Geology Commons^™

Defining The Terroir Of The Columbia Gorge Wine Region, Oregon And Washington, Usa Using Geographic Information Systems (Gis), Hilary Whitney

Dissertations and Theses

The Columbia Gorge Wine Region (CGWR) is an emerging wine producing area that extends for about 100km along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington State in which the number of vineyards, wineries and physical terroir conditions have yet to be defined. To better understand the physical factors affecting Oregon and Washington wine, this project analyzes climate, topography, geology and soil at vineyards in the CGWR. This was accomplished using Geographic Information Systems, existing earth science databases and field work. The region, which includes the Columbia Gorge American Viticulture Area (AVA) and the southwest portion of the Columbia Valley AVA, …

Quantitative Hermeneutics: Counting Forestructures On A Path From W.M. Davis To The Concept Of Multiple-Permeability Karst Aquifers, H. L. Vacher, Lee J. Florea

International Journal of Speleology

Hermeneutics is the theory of interpretation. One of its major components is recognizing prejudgments, or forestructures, that we bring to our objects of study. In this paper, we construct a historical narrative of the evolution of thinking about the role of caves in relation to groundwater flow in limestone, and we tabulate forestructures as they appear in the story. This account consists of three overlapping time periods: the before and after of an incident that repelled hydrogeologists and students of karst from each other in the middle of the 20^th century; a period, up to around the turn of …

Dye Tracing To Determine Flow Properties Of Hydrocarbon-Polluted Rabots Glaciär, Kebnekaise, Sweden, Caroline C. Clason, C. Coch, J. Jarsjö, Keith A. Brugger, P. Jansson, G. Rosqvist

Geology Publications

Over 11 000 L of kerosene was deposited on the surface of Rabots glaciär on the Kebnekaise Massif, northern Sweden, following the crash of a Royal Norwegian Air Force aircraft in March 2012. An environmental monitoring programme was subsequently commissioned, including a series of dye tracing experiments during the 2013 melt season, conducted to investigate the transport of pollutants through the glacier hydrological system. This experimental set-up provided a basis from which we could gain new insight into the internal hydrological system of Rabots glaciär. Results of dye tracing experiments reveal a degree of homogeneity in the topology of the …

Dramatic Loss Of Glacier Accumulation Area On The Tibetan Plateau Revealed By Ice Core Tritium And Mercury Records, S. Kang, F. Wang, U. Morgenstern, Y. Zhang, B. Grigholm, Susan D. Kaspari, M. Schwikowski, J. Ren, T. Yao, D. Qin, P. A. Mayewski

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Two ice cores were retrieved from high elevations (~5800 m a.s.l.) at Mt. Nyainqêntanglha and Mt. Geladaindong in the southern and central Tibetan Plateau region. The combined tracer analysis of tritium (³H), ²¹⁰Pb and mercury, along with other chemical records, provided multiple lines of evidence supporting that the two coring sites had not received net ice accumulation since at least the 1950s and 1980s, respectively. These results implied an annual ice loss rate of more than several hundred millimeter water equivalent over the past 30–60 years. Both mass balance modeling at the sites and in situ data …

Investigating The Paleoecological Consequences Of Supercontinent Breakup: Sponges Clean Up In The Early Jurassic, Frank Corsetti, Kathleen Ritterbush, David Bottjer, Sarah Greene, Yadira Ibarra, Joyce Yager, A. Joshua West, William Berelson, Silvia Rosas, Thorsten Becker, Naomi Levine, Sean Loyd, Rowan Martindale, Victoria Petryshyn, Nathan Carroll, Elizabeth Petsios, Olivia Piazza, Carlie Pietsch, Jessica Stellmann, Jeffrey Thompson, Kirstin Washington, Dylan Wilmeth

Faculty Publications

The continued release of fossil fuel carbon into the atmosphere today means it is imperative to understand Earth system response to CO2 rise, and the geologic record offers unique opportunities to investigate such behavior. Stomatal and paleosol proxies demonstrate a large change in atmospheric pCO2 across the Triassic-Jurassic (T-J) transition, concomitant with the eruption and emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and the splitting of Pangea. As one of the “big 5” mass extinctions—when the so-called modern fauna was particularly hard hit—we know the biosphere was severely affected during this time, but the details are relatively poorly understood, …

Ua24 Mcicsl Newsletter - June 2015, Shannon R. Trimboli Education Coordinator

MCICSL Newsletter

This issue includes the following:

Dayton Regional STEM School participates in 5 citizen science projects over 2 days

Public dye traces provide valuable research knowledge and public engagement

Barren County Middle School students collect dragonfly larvae for multi-park citizen science project

as well as Summer research projects, in the news and new interns.

