Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Masters Theses
Images from series: Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Masters Theses

Determining variable depth to bedrock using ERT and MASW: A geophysical investigation in St. Louis, MO

“The research involves a geophysical study in the Maremec River Valley in St. Louis County, Missouri. The geophysical methods described in this paper can provide a relatively quick, inexpensive, and accurate means in investigating the lithologic characteristics of the subsurface. Method selection is ultimately dependent of the type of investigation and site-specific characteristics. In this investigation, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) data and Mutli-Channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) data were acquired to image the bedrock beneath the Maremec River to an approximate depth of 110 ft or an elevation of 300 ft for a proposed wastewater tunnel. Two overlapping dipole-dipole arrays were used in a survey across the Maremec River to create a 1,670 ft ERT traverse. The ERT data were then processed to create a 2-D pseudo-section. Multiple MASW surveys were acquired on both sides of the river along the ERT traverse. The MASW data were processed and six shear wave velocity profiles were created. Two borings were logged on both sides of the river near the ERT traverse using material collected from a split-spoon sampler. The data from these geophysical tools were then compared and correlated with the boring data. The depth to bedrock was interpreted to be from 30 ft – 80 ft. The processed MASW data correlated fairly well with the interpreted top-of-rock with 0 ft – 15 ft. Based on the resistivity data, the bedrock can be characterized as fairly weathered beneath ERT stations 600 to 1600. A potential karst feature is present after station 1400 which extends below 300 ft elevation. From ERT stations 100 to 600, the bedrock is considered competent and less weathered”--Abstract, page iii.

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/7963

Micro-analysis of contaminants in suspended load and bank deposits from the Mineral Fork Creek Watershed in Potosi, Missouri, 2019-2020

”There are rising concerns pertaining to water contamination produced by toxic heavy metal contaminants such as lead and zinc. For this study, lead, zinc, and barite are three identified contaminants currently threatening Missouri water supplies. A microanalysis of the amounts of lead, zinc, and barite in the water of Mineral Fork Creek was conducted, involving both field and laboratory work. The purpose of the study was to determine the levels of lead, zinc, and barite contaminants, contributing to Big River, by Mineral Fork Creek, in Potosi Missouri, Washington County.

This research study uses a quantitative micro-analysis approach to determine the levels of contamination of lead, zinc, and barite found in the Mineral Fork Creek watershed. A total of 95 suspended sediment samples were collected and analyzed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to identify the amounts of lead, zinc, and barite minerals. A total of 72 sediment samples were collected from streambanks. Over the duration of the study, water levels were recorded at 20 minute intervals. A total of 167 soil samples were collected July 7, 2020 to September 26, 2020.

The results of this study indicate that there are no direct relationships between rainfall events and the amounts of metal and clay minerals present in Mineral Fork Creek. The results also suggest that there is no relationship between the water discharge and amounts of metal and clay minerals present in Mineral Fork Creek. The analysis suggests a possible relationship between the amounts of metal and clay minerals present, the pH level of the water, and the water discharge”--Abstract, page iv.

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/7968

Archaeological investigation using geophysical methods to locate historic Byram's Ford Road

"Ground penetrating radar, a time domain electromagnetic metal detector and a frequency domain electromagnetic metal detector were used with the goal of locating a section of the Byram's Ford Road believed to be intersecting the historic Big Blue Battlefield in the Westport area of Kansas City, Missouri.

Ground penetrating data were acquired at three sites, Site A, Site B, and Site C. The time domain EM metal detector was used to acquire data at Site A, where subsequent ground truthing was conducted using the frequency domain EM metal detector and an excavation tool. Significant anomalies were visible on both the ground penetrating radar traverse profiles and the time domain EM profiles.

At Site A, most of the anomalies seen on the ground penetrating radar traverse profiles were attributed to a previously existing railroad. These anomalies appeared on each profile at the north end of Site A and appear as high amplitude reflections spanning approximately 10 feet across. Many localized anomalies appeared on the time domain EM data, which were then investigated in the ground truthing process. Only old farm equipment, including a fender, a wheel, and many wire pieces were found in this ground truthing process. The anomalies identified at Site C are likely caused by buried utilities, likely electrical lines used for the building bounding the west of Site C. The anomalies at Site B appear at the same distance along each traverse profile as high amplitude reflections. These anomalies are approximately 10 to 15 feet and are similar to those seen at Site A. These anomalies could be due to Byram's Ford Road, compacted soils caused by construction of the previously existing railroad, or an excavation"--Abstract, page iii.

https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/masters_theses/7882

Evaluation of naturally occurring and anthropogenic contamination in Missouri streams

"The goal of this study is to observe the values and variability of water quality parameters and benthic macroinvertebrates in watersheds with very little anthropogenic impact and to compare these values with those acquired in watersheds with more anthropogenic impact. The following five HUC 12-digit watersheds had very little anthropogenic impact and were considered "pristine": Rogers Creek, Mill Creek, Middle West Fork-Black River, Bee Fork, and Ottery Creek. Five largely urban sub-basins were also considered; these basins are: Grand Glaize Creek, Glaize Creek, Sugar Creek, Hominy Creek, and Grindstone Creek. For each watershed, both water quality parameters and benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled. The macroinvertebrate samples were used to calculate the biotic index for each stream using the Missouri Department of Natural Resources method, percent Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera, and the Hilsenhoff Family Biotic Index to help better determine long-term stream health. Water quality parameters were also analyzed to identify seasonal changes and patterns between the streams. Correlation matrices were constructed to determine significant correlations between water chemistry parameters at the pristine steams, the urban streams, and when considering all streams as one sample set. Welch ANOVA was additionally performed to determine which streams were statistically part of the same population. For most water quality parameters, the pristine streams tended to be grouped as one population, while the urban streams were often separated into two populations. The reason for differing populations is most likely related to land use/land cover and varying activities in each watershed"--Abstract, page iii.

Temporal changes of nutrients within the Lower Grand River Watershed and selected sites

"This report presents the results of a study carried out in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to estimate total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) at five USGS monitoring sites within Lower Grand River Watershed (LGRW) and two monitoring sites on the Missouri River. The objective of this study was to quantify temporal changes in TN and TP concentrations and compare those to best management practices (BMPs).

In this study, the approach to the analysis of long-term surface water-quality data by using Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge and Seasons models (WRTDS). The model method is formulated to enable flexibility in long-term trend representations, discharge-related components, and concentrations of TN and TP seasonal components. The WRTDS model is designed make estimates of the actual concentrations and fluxes as well as estimates that eliminate the influence of year-to-year variations in discharge. The method is designed to use weighted regressions on time, discharge and season to estimate concentrations. This method is designed to be a tool which identifies changes that are taking place within a watershed related to surface-water nonpoint sources of contamination.

In this case, the results given by the WRTDS models were used to determine if best management practices implemented over the study period, have had any significant effect on TN and TP concentrations. At each monitoring location, water quality data was compared to temporal changes within the watershed to determine the effectiveness of BMPs implemented over the study period"--Abstract, page iii.

Geophysical imaging beneath Lake Chesterfield, Missouri

"Lake Chesterfield in Wildwood, Missouri, has been leaking since construction of the earth-fill dam was completed in 1986, despite numerous mitigation efforts. The mitigation efforts, including the injection of grouting and the emplacement of clay liners, has not solve the leakage problem.

In the current study, geophysical (subsurface imaging) data was acquired across the drained and dry lake bed and along the base of the earth-fill dam to 1) map variable depth to top of bedrock, 2) determine the variable quality of the bedrock to depths on the order of 80 ft., 3) identify any significant karst features beneath the lake, and 4) identify any probable seepage pathways. These imaging data would assist geotechnical engineering firms in determining the most appropriate mitigation plan.

During the geophysical survey, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW), and spontaneous potential (SP) data were acquired across the drained and dry lake bed.

Interpretation of the geophysical data indicates the average depth to bedrock beneath the lake bottom is generally between 5 and 10 ft. The quality of the shallow and predominantly limestone bedrock (depths less than 30 ft.) beneath the lake bed is highly variable. In some places it is highly weathered; elsewhere it is relatively intact.

The acquired geophysical data indicate the earth-fill dam was constructed, in places, on highly weathered limestone. Three prominent low resistivity zones were mapped along the base of the earth-fill dam. It is likely that these three zones represent drainage pathways beneath the dam"--Abstract, page iii.

New nanoparticle water-based drilling fluid formulation with enhanced thermal stability and inhibition capabilities in the Woodford shale

"Drilling fluid design for unconventional reservoirs aims at preventing formation instability problems associated with fluid invasion, shale swelling, and cuttings dispersion. Although oil-based mud (OBM) can be used to achieve these goals, environmental and economic concerns limit its application. This experimental study evaluated the potential use of nanoparticles (NP) to improve water-based mud (WBM) inhibition capabilities and its ability to enhance the overall drilling fluid thermal stability while providing a cleaner technology to the industry.

Characterization of Woodford shale was completed with X-ray diffraction, cation exchange capacity, and scanning electron microscopy, silica, and graphene NP were characterized with aqueous stability tests and zeta-potential. Selected NP were added at a low concentration (0.1 - 1 % wt.), and standard filtration (LTLP & HTHP), rheology, dispersion and swelling tests were conducted to investigate the inhibition improvements of the new NP-WBM. In addition, optimum formulation of the new NP-WBM was aged at different conditions (150⁰F, 200⁰F, 250⁰F) for thermal and rheological stability. Conventional KCL/PHPA fluid was used for comparison purposes.

The NP showed a reduction of the chemical interactions between the WBM and Woodford shale samples, reducing the swelling and dispersion effects. Also, a synergistic effect was observed between NP and conventional additives indicating that NP had the capability to improve the WBM temperature resistance. Thus, offering an eco-friendly alternative with enhanced thermal and rheological stability of the overall WBM formulation and providing more efficient drilling and wellbore stability"--Abstract, page iii.

Application of seismic attributes for 3-D seismic visualization contributed in structural and stratigraphic interpretation of the Tangahoe and Farewell formations in the Kupe Field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

"Taranaki Basin is a mainly offshore basin covering an area of approximately 100,000 km2, elongated across the western margin of New Zealand's north island. However, the modern limit of the basin is extended toward the deep water to cover about 330,000 km2. The basin is divided by tectonic activities into northern and southern grabens. The southern region has become the most extensively researched district in recent years as its prime lithology and structural trap distributions provide numerous hydrocarbon fields. One such field is the Kupe Field (256 km2), which lies on a northerly-plunging, reverse-faulted, and inversion structure of Manaia anticline. The Kupe_3D seismic data allow for detailed structural and stratigraphic interpretation of Farewell (reservoir) and Tangahoe formations. A number of attributes, i.e, amplitude gain control (AGC), frequency filtering, structural smoothing, variance, chaos, envelop, isofrequency, and instantaneous phase were generated in this study. RGB (red, green, and blue) and CMY (cyan, magenta, and yellow) color blending techniques were applied utilizing Box Probe to reveal more edge continuity for fault and channel detections. In addition to top Tangahoe horizon, thirteen faults and channels associated with the Tangahoe interval were studied to better understand their initiation. Additionally, multiple faults and top Paleocene horizon (Farewell reservoir) were highlighted based on the visible displacement of reflected and continuous layers within each vertical and horizontal seismic section"--Abstract, page iii.

Imaging the subsurface in eastern part of Lake Chesterfield using a combination of geophysical tools

"The Lake Chesterfield North Dam in Wildwood city, Missouri has been leaking, more or less continuously since the dam was constructed in 1986 despite mitigation efforts in 1988, 1994, 1995, 2004, and 2005. Neither the grouting efforts in 1988, 1994, 1995, 2004 or 2005, nor the placement and rehabilitation of an impervious clay liner in 2005 has solved the problem. Indeed, in June of 2017, the water level in Lake Chesterfield dropped at an alarmingly rapid rate.

Prior to authorizing additional mitigation work, the Lake Chesterfield Home Owners Association (LCHOA) decided to acquire geophysical data across the dry lake bed. The intent was to 1) map variable depth to the top of the rock; 2) identify karst features, including sinkholes and joints; 3) identify potential seepage pathway; and 4) determine soil and rock quality (based on resistivity and shear-wave velocity). It was believed that this information would help a geotechnical engineering firm determine the most appropriate mitigation plan.

During the survey, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), multichannel analyses of surface wave (MASW) and spontaneous-potential (SP) geophysical tools were acquired across the dry lake bed. The interpretation of the data shows average depth to the top of rock is 10 ft. which consist with the test pit result by Geotechnology, Inc.; the rock above elevation of 600 ft. in Lake Chesterfield is mostly weathered/fractured limestone and can be described as poor-quality rock which could easily develop karst feature; three low resistivity zones at elevation below 600 ft. were found and could serve as vertical conduit of flowing groundwater; and two prominent low resistivity zones were found that could serve as potential seepage pathways through the North Dam"--Abstract, page iii.

Hydraulic fracture design optimization for Nubian sandstone formation in Libya

There is growing interest in developing unconventional oil and gas reserves in Libya, such as the tight portions of the Nubian sandstone.

Well-X7 is a development well drilled to a TD of 13,005' penetrating the Upper Nubain Sandstone (UNSS) at 12,122'-12,207' and the Lower Nubain Sandstone (LNSS) at 12,524'-12,880' KB. Based on open hole logs, the UNSS has 71 ft of net pay and the LNSS was found to have 295 ft of net pay. Openhole logs also showed low permeabilities of 2.5 and 3 md for the UNSS and LNSS, respectively. The well was initially perforated in both zones and tested 385 bopd. Hydraulic fracturing is to be applied to this well in the future.

This study evaluated 13 different stimulation treatments for the X-7 well. F300 frac fluid was used with varying proppant type and size, including Ottawa sand, Brady sand and Carbo Lite ceramic. 20-40 Carbo Lite ceramic was used with four different frac fluids, including slickwater. Results for all cases compared IP and 24-month cumulative recovery. Results show that a combination of F300 frac fluid and 20-40 Carbo Lite ceramic proppant give highest production rates. However, cases evaluated had low FCD suggesting conductivity should be increased, and treatment size can be reduced in a final treatment design"--Abstract, page iii.

.

2-D and 3-D mapping of soil and rock structure in karst terrain of southwestern Missouri using the non-invasive electrical resistivity tomography method (ERT)

"Electrical resistivity tomography data were acquired in an extensively karstic area of southwestern Missouri. The interpretation of the electrical resistivity tomography data was constrained by multichannel analysis of surface wave data and limited boring control. The objective of the study was to determine if variations in the moisture content of the soil and shallow rock are related to ground surface topography. Analysis of the acquired electrical resistivity tomography data showed that resistivity values of soil and shallow rock beneath and in proximity to identified natural and man-made surface run-off pathways are typically low compared to the resistivity values of soil and rock elsewhere, with the exception of soil and rock in proximity to interpreted prominent joint sets. It is concluded that the resistivity of soil and rock beneath natural and man-made drainage pathways is frequently anomalously low because greater volumes of moisture seep into the subsurface along surface flow pathways than elsewhere in the study area"--Abstract, page iii.

Determination of significant parameters that drive fracture optimization in the Glauconite Formation, Southern Chile

"The Glauconite Formation in the Magallanes Basin of Southern Chile is a clay- and silica-rich formation with low permeability. As with many of the unconventional resources, the Glauconite Formation requires a hydraulic fracturing operation to enhance the productivity of the wells in this area.

Data and pertinent information of fracturing, completion, and reservoir quality parameters along with post-fracture production data were collected to initiate a database of nearly 70 wells, to be used to develop a better understanding of the fracturing behavior, optimize the well stimulation, and overcome the major barriers in the hydraulic fracturing of the Glauconite Formation. The database of Glauconite wells was used in this study to identify the key parameters of the fracturing design, completion, and reservoir quality that have the greatest influence on well performance in this unconventional reservoir.

This study also attempts to identify the best treatment fluid to maximize well performance and the effects of different values of the major fracture treatments and completion parameters. Statistical and sensitivity analyses were applied to identify the most effective parameters on the initial production, early recovery, and Estimated Ultimate Recovery.

Results of this work show that water fracs are superior to hybrid fracturing fluids. Total fluid and proppant volumes strongly affect well performance. Other completion and reservoir parameters were found to have a lesser impact on well performance in the Glauconite wells of Southern Chile"--Abstract, page iii.

Deformation processes at the leading edge of the sevier fold and thrust belt, southwest Utah

"Deformation processes leading to formation and abandonment of 'triangle zones' along the leading edge of the Sevier fold and thrust belt are investigated near Kanarraville, Utah through construction of a detailed geologic map and cross-section along Spring Creek. Here the eastern limb of the Kanarra fold, a Sevier structure, is well exposed along the Hurricane Cliffs due to uplift and erosion of the footwall of the Hurricane Fault. The east-verging Kanarra fold changes from upright to overturned within Spring Creek. Within the fold limb, parasitic folds, minor thrust faults, and duplex structures result in local tectonic overthickening of units and demonstrate overall east-directed tectonic transport. Results from construction of the geologic cross-section indicate the Kanarra fold is a fault propagation fold forming above a blind thrust ramp - the 'Kanarra thrust'. In addition, the Taylor Creek thrust system, a system of west-directed thrust faults (backthrusts) as previously mapped along strike to the south, is inferred to be folded and overturned within the line of section. A combination of east-directed fault-related folding, the presence of a west-directed major backthrust, and the beginnings of tectonic overthickening, represent basic structural elements of a nascent 'triangle zone'. This triangle zone appears to have been abandoned prior to becoming fully developed. Merging of the Kanarra thrust and the folded Taylor Creek backthrust creates an effective west-dipping ramp that circumvented development of the triangle zone by enabling the Kanarra thrust to continue to cut up section through the Navajo Sandstone (Jn). These results suggest triangle zones may be less likely to fully develop in association with fault-propagation folds in comparison to fault bend folds"--Abstract, page iii.

Provenance and depositional environments of fluvial-lacustrine deposits in a non-marine rift basin, Lower-Triassic Jiucaiyuan and Shaofanggou low-order cycles Bogda Shan, NW China

"The uppermost Carboniferous to Lower Triassic eolian-fluvial-lacustrine deposits of Turpan-Junggar Basin, NW China, record the non-marine sediment-filling processes in a continental rift basin in mid-latitude NE Pangea. This study focuses on the fluvial-lacustrine strata of the Lower Triassic Jiucaiyuan (JCY) and Shaofanggou (SFG) low-order cycles (LCs) in multiple half grabens at the southern and northern foothills of Bogda Shan. Outcrop, paleocurrent, and petrographic analyses indicate a southern provenance. Intermediate to felsic volcanic lithics and metamorphic lithics are interpreted as being derived from Tian Shan to the south while the sedimentary lithics originate from the local rift shoulders. The basaltic lithics may have originated from either location. The abrupt change from lacustrine depositional environment in the upper Wutonggou low-order cycle to fluvial depositional environment in the lower JCY LC records the disappearance or shallowing of the local lake in all four sections in the southern foothills of the Bogda Shan and may have been caused by a climatic shift to a drier climate. The abrupt to gradual change from fluvial to lakeplain depositional environments in the same sections in the lower SFG LC signifies the reappearance of the local lake and may have been caused by another climatic shift to a more humid climate. Overall fining upward from the JCY to SFG LCs and the occurrence of Calcisols in the mid to upper JCY LC and entire SFG LCs suggests tectonic quiescence during this time, and Calcisols also indicate a semiarid to sub-humid climate and landscape stability"--Abstract, page iii.

Well log interpretation and 3D reservoir property modeling of Maui-B field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

"Maui-B is one of the largest hydrocarbon-producing fields in the Taranaki Basin. Many previous works have estimated reservoir volume. This study uses 3D property modeling, which is one of the most powerful tools to characterize lithology and reservoir fluids distribution through the field. This modeling will help in understanding the reservoir properties and enhancing the production by selecting the best location for future drilling candidates. In this study, 3D seismic, core, and well log data were used to build and define a structural model, facies analysis, and petrophysical parameters. After well log interpretation and petrophysical parameter calculations, each parameter was upscaled. Then, geostatistical methods, including Gaussian simulation, variogram, and Monte Carlo simulation, were used to build a 3D property model. A thousand 3D models were constructed and performed for each parameter; the outputs were implemented into Monte Carlo simulation, which is a highly reliable method regarding accuracy to calculate the mean of each parameter. Then, the volume of the reservoir was estimated. In this study, integration of seismic interpretation and well logs defined the depth and thickness of the hydrocarbon reservoir through the field. Gamma ray, spontaneous potential, and caliper logs were used for depth correlation and identifying permeable zones. As a result, five different lithofacies, where sandstone and claystone distribution have the significant impact on reservoir quality were identified. The matrix identification (MID) method was used for porosity correction, which showed effective porosity ranges of 15-25%. Moreover, permeability was estimated as 79-3700 mD, where all results were calibrated using available core data. Furthermore, 9% to 40% water saturation was estimated using the resistivity logs and core data. Finally, oil and gas in place were estimated"--Abstract, page iii.

A comprehensive analysis of lost circulation materials and treatments with applications in Basra's oil fields, Iraq: Guidelines and recommendations

"Lost circulation materials (LCM's) have been widely used to avoid or stop losses. Due to a large number of current available LCM's and their different applications, classification of LCM's is very important. The most recent LCM classification was published around 50 years ago, and this paper intends to fill this gap with an updated classification including conventional and new technologies. Lost circulation materials and treatments are re-classified into various categories based on their appearance, applications, chemical and physical properties.

Wells in Basra's oil fields are highly susceptible to lost circulation problems when drilling through the Dammam, Hartha, and Shuaiba formations. This paper discusses the most recent treatments, which are used in Basra's fields with integrated analysis and updated classification. In addition, the best lost circulation strategy of remedies will be presented to mitigate or stop this problem.

Sometimes it is difficult to regulate mud losses by using conventional lost circulation materials. Also, the cost of these materials are expensive, so it is important to find techniques and mechanism to live with some degree of losses. This work will also demonstrate methods that were used to ameliorate lost circulation without the use of lost circulation materials like liner hanger and casing-while-drilling, floating mud cap drilling, aerated mud, foam, air or mist with cases histories in Basra's fields.

This paper discusses the most recent developments in lost circulation materials and treatments, in addition to the presentation of a comprehensive summary of today's available LCM's, treatments and alternative approaches with their applications"--Abstract, page iv.

2D seismic data and gas chimney interpretation in the South Taranaki Graben, New Zealand

"The Taranaki Basin is one of the major oil and gas producing basins offshore New Zealand. The study area covers an area of 10,000 km2 in the basin, and includes 171 2D seismic lines and six wells, which are provided by the New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals. Some previous studies refer to the study area as the South Taranaki Graben.

This thesis provides detailed mapping and interpreted subsurface stratigraphy and structure of five horizons, i.e. basement top, Pakawau Group top, Kapuni Group top, Wai-iti Group top, and seafloor. It undertakes studies of the relation between the basin evolution, faults, and depositional patterns. In addition, the gas chimneys were investigated along with hydrocarbon migration pathways to surrounding oil and gas fields.

The horizons were identified based on observed discontinuities and seismic attributes. The seismic reflection characters of the horizons and their associated sequences are described in this study. The horizons have been mapped as time structural, isochron, and isopach maps. Seismic attributes were used in horizon interpretation and gas chimney detection.

The mapping of these horizons combined with seismic facies character provides detailed overview of the structural evolution and depositional history in the study area. A map of the gas chimneys along with the late normal faults distribution shows that the gas chimneys are mostly common above the Cretaceous source rocks. Fault provide migration pathways for the gases through the seal rocks. Petrophysical analysis shows that the Kapuni Group contains a sizable amount of hydrocarbons, high porosities, and permeability. In combination with the structure of the Kapuni Group, the hydrocarbons within the group migrate to two producing fields through two migration pathways"--Abstract, page iii.

The mantle transition zone beneath South America from stacking of P-to-S receiver functions

"The Mantle Transition Zone (MTZ) beneath South America is investigated with stacking of Receiver Functions (RFs) of converted P-to-S phases from the velocity discontinuities at 410 km (d410) and 660 km (d660). A total of 785 seismic stations provided 22,235 high quality RFs, allowing 1,717 MTZ thickness measurements in circular bins of 2⁰ radius. An apparent MTZ structure is derived using the IASP91 reference model, where the d410 mean depth is 409.1 km and the d660 is 661.5 km, and the mean MTZ thickness is 251.8 km. This model presents coherent depressions and uplifts of the discontinuities matching well known velocity anomalies. After experimenting with eleven tomography models, a velocity correction adopting the SAW642ANb model with a 50 km top layer of the JOINT model was found to be the best approach towards a true depth model. This model wields a mean d410 at 413.2 km and the d660 at 662.8 km, whereas the MTZ thickness is 249.6 km. The correlation of depths and MTZ thickness variations supports previously determined Clapeyron Slopes (γ) of 2 MPa/K for the d410 and -3 MPa/K for the d660, reconciling γ with seismic observations. The results are fateful to the tectonic structure of South America, where colder-than-normal MTZ anomalies are found along the Andes, while hotter-than-normal anomalies are found along the Atlantic coast. The latter observed MTZ characteristics spatially correspond well with rift related structures and the former to locations where subducted slab has been inferred. The main inference from these observations is that tectonic processes play a major role in the control of thermal and chemical proprieties of the MTZ"--Abstract, page iii.

Reprocessing and structural interpretation of multichannel seismic reflection data from Penobscot, Nova Scotia

"Penobscot area is located in the Scotian Basin, which was occurred as a result of extension in the eastern North America border. 2-D data set that was utilized for the study consists of three multichannel seismic profiles that were collected from Penobscot Parcel 8. The main purpose of the study was to enhance signal-to-noise ratio of the seismic reflection sections suppressing high frequency noise and multiples, and removing diffractions. In addition, while the resolution of the sections were enhanced, determining the correct processing techniques and parameters for better results was the another important criteria.

The processing steps included deconvolution, minimum phase filter, velocity analysis, NMO correction, stacking, Stolt and Gazdag migrations, band-pass and slope filters, and muting. The resolution of the seismic sections was increased using pre-stack spiking deconvolution and PEF techniques. The low amplitude problem at the sea bottom reflections were recovered using the Butterworth minimum phase filter. Random noise were eliminated using band-pass and f-k dip filter. Stolt and Gazdag migrations were compared. Because Gazdag migration collapsed the diffractions at the shallow and deeper parts of the seismic sections at the same time and provided a better resolution for long dipping geological structures, the results of Gazdag were utilized for structural interpretation"--Abstract, page iii.

3D seismic structural and stratigraphic interpretation of the TUI-3D field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

"Identifying seismic structures and stratigraphy are important for exploration of hydrocarbons. The purpose of this study is to discover seismic structural and stratigraphic features and to utilize the results for interpreting depositional environments. A 3D seismic dataset from the Tui-3D Field, the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand with well data were used to visualize structures, to detect stratigraphic features, to identify main lithology, to understand depositional environment, and to describe seismic facies and reflection patterns of the target horizons. The major formations are in the Kapuni Group.

Seismic structural interpretation indicates thirty-two minor faults, which may play an important role in oil migration from the Farewell "F" Sand to the Kaimiro "D" Sand, and many anticlines for possible oil traps. Depth maps show that the dipping of the Kapuni Group is toward the north. Seismic stratigraphic interpretation reveals features such as lineaments, gullies, and channels, which provide an understanding of evolution of the formations. The Kahu channel was identified in the Farewell "F" Sand, which may be a potential trap for oil accumulation. Gullies, which were discovered within the Giant Foresets Formation, are NW-SE oriented, straight to low sinuous, U-shaped, roughly parallel to each other, up to 12 km long, 10-50 m deep, and 20-500 m wide. NW-SE oriented and high to moderate sinuous channel complexes were found in the Moki "A" Sand. Lineament features and a canyon, which is NW-SE oriented, straight to low sinuous, approximately 2 km wide, 260 m deep, and 10 km long, were detected in the shallower part of the area. Petrophysical analysis demonstrates high porosity range from 10% to 25%, and high permeability up to ~322 md for the Kapuni Group"--Abstract, page iii.

Variable stress orientations in the offshore Nile Delta: The role of salt as a mechanical detachment horizon

"The offshore Nile Delta is characterized by variations of the maximum horizontal stress orientation in subsalt and supra-salt sequences. Margin-parallel SH, typical for tertiary deltas, is observed for regions that are below or do not contain evaporites. In sequences underlain by evaporates pre-dominantly margin-normal SH is observed. This observation yielded the first conclusive in situ evidence that salt acts as a mechanical detachment layer. In this study, 3D finite element analysis (FEA) is used to simulate the total stress distribution in the offshore Nile Delta featuring evaporate sequences. Several parameters such as different salt sequence geometries, friction coefficient on faults, and salt viscosity are considered. The numerical modeling results are used to evaluate if possible basal drag forces or mechanical property contrast effect induced by gravitational gliding result in varying stress orientations and if the observed stress orientations in the Nile Delta can be explained and correlated by the numerical modeling results. Implication of the modeling results for hydrocarbon production will be analyzed and discussed."--Abstract, page iii.

