Katian Gssp And Carbonates Of The Simpson And Arbuckle Groups In Oklahoma,
2015
Midwestern State University
Katian Gssp And Carbonates Of The Simpson And Arbuckle Groups In Oklahoma, Jesse R. Carlucci, Daniel Goldman, Carlton E. Brett, Stephen R. Westrop, Stephen A. Leslie
Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications
This guidebook was written for the 2015 International Symposium on the Ordovician System (ISOS) as a synopsis of the recent work (e.g., Goldman et al. 2007; Carlucci et al. 2014, forthcoming work for the ISOS meeting) on Ordovician-Silurian rocks of south-central and south-eastern Oklahoma. This new research and past studies (e.g., Harris 1957; Longman 1976; Longman 1982a, b; Fay et al. 1982a; Fay et al. 1982b) underscore the scientific importance of this region. The global stratotype section and point for the Katian Stage of the Upper Ordovician Series is examined on this trip. The first appearances of important graptolites, conodonts …
Geologic Map Of The Welcome Quadrangle And An Adjacent Part Of The Wells Quadrangle, Elko County, Nevada,
2015
University of Dayton
Geologic Map Of The Welcome Quadrangle And An Adjacent Part Of The Wells Quadrangle, Elko County, Nevada, Allen J. Mcgrew, Arthur W. Snoke
Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications
Located in central Elko County, the Welcome and adjacent part of the Wells quadrangles expose a remarkable array of critical relationships for understanding the geologic history of the State of Nevada and the interior of the southwestern U.S. Cordillera. Covering the northern end of the East Humboldt Range and adjacent Clover Valley and Clover Hill, this map includes the northern terminus of the Ruby Mountains-East Humboldt Range metamorphic core complex. The oldest rocks in the State of Nevada (the gneiss complex of Angel Lake), and Nevada’s only exposures of Archean rock, form the core of a multikilometer scale, southward-closing recumbent …
Strata-Bound Vein Array In The Basal Pierre Shale, Lake Francis Case, South Dakota, U.S.A,
2015
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Strata-Bound Vein Array In The Basal Pierre Shale, Lake Francis Case, South Dakota, U.S.A, Harmon D. Maher Jr., Sarah Ferguson, Ryan Korth, Justine Marshall, Laura Pickett
Geography and Geology Faculty Publications
A distinctive strata-bound vein array occurs in the basal Pierre Shale exposed along the shores of Lake Francis Case, a reservoir on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota. Typically 2–4 meters in thickness, the array consistently outcrops over a >50-km distance, a significant areal footprint. Ash layers define the upper and lower bounds of the vein array. Two, suborthogonal, preferred directions of vertical veins (northeast and southeast strike) define a regional pattern. By volume, vertical veins comprise 1–2% of the rock. Thinner, more discontinuous, and irregular horizontal veins also occur. Comparisons between array orientations and the joint/vein pattern in …
A Joint Receiver Function And Gravity Study Of Crustal Structure Beneath The Incipient Okavango Rift, Botswana,
2015
Missouri State University
A Joint Receiver Function And Gravity Study Of Crustal Structure Beneath The Incipient Okavango Rift, Botswana, Youqiang Yu, Kelly H. Liu, Cory A. Reed, Moikwathai Moidaki, Kevin Mickus, Estella A. Aetkwana, Stephen S. Gao
College of Natural and Applied Sciences
Rifting incorporates the fundamental processes concerning the breakup of continental lithosphere and plays a significant role in the formation and evolution of sedimentary basins. In order to decipher the characteristics of rifting at its earliest stage, we conduct the first teleseismic crustal study of one of the world's youngest continental rifts, the Okavango Rift Zone (ORZ), where the magma has not yet breached the surface. Results from receiver function stacking and gravity modeling indicate that the crust/mantle boundary beneath the ORZ is uplifted by 4-5 km, and the initiation of the ORZ is closely related to lithospheric stretching. Possible decompression …
Pillars And Buttes: A Petrologic Comparison Of Modern And Ancient Hydrocarbon Seep Rock,
2015
Oberlin College
Pillars And Buttes: A Petrologic Comparison Of Modern And Ancient Hydrocarbon Seep Rock, Erica C. Morelli
Honors Papers
Purpose: Literature on the formation of authigenic rock at cold seeps focuses on the role of microbes in creating geochemically favorable environment for the precipitation of carbonate and barite minerals. Less understood is the pathway that lithified microbial patches of seafloor sediment follow to become rock formations that are identified in strata dating back to the Silurian. In this study I will compare Holocene seep rock from the Gulf of Mexico to Cretaceous carbonates that have been identified as seep rock. Through the study of rock in its early stages of formation to rock that has likely undergone multiple phases …
Using Particle Size Analysis To Separate The Deposition Of A Bonebed And Artifact At The Wenas Creek Mammoth Site,