Using Satellite Image Analysis For Locating Prehistoric Archaeological Sites In Alaska's Central Brooks Range, Robert Hickey, J. Keeney

Geography Faculty Scholarship

In this pilot study, we apply satellite image analysis to archaeological site prospection in Alaska's Brooks Range. Our goal was to test whether satellite remote sensing, which has been successful in locating large archaeological features associated with sedentary peoples, could be applied to arctic interior sites associated with mobile hunter–gatherers. In particular, we strove to develop a relatively straightforward and inexpensive model using existing data which could be used to help guide archaeology surveys. Using 1-m resolution IKONOS imagery of Lake Matcharak along the upper Noatak River, we produced a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and tasseled cap transformation of …

Study Of Displacement Efficiency And Flow Behavior Of Foamed Gel In Non-Homogeneous Porous Media, Yanling Wang, Jiafeng Jin, Baojun Bai, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Field trials have demonstrated that foamed gel is a very cost-effective technology for profile modification and water shut-off. However, the mechanisms of profile modification and flow behavior of foamed gel in non-homogeneous porous media are not yet well understood. In order to investigate these mechanisms and the interactions between foamed gel and oil in porous media, coreflooding and pore-scale visualization waterflooding experiments were performed in the laboratory. The results of the coreflooding experiment in non-homogeneous porous media showed that the displacement efficiency improved by approximately 30% after injecting a 0.3 pore volume of foamed gel, and was proportional to the …

Evaluation Of Tunnel Excavation Methods In Accordance With Engineering Geology And Rock Mass Classification Systems, Özgür Satici, Tamer Topal

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, the relationship between engineering geological applications and tunnel excavation methods were described. Even if several tunnel excavation methods have been suggested from past up to the present, most of them were only the various derivations of full face and sequential excavation techniques. Internationally well-known tunnel excavation methods try to classify rock mass behaviors but cannot form a numerical base for the claimed methods. Therefore, objective evaluations are required (especially for their applications) to overcome the deficits rock mass classification systems are used. NATM and ADECO-RS are the two widespread methods at the present-day tunnel practice. In both …

Lithologic Properties Of The Upper Ordovician Utica Formation, Michigan Basin, Usa: A Geological Characterization And Assessment Of Carbon Dioxide Confinement Potential, Frank Richard Sattler

Masters Theses

The Utica/Maquoketa Shale is considered to be the primary confining layer for Cambro-Ordovician CO₂ sequestration targets in the Midwest in the Michigan and Illinois basins, respectively. Prospective regional geologic seals in mudrock formations possess a combination of lithologic properties including nanometer scale pore space, elevated breakthrough pressures for non-wetting fluid phases and ductile mechanical deformation. Mineralogical composition is related to and typically controls these properties.

The objective of this study is to investigate the geological controls on stratigraphic and lithologic variability in the Utica/Collingwood in the Michigan basin. Twelve conventional cores and hundreds of modern well logs from the …

Anomalous Thermal Indicators From Authigenic Minerals In Upper Paleozoic Strata Of The Michigan Basin, Kyle Cox

Masters Theses

Indications of anomalous paleo-temperatures exist in strata of the Michigan basin, USA. The thermal history of the basin was investigated through identification and analysis of authigenic components in two Upper Paleozoic strata, the Devonian Dundee Formation and Mississippian Marshall Sandstone. Formation conditions for diagenetic phases in both units were estimated through a variety of means and compared to conditions expected for a simple burial model. Authigenic clays identified in the Marshall via X-ray diffraction are expected to have formed at temperatures above what would have been produced by burial alone. Stable isotope and fluid inclusion analysis indicate the same for …

The Strain Seismograms Of P- And S-Waves Of A Local Event Recorded By Four-Gauge Borehole Strainmeter, Zehua Qui, Shunliang Chi, Zhenming Wang, Seth Carpenter, Lei Tang, Yanping Guo, Guang Yang

Faculty, Staff, and Affiliated Publications--KGS

At a sampling rate of 100 samples per second, the YRY-4 four-gauge borehole strainmeters (FGBS) are capable of recording transient strains caused by seismic waves such as P and S waves or strain seismograms. At such a high sampling rate, data from the YRY-4 strainmeters demonstrate fairly satisfactory self-consistency. The strain tensor seismograms demonstrate the senses of motion of P waves, that is, the type of seismic wave travels in the direction of the maximum normal strain change. The observed strain patterns of S waves significantly differ from those of P waves and should contain information about the source mechanism. …

Using Declassified Satellite Imagery To Quantify Geomorphic Change: A New Approach And Application To Himalayan Glaciers, Joshua Michael Maurer

Theses and Dissertations

Himalayan glaciers are key components of earth's cryosphere, acting as hydrological reservoirs vital to many human and natural systems. Most Himalayan glaciers are shrinking in response to changing climate, which will potentially impact water resources, natural hazards, sea level rise, and many other aspects. However, there is much uncertainty regarding the state of these glaciers, as direct field data are difficult to obtain. Accordingly, long-timespan remote sensing techniques are needed to measure changing glaciers, which have memory and often respond to climate on decadal timescales. This study uses declassified historical imagery from the Hexagon spy satellite database to fulfill this …

Thermal History Of The Michigan Basin: Results From Thermal Maturation Data And Geodynamic Modelling, Kirk A. Wagenvelt