Shale instability of deviated wellbores in southern Iraqi fields

"Wellbore instability problems are the cause for the majority of nonproductive time in the southern Iraqi fields' developments. The most severe problem in terms of effort and disbursement which is referred to a pipe sticking in Tanuma shale formation. Examining the drilling data revealed that this phenomenon was mostly related to the shear failure of the wellbore. Thus, a geomechanical analysis and drilling parameters/ practice optimization analysis were performed on a field in southern Iraq based on data from 45 deviated wells. The geomechanics analysis predicted the suitable drilling fluid density to prevent onset shear failure by using the Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion, including thermally and chemically induced stresses and the bedding related failure of the wellbore. While the drilling parameters optimization was conducted by DROPS simulator and multi-regression analysis and resulted in a significant reduction in the shale exposure time to the drilling fluid. The drilling practice analysis was derived based on drilling data from stuck-free well also facilitated in preventing the drilling fluid density reduction by tripping processes. These analyses identified the following areas of improvement. First, the mud weight being used was not changed properly with respect to variation in wells azimuth and inclination. Secondly, anisotropic effects of the stress and strength parameters for this shale formation should be considered in wells trajectory design. Thirdly, the time depended-failure of wellbore was observed in even though the drilling fluid density was appropriately selected. Fourthly, the swabbing effect while tripping was negatively contributed to wellbore stability. Due to limited of published studies regarding wellbore problems in southern Iraqi fields; this research could serve as a significant case history for similar fields"--Abstract, page iii.

Structural analysis and fluid flow modeling of the Kapuni Field, New Zealand

"The Taranaki Basin is the largest hydrocarbon producing basin in New Zealand. A total area of over 330,000 km

Evaluating completion performance for gas wells in the upper and the lower Montney formation, Canada

"Identifying the key drivers for success of multiple fractured horizontal wells is not straightforward, especially in unconventional reservoirs like the Montney. Al-Alwani et al. (2015) provided a statistical analysis of Montney completions based on publicly available data. They showed that for the entire well population, cumulative gas recovery per stage, declines as the number of completed stages increase. However, their statistical analysis did not differentiate between completions in the Upper/Middle/Lower Montney, and did not include perforation cluster data.

This work documents the statistical analysis of 296 cased-hole horizontal gas well completions reported in the Upper and the Lower Montney. The work extends the previous statistical study of the Montney completions by including completion cluster information and examining the performance of the Upper and the Lower Montney completions separately.

Results of this analysis show that cumulative gas production per cluster decreases as more perforation clusters are placed in both the Upper and the Lower Montney. The study demonstrates that the cumulative gas production/cluster and initial gas production (IP) is higher for the Upper Montney than the Lower Montney, and how completion design affects well performance. This study is beneficial as it provides a statistical analysis of horizontal gas well in both the Upper and the Lower Montney, and compares completion performance for the two zones"--Abstract, page iii.

Periclinal folding in Ozark plateau: A record of local karst collapse or regional tectonic forces?

"The Ordovician Rubidoux Formation of the Ozark Plateau, Missouri is typically identified as mechanically competent sub-horizontal beds of medium grained sandstone. North of Licking, MO, the Rubidoux Formation was deformed into a series of dome-and-basin shaped buckle folds, exposed in road cuts over a distance of ~10 km. Such folds are highly unusual within the Ozark Plateau and their origin remains controversial. Three major hypotheses have been proposed based on field observations and stereographic analysis. Given the pervasive distribution of karst collapse throughout Missouri, one hypothesis to explain these folds is that the Roubidoux Formation sagged into collapsed caverns. A second hypothesis is that these folds are the result of compression induced in a possible transpression zone between two left-lateral strike-slip faults. A combination of the two processes is also possible.

Field measurements of 37 fold structures including more than 300 recordings of bedding attitudes and stereographic projections confirm that these Roubidoux folds are periclinal folds. They elongate along N59E to S59W, with the maximum shortening occurring along N60W to S60E. The uniformity of the fold orientations over this large distance is inconsistent with an origin by sag folding related to karst collapse. While the orientation of the shortening direction is inconsistent with the general trend of midcontinent deformation structures, two possible left-lateral strike-slip faults mapped to the north and south of the folding zone may have locally reoriented the stress field. This is supported by a simple 2D finite element model indicating that transpressional deformation in a restraining jog results in localized shortening direction consistent with the distribution field data.

It is concluded that a regional tectonic event induced localized buckle folding whereby local karst effects may have contributed in forming the initial perturbation"--Abstract, page iii.

Origin of lacustrine carbonate-dominated clinoforms in the lower-Permian Lucaogou low-order cycle, southern Bogda mountains, NW China

"Lacustrine carbonate clinoforms deposit can reflect ancient lake condition like paleoclimate and lake type. Complex lithofacies of a carbonate-dominated clinoform package in lower Permian Lucaogou low order cycle, Bogda Mountains, NW China, provide clues on clinoform-forming processes in a half-graben lake. The clinoform package is ~5.2 m thick, prograding from S to N for ~200 m with a maximum 15o dip angle, and spans ~4 km laterally. A clinoform consists of a lower siliciclastic-rich and an upper carbonate-rich beds, forming a clinoform cycle. Results of petrographic study of 30 thin sections suggest that the clinoform package is composed of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate rocks. Carbonate-rich bed is composed of diagenetically-altered lithic packstone and wackestone, and siliciclastic-rich clinoform of micritic sandstone. The foundation rock is mainly microbial boundstone, indicating a shallow littoral environment.

The carbonate-rich beds mainly consist of coarse peloids, rip-up intraclasts, aggregate grains, and volcanic lithics. The siliciclastic-rich clinoform is rich in coarse volcanic lithics. Both types of clinoforms contain abundant current laminations, indicating frequent strong current activities. The lack of evidence of unidirectional current flow suggests that the carbonate-dominated clinoform package was probably primarily formed by wave and longshore current processes. Unlike grains in wave-built terrace in the Glenns Ferry Formation (Swirydczuk et al., 1979, 1980), few ooids were observed in the studied strata, which do not have local sediments as nucleus and are often broken. This indicates that the wave was not facing the lake margin directly but was more oblique to the lake margin. The carbonate-dominated clinoform package is thus interpreted as a bar or spit, controlled primarily by lake shoreline morphology and strong wave and current activities. The shift between carbonate and siliciclastic rich clinoform beds within a clinoform cycle suggests high-frequency changes in climatic conditions.

Detrital lithics were mainly derived from northern Tianshan suture zone to the south. The carbonate clasts were transported from a nearby carbonate factory at the lake margin. The Lucaogou lake was a balanced-filled lake in a semiarid, seasonal climate and had persistent longshore currents caused by strong wind and wave activities"--Abstract, page iii.

Provenance and depositional environments of fluvial-lacustrine sandstones of lower Permian Lucaogou low-order cycle, Bogda mountains, NW China

"Compositional and textural maturity of sandstones may reflect provenance lithology and sediment transport distance, which are useful for paleogeographic reconstruction. 37 sandstones in six outcrop stratigraphic sections in Tarlong-Taodonggou and Zhaobishan areas in the greater Turpan-Junggar rift basin were studied to investigate the fluvial-lacustrine sandstone provenance in lower Permian Lucaogou (LCG) low-order cycle, Bogda Mountains, NW China. 400 points were counted in each thin section. All the samples are classified into lithic arenites, subarenites, wackes, and mudrocks. Three Petrofacies are defined. Petrofacies A is characterized by a high lithic content which is dominantly basaltic lithics with minor sedimentary lithics and felsic volcanic lithics with mean compositions of Q3F11L86, Qm2F12Lt86, Qp1Ls7Lv92, and Qm15P84K1 from four ternary classifications, respectively. Petrofacies B has a relatively high content of sedimentary lithics indicating a sedimentary source in the local rift shoulders with mean compositions of Q3F5L92, Qm3F8Lt89, Qp1Ls36Lv63, and Qm23P71K6. Petrofacies C has a higher content of felsic volcanic lithics with mean compositions of Q3F8L89, Qm4F9Lt87, Qp1Ls10Lv89, and Qm33P63K4. Tectonic setting is interpreted from ternary diagrams. All the samples fall in the recycled orogen and magmatic arc fields. Two sources, northern Tian Shan and rift shoulders, are differentiated on the basis of grain size and roundness. In Tarlong-Taodonggou area, similar trends of textural and compositional properties are present in N and NW Tarlong, and S Tarlong and Taodonggou indicating similar depositional history. SW Tarlong shows a unique trend due to the local sedimentary source. In Zhaobishan, the trend is highly variable, indicating episodic sediments influx from rift shoulders or a different catchment basin"--Abstract, page iii.

Determining rockfall volumes in three sites along Habs mountain road in southwestern Saudi Arabia, using LiDAR technology

"The rugged elevated topography is a characteristic feature of the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia. Few arterial roads connect the scattered villages of these regions to major cities, such as Habs Road in Jazan region. Rock fall poses a serious hazard to people, property and animals along the rock cuts of this road. Although no traditional Rockfall studies have previously been applied to this road, accessibility and rock formation shape and structure variability influenced the choice of using Terrestrial Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology to calculate the volume of rockfall at selected sites along this road.

Software has been developed at the Geological Engineering Program of Missouri University of Science and Technology to calculate the volume of rockfall from a sequence of scans conducted at the selected sites (A1, A2 and A3), at the exact locations, during different time periods, extended for over two months. The pre and post processing of the point cloud data gathered using ScanStation II, measured the real and virtual gain and real and virtual loss of rockfall material due to rainfall, weathering factors, animal and human disturbance, degree of slope-face, and the effect of minor or major earthquakes occur in the region.

The results of the study showed that the site (A1) is more hazardous compared to the site (A2) and site (A3) is the most stable compared to the site (A1) and (A2). The compact rock formation of site A3, the disintegrated rocks of site A2 and the relative loose rocks of upper site A1 (possible valley deposits), were suggested by the study of the determining factors of road safety. The study also found that using terrestrial LiDAR technology and new software reduced time, effort and increased accessibility, despite the limited number of scans conducted."--Abstract, page iii.

Optimum acquisition and processing parameters for multichannel analysis of surface waves using 3D electrical resistivity tomography as control

"Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) data were acquired in the Newburg, Missouri with the goal of determining optimum MASW acquisition parameters. Users of the MASW tool generally state that greater geophone intervals and greater shot-to-receiver offsets provide for more accurate results. The objective was to determine if this "rule of thumb" applies in karst terrain.

ERT data were acquired along four traverses with eighty-four (84) electrodes at five feet spacing with SuperSting R8 Resistivity System using dipole- dipole array. The data were processed using Earth Imager to generate 2-D resistivity inversion and thereafter, Voxler software was used to collate the 2-D ERT data into a 3-D resistivity model. MASW data on the other hand, were acquired along the same ERT traverses on the same locations using a suite of different geophone intervals (1-ft, 2.5-ft, 5-ft, 7.5-ft, and 10-ft) and shot-to-receiver spacings (0-ft, 10-ft, 20-ft, 30-ft, 40-ft, and 50-ft) with a 20lb sledge hammer as the source. The data were processed using Surfseis software to generate the dispersion curves and 1-D shear wave velocity profiles of the area.

On the basis of the comparative analyses of the ERT and MASW data, it was determined that 2.5-ft and 5-ft geophone gave generated depth of bedrock that was consistent with ERT data. With 5-ft geophone spacing it is possible to image the subsurface to greater depth, but with the 7.5-ft and 10-ft, unidentifiable dispersion curves would be generated. Therefore, in this study area, on the basis of data that were acquired it is recommended that 2.5ft spacing be used if depth of investigation is about 40ft, but if the depth of investigation is about 80-ft, using a sledge hammer source then 5-ft geophone spacing at 20-ft shot-receiver offset distance is recommended."--Abstract, page iii.

Fault interpretation and reservoir characterization of the Farewell Formation within Kerry Field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

"The Kerry Field, located in the southern offshore Taranaki Basin, is a large liquid-rich gas accumulation with a thin (20 m) oil rim. The field was discovered by the New Zealand Oil & Gas in 1986 (well Kupe South-1). The gas and oil are trapped within a 9.2 km2 fault-dependent three-way dip closure in the Paleocene Farewell Formation reservoir. Pressure, volume, and temperature (PVT) data indicate that the gas and oil columns in the field are in equilibrium with one another and are saturated at current reservoir conditions.

The Farewell Formation is the uppermost formation of the Kapuni Group and is producing gas and oil in the Kerry Field. The Farewell Formation is one of the oldest reservoirs in the Taranaki Basin. The Kupe South-1 well penetrates two sequence boundaries. One is an unconformity beneath the Late Miocene Urenui Formation, and the other is beneath the Oligocene Otaraoa Formation, which appears to be in fault contact with the Paleocene Farewell Formation. The Farewell Formation was deposited in the fluvio-deltaic environment, and consists primarily of sandstone, interbedded with carbonaceous mudstone. The thickness of the formation ranges from 261 to 382 m.

A time structure map, depth map, isochron map, edge detection map, and coherence map were produced to identify the structures, especially the faults the study area. A correlation across three wells along 19,089 m was generated to support the interpretation the maps. Several faults are mapped that display seismic attributes. The water-oil contact was found at a depth of 3,300 m. The density of the Farewell Formation ranges between 2.2 and 2.6 g/cm3. The average porosity of the Farewell Formation ranges between 20 -24 present. The prospective areas for oil production are located in the north and the south-west parts of the formation"--Abstract, page iii.

Seismic structural investigation and reservoir characterization of the Moki Formation in Maar Field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

"The Maari Field is a large oil field located in the southern part of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. The field is bounded by two major structures, the Eastern Mobile Belt and Western Stable Platform. The Maari Field produces 40,000 BOPD (Barrels of Oil per Day) from five wells from reservoirs in the Moki Formation. The Miocene Moki Formation was deposited as part of the Wai-iti Group and consists of sandstone interbedded with siltstone and claystone. The sandstone of the Moki Formation is characterized by a submarine fan. It is distributed along the southern and central Taranaki shelf. Three-dimensional seismic data and well logs were recorded by the Geco-Prakla Company. Time and depth structural maps on the top of the Moki Formation are subdivided into a main structure with high and low elevations of topography, which are separated by a major fault, the Kiwi Fault. The fault trends from the south toward the northeast. Seismic attributes, such as coherence and edge detection, were mapped to interpret the major and minor faults. In the Maari Field, there are more than seventeen faults. Seismic data and well log data were used to determine the petrophysical properties in the Moki reservoir. Using the well logs, the transition zone (oil-water contact) between the oil and water was found to be 1352 m. The Moki reservoir has good quality oil, with an average porosity at Maari-1, Maui-4, Kea-1, Moki, and Maari-2 ranging from 14 to 19 percent. Gamma ray, resistivity, and spontaneous potential logs were used to determine correlation between well and lithology of the Moki reservoir. The net thickness of the reservoir is 320 m to 360 m. The distribution of shale is less than 10 percent throughout the Moki reservoir"--Abstract, page iii.

Development of structural basins and domes on the Sinn El-Kaddab Plateau, Egypt: insights from in situ data and application of moderate resolution orbital imagery of the Seiyal Fault

"The Seiyal Fault, one of many east-west trending faults located in the Western Desert of Egypt, and associated structural basins and domes are investigated using remote sensing imagery and field studies. Analysis of Shuttle Reconnaissance Topography Mission data, multi-spectral data from the Landsat Thematic Mapper (LM), Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectometer (ASTER) data, and imagery from Google Earth. Band combinations 3-2-1 and 7-4-2 in ETM+ and 3N-2-1 and 7-3-1 in ASTER, and Google Earth provided the most useful images for geologic mapping. The Seiyal Fault is best characterized as a zone comprised of multiple, straight to curvilinear, left-stepping en-echelon, fault segments that over-lap or intersect and can be traced for at least 100 km in length. Field studies of structural basins and domes cross-cut by the trace of the Seiyal Fault record a component of normal dip-slip down-to-the-north displacement. Locally, the trace of the fault is marked by polished cataclasite, a scarp within Tertiary gravel pediment (also down-to-the-north), and by the presence of sand-filled ground cracks. The low-relief basin and dome structures may have formed in regions of transpression (domes) and transtension (basins) created by the bends and step-overs along the trace of the fault zone. These observations are consistent with the Seiyal Fault Zone recording time-integrated strain beginning as early as with the deposition of Cretaceous sandstones and continuing to the present, as a result of multiple displacement events in response to changes in the orientation of the principal regional stresses over time."--Abstract, page iv.

Comparison of core control and geophysical investigations, silica sand deposits, Dawmat Al Jandal, Al Jawf at Saudi Arabia

"This thesis is a summary of a comprehensive geophysical investigation in southern Dawmat Al Jandal, Al Jawf in Saudi Arabia. This research demonstrates that the acquisition of both core control and geophysical data is superior to the acquisition of core control alone. Coring is expensive and is limited in subsurface coverage. Geophysical surveying, however, is a relatively rapid and cost-effective means of deriving information about the subsurface between core holes. Ground penetrating radar (GPR), Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), and Seismic Refraction methods were used as exploration techniques to locate surficial mineral deposits within the study area.

During the course of these investigations, the author tries to review the acquired 1620 meters of ground penetrating radar (GPR) data to image internal reflections (if any) within the sand and the top of the underlying sandstone; 27 MASW field records were acquired at each core hole location, which generated 1-D and 2-D shear wave velocity profiles, and 27 seismic refraction profiles were acquired, which did not image the top of the sandstone. The purpose was to estimate the thickness of the sand and to map bedding planes within the sand to better understand depositional environments under the same conditions, based on the high-resolution 2-D surveys, mostly performed in mining areas.

The Geophysical investigations were successful and proved to be useful methods for the exploration of shallow subsurface areas where the results are equal to, or slightly different from, the corresponding with of the core holes' values. Therefore, geophysical surveying does not remove the need for core control, but when it is properly applied it can optimize exploration rating programs by maximizing the rate of ground coverage and minimizing the amount of core drilling that is required."--Abstract, page iii.

The description of an effective sinkhole investigation approach: a case study of two sites in Greene County, Missouri

"Karst topographies pose danger to the environment. The associated gradual subsidence or sudden collapse of the ground can lead to loss of lives and damage to property. A sinkhole is the subsidence or collapse of the overburden into subsurface cavities. Sinkholes develop in different sizes, shapes and rates all over the world especially in areas where the bedrock can be dissolved by percolating slightly acidic surface water.

Different methods have been used to investigate sinkholes. Boring is the most common of these methods. But the boring technique is quite inefficient; it only provides information of the subsurface conditions at the boring location thereby requiring multiple borings to more accurately characterize a sinkhole. Geophysical methods have also been used to investigate sinkholes including Gravity, Electromagnetic, Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). But these methods work best in appropriate geological environments in mapping sinkholes.

This project describes a framework for an efficient investigation of sinkholes. The study uses the combination of Aerial photographs, Topographic maps, geological maps and cross sections which are categorized as preliminary studies; appropriate geophysical methods (MASW and ERT) and a few borings to effectively characterize sinkholes. This approach was successfully applied in two case study sites located in Greene County, Missouri and is recommended for future sinkhole investigations where applicable."--Abstract, page iii.

An investigation of contaminant metal distribution and mineral speciation in the soil near the Buick Recycling Division smelter, Iron County, Missouri

"Trace metal contamination studies were conducted near the Buick Resource Recycling Division. This study used sequential extraction, total digestion, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to study trace metals in two soil cores. Sequential extraction analysis of the soil cores revealed that lead was associated with either iron or manganese oxides. Zinc and copper were bound to soil components, extracted mainly from organics, sulfides, and clays. Total digestion results compared favorably to the sum of the sequential extraction results for lead, thus validating the sequential extraction methodology. The highest concentration observed for lead was 4,743 parts per million (ppm) in the Oh soil horizon in the core located 0.72 km NW from the smelter.

Most trace metals were concentrated in the top few inches of each core, a finding consistent with previous studies. However, nickel and copper concentrations increased from 9 to 16 inches of depth in one core. Antimony and cadmium were present in small amounts (<20 >ppm) in the upper portion of the soil cores. Iron concentrations increased with depth in both cores.

Samples were analyzed for mineral species and pH. SEM-EDS analysis revealed lead-bearing particles with a subhedral, platy habit, and a composition suggesting the presence of cerussite (PbCO₃). XRD results suggest that the majority of the clay-sized fraction of the soil is comprised of both kaolinite and illite. Smectite was present in small amounts and may influence metal immobilization. Soil acidity increased with depth, which is consistent with previous studies. The data from this study can be added to previous studies conducted in the area to provide nearly a 40 year record"--Abstract, page iii.

A remote sensing investigation of elevated sub-horizontal topographic surfaces in the Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma

"Multiple elevated horizontal to sub-horizontal topographic surfaces are present in the Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma. Elevated topographic surfaces, developed primarily on granite bedrock with gentle slopes of 0.5 to 7⁰,were investigated using 1) Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) extracted from NAD 27 UTM coordinates, 2) Google Earth imagery, and 3) USGS topographic maps. In the western Wichita Mountains prominent topographic surfaces at elevations of 720 ± 5 m, 685 ± 5 m, and 660 ± 5 m are well preserved on at least four different mountains (e.g., Solder's Peak, King Mt.) and can be correlated with similar surfaces on at least seven different mountains (e.g., Mt. Scott, North Mt.) in the eastern Wichita Mountains. A less well developed surface at 585 ±5 m is present in the eastern Wichita Mountains and may not be preserved in the western Wichita Mountains. These surfaces are interpreted to be relict pediments or remnants of a more extensive peneplain subsequently dissected as a result of long term time integrated changes in base level, climate, and/or tectonic uplift. Correlation of elevated sub-horizontal surfaces between the western and eastern Wichita Mountains suggests the Wichita Mountains basement behaved as a coherent crustal block since Mid Cenozoic. The presence of multiple elevated, sub-horizontal, regional topographic surfaces throughout the Wichita Mountains complicates direct correlation of these surfaces to the Southern High Plains peneplain using either a linear regression or an exponential fit along a line of projection. Thus, a finer resolution of the timing for individual elevated surfaces in the Wichita Mountains needs to be established."--Abstract, page iii.

PN anisotropy tomography of the Colorado plateau and adjacent areas

"The Pn tomography method utilizes seismic waves that refract along the Moho interface to perform inversion in order to investigate velocity anomalies and seismic anisotropy in the uppermost mantle. Results from Pn tomography can provide important information about the composition, temperature, and tectonic processes beneath the study area. Over the past decades, numerous seismic and geologic studies have been conducted in the Colorado Plateau and its adjacent areas to reveal crustal and mantle structures and processes responsible for the diverse surface geological features and tectonic events that have occurred in this area. To investigate lateral variations in the uppermost mantle in terms of temperature, composition and orientation of anisotropic fabrics beneath Colorado Plateau and adjacent areas, the Pn tomography method was applied. The current research uses data from 468 local earthquakes recorded by 186 stations from the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center. A total of 2548 seismograms were used to invert the velocity and anisotropic structures. Resulting low velocity anomalies beneath the westernmost part of the CP suggest a high-temperature top mantle, probably as a result of active mantle upwelling and hot asthenosphere replacement of cold lithosphere. In contrast, the high velocity anomaly represents cool and stable uppermost mantle. In comparison with the shear wave splitting and shear stress results, the fast orientation of Pn wave anisotropy may reflect the extension direction of Basin and Range and Rio Grand Rift studies."--Abstract, page iii.

Data mining and statistical analysis of completions in the Canadian Montney formation

"This thesis documents a data-mining study and statistical analysis of well completion methods and their impact on production for more than 3300 horizontal wells in the Canadian Montney resource play.

The statistical software JMP is used to analyze well and production data for both horizontal Montney gas and oil wells, examining production trends with changes in completion parameters, such as the type of completion, fluid volume pumped, proppant load, number of fracture stages and completion costs. The analysis also provides a general understanding of average treatment characteristics, and how completions have changed with time for the Montney play.

Among the many results of this work, it is shown that there is a limit to adding stages to well completions in the Montney. While additional completed stages may increase cumulative recovery, the recovery per stage decreases after a point. This conclusion is consistent with recent findings (VISAGE and Jim Gouveia 2014). In addition, findings of the study clearly demonstrate that wells with the smallest frac fluid load recovery have the best cumulative recovery with time, and spending more for the completion translates into higher recovery.

This work is important as it is the first field-wide statistical review of wells completed in the Montney using large up to date dataset"--Abstract, page iii.

Shear-wave splitting and mantle deformation beneath the western Tibetan plateau

"The Tibetan Plateau has been an enigma to the scientific community since scientists first began to focus their attention on the area. Numerous studies over the decades were conducted to address how the plateau formed, mostly in the central and eastern portions of the Tibetan Plateau. Many questions still remain regarding the western Tibetan Plateau, and this study will add constraints to the mechanisms which regulated the formation of the plateau.

Data was acquired from over 13,000 measurements from 172 stations covering the western region of the plateau encompassing the Qiangtang Terrane, the Lhasa Terrane, and the Himalayan Orogenic Zone. A shear-wave splitting (SWS) method was utilized in order to analyze the seismic anisotropy beneath the plateau.

We present individual measurements here in order to examine spatial variations in splitting time and orientation. After careful analysis, the resulting data set consists of 426 measurements which demonstrate that the study area is characterized by significant anisotropy. All measurements of sufficient quality were used, providing azimuthal coverage surpassing those of the previous study which used station averaged measurements. An E-W orientation is visible in the orogenic zone that rotates to a NE-SW direction north of the Indus-Yalu suture and then rotates to an E-W orientation at approximately 32⁰N. The Indian plate is subducting the plateau from the south to 33⁰N, while the Eurasian plate is subducting from the north to 30⁰N, overlapping between these two points and causing the uplift of the plateau"--Abstract, page iii.

Balanced cross section of the northeast of Adiyaman, Turkey

"Deformation during closure of an ocean basin and continent-continent collision in southeast Anatolia Turkey during the Late Cretaceous to Middle Miocene was investigated by construction of a geologic map, structural cross-section and retrodeformed palinspastically restored cross-section. The area of study is a N-S transect across the Bitlis Suture Zone of Northeast of Adiyaman. The study area is situated in the southeast Anatolian orogenic belt which includes, from south to north, the Arabian platform, the zone of Imbrication, and the zone of Nappes. A geologic map of this region was prepared in order to construct balanced and restored cross sections from the Bitlis Suture Zone, Northeast of Adiyaman, Turkey. This balanced cross section integrates surface and subsurface data to analyze the structural geometry of the region, calculate the vertical extension and tectonic shortening. The cross section was restored using the line and area balancing methods. A balanced structural cross section suggests that structural uplift in the Bitlis Suture Zone was the result of a thin skinned, imbricated thrust and fold system. The imbricated thrust system sequence is composed of Late Cretaceous and younger strata. Shortening and vertical length estimates based on the direct comparison between the present-day balanced cross section and the reconstructed section from Late Cretaceous to Late Miocene time indicate 24.6 % shortening in the horizontal direction. Vertical thickening is greater in the north 36.56 % than in the south 11.18 % consistent with maintaining a wedge with a critical taper necessary for continued south directed thrusting during continent-continent collision. The interpreted structural evolution model from the restoration of geological structure will assist planning for petroleum exploration in this area"--Abstract, page iii.

Development of a shared earth model to investigate potential for carbon dioxide sequestration in the Springfield area, MO

"Carbon dioxide (C0₂) sequestration has been extensively implemented and explored predominantly in depleted oil reservoirs and deep saline aquifers where the C0₂ is stored under supercritical conditions. A lesser explored option with great potential is based on injection into shallow reservoirs where the C0₂ may not always be in its denser supercritical state. The research evaluates the potential for injecting C0₂ into saline aquifers at depths of ~550-650 meters and formation temperatures of -22⁰C.

To evaluate injectivity and cap rock integrity, reservoir and geomechanical simulations need to be conducted separately and subsequently coupled. A Shared Earth Model is developed utilizing a unique methodology which enables utilization of an extensive dataset ranging from regional geological and topographical maps, more than 190 water wells including an on-site exploratory well, core observations, well logs and core laboratory tests relevant to a possible injection site in Springfield, Missouri.

Petrophysical characterization conducted indicates presence of suitable caprock and storage formations required for C0₂ injection. Regional stress analysis of the region evaluates safe pressures for injection without fracturing the well bore region.

Subsequent on-site C0₂ injection simulation of the upscaled geologic model implementing single well and multiple well injection scenarios under closed volume conditions indicate limited injectivity potential of approximately 2% of C0₂ emissions from a typical 490MW power plant"--Abstract, page iii.

Analyses of surface wave seismic data and supplemental borehole and electrical resistivity tomography control

"Multichannel analyses of surface wave (MASW) data and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) control were acquired at two test sites in central Missouri. Limestone bedrock existed at both test sites at variable depths. The ground surface at both test sites was relatively flat.

