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Geology

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Articles 121 - 150 of 858

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Pumice Compositions And Mineral Chemistry From Lascar Volcano, Chile, Madelaine M. Stearn May 2020

Pumice Compositions And Mineral Chemistry From Lascar Volcano, Chile, Madelaine M. Stearn

MSU Graduate Theses

Lascar volcano is one the most active volcano in the Central Volcanic Zone of the Andean Cordillera, with 36 Holocene eruptions including a VEI 4 eruption in April 1993. Activity has not been consistent throughout time, and therefore, the processes behind it are poorly understood. Lascar volcano has cyclic behavior and has had four stages of activity, each of which had a unique eruptive style and product composition. Stage I (<43 >ka) had primarily mafic andesite lavas erupted effusively from a stratocone. Stage II initiated with dome building events ESE of the original vent and culminated in the 26.45 ka …

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Testing A Drone-Based Magnetic Field Surveying System, Erik Jacobson, Irina Filina Apr 2020

Testing A Drone-Based Magnetic Field Surveying System, Erik Jacobson, Irina Filina

UCARE Research Products

Aeromagnetic surveys are conducted by geoscientists to study subsurface geologic structures, such as faults. This type of survey uses a magnetometer mounted upon an airborne vehicle to collect magnetic field data. Magnetic anomalies are caused by variations in subsurface geology, namely in magnetic properties of subsurface rocks. Jacobson and Filina (2019) reported on the development of a new low cost drone, based magnetic field surveying system by the UNL Geophysics Team. This drone-based magnetic system is capable of collecting high resolution data at low speeds and low altitudes. The current study focuses on testing this system by conducting two flights …

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Field Relations, Geochemistry, And Geochronology Of The Rocks At Perkins Point, Castine, Maine, Robert Knowles, Douglas Reusch Apr 2020

Field Relations, Geochemistry, And Geochronology Of The Rocks At Perkins Point, Castine, Maine, Robert Knowles, Douglas Reusch

Individual Projects

Northwest of Castine, Maine is the coastline known as Perkins Point, which is home to about 500 meters of bedrock exposure. Previous mapping projects of Penobscot Bay indicate a discrepancy in rock type for this area, and therefore the origin of the rocks is unclear. Preliminary observations suggest that these rocks are mostly volcanic. The goal of this project is to determine the field relations, geochronology, and geochemistry to conclude the true nature of these rocks and ultimately create a geological map.

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Quantifying Water Content In Olivine From North Carolina Dunites Using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Thomas Byars Apr 2020

Quantifying Water Content In Olivine From North Carolina Dunites Using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Thomas Byars

Student Scholars Day Posters

The focus of this study is to quantify the water content in grains of the mineral olivine collected from the Buck Creek Ultramafic Suite–a fragment of ancient ocean crust emplaced into the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. Previous work on these samples includes Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) analysis. EBSD data can constrain temperature and stress conditions of olivine deformation under different levels of hydration. The water in olivine was analyzed using a Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science. The olivine grains are doubly polished in preparation for FTIR analysis. The machine scans the …

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Geology Of Nacogdoches, Texas: Texas Academy Of Science March 1, 2020, R. Larell Nielson, Mike Read, Mindy Faulkner, Hannah C. Chambers, Jessica O'Neal Feb 2020

Geology Of Nacogdoches, Texas: Texas Academy Of Science March 1, 2020, R. Larell Nielson, Mike Read, Mindy Faulkner, Hannah C. Chambers, Jessica O'Neal

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Geochemical Analysis And Heat-Treatment Of Natural Sapphires From Madagascar And Tanzania In Oxidizing And Reducing Conditions, Lukas Karuza, Dr. Michael B. Wolf, Brian Konecke Phd Jan 2020

Geochemical Analysis And Heat-Treatment Of Natural Sapphires From Madagascar And Tanzania In Oxidizing And Reducing Conditions, Lukas Karuza, Dr. Michael B. Wolf, Brian Konecke Phd

