Sedimentology Commons^™

Effects Of Shoreline Dynamics On Saltmarsh Vegetation, Shailesh Sharma, Joshua Goff, Ryan M. Moody, Ashley Mcdonald, Dorothy Byron, Kenneth L. Heck Jr., Sean Powers, Carl Ferraro, Just Cebrian

University Faculty and Staff Publications

We evaluated the impact of shoreline dynamics on fringing vegetation density at mid- and low-marsh elevations at a high-energy site in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Particularly, we selected eight unprotected shoreline stretches (75 m each) at a historically eroding site and measured their inter-annual lateral movement rate using the DSAS method for three consecutive years. We observed high inter-annual variability of shoreline movement within the selected stretches. Specifically, shorelines retrograded (eroded) in year 1 and year 3, whereas, in year 2, shorelines advanced seaward. Despite shoreline advancement in year 2, an overall net erosion was recorded during the survey …

Three-Dimensional Architecture And Hydrostratigraphy Of Cross-Cutting Buried Valleys Using Airborne Electromagnetics, Glaciated Central Lowlands, Nebraska, Usa, Jesse T. Korus Dr., Robert Matthew Joeckel, Dana P. Divine, Jared D. Abraham

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Buried valleys are characteristic features of glaciated landscapes, and their deposits host important aquifers worldwide. Understanding the stratigraphic architecture of these deposits is essential for protecting groundwater and interpreting sedimentary processes in subglacial and ice-marginal environments. The relationships between depositional architecture, topography and hydrostratigraphy in dissected, pre-Illinoian till sheets is poorly understood. Boreholes alone are inadequate to characterize the complex geology of buried valleys, but airborne electromagnetic surveys have proven useful for this purpose. A key question is whether the sedimentary architecture of buried valleys can be interpreted from airborne electromagnetic profiles. This study employs airborne electromagnetic resistivity profiles to …

Reevaluating The Geologic Formations Of The Upper Coastal Plain In Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Bradley Aaron Fitzwater

OES Theses and Dissertations

Data from a new geological map of the Patrick, S.C. 7.5 minute quadrangle (1:24,000) and detailed descriptions of two cores collected nearby (Middendorf and Cheraw, S.C.) permit improved interpretation of the geology of this portion of the Carolina Sandhills. Geologic mapping incorporated analyses of outcrops with LiDAR data, soil survey maps, ground-penetrating radar transects, and hand auger borings. Micro- and macrofossil identification and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating provided age control.

Four distinct mappable units occur throughout the Patrick quadrangle. Resting unconformably on schist of the Paleozoic Persimmons Fork Formation, the Cretaceous Middendorf Formation is more than 85.3 m thick and …

Sedimentology Of Kingston Peak Formation Kp1 Beds In Beck Canyon Region, Kingston Range, California, Dominic Joel Ombati

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The Neoproterozoic Kingston Peak Formation (KPF) is known for its diamictites interpreted as of glacial origin. The KPF overlies the Beck Spring Dolomite (BSD) that contains microfossils and microbialites. This study aims to test correlation between outcrops and understand the abrupt change from BSD to KPF. It focuses on the basal 4 meters of the KP1 subunit of the KPF as it appears in the Beck Canyon region, Kingston Range, California. We describe and correlate sedimentary rocks at and immediately overlying the contact and analyze the sedimentary structures, textures and sequences. We have found only three sites in the northern …

The Spatial Distribution And Origins Of Sandstone Monoliths In The Swauk Watershed, Kittitas County, Wa, Rebeca Becerra, Daniel O'Dell

Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)

Large groups of gigantic sandstone and conglomerate monoliths populate the Swauk Watershed of northern Kittitas County. These monoliths rest on side slopes in the watershed and distinctively project from their surroundings. The origins of these features are unknown. We studied these monoliths in the field by mapping their spatial distribution, describing their morphology and composition, and measuring their orientation and sizes in order to determine their origins. We used Google Earth and topographic maps to locate the monoliths and map their distribution. Interpretations were based from field work data and past research. Our field results show commonalities between the features …

Characterization Of Lower Permian Carbonate Subaqueous Gravity Flows In Crockett County, Texas, Wesley L. Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transitional sediments on carbonate ramp slopes act as a link to relatively well-studied platform and basin depositional environments. In the southern Midland Basin, the key to understanding the relationship between these environments lies in the allochthonous gravity flow sediments found on the slope. Here, a succession of various gravity flow deposits is used to interpret how base level fluctuations affect the type of deposits found on the slope and their effect on the deep basinal environment. This study utilizes core samples from the Wolfcamp Formation adjacent to the Central Basin Platform in five wells in Northwest Crockett County, Texas. The …