Masters Theses

Thermal cooling, crustal convection, high temperature fluid advection, and 1.0 Km of eroded overburden are required to explain thermal maturation observations in the Michigan Basin. Observed tectonic subsidence in central Michigan follows an exponential decay indicative of thermal cooling following an anomalous heating event. Crustal convection is responsible for episodes of rapid subsidence coincident with the late Paleozoic Appalachian orogeny. Fluid advection through dilated faults reactivated by the Alleghanian orogeny brought hot fluids (as much as 255⁰ C) to the surface and impacted thermal maturation of organic matter in sediments. Models require 1.0 Km of eroded overburden to model thermal …

Structural Controls On The Distribution Of Groundwater In Southern Sinai, Egypt: Constraints From Geophysical And Remote Sensing Observations, Lamees Mohamed

Dissertations

An integrated (Very Low Frequency [VLF] electromagnetic, magnetic, remote sensing, field, and Geographic Information System [GIS]) study was conducted over the basement complex in Southern Sinai (Feiran watershed) for a better understanding of the structural controls on the groundwater flow. The increase in satellite-based radar backscattering values following a large precipitation event (date: 17, 18 Jan 2010; amount: 34 mm) was used to identify water-bearing features, here interpreted as preferred pathways for surface water infiltration. Findings include: (1) The distribution of the water bearing features (conductive features) correspond to that of fractures, faults, shear zones, dike swarms, and wadi networks; …

Nanodiamond Extraction At A Potential Impact Location, Joel Kathan

DePaul Discoveries

Meteoritic or cometary impacts create the temperature and pressure conditions necessary to form nanodiamonds (NDs). The presence of extracted NDs from rocks of the time and locations of extinctions, fires, or known environmental changes are commonly used to confirm that a theorized cosmic impact occurred to trigger those events. Samples were obtained from an archeological site described in the Old Testament of the Bible as having been destroyed by the God of the Old Testament.† To see if the historical description of Biblical events might have been triggered by a cometary impact or explosion, an attempt was made to …

The State Of The Oligocene Icehouse World: Sedimentology, Provenance, And Stable Isotopes Of Marine Sediments From The Antarctic Continental Margin, Daniel William Hauptvogel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Oligocene Epoch (34-23 Ma) was a dynamic time in Antarctica, with previous ice volume estimates suggesting fluctuations from below 50 % up to 140 % of modern all while atmospheric CO₂ decreased from above 1,000 ppm in the Early Oligocene to near modern levels by the Late Oligocene. Most of what is known about the Oligocene Antarctic cryosphere however, is derived from distal sedimentary records that can only provide a generalized view of the cryospheric dynamics in Antarctica. To better understand regional differences in Antarctic glacial dynamics, proximal records are needed. This dissertation advances our understanding of these …

Microfossils As Proxies For Holocene Climate In Semi-Enclosed Basins: The Hudson River Estuary, New York, Usa And The Marmara Sea, Turkey, Damayanti Gurung

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The transition from the late Pleistocene glacial to the warmer Holocene interglacial occurred within a series of climatic oscillations. The Holocene, a relatively warm and stable period, was also marked by smaller climatic variability of millennial- to-centennial-scale oscillations. Furthermore, during this period global sea level was much lower than at present. My present study will analyze micro-fossils as proxies for their response to these climatic fluctuations, as well as marine influences during the late Pleistocene to Holocene periods. Sediments from marginal basin environments have been selected for the study due to their connection to the open sea and terrestrial environments, …

Threshold Behavior Of A Marine‐Based Sector Of The East Antarctic Ice Sheet In Response To Early Pliocene Ocean Warming, Melissa A. Hansen, Sandra Passchier, Boo‐Keun Khim, Buhan Song, Trevor Williams

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We investigate the stability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) on the Wilkes Land continental margin, Antarctica, utilizing a high‐resolution record of ice‐rafted debris (IRD) mass accumulation rates (MAR) from Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1359. The relationship between orbital variations in the IRD record and climate drivers was evaluated to capture changes in the dynamics of a marine‐based ice sheet in response to early Pliocene warming. Three IRD MAR excursions were observed and confirmed via scanning electron microscope microtextural analysis of sand grains. Time series analysis of the IRD MAR reveals obliquity‐paced expansions of the ice sheet to …

Geothermobarometry And Petrographic Interpretations Of Christensen Ranch Meta- Banded Iron Formation From The Ruby Range, Montana, Jacob Hughes

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Ruby Range in southwestern Montana was tectonically uplifted during the mountain-building event of the Big Sky orogeny. Contained within the Christensen Ranch Formation, made up of sedimentary units metamorphosed during the Big Sky orogeny, are a small number of metamorphosed banded iron formations (BIFs). It is the presence and composition of these BIFs which is the focus of this research, principally their depositional origin, relationship to surrounding sedimentary packages, elemental and mineral compositions, and lastly, peak metamorphic conditions. Samples were collected, cut into thin sections, and powdered for textural and compositional analyses employing polarized light microscopy, Raman microscopy, scanning …