2015
Central Washington University
Using Particle Size Analysis To Separate The Deposition Of A Bonebed And Artifact At The Wenas Creek Mammoth Site, Genevieve Brown
All Master's Theses
The 2005 discovery of a 17,000 year old mammoth bonebed in close proximity to a possible artifact at the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site (WCMS) brought with it the question of whether the bones and artifact were actually deposited together. If the two are associated, the WCMS would qualify as a Pre-Clovis site, a title given to just a handful of proven archaeological sites in North America, though claimed for numerous more. A close interval particle size analysis was performed on 2 column samples from the WCMS with the intention of identifying microstratification that would separate the bonebed from the artifact. …
Field Observations And Modeling Of The 1957 Earthquake And Tsunami On The Islands Of The Four Mountains, Aleutian Islands, Alaska,
2015
Central Washington University
Field Observations And Modeling Of The 1957 Earthquake And Tsunami On The Islands Of The Four Mountains, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, Frances R. Griswold
All Master's Theses
Due to a lack of research in the Aleutian Islands, a comprehensive history of the Aleutian subduction zone is not developed; however, this study indicates that the Aleutian subduction zone is capable of generating magnitude ~9 earthquakes or larger in addition to trans-Pacific tsunamis. Comparison of simulated runup and observed runup will help to determine the characteristics of rupture in the eastern Aleutians. A recent survey of the tsunami wrackline produced by the 1957 Great Aleutian earthquake (Mw 8.6) indicates runup up to 17.5 m in the Islands of the Four Mountains (presented here). Combined with other nearfield observations …
Rapid Middle To Late Miocene Slip Along The Zanskar Normal Fault, Greater Himalayan Range, Nw, India: Constraints From Low-Temperature Thermochronometry,
2015
Central Washington University
Rapid Middle To Late Miocene Slip Along The Zanskar Normal Fault, Greater Himalayan Range, Nw, India: Constraints From Low-Temperature Thermochronometry, Brett L. Shurtleff
All Master's Theses
The Zanskar normal fault (ZF) is a NW-striking, moderately NE-dipping, normal fault that bounds the northern flank of the Greater Himalaya Range, NW India. The ZF is the far west continuation of the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS), a major arc-parallel normal sense shear zone that spans the length of the Himalayan orogen. Detailed new zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He (ZHe and AHe) and apatite fission-track (AFT) thermochronometric data from high-grade (amphibolite-migmatite) Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) metamorphic rocks, exposed in the footwall immediately adjacent to the ZF, provide constraints on the middle Miocene to present exhumation history of the footwall. The …
Quantifying Channel Responses To The Removal Of The Glines Canyon Dam In The Middle Reach Of The Elwha River, Washington,
2015
Central Washington University
Quantifying Channel Responses To The Removal Of The Glines Canyon Dam In The Middle Reach Of The Elwha River, Washington, Bryon J. Free
All Master's Theses
Four different study sites throughout the middle reach of the Elwha River were monitored before, during, and after the dam removal process over a period of two years from 2012-2014. The complexity of the river geometry was a major factor in the ability of the river to trap and accumulate the new influx of woody debris and sediment from the dam removal, which influenced the response of the river channel. The change that occurred was quantified by using repeat Terrestrial LiDAR (TLS), sediment distribution surveys, and large woody debris mapping techniques. The morphologic changes that occurred during this time were …
Geologic Mapping In The Black Mountain Area, Northern Eastern California Shear Zone: Testing A Kinematic And Geometric Fault Slip Transfer Model,
2015
Central Washington University
Geologic Mapping In The Black Mountain Area, Northern Eastern California Shear Zone: Testing A Kinematic And Geometric Fault Slip Transfer Model, Kevin M. Delano
All Master's Theses
New geologic mapping, structural, kinematic, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology studies in the Black Mountain area, northern eastern California shear zone, are used to test a kinematic fault slip transfer model for the Owens Valley fault-Mina deflection transition. In the Black Mountain area, range bounding ~NNW- to ~NS-striking and lesser NW- to NE-striking normal faults cut Mesozoic, Miocene (22.42 ± 0.05 Ma), Pliocene (3.53 ± 0.06 to 3.29 ± 0.02 Ma), and early-middle Pleistocene (1936 ± 12.7 to 766 ± 3.1 ka) rocks. Palinspastically restored cross-sections show that offset Pliocene markers record 1.5 +0.7/-0.6 km of ~ENE-WSW extension since …
Timing And Source Of Alkali Enrichment At Mt. Etna, Sicily: Constraints From Clinopyroxene Geobarometry And In Situ Sr Isotope Data,