Geology: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Natural or synthetic sapphires can be heat-treated to improve the clarity by removing “silk” (inclusions) and to change color by introducing color-inducing elements (i.e., chromophores) into the lattice structure or changing their valency. Due to these reasons, sapphires can be heat-treated to increase their monetary value. Twenty natural blue (C1), 20 green (C2), and 20 clear (C3) sapphires from Madagascar and Tanzania were heat-treated in a muffle furnace in oxidizing and reducing conditions, from 1200 to 1600℃, for 10-hour soak time. In total, 5 experiments were conducted in which soak time remained constant: experiment 1 was performed at 1200℃, exp. …

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Supra-Salt Syndepositional Folding Within The Jurassic Morrison Formation, Big Gypsum Valley, Colorado, Alondra Soltero Jan 2020

Supra-Salt Syndepositional Folding Within The Jurassic Morrison Formation, Big Gypsum Valley, Colorado, Alondra Soltero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Paradox Basin, along the Utah and Colorado border, exposes salt diapirs that form elongate "salt walls". Most exposures of sediments that were deposited during salt movement are hundreds of meters from the contacts. However, in the southeastern part of the Gypsum Valley diapir, a set of tight folds within the Jurassic Morrison Formation are preserved along the diapir margins where they overlie salt. These are best exposed at the southeastern end of Big Gypsum Valley. Previous interpretations suggested that the Morrison Formation folding and faulting occurred during dissolution of the diapir. However, field mapping reported here reveals that the …

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Wave Runup And Morphologic Change On A Mixed-Sediment Beach In The Salish Sea, Wa, Avery Maverick Jan 2020

Wave Runup And Morphologic Change On A Mixed-Sediment Beach In The Salish Sea, Wa, Avery Maverick

WWU Graduate School Collection

A primary threat to coastal regions is extreme water levels from tides, storm surges, and waves which drive coastal evolution. Predicting wave runup, the vertical extent of wave uprush on a beach above still water level, and the morphologic responses to storms within the Salish Sea is complex because of the high variability of shoreline exposure to waves and wind, morphology, coastal landforms, and tide range across the region. As part of a USGS study, this project was designed to assess how wave energy offshore drives runup, validate existing runup models (van der Meer, 2002; Stockdon et al., 2006; Didier …

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The Hydrostatics And Hydrodynamics Of Prominent Heteromorph Ammonoid Morphotypes And The Functional Morphology Of Ammonitic Septa, David Joseph Peterman Jan 2020

The Hydrostatics And Hydrodynamics Of Prominent Heteromorph Ammonoid Morphotypes And The Functional Morphology Of Ammonitic Septa, David Joseph Peterman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Ammonoid cephalopods have chambered shells that regulated buoyancy. The morphology of their shells strongly influenced the physical properties acting on these animals during life. Heteromorph ammonoids, which undergo changes in coiling throughout ontogeny, are the focus of this dissertation. The biomechanics of these cephalopods are investigated in a framework involving functional morphology, paleoecology, and possible modes of life. Constructional constraints were investigated for the marginally-corrugated septal walls within the chambered ammonoid shell. These constraints governed the positive relationship between septal complexity and terminal size. Furthermore, increased septal complexity facilitated liquid retention via surface tension. More complex septa would have increased …

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Paleoecology Of Bivalves In The Carmel Formation (Middle Jurassic, Bajocian) Of Utah, Evan L. Shadbolt Jan 2020

Paleoecology Of Bivalves In The Carmel Formation (Middle Jurassic, Bajocian) Of Utah, Evan L. Shadbolt

Senior Independent Study Theses

The Carmel Formation of the Middle Jurassic has many mysteries. One of these enigmas is its bivalves. The formation contains the famous oyster balls called ostreoliths. Despite bivalves making up 80 percent of the fossils found in the Carmel Formation, it is not understood how the bivalves lived in this community. The formation is located in southwestern and central Utah. It was deposited when an epicontinental seaway covered most of Utah. The paleoclimate of Utah was hot and dry, which meant that the environment was evaporite heavy. This also meant that the seawater at the southernmost extent of the seaway …

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Quantifying Contributions To The Variance Of Permeability And Porosity Within The Western Belt Sandstones Of The Cypress Formation, Illinois Basin, Nathaniel Frederick Dulaney Jan 2020

