Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Glacial Resource Analysis – Castner Glacier, Alaska, Logan Erichsen

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Glaciers cover much of the 49th U.S. state of Alaska. While many of these are deep blues, just as many are “rock” glaciers which means the glacier is covered in sediment. This sediment can be transported many miles through the mountain ranges. With the current climate melting these glaciers they are receding. Sediment and rock samples can now be safely collected from different locations where glaciers have released sediment that was locked in the ice for an untold number of years. Much of the USGS data comes from the 1940’s through 1960’s due to the size and remoteness of Alaska. …

Dispersion Of Artificial Tracers In Ventilated Caves, Claudio Pastore, Eric Weber, Frédéric Doumenc, Pierre-Yves Jeannin, Marc Lütscher

International Journal of Speleology

Artificial CO₂ was used as a tracer along ventilated karst conduits to infer airflow and investigate tracer dispersion. In the karst vadose zone, cave ventilation is an efficient mode of transport for heat, gases and aerosols and thus drives the spatial distribution of airborne particles. Modelling this airborne transport requires geometrical and physical parameters of the conduit system, including the cross-sectional areas, the airflow and average air speed, as well as the longitudinal dispersion coefficient which describes the spreading of a solute. Four gauging tests were carried out in one mine (artificial conduit) and two ventilated caves (natural conduits). …

Beach Processes Controlling Erosional Hotspots And Their Influences On Beach Nourishment Performances: A Case Study Along West-Central Florida Barrier Island Beaches, Sophia Gutierrez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the long-term performance of repeated beach nourishment over an approximately 35-year period at two barrier islands, Sand Key and Treasure Island along the west-central Florida coast, USA. Five cycles of beach nourishment on Sand Key and six on Treasure Island were conducted during the study period. Three erosional hotspots were identified along a combined 14-km stretch of the nourished beach. The processes that cause the erosional hotspot were examined through numerical modeling of nearshore wave and current fields.

The most recent three nourishments since 2006 were monitored systematically by this study. Beach profiles were surveyed bimonthly to …

A Petrological Characterization Of The Iutzi Member Of Lucas Formation, Michigan Basin, Moira Burns

Honors Theses

It is thought that most Phanerozoic dolomites form via the replacement of precursor calcium carbonate [CaCO₃] with dolomite [CaMg(CO₃)₂] through a dissolution-precipitation reaction with a Mg-bearing fluid. Although this may be widely accepted, the timing, conditions, settings, and mechanisms associated with the dolomitization process are still strongly debated, resulting in the proposal of various dolomitization models. The association between evaporite minerals and dolomite in the rock record is common and has led many to propose a model genetically associating evaporative fluids and dolomitization. The evaporative model posits as marine fluids evaporate and become more …

Reflectance Spectroscopy Datasets For The Validation Of Tanager, Kristiana Lapo, Kathleen Hoza, Sammy Theuer, Melissa S. Rice

Geology Faculty Publications

The Three-Axis N-sample Automated Goniometer for Evaluating Reflectance (TANAGER) is a custom goniometer designed to rapidly acquire spectra of natural rock surfaces across the full scattering hemisphere. TANAGER interfaces with a Malvern Panalytical ASD Fieldspec 4 Hi-Res reflectance spectrometer to collect data from 350-2500 nm at a range of incidence, emission and azimuth angles. To validate the accuracy and repeatability of data collected with TANAGER - and to characterize any instrument noise, artifacts or sample heating effects - we collected spectra from three categories of targets: (1) powdered calcium sulfate (anhydrite), (2) naturally weathered basalt surfaces, and (3) color calibration …

Imaging Of The Shallow Crustal Structure Across The Region Of The 2013 Mw 7.5 Craig Earthquake With High-Resolution Seismic Streamer Tomography, Emma Martin, Andrew Gase, Emily Roland

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The Queen Charlotte Fault (QCF), located offshore of southeastern Alaska and western British Columbia, accommodates ~5 cm/year of right-lateral strike-slip between the Pacific and North American plates. This fault has generated several magnitude (>7) earthquakes, the most recent being a magnitude 7.5 Craig earthquake in 2013. Analyzing characteristics of damage zones and tectonically influenced subsurface geology surrounding the QCF fault trace, we present a seismic velocity model of a 147 km transect that crosses the approximate epicenter of the Craig earthquake. Ultra-long offset seismic streamer-recorded refractions sample the upper crust and are compiled for first-arrival travel-time tomography. Relatively shallow …