2015
Central Washington University
Timing And Source Of Alkali Enrichment At Mt. Etna, Sicily: Constraints From Clinopyroxene Geobarometry And In Situ Sr Isotope Data, Kaitlyn Nelson
All Master's Theses
Since 1971, Mt. Etna, Europe’s largest and most active volcano, has exhibited increased eruption frequency and explosivity. Associated with this increased activity, researchers have documented higher abundances of alkali elements (K, Rb, Cs) as well as elevated 87Sr/86Sr in Etnean lavas. The source of this alkali-enrichment has been hotly debated, with end-member hypotheses involving mantle vs. crustal contributions. To further characterize the evolution of the subvolcanic magma storage and transport system, as well as the timing and source of alkali-enrichment, clinopyroxene from ten samples erupted between 1329 and 2004 was targeted for in situ textural, major element …
Using Modflow To Predict Impacts Of Groundwater Pumpage To Instream Flow: Upper Kittitas County, Washington,
2015
Central Washington University
Using Modflow To Predict Impacts Of Groundwater Pumpage To Instream Flow: Upper Kittitas County, Washington, Zoe O. Futornick
All Master's Theses
Surface waters in the Yakima River Basin in central Washington are considered over allocated. Since 1960, new water demands have been met through groundwater withdrawals, with most groundwater users holding a later priority date than senior and junior surface water users. As a result of the discussions surrounding this issue, the Upper Kittitas Groundwater Rule has been in effect since 2010. Pumping from new domestic (i.e., permit-exempt or “exempt”) groundwater wells in Upper Kittitas County is not allowed unless mitigation is used to offset the groundwater use. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has already created a basin-wide model for …
Pressure-Temperature-Time Constraints For Exhumation Of Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks, North Qaidam Terrane, Western China,
2015
Central Washington University
Pressure-Temperature-Time Constraints For Exhumation Of Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks, North Qaidam Terrane, Western China, Brittany Kristine Fagin
All Master's Theses
Ultrahigh-pressure rocks of a Paleozoic continental suture zone are exposed in the southeastern North Qaidam terrane (Dulan region). Garnetite sample D119 contains minor Czo+Qtz+Chl+Ttn; rutile inclusions in titanite suggest that titanite replaced rutile during decompression. Pressure-temperature estimates of sample D119 are 16.1-18.4 kbar and 485-520 °C. Sample D130B is a mafic band in calc-silicate gneiss, with garnet porphyroblasts in a fine-grained Hbl-Cpx-Pl-Qtz symplectite that is interpreted as former omphacite. D130B symplectite pressure-temperature estimates are 7.7-9.4 kbar and 623-708 °C. Titanite U-Pb ages of 419.7±3.1 Ma and 415.9±4.2 Ma are interpreted to date retrogression of D119 and D130B, respectively. Average exhumation …
Measuring The Cost And Performance Of Lithic Industries At The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45pi408),
2015
Central Washington University
Measuring The Cost And Performance Of Lithic Industries At The Sunrise Ridge Borrow Pit Site (45pi408), Patrick Christropher Lewis
All Master's Theses
This thesis applies a theoretically informed protocol that focuses on variation in stone tool manufacture and use as measured in the 45PI408 lithic assemblage. The model used is based on the variables of stone tool cost and performance. Guided by this model, technological and functional paradigmatic classifications are employed to measure intrasite variation in lithic frequencies. This method avoids difficulties encountered by previous archaeologists by using mutually exclusive analytical units that measure subtle variation in the archaeological record. Variability in technological and functional paradigmatic classificatory dimensions such as stone tool heat treatment, raw materials, use wear, and reduction class were …
Accelerated Glacier Melt On Snow Dome, Mount Olympus, Washington, Usa, Due To Deposition Of Black Carbon And Mineral Dust From Wildfire,
2015
Central Washington University
Accelerated Glacier Melt On Snow Dome, Mount Olympus, Washington, Usa, Due To Deposition Of Black Carbon And Mineral Dust From Wildfire, Susan Kaspari, S. Mckenzie Skiles, Ian Delaney, Daniel Dixon
Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship
Assessing the potential for black carbon (BC) and dust deposition to reduce albedo and accelerate glacier melt is of interest in Washington because snow and glacier melt are an important source of water resources, and glaciers are retreating. In August 2012 on Snow Dome, Mount Olympus, Washington, we measured snow surface spectral albedo and collected surface snow samples and a 7 m ice core. The snow and ice samples were analyzed for iron (Fe, used as a dust proxy) via inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry, total impurity content gravimetrically, BC using a single-particle soot photometer (SP2), and charcoal …