The primary objective was to map the variable depth to the top of the rock based on shear-wave velocity contrasts. ERT data and borehole control were acquired at each site in order to constrain the interpretation of the MASW data.

The MASW method proved to be more effective than the ERT method in terms of mapping soil layers in areas where the soils were dry and thin and underlain by dry, weathered rock (Lane Springs study site). However, the ERT method proved to be effective in areas where the soils were thicker and moist (Jefferson City study site). The ERT method proved to be more accurate and reliable than the MASW method in terms of mapping variations in the depth to the top of the rock, especially where the bedrock was overlain by moist soils. The ERT method also proved to be the more effective method for mapping the karst features, such as solution-widened joints. The MASW method, in contrast, proved to be the more effective tool in terms of mapping the aquifer at Lane Springs"--Abstract, page iii.

Palynomorph and palynofacies assemblages of neutral-alkaline and acid lakes south of Norseman, Southern Western Australia

"The Yilgarn Craton in Western Australia hosts hundreds of shallow ephemeral hypersaline lakes, the majority of which have acid to neutral pH values. As part of a multidisciplinary study of the evolution of hypersalinity and acidity in the region, three drill cores were studied for their palynofacies and palynomorph contents in order to characterize palynofloral response to environmental changes. Drill cores from two acid lakes, Prado Lake (PL1-09 and PL2-09) and Twin Lake West (TLW1-09), and the neutral-alkaline Gastropod Lake (GLE1-09) south of Norseman recovered Miocene to Holocene sediments of the Revenge and Polar Bear formations. Transmitted light microscopy was used to identify the dispersed organic matter (DOM) as well as palynomorphs.

Statistical analyses were performed only for palynofacies since the palynomorph abundances were low. The palynofacies study revealed that the comminuted phytoclasts are the dominant components in the four drill cores; however; there are subtle differences in DOM distributions, even in drill cores from the same lake due to the dynamic nature of the environment. Lake dynamics appear to be controlled by flooding, evapoconcentration, desiccation, and reworking and eolian erosion. Modern observations indicate the possibility of a lake undergoing more than one process at the same time, resulting in different depositional mechanisms.

Palynomorph analysis revealed that: 1) an open woodland vegetation with shrubs and herbs (Chenopodiaceae and Myrtaceae) had succeeded the much wetter climate of the Paleogene; 2) reworking has been a part of lake history as evidenced by the recovery of late Eocene palynomorphs (Nothofagidites and Aglaoreidia cyclops) at almost all depths; 3) the first record of a salt tolerant alga, Dunaliella, in the drill cores is likely be an indicator of the onset of salinity in the region; and 4) the apparent absence of Dunaliella in the most recent sediments in the neutral-alkaline Gastropod Lake may be related to either predation by the gastropod Coxiella or the possibility that this Dunaliella species is acidophilic. Both probabilities suggest that Gastropod Lake has become more neutral-alkaline with time"--Abstract, page iii.

Seismic interpretation and reservoir characterization of the Middle Eocene Gialo Formation, Assamoud Field, Sirte Basin, Libya

"The Gialo Formation is a major gas producing reservoir in the Assamoud Field, Sirte Basin, Libya. It is called Gialo limestone because it consists of shallow marine limestone. Seismic and well data in conjunction with the results of a previous study were used to delineate the hydrocarbon reservoir of Middle Eocene Gialo Formation of Assamoud Field area located in Eastern part of concession 6, Sirte Basin, Libya. The data include three-dimensional seismic data acquired by Sirte Company in 2009. It covers approximately an area of 150 km² and with more than 10 wells penetrating the reservoir. Seismic data were used to identify any structural and stratigraphic features such as faults and channels which may play important role in hydrocarbon traps. Seismic mapping of two way travel time for the top and the base of Gialo Formation indicates that the highest area in the Assamoud field is at 4840 ft subsea around wells H4-6, H5-6, H6-6, and H 8-7 and the deepest point is at 4900 ft subsea. The well data were used to determine the average petrophysical characteristics of Assamoud field. The results indicate that the Middle Eocene Gialo reservoir is of good high quality with very good porosity reaching 23.9% at well H6-7. The correlation between wells using GR and SP logs indicates that the net thickness of the Gialo Formation ranges from 0 ft in well H2-6 to 220 ft in well H6-6. The gas water contact is at 4859 ft SS. The bulk volume was derived from net isopach map. The original gas in place and the recoverable gas were calculated volumetrically to be 889.23 Billion Standard Cubic Feet (BSCF) and 622.61 (BSCF) respectively. Analysis of seismic and well data demonstrates that the highest producing wells in the study area are those located at structural highs with an average porosity ranging from 20% to 24%"--Abstract, page iii.

Geological and geomorphological evolution of the Egyptian Nile between Aswan and Kom Ombo: A remote sensing and field study approach

"This work uses field and remote sensing studies to examine structural controls of the Egyptian Nile between Aswan and Kom Ombo (referred here to as AKN). This segment of the Egyptian Nile incises through Cretaceous Nubian sandstone and Precambrian crystalline rocks separated by a shallowly-dipping to theN unconformity. It was only 0.8 Ma that the Egyptian Nile connected to the rest of the sub-Sahara Africa drainage system. Prior to this time, the Egyptian Nile evolved independently through 8 phases: Pre-Eonile (Ma), Eonile (6.0-5. 4 Ma), Gulf Phase (5.4-3.3 Ma), Paleonile Phase (3.3-1.8 Ma), Desert Phase (1.8-0.8 Ma), Prenile Phase (0.8-0.4 Ma), Neonile Phase (0.4 Ma-12 ka) and Modem Nile (12 ka-Present). Results of this work show the following: (1) The AKN region is dominated by N, NE, E, and NW-trending fractures. (2) The pre-Eonile phase is represented by a W (Wadi Abu Subbaira E of the Nile) and a NW-flowing drainage system (Wadi Kubbania W of the Nile). The Wadi Kubbania is controlled by a ~4 km wide, ~150m deep NW-trending graben. (3) The course of the AKN can be approximated by ~10 km long right-stepping segments controlled by discrete NNW and NE-trending fractures. (4) South of the unconformity between the Precambrian crystalline rocks and the Cretaceous Nubian sandstone, the river incised through the entire Cretaceous Nubian sandstone section to expose the Precambrian crystalline rocks. Here the AKN follows many fracture-controlled courses forming the first cataract. (5) The Eonile and Gulf Phases did not extend southward to reach Aswan since the Precambrian crystalline rocks are exposed there. (6) The AKN evolution has been influenced by the Red Sea and the Nubian Swell regional tectonics but local structures have also played an important role in its evolution"--Abstract, page iv.

A detailed petrographic analysis of the Mt. Sheridan Roosevelt Gabbro and associated rock types

"The Mt. Sheridan Roosevelt Gabbro of the Wichita Mountains igneous province in Southwestern Oklahoma underwent dynamic crystallization, resulting in three distinct gabbro zones with a range of pegmatite morphologies spread throughout. The three zones are informally named the lower, central, and upper zones. The lower zone consists of a quartz and alkali feldspar poor, plagioclase and pyroxene rich, poorly altered, gabbro cumulate. The central zone is comprised of a heavily altered quartz and alkali feldspar rich gabbro with few cumulate textures. The upper zone is mineralogically and texturally identical to the lower zone, distinguished only by its higher elevation. The presence of reversely zoned plagioclase crystals indicates changes within the magma chamber during crystallization, possibly facilitated by magma replenishment or seismic activity.

The various pegmatites found throughout the gabbro are mineralogically identical and formed from an identical evolved melt expelled from interstitial spaces within the cumulate pile during crystallization. The evolution of the pegmatite from millimeter wide interstitial diffuse pegmatite to meter wide planar dikes reflect the migration mechanisms of the evolved pegmatite melt through the cumulate pile: melt diapirs as pegmatite pods, self propagating fractures as melanocratic and leucocratic irregular dikes, and brittle fractures as zoned dikes. The migration mechanisms of pegmatite melt were dependent on the volume of melt collected and the rigidity of the surrounding cumulate pile. When a large volume of expelled pegmatite melt collected, the melt was able to buoyantly migrate upward through the cumulate pile and, if it migrated through the crystallization front, became incorporated into the active magma chamber. This resulted in the crystallization of a more evolved gabbro in the central zone"--Abstract, page iii.

Visual inspection and ground penetrating radar investigation of the historical Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery

"This thesis is a comprehensive summary of the geotechnical investigation of the Historical Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery, southeast Waynesville, Missouri. This research demonstrates that unmarked graves in an abandoned historical cemetery can be located using visual site inspection and ground penetrating radar techniques.

During the course of these investigations, multiple visual site inspections of Pulaski County Poor Farm Cemetery were conducted and ground penetrating radar data were acquired. Based on the visual site inspections and the interpretation of ground penetrating radar data, a total of one-hundred and fifty-one (151) graves were identified; eighty-seven (87) of the graves were mapped using visual site inspection techniques; sixty-four fifty (64) were identified based on the analysis of the ground penetrating radar data. A report was submitted to the Pulaski County Historical Society, recommending that markers (wooden crosses) be placed on each identified grave.

The visual site inspections and ground penetrating radar investigation were successful and proved to be useful methods for detecting abandoned graves"--Abstract, page iii.

The origin of quartz glomerocrysts: insights from the rhyolite dike at Medicine Park, OK

"The origin of quartz glomerocrysts a distinctive petrographic feature of the rhyolite dike in Medicine Park, Oklahoma, was investigated using transmitted light and cathodoluminescence microscopy to determine if quartz glomerocrysts formed during quartz crystallization or during quartz dissolution. Quartz glomerocrysts are typically comprised of two to six individual phenocrysts of quartz and commonly exhibit subhedral partially embayed crystal forms with very rare euhedral phenocrysts in both glomerocrysts and individual quartz phenocrysts. The size range of the individual quartz phenocrysts are 0.08mm to 1.7mm while the size range is 0.08mm to 3.25mm for quartz glomerocrysts . Cathodoluminescence revealed that individual quartz phenocrysts which comprise glomerocrysts showed abrupt truncation of internal compositional growth zonation along the shared resorbed crystal surfaces, demonstrating the quartz glomerocrysts formed after initiation of quartz dissolution. The driving force behind quartz dissolution is consistent with decompression during magma ascent resulting in a decrease in the stability field for quartz due to the shift in the position of the coetectic in the system Q-Ab-Or-H₂O. Juxtaposition of dissolving quartz phenocrysts during magma ascent leads to the formation of glomerocrysts as a result of crystallization of the overlapping boundary layer melts that surround the dissolving quartz phenocrysts. The common occurrence of glomerophyric quartz phenocrysts in granites, akin to those observed in the rhyolite dike, may have also formed as a result of decompression dissolution, thus providing a textural record of magmatic ascent"--Abstract, page iii.

Evaluating the effectiveness of multi-spectral remote sensing data for lithological mapping in arid regions: a quantitative approach with examples from the Makkah Neoproterozoic region, Saudi Arabia

"This work quantitatively evaluates the effectiveness of multi-spectral remote sensing data for geological mapping in arid regions. For this, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data covering part of the Neoproterozoic Arabian Shield around the Makkah region in Saudi Arabia are used. The Makkah region is dominated by a variety of layered and intrusive rocks covered by unconsolidated sediments. The Landsat TM data have six spectral bands in the visible and near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) with thirty meters spatial resolution.

The Optimum Index Factor (OIF) has been computed to determine the best Red-Green-Blue (RGB) band combination emerging from the six spectral bands, the six corresponding Principal Components (PCs), and selected band-ratio images. Results of the OIF analysis showed that the RGB color combination 3-5-7 is the best among all twenty possible RGB color combinations obtained from the six Landsat TM bands. Also, the OIF analysis pointed to that the PC RGB color combination 2-4-5 have the highest spectral information among all twenty RGB color combinations obtained from the six PCs. As well, the modified band-ratio RGB color combination 5/7-5/4-3/1 has the highest OIF compared to other band-ratio Landsat TM images that have been previously used for lithological mapping in arid regions.

Subsequently, in order to quantify the effectiveness of the Landsat TM data for lithological mapping, the Maximum Likelihood supervised classification is implemented. Results of the classification are evaluated in relation to previously published geological map using the Error Matrix and Kappa hat image classification accuracy assessment methods. These results show variation in accuracy between different lithological units, with an overall accuracy of 66.25% and Kappa hat of 56.98%. Part of this error is attributed to the presence of the unconsolidated sediments which are highly heterogeneous"--Abstract, page iii.

Shale gas rock characterization and 3D submicron pore network reconstruction

"Determining shale gas petrophysical properties is the cornerstone to any reservoir-management practice. Hitherto, conventional core analyses are inadequate to attain the petrophysical properties of shale gas at submicron-scale. This study combines interdisciplinary techniques from material science, petrophysics, and geochemistry to characterize different shale gas samples from North America including Utica, Haynesville and Fayetteville shale gas plays. Submicron pore structure, clay mineralogy, wettability and organic matter maturation were investigated to evaluate the petrophysical properties of shale gas rocks and to determine the impact of organic and inorganic matters on wettability alteration for different fracturing fluids on shale gas rocks.

High pressure (up to 60,000 psi) mercury porosimetry analysis (MICP) determined the pore size distributions. A robust detailed sequential milling and imaging procedure using dual beam (SEM/FIB) instrument was implemented successfully to characterize the submicron-pore structures. Various types of porosities were observed on SEM images. Pores were found in organic matters with the size of nano level and occupied 40-50% of the kerogen body. The reconstructed 3D pore model provided key insights into the petrophysical properties of shale gas such as pore size histogram, porosity, tortuosity and anisotropy, etc. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed high illite content in Haynesville shale. It also suggested high calcite content in Utica shale samples. Wettability tests showed that most of the additives that were used can alter shale gas surfaces toward hydrophilic-like system (water-wet). Moreover, palynofacies analysis provided valuable information about kerogen type and its degree of thermal maturation, which are key parameters in shale gas exploration"--Abstract, page iii.

Palynology of the middle to upper Eocene Esmeraldas formation in the Nuevo Mundo Syncline area, Middle Magdalena Valley Basin, Colombia

"The palynology of the Eocene Esmeraldas Formation in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin, Colombia was analyzed in order to constrain the age of the unit. This formation is a very important oil reservoir in the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin, which is a product of a fragmentation of a Cenozoic foreland basin by the Northern Andes. It created structural complexities and syntectonic deposition. The lateral continuity of the formation, as well as its correlations with lithostratigraphic units is adjacent basins, are not clearly understood. The Los Corros Fossil Horizon, a mollusk horizon in the upper part of the Esmeraldas Formation, is used to differentiate the formation. This horizon is not laterally continuous all over the basin and its age is still debatable. Data from eighty-two (82) samples from an outcrop section in the Nuevo Mundo Syncline area and from seven previously studied wells have been integrated with a palynological zonation of northern South America in order to date the Esmeraldas Formation. The age ranges from the Early-Middle Eocene to Late Eocene. The Esmeraldas Formation is correlative with the upper Picacho Formation and the lower part of the Concentracion Formation in the Eastern Cordillera, and the upper Mirador Formation and the base of the Carbonera Formation in the Llanos Foothills. The Los Corros Fossil Horizon is Late Eocene and is time-correlative with a marine transgression in the central Llanos Foothills. A non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis using both the Sorensen and the Morisita-Horn Indices suggests that the floras from the Middle Magdalena Valley were different to the Llano Foothills area during the Middle to Late Eocene. This is apparently due to different environments of deposition. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the overall evolution of the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin"--Abstract, page iii.

Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary biostratigraphy and palynofacies of the Alo-1 well, Southeastern Nigeria

"The Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (K/Pg) has been studied in great detail because of the fascination most people have with the extinction of the dinosaurs. The response of the vegetation to this extinction event has been studied in detail in mid to high latitudes, but little is known about what happened in the tropics. Sixty-seven samples from the Nsukka and Imo formations in the Alo-1 well in the Anambra Basin, southeastern Nigeria have been studied for their palynological contents. The aims of the study was to use spores, pollen and dispersed organic matter components to interpret biostratigraphy, and evaluate depositional conditions across the K/Pg boundary. A preliminary assessment of floral changes has also been made. Spore and pollen data indicates that the K/Pg boundary is located within the 1207 m - 1311 m depth interval in the Nsukka Formation. This boundary was identified using the last appearance datum (LAD) and first appearance datum (FAD) of key identified species, such as the LAD of Buttinia andreevi, and the FAD of species of Mauritiidites. Ten potentially new species have been identified and described in detail. Minimum variance cluster analysis of nine types of dispersed organic matter defined three palynofacies assemblages (A, B, and C) and nine sub-assemblages (three per assemblage). Comminuted phytoclasts, structured phytoclasts and amorphous organic matter apparently define these assemblages. Palynofacies data indicates a strong terrestrial influence during the deposition of the Nsukka Formation (prodelta) and the Imo Formation (shallow shelf). Influx of terrestrial components due to several factors controlling the amount of freshwater runoff into the basin, such as basin shape and circulation cell, overwhelmed marine components (dinoflagellate cysts, amorphous organic matter) preserved in the sediments"--Abstract, page iii.

Seismic interpretation and reservoir characterization of the middle Frio Formation in the Stratton field Gulf Coast Basin of south Texas using three-dimensional seismic and well log data

"The Stratton field is a large mature gas field located between Nueces County and Kleberg County in the northwest Gulf Coast Basin of south Texas. The Oligocene middle Frio Formation is one of the major progradational units within the Stratton field. It is characterized by rapid deposition and high subsidence rates that create complex internal facies architecture. The reservoir facies architecture of the middle Frio Formation is described as channel-fill deposits, crevasses-splay deposits, and floodplain mudstones. Previous two-dimensional seismic studies indicate some level of compartmentalization. Three-dimensional seismic and well log data provided by the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin were utilized to identify by-passed, untapped, incompletely drained, and new infield reserves. North-South trending features were observed within the basal middle Frio Formations, and are interpreted as residual effects from the deeper Vicksburg Faults. Correlation of the traced horizons and well log data revealed two structural highs in the C-38 time structure map that also appear as high amplitude corresponding to the presence of gas in the reservoir. Two structural closures described as Prospect A and Prospect B were evaluated. For Prospect A, volumetric calculations gave an in-place gas reserves of 501 mmcf and recoverable gas reserves of 351 mmcf. For Prospect B, they yielded an in-place gas reserves of 487 mmcf and recoverable gas reserves of 341 mmcf. At the current price of $4.75/MMBtu, the total value of recoverable gas from both Prospects A and B is $3.29 million"--Abstract, page iii.

Environmental geochemistry of metal contaminated sediments from the Big River system of southeastern Missouri

"Geochemical analysis of stream sediments from the Big River Watershed of southeastern Missouri indicates that they contain elevated concentrations of contaminant metals such as Pb. Zn, Cu. Co, Ni and Cd. The elevated concentrations are derived from natural exposures of metal enriched strata and the numerous mine tailings piles and water seeps created as a result of about 300 years of lead-zinc mining in the “Old Lead Belt”. Galena (PbS), sphalerite (ZnS), and pyrite (FeS2) are the primary sulfides found in the tailings piles and Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis of individual metallic sediment particles collected at intervals downstream from the Desloge tailings was conducted to investigate the survivability of the sulfides in the stream as well as determine what phases the contaminant metals associate with at proximal and distal locations on the Big River. Pyrite was found up to ~6 nautical kilometers downstream from the tailings, while galena and sphalerite phases were more durable in the river system and found up to ~13 nautical kilometers downstream. Analysis of sedimentary particles collected further downstream indicates that contaminant metals such as Pb. Zn, Cu, Cd, Ni and Ba tend to sorb onto Si, Fe and Mn oxide and/or oxyhydroxide phases. At Brynesville (~84 miles/134 kilometers downstream from the Desloge Tailings Pile), the Pb concentration of 1423 ppm is ~11 times higher than the control site value of 123 ppm Pb, implying that the release of galena and its dissolution components from the tailings still has a strong influence, even on the most distal sample sites in the stream. At the distal sampling sites, Pb and Zn is concentrated in the silt+clay size fraction, which is likely due to upstream dissolution of sulfides and the subsequent adsorption of dissolved Pb and Zn ions onto smaller particles of Al- Si- Fe- Mn oxide and/or oxyhydroxide phases"--Abstract, page iii.

Seismic stratigraphic interpretation and reservoir characterization of the Mamuniyat Formation in the B-NC115 field, Murzuk Basin, Libya

"Paleozoic succession in Libya offers much potential for scientific investigation and oil industry exploration due to the prolific reserve of hydrocarbons contained within the rocks of that region. The Paleozoic stratigraphy in Libya is divided into two mega sequences, a lower sequence extending from Cambrian to Silurian and upper sequence extending from Devonian to Permian. Mamuniyat Formation, a late Ordovician outcrop succession which is the main reservoir in Murzuk Basin, is composed of massive cross-bedded sandstone, most of which is generally medium to coarse grain. In B-NC115 field, the Mamuniyat Formation shows varied thickness which is a result of paleotopographic highs of glacial related origin. This formation is divided into three sequences based on the lithofacies and well log data pattern. The upper sequence, which was deposited when sea level fell, is the producing unit that has more than 100 ft (30.40 m) of net pay in some areas with good porosity and permeability. This sequence has three facies, and has thickness of 200 ft (60.96 m) of sand, interbeded with shales. They range from one foot to several feet and are recognized by log pattern and also field observation. Depth, structure, and isochron maps addressed the paleohigh structure, which is a combination of structure and stratigraphic feature. The reservoir shows good porosity and permeability range from 9% to 12%, and 500-1000 mD respectively. Seismic interpretation showed the progressive onlapping of the Silurian shale units over the Mamuniyat paleohighs, which known as the paleoglacial related trap. Although there is no significant fault signature in the field, a possible normal-faulted anticline has been recognized. Crossplot analysis and petrophysical results indicate the heterogeneity of the field. Oil-water contact has been determined by the resistivity logs at -3052 ft SS (922.02 m)"--Abstract, page iii.

Formation characterization of the Lamotte Sandstone in southwestern Missouri

"This research details an evaluation of the Lamotte Sandstone fundamental rock properties, in order to answer the question, "Could the Lamotte Sandstone be used as a formation for CO 2 sequestration?" This question is important as more stringent air quality regulations require CO2 to be sequestered in some manner, rather than be released to the atmosphere.

Review of historical literature revealed that the Lamotte formation is a transgressive, upwardly fining sandstone, with up to six different lithofacies. Four coreholes were identified as available for study near the City Utilities southwest power plant in Springfield, Missouri. Corehole NS-3 was selected for study as this corehole fell on a historical cross-section and had been previously described.

Visual inspection of the NS-3 core identified four sandstone zones, designated zone #1 through zone #4. These zones corresponded to the lower portion of the Bonneterre dolomite and facies #6 through facies #3 of the Lamotte.

Routine core analysis of fourteen samples from the four zones revealed that zones #3 and #4 have higher porosity than zones #1 and #2. However the permeability in zones #1, #2 and #4 were lower than zone #3. The fundamental properties for zone #3 were 10.6% porosity with 139 mD maximum permeability.

XRD analysis of six samples from the four zones indicated that of the clays present in the formation, most of the clay is either illite or kaolinite, with a much smaller presence of montmorillonite. SEM photographs of the samples revealed kaolinite clay structures, and pore sizes that were consistent with the porosity measured for each zone.

A storage capacity calculation for the Lamotte zone #3 suggests that 21 MMscf of gas could be stored in the formation for every acre-ft of bulk reservoir rock (8 foot thickness for Zone #3 = 168 MMscf/acre). This calculation was made assuming that the connate water saturation from whole core analysis correctly represents the formation residual water saturation. This calculation also assumes no chemical reaction between the carbon dioxide and formation minerals, and any brine already in the reservoir could be evacuated or displaced.

Considering all facies, the Lamotte Sandstone is thick. Well NS-3 has a reported Lamotte thickness of 132 feet. However, not all of the formation thickness has similar storage properties, as shown in this report. Some facies have low permeability which would indicate a low potential injectivity.

In summary, it appears that the Lamotte Sandstone would have the capacity to store CO2 but a more comprehensive study with a greater number of samples from fresh core is advised"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Rapakivi feldspars in the Deer Isle pluton, Maine: Distribution, characterization and the role of decompression vs. magma mixing in their formation

"The Deer Isle pluton is an edenite-biotite granite with ubiquitous rapakivi feldspars. It has been divided into four facies, the Flye Point facies, Oak Point facies, Settlement Quarry facies and the Crotch Island facies based on mineralogical and textural variation. Rapakivi feldspars, which have long been considered the result of magma mixing or decompression by magma ascent, are found in all facies and their abundance varies systematically across the pluton. Rapakivi feldspars are minimal in the Crotch Island facies, and increase dramatically towards the Flye Point facies. Petrographically, the rapakivi feldspars exhibit different mantle characteristics ranging from a continuous rim to discrete grains. The An (Anorthite) component of the plagioclase mantle is commonly ~ An20 or less, the highest An content measured is An26. Plagioclase phenocrysts also have an An content of ~ An20, with rare grains with an An content up to An40. The alkali feldspars cores are resorbed and commonly exhibit quartz at the interface with the mantle. Amphibole-plagioclase geothermometry records a subsolidus temperature of ~516°C. Amphibole geobarometry calculated at 720°C record pressures ranging from <0-2.6 kb.

The facies of the pluton are interpreted to correspond with locations within the magma chamber. The presence of rapakivi feldspars in each facies suggests the rapakivi feldspars were present when the pluton was emplaced. The Flye Point facies exhibits abundant rapakivi feldspars and represents a cumulate at the base of the chamber, and the Oak Point facies represents the transition between the cumulate and the more active magma chamber. The Settlement Quarry facies represents the active chamber; rapakivi feldspars are common, and both convection and crystallization occurred. The Crotch Island facies is the most evolved portion of the chamber; rare rapakivi feldspars are present. This interpretation of the facies requires tilting of the pluton towards the southwest. The amphiboles in the Flye Point (1.2-2.6 kilobars) and Oak Point (<0-2.5 kilobars) facies yield slightly higher pressures than the Settlement Quarry facies (<0-2.2 kilobars); this may correspond to depth assuming the pluton is tilted. Negative pressures are not geologically significant and occur primarily in highly zoned amphiboles, which suggest migration of a fluid phase along fractures and cleavage. The plot of X Mg vs. Si shows amphiboles from separate facies plot in distinct groups.

The geobarometry, varying mantle types, and rapakivi distribution do not indicate the mechanisms of formation. Magma mixing played a role in the history of the pluton, however there is no evidence supporting it is responsible for the formation of rapakivi feldspars. The role of decompression can not be determined due to re-equilibration. Despite inconclusive evidence regarding formation, rapakivi feldspars remain a useful marker of magma chamber dynamics"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Stratigraphy and diagenesis of the Paleoproterozoic Bushy Park zinc-lead deposit, South Africa

“The Bushy Park zinc-lead deposit is located in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. The sulfides are hosted by karst-related breccias that were formed in carbonate shelf deposits of the Neoarchean (2.55 Ga) Campbellrand Subgroup. These rocks are dolomitized completely and silicified partially but have not undergone major metamorphism and thus display remarkable preservation of depositional fabrics. The stratigraphic interval includes the Papkuil and Klippan Formations (> 210 m), a sequence of cyclic microbial laminates interbedded with domed and columnar stromatolites. The Klippan is distinguished from other formations b intense silicification and brecciation. These strata are overlain by the Kogelbeen Formation, consisting of more than 210 m of intertidal facies that occur at the bottom and subtidal facies toward the top. These three formations have undergone slight synsedimentary folding and final stage basin fill towards the end of the Kogelbeen Formation deposition.

The sequence studied is interpreted to represent a third order cycle. The Kogelbeen Formation possibly represents a third order transgression, and the Papkuil-Klippan Formations, a regression. Fourth order cycles are represented by minor shallowing upward sequences throughout the succession and fifth order parasequences are also recognized in the strata immediately above a black shale which represent the contact between the Klippan and Kogelbeen Formations

Replacive dolomite ranges from a relatively fine crystalline planar texture, typical of early diagenetic dolomitization, to a coarse crystalline nonplanar texture, suggestive of epigenetic dolomitization and/or neomorphism of pre-existing dolomite. The nonplanar dolomite is associated with coarse crystalline dolomite and calcite cements that are paragenetically related to quartz cement, abundant pyrobitumen, Zn, Pb, minor Cu, Fe sulfide minerals, and intense brecciation. A distinctive cathodoluminescent microstratigraphy, observed in the carbonate cements, indicates a paragenesis involving multiple stages of cementation and mineralization. All of this suggests a complex fluid history, which includes the emplacement of petroleum. Breccias contain clasts of banded iron formation that is at least Paleoproterozoic in age and therefore suggests a maximum age of 2.5 Ga for the mineralization event.

