Sedimentology Commons^™

Exploring The Northwest Margin Of The High Plains Aquifer: Structure, Depositional History And Hydrogeology, Nebraska Geological Society Field Trip, Doug Hallum, Dennis O. Terry, Jr., Michael Leite, Jennifer Balmat

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The northwest portion of the High Plains Aquifer in Nebraska corresponds with the western Sandhills, Box Butte, Sioux and Dawes County tablelands, and the Nebraska Pine Ridge in northwest Nebraska. This field excursion will travel beyond the margins of the High Plains aquifer into the White River valley and onto the Oglala National Grasslands. These areas are not only rich in natural resources, but rich in history as well. While this excursion will explore earth history, depositional environments and a portion of the High Plains Aquifer, the authors encourage all attendees to take additional time to explore the cultural, military …

Beneath The Gypsum Dunes: Cenozoic History Of Wind And Water From A Core Drilled At White Sands, New Mexico, Jackson Bentley Jakeway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

White Sands, New Mexico is the largest gypsum dune field on planet Earth, the result of reworking of gypsum deposits. The dunes have been well studied, but the Cenozoic history preceding the formation of the dune field has been poorly studied. A core drilled to a depth of 192 ft (58.5 m) beneath the modern dune field contains deposits from saline lakes, sandflats, perennial freshwater lakes, perennial brackish to saline lakes, and saline mudflats.

The core is composed of bottom-growth bedded gypsum, gypsum sandstone and siltstone, mixed siliciclastic-gypsum sandstones and siltstones, laminated siliciclastic mudstones, gypsum mudstones, and carbonate mudstones. Bottom-growth …

Sediment Provenance Study Of The Lower Hamilton Group: An Analysis Of The Organic-Rich Facies And Its Depositional History, Luke Patrick Fritz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently, insufficient geological models exist to explain the variability and distribution of TOC in the Marcellus Shale, within the Hamilton Group. TOC is one of the several limiting factors for natural gas production within the Marcellus Shale basin. One possible explanation for the low TOC regions is that detrital dilution was variable across the basin, with different sediment sources contributing detritus to low TOC areas, compared to surrounding regions with higher TOC. This hypothesis is tested by analyzing the source composition of inorganic detritus, using elemental and mineralogical proxies, with two cores in the Hamilton Group. The Armstrong #1 core …

Paleoenvironment And Paleoclimate Of Ne Pangea In Early Permian-Linking Chemo- And Cyclo-Stratigraphy, Bogda Mountains, Nw China, Xin Zhan

Doctoral Dissertations

"The overall objective of this study is to understand physical and chemical responses of Earth Systems to environmental and climatic perturbations of diverse magnitudes and time scales in Bogda Mountains, NE Pangea. Field investigations, petrographic observations, and geochemical analyses have been used to interpret paleoenvironment and paleoclimate in cm-m-scale high-order cycles (HCs: 0.1-100 kyrs), low-order cycles (LCs: 1-10 Myr), and critical events of late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA: 320-260 Myr ago). Four organo-facies are one-to-one correlated with the four lithofacies in the meter-scale HCs, suggesting litho- and organo-facies are genetically linked and fundamentally controlled by environmental changes associated with lake …

Provenance And Depositional Environments Of The Upper Permian-Lowermost Triassic Fluvial And Lacustrine Sandstones, Wutonggou Low-Order Cycle, Bogda Mountains, Nw China, Dongyu Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

"This work integrates petrographic and fieldwork studies and documents the spatial and temporal distributions of compositions and textures of the upper Permian-lowermost Triassic fluvial-lacustrine sandstones, Wutonggou low-order cycle (WTG LC), Bogda Mountains, NW China. In the first part, three petrofacies are identified on the basis of the relative abundances of quartz, feldspar, and lithics and conglomerate compositions and paleocurrent directions are documented. These data indicate that rocks of the eastern North Tianshan Suture (ENTS) and rift shoulders were the provenance lithology. Moreover, the upsection changes of petrofacies and conglomerate compositions suggest that the lithology of ENTS changed. During approximately Wuchiapingian, …

An Analysis Of Fractures Around The Sevier Fault Zone Near Orderville, Utah, Charley H. Hankla

Senior Independent Study Theses

Structural discontinuities—such as opening mode joints, shear fractures, and faults— tend to occur in close geographic proximity to one another; however, the timing relationships between these structures is not always easy to discern in the field. In southwestern Utah, the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone is cut by large-scale normal faults associated with the Sevier Fault Zone, making it perfect for observing several fracture types. The aim of this study is to complete a dynamic and kinematic analyses of the fractures near a major fault and to determine the chronologic relationships between the fractures. Specifically, we observed a previously unnamed segment of …

The Effects Of Sediment Properties On Barrier Island Morphology And Processes: A Numerical Modeling Experiment, Brittany Kime

