Geology Commons^™

Seismic And Geodetic Evidence For Grounding-Line Control Of Whillans Ice Stream Stick-Slip Events, Martin J. Pratt, J. Paul Winberry, Douglas A. Wiens, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Richard B. Alley

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

The tidally modulated, stick‐slip events of Whillans Ice Stream in West Antarctica produce seismic energy from three locations near the grounding line. Using ice velocity records obtained by combining time series from colocated broadband seismometers and GPS receivers installed on the ice stream during the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 austral summers, along with far‐field seismic recordings of elastic waves, we locate regions of high rupture velocity and stress drop. These regions, which are analogous to “asperities” in traditional seismic fault studies, are areas of elevated friction at the base of the ice stream. Slip events consistently initiate at one of two …

The Role Of Conservation Partnerships Between Scientists And Nonprofit Agencies In Freshwater Science And Management, Robert S. Stelzer, Donna R. Kashian

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

Funding agencies and scientific researchers are finding increasingly often that partnerships with nonprofit organizations and local communities are necessary to obtain sustainable outcomes. Scientists, nonprofit organizations, community members, and managers can extract ideas from these examples to guide development of successful new partnerships. Professional scientists and the community at large, including non-profit organizations, benefit from increased engagement and power sharing.

Capacity Building In Stakeholders Around Detroit Riverfish Consumption Advisory Issues, Donna R. Kashian, Ann E. Krause, Larissa Sano, Branda Nowell, Ken G. Drouillard

Environmental Science and Geology Faculty Research Publications

The Detroit River is an international water body that has several fish consumption advisories for contaminants that affect human health and economic revenue for the USA and Canada. Despite the importance of these advisories, little progress has been made in developing effective management strategies or coordinating monitoring, research, and policy efforts between the 2 nations. We engaged 44 stakeholder organizations to in- crease community capacity on these issues for the Detroit River. We assessed capacity with key informant interviews and a network survey. Our analysis identified weak ties in information sharing and collaboration between countries. We used this information to …

Survival Of Hatchery Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser Oxyrinchus Desotoi Mitchill, 1815) In The Suwannee River, Florida: A 19-Year Evaluation, K. J. Sulak, M. T. Randall, J. P. Clugston

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

An experimental release of 1192 hatchery-reared, individually PIT tagged, 220 days old (296–337 mm TL) Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, was undertaken in 1992 in the Suwannee River, Florida. The original objectives of the 1992 release experiment were to: (1) evaluate survival rate of cultured Gulf sturgeon in the wild vs survival rate of their wild 1992 cohort counterparts, (2) determine the differential effect of release site within the river upon long-term survival, and (3) evaluate comparative growth rates of recaptured hatchery vs captured wild 1992 cohort Gulf sturgeon. The present investigation addressed those original objectives, plus an additional fourth …

The West Tidewater Earthflow, Northern Oregon Coast Range, Barry A. Sanford

Dissertations and Theses

The West Tidewater earthflow, one of the largest in Oregon's history, occurred in December of 1994. The earthflow is located approximately 15 km north of Jewel, Oregon near the summit ofthe Northern Oregon Coast Range Mountains. The earthflow is 900 m long and 250 m wide, giving it a surface area of 9 ha, or 22 acres. Volume is 3.5 million m³. The earthflow occurred in low strength, well-bedded, tuffaceous, carbonaceous, micaceous, clay-rich mudstone, and very fine-grained, feldspathic, clay-rich siltstone of the lower Miocene age Northrup Creek Formation. The soil clay fractions contain up to 90% smectite with …

Spectral Induced Polarization (Sip) Response Of Biodegraded Oil In Porous Media, Gamal Z. Abdel Aal, Estella A. Atekwana

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of different oil saturation (0.2- 0.8), wetting conditions (water-wet and oil-wet), and the addition of asphaltene on the spectral induced polarization (SIP) response of biodegraded and fresh crude oil in sand columns. In the water-wet case, no significant differences were observed for both the fresh and biodegraded oil and both displayed an increase in the magnitude of the phase (φ) and decrease in the magnitudes of the real (σ′) and imaginary (σ″) conductivity components with increasing oil saturation. In this instance the SIP response is most likely controlled by the conduction and …

Light Detection And Ranging (Lidar) And Multispectral Scanner (Mss) Studies Examine Coastal Environments Influenced By Mining, W. Charles Kerfoot, Martin M. Hobmeier, Foad Yousef, Sarah A. Green, Robert Regis, Colin N. Brooks, Robert Shuchman, Jamey Anderson, Molly Reif

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

There are numerous examples of past and present mine disposal into freshwater and marine coastal bays and riverine environments. Due to its high spatial resolution and extended water penetration, coastal light detection and ranging (LiDAR), coupled with multispectral scanning (MSS), has great promise for resolving disturbed shoreline features in low turbidity environments. Migrating mine tailings present serious issues for Lake Superior and coastal marine environments. Previous investigations in Lake Superior uncovered a metal-rich “halo” around the Keweenaw Peninsula, related to past copper mining practices. For over a century, waste rock migrating from shoreline tailing piles has moved along extensive stretches …