This study indicates that the Bushy Park deposit underwent depositional, diagenetic, and epigenetic processes similar to Paleozoic and younger Mississippi Valley-type deposits worldwide and share many characteristics in common with Pb-Zn deposits found in the Appalachian Region of North America”--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

The karst hydrology of Boiling Spring, Pulaski County, Missouri

"Boiling Spring is a large spring on the Gasconade River near Jerome in Pulaski County, Missouri. Previous studies indicated the average discharge of Boiling Spring is at least 67 cubic feet per second and had estimated the recharge area for the spring to be an elongated region lying to the south and southeast. Using a technique first derived in 1935 but expanded with additional data, the discharge of Boiling Spring has been determined to be closer to 130 cubic feet per second, making it a large first magnitude spring. The recharge area, which was verified to be an elongated south to southeastern region, has a complex relationship with Wilkins and Yelton Springs on Mill Creek and Relfe (Coppedge) Spring on Spring Creek. The recharge areas for these and other springs apparently overlap and form a tiered system with Boiling Spring being the lowest base level spring for the region"--Abstract, page iii.

Characterization and analysis of the West Lost Trail Creek Landslide, Hinsdale County, Colorado

“In July, 1991 a large rock fall avalanche type landslide occurred in the Rio Grande National Forest of southern Colorado only a few miles below the Continental divide. The debris flowed into the West Lost Trail Creek Valley damming West Lost Trail Creek. The purpose of this study was to conduct mapping of the landslide area and ascertain if the slide was a “Sturzstrom” rock fall avalanche, using kinematic and static equations to back- analyze the controlling physical properties at the time of failure, and to discuss the likely future behavior of the debris dam blocking the stream channel. Failure of this dam could impact recreational facilities and the Rio Grande Reservoir located a short distance downstream.

A Sturtzstrom is a particular type of rock fall avalanche which becomes fluid as it falls, spreading itself like a debris flow over flat surfaces and traveling greater distances than can be predicted with conventional limit-equilibrium slope stability evaluation methods. Threshold values for formation of Sturzstroms appear to be: a minimum volume of 500,000 m3, a fall height greater than 150 m, and a detachment surface inclined at least 25° from horizontal. Sturtzstroms often begin as rock falls, but as movement continues, the slide mass fragments into a wide range of angular particles ranging from pebble to boulder size. As the fluidized mass spills into the underlying valley, deposition begins increasing the ratio between slide volume and basal area. As this occurs the coefficient of friction increases until sufficient shear strength is regained to cause a sudden halt of the slide mass”--Abstract, page iii.

Sorption potential of Pb, Cd, Zn, and As to selected Paleozoic strata from Carter and Shannon Counties, Missouri

"Current and potential mining exploration activities in Carter and Shannon Counties, Missouri, have elevated public fear concerning toxic metal contamination in both the Ozark and St. Francois regional aquifers. Data from the present study indicate that selected Paleozoic formations are natural sinks for Pb, Cd, Zn, and As dissolved in groundwater.

Rock samples from cores and/or surface outcrops were collected from the Lamotte Sandstone, Bonneterre Dolomite, Davis Formation (shale and limestone), Derby-Doerun Dolomite, Potosi Dolomite, and Eminence Dolomite (sandstone and dolomite). The samples were powdered and reacted (2 g each) with 50 mL of leachate solution containing 10-4 M Pb, Cd, Zn, or As. Leachate solutions were then analyzed using ICP-MS.

Results indicate a reduction of lead from solution in all tests by three orders of magnitude. The Eminence Dolomite and Potosi Dolomite 3-day tests were reduced below the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard (0.015 ppm for lead). Cadmium results indicate a strong correlation between rock type and sorption. In both 3 and 21-day tests, dolomite samples exhibit the highest sorption capacity, while sandstone and shale rock types demonstrate low sorption capacity for Cd. Potosi Dolomite and Derby-Doerun Dolomite 21 -day tests reduced Cd in solution to below the EPA standard of 0.005 ppm. Results from 3 and 21-day tests indicate that arsenic levels were only lowered slightly, with the exception of the Eminence Formation sandstone which lowered arsenic levels by one order of magnitude. Zinc concentrations in all tests were reduced to below the national secondary drinking water regulation of 5 ppm. This study suggests that there is minimal risk of metal ion contamination in the Ozark and St. Francois regional aquifers due to exploration activity"--Abstract, page iii.

The mineralogy, petrology and rare earth element geochemistry of the Maw Zone, Athabasca Basin, Canada

"The Maw Zone is an yttrium and heavy rare earth element (YHREE) enriched zone in the southeastern Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada. Petrographic studies including transmitted and reflected light microscopy, cathodoluminescence, electron microprobe, and scanning electron microscopy were carried out to determine the mineralogy and paragenetic sequence of mineral deposition of the Maw Zone. The rare earth elements were determined by whole-rock analysis of select samples from the Maw Zone and from two drill holes outside the Maw Zone, ZM-10 and ZK-17. These two drill holes were selected for comparison due to their proximity to the Maw Zone and contrasting mineralization. Drill hole ZM-10 contains uranium mineralization, and drill hole ZK-17 contains copper mineralization. The results from the petrographic studies and rare earth element geochemistry were used to assess the relationship of the Maw Zone to unconformity-type uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin. Unconformity-type uranium mineralization in the Athabasca Basin occurs at or near the unconformity between the Middle Proterozoic sediments and underlying Archean and Aphebian basement rocks. Mineralization at the Maw Zone occurs as the mineral xenotime, (YHREE)PO4, approximately 130 metres above the unconformity and extends to the surface outcrop exposure. This indicates that the mineralizing fluids in the Maw Zone have extended to shallower stratigraphic levels than those normally associated with uranium mineralization. However, no uranium mineralization has been found within the Maw Zone. The Maw Zone shows similar alteration features to those reported for unconformity-type uranium deposits and therefore, is interpreted to be a near surface expression of the same hydrothermal processes that are responsible for uranium mineralization. The lack of accompanying uranium mineralization at the Maw Zone could indicate that the sources for HREE and uranium are different or alternatively, that the physiochemical conditions at the Maw Zone were not favorable for uranium precipitation. The latter seems more likely since a significant source of HREE would be required for the enrichment observed at the Maw Zone. Based upon this research, it is postulated that the HREE were largely derived from earlier uranium mineralization in an area close to the Maw Zone and that highly oxidizing fluids dissolved and transported the uranium and HREE but a stationary redox front that is necessary for the accumulation of uranium was not present so that only HREE were deposited"--Abstract, page iii.

Seismic refraction survey for engineering site investigation at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport, Springfield, Missouri

“Seismic refraction methods have been extensively used in petroleum, mineral, and engineering investigations. Recent advances in equipment and interpretation techniques make seismic refraction methods highly effective and economical for obtaining data for engineering and environmental studies. During March 2001 a seismic refraction survey was conducted at Springfield-Branson Regional Airport. The objectives of this study were to determine the soil and bedrock velocities and were provided depth to bedrock. The refraction seismic data consist of three profiles and interpret using the Generalized Reciprocal Method (GRM).

Base on borehole and seismic refraction data, the soil layer (overburden) in this area consists primarily of firm to stiff red fat clay and gravelly clay with varying percentages of sand, chert and cobbles or small boulders. The average velocity of this layer as determined from the analysis of seismic refraction data varies from 3,800 to 4,000 feet per second. However, the soil layer is characterized by graded increase in velocity from the top to bottom as observed from seismic data (the slope of time-distance curves of this layer decrease when the distance between shot and geophone increase). This graded increasing velocity is due to weathering, compaction, and soil moisture.

The interpreted refraction seismic data indicate that limestone bedrock topography can vary significantly over a relative horizontal distance (100 ft). The average velocity of limestone bedrock was 17,500 feet per second in profile no.l, 17,000 feet per second in profile no.2, and 16,000 feet per second in profile no.3. The shallowest depth to bedrock as determined from seismic refraction data was 13 feet at the station 610 feet in profile no.l and the greatest depth was 38 feet at station 1,510 feet from the same profile.

The application of the seismic refraction technique to the determination of the depth and velocity of soil (overburden) layer and limestone bedrock has proven to be useful. In this study, the known depth to bedrock at borehole B12 enables us to interpret the seismic refraction data with confidence”—Abstract, pages iii-iv.

A geophysical study of shallow subsurface groundwater in the Namaqualand, South Africa

“Namaqualand is an arid to semi-arid region of approximately 200 square kilometres along the northwestern coast of South Africa. Fresh water is very scarce in this region, and efforts are being made to find more potable water for the increasing population of people and livestock, and increasing irrigational needs. The only feasible solution appears to be the exploitation of groundwater, and the local municipalities need to find the optimum areas to drill water wells. There is plenty of available groundwater at depth, but this water is much too saline for the area’s needs. Groundwater in the shallow subsurface tends to be slightly saline, but potable, but this water is not widely abundant.

The objective of this study was to determine porous zones with high permeability in the shallow subsurface where groundwater was tending to flow, such as faults, geologic contacts, or buried stream channels. Several geophysical methods were employed to do this, but the majority of useful information was obtained from the electromagnetic induction techniques.

Geophysical data were collected at seven sites in the region. Most of these sites were selected on the basis of their proximity to water wells producing from the shallow subsurface. By obtaining data from sites where there was known usable water, it was hoped that telltale signatures of the water at these sites would help to characterise unknown areas. These data were collected during both the wet and dry seasons at some of the sites, in order to gain a better understanding of the seasonal groundwater behaviour.

At the sites in which faults were present, groundwater was preferentially flowing through the fault zone. At the sites where faults were not present, the groundwater appeared to be flowing through a channel. This feature was associated with the paleo- stream channels that were known to exist in some of the areas. From this information, positions can be determined for drilling that will yield the most water”--Abstract, page iii-iv.

Integrated geophysical survey as applied to groundwater exploration

"Mamre is a small agricultural town north of Cape Town on the semi-arid west coast of South Africa. The town is completely dependant on groundwater that is supplied by the Atlantis and Witzand water wellfields some 10 km to the south of Mamre. These water boreholes have been drilled into the unconsolidated sediments of the Springfontyn Member of the Bredasdorp Formation. The borehole depths vary from about 20 to 40 m. The groundwater is chlorinated and softened and it is thus an expensive water source. The local municipality decided to investigate alternative water sources to supplement the town water supply. The only feasible option was to develop the groundwater occuring in the Mamre area. The groundwater will be used for irrigation purposes if the water quality is within allowable limits.

The objective of the thesis project was to delineate target zones for groundwater development in the Mamre area, using three geophysical methods. The two possible targets identified were areas of deeper weathering in the local shale and granite aquifers and the baked contact between the shale and the intruded granite. The shallow seismic reflection, electromagnetic and resistivity techniques were applied in the study area during this thesis project.

The three geophysical methods were successfully used to delineate zones of deeper weathering of the Malmesbury Shales. The seismic data were quantitatively interpreted to ascertain accurate estimates of depth to bedrock in anomalous zones. The electromagnetic and resistivity data could however only be interpreted in a qualitative sense to delineate zones of deeper weathering.

The contact between the Malmesbury Shale and the Cape Granite could not be delineated with either of the three geophysical methods used. This is probably because the contact is not present in the subsurface along the profile investigated.

Potential drilling positions can be located using the information gathered during this geophysical survey"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Ground-penetrating radar: A tool to evaluate bridge scour

"During high-flow stages streambed materials around bridge piers are frequently removed by floodwaters. This process, referred to as bridge scour, can compromise the structural integrity of the bridge and in extreme cases, lead to failure or collapse. Assessment of seasonal erosional and depositional patterns in the proximity of bridge piers is essential to studying and understanding the bridge scour process. If studies suggest that a specific site is susceptible to excessive scour and possible undermining of the bridge piers, effective remediation can be applied.

The University of Missouri-Rolla conducted a geophysical study for the Missouri Department of Transportation to evaluate the utility and cost-effectiveness of ground- penetrating radar as a tool for investigating bridge scour. The data were analyzed to assess the capability of the radar tool to delineate both riverbed topography and in-filled scour features. This information is prerequisite to understanding local erosional and depositional trends, and for designing effective remediation methodologies. Ground- penetrating radar data were collected with a Geophysical Survey Systems Incorporated SIR-10b unit equipped with a 200-megahertz monostatic antenna. Radar data were collected at ten bridge sites characterized by differing water depths and channel properties. The logistics of each site required maneuvering the antenna either from a boat, the bridge deck, or by wading into the water. Calculated water depths were accurate to within half a foot. Although in-filled scour features were identified confidently on several processed profiles, noise generally made interpretation tenuous. Much of this noise was in the form of water bottom multiple reflections. The interpretation of the processed profiles indicated radar is an effective tool for estimating water bottom topography and extent of in-filled scour in shallow water environments ( < 20 ft depth)"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

A three-dimensional seismic interpretation of a triangle thrust zone, Sublette County, Wyoming

"A three-dimensional seismic interpretation of a complexly faulted area of the Green River basin of southwestern Wyoming has identified two major thrust faults and three seismically defined areas. The La Barge fault is a sigmoid-shaped, east verging thrust fault.To the east of and beneath the La Barge fault the Calpet fault is a west verging backthrust which terminates into the La Barge fault. The area between the faults forms a triangle zone from which significant gas production occurs.

On seismic, the two faults disappear into a no-data zone at approximately the same location to the north. Reflections from beneath the no-data zone appear to pull up, suggesting a shallow, high velocity zone. The no-data zone is interpreted to be an area where the La Barge and Calpet faults break up into a series of shallow faults that dissipate the seismic signal.

To the east of the triangle and no-data zones, a series of six near-vertical faults have been identified. The faults are interpreted to be tear faults caused by a strike-slip component to the major compression (transpression).

Four stratigraphic horizons were interpreted throughout the extent of the survey. The horizons were chosen for their potential for hydrocarbon production. The four horizons from oldest to youngest are (1) the Nugget Formation, (2) the Dakota Formation, (3) the Frontier Formation, and (4) the Baxter Formation.

This research was conducted in the J. Richard Hunt 3-D seismic laboratory using Landmark Graphics software on Silicon Graphics Octane workstations. This thesis represents the first interpretation on the workstations and a significant part of the project involved installation of the software, hardware, and data. Although difficulties were encountered in all aspects of installation, the final visualization capabilities of the system are remarkable. Seiscube, in particular, where time slices can be viewed anywhere within the data are spectacular. The enhanced graphical capabilities of the system allows the interpreter to easily visualize complex structures"--Abstract, page iii.

Late Paleocene-Early Oligocene palynomorphs from the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana Transform Margin, eastern Equatorial Altantic: Biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental significance

"Palynological analysis of thirty-four upper Paleocene to lower Oligocene samples from Holes 959A and 959D of the Cote d’lvoire-Ghana Transform Margin (Leg 159) yielded a rich assemblage of spores and pollen (sporomorphs), marine phytoplankton (dinoflagellate cysts, acritarchs) and microforaminiferal test linings. This passive margin interval was characterized by biosiliceous sedimentation (chert, porcellanite, diatomite) in a deep bathyal, sub-carbonate compensation depth environment. The sporomorph palynoflora consists of 355 taxa, comprising 59 lycophytic and pteridophytic spore species, 10 conifer species, and 286 gymnosperm and angiosperm pollen species. Although the assemblage is dominated by single specimens of dicotyledonous angiosperm pollen, it also contains high counts of inaperturate gymnosperms, indicating a dense, broad-leaved, tropical lowland, continental vegetation cover beyond the coastline, on the West African continent adjacent to the depositional site. In addition, the presence of palm pollen, brackish-water acritarchs, sculptured dicellate fungal spores, wood debris, fresh-water algae, and the paucity of Schizaeaceous fern spores in the samples, suggest a coastal, low- energy environment. The assemblages of coastal and continental plant taxa, in addition to the marine phytoplankton, reflect changing successions of paleovegetation communities, indicating changes in local paleoclimatic and depositional conditions. The presence of key Early Oligocene biomarkers made it possible to assign a precise age for this interval, while other biostratigraphically and ecologically important palynomorph taxa have helped refine the Early-Middle Eocene and the Middle-Late Eocene boundaries in the core sections. With the exception of the Middle Eocene and Early Oligocene, palynostratigraphic zonations were not erected for the entire studied interval, because of the spotty occurrences of marker species"--Abstract, page iv.

Engineering geology of the Jefferson City, Missouri area

"Jefferson City, Missouri, located in central Missouri in Cole and Callaway Counties, has rapidly increased in size and population in recent years causing conflicts in land use between urban, suburban, and agricultural applications and mineral resource extraction. Competition between these applications and land-use problems also have arisen from the presence of natural hazards in the area. Long-range planning to determine the most appropriate uses of land must consider the geologic environment of the region. The purpose of this report is to delineate areas of potential natural hazards and potential mineral resources within the city limits of Jefferson City and a one-mile buffer zone around the city limits. Hazard areas and areas of potential mineral resources are shown on a series of 1:24000 scale engineering geologic maps included in the report.

The natural hazards of the Jefferson City area include flooding, differential settlement of structures built over paleokarst features, loessal soils with high erosion potential, areas of high slope, and faults that have the potential to act as either groundwater barriers or preferential groundwater flow paths. Of these five hazards, flooding is the most widespread and important natural hazard. The Missouri River is the main physiographic feature of the area of study and the principle source of flood hazards, although the many smaller river and streams do have an impact on adjacent areas. Regions with the potential for one- and five-hundred year floods and areas subject to other hazards were delineated for the area of study and shown on hazard maps.

The main mineral resource of the Jefferson City area is aggregate material. The two principle sources are alluvial sands and gravels from the Missouri River channel and its floodplain, and the carbonate bedrock of the area. Dredging for sand and gravel is conducted in the Missouri River, and it is believed that the alluvial materials of the Missouri River floodplain and the Moreau River southeast of Jefferson City are also suitable for use in roadfill. Some of the carbonate bedrock of the area is suitable for use in Portland cement and agricultural lime, whereas other bedrock material is better suited to use in asphaltic concrete. These areas of aggregate resources are shown on a map of potential mineral resources"--Abstract, page iii.

Hydrologic and dye trace study of Welch Spring, Missouri

"A hydrologic and dye trace study of the Welch Spring and its recharge area in south central Missouri indicates that the continuous average discharge for the spring is 229 ft3/sec. This is significantly higher than previous estimates of 121 ft3/sec, 140 ft3/sec, 175 ft3/sec, and 180 ft3/sec. All previous estimates were made prior to 1985 when much of the spring's discharge was likely not measured because of seepage through alluvial gravel. The recharge area for the spring is estimated to be 213-mi2. Dye trace results confirm inter-basin transfer of groundwater from the Meramec River basin to the Current River basin. Dye trace results also indicate that the recharge area does not include an area west of Welch Spring as proposed by one previous researcher.

Pre-November 1985 instantaneous discharge measurements for Welch Spring indicate an average discharge of 174.5 ft3/sec. Post-November 1985 instantaneous discharge measurements indicate an average discharge of 219ft3/sec. As part of this conclusion, it is assumed that the post-1985 measurements are more accurate because no discharge was lost through alluvial gravel.

A comparison of an instantaneous average discharge to a continuous average discharge for Big and Greer Springs indicates that the instantaneous average underestimates the true (continuous) average by four to five percent. Applying this correction factor to the post-1985 average discharge for Welch Spring indicates that the true (continuous) average discharge for Welch Spring is 219*1/0. 9585 or 229 ft3/sec"--Abstract, page iii.

An investigation of lead and other metal contaminants in soil near the Buick lead recycling smelter, Iron County, Missouri

"The trends of concentration of lead vs. depth found soil samples collected in 1998 from near Doe Run Co.'s Buick Lead recycling smelter are not significantly changed from those seen in previous studies in 1975 and 1988. The maximum concentration of lead observed in samples from four soil cores examined in this study was 34,000 parts per million, and was in the decomposed leaf litter at the surface. The lead concentration decreases exponentially with depth in the top two to three inches of soil, and a decreasing trend with distance from the smelter is illustrated by three of the four cores. These samples also show the concentrations of cadmium, copper, cobalt and phosphorous to be significantly enriched in the upper, organic (Oh) soil horizon compared to samples from deeper soil horizons. There are, however, some notable changes in the present-day metal concentrations compared to those often and twenty-three years earlier. Arsenic, zinc and nickel display an initial decrease in concentration from surface to one to three inches depth, but concentrations then rise slightly after five to six inches depth. These increases at depth can be correlated with both a steady increase in iron concentration and the proportion of smectite clay with depth. The previous studies also displayed the highest contaminant concentrations in the Oh layer, but the slight increases of arsenic, zinc, and nickel at depth have not previously been reported. Scanning Electron Microscopy / Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM / EDS) analysis of the soils indicate lead was primarily associated with Fe and Mn oxides. In one sample, however, lead was present in a phase with cubic morphology and a composition intermediate between PbS and PbSO4. The morphology and composition of this particle suggests the presence of a residual core of galena (PbS) that has been partially altered and is now covered with a rim of anglesite (PbSO4). Arsenic and zinc were often found at minor concentrations associated with the lead, while cadmium and other metals were not present at high enough concentrations to be detected with SEM / EDS. The soil pH was found to decrease with depth. This trend does not match the data of previous studies in the area, or that of a normal temperate soil profile. Deposition of stack emissions of a slightly basic nature (pH =7.4) may explain the abnormal pH trend observed in the soil"--Abstract, page iv.

Sequence stratigraphy and depositional facies of Lower Ordovician cyclic carbonates, southern Missouri

“The Lower Ordovician cyclic carbonate strata of southern Missouri were deposited in a warm, shallow, epeiric sea environment on a fully aggraded carbonate platform. Sedimentological characteristics distinguish the Jefferson City and Cotter Dolomites from the underlying Gasconade and Roubidoux Formations. The Jefferson City and Cotter Dolomites exhibit an increased occurrence of chalcedonic chert nodules in a very similar shape and texture to the gypsum and anhydrite nodules common on modern sabkha supratidal flats. Casts of halite and gypsum lath ghosts also exist in these strata. Contrastingly, such chert nodules are rarely found in the underlying Roubidoux and Gasconade Formations.

Facies analysis from drill-cores and outcrop sections provides the basis for identifying two major meter-scale cycle types: type I (dominated by subtidal facies) and type II cycles (dominated by peritidal facies). The cycle stacking patterns, facies changes, and the overall resemblance of Fischer plots made from the widely spaced sections argue for an eustatic control on sea-level fluctuation on the platform.

Interbasinal correlation with other North American basins was established via biostratigraphy and comparison of the Fischer plots. The 3rd-order sequence boundaries from the Ozarks appear correlative with those described for other regions with the exception of sequence 3 from the Ozarks. However, Fischer plots from the separate basins could not be correlated with any certainty, since visual comparison of the plots did not reliably suggest the proper correlation as indicated by biostratigraphy. Regional tectonic and autocyclic controls on meter-scale cycle formation probably mask the eustatic signal on the continent”--Abstract, page iii.

Investigation of the influence of geomorphic factors on the deposition of radionuclide contamination in the receiving stream of the former Weldon Spring Uranium Feed Materials Plant (presently, the Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project) St. Charles County, Missouri

“The primary objective of this study is to determine whether recognition of geomorphic forces within a fluvial system can lead to more effective scoping and execution of a characterization study. This investigation was designed to evaluate whether the contaminant occurrence data could be statistically correlated with sediment deposit type, to provide a predictive tool for guiding investigations into fluvial systems. The data set used for this study was generated by the Department of Energy under their Weldon Spring Site Remedial Action Project, from their investigations of the Southeast Drainage; a naturally occurring stream segment contaminated with radioactive wastes from operation of the Weldon Spring Uranium Feed Materials Plant in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The investigation mapped and categorized the sediment deposits from which contaminant data had been collected and conducted statistical analyses of those data to determine the sediment category with the highest concentration occurrence. The investigation, under the methods developed and used, concluded that there was a slight trend toward the highest occurrence in what were defined as Margin Deposits, however, the degree of overlap of the categorical data sets prevented a strong conclusion. It was concluded that the data set available for statistical analysis was not sufficiently representative of the sediment categories to effectively distinguish a strong correlation.

Other significant observations and recommendations were made during the course of this investigation regarding the general occurrence of contaminants in a fluvial system. The presence of radioactive contaminates provided ample opportunity to observe, through field instrument readings, the physical locations, boundaries, and three-dimensional occurrence of contaminates, and provided insight into the nature of original emplacement and rework of contaminates in an ephemeral stream system. The mapping and conceptual modeling of the stream erosion and sedimentation processes generated an understanding into the temporal nature of contaminant movement through sediment transport. These observations can provide future investigators with guidelines for proper scoping of a data collection effort in a fluvial geomorphic environment” --Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Mineralogy, petrology, petrogenesis, paragenesis and geochemistry of the Eldor carbonatite complex, Labrador Trough, Quebec, Canada

"The Eldor carbonatite complex, located in the Labrador Trough region of Quebec, Canada, is a relatively unstudied deposit. The complex has a ubiquitos distribution of pyrochlore throughout the units, contains REE mineralization in the form of monazite and contains several minerals which would be economically viable as a by-product of pyrochlore mining.

The units identified in this study, at the Eldor complex, consist of early stage 2 calcite and dolomitized carbonatites and late-stage VeInIng calcite carbonatite. Fenitization is apparent in many of the units.

Cathodoluminescence mIcroscopy was used extensively to identify the extent of fenitization, characterize the type and stage of carbonate and apatite present as well as identifiy other constituents.

Pyrochlore mineralization is concentrated in the glimmerite units of the complex. Several types, alterations and generations of pyrochlore exist in the units at Eldor. Pyrochlore composition is highly variable within each specimen as well as each unit. Pyrochlore in the Ankeritic-Carbonatitic Unit is characterized by notable enrichment of uranium.

Hydrothermal fluids deposited the pyrochlore in the Glimmerite unit at Eldor. A Ta/Nb versus Fe/Nb ratio plot indicates fenitizing fluids did not produce the Glimmerite pyrochlore. An elevated Ce/Ce* ratio for the Glimmerites indicates high fluid flow, complexting and oxidation during formation.

Monazite is the independent REE mineral identified the complex. It is present as discrete grains in several types of units and it is especially concentrated in the Ankeritic-Carbonatitic Unit. This monazite formed during secondary alteration of the unit when the LREE's were released from apatite and formed in the presence of abundant phosphorus.

The Ta/Nb ratio in the carbonatite-related Eldor units IS elevated to values as high as six which is unusual for most carbonatite complexes. A compilation of data indicates there are several are complexes (Nachendaz, Mt Weld, Jacupirangi and Kola) with similar values. Ta/Nb values greater than unity indicates a possible geochemical link between dissimilar carbonatite complexes"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Induced polarization/electrical resistivity study of sanitary landfill located in collapsed sink structure

"A dipole-dipole electrical resistivity survey and an induced polarization survey were conducted over a closed sanitary landfill located in a collapsed sink structure. An apparent resistivity model was then created using a finite element program for simulating dipole-dipole resistivity responses of two-dimensional earth resistivity structures, including topography. The initial model cross-section was designed from topographic data of the pre-landfill collapsed sink structure and the post-landfill completion surface.

The dipole-dipole electrical resistivity and induced polarization methods were chosen because the data obtained could be plotted in such a way as to create a two-dimensional pseudo-depth section of the subsurface. The actual apparent resistivity, metal factor, and modeled apparent resistivity pseudo-depth sections were compared to each other and the known original topography of the sanitary landfill to determine the accuracy of each method.

This study shows that the dipole-dipole electrical resistivity, both field and model, and induced polarization methods are capable of mapping the original sanitary landfill boundaries and the probable extent of leachate seepage into the surrounding host medium"--Abstract, page iii.

Soil chemical properties of the residuum of Callaway County, Missouri

“A geochemical study of the residuum of Callaway County, Missouri was conducted in order to better understand the properties affecting adsorption behavior in the subsurface. The following parameters were determined: grain-size distribution, soil pH, clay mineral type and quantity, iron and manganese oxide content, total organic carbon (TOC), and cation exchange capacity (CEC).

Ordovician, Devonian, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian age residuum, along with Pleistocene age alluvium, loess, and glacial till were collected from rock quarries within the county. All samples were wet-sieved and the soil pH determined for each total sample. Clay mineralogy was ascertained from the minus 6 micron fraction.

A wide range of clay minerals are present; kaolinite, illite, smectite, and illite-smectite mixed layer clays. Iron and manganese oxide contents ranged from 0.14 to 2.87% and 0.00 to 0.08%, respectively, while TOC values ranged from 0.03 to 3.00%. The resulting variations in these parameters is reflected in the wide variety of CEC values, which ranged from a low of 5.15 to a high of 88.80 milliequivalents/100 grams. Alluvium had the lowest CEC (average 14.6 meq/100 g), the residual soils and loess were intermediate (average 17.8 and 26.8 meq/100 g, respectively), and glacial till had the highest CEC values (average 58.2 meq/100 g)”--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Mineralogy and geochemistry of carbonaceous flint clays in east central Missouri

“The geochemistry and mineralogy of four flint clay deposits (Pennsylvanian, Cheltenham Formation) in Gasconade County, Missouri, were investigated relative to their refractory behavior. Forty-five core drill samples, characterized mineralogically by XRD and SEM-EDS analysis, and geochemically by ICP, total organic carbon (TOC) analysis and free iron analysis, were compared to standard refractory tests performed on the same samples by A. P. Green Industries Inc., Mexico, Missouri.

