Theses/Dissertations - Geosciences
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Edge computing with an “Internet of Things” based sensor array : an innovative approach to near real time seismic exploration and monitoring.
(2020-10-27)We demonstrate the feasibility of leveraging an Internet of Things (IoT)-based sensor array to orchestrate edge-based (i.e., in a field setting) storage and computing resources capable of characterizing the subsurface, ... -
Groundwater/surface water interactions : gravel pit lakes in the Brazos River Alluvium Aquifer.
(2022-05-02)Urban expansion and the subsequent need for construction materials are increasing aggregate mining activities in many areas around the world. In central Texas much of the aggregate has come from alluvial sediments in the ... -
Paleogene climate reconstruction using paleosol mineral assemblages, San Juan Basin, New Mexico.
(2022-05-09)Certain preserved minerals are stable within specific climate conditions, thus their presence can indicate the type of climate that was present during their deposition. The climate after the Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction ... -
Early Paleocene plant community and paleoclimate reconstruction of the Nacimiento Formation from the San Juan Basin, New Mexico.
(2022-05-03)Following the major extinction event at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, the Earth experienced a trend of long-term warming, punctuated by several short-term ‘hyperthermal’ events with associated carbon isotopic ... -
Plant cuticle as a proxy for paleoecology and paleoatmospheric composition : modern calibration and application to the early Paleocene of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico.
(2022-02-18)Human alteration of land cover and combustion of fossil fuels has elevated atmospheric CO2, causing the Earth to warm. The geological record provides an archive of how organisms and ecosystems respond to changes in climate ... -
Modeling macroalgae growth to optimize biomass.
(2022-05-02)The EFDC-MPI model was amended to include the growth kinetics of macroalgae (seaweed) in the water-quality and hydrodynamic calculations. While EFDC has historically simulated macroalgae grown only on the sediment bed, ... -
Stratigraphic partitioning and reservoir distribution of the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian Exshaw Formation, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin.
(2022-04-13)The Late Devonian to Early Mississippian Exshaw Formation is a black shale reservoir within the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) that accumulated as an organic-rich basinal mudrock within a tectonically extensional ... -
Extraction of body wave arrivals from seismic interferometry using time series features and machine learning methods and their applications to seismic tomography.
(2021-12-03)The development of seismic interferometry methods in the last decade has increased the utility of passive seismic surveys for seismic modeling and monitoring. Since passive seismic surveys do not require manual efforts in ... -
Selecting locations for future geophysical surveys in search of the Dog Valley fault using earthquake, LiDAR, and GPS data.
(2021-09-08)I used the seismo-lineament analysis method to define the area where the ground-surface trace of the Dog Valley fault (DVF) – responsible for the M6 Truckee earthquake of 1966 – might be located. The best-fit plane through ... -
Regional elemental and organic geochemical character of the Devonian/Mississippian Exshaw Formation across Alberta, Canada.
(2021-08-04)A regional geochemical study of the Devonian/Mississippian Exshaw shale across Alberta was conducted to test the hypothesis that the shale has widespread organic matter richness accompanied by redox-sensitive trace metal ... -
The springshed and potential recharge areas for the Downtown Salado Spring Complex, Salado, Texas.
(2021-08-01)The Northern Segment of the Edwards (BFZ) Aquifer is a complex, karst system experiencing increases in groundwater demand and environmental stresses in response to a growing population. This study delineated the Salado ... -
Phanerozoic trends in the ecological tolerance of Lingula and extinction selectivity of marine invertebrates.
(2021-08-03)Environmental affinity analyses of Lingula throughout the Phanerozoic for depth, lithology, grainsize, and latitude using three different affinity metrics reveal that lingulids have high ecological tolerance relative to ... -
Developing methodologies for supporting groundwater monitoring, management, and sustainability in central Texas and northern Uganda.
(2021-08-01)In data-scarce and geologically complex aquifers, knowledge building remains an important foundation for further field studies, aquifer modelling, and otherwise supporting sustainable resource development and management. ... -
Effluent-impacted groundwater-surface water interactions in the Brazos River Alluvium Aquifer : a study on Bullhide Creek.
(2021-08-04)The primary recharge source to the Brazos River Alluvium Aquifer (BRAA), a water table aquifer in central Texas, is through direct precipitation on the floodplain. However, recharge provided by other sources, such as Brazos ... -
Embayments in explosive, silicic eruptions : a textural, numerical, and experimental assessment.
(2021-08-09)I explore the occurrence and formation of embayments in quartz using textural, experimental, and numerical techniques. Embayments are pockets of melt partially trapped inside of volcanic crystals. During eruption these ... -
Guiana Shield diamonds, the sub-cratonic lithosphere, and kimberlite emplacement in the upper crust.
(2021-08-02)The origin of diamonds from Guyana have remained an enigma despite being mined for nearly 150 years within the Guiana Shield. These gemstones are an undescribed diamond suite within an understudied portion of the Amazonian ... -
Was there a Northern Dust Bowl? Evidence for heightened wind erosion and dust sources during the 1930s in the Northern Great Plains, USA.
(2021-08-08)The 1930s Dust Bowl Drought was a catastrophic event that caused widespread soil erosion and dust storms in the United States Southern Great Plains (SGP). Despite evidence for similar drought conditions and enhanced erosion, ... -
Hydrocarbon development potential of the Early Jurassic Gordondale Member of the Fernie Formation, Alberta, Canada.
(2021-08-09)The Gordondale Member of the Nordegg Formation of west-central Alberta, Canada contains hydrocarbon resources. The analysis of borehole petrophysical data across Alberta is used to calculate the amount of hydrocarbon ... -
Late Quaternary sedimentary architecture and depositional history of the Monahans Dune Field, Winkler County, TX.
(2021-08-09)The Monahans dune field is a Quaternary eolian system on the Southern High Plains in west Texas. Previous work characterizing the Monahans is limited by the depth and spatial coverage of stratigraphic analyses. This study ... -
Assessing the magnitude and frequency of hydrological processes and their effect on threshold channel morphology, North Bosque River, TX.
(2021-04-20)The North Bosque River (NBR) is a dynamic fluvial system experiencing geomorphic change resulting from hydrological and sedimentological influences. This thesis describes the forces that influence hydrological and ...