Effects Of Experimental Freeze-Thaw And Wet-Dry Weathering Cycles On Fluvial Abrasion Rates, Finn Coffin

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

How do rocks break down as they work their way downstream? This study focuses on weathering and abrasion processes of volcanic mass wasting deposits in rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Implications include a more effective approach to modeling downstream fining as well as increased understanding of potential impacts of sediment pulses on flood risks. I combine methodologies from fluvial abrasion and rock weathering experiments to provide a foundation for further research into weathering mediated abrasion. I subject samples to 20 freeze-thaw (FT) and wet-dry (WD) cycles and compare each weathering process’ effects on fluvial abrasion rates. Both weathering processes weaken …

Unearthing The Past: A Comprehensive Study Of Natural And Anthropogenic Changes At An Archaeological Site Through Hydrogeologic Connectivity Utilizing Gis, Mehlich Ii Phosphorus Extractant, And Ph, Dana L. F. Herren

Theses

This thesis aims to thoroughly analyze the Mehlich II Phosphorus Extractant and pH levels at the Bains Gap Village Site in Anniston, AL., while examining the impact of various environmental factors and human activities on them. Phosphorus is often used in archaeology as an indicator of human activity. Soil core samples were collected to analyze anomalies in phosphorus levels.

To establish any relationships, phosphorus and pH levels from soil cores were correlated with findings from past excavation units and features. The potential effects of hydrogeologic connectivity on soil phosphorus and pH levels were investigated. Geospatial technologies were used to manage …

Miss Americana & The Queen Bey: A Seismic Analysis Of Synchronous Crowd Movement At Lumen Field Concerts In Seattle, Wa, Karenna A. Merritt

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

In this study, we provide supporting evidence for music fans – and their movement, specifically – as a source of seismic energy and low frequency noise. Data collected by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network was analyzed in the form of seismograms and spectrograms created through the ObsPy programming suite. After comparing two major concerts at Seattle’s Lumen Field, we found that consistent synchronous crowd motion contributed heavily to the generation of seismic energy at the stadium. Although seemingly frivolous in nature, concert seismicity can have civil and audio engineering implications that should be investigated in order to maximize both the …

Remote Sensing Techniques To Determine Volcanic Gas Components And Fluxes: Application For Lascar, Chile And Fagradalsfjall, Iceland Volcanos., Felipe S. Rojas Vilches

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Volcanic plumes allow us to understand different aspects of a volcanic system including magma movements, dynamics, mass transfer, overall gas emissions to the atmosphere, and many processes that impact human life. However, the H₂O gas is poorly constrained due to the intrinsic difficulties of this gas, with high background values and easily dispersed/integrated into the background. In this work we study the gas emissions from Lascar volcano, and Fagradalsfjall volcano, in Chile and Iceland, respectively, using a combination of different ground-based remote sensing techniques and in situ plume measurements, we measure H₂O, SO₂, CO₂, CO, and H₂S from longer and …

Subsurface Mapping Of Intra-Arbuckle Shale In North-West Kansas Using Well Log Data, Cole M. Denny

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

The aim of this research was to enhance knowledge of Intra-Arbuckle Shale (IAS) distribution and structure through new maps, cross sections, and well log correlations. Understanding the shale(s) ultimately advances the discernment of complex Arbuckle reservoirs that are critical to the Kansas petroleum industry. IAS has been intercepted by oil wells throughout Kansas, but this study focuses on their presence in portions of Ellis, Rooks, Graham, and Trego counties. To study the distribution and structure of IAS, data from micro-resistivity and gamma ray well logs were collected from more than three hundred Arbuckle oil and gas wells. On each well …

Evidence Of Seattle Fault Earthquakes From Patterns In Deep-Seated Landslides, Erich Herzig, Alison Duvall, Adam Booth, Ian Stone, Erin Wirth, Sean Lahusen, Joseph Wartman, Alex Grant

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Earthquake‐induced landslides can record information about the seismic shaking that generated them. In this study, we present new mapping, Light Detection and Ranging‐derived roughness dating, and analysis of over 1000 deep‐seated landslides from the Puget Lowlands of Washington, U.S.A., to probe the landscape for past Seattle fault earthquake information. With this new landslide inventory, we observe spatial and temporal evidence of landsliding related to the last major earthquake on the Seattle fault ∼1100 yr before present. We find spatial clusters of landslides that correlate with ground motions from recent 3D kinematic models of Seattle fault earthquakes. We also find temporal …

Groundwater In Nebraska, Troy E. Gilmore, Jesse T. Korus Dr.