Clay minerals include kaolinite with minor illite, illite/smectite mixed layer, a cookeite like mineral (Li Al4 (AI,Si)4 O10 OH8) and boehmite. In the non-clay fraction, previously unreported phosphate minerals francolite (Ca5(PO4, CO3)3F), variscite (AIPO4·2H2O) and wavellite (Al, (OH)3 (PO4)2 · 5H2O) were identified. Other non-clay minerals include quartz, pyrite and the previously reported phosphate mineral gorceixite-goyazite ((Ba, Sr, Ca, Ce) Al3 (PO4)2 (OH)5·H2O (?)).

Geochemical analysis indicate trace amounts of copper, nickel, yttrium, vanadium and zirconium in unusually high concentrations. TOC contents show values from 0.01 to 0.67% in white to black samples respectively. Free iron values are generally low and show a maximum concentration of 35 ppm.

Phosphorous and calcium in phosphate minerals produce “alkali” effects, lowers refractoriness, and has variable effects on the firing properties. Potassium, in illite and illite/smectite, seems to lower the fired grain density while TOC content does not. Lithium in cookeite does not lower the pyrometric cone equivalent as proposed previously”--Abstract, page iii.

Trichloroethylene contaminated groundwater in Elkhart, Indiana

“The Study Facility has used the industrial solvent Trichloroethylene (TCE) to degrease brass metal parts prior to lacquer finishing and fabrication. Still Bottoms (SB), the liquid residues after distillation of waste-TCE, were allegedly disposed directly on the site. Many past and present industries in the area have used TCE and subsequently, questionable waste management practices have resulted in high levels of VOC contamination in soils and groundwater in the region.

This study characterizes the geology, hydrogeology, present and past land use and how it relates to present contamination, hazardous waste fate, potential migration pathways for transport of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and possible remedial alternatives, for the Study Site, the surrounding industrial Park, and eastern Elkhart, Indiana.

Laboratory testing indicates that the Still Bottom residues used for testing purposes are composed of 75 percent volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 99.5 percent of which is TCE. The remaining components of the still bottoms are 24 percent nonvolatile organics including animal fats-triglycerides and 1 percent inorganic constituents including oxides, silicates, metals and carbonates. The general behavior of the Still Bottoms wen introduced into soil samples was rapid infiltration with little adsorption of the SB onto the solid phase, resulting in high mobility in migration pathways consisting of sand, gravel and cobble outwash. However, absorption of SB due to capillary action was evidenced in the soil columns representative of the vadose zone. The retardation factor and relative velocity of TCE were estimated using laboratory and theoretical calculations and used to determine possible migration times of TCE in certain characteristic soils.

Research of potential remedial alternatives for TCE indicated that the most common remedial action is groundwater recovery and treatment by air stripping and granular activated carbon treatment” --Abstract, page iii.

Long term geochemical effects of lead smelting within the new lead belt, Southeast Missouri

“The Buick Smelter in Iron County, Missouri has been in operation since June 1968, and has been emitting heavy metal particulate matter into the atmosphere at an average rate of 28.65 lbs/hr. This study compares leaf litter and soil samples taken in 1988 to samples taken in 1975 to determine the long-term effects of the smelter within the oak forest environment.

Soil samples taken from the top 2 cm (1 in.) range from 7,800 ppm lead near the smelter to 46 ppm at a distance of approximately 7.8 miles from the smelter. This range represents a 400 fold to 2 fold concentration over regional background of approximately 2 ppm lead.

Soil samples taken below 2 cm (1 in.) along a north-west traverse from the smelter indicate that high concentrations of lead, zinc, cobalt, cadmium, copper and nickel are noted to a distance of approximately two miles from the smelter. Beyond that distance, the concentrations diminish to near background levels within three miles. Comparisons of this data with the 1975 data show virtually no changes which suggest that no significant amount of accumulation of these heavy metals has occurred during this 13 year time period.

Associated with the 2-3 mile transition zone, a pH change was also noted. Low pH numbers (3.8-4.5) were observed beyond two miles.

In addition to metal content and pH, hydraulic conductivity, cation exchange, and clay mineralogy were determined to assess the characteristics of the region’s soils. The results of each of these tests suggest that the soil throughout the region is quite uniform; and therefore, the noted variation in soil H appears to be directly related to the smelter operation.

A comparison of pasture with forest soil samples show significantly higher pH and metal content within the pastures. This suggests that the cations have been selectively solubilized and removed from the forest environment through the actions of organic acids produced from the decaying oak leaf litter.

Stream and runoff samples were collected and analyzed for both cationic metal and metallo-organic complexes. Although absolute concentrations of the cations decreased, the percent complexing increases markedly downstream. Because the cations do not seem to be penetrating into the soil, it is concluded that the heavy metals are being solubilized and complexed by the combined action of natural mineral acids and organic acids; and carried away by the action of water runoff”--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geology and petrochemistry of the Mount Chase massive sulfide prospect, Penobscot County, Maine

"The Mount Chase massive sulfide prospect of northern Penobscot County, Maine was discovered in 1979 by Getty Mining Company. The deposit occurs within a sequence of lower paleozoic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. The footwall units consist of rhyolitic flows, quartz-feldspar crystal tuff, and altered tuffaceous volcanic breccias. These rocks lie unconformably upon intensely folded sediments which are tentatively correlated with the Grand Pitch Formation of probable Cambrian age. The footwall volcanoclastic rocks exhibit a narrow zone of intense chloritic alteration immediately below the massive sulfide horizon, and a broader zone of sericitic alteration below that. A zone of stringer mineralization is associated with the footwall alteration beneath the western side of the deposit. The massive sulfide occurs in two adjacent main lenses occurring approximately within the same stratigraphic horizon. On a microscopic scale, the sulfide minerals exhibit metamorphic recrystallization with porphyroblastic and poikilobastic textures common. The Mount Chase hanging wall units consist of a sequence of relatively unaltered crystal-lithic tuffs, greenstone, and shale. The entire Mount Chase footwall and hanging wall sequence is tentatively correlated with the early to middle Ordovician Shin Brook Formation.

Representative drill core samples were analyzed by x-ray fluorescence for SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO, Na2O, K2O, TiO2, P2O5, MnO, FeS2, Ba, Cu, Zn, Rb, and Sr. The chemical systems of Bastin and Ossan indicate a combination of metasedimentary and metavolcanic lithologies for the Mount Chase rocks. These results agreed well with mineralogical and textural interpretations. Harker-type variation diagrams indicate depleted levels of CaO, and somewhat elevated levels of Na2O. K2O is generally depleted in the hanging wall rocks and elevated in the footwall rocks. These observations are interpreted to be the result of alkali metasomatism in the hanging wall rocks and a combination of alkali metasomatism and hydrothermal alteration in the footwall rocks. TAS and AFM plots of the Mount Chase igneous rocks indicate subalkalic calc-alkaline affinities though the most mafic rocks plot as tholeiites"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geophysical investigations in a losing stream valley, Phelps County, Missouri

“Discrete recharge of a karst aquifer occurs from a losing portion of the Dry Fork River, Phelps County, Missouri, as shown by refraction seismology, self-potential surveys, and dye tracing results. The discrete losing zone is best defined by a streaming potential anomaly of -15 millivolts. Water moves from the river, through coarse alluvial deposits, into fracture-controlled solution features in the underlying bedrock, as determined from the shape of the SP anomaly.

The average hydraulic conductivity of the riverbed deposits is 0.10 m/s as determined by dye tracing. In the vicinity of the losing zone, a vertical flow path into bedrock solutional features is preferred over the downstream path to lower portions of the stream channel. In the recharge area, bedrock underlies the unconsolidated alluvium at depths of 9 to 12 meters”--Abstract, page ii.

Relative permeability measurements for thermal applications to heavy oil reservoirs in western Missouri

"Estimates of oil recovery in secondary or enhanced recovery projects require a knowledge of the flow characteristics of the oil and injected fluids within the reservoir. This information is generally obtained in the form of relative permeability measurements.

Two phase relative permeability measurements of representative core samples from a heavy oil reservoir in western Missouri have been performed using the steady state method of determination. Relative permeability data for this area has not previously been determined. Tests were made at temperatures representative of normal reservoir conditions and conditions of thermal recovery.

Basic relative permeability measurements using kerosene and water at 75⁰ F remained unaffected by increased temperature to 300⁰ F, high viscosity ratio using 'native' crude oil, or the addition of light concentrations of chemical surfactants. An average two phase relative permeability curve was established for the reservoir which can be used in predictions for future heavy oil recovery projects in the area"--Abstract, page iii.

Site characterization of Riverfront Park, Kansas City, Missouri, for the purpose of hazardous waste site remediation

"Riverfront Park, Kansas City, Missouri is located on a point bar along the Missouri River. Portions of the site have historically been used (1950 - 1973) as a municipal landfill receiving residential, commercial and industrial wastes. Relatively high concentrations of elemental lead have been found in small areas of the surface soil within the limits of the Park. Chemicals that may be present in the landfill wastes create a potential for groundwater contamination. A Remedial Investigation, including a series of groundwater monitoring wells is necessary to characterize groundwater geochemistry and flood-induced changes in groundwater flow direction, and to assess any potential environmental problems. During monitoring well installation and groundwater sampling, measures should be taken to obtain parameters for calibration of a computer program that could be used to simulate rates and magnitude of contaminant transport in site groundwater, if such is found to be present. Historical information gathered and data evaluation should be of applied value in determining future sampling or possible remedial action to be utilized at Riverfront Park"--Abstract, page ii.

Lithofacies analysis of the Lamotte Sandstone in south central Missouri

"Based on the analysis of thirty-one cores obtained from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in Rolla, the upper Cambrian Lamotte Sandstone in South Central Missouri has been divided into six sedimentary facies ranging from alluvial fan and braided stream to open marine.

The Lamotte Sandstone is the basal Cambrian sandstone found throughout most of the state of Missouri. It directly overlies late Precambrian (1.4 to 1.5 billion year old) granites and metasediments. The Lamotte and overlying Bonneterre Formations are generally considered to have been deposited by a transgression which occurred during the Late Cambrian Period (Croixian Epoch).

The Lamotte Sandstone varies in thickness between 132 and 306 feet in south central Missouri. Overall, it is a fining-upward sequence ranging from a feldspathic conglomerate at the base to a mature, well sorted quartz sandstone and shale at the top. Isopach maps of the six facies indicate that individual facies are variable in thickness and in some cases are totally missing.

The lower four facies are interpreted to have been deposited in alluvial fan and braided stream environments. Facies #1 is the most variable in thickness and character. It contains a great deal of feldspar and is interpreted to have been deposited by local alluvial fans that occurred immediately adjacent to late Precambrian topographically high areas. Sediments were derived from the topographic highs, and filled in adjacent low areas. The topography was probably caused by earlier and possibly syndepositional block faulting. Facies #2, #3, and #4 contain very little feldspar with thicknesses somewhat less variable. They are interpreted to have been deposited by more regional fans and braided streams. Sediments found in facies #2, #3 and #4 are considered to have been derived from the Canadian Shield to the north rather than locally.

Facies #5 is a marine shale wedge which occurs only in the western third of the area. It thickens to the west and is interpreted to have been deposited below wave base in a differentially downwarped area. Facies #6 is a quartz sandstone which contains glauconite, brachiopods, and some dolomite. It is interpreted to have been deposited by barrier island and shallow marine conditions"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

A gravity and magnetic study of the Crooked Creek cryptoexplosion structure, Crawford County, Missouri

"The pre-Pennsylvanian structure at Crooked Creek consists of a complex, vertically faulted ring of Cambrian and Ordovician sediments with a central uplifted core. The center of the structure is strongly deformed and contains shatter cones, brecciation, and other signs of extreme shock.

A magnetic low over the center of the structure suggests that igneous material was not involved in the formation of the structure, and this is corroborated by core analysis. Gravity data indicates several small gravity lows, possibly associated with areas of brecciation, circling the flanks of the structure. As in the magnetic data, there is no indication that the feature extends to depth.

The lack of a corresponding magnetic anomaly rules out a volcanic origin for the structure. The limited erosion of the area, the statistical orientation of the shatter cones, and the lack of deformation at depth, point to an explosive source near the original surface of the region. The only known way for a shock intensive explosion to occur near the surface without involving basement material is from the impact of a meteorite or comet"--Abstract, page ii.

A petrographic investigation of the rhythmically bedded upper Fayetteville Formation (Mississippian) in northern Arkansas

"The upper Mississippian Fayetteville Formation in northern Arkansas is primarily a calcareous black shale, but in some localities the upper one third to one half of the formation is made up of alternating black shales and limestones. Comparable lithologies have been suggested by some (Hallam, Ricken, Kent, and Sujkowski) to have been created by the diagenetic segregation of carbonate from calcareous shale.

Petrographic thin section analysis reveals that the lowest limestone beds of the rhythmic upper Fayetteville are made up almost entirely of microspar and all fossil material is recrystallized, even to the point of obliteration in some cases. The intervening calcareous shales contain generally smaller but better preserved fossils and are usually somewhat dolomitic. Faunal differences between the limestones and shales were observed. The limestones and shales immediately below the rhythmic part of the section are generally much more fossiliferous and more phosphatic than the rhythmic lithology.

The organic material present is amorphous and most likely algal in origin. Hydrocarbon analysis indicates that oil generation has occurred and that free or adsorbed hydrocarbons are present in the rock.

Evidence of diagenetic segregation such as destruction of fossils in shaley beds, lateral variation in limestone bed thickness, and lack of correlation between carbonate rhythms and sedimentary or faunal variations was not found. Primary structures and faunal variations suggest that a change in the depositional environment initiated deposition of the rhythmic lithology, and that periodic changes in sediment deposition created the rhythmic lithology"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geology of the Escalante District, Iron County, Utah

"The Escalante Silver District, Iron County, Utah, occupies a group of low hills extending to the Escalante Desert from the Black Hills to the south. Tertiary volcanics serve as host rocks for silver bearing quartz veins. Five map units, with a total of 12 members are recognized. X-ray fluorescence and field mapping enabled differentiation of the units, while thin section analysis enabled characterization of the members. The map units formed in three episodes. The oldest is extrusive doming of distinctive older lava and breccia flows. The middle group is made up of tectontic breccias, sillar-like lava flows, and volcaniclastic sediments that fill a preexisting moat. The youngest group consists of lava and breccia flows along with hot spring deposits related to regional eruptions and local hydrothermal activity. Four sets of linear features cut the area: east-west trending, northeast-trending, northwest-trending, and arcuate shaped. Most are relatable to normal faults associated to Basin and Range faulting. Arcuate fractures probably are related to tensional stress brought on by caldera activity.

Silicic, or jasperoid type alteration and pervasive weak clay alteration occur throughout the district. Alteration effects are coincident with the vein distribution.

The wall rock near the veins is characterized by silicification and intense replacement by calcite.

A feasible checklist for exploration of vein mineralization in volcanic environments includes the following: 1) permeable volcanics or volcaniclastic sediments, 2) fracturing framework conducive to ore deposition, and 3) hydrothermal circulation set in motion by nearby intrusions or rhyolitic domes"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Characterization of a low-level radioactive waste site, applied to the former Weldon Spring feed materials plant, Weldon Spring, Missouri

“This thesis deals with the characterization of the former Weldon Spring Feed Materials Plant, located at Weldon Spring, Missouri. The first step in the procedure presented for the site characterization of the low-level radioactive waste (LLW) site was to develop an understanding of the site background, and the regulatory requirements for remediation of this and other LLW sites.

The second step was the physical characterization of the site. The site characterization is presented in two sections: Threat characterization, including the waste types and known or suspected waste-related problems associated with the site, and; site characterization, including the site physiography, land use geology, hydrology, and meteorology.

The final step in the procedure was to evaluate acceptable remediation alternatives with respect to the specific site, waste, and threat characteristics, as well as economic and political aspects associated with the site, and to recommend remediation alternatives, and topics for future design level site investigations.

The author has recommended two remediation alternatives involving permanent on-site storage of the LLW in existing earth-lined pits: with and without waste treatment.

A significant finding has been that there is insufficient evidence at this time to draw absolute conclusions as to whether the currently existing pits are environmentally acceptable for permanent storage of thee LLW without further examination of the pit bottom integrity”--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Oil producing upper Cherokee and lower Marmaton (Pennsylvanian) channel sandstones of Jackson and Cass counties, Missouri

"Approximately 240 gamma ray-neutron logs were interpreted and correlated in an attempt to isolate separate channels collectively referred to as "Squirrel" sands in the upper Cherokee and lower Marmaton (Pennsylvanian) rocks of Jackson and Cass counties, Missouri. Isopach maps were prepared for two of the identifiable fluvial sandstones and a structure map was drawn on the laterally extensive Anna Shale.

The term "Squirrel" has been applied to as many as five different sandstone packages, and thus, has been the source of a great deal of confusion. In an attempt to sort out the confusion this thesis recognizes and defines three distinct "Squirrel" facies plus two non-"Squirrel" facies.

Interpretation of the data suggests that three major depositional systems are associated with the Pennsylvanian cyclothems of western Missouri: (1) a marine system dominated by shales and limestones, (2) a delta-strand plain system, represented by interdistributary shales and thin distributary channel sandstones, and (3) a fluvial system, represented by thick channel sandstones and associated overbank deposits.

The thick, fluvial channel sandstones were probably deposited as point bar sequences on a series of meandering streams. The channels scour into underlying deposits and commonly cut down to previously deposited sandstones. Thick (60 feet, 18.3 meters or more) sequences of laterally discontinuous sandstones are considered to represent vertically stacked channels.

Regional structures in Jackson and Cass counties are related to downwarp during development of the Forest City Basin. Local anticlines that influence hydrocarbon accumulation are at least partially attributable to differential compaction around sandstone channels"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Relation of bitumen to ore in the Magmont West orebody, southeast Missouri

"Bitumen in the form of oil blebs from the Magmont West orebody of the Viburnum Trend was examined and analysed in an attempt to relate hydrocarbon distribution and origin to ore genesis. Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen percentages were determined by elemental analyses. Trace element composition was determined by emmission spectroscopy and the composition of the bitumen was calculated with respect to aromatic hydrocarbons, saturated hydrocarbons and NSO (nitrogen-sulfur-oxygen) components. The bitumen and kerogen from associated shale samples were evaluated by Rock-Eval pyrolysis and pyrolysis-gas chromatography.

The bitumen was calculated to be approximately 40 to 50 percent aromatic and is considered to be a polymerized normal crude oil. Polymerization, which was probably caused by water-washing and mild biodegradation, caused hardening of the bleb surfaces and appears to have frozen the blebs during primary migration from the local source beds. A comparison of the bitumen to kerogen in local shale beds confirms that the oil is almost certainly derived locally. The polymerized oil blebs are considered to have been derived from an oxidized type II (marine) kerogen.

Textural analyses indicate that oil migration occurred after lead-zinc mineralization and at temperatures that exceed normal ancient or present geothermal gradients. The following sequence of events is postulated for the Magmont West orebody.

1. Generation of hydrogen sulfide and methane during diagenesis of a normal organic-rich carbonate sequence.

2. "Introduction of pulses of hot, metal-rich fluids that result in the following sequence of events:
 a. Lead-zinc mineralization by the following reaction: Me++ + H2S = MeS + 2H+
 b. Solution of carbonates as result of excess acid produced during above reaction.
c. Brecciation of the host-rock in some cases.

3. Passage of the pulse resulted in:
a. Carbonate buffering of system to alkaline conditions.
b. Precipitation of dolomite.
c. Slight temperature drop.

4. Eventually the high temperatures caused oil generation and primary migration began.

5. Water-washing and mild biodegradation altered the blebs to their present composition"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Lithofacies analysis of the Roubidoux Formation, south central Missouri

"Lithologic and thickness data of the Lower Ordovician rocks of the Roubidoux Formation, south central Missouri, were interpreted from sample logs. Maps included are based on structure, thickness and lateral and vertical lithologic variability. Sand distribution in the Roubidoux is represented by a "sand percentage" map, a "sand isolith" map, and a "tripartite sand distribution" map. The Roubidoux Formation consists of a sequence of dolomite, sandy dolomite, sand and chert. It is believed that the Roubidoux was deposited on a stable marine platform receiving a supply of elastics from the north and northeast. The sands were deposited by longshore or coastal currents paralleling the Roubidoux strandline in Kansas. Sand transport was greatly affected by the velocities of surface currents and water depth. Most sand accumulated along low water shoals.

The sand probably settled as broad linear ridges that underwent erosion concurrently with the deposition of these ridges, transporting the ridge sands into the lows between ridges, giving the sands a sheet-like character. Most sand is concentrated in the eastern half of the mapped area, where it is distributed throughout the formation, whereas sands in the west are concentrated in the upper third.

Detailed correlations are limited by the lack of drillholes in the region. Also, the partial or complete removal of the formation in outcrop, and the partial or complete removal of carbonate as a by-product of dissolution processes falls short providing a satisfactory data base"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geochemistry and petrology of the Cold Springs Breccia Formation, Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma

"In the Wichita province of southwestern Oklahoma the Cold Springs Breccia Formation, exposed in a 15 km2 area in Kiowa County, is characterized by blocks and pillows of microdiorite surrounded by pink granite. Intimately associated with this mixed zone are sill-like bodies of intermediate rocks, granodiorites and tonalites. The intermediate rocks have been interpreted as hybrids produced by assimilation of microdiorite by granitic magma, and the mixed zone has been interpreted as an intrusion breccia formed at the margins of the hybrid sills.

Major, minor and trace element data have been obtained on a suite of granites, intermediates, and microdiorites. Q-mode factor analysis, along with linear programming and least-squares techniques, have been used to test the chemical feasibility of an assimilation model. The results indicate that the intermediate rocks do not fit a linear mixing model and are too enriched in Al, Na, Ti and P to be products of hybridization between granite and microdiorite.

Petrographic and field data indicate the microdiorite was still plastic at the time of intrusion of the granite, and that in some places microdiorite may have been injected into granitic melt.

Based on the chemical, petrographic, and field data, the sequence of events is interpreted as follows:
(1) near-simultaneous intrusion of microdiorite and granite along zones of weakness in the Glen Mountains Layered Complex, closely followed by (2) intrusion of the intermediate rocks, with compositional variation attributed to fractional crystallization of a primary intermediate magma modified by minor assimilative reaction with microdiorite and granite"--pages ii-iii.

Radiometric and petrochemical characteristics of the Dells granite, Yavapai County, Arizona

"The Dells granite of central Arizona, an alkaline granite containing accessory fluorite and tourmaline, contains anomalously high amounts of uranium. Gamma-ray spectrometry, x-ray fluorescence, petrographic, and autoradiographic methods were used to determine the contents and distribution of equivalent U, Th, K, and ten major element oxides within the granite pluton. The range of uranium content is 0 to 39.7 parts per million (ppm) with the mean equivalent U content 8.8 ppm; eTh, 26.8 ppm; and K, 4.8%. The average uranium content is about twice the average of western United States granites, the thorium content slightly less than average. The Th/U ratio varies from less than 2.0 to greater than 10.0, indicating both enrichment and depletion of uranium relative to thorium.

Uranium contents greater than +1 standard deviation occur in two main localized zones within this highly alkaline granite. These total about 13 million square feet in area. Thorium distribution is similar to uranium. Radioactive accessory minerals containing U and/or Th are present within biotite grains of these zones. Enrichment of uranium and thorium in the localized areas may be the result of deposition by late-stage magmatic fluids rich in volatiles such as water and fluorine. Depletion of uranium is the result of the intense weathering of the granite, which has mobilized and removed both uranium and iron. Intense jointing provides conduits for oxidizing ground and surface water. Assuming a leaching depth of 100 feet and 25% removal of uranium by leaching, as much as 13,000,000 pounds of uranium may have been removed from the high uranium content areas of the granite and circulated in surface and ground waters. Surrounding and overlying sediments and the granite body itself provide possible sites for enrichment of this mobilized uranium into economic concentrations along oxidation-reduction boundaries at depth"--Abstract, page ii.

Fossil algae in the St. Louis limestone, near St. Louis, Missouri

"Although Mississippian algae research is fairly extensive, little has been published on algae from the Mississippian type locality, the Upper Mississippi River Valley. For this study, portions of sixteen St. Louis Limestone stratigraphic sections containing units with oncolites, domal stromatolites, laminations, or mottled (possibly algal) textures, were measured, described, and sampled to determine: (1) to what extent algae are preserved in the St. Louis Limestone, (2) if enough of the delicate structure was fossilized to determine morphology, (3) depositional environment of the algae, and (4) if the algae are related to a lithologic pattern. Thin sections of the sampled units were described and studied for calcareous algae types and environments of deposition of both units and algae.

The author found fragments of calcareous algae belonging to four genera, Koninckopora, Ortonella, Girvanella, and Pseudohedstroemia, as well as several unidentifiable types. Green algae fragments were more abundant in beds of intertidal and subtidal origin than in beds of supra- tidal origin. Beds with blue-green algae fragments were of high energy, intertidal to upper subtidal origin, while cryptalgal beds in which the presence of blue-green algae is inferred, were of supratidal to subtidal origin. The algal and oncolitic beds were not deposited in a particular lithologic sequence, but they are related to environmental conditions at the time of deposition. Several algal and oncolitic beds were associated with dolomite, which suggests the beds provided a porous pathway for dolomitizing waters"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Geology and mineralization, Ohio and Mt. Baldy Districts, Marysvale, Piute County, Utah

"The Ohio and Mt. Baldy Mining Districts near Marysvale, Utah occupy a cauldron complex in the Bullion Canyon Volcanics. This complex contains three rock groups of three volcanic episodes. The oldest is a volcanic cone framework series of lahars. The middle group is represented by lava flows, ash flows, and breccias which represent intra-caldera fill. The upper group consists of a local vent complex and the Delano Peak Tuff Member both of which may be related to ring fracture activity.

The stages of veining in the area include in order of gradational deposition: (1) early quartz veins, (2) pre-productive main stage quartz veins, (3) productive precious metal bearing main stage quartz veins, (4) productive base metal bearing main stage quartz veins, and (5) alunite veins. The initial fissures and veining probably accompanied resurgent doming of the Delano Peak Tuff Member and older rocks. A period of quiescence of about 7 m.y. occurred between Delano Peak Tuff Member deposition and base metal mineralization (Steven and others, 1977). Fissure deepening and vein mineralization was contemporaneous with magmatic doming. Trace amounts of Mo deposition increased with fissure deepening.

The earliest stage of hydrothermal alteration is that of alteration activity that formed K-silicate minerals. This preceded veining activity. Pervasive sericitization and argillization accompanied vein stage (1). Advanced argillic, sericitic, argillic, and propylitic alteration zones accompanied vein stages (2) through (5) and envelope those veins in a zonal fashion in the sequence listed.

The dome margins were intensely silicified sometime during vein stages (2) through (3). This fringe area developed stockwork fractures and open fissures after silicification. Vein solutions during vein stage (5) oxidized to sulphuric acid near the water table. K and Al, probably leached from the hot volcanic wall rock, reacted with the acid vein solutions to deposit alanite in the stockworks and fissures soon after base metal deposition"--Abstract, page ii.

Heavy metal patterns in Big and Aux Vases River drainage Rolla 1⁰ X 2⁰ Quadrangle, Missouri

"Some 71 active stream sediment, bank sediment, biota, and stream water samples were collected at selected sites along the Big River and Aux Vases rivers and tributaries. The pH, alkalinity, specific conductance, temperature were determined and samples analyzed for Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, and Cd content.

Stream waters carry heavy metals in low parts per billion. Greatest heavy metal content is in the stream waters of Flat River and lower Big River.

Acid leachable heavy metal content of -80 mesh fractions of stream sediments for Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, and Cd are orders of magnitude greater than that of the water samples. Water samples, generally in tens of ppm.

Heavy metal concentration was also determined for biota samples. In these samples the contents are in the same range as active stream sediments and bank sediments. Elevated levels of Cu, Pb, Zn, Co, Ni, and Cd contents in active stream, bank, and biota samples occur in the same general area as the anomalous stream water samples.

Greater heavy metal values are related to known base metal mineralization in the Old Lead Belt of Southeast Missouri, and areas of mining and milling. Dispersion by erosion and stream transport is a major transportation mode as suspended particles. Temporary fixation may be by particulate deposition and by biota entrapment in the stream waters. The low content of heavy metals in the water indicates this mode of transportation is very small as compared to particle transport.