An Analysis Of The Physical And Cultural Landscape Of Grand Isle, Louisiana, Alexis Thomas

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The town of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and its rich geographic history, can offer insight into the early history of the State of Louisiana and the establishment of the United States as a country, as well as the study of the formation of barrier islands and methods of land use with such areas. The following thesis presents a geographic, as well as a historical, analysis of Grand Isle’s history. It attempts to answer the following questions: What is the shape, form, and origin of the physical landscape of Grand Isle? How have humans interacted with the land and surrounding areas of …

Dating Late Quaternary Alluvial Fills In The Platte River Valley Using Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating, Jacob C. Bruihler

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Alluvial fills underlying the Platte River Valley in Nebraska record the geologic history of the Platte River in the late Quaternary. This study investigated the alluvium underlying the valley near the cities of North Platte and Kearney, Nebraska. Data obtained from sediment cores drilled in the alluvial deposits was used to investigate the changes in Platte River dynamics on a glacial – interglacial timescale. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating was used to determine burial ages of recovered sediments and to quantify the thicknesses of the late Pleistocene and Holocene alluvial fills at each study area. Our geochronology depicts considerable differences …

Statistical Analysis Of Fluvial Channel Belts, Kyle Ryan Spencer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As meandering rivers laterally migrate over time, they build channel belts. The accumulation of all previous flow paths creates the channel belt. To better understand these ancient rivers, modern river systems are being mapped to find statistical relationships between current flow path and the channel belt of river systems. It is important to examine a wide range of systems in terms of age, size, and location. The rivers are being mapped using an ImageJ, interpretations from Saucier (1994) and Google Earth. Three channel belt morphologies are mapped for 15 modern channel belts; the width of the river in relation to …

11th New World Luminescence Dating Workshop Scientific Program And Abstracts And Field Trip Guide Book, P.R. Hanson, James B. Swinehart, Joseph Mason

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Systematic Patterning Of Sediments In French Polynesian Coral Reef Systems, Andrew Calhoun

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

Through a discipline termed “comparative sedimentology”, modern carbonate depositional environments have been used extensively as analogs to aid in the interpretation of equivalent fossil systems. Using field samples, GIS and remote sensing data for three isolated carbonate platforms in the Pacific, this thesis seeks to examine relationships between grain texture and grain type and their environment of deposition. The motivation is to highlight relationships that have the potential to better understand facies relations on carbonate platforms, and thereby reduce uncertainty and increase accuracy of subsurface exploration. The results of this study show that on Raivavae, Tubuai, and Bora Bora: French …

Differentiating Saginaw From Huron-Erie Lce Lobe Meltwater Deposits In South Central Michigan Using Longitudinal Profiles, Grain Size Analysis, And Lithology, Nathan R. Erber

Masters Theses

The Saginaw and Huron-Erie lobes of the Laurentide Ice Sheet had a significant impact on the landscape of south-central Michigan after the Late Glacial Maximum. During the advances and retreats of these lobes, a complicated network of meltwater channels developed. Two goals of this study are: 1) to use sand-grain lithology, grain-size analysis, and longitudinal profiles to determine if a difference exists between Saginaw lobe and Huron-Erie lobe meltwater deposits; and 2) to determine if a large meltwater sluiceway containing the modern St. Joseph River had a source of meltwater and outwash from the Huron-Erie lobe. Two cores from drumlinized …

Geology Of The Platte River Valley Near Kearney, Nebraska, Jeremy S. Dillon, Paul R. Hanson, Ashley Larsen, Jacob Bruihler, Carissa Raymond

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Taphonomy Of Sediments: Bioturbation In The Triassic Moenkopi Formation In Southwestern Utah, James Vernon Bird Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Measurement of bioturbation reflects physical and biological processes operating over time and can be used to reveal information about paleo-environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the intensity of bioturbation in Triassic Moenkopi Formation at Hurricane Mesa in Southwestern Utah. This formation is interpreted as having been deposited mostly in large ancient river channels, tidal flats, delta and shallow marine environments. Five stratigraphic sections measured in the Virgin Limestone Member provided the basis for this study. Detailed descriptions and quantification of bioturbation were recorded in each of the sections. Similar treatment was given to additional study sites in …

