Sedimentology Commons^™

The Forestry Reclamation Approach: Measuring Sediment Mass Accumulation Rates In Reclaimed Mine Lands And Naturally Regenerated Logged Forests Of Eastern Kentucky, William E. Bond

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The spread of surface coal mining has resulted in loss of forests in the Appalachian region. The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) was developed to provide guidance for restoring forests on reclaimed mined land. This study hypothesizes that the FRA will result in larger magnitude of sediment accumulation rates in reclaimed mine sites compared to those reclaimed using grassland reclamation. Three sediment cores and six trenches were sampled within four reclaimed mined and three previously logged sites in eastern Kentucky. Samples were processed for radionuclides, grain-size, stable isotopes (δ¹³C), and POC. LIDAR data were used to identify valley …

The Links Between Gulf Of Mexico Seafloor Characteristics And Petroleum Hydrocarbons Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Kimberly J. Schindler

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Gulf of Mexico (GoMx) is among the most productive regions for offshore oil and natural gas recovery. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling rig exploded, burned for three days, sank, and released over 4 million barrels of oil in the subsequent 84 days before it was capped. Some oil was buoyant enough to float to the ocean surface, where some was removed via a myriad techniques. Importantly, a plume of oil remained suspended in the water column at approximately 1,100 m water depth, where it drove a marine snow event, and deposited large quantities of oil on the …

Identifying Key Factors Affecting Translational Landslides In Part Of The Yakima Fold And Thrust Belt, Washington State, Joseph Schilter

All Master's Theses

Washington has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation, and unfortunately also is among the most landslide-prone states. With increased population density and urban sprawl, the need for landslide hazard assessment grows. On the Columbia Plateau in central Washington, the smooth rigid, inclined surfaces of the Columbia River Basalts (CRBs) with loose sediment layers between them induces landslides of large blocks of bedrock. These hazards remain poorly understood, but their significance was heightened by the 2017 Rattlesnake Hills Landslide that currently threatens a community and an interstate highway south of Yakima, Washington. I propose that the strongest influences …

Holocene Periods Of Aggradation And Incision, Hanson Creek, Washington, Levi Earl Windingstad

All Master's Theses

The causes and timing of cycles of aggradation and incision in the Hanson Creek drainage in central Washington provide insight into changes in channel morphology and paleoenvironment within the region over the last 8000 years. Stratigraphically and spatially coincident archaeological evidence reveals information related to human occupation during the latter half of the epoch. Using LiDAR imagery and field surveys, recent processes such as degree of modern channel incision, accumulation of valley floor sediment, channel morphology and gradient were evaluated. The spatial distribution of these channel characteristics was assessed in relation to proximal landforms such as colluvial deposits, basalt outcrops, …

Late Devonian Sedimentary Record Of Appalachian Tectonics And Erosion: Geochronology And Geochemistry Of Detrital Muscovite And Zircon From Central Pennsylvania Strata, Cole T. Gardner

Honors Theses

Foreland basin sediment deposition in North-Central Pennsylvania during Late Devonian time records erosion of hinterland source terranes exhumed during regional plate convergence, including the collisional Acadian orogeny. The Catskill clastic wedge preserves a coarsening-upwards stratigraphic succession from marine to fluvial environments associated with sediment progradation and sea-level regression, yet depositional timescales and quantitative provenance data are largely unconstrained.

Detailed facies analysis of eight outcrops spanning >2 km of stratigraphy in Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania documents distinct upsection changes, interpreted to reflect changes in depositional environments consistent with previous sedimentology of the Catskill clastic wedge. Stratigraphy displays a transition from nearshore marine …

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 …

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 …

Sequence Stratigraphy, Diagenesis, And Depositional Facies Of An Exposed Megaflap: Pennsylvanian Hermosa Group, Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Paradox Basin, Colorado, Kyle Thomas Deatrick

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Outcrop exposures mostly of the Pennsylvanian Honaker Trail Formation provide a 2 km strike-oriented view of a megaflap on the southwestern flank of the Gypsum Valley salt wall, Paradox Basin, Colorado that serves as an outcrop analog for megaflaps recently drilled unexpectedly in the Gulf of Mexico and other salt basins worldwide. The near vertical (80-90°) stratal panel comprises a 60 m thick succession of non-evaporite facies of the Pennsylvanian upper Paradox Formation, overlain by a 117 m section of cyclic shallow marine carbonates and siliciclastics of the Honaker Trail Formation. Near vertical upper Paradox and Honaker Trail strata are …

Stratigraphic And Structural Characterization And Evolution Of Exposed Megaflaps Flanking Salt Diapirs, Cora Evelyn Gannaway Dalton

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A Neoproterozoic salt system exposed in the Willouran Ranges of South Australia and a Mesozoic salt system in the south-central Pyrenees of Spain provide natural laboratories to investigate the stratigraphic and structural development of megaflaps flanking salt diapirs. Megaflaps are near-vertical to overturned, deep minibasin stratal panels that extend far up the flanks of steep diapirs or their equivalent welds. Megaflaps can form by halokinetic drape-folding, contraction, or a combination of these processes. The existing models of megaflap development are based primarily on seismic data, well penetrations, cross-section restorations, and numerical and analog modeling. Investigation of the sedimentology, stratigraphy, and …

Ephemeral Gully Erosion Modeling And Surveying With Close-Range Digital Photogrammetry, M. A. Islam, C. Weerasekara, Y. Zhou, A. Y. Shesukov

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

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, …

A Record Of The Precambrian-Cambrian Transition In Sw Montana: A Late Neoproterozoic To Early Cambrian Stratigraphic Window, Fortunian Biostratigraphic Assemblage And Treptichnus Pedum, R. Reid Trippe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study documents a Late Neoproterozoic through Early Cambrian stratigraphic record in the Humbolt anticline of southwestern Montana. The Precambrian-Cambrian transition includes a Fortunian-aged biostratigraphic trace-fossil assemblage with the ichnofossil Treptichnus pedum. The Humbolt anticline represents an inverted paleo-graben that exposes a stratigraphic window interpreted to be a record of rifting along the Cordilleran miogeoclinal margin, linked with the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. The graben subsided and captured sediment during late-stage rifting and final-stage dissociation along the rift margin. Its structural axis paralleled the rift margin. Sevier/Laramide orogenic thrusting inverted the graben into the Humbolt anticline. The Late …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …