Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Fluorescent Chrysotile From Sterling Hill, New Jersey, James A. Van Fleet, Earl R. Verbeek

James A. Van Fleet

Minerals of the serpentine group, notably chrysotile and to a lesser extent lizardite, are widely present at both Franklin and Sterling Hill. They are late-stage hydrous magnesium silicate minerals that formed by hydrothermal alteration of earlier species, among them willemite and tephroite, and are also common components of hydrothermal veins cutting the ore bodies and the enclosing marble (Dunn, 1995). Although long recognized in the area (Fowler, 1825), local serpentine was not documented as a fluorescent mineral until 2004, when a brief description of a fluorescent serpentine from Franklin appeared in The Picking Table (Cianciulli, 2004). In the present paper, …

Hardystonite From The Desert View Mine, California, James A. Van Fleet, Earl R. Verbeek Phd

James A. Van Fleet

The fluorescent mineral hardystonite is confirmed in a specimen from the Desert View Mine, California. Hardystonite had been known only from Franklin, New Jersey for over 100 years.

Field Trip Guidebook For The Nebraska Well Drillers Association, Duane A. Eversoll, Matt Joeckel, Lee Orton

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.

Automated Image Interpretation For Science Autonomy In Robotic Planetary Exploration, Raymond Francis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Advances in the capabilities of robotic planetary exploration missions have increased the wealth of scientific data they produce, presenting challenges for mission science and operations imposed by the limits of interplanetary radio communications. These data budget pressures can be relieved by increased robotic autonomy, both for onboard operations tasks and for decision- making in response to science data.

This thesis presents new techniques in automated image interpretation for natural scenes of relevance to planetary science and exploration, and elaborates autonomy scenarios under which they could be used to extend the reach and performance of exploration missions on planetary surfaces.

Two …

Wetlands On The Thousand Lake Mountain Mega-Landslide As Paleoclimate Proxies, Ryan Andros Shurtliff

Theses and Dissertations

The Windy Ridge mega-landslide in Wayne and Sevier Counties originated in Lates tPleistocene time as established by 14C ages on basal organic-rich clay and peat sediment from bogs that developed on the slide. The contact depth between bog and landslide was estimated using high-resolution seismic reflection to find the thickest sediment. Four bogs were cored at their depocenters, and organic material at the slide contact was used for age determinations. The oldest bog sediments ages are 10,600 ± 46, 10,556 ± 34, 12,511 ± 134, and 12,886 ± 91 calibrated years BP. Ages represent two sliding events. First, at the …

Dendrochronological Analysis Of The Austin House

Historic Structures

Dating historical structures using dendrochronology. The Historical Structures collection consists of reports that are the result of dendochronological analysis of timbers from structures in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Contributors: McGrath, Sarah; Reinthal, Mary; Starr, Kaitlin; Wiesenberg, Nicholas; Wiles, Greg

Sedimentological And Stratigraphic Study Of A Falling-Stage Delta Complex In The Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron Sandstone Member Of The Mancos Shale, South-Central Utah, Usa, Fares Alaboud

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The character and distribution of lithofacies in falling-stage deltas are incompletely documented. This paper presents a sedimentological and stratigraphic evaluation of a superbly-exposed interval of Cretaceous deltaic strata that are believed to be of falling stage origin. The studied interval forms part of the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in the southernmost Henry Mountains Basin of south-central Utah, USA. The interval of interest is exposed in three dimensions over a 20 km² area in a series of canyon walls. Observed facies include fine-grained mudrocks (offshore basin), mudrocks with thinly interlaminated sandstone (prodelta), thinly interbedded …

Exhumation Of The Baranof Schist In Whale Bay Alaska Determined Through Zircon Fission Track Dating, Kate Kaminski

Honors Theses

During the Eocene in the North Pacific, the Kula, Farallon, and Pacific plates met in a trench-ridge-trench triple junction, bordered to the east by a continental margin along the edge of the North American plate. The flysch of the Chugach-Prince William terrane, a deformed accretionary complex, accreted onto this margin in the late Cretaceous to Paleocene. This terrane is framed to the north by the Border Ranges fault, a large strike-slip fault system that has accommodated northward movement of the Chugach-Prince William since the Eocene. One of the easternmost units of the Chugach-Prince William is the Baranof Schist on Baranof …

Late Glacial-Holocene Climate Change Recorded In Proglacial Lake Sediment Cores From The Huaguruncho Massif, Central Peruvian Andes, Dane O'Neil

Honors Theses

Alpine glaciers respond rapidly to changes in climate and the growth and decay of alpine glaciers is recorded in sediment cores extracted from lakes immediately downvalley from the margins of former glaciers. These records provide continuous archives of glaciation and climate change that complement the inherently discontinuous records of glaciation preserved by moraines. The aim of this study is to generate a continuous record of glaciation in Jaico cirque from lake sediment cores, which is located on the southeastern side of the quartz-monzonite dominated Huaguruncho Massif (5789 masl) in the eastern Peruvian Andes. The lakes are Laguna Jaico (10.56° S, …

Application Of Detrital Zircon Geochronology To Determine The Sedimentary Provenance Of The Middle Bloyd Sandstone, Arkoma Shelf, Northern Arkansas, Greg Michael Buratowski

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sedimentary provenance of the middle Bloyd sandstone and subsequent sediment transport and dispersal patterns of the Early Pennsylvanian were interpreted by utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology. Eight middle Bloyd sandstone samples were analyzed. A total of 855 concordant analyses resulted. Peaks occurred at 350-500 Ma, 950-1200 Ma, 1300-1500 Ma, 1800-2300 Ma, and >2500 Ma. These peaks were determined to represent crystalline source rocks on the Laurentian craton from Acadian-Taconic, Grenville, Midcontinent Granite-Rhyolite, Yavapai-Mazatzal, Paleoproterozoic, and Archean Superior Provinces respectively. Grenville age zircons were the most common zircons identified in the middle Bloyd sandstone samples. The Appalachian Mountain region is …

Subsurface To Surface Correlation Of The Tensleep Sandstone In The West Flank Of The Pryor Mountains In Carbon County, Montana, William B. Rhyne

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone is an eolian and nearshore marine/sabka quartz arenite unit with prominent outcrops along the western Pryor/Bighorn Mountain front east of Red Lodge, MT. Regionally, the formation represents one of the largest ergs in the global geologic record. High permeability makes it an important oil and gas reservoir and aquifer in south central Montana and throughout much of Wyoming. The Tensleep Sandstone’s high percentage of quartz content and grain roundness, due to its eolian origin, makes it a prospective source for natural proppant sand.

Three continuous 4-inch cores were obtained during a cooperative project between Montana Tech …

Fault And Fluid Interactions In The Elsinore Fault-West Salton Detachment Fault Damage Zones, Agua Caliente County Park, California, Rebekah Erin Wood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study area provides a unique opportunity to study the intersection of the Elsinore and West Salton detachment faults in southern California, effusing warm springs, and alteration products in the midst of the fault intersection. Structural mapping and compiling previous maps supply an interpretation of the fault zone geometries within the Tierra Blanca Mountains. Geochemical analysis of the crystalline basement and altered protolith help determine the effects of faulting and fluid flow in the study area. In the Tierra Blanca Mountains, the Elsinore strike-slip fault system transitions from the double-stranded Julian segment and Earthquake Valley fault in the northwest, to …

In Situ Stress And Geology From The Mh-2 Borehole, Mountain Home, Idaho: Implications For Geothermal Exploration From Fractures, Rock Properties, And Geomechanics, James Andrew Kessler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Geothermal energy is being explored as a supplement to traditional fossil fuel resources to meet growing energy demand and reduce carbon emissions. Geothermal energy plants harvest heat stored in the Earth’s subsurface by bringing high temperature fluids to the surface and generating steam to produce electricity. Development of geothermal resources is often inhibited by large upfront risk and expense. Successful mitigation of those costs and risks begins with efficient characterization of the resource before development. A typically successful geothermal reservoir consists of a fractured reservoir that conducts hydrothermal fluids and a cap rock seal to limit convective heat loss through …

Subsurface Sequence Stratigraphy And Reservoir Characterization Of The Mississippian Limestone (Kinderhookian To Meramecian), South Central Kansas And North Central Oklahoma, Thomas Cahill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Both conventional and unconventional Mississippian reservoirs in the mid-continent are largely comprised of chert-rich carbonates of Osagean and Meramecan age. The conventional reservoir target is the Mississippian "chat," a high porosity, chert residuum interval found immediately beneath the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian unconformity. The unconventional reservoir target occurs in the lower porosity, cherty, mud-rich intervals that occur in the lower portion of the Mississippian succession.

There has been considerable debate surrounding the sequence stratigraphic interpretations, depositional models, and formation names applied to the reservoir intervals within the subsurface. Another major issue with regard to the subsurface is the stratigraphic position and origin of …

Garnet Dating, Pressure-Temperature Time Paths And Kinematic Analysis Of The Schist Of Upper Narrows, Raft River Mountains, Northwestern Utah: Tectonic Implications Of Pressure-Temperature-Time-Deformation Paths, Alison Christine Lacy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hinterland of the Sevier orogenic belt underwent multiple episodes of synconvergent extension, prior to a brief transitional phase from shortening to overall extension that affected the entire orogen during the Early Eocene. The timing of the final transition from contraction to extension, while well documented in the Sevier fold-thrust belt, remains poorly constrained within the hinterland. The study of metamorphic rocks within the hinterland region provides a unique perspective on the nature of deformational events as well as the timing of the transition from contractional to extensional processes. Garnets from the schist of Upper Narrows in the western Raft …

Quakemap, Richard Braxton

Collection of Engaged Learning

QuakeMap is a web application created with Javascript that allows users to track and view earthquakes in real-time. By using a system of linear scales, the application allows for quantitative data to be viewed qualitatively, and for information to be gathered at a glance.

Geology, The Marcellus Shale, Experts, And Dispute Resolution, Itzchak E. Kornfeld

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Non-Heating Paleointensity Techniques Using Basalts From Lemptégy Volcano, France And Synthetic Magnetite-Bearing Samples, Geoffrey A. Lerner

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Data of the strength of Earth’s magnetic field (paleointensity) in the geological past are crucial for understanding the geodynamo. Conventional paleointensity determination methods require heating a sample to a high temperature in one or more steps. Consequently, many rocks are unsuitable for these methods due to a heating-induced experimental alteration. Alternative non-heating paleointensity methods are investigated to assess their effectiveness and reliability using both natural samples from Lemptégy Volcano, France, and synthetic samples. Paleointensity was measured from the natural and synthetic samples using the Pseudo-Thellier, ARM, REM, REMc, REM’, and Preisach methods.

For the natural samples, only the Pseudo-Thellier method …

Processing And Interpretation Of Illinois Basin Seismic Reflection Data, Katherine M. Gigandet

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

An anonymous oil company released 2D dynamite reflection data from the Illinois basin to be reprocessed and interpreted by Wright State University. The aim of the project is to exhaustively apply different seismic processing methods to the data to determine if any improvement in the imaging and interpretation may be accomplished. The data interpretation procedure convolved extracted wavelets from the final migrated section with reflectivity calculated from well log data provided. Once major formation tops were identified attribute analysis was applied to locate potential oil volumes of interest.

The raw shot records from this impulse data are dominated by guided …

The Role Of Extratropical Cyclones In Shaping Dunes Along Southern And Southeastern Lake Michigan, Brian Yurk, Edward Hansen, Suzzanne Devries-Zimmerman, Zoran Kilibarda, Deanna Van Dijk, Brian Bodenbender, A. Krehel, T. Pennings

Zoran Kilibarda

This study investigates the impacts of extratropical cyclones on Lake Michigan dune complexes by integrating fi eld measurements and meteorological data from sites along the southeastern shore. Surface changes and wind velocities were monitored at Hoffmaster State Park, Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area, and Mount Baldy at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore from October to April in 2010–2011 and 2011–2012. Over 70% of the events with wind speeds at least two standard deviations above the mean were associated with extratropical cyclones. The wind directions depended on the cyclone path, with westerly or southerly components most common. Local conditions moderated the effects of …

Geology Of The Kentucky Geological Survey Marvin Blan No. 1 Well, East-Central Hancock County, Kentucky, J. Richard Bowersox, David A. Williams

Report of Investigations--KGS

The Kentucky Geological Survey’s Marvin Blan No. 1 well was drilled in east-central Hancock County, Ky., about 4 mi southwest of the Ohio River, to demonstrate CO₂ injection in the Western Kentucky Coal Field, following the mandate and partial funding from Kentucky’s House Bill 1, August 2007. Installation of a groundwater monitoring well was required as a condition of obtaining a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Underground Injection Control Class V Permit prior to drilling the Blan well; however, no groundwater was encountered under the Blan well site. The groundwater monitoring well was immediately plugged and abandoned in accordance with …

Metamorphism Of Cretaceous Standstones By Natural Coal-Fires, San Rafael Swell, Utah, Alexa R. Zilberfarb

Scripps Senior Theses

Underground coal fires commonly metamorphose or melt surrounding rocks at temperatures exceeding 1000°C. Numerous “baked” sandstone clinker deposits occur in the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks exposed in the San Rafael Swell, UT. This study examines clinker in three main localities: 1) East Carbon, UT, 2) Helper, UT, and 3) Emery, UT. The extent of pyrometamorphism in these areas is variably developed, but reached high enough temperature in Helper, UT to initiate melting and the production of paralavas. These paralavas were examined compositionally and mineralogically to determine melting conditions, peak temperatures, and mobility of different metals as a result of pyrometamorphism. X-ray …

Seismic Characterization Of The J-Reflector Near The Meizoseismal Area Of The 1886 Charleston Earthquake For Lithologic Constraint, Craig Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Investigations into the relationship between geologic structure and seismicity in and around the meizoseismal area of the 1886 Charleston earthquake have been ongoing since the 1970s. Seismic reflection profiles collected in this area display a prominent, laterally continuous, high amplitude, low frequency, two cycle reflection at ~0.7-1.2 s TWT, termed the "J" reflector, which has been correlated with Lower to Middle Jurassic tholeiitic basalt flows encountered in the Clubhouse Crossroads wells. The "J" reflector was also extended offshore onto the continental shelf. Recent reevaluation of sub Coastal Plain wells within the South Georgia Rift (SGR) Basin, including wells around the …

Low-Temperature Deformation Of Mixed Siliciclastic & Carbonate Fault Rocks Of The Copper Creek, Hunter Valley, And Mcconnell Thrusts, Jack R. Hoehn

Honors Papers

This study analyzes the low-temperature deformation of fault rocks associated thrust faults. Each fault has dominantly carbonate rocks in one wall and dominantly siliciclastic rocks in the other. The rocks from the Hunter Valley and Copper Creek thrusts of the Southern Appalachians, and McConnell thrust of the Canadian Rockies, were analyzed using data extracted at the thin section and SEM scale. The rocks, all of which featured a fine-grained carbonate matrix surrounding larger carbonate and siliciclastic carbonates, all experienced general shearing, but deformed by different deformation mechanisms. The Hunter Valley and McConnell samples showed evidence of cataclasis, diffusive mass transfer, …

Lithostratigraphic Investigation Of A Late Devonian Carbonate-Evaporite Sequence; The Duperow Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota, Zachary P. Alcorn

Theses and Dissertations

The Duperow Formation of northwestern North Dakota is a cyclical carbonate evaporite unit deposited on a shallow marine shelf during the early part of the Late Devonian (Frasnian). The formation forms the lower part of the Jefferson Group and lithostratigraphic review permits three informal members to be recognized: lower, middle, and upper. Petrographic, lithologic, and well log examination of drill cores and thin sections allows the identification of seven lithofacies within the three members. Lithofacies include; bioclastic wackestone/packstone (LF1), stromatoporoid boundstone/floatstone (LF2), Amphipora boundstone/floatstone (LF3), peloidal wackestone (LF4), dolomitic mudstone (LF5), microbially laminated dolowackestone (LF6), and anhydrite (Lf7). Lithofacies are …

Digital Outcrop Model And Paleoecology Of The Eight-Foot Rapid Algal Field (Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Ismay Sequence), Paradox Basin, Utah, Colton Lynn Goodrich

Theses and Dissertations

Although phylloid algal mounds have been studied for 50 year, much remains to be determined concerning the ecology and sedimentology of these Late Paleozoic carbonate buildups. Herein we perform a digital outcrop study of the well-known Middle Pennsylvanian Lower Ismay mound interval in the Paradox Basin because outcropping mounds along the San Juan River are cited as outcrop analogs of reservoir carbonates in the Paradox Basin oil province of Utah and adjacent states. The principal field area is the Eight Foot algal field located at river mile 19.2 on the San Juan River, approximately 14 miles SSW of Bluff, Utah. …

Geoelectrical Detection Of Water Table Depth At Two Locations In The Los Osos Groundwater Basin, Hallie A. Douglas

Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences

The city of Los Osos sits on top of a coastal groundwater aquifer which is the sole supplier of all its residential, agricultural, and industrial water needs. Lacking a sewer system, the upper aquifer became progressively contaminated with nitrates over several decades. Groundwater pumping eventually shifted to the lower aquifer, however seawater intrusion of the lower aquifer caused by over-pumping has further degraded water quality. The Los Osos groundwater basin provides an excellent field region to examine the utility of geophysical methods for characterizing aquifer structure. In this study shallow (<20 >m) electrical resistivity imaging methods were performed at two …

Letter: A Developing Schism In Flood Geology, Marcus R. Ross

Marcus R. Ross

First paragraph: Froede and Akridge are correct to recognize that creation geology includes two widely divergent groups seeking to reconstruct Earth history within a Biblical framework. Such has been the case throughout the history of creationism, going back to disagreements between Harold Clark and George McCready Price over the reality (or not) of the geologic column. With the increased number of geologically trained young-Earth creationists, discussions over these issues have become more common.

Stratigraphic Controls On Diagenetic Pathways In The St. Peter Sandstone, Michigan Basin, Stephen A. Zdan

Masters Theses

The Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone in the Michigan Basin is a target for hydrocarbon exploration/production, and carbon sequestration and geologic storage. The St. Peter is predominantly a marine sandstone with four dominant lithofacies. The uppermost facies contains zones of porosity and good reservoir quality. Because of the mostly uniform detrital composition, diagenesis must play a leading role in reservoir quality development. This study tests stratigraphic controls on diagenesis and reservoir quality development. The distribution of diagenetic regimes is believed to result from depositional setting and related geologic processes, including variations in sediment accumulation rate. Early carbonate cements preserve pre-compaction …

Bedrock Geological Map Of The Rockhouse Quadrangle, Carroll And Madison Counties, Arkansas, Douglas Eben Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A digital geologic map of the Rockhouse quadrangle, Carroll and Madison counties, Arkansas, was created on a 1:24,000 scale using ArcMap 10 and Photoshop CS4. The data obtained in the field are digitized onto the United States Geological Survey (USGS) digital raster graphic (DRG) of the Rockhouse quadrangle. The geology in the Rockhouse quadrangle consist entirely of sedimentary rocks that are Paleozoic ranging from Lower Ordovician to Mississippian in age. The Ordovician System is represented by the Cotter, Powell, Everton, and St. Peter Formations. The Cotter and Powell are the prominent bluff forming units throughout the quadrangle and along the …