Quantifying Contributions To The Variance Of Permeability And Porosity Within The Western Belt Sandstones Of The Cypress Formation, Illinois Basin, Nathaniel Frederick Dulaney

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One of the strategies for reducing the emission of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) and mitigating its accumulation into the Earth’s atmosphere is geologic sequestration (GSCO2). This process might be paired with enhanced oil recovery (EOR) within depleted oil reservoirs to provide an economic incentive for GSCO2. Heterogeneity within reservoirs (e.g. spatial differences in entry pressure, permeability, and porosity) can exert significant influence on the dynamics of fluid flow during EOR and GSCO2, and thus on the ultimate success of GSCO2-EOR. The Western Belt sandstones of the Cypress Formation in the Illinois Basin are candidate reservoirs for GSCO2-EOR. Heterogeneity …

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Fluvial Sedimentology And Architecture Of Two Latest Devonian Lower Huntley Mountain Formation Outcrops, North-Central Pennsylvania, Usa, Evan W. Filion Jan 2020

Fluvial Sedimentology And Architecture Of Two Latest Devonian Lower Huntley Mountain Formation Outcrops, North-Central Pennsylvania, Usa, Evan W. Filion

Honors Theses

Thick successions of river deposits accumulated in the north-central Pennsylvania region of the Appalachian foreland basin during Late Devonian time (~380-360 Ma). The properties and morphologies of these paleorivers are not well characterized. Latest Devonian tectonic, climatic, and eustatic controls on river dynamics and basin infilling also remain unclear. This study assesses the sedimentology, facies architecture, paleochannel depths, and grain size of a 133 m thick section of fluvial strata exposed across two outcrops, Blossburg South (older) and Blossburg West (younger), mapped as lower Huntley Mountain Formation near Blossburg, Pennsylvania. Field-based lithofacies observations, high-resolution panoramic photography, terrestrial lidar scanning, and …

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Development Of A Synthesis Method For O2-Releasing Compound For Microbiological Experiments, Danae Greco Jan 2020

Development Of A Synthesis Method For O2-Releasing Compound For Microbiological Experiments, Danae Greco

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many celestial bodies within our solar system may have habitable environments due to the presence of liquid water. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, may be habitable because of its liquid ocean and other potentially biologically favorable conditions. The ocean on Europa is hypothesized to contain large amounts of oxidants and low pH due to the radiolytically processed icy ocean shell. This suspected environment on Europa is similar to the composition of acid mine drainage on Earth, which can house microbial communities in environments of extreme acidity. Similar chemical reactions in Europa’s ocean may occur to produce the appropriate reduction-oxidation gradients …

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Paleoenvironments Containing Coryphodon In The Fort Union And Willwood Formations Spanning The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (Petm), Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, Emily N. Randall Jan 2020

Paleoenvironments Containing Coryphodon In The Fort Union And Willwood Formations Spanning The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (Petm), Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, Emily N. Randall

Senior Independent Study Theses

Preliminary data point toward a new hypothesis in which Coryphodon lived in wetter habitats before the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), but was able to adapt to drier habitats in order to survive post-PETM. Early Paleogene nonmarine strata are extensively exposed in the Bighorn Basin of northwestern Wyoming. The Fort Union and Willwood Formations represent alluvial deposition within a Laramide Basin formed from the Paleocene through early Eocene. Therefore, the basin is an ideal place to study the local effects of the PETM, a rapid global warming event that occurred about 55.5 million years ago at the Paleocene–Eocene boundary. During this …

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Geochemical Flux Analysis Of Glacial River Runoff For Sólheimajökull, Iceland, Jessica Garrison Jan 2020

Geochemical Flux Analysis Of Glacial River Runoff For Sólheimajökull, Iceland, Jessica Garrison

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Geochemical fluxes in aqueous studies are an essential component of research to understand weathering and changes in a hydrologic system. These data can indicate any discrepancies, outliers, or gradual changes in a water environment to gain information on pollutants, carbon cycles, biological input, etc. Glacial melt is the majority of the surface water present throughout the country. The melting amount is increasing with the temperatures, which can be monitored by the changes in geochemical flux during increased discharge in glacial rivers. A high-resolution data set of Sόlheimajökull Glacier in Iceland was used to determine how changing climatic conditions for the …

