, which have been economically significant.

The study area lies in the Palmarejo district, operated by Coeur Mining Inc., which was the worldâ??s fifth largest silver producer in …

Reconstructing Late Pleistocene And Holocene Paleoenvironments Using Playa-Lunette System Sediments Within The Harney Basin Of Southeastern Oregon, Usa, Joe Collins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Paleoenvironmental investigations of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene in the Harney Basin of eastern Oregon have been limited to date. This Dissertation investigates and links the stratigraphy of Rimrock Draw Rockshelter (35HA3855) (RDR) and two surrounding playas, Rimrock Lake and Hay Lake, located on the western margin of the Harney Basin, in order to identify paleoenvironmental shifts during the last ~20 kyr. An emphasis also is given to demonstrating the potential for playas in the Harney Basin to record changes in paleoclimate, as well as the application of multivariate statistics to interpret paleoenvironments from sedimentary grain size data. Stratigraphy …

Geology And Mineralization Controls Surrounding The Palmarejo Mining District - A Compilation Of Remote And Hands On Exploration Techniques, Castulo Molina Sotelo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Exploration is the base of the mining industry, and it is often taken as synonymous with "finding a mine". In reality it is a more complex process; where the selection, evaluation, screening and testing of successively smaller areas lead to the discovery of an economic deposit. Once the deposit is found, the economic factors become more important than the geological ones, and then the exploration becomes a tool to give sustainability to the mining operation through time.

The silver and gold deposits of the world-class Palmarejo District are typical, intermediate sulfidation- style epithermal, precious metal occurrences, hosted in Cretaceous- to …

A Geophysical Investigation At The Potrillo Maar, Manuel Moncada Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Potrillo Volcanic Field (PVF) is a unique geological site located in Doña Ana County the southernmost part of New Mexico, and part of northern part of Chihuahua, Mexico. The main feature of the southern PVF is Potrillo Maar. This maar-volcano straddles the international boundary between United States and Mexico and lies within the southern part of the Rio Grande Rift. The Potrillo Maar was formed about 20,000 years ago in three major events that formed basalt lava flows and ejecta deposits that consist of crustal and mantle xenoliths.

The purpose of this Thesis is to determine the area of …

Reconstructing Dinosaur Foot Tracks And Identifying New Footprints Using Structure From Motion Photogrammetry, Valeria V. Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of 3-D Structure from Motion models to study fossils is a relatively new technique that has an advantage over traditional field methods, such as plaster casts or collecting samples, because it is non-destructive and can be easily shared with a wide audience. It is also ideal for use with persons with disabilities because it does not require field access and it can be manipulated for optimum computer viewing or printed with a 3-D printer for tactile examination as needed. Our study focused on a known site in Cristo Rey, New Mexico where Cretaceous Iguanadon and Ankylosaur footprints have …