Schreibersite: Synthesis, Characterization And Corrosion And Possible Implications For Origin Of Life,
2015
University of South Florida
Schreibersite: Synthesis, Characterization And Corrosion And Possible Implications For Origin Of Life, Nikita Latesha La Cruz
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
We present study of the synthesis and reactions of an analog of the meteoritic mineral schreibersite with formula (Fe,Ni)3P, believed to be a prebiotic source of reactive phosphorus that may have prompted the formation of phosphorylated biomolecules near the time of the origin of life (Pasek and Lauretta, 2005). The mineral was synthesized by mixing stoichiometric proportions of elemental iron, nickel and phosphorus and heating in a tube furnace at 820°C for approximately 235 hours under argon or under vacuum, a modification of the method of Skála and Drábek (2002). The mineral was characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron …
Nearest Neighbor Foreign Exchange Rate Forecasting With Mahalanobis Distance,
2015
University of South Florida
Nearest Neighbor Foreign Exchange Rate Forecasting With Mahalanobis Distance, Vindya Kumari Pathirana
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Foreign exchange (FX) rate forecasting has been a challenging area of study in the past. Various linear and nonlinear methods have been used to forecast FX rates. As the currency data are nonlinear and highly correlated, forecasting through nonlinear dynamical systems is becoming more relevant. The nearest neighbor (NN) algorithm is one of the most commonly used nonlinear pattern recognition and forecasting methods that outperforms the available linear forecasting methods for the high frequency foreign exchange data. The basic idea behind the NN is to capture the local behavior of the data by selecting the instances having similar dynamic behavior. …
Modeling Intrusive Geometries Of A Shallow Crustal Intrusion: New Evidence From Mount Ellsworth, Utah,
2015
University of South Florida
Modeling Intrusive Geometries Of A Shallow Crustal Intrusion: New Evidence From Mount Ellsworth, Utah, Nathan Nushart
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Surface displacements resulting from upper-crustal intrusion of melt are a paramount concern for communities and facilities located in or near active volcanic areas (e.g. Campi Flegrei, Yucca Mtn.). Study of active intrusions such as Campi Flegrei, Italy west of Mt. Vesuvius, is limited to remote observations through geophysical/geodetic procedures. While the surface displacement due to melt emplacement at depth can easily be determined, the geometries and depth of intrusions are often based on simplified assumptions (e.g. spheres and prolate or oblate ellipsoids). These models benefit from data constraining both the geometries of the individual intrusions, and the kinematics and mechanics …
Ground-Coupled Air Waves: A Seismological Case Study Of The Explosion Quakes Of The 2007 Eruption Of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska,
2015
University of South Florida
Ground-Coupled Air Waves: A Seismological Case Study Of The Explosion Quakes Of The 2007 Eruption Of Pavlof Volcano, Alaska, Cassandra Marie Smith
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
An abnormally high number of explosion quakes were noted during the monitoring effort for the 2007 eruption of Pavlof Volcano on the Alaskan Peninsula. In this study we manually counted the explosion quakes from their characteristic ground-coupled air waves. This study makes an effort at better quantifying the number of explosion quakes and how the characteristic ground-coupled air waves are affected by wind direction and wind speed. Additionally this study investigates how the ground coupled air waves might be used in a monitoring or analysis effort by calculating energy release and gas mass release. Over 3.2x104 quakes were recorded. …
A Composite Spatial Model Incorporating Groundwater Vulnerability And Environmental Disturbance To Guide Land Management,
2015
University of South Florida
A Composite Spatial Model Incorporating Groundwater Vulnerability And Environmental Disturbance To Guide Land Management, Johanna L. Kovarik
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Research has long recognized and studied the dynamics of groundwater processes. More recently, groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are being recognized for their diversity and vulnerability to anthropogenic impact. Groundwater in karst landscapes presents a distinctive situation where flow through the subsurface often moves rapidly on the scale of days and weeks as opposed to years or millennia in other systems. This distinctive situation of karst systems and their vulnerability to human impacts necessitate an integrated and multifaceted approach for the management of these important resources. However, development of such an approach is complicated by the difficulty of obtaining detailed data …