Conservation and Survey Division

What is groundwater? Groundwater is water that fills and moves between spaces in underground rocks, gravel, sand, or other materials.

Enhancing Landslide Susceptibility Modelling Through A Novel Non-Landslide Sampling Method And Ensemble Learning Technique, Chao Zhou, Yue Wang, Ying Cao, Ramesh P. Singh, Bayes Ahmed, Mahdi Motagh, Yang Wang, Ling Chen, Guangchao Tan, Shanshan Li

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

In recent years, several catastrophic landslide events have been observed throughout the globe, threatening to lives and infrastructures. To minimize the impact of landslides, the need of landslide susceptibility map is important. The study aims to extract high-quality non-landslide samples and improve the accuracy of landslide susceptibility modelling (LSM) outcomes by applying a coupled method of ensemble learning and Machine Learning (ML). The Zigui-Badong section of the Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGRA) in China was considered in the present study. Twelve influencing factors were selected as inputs for LSM, and the relationship between each causal factor and landslide spatial development …

A Micrometeor Impact - Lake Wilson, Kansas?, Kenneth R. Neuhauser

SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days

Much ado about ‘nothing’ was raised when a suspect ‘object’ hit near Lake Wilson, Kansas on August 10, 2006. After a field investigation, a magnetometer survey, thin section analysis, shotgun field tests, and neutron activation analyses (NAA), no 100% conclusive physical evidence exists as to what caused the impact. However, enough NAA chemical evidence was found to suggest a micro-meteor was what created an 18” wide and 12” deep ‘crater’ at the site.

Investigating Gulf Coast Aquifer System: Stratigraphy Reconstruction, Inverse Modeling, And Groundwater Stress Assessment, Shuo Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Mississippi Embayment aquifer system (MEAS) and the Coastal Lowlands aquifer system (CLAS) provide substantial groundwater resources for human activities in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain. However, the overexploitation has led to groundwater depletion in the MEAS and the CLAS, threatening sustainable groundwater use. Such concern highlights the crucial need for an advanced understanding of stratigraphy and groundwater in these aquifer systems, which is essential for effective regional groundwater management. This dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation of MEAS and CLAS in the Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi region, encompassing three fundamental dimensions: stratigraphy reconstruction, groundwater modeling, and groundwater stress assessments. A …

Investigating The Causes Of Lake Level Variability On A Modern Carbonate Platform, Natalie M. Salazar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lakes on carbonate islands are known to reduce freshwater lens volumes and alter freshwater lens distribution; however, the magnitude and controlling factors between lake and freshwater lens interactions remain poorly understood. Since freshwater lenses are thin and can be fragmented by lakes in small carbonate islands, it is important to understand the magnitude of exchange between lakes and the freshwater lens to understand potential groundwater depletion. This study utilized high temporal resolution water levels and meteorological data to quantify monthly water budgets for seven lakes on San Salvador Island, The Bahamas. The monthly water budgets accounted for rainfall, potential evaporation, …

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Copper Production, Xiaohan Wu

Graduate Industrial Research Symposium

Copper demand will surge significantly in the context of global renewable energy technology implementation, but its production is an energy-intensive process. It is crucial to choose the best production method to reduce environmental damage in terms of the enormous copper supply. This research develops a multi-criteria life cycle assessment model for the three main copper production routes- pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and bioleaching. We complied material and energy flow data to assess each route's life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, cost, and resource efficiency. Results indicate bioleaching emits the least GHG emissions (4.09 kg-CO2 eq/kg copper) among the three routes. Hydrometallurgy is …

The Study Of Titan's Surface Using Impact Craters And Analogues, Jahnavi Shah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is an icy world harbouring a subsurface water ocean, a substantial atmosphere, and a flowing liquid on its surface. These distinctive characteristics give rise to complex chemical reactions on Titan, and also render it akin to Earth in terms of its landforms and processes. This positions Titan as a key target for studying prebiotic chemistry. NASA's fourth New Frontiers mission, Dragonfly, is poised to explore Titan’s surface in the 2030s. Dragonfly’s primary study site will be Selk crater, a relatively fresh impact crater located in Titan’s equatorial sand seas. Impact craters serve as valuable markers for …