Heavy metal patterns show significantly higher metal content in the Old Lead Belt of lower Big River and the Barite District drainage areas than the non-mineralized Establishment drainage area to the east. Comparison of metals in the latter area and the Current River-Jack's Fork drainage to the southwest of the area, and the mineralized areas above, demonstrates amounts of metals added to the environment by nature through the ore-forming and erosion processes, plus that of man by mining and milling activities. Current River, Establishment River, and Saline Creek background values suggest that minor or little copper, cobalt, and nickel were added in the Barite District. Up to three times the background level of copper was added and about 1.5X background Co and Ni in the Old Lead Belt. Cadmium increases 2X and 5X, respectively in the Barite and Old Lead Belt Districts. Cadmium may be a pathfinder element for point source of heavy metals. Possible leakage metal content from depth may occur in the Saline and Whitewater drainage areas"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Sedimentology of the Hannibal formation in Northeastern Missouri and Western Illinois

"The Hannibal Formation (Kinderhookian) occurring in northeastern Missouri and western Illinois is a fine-grained, terrigenous, sedimentary unit which can be divided into an upper and a lower portion, based on lithology. The upper portion consists of alternating coarse and argillaceous, fine siltstone units, while the lower portion consists of a silty mudstone with an occasional thin siltstone unit. At the extreme western margin of the formation, near where the Hannibal almost pinches out, the formation consists entirely of a silty claystone. Extending southward along the study area, the coarse siltstone units of the upper Hannibal become thinner, and eventually pinch out completely. Results obtained from petrographic study, grain-size analysis, and sedimentary properties indicate an upward-coarsening sequence in most coarse siltstone units. These units consist of predominantly poorly sorted, angular, coarse and medium silt-size particles. Sand-size particles also occur in the Hannibal, but in very minor quantities.

The Hannibal contains associated trace fossils which represent Seilacher's Cruziana and Zoophycus facies, indicating tranquil, shallow water, marine conditions.

X-ray analysis indicates four clay mineral assemblages. Dioctahedral illite is the most prominant clay mineral, with disordered kaolinite occurring in substantial quantities. Iron and magnesium-rich chlorite and vermiculite also occur in the formation, but in relatively minor amounts.

The Hannibal sediments were deposited in a restricted, shallow, tranquil sea from a northern source area. A low-lying drainage area, restricted marine circulation, and the possible existence of barrier islands explain the occurrence of predominantly silt and clay deposits, with only traces of sand-size particles. The study area is located in the distal portion of the formation, where the lower Hannibal mudstones represent pro-delta deposits, and the upper Hannibal siltstones represent delta front deposits"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geology and the barite potential of the Raymond Widel Area, Cooper County, Missouri

"The Raymond Widel barite prospect is two miles northeast of Blackwater Town, in parts of Sections 23, 24, 25, and 26, T49N, R19W, Cooper County, Missouri. Reported in the area since the 1850's barite-galena deposits have been sporadically mined.

The Burlington-Keokuk and Warsaw formations of Mississippian age are exposed. The former is composed of coarse-grained limestone with abundant fossils, and the latter is a fossiliferous cherty limestone. These reach a thickness of over 200 feet. Local structures are not significant, but regional fold and fault structures are present outside the area.

Exploration drilling consisted of 31 drill holes ranging from 10 to 80 feet in depth. Soil depths from 0 to 10 feet, residuum from 4 to 20 feet and the top of the bedrock from 10 to 25 feet from the surface were recorded.

Soils were collected and later geochemically analyzed for copper, lead, zinc and barium content by: (1) atomic absorption spectrophotometric method for Cu, Pb, and Zn, and by (2) x-ray fluorescence for the Ba content. Copper, lead and zinc anomalies do not entirely coincide in space but show a marked preference for the southern part. Two barium anomalies occur in the central and south-central parts.

Barite occurs as: (1) residual deposits, (2) bedded replacement, and (3) open-space filling. Residual barite comprises the largest group. Bedded replacement barite occurs in Burlington-Keokuk limestone.

Barite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, limonite, calcite, and chert are the minerals. The paragenetic sequence indicate galena deposited first, followed by pyrite and/or chalcopyrite, and later barite. Sphalerite was not observed. Limonite is an oxidation product"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Areal geology, brecciation, and mineralization in the Trout Creek Area, Park and Chaffee counties, Colorado

"The principle purpose of this thesis research has been to map rock types in an area selected for its occurrence of lead-zinc mineralization, and particularly to examine the character and origin of breccias present in the Leadville Limestone. The thesis area is located in Colorado along the east flank of the southernmost Mosquito Range, bounded by Buffalo Peaks Volcanic field on the north and Trout Creek on the south. Units mapped include the Sawatch Quartzite (Cambrian), Manitou Limestone (lower Ordovician), Harding Sandstone (middle Ordovician), Fremont Limestone (upper Ordovician), Parting Quartzite (Devonian), Dyer Dolomite (Devonian), and Leadville Limestone (Mississippian). The Leadville Limestone was found to contain breccia bodies, gossans, and mineralization with associated dolomitization. The breccia bodies are interpreted to have formed as a result of solution-collapse association with the post-Mississippian unconformity surface. Thin-section examination of the cementing material for the breccias shows that it consists of fine-grained calcareous mud. The indication by X-Ray analysis of illite within one breccia body and the presence of illite in the Molas regolith supports this idea. The examination of polished sections prepared from specimens collected from mineralized areas exhibits the ore minerals: galena, sphalerite, chalcocite, covellite, and pyrite. Fluid inclusion study of sphalerite for filling temperatures yielded epithermal temperature ranges. The writer speculates that some of the zebra rock textures in the thesis area may have developed as a result of replacement of rock containing planar algal stromatolites"--Abstract, page ii.

Geology, mineralogy, and fluid inclusion geothermometry of the El Paso Gold Mine, Cripple Creek, Colorado

"The Cripple Creek district consists of a deeply- eroded, breccia-filled volcanic subsidence basin. Subsidence of the basin occurred along fissures formed by fracturing during the Laramide orogeny. The material filling the crater probably developed first as fissure flows. Erosion of the volcanics formed the material now filling the basin. Volcanic activity was accompanied by intrusion of numerous sills, dikes, and stocks of several different rock types into the breccia and surrounding granite, punctuated by occasional explosive activity. The majority of the mines in the district lie within the volcanic center; however, a few important ones, most notably the El Paso gold mine, lie outside in the surrounding granite.

The major structural control in that part of the district where the El Paso mine is situated is the north- northeast trending El Paso master shear zone. This shear zone influenced the outline of the main volcanic center and the emplacement of the Beacon Hill phonolite plug, a small volcanic crater. Many of the individual shears are mineralized and form the veins in the El Paso vein system.

The underground geology of the El Paso mine is characterized by a number of parallel veins along shear zones trending north-northeast and a tension fracture trending east-northeast to east which formed at an acute angle to the shears. Numerous phonolite sills and dikes occur, many of which are clearly related to the Beacon Hill phonolite plug. The principal contribution of this thesis research has been to map those igneous bodies and veins in the portions of the El Paso mine currently accessible. A number of phonolite bodies are irregular in shape and appear to have been emplaced partly by assimilation of the enclosing granite.

The major controls for ore deposition in the El Paso mine are junctions of veins. The intersections of veins with phonolite bodies also constitute very favored loci. Areas where veins show a curvature or change in dip may locally contain ore enrichments.

The primary ore minerals which have been mined are the gold tellurides, particularly calaverite and sylvanite. A secondary aspect of this thesis research involved ore microscopic examination of selected ore specimens. Calaverite and sylvanite occur as bladed crystals filling fractures or lining open fissures and vugs. Where they are oxidized they show replacement rims of a fine grained mixture of tellurite (tellurium oxide) and free gold. Pyrite and sphalerite are the most common sulfides accompanying the ores. Sphalerite and galena exhibit emulsion textures with chalcopyrite and bournonite blebs respectively. Pyrite locally replaced sphalerite, and bournonite commonly replaced galena. Other minerals observed in polished sections include tennantite, enargite, molybdenite, and two unidentified minerals.

The third purpose of this thesis research involved the determination of fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures for El Paso fluorite and barite. Fluorite yielded a temperature range of 178°C to 190°C. Temperatures determined for barite fall into two temperature ranges, a lower one of 162°C to 181°C and an upper range of 248°C to 261°C. Because vein textures indicate that deposition of fluorite followed that of barite, fluid inclusion geothermometry indicates a decrease in temperature during the deposition of those two minerals. The lower temperature range determined for barite occurs in secondary inclusions formed during or shortly after deposition of fluorite. The temperatures determined conform to those of epithermal deposits"--Abstract, pages ii-iv.

Heavy metal contamination in soil around a lead smelter in Southeast Missouri

"In order to determine the extent of possible heavy metal contamination, more than 963 samples of leaf litter and soil were collected from 410 sample stations around the AMAX smelter in southeast Missouri. Dried samples of leaf litter and minus 80 mesh soil fractions were analyzed for cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Minus 80 mesh soil fractions were also analyzed for sulfur using x-ray fluorescence methods. Ranges of heavy metal concentrations in leaf litter were: cadmium, 0.13 μg/g to 175 μg/g; copper, 4.2 μg/g to 6500 μg/g; lead, 50 μg/g to 130,000 μg/g; and zinc, 26 μg/g to 7000 μg/g. In the top inch of soil ranges of heavy metal and sulfur concentrations were: cadmium, <0.33 μg/g to 67 μg/g; copper, 2.3 μg/g to 1600 μg/g; lead, 16 μg/g to 52,700 μg/g; zinc, 15 μg/g to 4170 μg/g; and sulfur, 85 μg/g to 5800 μg/g.

Results of this investigation show the existence of heavy metal and sulfur anomalies around the smelter. Lead forms the most extensive anomaly with a radius of 20-25 miles. Very high metal concentrations in the immediate vicinity of the smelter are probably the result of contributions from fugitive sources such as ore concentrates and slag material in addition to stack emission. Prevailing wind directions have caused a slight north-south elongation of the anomalies.

Heavy metal contamination, mainly lead, from ore concentrate haulage by truck and rail is localized, and is not generally detectable beyond 300-500 feet from the highways or railroad.

Most of the heavy metal contamination is retained by the leaf litter, especially the "Oh" horizon (partly- to well-decomposed leaf litter), and the top inch of soil. Where leaf cover is absent the metals appear to be moving downward more rapidly in the soil profile"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geochemical and biogeochemical studies in the Hansonburg Mining District, New Mexico

"The Hansonburg mining district is in Socorro county in south central New Mexico. A Paleozoic section of thick Pennsylvanian limestone units, thin shale and arkose layers and thick Permian units of sandstone, siltstone and gypsiferous beds interlayered with thin limestone units unconformably overlie a Precambrian basement of granite. The sedimentary rocks are folded with north trends and plunges. Northerly, some easterly and northwesterly trending faults cut the folds. Galena, fluorite, and barite mineralization occurs along some of the northerly faults and as bedded replacements and fissure fillings in the Pennsylvanian Council Spring limestone.

Geological mapping and geochemical soil surveys of the northwestern part of the mining district indicate four major heavy metal anomalous areas and possible regional zoning of the metals. Copper values range from a low of 2.8 ppm to a high of 67.0 ppm. Lead values ranged from 5.3 ppm to 56 ppm, and zinc from below detection limit to 38.0 ppm.

Heavy metal determinations were made of soil and Creosote bush samples that were collected across a mineralized fault breccia zone of the Oscura fault. Results show that the lead values in soils in test profiles have distinct anomalous areas which range from 11.5 to 98.0 ppm. Copper and zinc anomalies are also distinct, but, with smaller ranges of 3.5 to 16.0 ppm and 3.0 to 21.5 ppm, respectively. Heavy metals in Creosote bush samples show similar anomalous zones, but copper has the greatest range (12.0 to 65.0 ppm). The range of lead is 5.0 to 28.0 ppm and for zinc, 10.5 to 21.5 ppm.

A rising trend of copper and zinc and constant lead content in sediments upstream along the Julian Arroyo suggests possible mineralization within the Alamogordo Bombing Range"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Tertiary welded tuffs of the Ryan Spring area, Needle Range, Beaver County, Utah

"The Needle Range of southwestern Utah is composed of Paleozoic sediments overlain by a thick sequence of Tertiary volcanic rocks primarily of the welded tuff class. The area has undergone at least four stages of post-eruptive structural deformation. The most significant stage is that which formed the range by normal Basin and Range type faulting. The faults strike northwest and tilt the volcanic layers northeast.

The volcanic section is composed primarily of the Needles Range Formation (Oligocene) overlain by the Isom Formation and underlain by several flows and ash flows, one of which has been tentatively correlated to the Escalante Valley Tuff.

Between the Lund and Wah Wah Springs members of the Needles Range Formation, a previously unnamed crystal-poor, vitric-lithic welded tuff of unknown lateral extent occurs. Because of its good exposure and apparent lack of faulting near Ryan Spring, Beaver County, Utah, the writer proposes to name this unit the Ryan Spring Tuff.

At its type section the Ryan Spring Tuff is1120 feet thick and primarily dellenitic with an average partial chemical composition of: SiO₂ , 73.8%; K₂O, 5.1%; CaO, 2.7%; TiO₂ , 0.3%; and Fe₂O₃ , 2.4%. The average mineral composition is: quartz, trace; alkali feldspar, absent; plagioclase, 9.1%, biotite, 1.5%; hornblende, trace; and opaque oxides, 0.6%, The total crystal content is 11.2% with the remainder being composed primarily of glass, pumice, and lithic fragments. The tuff has an average bulk density of 2.240 gm./cc., an average grain density of 2.449 gm./cc., and an average porosity of 8.51%.

Vertical variations in chemistry, mineralogy, density, and porosity have led to some interesting hypotheses concerning preemptive changes in the magma and post-eruptive changes in the tuff due to alteration and compaction. There is no definite explanation to account for the variations in chemical and mineralogical composition. These variations may be due to pre-eruptive stratification of the magma chamber. Still another possibility might be post-eruptive deuteric alteration and leaching of ions by weathering. Variations in density and porosity are caused by multiple eruption and compaction phases"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Mercury distribution in a massive sulfide ore deposit at Balmat, New York

"Ore samples consisting of diamond drill core and mine samples, collected from several Balmat ore bodies, were analyzed for their mercury content. The average contents in these ore bodies were found, in ppb, to be: Upper Gleason, 829; Middle and Lower Gleason, 504; Loomis, 546; Fowler, 195; No. 1 Zone, 37; Sylvia Lake, 59; No. 2 Mine, 5. If all of the mercury in these pyrite-sphalerite-galena ores occurs in the sphalerite, then the average sphalerite mercury contents, in ppb, are the following: Upper Gleason, 2490; Middle and Lower Gleason, 2516; Loomis, 2701; Fowler, 1376; No.1 Zone, 384; Sylvia Lake, 408; No. 2 Mine, 34. This sequence is the same as that above, in which the lower an ore body occurs stratigraphically the higher its mercury content.

The most interesting feature of the results of this research is an upward stratigraphic decrease in mercury concentration, not only from deposit to deposit upward through the stratigraphic column, but also within a single ore body. The Fowler and No. 1 Zone ore bodies illustrate, particularly well, the upward decrease in mercury in single ore bodies. The Upper Gleason ore body, which is overturned due to folding, exhibits an overturned mercury pattern in which mercury decreases downward. This indicates that the pattern of mercury distribtution [sic] was developed prior to folding and metamorphism"--Abstract, page ii.

An investigation of the vertical distribution of sulfur forms in surface mine spoils, Henry County, Missouri

"Samples of material in the spoil banks left by surface coal mining operations in Henry County Missouri were taken from various depths and preserved to prevent further oxidation of the pyrite in the samples. Quantitative determinations were then made for sulfate and sulfide sulfur. It was shown that near the surface the sulfide sulfur concentrations were much lower than those at greater depth while sulfate concentrations were higher near the surface than at depth. Since this is probably the effect of years of oxidation of the pyrite, it can be used to show at what depth the pyrite is being oxidized. The sulfide concentrations increased dramatically below a depth of two feet, so it was concluded that most of the oxidation took place in the top two feet of the spoils.

Preliminary methods were developed for using the sulfate and sulfide determination along with calcium and magnesium determinations to predict the quantity of acid that the spoil pile was capable of producing"--Abstract, page ii.

A study of the subsurface stratigraphy of the upper Cambrian in Western Missouri

"Megascopic examination of diamond-drill cores supplemented by insoluble residue data provides a usable means of studying the lithologic characteristic of Upper Cambrian strata in the subsurface of western Missouri.

The stratigraphic relationships within each Cambrian formation and the relationships of each Cambrian unit to formations above and below are discussed.

The relationship of Upper Cambrian strata to the Precambrian surface in western Missouri and easternmost Kansas is illustrated. The Lamotte Sandstone is overlapped by the Reagan Sandstone against Precambrian topographic highs and the Bonneterre and lower Davis are replaced by sandstones similar to the Reagan in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas. Northward, in western Missouri, from Jasper County to Bates County the Bonneterre and lower Davis (?) is absent and in easternmost Kansas the Lamotte, Bonneterre, and Davis Formations have been overlapped by the Derby-Doerun Dolomite.

All Upper Cambrian formations thin westward, away from the St. Francois Mountains, across the study area. However, pre-Derby-Doerun units thin more rapidly than do the Derby-Doerun, Potosi, or Eminence Formations.

The areal extent of the Sullivan Siltstone and the Whetstone Creek Members of the Bonneterre Formation in the central and western portions of southern Missouri has been determined and the westward extent of the Whetstone Creek Member is believed to represent an erosional surface on the top of the Bonneterre.

The "green clay residue facies" and the "spongy chert residue facies" occur by facies substitution with more typical, chert-bearing Potosi and Eminence Dolomites. Although the reasons for these residue facies in the Potosi and Eminence are not fully known at this time, the areal distribution of these units in the study area have been determined"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Interpretation of imagery lineations, Logan Creek Area, Southeast Missouri

"Depletion of ore in Missouri's old lead districts and the opening of the state's new lead district adds impetus to understanding and delineating geologic structure in and adjacent to the new lead district. Image and geomorphic analysis, hydrologic data, and subsurface structural contour mapping are used in interpretation of geologic structure in Dent, Shannon, Reynolds, and Carter counties, Missouri. Unlike the time consuming surface geologic mapping, the modes of investigation used in this study enabled the writer to make a larger, regional-scale study with results comparable to those attainable by surface mapping. The area is covered by thick residual soils and terrain conditions are difficult. Subsurface structural contour mapping shows a series of northwest trending alternating highs and lows, the Precambrian having the most relief. Possible faulting occurs along the margins of these structures. Several other structures, including individual knobs, were also detected.

ERTS imagery analysis enabled delineation of many major lineaments, lineament sets, and pairs, of which 8 are named and described. These lineaments trend primarily east and northeast. Circular and polygonal features were also detected. Lineaments identified by thermal IR and SLAR imagery analysis are in agreement with those detected on the ERTS imagery. In addition, the thermal IR and SLAR analysis delineated smaller lineaments that are thought to reflect local fracture patterns. Additional circular features were detected on the thermal IR and SLAR imagery. These are thought to be surficial reflections of buried Precambrian knobs. The polygonal features appeared also on the SLAR imagery.

Hydrologic data show agreement with the imagery and subsurface interpretations where overlap exists between these data.

A gravity profile supplements the study in one part of the area. The anomalies coincide with anomalous imagery and hydrologic features.

Large Precambrian outcrop areas are found in the southwestern part of the study area and northeast of the study area. These areas are intensely fractured. Lineaments traced into these areas were found to be in agreement with known fracture patterns of the areas. This indicates that the lineaments with their related hydrologic and geomorphic features are directly related to Precambrian basement fracture and faulting patterns. Repetition of individual anomalous "features" from subsurface mapping to hydrology to imagery and finally gravity lends support to the interpretation of the detected structures"--Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Heavy metal analysis of stream sediments in the James River Basin, Missouri

"A reconnaissance survey of stream sediments using the minus 80 mesh sieve fraction was made at 53 sites throughout the James River basin, Missouri. Sample sites within the 1460 square miles of the basin were chosen at tributary confluences, suspected contamination sources, and known areas of mineralization. Replicates and stream profiles were taken to check for analytical variation and reproducibility of results. Sediment samples were prepared by a hot nitric acid leach method. The sediments were analyzed using an atomic absorption unit to determine Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd trace metal contents.

Values of selected streams within the basin were statistically evaluated using Student's t-test and analysis of variance methods to examine variations in metal content of stream sediments. The results were compared with direct observations of the stream populations and found compatible. High metal values in the fine fraction of the stream sediments were found all along the flow of Wilson Creek, and near mineralized areas on Pearson Creek, Finley Creek, and Flat Creek. Lead ranged from 10 ppm to 570 ppm. Zinc ranged from 5 ppm to 610 ppm. Copper ranged from 0 to 98 ppm. Cadmium ranged from 0 to 62 ppm. Average values for Wilson Creek were found to be much higher than average values for the rest of the river basin"--Abstract, page 1.

Heavy metals in the main streams of the James River Basin, Missouri

"Demands on water resources in the James River basin have greatly increased. Industrial plants and lead-zinc prospects in the basin are potential sources of heavy metal additions to the waters of the area. The study determines the heavy metal content and distribution in the streams of the basin.

Approximately 50 water samples were collected each season and analyzed by atomic absorption techniques. Field determinations of temperature, specific conductance, pH, and effective alkalinity were also made.

Ranges of heavy metal content were: (1) mercury- <0. 1 to 0.3 ppb (summer only); (2) zinc-

The urban areas of Springfield contribute dissolved heavy metals to the surface streams. The Southwest Springfield Sewage Treatment Plant is not a significant source.

Seasonal and geographic variations were apparent. Gee-hydrologic contributions appear to be related to mineralized and faulted areas. Variation at individual sample sites is not considered of great significance. Filtered water samples meet PHS heavy metal standards for public drinking water"--Abstract, page 1.

Heavy metal concentrations in the waters of the Springfield Area, Missouri

"Water samples consisting of streams, springs, lakes, deep wells, and shallow wells were collected from various locations around the Springfield area. These were analysed for concentrations of the heavy metals of lead, copper, cadmium, zinc, mercury, and iron. Heavy metal contents in the waters occasionally show local concentrations. The zinc content can be related to known minor mineralized areas around Springfield. Some iron content in the surface waters and shallow aquifers is contributed by the iron-bearing clays and pyrites in the shallow formations.

The ranges of heavy metal values in the Springfield area are in ppb: lead, 1 to 70; copper, 1 to 29; cadmium, less than 0.1 to 11; zinc, 1 to 8500; mercury, less than 0.1 to 0.8; iron, less than 1 to 455. Five water samples exceeded the PHS drinking water standards for heavy metal concentrations.

Four samples from the central Wilson Creek area were collected and analysed in order to determine any possible heavy metal additions from the sewage treatment plant. Results indicated no heavy metal additions to the surface waters"--Abstract, page ii.

A geochemical reconnaissance of Puerto Rican beach sands

"Twenty-four beach sand samples from the island of Puerto Rico were collected in 1964 by Dr. Ernst Bolter as part of a radiometric survey conducted by him. These samples were given to the author in 1969 for chemical analysis.

The purpose of this investigation was to conduct a geochemical reconnaissance study of the beach sands in order to determine the geochemical background and possible anomalies. This information could aid in offshore mineral exploration and source area determination.

This thesis presents the results of a quantitative chemical analysis for copper, lead, zinc, iron, manganese, aluminum, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and strontium in a silicate matrix by atomic absorption.

X-ray fluorescence was used as a semi-quantitative method to determine strontium, zirconium, and titanium in the heavy mineral fraction. X-ray diffraction was used in conjunction with fluorescence to determine the mineralogical matrices of the samples needed for the calculations.

A mineralogical analysis of the beach sands was also performed"--Abstract, page ii.

The geology of the Thayer area emphasizing the stratigraphy of the Cotter and the Jefferson City formations

"Detailed geologic mapping of the Cotter-Jefferson City formational contact in the Thayer, Missouri area demonstrates the feasibility of using this contact. This mapping also delineates significant faulting in the area.

The stratigraphy of the Cotter and Jefferson City formations in the Thayer area has been studied to find a mappable contact between the two formations. The contact was mapped in this area by using marker beds, the stratigraphic positions of which were determined by applying insoluble residue techniques to outcrop sections. Because the insoluble residue zones of the Cotter and Jefferson City formations are recognizable throughout the state of Missouri in the subsurface, mapping the contact between the formations should be possible anywhere within their outcrop area by applying the method described in this report.

Mapping has revealed three distinct zones of block faulting with vertical displacements as great as 350 feet. The faults were mapped using a combination of structural control and air-photo lineations, because the fault traces cannot usually be seen in the field. The faulting may be a southeastward extension of the Graydon Springs fault zone, or it may be part of a suspected east-west trending fault zone of regional extent. Mammoth Spring, the second largest spring in the Ozarks, rises along a fault surface and near the intersection of two fault zones"--Abstract, page ii.

Mineralogy and paragenesis of the cave-in-rock fluorspar district, Hardin County, Illinois

"The paragenesis of minerals occurring in the bedding-replacement fluorspar ores in the Crystal, Minerva No. 1 and Hill mines in the Cave-in-Rock district, Hardin County, Illinois, has been studied by underground, binocular, petrographic and ore microscopic examination. More than 300 hand specimens were collected from the mines, 100 thin sections were prepared and 36 polished surfaces were examined to prepare paragenetic diagrams for the Crystal and Minerva No. 1 mines.

The minerals determined in the fluorspar ores were: fluorite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite, marcasite, calcite, strontianite, witherite, barite, quartz, dolomite, oil and bitumen. Most of these minerals are present both in disseminated form and as crystals deposited in vugs, but calcite, strontianite, witherite and barite were observed to be deposited from the ore solutions only in cavities.

The paragenetic sequence of minerals formed in the disseminated ores has a general similarity to that of the minerals formed in vugs, particularly in the Crystal mine, but there are important differences between the two sequences. The latter sequence includes some minerals which are not present in the earlier sequence, but it is especially characterized by repetitive generations of mineral deposition. The repetitive nature is believed to be controlled by slight variations in the chemistry of the ore solutions during deposition.

The paragenesis in the Minerva mine No. 1 differs from that of the Crystal mine by the occurrence of strontianite and witherite, by the number of generations and by the presence of important local, late corrosion. These differences in mineralogy and paragenesis are believed to have resulted from slight areal variations in the chemical nature of the ore solutions"--Abstract, pages i-ii.

A study of the genesis of the pyritic gneiss in the Grenville series, St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties, New York

"The pyrite-pyrrhotite belt is a northeast-southwest trending area about 35 miles long and three to four miles wide located in Jefferson and western St. Lawrence counties, New York, within the metamorphosed Grenville Lowland just northwest of the Adirondack massif.

Outcropping within this belt are a number of thin discontinuous quartz-biotite-oligoclase gneisses with an unusually high graphite, chlorite, and pyrite content, known as "rusty gneisses." Sulfides are concentrated in these gneisses into zones of up to 50% or more pyrite. The pyrite is granular or crystalline and is invariably accompanied by large amounts of chlorite and graphite and local minor segregations of pyrrhotite. Sphalerite and chalcopyrite, the only other sulfides present, are trivial in amount. There are two types of pyritic concentrations: The first is a simple variation of the rusty gneiss marked by abundant chlorite and graphite and thick disseminations or clusters of pyrite grains, or sheeted zones of pyrite. The second type is found in well defined vein-like bodies in which the pyrite is intimately folded and contorted with vein quartz. Local pegmatitic lithologies are also present.

The deposits are all characterized by their restriction to one lithology, the rusty gneiss, and by their distinct lack of true veining. They are located at the base of a thick marble unit which overlies a thick gneiss of tuffaceous composition.

Results of this study show that the ores were strongly affected by metamorphism and late hydrothermal remobilization. Geothermometric determinations obtained from pyrrhotite indicate that at least this sulfide formed from 475°C to 535°C within the regional metamorphic range of temperature.

A volcanic-sedimentary origin is proposed for these deposits. The sedimentary nature of the ores is indicated by their conformable relations, restriction to one lithology, minor amounts of sulfides other than iron sulfides, large amounts of associated graphite, low Co:Ni ratios, and local presence of pyrite spheroids.

The volcanic nature of the deposits is indicated by the high trace element content, the abnormally large amounts of iron and sulfur, and is suggested by the large amount of underlying rock of tuffaceous composition. Sulfur isotope ratios from the deposits are typical of both volcanic and biogenic sulfur.

The deposits were subjected to intense regional metamorphism as indicated by the folded structures of many deposits, the sheeted pyrite zones, and the injection of subsequently deformed quartz veins. The ore textures are in part typically metamorphic, and the pyrrhotite temperatures fall in the range of peak metamorphic temperatures for the area.