Multi-Scale Neotectonic Study Of The Clear Lake Fault Zone In The Sevier Desert Basin (Central Utah), Brandon D. Heiner

Theses and Dissertations

A multi-scale high-resolution geophysical and geological study was conducted in the Sevier Desert, central Utah, found within the Colorado Plateau-Basin and Range Transition Zone. The region is marked by with Quaternary volcanics and faulting as young as 660 yr B.P., with many fault scarps thought to have the potential for 7+ magnitude earthquakes. Three locations within the Sevier Desert which represent three different tectonic expressions of possible faulting at the surface were selected. These include a location found within surface sedimentation, a location with surface sedimentation and sub-surface basalts and a location with basalts, at the surface with very limited …

Seismotectonics Of The Northeastern Margin Of The Arabian Plate In Iraq, Wathiq Gh. Abdulnaby

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to study the seismotectonics of the Bitlis-Zagros Fold and Thrust Belt in northern Iraq and surrounding regions. This was accomplished through studying the crustal seismic velocity structure, focal mechanism solutions, and stress pattern of the study area. The joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersion, the moment tensor inversion, and formal stress inversion of moment stress axes are among the methods used to study the seismotectonic patterns of the study area. Another goal of this study is to provide a regional velocity model and pre-computed Green's functions that can be used accurately …

Relationship Between Altitude And Lithium In Groundwater In The United States Of America: Results Of A 1992–2003 Study, Rebekah S. Huber, Namkug Kim, Carl E. Renshaw, Perry F. Renshaw, Douglas Kondo

Dartmouth Scholarship

Therapeutic dosages of lithium are known to reduce suicide rates, which has led to investigations of confounding environmental risk factors for suicide such as lithium in groundwater. It has been speculated that this might play a role in the potential relationship between suicide and altitude. A recent study in Austria involving geospatial analysis of lithium in groundwater and suicide found lower levels of lithium at higher altitudes. Since there is no reason to suspect this correlation is universal given variation in geology, the current study set out to investigate the relationship between altitude and lithium in groundwater in the United …

Kenyan Climate Variation Assessment Through Rainfall Anomalies And Sea Surface Temperature (Sst) Correlations, Kimberly E. Lykens

STAR Program Research Presentations

The diverse and varied climate of Eastern Africa’s Kenya is home to an agriculturally dependent populace, in which farmers and other related economic sectors make up the majority of livelihoods and gross domestic product. Recurring droughts and severe flooding are major concerns for local farmers and governmental entities. The purpose of this study is to identify and categorize differences in rainfall trends over Kenya and to examine relationships between seasonal rainfall anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST), with an ultimate goal to improve predictions of wet season rainfall amounts. The analysis began with data from 27 national and cooperative weather …

Relationship Of Joint Sets To Folded Diatomite Bedding Of The Miguelito Member Of The Pismo Formation In Montaña De Oro State Park, Michael Mcmahan

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

This study was conducted to determine if the orientations of observed joint sets in the late Miocene diatomite bedding of the exposed Miguelito Member in Montaña de Oro State Park relate to the San Andreas wrench fault compressional forces that caused folding of the formation. Strikes and dips of bedding planes and their corresponding first and second generation joint sets were gathered and compiled into a stereonet program for analysis. A cross section of the bedding plane data shows compressional antiform (fold axis oriented ~304/013) and synform (fold axis oriented ~300/001) features. Previous studies indicate post Miocene, tectonic shortening with …

Comparison Of Non-Heating Paleointensity Techniques Using Basalts From Lemptégy Volcano, France And Synthetic Magnetite-Bearing Samples, Geoffrey A. Lerner

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Data of the strength of Earth’s magnetic field (paleointensity) in the geological past are crucial for understanding the geodynamo. Conventional paleointensity determination methods require heating a sample to a high temperature in one or more steps. Consequently, many rocks are unsuitable for these methods due to a heating-induced experimental alteration. Alternative non-heating paleointensity methods are investigated to assess their effectiveness and reliability using both natural samples from Lemptégy Volcano, France, and synthetic samples. Paleointensity was measured from the natural and synthetic samples using the Pseudo-Thellier, ARM, REM, REMc, REM’, and Preisach methods.