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Interpretive Geologic Maps And Cross Sections For Phelps, Kearney, And Adams Counties In Nebraska, Dana Divine, Leslie M. Howard Jan 2020

Interpretive Geologic Maps And Cross Sections For Phelps, Kearney, And Adams Counties In Nebraska, Dana Divine, Leslie M. Howard

Conservation and Survey Division

Data from thousands of test-hole and well logs were interpreted to improve understanding and management of the High Plains aquifer in a three-county study area adjacent to the Big Bend reach of the Platte River. Five principal conclusions resulted from these interpretations: (1) the extent of Neogene Ogallala deposits beneath the study area is different than previously mapped; (2) a large paleovalley incised into Cretaceous bedrock probably cuts across Kearney and Adams counties and may be the course of the ancestral Platte River prior to formation of the Big Bend; (3) a groundwater mound created by irrigation canals artificially raises …

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Fracture Analysis Of The Lower Oceanic Crust, Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge, Trent Jackson Dec 2019

Fracture Analysis Of The Lower Oceanic Crust, Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge, Trent Jackson

Master's Theses

Atlantis Bank (AB) is an oceanic core complex (OCC), formed at the slow-spreading (spreading rate/yr) Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR)-Atlantis II transform junction. AB is a domal massif composed of lower crustal and upper mantle rocks exhumed along a normal-sense detachment shear zone/fault. OCCs are of high interest since oceanic crust comprises the majority of Earth’s crust and OCCs form up to 15% of the crust that is formed at slow-spreading ridges. Brittle deformation, such as faults and fractures provide pathways for fluids to interact with the crust, which increases heat and mass exchange between the crust and hydrosphere, and is …

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The Role Of Introductory Geoscience Courses In Preparing Teachers—And All Students—For The Future: Are We Making The Grade?, Anne E. Egger Oct 2019

The Role Of Introductory Geoscience Courses In Preparing Teachers—And All Students—For The Future: Are We Making The Grade?, Anne E. Egger

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

Introductory geoscience courses enroll hundreds of thousands of students a year, most of whom do not major in the geosciences. For many, including future K–12 teachers, an introductory course is the only place they will encounter Earth science at the college level. New standards for K–12 science education have profound implications for teacher preparation, particularly in Earth science. The new standards call for taking a systems approach, highlighting how humans interact with Earth, making use of science and engineering practices, and engaging students in discourse. Analysis of responses to the National Geoscience Faculty Survey (n = 813 in 2004; …

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The Spatial And Temporal Evolution Of The Portland And Tualatin Basins, Oregon, Usa, Darby Patrick Scanlon Aug 2019

The Spatial And Temporal Evolution Of The Portland And Tualatin Basins, Oregon, Usa, Darby Patrick Scanlon

Dissertations and Theses

The Portland and Tualatin basins are part of the Puget-Willamette Lowland in the Cascadia forearc of Oregon and Washington. The Coast Range to the west has undergone Paleogene transtension and Neogene transpression, which is reflected in basin stratigraphy. To better understand the tectonic evolution of the region, I modeled three key stratigraphic horizons and their associated depocenters (areas of maximum sediment accumulation) through space and time using well log, seismic, outcrop, aeromagnetic, and gravity data. Three isochore maps were created to constrain the location of Portland and Tualatin basin depocenters during 1) Pleistocene to mid-Miocene (0-15 Ma), 2) eruption of …

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An Overview Of Handheld Sun Photometer Measurements Of Atmospheric Aerosols In New Orleans, Louisiana: A Case Study Of The Xavier University Study Site., M. Bradley, B. Sevalia, M. Gasseller Jul 2019

An Overview Of Handheld Sun Photometer Measurements Of Atmospheric Aerosols In New Orleans, Louisiana: A Case Study Of The Xavier University Study Site., M. Bradley, B. Sevalia, M. Gasseller