Lower Bound On Preserved Flood Duration In Fluvial Bedform Stratigraphy (Experimental Dataset), Robert C. Mahon, Vamsi Ganti, Madeline M. Kelley, Debsmita Das, Victoria Sanchez, Giancarlo Portocarrero, Mayson Fredricks

Lower Bound on Preserved Flood Duration in Fluvial Bedform Stratigraphy (experimental dataset)

This data is collected to assess the role of hydrograph timescale relative to dune migration on the preservation of cross sets in the stratigraphic record. The data presented here are of dune evolution under steady-state conditions, as well as three hydrographs of the same magnitude but varying timescales.

Methodology:

We collected data from four experiments tracking bedform evolution in a 22-m-long, 0.56-m-wide, 0.9-m-deep flume at the University of New Orleans Dynamics of Sedimentation laboratory. We conducted an equilibrium experiment (discharge value 0.027 m3/s) and three flood experiments, which were characterized by a symmetrical flood wave. In all flood experiments, the …

Publications And Other Works By R. F. Diffendal, Jr., Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Articles
Chapters in Books
Books
Field Guides
Geologic Maps
Other Maps
Cover Photographs
Other Photographs
Newspaper and Other Articles
Test-Hole Logs
Television Programs
Geonotes
Abstracts
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Manuscripts Accepted (A), Submitted (S), or in Preparation (P)
Geologic Maps in Press
Geologic Maps-Nebraska
Public Documents
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Editing

Updated March 2024

Stage And Discharge Prediction From Documentary Time-Lapse Imagery, Kenneth W. Chapman, Troy E. Gilmore, Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Christian D. Chapman, Aaron R. Mittelstet, John E. Stranzl Jr.

Conservation and Survey Division

Imagery from fixed, ground-based cameras is rich in qualitative and quantitative information that can improve stream discharge monitoring. For instance, time-lapse imagery may be valuable for filling data gaps when sensors fail and/or during lapses in funding for monitoring programs. In this study, we used a large image archive (>40,000 images from 2012 to 2019) from a fixed, ground-based camera that is part of a documentary watershed imaging project (https://plattebasintimelapse.com/). Scalar image features were extracted from daylight images taken at one-hour intervals. The image features were fused with United States Geological Survey stage and discharge data as response variables …

Predictive Understanding Of Lake Water Temperature And Dissolved Oxygen Profiles Across The Red River Basin Through Interpretable Machine Learning, Isabela Suaza Sierra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Accurately predicting lake water temperature (LWT) and dissolved oxygen (DO) is crucial for determining threshold values of fish survivability under warmer global conditions, with recreational fishing in reservoirs significantly contributing to regional economies, such as $779 million and $1,891 million annually to the economies of Oklahoma and Texas, respectively. Current mathematical models for temperature and oxygen profiles, which incorporate multi-layer and turbulent mixing equations, are complex and challenging to parameterize, particularly due to uncertainties in acquiring sufficient data for training and validation. Leveraging the flexibility and information extraction power of machine learning (ML) methods, this master thesis aimed to set …

A Brief Early History Of The Unlv Department Of Geoscience, Matthew S. Lachniet

Geoscience Faculty Research

This project represents four years of part-time research and investigation. It started as something simple, a need for a spreadsheet for me, as a new Department Chair in January of 2020, to assemble the tenure and promotion timelines of existing faculty based on their employment starting dates. It then expanded to document every Geoscience faculty member, which revealed so many interesting stories along the way. Once it began it was hard to stop, with the research taking on a mind of its own as it meandered down the historical archive of the Department. And why stop with people? Buildings? Fair …

Analysis Of Legacy Gravity Data Reveals Sediment-Filled Troughs Buried Under Flathead Valley, Montana, Usa, Ali Gebril, Mohamed A. Khalil, Robert Matthew Joeckel, James Rose