Late hydrothermal effects are evidenced by local veining by pyrite, formation of pyrite metacrysts in abundant introduced replacing chlorite, and the local transgressive nature of much of the remobilized sulfides. The pyrrhotite represents a separate phase of late mineralization caused by the local melting of pyrite.

Latest supergene alteration has affected pyrrhotite more than it has pyrite, forming marcasite and pyrite alterations associated with veinlets of limonite and hematite"--Abstract, pages ii-iv.

A petrofabric study of the iron ore of Benson Mines, Star Lake, New York

"The petrofabrics of the host gneiss silicates and Ovate ore grains were studied in thin sections of oriented specimens collected from widely scattered positions in the iron ore deposit at Benson Mines, New York.

Ten oriented specimens selected for petrofabrics study were comprised primarily of feldspar, quartz, garnet and ores, with lesser quantities of biotite and sillimanite. Petrofabric diagrams were prepared for the orientation fabrics of magnetite and biotite in eight of the ten specimens, but sillimanite and quartz were sufficiently abundant for fabric determination in only three specimens. Duplicate thin section and perpendicular sections were utilized to check the resultant orientation patterns. A total of 28 petrofabric diagrams were prepared.

The petrofabric diagrams for the basal cleavage of biotite grains reveals foliation which is much more distinct than that observed rnegascopically. The c-axes of sillimanite are distinctly aligned in a direction of lineation which lies within the biotite foliation plane. The petrofabric diagrams for the long axes of ovate ore grains exhibit more scatter than those of biotite and sillimanite, but those axes exhibit a tendency to lie within the biotite foliation plane and to be relatively concentrated in the direction of sillimanite lineation. This tendency is strongest in the more strongly foliated and lineated specimens respectively.

The correspondence between host gneiss silicate petrofabrics and orientation of ovate ore grains suggests that the iron oxide grains have developed preferred orientation during the metamorphism which developed the foliation in the host rock gneiss and that the iron was introduced or simply present in the rock prior to the last stages of metamorphism"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Geology of the Acari iron mining district Arequipa, Peru

"The Acari Iron Mining District, part of a tilted uplifted fault block, comprises an area about 300 square kilometers, in the southern part of the coastal belt of Peru. It is in the foothills of the western range of the Andes and it is dominantly formed by granodioritic and granitic intrusive rocks which belong to the Andean batholith of Cretaceous-Tertiary age. The intrusive rocks are overlain by a central, elongated, northwest trending band, of metasedimentary and volcanic rocks

The magnetite deposits of Acari district are long, dike-shaped bodies, which fill two systems of fractures in the granodiorite intrusive, located in the southwest portion of the district. One fracture system, includes both the Mastuerzo and Campana Zone, has NWN trend. The other fracture system, the Pongo Zone, trends NE. The ore consists predominantly of black, massive, compact, microporous, fine-grained magnetite characterized by colloform texture. Its average grade is about 60-66% Fe with 0.10-0.20% P. The deposits are characterized by a vertical zoning which plunges southward, consisting of: 1) an upper magnetite ore zone, 2) a transitional zone, and 3) a lower barren amphibole zone. Two successive stages of fracturing and faulting, one forming transverse faults, the other longitudinal faults, have affected the magnetite deposits. The deposits are believed to have resulted from two principal endogenetic processes, one was the injection of rich-iron fluids into fractures in the granodiorite intrusive, the second was hypogenetic alteration of the magnetite deposits by barren hydrothermal solutions, which probably were derived from the crystallization of the granite intrusive in the northeastern portion of the district.

Three stratiform hematite deposits containing, about 31-37% Fe occur within the outcrop area of Mississippian (?) age of metasedimentary rocks at the headwater of the Loza Valley. Fairly consolidated black magnetite sands overlie the granite intrusive in Cerro Conchudo. They contain approximately 6% Fe.

Copper veins consisting of discontinuous ore shoots of oxidized minerals in long, east-west trending fissures occur within the granite intrusive, or as fractures filling in felsic dikes or quartz veins within the Dark Volcanics and within the granodiorite intrusive "--Abstract, pages xiv, xv.

Ecology and distribution of foraminifers of a traverse in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

"Foraminiferal populations have been analyzed from five bottom samples along a traverse in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, approximately 27⁰20' to 97⁰15' north latitude and 97⁰20' to 97⁰05' west longitude. Eighty-eight species and twenty-nine genera, belonging to eighteen families, were recorded. Species were identified and described.

Statistical studies indicate that probably five benthonic foraminiferal depth facies could be recognized in the area at the following approximate depths: 4 fathoms, 4-8 fathoms, 8-12 fathoms, 12-16 fathoms, and 16-20 fathoms. Determination of facies is based largely on the range of species. The frequency distribution of species of foraminifers was plotted against change in depth. The faunal trend could not be correlated with physical conditions other than change in depth; perhaps such a trend will be found to correlate with salinity, light penetration and turbidity condition.

The wet volume percentage of foraminifers in the sediment and species diversity were found to increase away from shore. The percentage of arenaceous foraminifers also increased offshore. Planktonic formainifers were lacking in the samples, except for a single specimen of Globigerinoides ruber d'Orbigny which was found at a depth of 20 fathoms"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Heat flow in the Boss deposit of Missouri

"Values of heat flow through a Precambrian mineral deposit were determined in the Boss area of Missouri, where 350 meters of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks overlie a complex series of rhyolite flows which have been altered and contain a copper bearing magnetite deposit. Geothermal data were obtained from a closely spaced grid of 17 diamond drill holes penetrating to depths of 1000 meters below ground surface. Temperature measurements were made at 5 meter intervals in the Precambrian section of all holes. These and thermal conductivity measurements made on representative core samples from 300 to 400 meters below the top of the Precambrian gave a regional heat flow of 1.) microcalories/cm²sec. Core from one hole was sampled at approximately 5 meter intervals from 350 to 1000 meters. Comparison of the regional flux with the vertical components of heat flow in the deeper portions of the intensively sampled hole indicated the presence of a low conductivity zone with a flux 25 percent below the regional and a high conductivity zone with a flux 10 percent above the regional. The calculated attitudes of these zones led to an interpretation of the geologic structure that, previously, had not been considered. The low conductivity corresponds to a tabular zone of prophyllitic alteration dipping 72 degrees, and the high conductivity corresponds to a granite dike dipping 50 degrees"--Abstract, page ii.

Structure contours on the top and base of the M bed, the relationship of mineralization to structures, and the variation of the M bed thickness in the Tri-State District, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma

"Regional structure and thickness of a single horizon, the M bed, have been studied in the Tri-State district by picking the top and base of the M bed in the logs of 557 selected drill holes and contouring this data together with the aid of local detailed structural information available for individual mining fields. Structures determined from these data were compared to the positions of mined mineralization to determine the control of regional structure upon the localization of ore. Variations in the M bed thickness were compared to the positions of fields of mineralization to examine possible spatial relationships which they might show.

Among the 80 folds outlined in the fields of the Tri-State district, two-thirds of the synclines and one-third of the anticlines exhibit areally associated mineralization. The preference for synclines over anticlines suggests that the ore-forming solutions were moving downward at the time at which the ores were deposited.

The M bed exhibits remarkable variations in thickness in the Tri-State district from as little as eight feet to as much as 110 feet. In the Picher field strikingly concentric isopachous zones show a progressive decrease in thickness toward the center of the field. The Galena, Melrose and possibly the Waco fields show similar but less well defined thinning of the M bed. This close relationship between the M bed thickness and the fields of mineralization is interpreted to have resulted from solution of the M bed limestone partly before mineralization and partly during the ore-forming process"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

A terrain study of the Bloodland Quadrangle, Pulaski County, Missouri

"This study is an investigation of the environmental conditions which affect cross country movement for tracked military vehicles on a major portion of the Fort Leonard Wood Military Reservation.

The terrain has been mapped from the trafficability standpoint by an investigation of the geology, topography, pedology and restrictive vegetation characteristics of the Bloodland seven and one-half minute quadrangle. The terrain analysis was accomplished by a combination of map study, laboratory investigation, photo interpretation, and direct field study of representative soil and vegetation types. The conclusions of this analysis are presented in the form of a cross country movement map"--Abstract, page ii.

Piezometric levels and shallow aquifers, Dillon and Meramec Spring quadrangles, Missouri

"Little is known about groundwater in carbonate rock; quantitative data about limestone and dolomite aquifers are almost non-existent. Objectives of this study are: identification of shallow aquifers, and yield, occurrence, and piezometric level of groundwater in cherty dolomitic rocks in eastern Phelps County, Missouri. Area studied comprises of the 7.5-minute Dillon and Meramec Spring Quadrangles. The data used were derived from water well logs, interviews with well drillers and owners, and a previously available geologic map.

The Jefferson City, Roubidoux, and Gasconade formations are aquifers. Groundwater in the Jefferson City formation is perched. West and north of Dry Fork creek, groundwater occurs throughout the Roubidoux formation; yields average 17.6 gallons per minute. The Gasconade formation yields groundwater throughout the area. Two units comprise this formation; yield in the upper averages 25.7 gpm. Lower unit yields average 19.5 gpm.

Groundwater occurs in joints, bedding planes, and solution cavities and channels. Groundwater in drilled wells in the Roubidoux and Gasconade formations rises above the level at which it is encountered, indicating confinement. Open joints and bedding planes in these formations indicate they are only semiconfined.

The Roubidoux-Gasconade surface, and piezometric levels, were contoured from available well data. Because data were not adjusted for changes in water levels since data of measurement, or for depth of casing and depth of well, the piezometric map is preliminary, subject to revision. An east-west piezometric trough coincides with a long, broad, structural ridge. Crestal fracturing along the structural ridge can explain the groundwater trough.

The piezometric map shows the Dry Fork and Little Dry Fork to be influent streams along their upper reaches, and effluent along their lower reaches. Major streams in the area are believed to contain underflow in the thick alluvium in their channels. The drainage basin of Meramec Spring was not determinable from the piezometric map. According to this map, groundwater flows toward the Spring from the north-west and west, and toward the eastern border of the map"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

The Sacajawea formation and the Darwin sandstone in the Southeast Wind River Mountains, Wyoming

"The area under study is located along the southeast flank of the Wind River Range in Fremont County, Wyoming, Beds overlying the Madison Group are measured and described in six locations within this area. These locations are: Worth Fork Popo Agie River, Sink’s Canyon, Crooked Creek, Canyon Creek, Little Popo Agie River, and Cherry Creek.

Laboratory studies are used as an aid in correlating the sandstone and dolomite sequences described In the six sections. These studies include sieve and heavy mineral analyses and thin section examination.

Sorting factors, obtained from the sieve analyses, and heavy mineral suites indicate that the Darwin Sandstone which occurs at North Fork Popo Agie River also is present to the southeast at Crooked Creek and Canyon Creek. The heavy mineral suite of a sandstone in Sink’s Canyon differs markedly from those from sands in the other locations. A younger age is postulated for the Sink’s Canyon sandstone.

Thin-bedded dolomites overlying the Madison Group in Sink’s Canyon, Little Popo Agie River, and Cherry Creek are correlated with the upper thin-bedded limestones included in the Sacajawea Formation at its type area, Bull Lake Creek. Fossils from Sink’s Canyon and Cherry Creek aid in this correlation.

It is postulated that during late Chesterian time a shallow sea existed in western Wyoming. Beds of the Sacajawea Formation were laid down in this body of water. With retreat of the sea northward at the end of the Mississippian Period red beds from a southern source began to accumulate over the beds of the Sacajawea Formation. Erosion of local highs re-exposed the Madison Limestone in certain areas. With the start of the Pennsylvanian Period the Darwin Sandstone began to accumulate from the northeast on an erosion surface of either the Madison Limestone or the Sacajawea Formation, depending on the extent of prior erosion. The Darwin Sandstone lenses out in the southeast portion of the Wind River Range. Isolated lenses of Darwin Sandstone occur south of North Fork Popo Agie River where it rests on an eroded Madison surface. Elsewhere in this area the sand was probably mixed with red shale from the south. Thus, the Darwin Sandstone is generally equivalent in age to the sandy red shale found along the southeast flank of the Wind River Range"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Pegmatites of the Anderson Ridge quadrangle, Fremont County, Wyoming

“The oldest rocks in the area consist mainly of para- schists of low to medium rank and restricted higher rank sillimanite schist. The entire series has been at least double folded. The most apparent are tight north to north- east trending folds. These have been intruded in the northern part of the area by a batholithic body of granitic composition, a granitic stock, a pegmatitic granite, a granitic sill-like body and different types of pegmatite dikes and sills. The youngest intrusions are a series of northeast trending basic dikes and sills. A major easterly trending transverse fault and a series of smaller faults of almost east-west trend are the main fault trends in the area. They are younger than all bodies above.

Pegmatites are very abundant and vary in size, shape, texture, and mineralogy. They are more numerous in the north than the south and invade all rock types except the younger basic intrusions.

A new classification of the size, shape, and texture of pegmatites is proposed. The size and shape of any individual pegmatite body is identified by two values, namely, the length X width (LXW) value and the length/width (L/W) ratio. Because of the extreme variation in texture of the pegmatite bodies a classification based on a geometric scale is proposed. Both mega- and microscopic sizes applicable to field and laboratory studies are included.

Five different mineralogioal types of pegmatites are recognized: magnetite granite, graphic granite, tourmaline granite, garnet granite, and biotite granite.

Both concordant and discordant types of pegmatites are present. A few of the concordant varieties show a rough zoned character, but layering is characteristic of the discordant and many of the concordant varieties. The layering may result from textural and/or compositional variations. Coarse and very coarse bands alternate with fine and very fine ones. Also distinct mineralogic variations are common in these different bands. Fine-grained red garnet-rich bands characterize a good percentage of the pegmatites in the area. These colored bands are of great help in determining the internal structure of such bodies.

The pegmatites are believed to be of magmatic origin. The temperature of the magmatic fluids, the content of volatiles, and the confining pressure as well as the chemical composition are thought to have varied greatly for the different pegmatite types of the area.

Beryl is the most important economic mineral known to date. The very coarse tourmaline granite pegmatites are the most important host for beryl. Coarse perthitic bands and massive quartz bands in the tourmaline garnet granite pegmatites and the garnet granite pegmatites offer some promise as hosts for beryllium minerals.

The district is now under active exploration”—Abstract, pages iii-iv.

Study of the copper-uranium deposits at Vilcabamba, Department of Cuzco, Peru

"Uranium has been known in the Vilcabamba district of Cuzco, Peru since 1954. Copper ores of high silver content were worked by the Spaniards during the seventeenth and the early eighteenth centuries, At the beginning of the twentieth century these ores were worked intermittently; during the last fifty years no mining operation has been going on.

The oldest rocks in the thesis area consist of Ordovician phyllites. The presence of Devonian in the area is questionable, but has been recognized 5 km. away from the thesis area. A conglomerate of limited lateral extent of Mississippian age overlies the Devonian (?) or Ordovician formation. Middle (?) and Upper Pennsylvanian and Dower Permian rocks are represented by about 2000 m, of Tarma and Copacabana limestone. Igneous rocks of Middle (?) Permian age appear to overlie the limestone formation. This is called the Mitu group and consists, in addition to the igneous rocks, of coarse red clastics overlying unconformably the Copacabana group. In the limestone area, two main dikes of grachyandesite composition appear to intersect the formation.

Copper-nickel-uranium minerals of probable hydrothermal and contact mesosomatic origin occur as lenses or fissure fillings in the Permocaraboniferous limestone some associated with skarn.

The ore minerals are tetrahedrite, bornite, chalcopyrite, covellite, niccolite, pitchblende, molybdenite and a variety of sulforarsenides of nickel and cobalt. Gangue is predominantly calcite and dolomite, with quartz in minor amounts. Skarn minerals are garnet epidote, apatite, hematite, and magnetite.

The major amount of ore minerals seems to be structurally controlled, but chemical-physical conditions of the host rock may also play important roles.

An economic evaluation can not be made at the present stage of exploration. More drilling and mapping is needed. Other factors which will affect this evaluation are the high cost of transportation and difficulty in evaluating tonnage due to the irregular distribution of the ore zones"--Abstract, pages viii-ix.

Geology of the Esterbrook Area, Converse and Albany Counties, Wyoming

"The Esterbrook area lies within the Laramie Range in Converse and Albany Counties, Wyoming. Exposures include Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, the Tertiary White River formation, and Quaternary alluvium.

Hornblende schist and mica-quartz schist comprise the Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Foliation planes of these rocks trend northeast and dip steeply to the southeast. Metamorphic rocks of younger age probably lie to the southeast.

A distinctive, Precambrian silicic pluton of biotite-leucogranite with marginal zones of muscovite-leucogranite and alaskite passively intrudes the metamorphic rocks, generally parallel to the foliation trends. Numerous granite pegmatites show a zonal distribution around the pluton and appear to be genetically related to it. Dikes of gabbro and basalt follow major structural trends in the metamorphic and igneous rocks.

Pyrrhotite, galena, quartz-pyrite, and beryl-bearing mineral deposits are present in the metamorphic and igneous bodies. The deposits occur as fissure fillings and possible replacement bodies.

The crystalline rocks and their associated mineral deposits have been re-exhumed by the erosion of the Tertiary White River formation which gently laps onto the Laramie core. Quaternary alluvium lies in the mountain stream beds. The area is in a stage of late youth"--Abstract, page ii.

Ground water investigation in the southern half of Franklin County, Missouri

"Increasing population and industrialization in Franklin County, Missouri, has led to increased demand for water. Much of this demand will be satisfied from ground water resources. Although the general geology of Franklin County has been mentioned in several publications, no detailed study of structure and ground water geology had been done. This thesis consists of study of stratigraphy, lithology, and geologic structure, and analysis of well log data to determine occurrence and availability of ground water, in the southern half of Franklin County.

Stratigraphy and lithology is compiled from previous literature, modified to agree with well log data. Structural geology is determined from correlation of well logs and field mapping of the central 38 square miles of the area. Structural data, shown on contour maps of the tops of two major aquifers, the Gasconade and Eminence formations, on isopach map of the Gasconade, and three cross-sections, reveal four major and several minor northeasterly plunging folds. No evidence was found for some possible faults shown on previously published maps. Outcrops examined are indicated on a detailed geologic map of the field area.

Relation of number of wells drilled in various formations to expanding population is shown graphically. Depth to static and dynamic water levels, drawdown, and production rates are described for several formations. Specific capacities of the major aquifers are computed. Variations in chemical quality of ground water are illustrated by representative analyses within the area. Appendices list surface elevation, total depth, production and specific capacity of all wells studied"--Abstract, page ii.

Seismic investigation of flint clay deposits in East Central Missouri

"Seismic refraction surveys were conducted in several localities within the east central Missouri clay districts in order to determine the applicability and economy of this method as a clay exploration tool. Results of these surveys revealed that the sink-type clay deposits possess lithologic and structural characteristics that lend themselves favorably to this method of exploration.

Seismic records obtained from profiles shot across known deposits indicate that several factors other than velocity contrast serve to produce apparent seismic anomalies.

Some unforeseen time loss and expense was encountered because of malfunctions of the seismic equipment employed, which necessitated the purchase and installation of repair parts.

A comparison of the seismic refraction method of clay exploration with the wildcat auger drilling method presently employed indicates that the seismic method is the more economical. On the basis of present evidence, this method of exploration for clay deposits occurring in sink structures appears to be practical"--Abstract, page vii.

Investigation and development of ground water of Chalone Creek, (Pinnacles National Monument, California)

"The Pinnacles National Monument is located in San Benito and Monterey Counties about 130 highway miles south of San Francisco, California. Because of unusual patterns in volcanic rocks, the Monument was set aside as a recreation area on January 16, 1908, by President Theodore Roosevelt. It encompasses an area of approximately 12,818 acres.

Water quality and supply problems were experienced at the Monument in the few years prior to 1961. In 1961, a collection trench system was installed to alleviate the water supply condition. A horizontal trench system, 215 feet long and four feet below the dry season water table, was installed in the creek bed of Chalone Creek.

Driven well-points were used to determine fluctuations of the water level under pumping conditions. The use of well-points in a coarse alluvium, such as Chalone Creek alluvium, is not recommended by the author. Only 8 out of 18 well-points were successfully installed. Ripped screens in the well-points and bent pipe strings were the chief reasons for lack of success.

A channel sample was collected from the alluvium to determine the laboratory coefficient of permeability. The value was determined to be 5.5 x 102 gal/day/ft2. A mechanical analysis was conducted on the channel sample giving a mean grain size of 16mm,sorting coefficient of 6.7, phi skewness value of 0.6, and phi kurtosis of 0.33.

A pumping test was conducted to determine the field permeability and transmissibility of the Chalone Creek alluvium. It was calculated to have a permeability of 6.3 x 102 gal/day/ft2. The transmissibility was calculated as 3.2 x 104 gal/day/ft. The storage coefficient of the aquifer was determined to be .029.

Chemical analysis of water samples from Chalone Creek and Willow Spring, the largest of three springs in the area, indicated the quality of water is good for drinking purposes.

Utilization of the horizontal trench collection system should adequately supply the water demands of the Monument. Calculations indicate the trench could be pumped at a rate of 75 gal/min. for 1000 days without lowering the water table more than four feet"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Stylolites and sedimentary structures in the Cave-in-Rock fluorspar district, Southern Illinois

"This thesis deals with stylolites, slump structures, sulfides in the oolitic limestone, and geometry of the bedded fluorite deposits in the Cave-In-Rock fluorspar district, southern Illinois. Stratigraphic zones studied were: 1) the upper part of the lower Fredonia limestone member, 2) the upper part of the upper Fredonia limestone member,,and 3) the upper part of the Renault formation.

Geometry of the ore rocks and related structures was investigated. Most of the ore is layered and constitutes part of the sedimentary strata.

Slump structures were observed and studied in detail. Most of the slump structures show evidence which indicates a sedimentary origin.

An extensive review was made of previous investigations of stylolites. Particular attention was given to the genetic criteria.

Megascopically, the stylolites are classified into the six basic patterns. Relationships of stylolites to individual rock grains are defined and classified. Aggregate stylolites were defined as those which have amplitude larger than the rock grain diameters; intergranular stylolites have an amplitude less than the grain diameter.

Detailed megascopic observations on the stylolites and related sedimentary structures and extensive microscopic study suggest that the stylolites were formed during compaction of semi-plastic sediments.

Detailed microscopic observations of the sulfide-wall rock relationships in the lower Fredonia limestone indicate a sedimentary origin of the sulfide"--Abstract, page v.

A study of placer tin materials from southern Thailand

"This thesis deals with a series of investigations of placer tin samples from a Chinteik's Tin-dredge, Gnaw District, Ranong Province, and the Tin-Pet mine, Phang-gna Province, in southern Thailand.

A brief summary of the geography and geology of Thailand as a whole has been given as a general introduction to the source of the materials studied in this thesis.

The results of sieve analyses have shown that the sluice boxes do not effectively concentrate the cassiterite grain below 0.147 mm. from the rough concentrate treated in the tin-dressing shed.

It has been found that roundness and shape determinations of quartz grains from relatively short transportation placer deposits do not give sufficient data as environmental guides. The quartz grains investigated give good, comparisons with the reworked quartz grains of St. Peter sandstone on one hand and with artificially crushed quartz fragments on the other hand.

Mass magnetic susceptibilities of some magnetic minerals from Tin-Pet mine have been established with a Frantz Isodynamic Separator. Tantalite-columbite (mass magnetic susceptibility = 23.48 x 10-6 C. G. S. max.) can be separated from Ilmenite (mass magnetic susceptibility = 52 x 10-6 C. G. S. max.).

Magnetic separation and microscopic examination of ilmenite grains from Tin-Pet and Tin-dredge mines confirm the works of other workers, i.e. , that this mineral has altered to many phases due to weathering processes. Advanced alteration of phase two and three were found to occur in a majority of ilmenite grains from Tin-dredge than those from Tin-Pet mine. These highly altered ilmenite grains have lower mass magnetic susceptibility than the less altered ilmenite grains.

Major metallic minerals from the two tin placer deposits were described and the properties of each mineral under the reflected light microscope have been given. Percentage and interlocking determinations of each sample have been recorded each on separate tables"--Abstract, pages xii-xiii.

K₂O/Na₂O content as a possible index to the chronological sequence of some Precambrian igneous rocks of Missouri

"Flame photometric analyses for K₂O and Na₂O were run on 31 samples of the Precambrian igneous rocks of Missouri. Samples were collected from the field, physically prepared and dissolved by a standard method and a modified standard method of rapid silicate analyses. The K₂O, Na₂O values obtained are averages between two methods of analyses. The modified method reduces by 80% the time required to chemically digest a rock sample. The results for both methods are not significantly different. Curtin and Company Advanced Flame Photometer was used.

Results have been plotted on graphs and a chronological sequence for the named Precambrian igneous rock units of Missouri is indicated. It is suggested that the Middlebrook Group belongs to a separate magmatic cycle; that the Van East, Musco, and Bevos Groups belong to the same magmatic cycle; and that the basic intrusive rocks belong to a separate magmatic cycle"--Abstract, page ii.

Geology of the east-central portion of the Nelson quadrangle, Clark County, Nevada

"The purpose of this investigation was to determine the unusually complex geology of a little-known area south of the Eldorado mining district, southern Clark County, Nevada. The area, mapped at a scale of 1:24000, comprises a segment of the northerly-trending Eldorado mountains in the southeast corner of the Great Basin. This rugged desert area is on a drainage divide between the Great Basin and the Colorado River. The rocks of the area consist of Precambrian gneisses and schists invaded by successive generations of Upper Cretaceous (?) - Tertiary igneous rocks. The older rocks, mainly biotite-chlorite gneisses, have resulted from high-grade regional metamorphism followed by partial retrograde effects. A medium-grained quartz monzonite grades migmatically into these rocks. A later, essentially contemporaneous complex of acidic rocks, chiefly fine-grained quarts monzonite and rhyolite-andesite porphyry, occur as a large easterly-trending pluton, and numerous dike swarms and chonoliths. Intermediate-basic intrusions, chiefly of andesite-latite porphyry, follow in close succession. Andesite flows locally occur in the north, nonconformably overlying gneiss and quartz monzonite. Quaternary surficial deposits cover parts of the area.

The gneissic foliation, extremely variable in trend and attitude, tends to parallel the strike of the large pluton near the gneiss-pluton contact. A profusion of dike swarms, joints and faults are present in the area. These all show preferred trends, chiefly northerly. The most prominent faults uplift the western part of the Eldorado Mountains, i.e. the Ireteba Peaks, above the surrounding country. The periods of igneous intrusion and fracturing overlapped. A few mineralized fissure zones (epithermal gold-silver-quartz), cutting andesite, gneiss and schist, are concentrated in the northern part of the area"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

Sedimentary features and geochemistry of the sulphide facies in the transition between the LaMotte sandstone and the Bonneterre formation in the Fredericktown area, Madison County, Missouri

"SCOPE AND PURPOSE The Lead Belt area of southeast Missouri, which is nearly 40 km. long and 10 km. wide, is considered, at the present time, the most important lead district in the world. Lead has been mined in this area by the natives prior to 1720, and almost continuously up to the present day. A variety of sulphides are mined from different places in the district.

The sulphide deposits in the Lead Belt are considered to be typical examples of the Mississippi Valley Type Deposits, which are distributed all over the world. As in practically all the Mississippi Valley Type Deposits, the problems involved in the genesis of the southeast Missouri sulphide deposits have been and still are a matter of controversy. Different opinions and theories have been postulated to explain the mode of their formation.

The iron-cobalt-nickel-lead-zinc sulphide deposit, a section of which has been studied in the present thesis, is considered to be one of the important deposits in the district. It is located 2 km. to the southeast of Fredericktown, in the Fredericktown Quadrangle, Madison County, Missouri, U. S. A.

In this thesis an attempt is made to correlate data from previous work with new observations. The main purpose of the study was to formulate a reasonable hypothesis for the genesis of the deposit, on the basis of the study of both large and small scale features, with special emphasis on the small scale geometric features. Those features and patterns are considered to be important. As will be shown, the literature contains very little on small scale properties of this type of deposit in the Lead Belt.

Four steps have been used to approach the problem:
1. A review of previous work through a detailed study of the published literature on the geology, general setting, and the character of the deposit in question, and on other deposits of similar character.
2. Field observations of the relation between the sulphides and the surrounding rooks in three dimensions as available in the mine.
3. A study of the relation between the sulphide masses and crystals of the enclosing rook in hand or "foot" specimens.
4. A study of the relation between the sulphides themselves and also the surrounding rock matter under the microscope, in both polished and thin sections.

Through these four steps, it was possible to relate the large scale observations to the smaller scale features, and to allow a better understanding of the problem of genesis of the deposit in question, and its relation to the other rock types present in the area.

The conclusions reached through this type of study differ from the previous interpretations regarding the genesis of the studied deposit"--Introduction, pages 1-2.