Faculty and Staff Publications

Aerosol optical depth (AOT) was measured at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA, 29.96ᵒ N, 90.11° W and 3m above sea level) using a GLOBE handheld sun photometer. The measurements were done at two different wavelengths, 505nm and 625nm. The measured values were used to extrapolate the AOT values for wavelengths 667nm, 551nm, 532nm and 490nm at the XULA site. The measured and calculated AOT values were then compared with values from the nearest AERONET station at Wave CIS site 6 (AERONET, 28.87ᵒ N, 90.48° W and 33m above sea level), which is 60 miles south of XULA. In this study …

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Effects Of Heat Treatment Of Spinels As Determined By Vis/Nir And Raman Spectroscopy And Xrd, Jill Reale, Dr. Michael B. Wolf Jun 2019

Effects Of Heat Treatment Of Spinels As Determined By Vis/Nir And Raman Spectroscopy And Xrd, Jill Reale, Dr. Michael B. Wolf

Celebration of Learning

Heat treatment is done to improve the color and clarity and, therefore, the value of gemstones. The objectives of this study include observing color and inclusion changes in pink spinels after heat treatment, and analyzing structural changes within differently colored spinels using Raman Spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction with a Paris Edinburgh Press. We expected the heat treatment to yield color changes and fading of small inclusions. Cut and polished spinels were heated to 1400C for 2 days or 850C for 3 days. Future experiments involve 800C, 750C, and 700C all for 1 week, 1500C for 4 days, and 1600C for …

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Investigation Of Pervasive Clay Layers And Their Effect On Groundwater Flow Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography In The San Antonio Groundwater Basin, James M. Carlson Jun 2019

Investigation Of Pervasive Clay Layers And Their Effect On Groundwater Flow Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography In The San Antonio Groundwater Basin, James M. Carlson

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The United States Geological Survey is developing an integrated hydrologic model of the San Antonio Creek Groundwater Basin to better understand and simulate the integrated surface water and groundwater system. An abrupt 60 meter offset in groundwater depth over a distance of less than one kilometer is observed in well readings within the Cañada De Las Flores region of the groundwater basin. Abrupt changes in groundwater levels are often explained by the presence of a fault in the subsurface vertically offsetting sedimentary units. However, observations of the structural geology of this region indicates that faulting is unlikely and suggests an …

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Genetic Sequencing For Measuring Biodiversity In Recent And Ancient Marine Sediments, Lauren Judge May 2019

Genetic Sequencing For Measuring Biodiversity In Recent And Ancient Marine Sediments, Lauren Judge

Celebration of Learning

Taxonomic biodiversity, measured by counting the number of species present in a given area, is the most common method of capturing ecosystem biodiversity in recent and ancient environments. While this method is widely accepted, it is limited by poor preservation and identification of many individuals, making it impossible to include every species within an ecosystem and resulting in the loss of some diversity information. To address this issue, we measured the genetic biodiversity (in which species are determined based on sequencing of their DNA) of shallow marine ecosystems by extracting and sequencing the 18S ribosomal gene from bulk carbonate sediment …

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Geochemical Analysis Of The Chinchín Formation In Southern Ecuador, Katherine Ludwig May 2019

Geochemical Analysis Of The Chinchín Formation In Southern Ecuador, Katherine Ludwig

Celebration of Learning

The subduction of the Nazca Plate under the South American Plate has led to the uplift of the majority of the Andes Mountains, but in Ecuador, the Nazca Plate subducts underneath the North Andes Plate, which then collides with the South American Plate. This tectonic setting has formed two parallel mountain chains as well as a complex series of basins between them. However, the formations that make up these basins are poorly understood. This study focuses on the Chinchín Formation, an ~3.5 km thick, volcanic formation that serves as the bedrock of the Quingeo Basin in southern Ecuador. This study …

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Resources For Interdisciplinary Understanding Of Energy, Alessandra Hughes, Jessica Trottier May 2019

Resources For Interdisciplinary Understanding Of Energy, Alessandra Hughes, Jessica Trottier