Conservation and Survey Division

Shallow, dominantly silt- and clay-filled erosional troughs in Quaternary sediments under the Flathead Valley (northwestern Montana, USA) are very likely to be hydraulic barriers limiting the horizontal flow of groundwater. Accurately mapping them is important because of increasing demand for groundwater.We used a legacy Bouguer gravity map measured in 1968. The directional derivatives of the map are computed, and the map was enhanced by implementing edge detection tools.We produced generalized derivative, maximum horizontal gradient, total gradient and tilt gradient maps through two-dimensional Fourier transform analysis. These maps were remarkably successful in locating buried troughs in the northern and northwestern parts …

Unmixing Detrital Zircon U-Pb Ages Reveals Tectonic And Climatic Depositional Influences On The Carboniferous Ansilta Formation, Calingasta-Uspallata Basin, Western Argentina, Joshua R. Malone, John Malone, John L. Isbell, David H. Malone, John P. Craddock

Faculty Publications-- Geography, Geology, and the Environment

The Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) was a principal control of sedimentation across Gondwana from the late Devonian through early Permian. We assess the hypothesis that glacial to interglacial transitions in western Argentina were the primary control influencing sediment routing patterns among the various Carboniferous-Permian basins in western Argentina. The Carboniferous Ansilta Formation consists of glaciomarine, nearshore, and fluvial systems deposited during the LPIA along the eastern margin of the Calingasta-Uspallata Basin in Argentina. The lower, glacially influenced succession of the Ansilta Formation records at least five glacial advances; the upper succession of consists of progradational shallow marine, deltaic, and …

Deep Structure Of Siletzia In The Puget Lowland: Imaging An Obducted Plateau And Accretionary Thrust Belt With Potential Fields, Megan L. Anderson, Richard J. Blakely, Ray E. Wells, Joe D. Dragovich

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Detailed understanding of crustal components and tectonic history of forearcs is important due to their geological complexity and high seismic hazard. The principal component of the Cascadia forearc is Siletzia, a composite basaltic terrane of oceanic origin. Much is known about the lithology and age of the province. However, glacial sediments blanketing the Puget Lowland obscure its lateral extent and internal structure, hindering our ability to fully understand its tectonic history and its influence on modern deformation. In this study, we apply map-view interpretation and two-dimensional modeling of aeromagnetic and gravity data to the magnetically stratified Siletzia terrane revealing its …

Brief Communication: Recent Estimates Of Glacier Mass Loss For Western North America From Laser Altimetry, Brian Menounos, Caitlyn Forentine, Alex A. Gardner, Andrew G. Fountain

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Glaciers in western North American outside of Alaska are often overlooked in global studies because their potential to contribute to changes in sea level is small. Nonetheless, these glaciers represent important sources of freshwater, especially during times of drought. Differencing recent ICESat-2 data from a digital elevation model derived from a combination of synthetic aperture radar data (TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X), we find that over the period 2013–2020, glaciers in western North America lost mass at a rate of 12:3+3:5 Gt yr^-1. This rate is comparable to the rate of mass loss (11:71:0 Gt yr1) for the period 2018– 2022 calculated …

Joint Map Of Hardin County, Kentucky, Steven L. Martin, Emily Morris

Map and Chart--KGS

New field mapping of joints with previously published joint and fault locations. This fracture map can be used as a critical data source for hydrological, karst or geotechnical applications. Joint orientations were measured in 2009, 2022 and 2023, and are combined with joint and fault locations for Hardin County, Kentucky from 1:24,000-scale USGS geologic quadrangle maps that were published from 1962 to 1977. The geologic quadrangle maps for the county were digitized from 2002 to 2007.

The geology of Hardin County consists of Upper Devonian New Albany Shale overlain by Lower to Upper Mississippian-age sequences of limestone, dolomite, sandstone and …

Controls On Plastic Debris Capture In Urban Stormwater Drains Of London, Canada: A Study Within The Great Lakes Watershed, Nina Kozikowski

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Land-based sources are the greatest contributors of plastic pollution in aquatic environments. Prior to this investigation, there were no available studies concerning the number and types of plastic debris items between 1 mm and 5 mm captured in urban stormwater drains. The present study examined macroplastic (>5 mm) and large microplastic (1-5 mm) debris that accumulated in LittaTrap^TM devices at six drain sites over four seasonal periods in London, Ontario, Canada. Macroplastics (MaPs) and microplastics (MPs) were found in all 36 samples, and the totals ranged from 5-158 MaPs and 18-359 MPs per trap. Out of the 118 …