Sediment Loads And Transport At Constructed Chutes Along The Missouri River-Upper Hamburg Chute Near Nebraska City, Nebraska, And Kansas Chute Near Peru, Nebraska, Brenda K. Densmore, David L. Rus, Matthew T. Moser, Brent M. Hall, Michael J. Andersen

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, monitored suspended sediment within constructed Missouri River chutes during March through October 2012. Chutes were constructed at selected river bends by the US Army Corps of Engineers to help mitigate aquatic habitat lost through the creation and maintenance of the navigation channel on the Missouri River. The restoration and development of chutes is one method for creating shallow-water habitat within the Missouri River to meet requirements established by the amended 2000 Biological Opinion. Understanding geomorphic channel-evolution processes and sediment transport is important for the …

Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures In The Paleoproterozoic, Upper Huronian Supergroup, Canada, Carolyn Hill, Patricia I. Corcoran, Rohan Aranha, Fred Longstaffe

Earth Sciences Publications

The Paleoproterozoic Gordon Lake and Bar River formations, Huronian Supergroup, contain a variety of sedimentary structures in the Flack Lake area of Ontario, Canada, that have been considered of debatable origin. We identify these structures as microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISS). The preserved MISS are related to microbial mat destruction and decay, and include sand cracks, mat chips, remnant gas domes, pyrite patches, and iron laminae. A biological origin for the fossil structures is supported by their similarities to modern and ancient documented examples of MISS, the sand-dominated nature of the substrate in which they are preserved, and key microtextures …

Sandstones And Utah’S Canyon Country: Deposition, Diagenesis, Exhumation, And Landscape Evolution, David Loope, Richard Kettler, Kendra Murray, Joel Pederson, Peter Reiners

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

South-central Utah’s prominent sandstones and deeply dissected landscapes are the focus of this four-day trip, which begins and ends in Grand Junction, Colorado. Studies of the apatite grains in sandstones adjacent to igneous intrusions are revealing new information on the timing and rate of Cenozoic erosion. Iron-oxide-cemented concretions in other rocks record how reduced-iron carbonates and subsurface microbes interacted when near-surface, oxygenated waters started to flush the reducing, CO₂-rich waters from Colorado Plateau aquifers. New geochronologic techniques that are being applied to the plateau rocks have the potential to expand our knowledge of how diagenetic episodes relate to …

Morphodynamic Modeling Of Fluvial Channel Fill And Avulsion Time Scales During Early Holocene Transgression, As Substantiated By The Incised Valley Stratigraphy Of The Trinity River, Texas, Kaitlin Moran, Jeffrey Nittrouer, Mauricio Perillo, Jorge Lorenzo Trueba, John Anderson

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Trinity River system provides a natural laboratory for linking fluvial morphodynamics to stratigraphy produced by sea-level rise, because the sediments occupying the Trinity incised valley are well constrained in terms of timing of deposition and facies distribution. Herein, the Trinity River is modeled for a range of base-level rise rates, avulsion thresholds, and water discharges to explore the effects of backwater-induced in-channel sedimentation on channel avulsion. The findings are compared to observed sediment facies to evaluate the capability of a morphodynamic model to reproduce sediment deposition patterns. Base-level rise produces mobile locations of in-channel sedimentation and deltaic channel avulsions. …

Aquifers Of Nebraska I: The Codell Aquifer In Northeastern Nebraska, Dana Divine, R. Matthew Joeckel, Sue Olafsen Lackey

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Controls On Carbonate Sedimentation And Sequence Stratigraphic Framework Of The Lower Permian (Wolfcampian) Hueco Formation (Upper-Middle And Gastropod Intervals), Robledo Shelf, Western Orogrande Basin, New Mexico, Matthew S. Harder

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

On the western margin of the Pennsylvanian/Permian Orogrande Basin, two composite measured sections in the Lower Permian upper interval of the Middle Member of the Hueco Limestone were analyzed in regards to depositional environment, facies and sequence stratigraphy. This can elucidate where potential unconventional reservoirs can be found in the Wolfcamp Shale of the Permian Basin. Based on these analyses, 12 lithofacies were identified, including 9 carbonate lithofacies: 1) fenestral dolomudstone, 2) peloidal dolomudstone, 3) ostracode foraminifera packstone, 4) foraminifera peloidal grainstone, 5) skeletal intraclast grainstone, 6) phylloid algal peloidal grainstone, 7) echinoderm phylloid algal packstone, 8) echinoderm bivalve brachiopod …