Scholars Week

In most undergraduate curricula, students are expected to have the ability to apply, or transfer, a learned concept to new coursework. In the sciences, students are often introduced to energy ideas with discipline-specific vocabulary and tasks which encourage compartmentalized, surface-level understandings of energy concepts. Our research investigates student transfer of energy ideas within a coherent science course series, where physics is the foundational course. Similar modeling tools and vocabulary are used in the classes to help students see energy as a unifying framework. We seek to identify and describe what transfer “looks like” in this idealized context by interviewing students …

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Spectral Analysis Of Stratigraphy At Eberswalde Crater, Mars, Cory Hughes May 2019

Spectral Analysis Of Stratigraphy At Eberswalde Crater, Mars, Cory Hughes

Scholars Week

We will analyze spectral characteristics of stratigraphy in the catchment and deposit at Eberswalde Crater, Mars. This crater is a frequent contender for the preferred destination of future Mars rover and human science missions in the search for evidence of life on the Red Planet.

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Multi-Proxy Characterization Of Acex Subunit 1/5 (The “Zebra” Interval) To Better Understand Sediment Deposition At This Critical Age Boundary And Paleoceanographic Transition, Victoria Hojnacki May 2019

Multi-Proxy Characterization Of Acex Subunit 1/5 (The “Zebra” Interval) To Better Understand Sediment Deposition At This Critical Age Boundary And Paleoceanographic Transition, Victoria Hojnacki

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Sediment cores recovered from the Lomonosov Ridge on IODP Expedition 302, the Arctic Coring Expedition (ACEX), provided the first major insights into long-term Cenozoic history of climate and ocean conditions in the central Arctic. However, the ACEX record is hampered by a major hiatus or severely condensed interval (depending on age-model interpretations) at 198.7 mcd separating the middle Eocene and Miocene records. Lithologic subunit 1/5 lies above this depth horizon, and is informally called the “zebra interval” because of distinctive stripes - black and gray tilted and cross-banded silty-clay layers, up to 3 cm thick that characterize the lower ~2.5 …

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Grain Size And Vegetation As Controlling Variables Of Stream Channel Morphology, Grant Colip May 2019

Grain Size And Vegetation As Controlling Variables Of Stream Channel Morphology, Grant Colip

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Streams are one of the major driving forces that shape the landscapes in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the eastern United States as a whole, and they serve an important role in transporting both water and sediment to the Atlantic Ocean. However, streams are often modified for human use, thus altering their natural equilibrium. These alterations have frequently led to the degradation of channel stability as well as damage to property and infrastructure. A better understanding of how both grain size (D50) and vegetation impact stream sinuosity (S) is needed to analyze the prevalence of channel degradation …

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Feature Identification In Time Series Data Sets, Justin Shaw, Marek Stastna, Aaron Coutino, Ryan K. Walter, Eduard Reinhardt May 2019

Feature Identification In Time Series Data Sets, Justin Shaw, Marek Stastna, Aaron Coutino, Ryan K. Walter, Eduard Reinhardt

Physics

We present a computationally inexpensive, flexible feature identification method which uses a comparison of time series to identify a rank-ordered set of features in geophysically-sourced data sets. Many physical phenomena perturb multiple physical variables nearly simultaneously, and so features are identified as time periods in which there are local maxima of absolute deviation in all time series. Unlike other available methods, this method allows the analyst to tune the method using their knowledge of the physical context. The method is applied to a data set from a moored array of instruments deployed in the coastal environment of Monterey Bay, California, …

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Fun In A Kansas Salt Mine, Robert F. Diffendal Jr. Apr 2019

Fun In A Kansas Salt Mine, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

Most people probably do not know that salt deposits hundreds of feet thick lie buried beneath large parts of western Kansas, western Oklahoma and a small part of the northeastern Texas Panhandle. Native Americans and early European explorers found that where the salt deposits came near the land surface (for, example north of Hutchinson, Kansas) salt is dissolved by ground water and increases the salinity of rivers, streams, springs and ponds. This salty water was used as a salt source by these peoples. The Hutchinson Salt, a 275 million-year-old Middle Permian deposit, was discovered in an exploratory drill hole in …

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