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Barrier island restoration and nourishment is necessary for sustaining coastal systems worldwide. In the Mississippi River Delta Plain, the lack of sediment supply, relative sea level rise, and reworking of abandoned delta lobes promote rapid disintegration of barriers, which can contribute to mainland storm impacts. Barrier island restorations that utilize higher quality sediments (Outer Continental Shelf- OCS) are expected to exhibit higher resiliency, withstanding coastal erosion, event-induced erosion, and ongoing transgression when compared to barriers nourished using lower quality nearshore (NS) sands. Additionally, use of OCS sediments increases sediment supply by adding material to the system supporting increased barrier longevity …

An Analysis Of Mixed-Layer Clay Minerals And Major Element Geochemical Trends In Middle-Upper Pennsylvanian-Aged Paleosols As A Proxy For Characterizing Basin-Wide Diagenetic Patterns And The Paleoenvironment Of The Illinois Basin, U.S.A., Julia A. Mcintosh

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Pennsylvanian-aged paleosols from four Illinois Basin (IB) cores were sampled to characterize clay mineralogy, paleosol morphology, and major element geochemistry. This data combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data from two other stratigraphically equivalent cores were used to better understand basin-wide diagenetic patterns. Paleosols unimpacted by diagenesis are considered reliable proxies for continued geochemical analyses and paleoclimate interpretations of middle to late Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian-Missourian) low-latitude environments.

Reichweite Ordering, as determined from XRD analysis ofprofiles, indicates that diagenesis impacted the deep interior of the basin and the southern portion of the basin. Further investigation of illitization mechanisms derived …

Depositional Environment And Facies Analyses Of The Owl Mountain Province, Fort Hood Military Installation, Bell And Coryell Counties, Texas, Jacob Meinerts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Owl Mountain Province is a plateaued, karst landscape located in the eastern section of the Fort Hood Military Installation and is characterized by Lower Cretaceous Fredericksburg Group carbonates. The topography is capped by thick sequences of the Edwards limestone; steep scarps and incised valleys along the edges of the plateaus host inter-fingering outcrops of the Edwards and Comanche Peak limestones, and the lower valleys are covered by alluvial sediments and intermittent outcrops of the Walnut Clay. These formations were deposited to the north and west of the main Edwards trend, and are thought to be part of a series …

Late Quaternary Evolution And Stratigraphic Framework Influence On Coastal Systems Along The North-Central Gulf Of Mexico, Usa, Robert Hollis

Master's Theses

Coastal systems in the Gulf of Mexico are threatened to reduced sediment supply, storm impacts and relative sea level rise (RSLR). The geologic record can provide insights of geomorphic threshold crossings (formation, progradation, transgression, destruction) to these forcing mechanisms to predict future barrier evolution to climate change. The stratigraphic framework and antecedent topography directly influence coastal evolution over geologic timescales. This study synthesizes ~2100km of geophysical data, 700+ sediment cores, and 63 radiocarbon dates to regionally map two sequence boundaries, multiple ravinement surfaces and fourteen depositional facies. One marine isotope stage (MIS) 6 valley’s fill provided up to 300 x10 …

Holocene Formation And Evolution Of Horn Island, Mississippi, Usa, Nina Gal

Master's Theses

Horn Island, one of the most stable barriers along the Mississippi-Alabama chain, provides critical habitat, helps regulate estuarine conditions in the Mississippi Sound, and reduces wave energy and storm surge for the mainland. This study integrates 2,200 km of high-resolution geophysics, 35 sediment cores, and 15 radiocarbon ages to better understand the formation and evolution of the island in response to sea-level rise, storms, and antecedent geology. The Biloxi and Pascagoula incised valleys converge at Horn Island and have played a profound role in the evolution of the system. Within the incised valleys, numerous shallow paleochannels between 4 and 9 …

Changes To Subaqueous Delta Bathymetry Following A High River Flow Event, Wax Lake Delta, Usa, Amanda Rose Whaling

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I report changes to the subaqueous bathymetry of the Wax Lake Delta (WLD) located in coastal Louisiana with the purpose of quantifying the two- and three-dimensional evolution of the entire delta front. The spatial distribution and volume of erosion and deposition were determined by differencing two Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) collected 16 months apart, including the 2nd largest high flow event (flood) in the WLD’s recorded history. The difference map showed 6.41×10^6 m^3 ± 3.70% of sediment were deposited and 1.19×10^7 m^3 ± 2.71% were eroded yielding 5.46×10^6 m^3 ± 7.32% of net erosion in the survey area (~75.9 km^2). …

Hydrogeologic Framework Studies Of Portions Of The Niobrara River, Douglas R. Hallum, Steven S. Sibray, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

The Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (NeDNR) and Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District (UNWNRD) expressed interest in improving understanding and their ability to effectively manage water resources in and around a particular reach of the Niobrara River. Aquifer-thickness contours mapped by the Conservation and Survey Division (CSD) indicate that the principle aquifer has zero thickness in this area. Additionally, the statewide geologic bedrock map produced by CSD shows non-aquifer strata of the White River Group along the same reach, and this setting is consistent with the designation of an “aquifer absent area,” as in the present document. Water-management policy development …