For the natural samples, only the Pseudo-Thellier method …

A Surface Displacement Analysis For Volcan Pacaya From October 2001 Through March 2013 By Means Of 3-D Modeling Of Precise Position Gps Data, Brianna R. Hetland

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Volcán Pacaya is one of three currently active volcanoes in Guatemala. Volcanic activity originates from the local tectonic subduction of the Cocos plate beneath the Caribbean plate along the Pacific Guatemalan coast. Pacaya is characterized by generally strombolian type activity with occasional larger vulcanian type eruptions approximately every ten years. One particularly large eruption occurred on May 27, 2010. Using GPS data collected for approximately 8 years before this eruption and data from an additional three years of collection afterwards, surface movement covering the period of the eruption can be measured and used as a tool to help understand activity …

Evaluation Of The Evolving Stress Field Of The Yellowstone Volcanic Plateau From 1988 To 2010 From Earthquake First Motions Inversion, Elena Russo

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Within the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, the silicic Yellowstone volcanic field is one of the most active volcanic systems all over the world. Although the last rhyolite eruption occurred around 70,000 years ago, Yellowstone is still believed to be volcanically active, due to high hydrothermal and seismic activity. The earthquake data used in this study cover the period of time between 1988 and 2010. Earthquake relocations and a set of 369 well-constrained, double-couple, focal mechanism solutions were computed. Events were grouped according to location and time to investigate trends in faulting. The majority of the events has oblique, normal-faulting solutions. …

Linking Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (Inaa) With Geology In The Ancestral Caddo Region, Robert Z. Selden Jr.

CRHR: Archaeology

This poster illustrates the success of a novel method of INAA that was employed to reveal geochemical signatures in Caddo ceramic vessel sherds that correlate with local surficial geology. The geochemical data from the sherd assemblage were used within an exploration of potential ceramic provenance, which was successful at demarcating sherds from ceramic vessels made from clays in either the Claiborne or Wilcox Groups. Further geochemical segregation was also apparent between the Recklaw Formation in the Claiborne Group, and the Weches Formation in the Wilcox Group. These results point to a high degree of geochemical variability within the East Texas …

At The Confluence Of Gis And Geochemistry: Identifying Geochemical Correlates Of Ripley Engraved Caddo Ceramics, Robert Z. Selden Jr., Timothy K. Perttula

CRHR: Archaeology

In this poster, we discuss a new approach to the identification and definition of spatial trends in archeologically-recovered ceramics associated with geochemical results produced using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Using all of the Ripley Engraved INAA samples, we posit that clays in the Claiborne and Wilcox Groups can be successfully demarcated by sodium (Na), cerium (Ce), and zinc (Zn). Using a subset of those data from the Big Cypress Creek basin, we find that ceramics manufactured in three different Caddo political communities can be successfully demarcated based upon differential concentrations of arsenic (As), iron (Fe), and vanadium (V) found …

Some Reflections On Our Experiences At Sun Yat-Sen University Since 1985, Robert F. Diffendal Jr., Anne P. Diffendal

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Professor Zhang Ke, Chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences at Sun Yat-sen University, has asked us to write about some of our memories from our several visits to Sun Yat-sen University, as part of the 2014 celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the university and the creation of the department. We are very pleased to do so and to include with our written comments copies of some photographs that we have taken during these visits. We have gone back through our notes, books, tourist maps, photo files, and other information that we have kept as souvenirs …

Low-Temperature Deformation Of Mixed Siliciclastic & Carbonate Fault Rocks Of The Copper Creek, Hunter Valley, And Mcconnell Thrusts, Jack R. Hoehn

Honors Papers

This study analyzes the low-temperature deformation of fault rocks associated thrust faults. Each fault has dominantly carbonate rocks in one wall and dominantly siliciclastic rocks in the other. The rocks from the Hunter Valley and Copper Creek thrusts of the Southern Appalachians, and McConnell thrust of the Canadian Rockies, were analyzed using data extracted at the thin section and SEM scale. The rocks, all of which featured a fine-grained carbonate matrix surrounding larger carbonate and siliciclastic carbonates, all experienced general shearing, but deformed by different deformation mechanisms. The Hunter Valley and McConnell samples showed evidence of cataclasis, diffusive mass transfer, …

Petrography, Stable Isotope Compositions, Microraman Spectroscopy, And Presolar Components Of Roberts Massif 04133: A Reduced Cv3 Carbonaceous Chrondrite, Jemma Davidson, Devin L. Schrader, Conel M. Alexander, Dante S. Lauretta, Henner Busemann, Ian A. Franchi, Richard C. Greenwood, Harold Connolly Jr., Kenneth J. Domanik, Alexander Verchovsky

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Here, we report the mineralogy, petrography, C-N-O-stable isotope compositions, degree of disorder of organic matter, and abundances of presolar components of the chondrite Roberts Massif (RBT) 04133 using a coordinated, multitechnique approach. The results of this study are inconsistent with its initial classification as a Renazzo-like carbonaceous chondrite, and strongly support RBT 04133 being a brecciated, reduced petrologic type >3.3 Vigarano-like carbonaceous (CV) chondrite. RBT 04133 shows no evidence for aqueous alteration. However, it is mildly thermally altered (up to approximately 440 °C); which is apparent in its whole-rock C and N isotopic compositions, the degree of disorder of C …