Carbon Sequestration In Grassland Soils Across Arkansas, Marya Jean Mckee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The capture, conversion, and long-term storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) as soil organic carbon (SOC), a process known as soil C sequestration, is a possible solution to the current and ever-increasing threat of rising greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. Tallgrass prairies, which once historically covered the country, are known to accumulate and sequester large amounts of C from the atmosphere deep within the soil, due to their extensive rooting systems. The purpose of this research was to increase understanding of soil C sequestration dynamics and general functioning in disappearing native grassland ecosystems within Arkansas, as well as the …

Subsurface Analysis Of Mississippian Tripolitic Chert In Northwest Arkansas, Thomas Jason Liner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 70 years the Mississippian strata of Northwest Arkansas have been studied in great detail. The study area is located on the escarpment between the Boston Mountains Plateau and the Springfield Plateau where a surface occurrence of Mississippian age rock allows for access to outcrops in close proximity to gas wells that encounter subsurface Mississippian strata. Many outcrops found in Northwest Arkansas expose Lower Mississippian (Kinderhookian-Osagean) strata that represent a full third order transgressive/regressive sequence that is unconformity bounded. These Mississippian outcrops are commonly treated as surface analogs to the Mississippi Lime Play in North Central Oklahoma. This …

An Integrated Well Log And 3d Seismic Interpretation Of Missourian Clinoforms, Osage County, Oklahoma, Abram Max Barker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Integrated analysis of well and geophysical data can provide detailed geologic interpretation of the subsurface in Osage County, Oklahoma. Systems tracts and depositional system successions can be interpreted at marginal seismic resolution using well log motif with seismic reflector character within a depositional context. Shelf-prism and subaqueous, delta-scale clinoforms of Missourian age observed in 3D seismic were interpreted with greater sequence stratigraphic detail when coupled with wireline well logs. The Late Pennsylvanian Midcontinent Sea was thought to be approximately 150 feet average depth across the southern Midcontinent during the Missourian Stage, and deepen towards the Arkoma and Anadarko Basins to …

Overview Of The Kentucky Geological Survey No. 1 Hanson Aggregates Well, Carter County, Kentucky, J. Richard Bowersox, Stephen F. Greb, David C. Harris

Information Circular--KGS

The Kentucky Geological Survey drilled the No. 1 Hanson Aggregates well in northern Carter County, Ky., to assess the carbon dioxide storage capacity and confining intervals in the Middle Cambrian–Upper Ordovician section in the southern Appalachian Basin, north of the Rome Trough. The well was drilled to a total depth of 4,835 ft, penetrating the Mississippian–Middle Cambrian Paleozoic section and 120 ft of Neoproterozoic Grenville granite gneiss. Steel casing was cemented to the surface at 350 ft and 2,944 ft to isolate the deep wellbore from the near-surface aquifer and provide anchors for pressure-control equipment. Eight cores totaling 453 ft …

Sedimentology And Stratigraphy Of Core Stl14: An Early Pleistocene-To-Present Paleoclimate Archive From Stoneman Lake, Arizona, Spencer Staley

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

An 80 m lacustrine sediment core (STL14) from Stoneman Lake, Coconino County, Arizona, contains a sedimentary sequence of at least 1.5 million years, chronicling the complete history of basin infill and recording an extensive and high-resolution archive of climatic and hydrologic fluctuations. Lake levels in this small, internally-drained catchment are sensitive to changes in regional hydrologic balance. Consistent groundwater inflow, even during regionally dry episodes in the lake’s history, has prevented complete desiccation of the lake and sustained continuous lacustrine deposition except for one soil horizon. Multiproxy analysis of sedimentological indicators including lithofacies, color, wet bulk density, magnetic susceptibility, preliminary …

Sediment Dynamics In The Bear River-Mud Lake-Bear Lake System, Patrick Belmont, Mitchell Donovan, Janice Brahney, Lindsay Capito, Zach Burgert

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The overarching goal of this project was to compile and analyze a variety of existing datasets, and generate several new datasets, to advance our understanding of how the Bear River Mud Lake-Bear Lake system functions, how it has, or is expected to change, identify which components are degraded or vulnerable to degradation, and determine if/where critical data and/or knowledge gaps exist. We conducted a series of analyses to evaluate changes in hydrology and suspended sediment, collected sediment cores from nine locations in Mud Lake to evaluate how sedimentation rates, sediment sources and water quality have changed over time, and utilized …

Water Flow Net Characterization By Using A Tank Model: Preliminary Outcome, Jasmin Budhan, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Stanley Schleifer

Publications and Research

A model study was conducted to observe and characterize the flow of water through sandy soil. One of the most relevant tools used for characterizing groundwater flow is the flow net. Assuming that water is incompressible and there is zero volume change in the soil mass, it is known that the total rate of inflow is to equal the total rate of outflow. Thus, following the principle of flow continuity, we use the Laplace equation of continuity, to observe the concept of the flow net. Computing the flow through a miniature channel, we observed the total head difference from the …