Certain trace element distribution in the Searchlight, Nevada quartz monzonite, Clark County, Nevada

"The once prosperous gold, silver, copper and lead mines of the Searchlight mining district, Nevada, are situated along the south and western margins of a large quartz monzonite body. This intrudes the Precambrian gneisses and younger lava flows. Associated mineral veins show an eccentric type of zoning around the intrusive.

Seven rock samples of the quartz monzonite representing different parts of the intrusive were analyzed petrographically and spectrographically. Modal analyses and various types of rock alteration were investigated petrographically. Spectrochemical analyses of the rock samples and their major minerals were carried out for certain trace elements. A semi-quantitative method was used without internal standards. A simple synthetic silicate base was utilized for the preparation of standards to obtain working curves. The total energy method of Slavin proved satisfactory for Cu, Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, Ga, Mn, Sr, Ti, V and Zr but too insensitive for Zn, Ag and Au content.

Minerals of the rock samples were first separated and purified by reduction in grain size, use of the Frantz Isodynamic Separator, and careful selection under the binocular microscope.

Spectrochemical analyses of the purified minerals show that unaltered minerals contain more Cu and Pb than the altered ones. From the modal analysis of the rocks and the Cu and Pb content of pure minerals, mathematical computation permitted prediction of the possible Cu and Pb content of the original unaltered rock.

Ferromagnesian minerals contain anomalously high concentrations of Cu, Pb, Ni, Co, Mn, and Cr. The light colored minerals are poor in these elements, but are high in Sr and Ga. Cu appears to have been released in the alteration of green minerals to chlorite. Quartz samples show significant amounts of Cu and Pb, but this appears to be surface adsorption phenomenon, and suggests Cu and Pb solutions acted on the quartz.

Compared to other compilations, the Searchlight intrusive is low in Ga, Cr, Mn and V, normal in Cu, Ni, Ti, and Zn, and high in Pb and Sr. Little difference exists in the bulk trace element content of the apophyses and main intrusive body. This may be due to small proportion of mafic minerals in the rock. Cu is in greater quantity in the early formed pyroxene than later formed biotite. It is also more abundant in earlier plagioclase than later orthoclase. The Pb content in magnetite increases towards the north, while Ni, V, Ti and Cr decrease.

Unaltered minerals in the southern part of the intrusive show a higher Cu content than fresh minerals in the north, but altered minerals in the south are more depleted in Cu. The altered rocks also show a maximum decrease in Pb content near the lead producers. The ratio or Pb to Cu in the unaltered rock compared to the altered rock is 2.73:1, interestingly close to the production ratio of 2.6:1 of Pb to Cu.

The zoning and the spectrochemical data suggest the Searchlight intrusive is truly "productive". The possibility of predicting a "productive" intrusive and "non-productive" intrusive by trace element analyses might be further substantiated or disproved by more detailed studies of a similar nature. Altered and unaltered minerals of selected intrusives and bulk analyses of the rocks for the trace elements sought should determine if these elements have been released or retained by the parent rock. The former could be a guide to a "productive" intrusive"--Abstract, pages ii-iv.

Occurrence of mineralized ground water in Southern St. Louis and Jefferson Counties, Missouri

"Mineralized ground water occurs at some localities in southeastern St. Louis and northern Jefferson counties, Missouri. This water is usually undesirable and is detrimental to development of ground water resources.

Water well records in the offices of the Missouri Geological Survey and Water Resources provided data for a study of structure, lithology and occurrence of ground water. Water well drillers and property owners were interviewed to obtain additional information concerning drilling problems and quality of water.

Geologic cross-sections, subsurface contour maps and isochlorinity maps aided the study of lithology, structure and areal distribution of mineralized ground water. Relationship is suggested between occurrence of mineralized water and lithology and structure. Relatively impermeable lithologies which act as barriers to the movement of ground water, and structural depressions which act as traps, retard the flushing of mineralized water by fresh meteoric water.

Localities where mineralized water occurs with respect to two ground water zones are shown on geologic cross-sections and subsurface contour maps of the principal water bearing formations, the Keokuk-Burlington and the Kimmswick"--Abstract, page iii.

Cyclic sedimentation of the Upper Fayetteville Formation

"In the past decade considerable interest has developed in the geology of the Boston Mountain area of northern Arkansas. This has been due to exploration for oil and gas in-the area and the related desire to know more about the structure and stratigraphy of the region. Principal work has been done by the University of Arkansas, the United States Geological Survey, and oil companies. This study involves only one of the formations making up the geologic column in the Boston Mountains, the Upper Mississippian (Chesterian Series) Fayetteville Formation.

Portions of the upper part of the Fayetteville Formation of northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma consist of interbedded calcareous and argillaceous beds which form a rhythmic or cyclic pattern. Such patterns are ordinarily not seen in the Mississippian rocks around the Ozark Plateau, except perhaps in a crude fashion in the Chesterian rocks on the east flank of the Ozark Plateau. The lithologic units in the Chester cycles there are much thicker and less sharply defined. Rhythmic sedimentation has been described (Bokman, 1953) in the Meramecian series and Stanley Formations which are deposited nearer the axis of the Ouachita geosyncline in the Fayetteville area. Rhythms of various types have also been observed by the writer in the rocks of the underlying Moorefield and overlying Pitkin and Atoka Formations in the area of the study. They are, however, not as distinct as those of the Fayetteville and involve elastic rocks except for the Pitkin Formation"--Introduction, page 2.

Comparative petrographic, petrochemical and spectrographic analyses of the Precambrian granitic rocks of southeastern Missouri

"Petrographic, petrochemical and spectrographic studies were completed on selected Precambrian granitic rock samples from Southeastern Missouri. This investigation contributes to a more detailed knowledge of the Precambrian granitic rocks of this part of the state.

Petrographic analysis of forty-four thin sections of granitic rocks from the St. Francois Mountains area revealed six different granite types. These have been named the Fredericktown, Knoblick, Doerun, Graniteville, Klondike and Silvermine granites. These rocks form a large part of a composite batholith. More than one period of granitic intrusion is represented, but differentiation also contributed to the formation of this diversity of the rocks. In the Johannsen classification they are classified as leucogranites, granites, alaskites, kalialaskites, sodaclase granites and adamellites.

The Niggli petrochemical classification of twenty- seven chemical analyses of these granites revealed their petrogenetic relationships. The chemical character of the magma out of which they have formed was acidic, salic, relatively alkali rich and lime poor. The Doerun, Graniteville and Klondike granites are in the aplitgranitic, the Fredericktown granites and granite porphyries in the aplitgranitic and engadinitgranitic, the Knoblick granite in the granodioritic, and the Silvermine granite in the yosemititgranitic magma type. All the rocks belong to the calc-alkalic petrographic province.

Qualitative spectrochemical analysis of forty-four granite samples revealed the presence of the following minor elements: Mg, Sr, Ba, Ti, Zr, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Ag, Zn, Sn and Pb. Mg, V, Co, Zn, Sn and Pb were selected as index trace elements. The different granite types were characterized according to the relative amounts of these. The Fredericktown granites and granite porphyries, the Knoblick granite and the Silvermine granite contain more Mg, V, and Co, and less Zn, Sn, and Pb than the other granite types. The Doerun, Graniteville and Klondike granites are also relatively high in V and Co. Zn is not always present, but they have more Sn and Pb than the other granite types. Compared with granites from other localities, the Missouri granites are characterized by a consistency of copper, a relatively frequent occurrence of tin, lead and zinc, and a rareness of chromium and silver"--Abstract, pages ii-iii.

The geology of the uranium-vanadium deposit of the Diamond No. 2 mine, near Gallup, New Mexico

"This thesis deals with the geology of the Diamond No. 2 Mine east of Gallup, New Mexico. The sedimentary rocks ranging from Triassic to Cretaceous are described in relation to the local stratigraphic setting.

The Dakota formation is the host rock of the ore deposit, and was therefore studied in detail with regard to its petrographic nature and the sedimentary structures such as slumping. Special emphasis is placed on the study of the relationships between the uranium and vanadium deposit and the host rock. Geometrical and geochemical criteria are offered in order to explain the local genesis of the ore deposit at the Diamond No. 2 Mine. The geometric (textural, structural) evidence such as the lack of crosscutting relationships on one hand, and the abundance of congruent features readily explained as depositional sedimentary structures on the other hand, suggest to an originally syngenetic origin. The presence of tuffaceous matter lends probability to a volcanic and thus hypogene source of the uranium and vanadium minerals. Geo chemically there is no objection for a syngenetic explanation since the only alteration ("silicification") occurring adjacent to the ore bodies may be diagenetic and thus also syngenetic.

Later epigenetic supergene processes redistributed some of the uranium in form of camotite (camotitization) and caused later alterations such as limonitization, jarositization, etc. The field observations are presented on 33 figures and 12 plates (mostly maps and cross sections)* A special, probably partly- new mapping method was used successfully for the mapping of 60,000 square feet of mine walls at the scale of 1" to 20V"--Introduction, page 9.

A study of the genesis of the Krueger zinc deposit and the near-by barite deposits of the Potosi quadrangle, Washington County, Missouri

This thesis deals with the study of the genesis of the Krueger zinc deposit and the near-by barite deposits of the Potosi quadrangle, Washington County, Missouri.

The rocks outcropping in the quadrangle embrace Pre-Cambrian and Lower Paleozoic formations, the Potosi and Eminence being the most important formations with regard to the studied deposits.

The few structures present in the area of the vertical type and are more abundant in the southern part of the quadrangle.

Special emphasis is placed on the relationships between the barite, the associated sulfides, and the host rock.

Geometric and geochemical criteria are studied in detail and used to explain the local genesis of the ore deposits. Geometric evidences, either in the outcrops or in the drill cores, suggest the possibility of a syngenetic origin. The geochemistry of barium and the sulfides supports this mode of origin.

An attempt to solve the problem of the origin of the ore fluids was made. Both the supergene and hypogene theory are considered. More criteria appear to support the second one"--Abstract, page vi.

Paragenesis of the minerals in the Einstein vein Madison County, Missouri

"Selection of the Problem: The mineralogical problem of determining the paragenetic sequence of minerals in the Einstein vein, Madison County, Missouri, was suggested by Dr. O. R. Grawe, who previously had supervised a thesis by Joel Pomerene dealing with the geology of the area. Although considerable attention has been given to the mineralization along the vein, a specific study of the paragenetic relations has not been made. Paragenesis has, however, been discussed by others in papers dealing with the geology of the area. Such a study is extremely important in the establishment of a hypothesis of origin, and hence, an essential aid in the search for other deposits of this type"--Introduction, page 1.

Permeability study of algal reef beds within the Bonneterre formation, National Mine, St. Francois, Missouri

"The Missouri "Lead Belt" comprises approximately 50 square miles, centering around the town of Flat River, in St. Francois County. Missouri. This district has been producing lead for more than 200 years, the total production being at least 8,000,000 tons of lead, valued at more than $1,000,000,000. For many years, the annual production of the district has been at least one-fourth of the total production in the United States.

An excellent description of the geology of this area was published recently by Ohle and Brown in 1954.

The ore consists principally of galena which is disseminated within the Bonneterre formation of Upper Cambrian age. Some of the ore is associated with algal reef structures within the formation. This especially is true at the National Mine, where the writer was employed, so he had an excellent opportunity to study the relationship of ore deposition to the reef structures. One notable feature is that ore deposition is not uniform throughout these structures. Since Ohle had found permeability to be an important factor in localization of ore in the Mascot, Tennessee district, Dr. Brown desired that the influence of permeability in the localization of ore with respect to the reef structures be studied. The major reef-bearing zone in the National Mine was selected for detailed study. The National Mine is located between Flat River and Desloge, Missouri.

The research was conducted with the consent and support of the St. Joseph Lead Company in cooperation with the Department of Geology of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, the permeability measurements being conducted in the Geology Department of the School of Mines during 1956 and 1957"--Introduction, pages 2-3.

Detection of buried basement highs by airphoto drainage pattern analysis, Reynolds and Wayne counties, Missouri

"Purpose and Scope: The purpose of this study is to determine if it is possible to detect buried Precambrian igneous hills in Wayne County and the larger part of Reynolds County in southeast Missouri by the use of aerial photo drainage pattern analysis.

The St. Francis Mountains are located in southeast Missouri. They form a part of the Precambrian basement complex, and have been exposed at the surface by the erosion of the lower Paleozoic sediments which covered them. Some of the hills which make up the St. Francis Mountains are exposed to a great degree, while others still have their greater bulk concealed by the sediments. It would be expected that there are hills still completely buried under the sediments. To detect those buried hills in the above stated manner, Wayne and Reynolds counties (Plate IA) are chosen because they lie just south and southwest of the St. Francis Mountains and are expected to include buried basement topographic highs.

Detection of basement structural highs is generally of economic value since ore deposits (Ohle and Brown., editors, 1954) and petroleum are often associated with such features"--Introduction, page 1.

The Phosphoria formation of the northeastern Big Horn Basin, Wyoming

"Purpose and Scope. — The Phosphoria formation of the northern Rocky Mountains of the United States has received considerable attention from geologists because of its important reserves of phosphate and petroleum. In the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming, however, still more work is needed to compile the information necessary for a complete understanding of the facies changes exhibited by this formation.

The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first to present a description of the lithology and the paleontology of the Phosphoria formation in the northeast part of the Big Horn Basin, and secondly to show the stratigraphic relationship of the facies present in the outcrop sections to each other and to those in adjacent areas. The author hopes this study will aid in the understanding of the complex Permo-Triassic problems existing in this region.

Procedure of Study. — During the summer of 1956, a general survey of the thesis area was made after which ten outcrops were selected to be studied in detail. The lithologic units of these exposures were described in detail and sampled. The thicknesses were measured by the author and his field assistant with a 100 foot tape and a hand level. After returning to the campus of the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, the samples were examined under the binocular microscope for their major mineral constituents, and tested for the presence of phosphate.

The phosphate test used was devised by Oakes (1938, pp. 454-457). Thin sections were prepared from selected samples for petrographic study. The literature applicable to the problem was reviewed. The information thus obtained was incorporated into this paper during the scholastic year of 1956-57."--Introduction, pages 1-2.

A geological study of the Irvine Ranch Area, Johnson and Campbell counties, Wyoming

"The discovery of uranium in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, by the U. S. Geological Survey in 1952 has lead to an extensive exploration program throughout the region by both private and governmental agencies. This report is a geological study of an area in the southwestern part of the basin.

Geological and radiometric mapping carried out as a part of this report indicated several areas of uranium occurrence. Some of these occurrences warrant tests by drilling.

Mineralogical and petrographic study has shown the principal uranium minerals to be carnotite and metatyuyamunite. The mineralization occurs in arkosic sandstones. Assays of the uranium deposits are usually below one percent U3O8, but occasional samples range up to 25 percent U3O8. The origin of the deposits is· attributed to percolating ground water.

An examination of mining and haulage costs and of ore prices has been made for the area. With this background, the geological study indicates a reasonable possibility that commercial ore is present within the area"--Abstract, page vi.

Geothermometry at the Balmat No. 2 mine, New York by the FeS-ZnS system

"Definition Of The Study. The study consists of an investigation of the variation in the temperature of formation of sphalerite on the 500 and 1500 ft levels of the Balmat zinc deposit at Balmat, New York. A subsidiary investigation was performed on the use of x-ray fluorescence as a means of chemical quantitative analysis. Twelve samples of sphalerite from the 500 ft level and 13 samples from the 1500 ft level were analyzed for atomic percent iron content by measuring Zn/Fe x-ray fluorescent ratios. The x-ray fluorescent ratios were standardized by ''wet" quantitative analysis. The results of the analyses are applied to the FeS-ZnS phase diagram developed by Kullerud (1953). The locations of the samples from Balmat are recorded on maps of the two levels to enable a study of the horizontal and vertical variation of the temperature of formation"--Introduction, page 1.

Pre-Cambrian geology of Washington County area, Missouri

"The Problem.

Washington County, Missouri contains a limited number of outcrops of pre-Cambrian igneous rocks, the majority of which are in the extreme southern part of the county. The known association of lead ore with buried or partially buried pre-Cambrian igneous knobs and ridges in this part of Missouri has led the St. Joseph Lead Company to prospect in areas known to contain these features. In its exploration program, the St. Joseph Lead Company has drilled a number of prospect holes which have encountered other occurrences of pre-Cambrian igneous rocks within the limits of Washington County. This drilling, correlated with magnetic and geologic maps, has expanded our knowledge of the distribution of igneous rocks in Washington County.

The purpose of the present investigation was to identify as completely as possible the igneous rock types which occur in Washington County, to seek relationships between them in regard to position and origin, to delineate the topography of the pre-Cambrian surface, to study the effect of both primary and secondary mineralization upon the igneous rocks, and to determine the relationship between the occurrence of the igneous rocks and the mineralization, particularly the relationship of magnetite mineralization to the igneous rock types as revealed by direct observation and by magnetic anomalies"--Introduction, page 1.

Foraminifera of the type section of the Archusa marl of Mississippi (Eocene, Claiborne group, Wautubbee formation)

"The type locality of the Archusa marl member of the Wautubbee formation is situated south of Quitman, Clarke County, Mississippi. Stratigraphically, the unit falls within the middle Eocene Claiborne group, being roughly equivalent to the upper part of the Lisbon formation of Alabama and the lower part of the Cook Mountain. The marl falls within the Ostrea sellaefonnis zone and the zone of "Ceratobulimina eximia.” The type section consists of 48 feet of sandy marls, with a thin oyster bed near the middle.

The Archusa foraminifera fauna consists of 87 species and varieties, belonging to 49 genera and 18 families. These, together with the associated fauna and lithic constitution of the marl, indicate deposition in a partly enclosed marine embayment of moderate depth (40-60 fathoms). A previously unrecognized depositional sub-cycle, within the Archusa marl member, involved shallowing and deepening of the embayment, the oyster bed representing the period of shallowest water"--Introduction, page 1.

Geology of the south half of the Meramec Spring Quadrangle, Missouri

"This report is a continuation of the work initiated by Mueller in his mapping of the north half of the Meramec Spring Quadrangle. The completion of this work provides not only a geologic map of the whole quadrangle but also completes the mapping of the geology of a strip of quadrangles extending from Rolla to the Mississippi River. In addition to being a step closer to the goal of complete geologic coverage for the state, this work will be of value to those concerned with the prediction of depths of wells drilled in search for water, which in view of the drought of the past year may become increasingly important in the near future. The study is confined to the geology and associated features of this region. Additional data have been included where the author believes it to be of interest or to add to the general value of the report"--Introduction, page 1.

A study of immiscibility in the carbonates from the metamorphic rocks of southeastern Vermont

"This problem is an attempt to correlate grade of metamorphism (normally assumed to be temperature dependent) with the shape and dimensions of a solid miscibility gap. Such a correlation might permit mapping of a continuously variable function of metamorphism. The system, calcite and dolomite-ankerite, was chosen for study because of its relative simplicity. Samples of quartz-carbonate granulite were collected from the Waits River formation in southeastern Vermont through a range of metamorphic grades. Refractive index, "molecular" volume, manganese content, and density were determined for the carbonates of four of these samples. These values are plotted on a compositional diagram to show the proportions of the miscibility gap for different grades of metamorphism. No measurable narrowing of the gap is demonstrated. A progressive increase with metamorphic grade in the refractive indices of calcite and ankerite was noted, and an attempt is made to explain it. Other unpredicted relations are mentioned, and a promising single crystal X-ray technique is described. Recommendations are made for further study of this problem"--Abstract, page 1.

A petrographic and chemical study of the Bevier coal seam

"Samples of coal were taken at three inch intervals vertically down the Bevier seam at three localities in Macon and Randolph Counties. Channel samples were collected at the three localities. All samples were analyzed for ash content, total sulphur content, crucible swelling number, and volatile content. The channel samples were analyzed for "pyritic" sulphur, “sulphate" sulphur, and "organic" sulphur. Thin sections of the samples were used in an estimation of anthraxylon and attritus contents.

In all the samples studied, volatile content of the coal seemed to be related to the ash content and the sulphur content. Crucible swelling number also seemed to be related to the volatile content. No correlation was found between the petrographic properties (as seen in thin section) and the analysis figures for ash, sulphur, crucible swelling number, and volatile matter.

No apparent stratigraphic correlation could be made from one locality to another on the basis of detailed analysis. However, the rank of the coal is the same, and the shale bench is present in each locality. The lowest sulphur content found in any of the detailed samples was just over 2.0 per cent, a value which is referred to as the "background" sulphur. Of 64 analyses for sulphur, 31 samples contained between 2.0 and 2.5 per cent sulphur.

The coal ash contained a maximum of 0.01 per cent of germanium"--Abstract, page 1.

Mineral composition in relation to particle size for a Missouri plastic fire clay

"From the rather modest beginning of the refractory industry in Missouri prior to the Civil War, the industry has grown to challenge those of other states as the third largest producer of refractory clays and products in the United States. As Roberts (1950) points out, the development of the metallurgical and glass industries increased the demand for high grade refractory materials. A prominent factor in the development of the fire clays of Missouri was the discovery that flint clay could be mixed with the plastic or semi-plastic refractory clays to yield an excellent product. Perhaps the most important reason many eastern manufacturers set up plants in Missouri is the close proximity to high quality plastic, semi-plastic, flint; and diaspore-clay deposits. Their rather shallow depth permits them to be extracted by economical open-pit methods which replaced the inefficient underground mining methods of the early 1920's.

As the refractory industry became big business, it adapted the futuristic outlook of big business. Common practice in the clay industry had been to stockpile only enough clay for immediate needs, as the cost of production included relatively high processing costs and the cost of the raw materials has to be kept to an absolute minimum. Clay deposits were discovered by examining outcrops exposed in stream banks and road cuts. Occasionally, someone drilling for water would discover a good clay. Now extensive scientific prospecting methods directed by technically trained personnel are employed (Bradley and Miller, 1942; W.D. Keller, 1949, pp. 451-454).

While the importance of the high grade clay deposits of Missouri is generally recognized, the only extensive investigations published to date have been concerned with the distribution and genesis of the deposits. Very little work has been done regarding the detailed mineralogy of these clays.

One has only to look at the works of Grim (1939a; 1939b, 1946) to get an appreciation of the importance minor clay constituents have on the properties of the whole clay. For example, montmorillonite leads illite and kaolinite, in that order, in properties of plasticity, drying shrinkage, bonding power and response to exchangeable bases. Even undetectable amounts of montmorillonite or illite in a "kaolin" may cause it to exhibit properties not common to kaolionite. Detailed investigation of these clays will help us to better understand some of their “unusual” properties.

Results of these investigations may also be used to correlate various clay deposits on the basis of their clay mineral content after more information has been accumulated. There is still lacking in the literature enough information on clay mineral assemblages to develop uncontradictory paragenetic relations. In other words, clay mineral alteration sequences are still obscure.

With these considerations in mind, the Department of Geology has set up a Clay Mineral Project, the purpose of which is to investigate more thoroughly the clay mineral content of Missouri clays and shales.

This is the initial paper of the project. It purports to study the methods of investigating clays, to adapt standard methods to the facilities available, and to report the mineral content of a Missouri plastic refractory clay. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate interest in Missouri clays"--Introduction, pages 1-3.

Radiolaria from the Porters Creek formation (Paleocene, Midway group) of Stoddard County, Missouri

"Fossil Radiolaria are described and figured from the Porters Creek formation (Paleocene) of Ardeola, Stoddard County Missouri. This is the first detailed treatment of fossil radiolarians from the Gulf Coast area. Thirty-one species are described and figured, all believed to be new, belonging to twenty-four genera. Fifteen families are represented, ten referable to the Legion Spumellaria, five to the Legion Nassellaria. Stratigraphic descriptions or the section at Ardeola is presented, and a discussion of laboratory techniques is included"--Abstract, page 3.

Geology and mineralization of the Jefferson Mine, Hardin County, Illinois

"Purpose of the Investigation: The geology of the Jefferson Mine was mapped to determine the relationship of the two fluorspar veins exposed on the 260-foot level to the single vein on the 200-foot level to study the mineralogy and paragenesis of the ore, and to gain any other information that would lead to a better understanding of the fluorspar deposits"--Introduction, page 1.

An ecological study of the foraminifera of Mason Inlet, North Carolina

"Mason Inlet. North Carolina is a lagoonal marsh area with warm-temperate water, the salinity ranging from fresh to salt water. Nine collecting stations comprise an ecological gradient across the environment.

Forty-two species of foraminifera are recorded from the inlet, ranging in their affinities from brackish water to open-sea facies. Several extensions of range are recorded both northward and southward.

Substratum conditions apparently control the distribution of foraminifera within the inlet. Clean, fine sand provided the largest faunal populations. A depauperate assemblage was found in an inorganic, argillaceous substratum. The largest population of arenaceous forms was found at the channel through the offshore bar"--Abstract, page 1.

Geology of the Crystal Mine, Hardin County, Illinois

"The study of the geology and mineralization of the Crystal Mine was undertaken at the suggestion of Mr. Dodson G. Gibson of the Crystal Fluorspar Company, who allowed access to the mine and its records for this purpose. The problem was to develop a system of prospecting the so-called bedded-replacement fluorspar deposits of Hardin County, Illinois. It is believed that an economically feasible method has been developed. This method involves not only the actual finding of fluorspar, but also serves as a guide in revealing structural trends suggestive of mineralization.

The fluorspar deposits of the Crystal Mine are representative of the mineralized areas in the Cave In Rock district. They are composed, principally, of crustified, “coontail” and disseminated fluorspar which is associated with very small amounts of calcite, barite, sphalerite, galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite and hydrocarbons. The fluorspar occurs in horizontal bladed* [*Refers to geologic structures having dimensions approximately 100:10:1] deposits along definite stratigraphic horizons. The principal mineralized zones are at the base of the Bethel sandstone and at the bases of the Rosiclare and Sub-Rosiclare members of the Ste. Genevieve limestone. These zones occur in fossiliferous limestone and are associated with trough-like structures which are superimposed upon a regional structure having a strike of N. 73° W. and a dip of about 4° N. 17° E. The trends of the fluorspar deposits are N. 50° E. and from N. 40° W. to N. 70° W. They are, in general, parallel and normal to the Peters Creek fault which marks the northern boundary of the district. The principal mineralization is parallel to the fault.

As the trough-like structures which accompany the mineralization are readily evident, their careful delineation should aid in locating the fluorspar deposits. Because they are minor structures, superimposed upon the regional dip and somewhat obscured by it, the writer conceived the idea that they might best be shown by drawing structure contour maps at various well defined horizons, using as a datum, not sea level, but an inclined plane parallel to the regional dip. The delineation of these trough-like structures is based upon well logs of approximately 400 diamond and churn drill holes.

Although these trough-like structures are indicative of mineralization, other features considered important in localization of the fluorspar are: suitable lithology, high permeability, fracturing, faulting and the presence of preexisting solution channels.

Because of heavy flooding by rains, only about 25 percent of the mine workings were accessible. For these workings, the geology was mapped in detail and correlated with the data obtained from the well logs. It is believed that enough of the mine was mapped and compared to the structure to predict the geology throughout the rest of the mine"--Introduction, pages 1-2.

Design of a barge-platform marine drilling rig

"ln the quest for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, principally off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, unique types of drilling rigs able to cope with environmental conditions have been developed in the last several years. This development is highly specialized and has led to methods of operation revolutionary to the oil industry and is without precedent….

In designing a drilling platform there are three cardinal aims (1) low cost installation and operation, (2) ease of operation, (3) providing safe working conditions.

The initial problem is to extend the shore-based fabrication and reduce the offshore construction, foul weather delays, and the high cost of offshore work so that marine insurance can be greatly reduced. Consideration must be given to ultimate removal and adaptability or availability for another job and the re-use of salvaged material.

Following the current trend of offshore drilling, the design of a fixed drilling platform to be used in conjunction with a converted YF navy barge is the objective of this dissertation. It is not the purpose of this thesis to draw up a complete set of plans and specifications for a drilling platform, since such an undertaking would require a great deal of time and expense; but only to work out the more important considerations.

Refinements in construction and in methods of installation have been introduced. It is felt that by using a new type "RST" structural beam, and a unique method of jetting piles the goals of designing as set forth previously are more readily achieved. Considerable explanation of these features will be found in the discussion.

It will be assumed that a drilling platform is to be built under the following conditions- (1) used in conjunction with a converted YF navy barge, (2) located off the Texas-Louisiana coast in 40 feet of water (mean sea level) and (3) equipped with a semi-electric drilling rig"--Introduction, pages 1, 5, 7.

Geology of the Ozark-Martin Mine area, Madison County, Missouri

"General descriptions of the region adjacent to the Ozark and Martin Mines of Madison County, Missouri have been included in a number of early publications dealing with the Einstein Silver Mine area, but a detailed geologic map has not been made. It was thought that through detailed mapping and by a detailed analysis of all of the geologic features present, a more definite relationship between mineralization and structure might be determined"--Introduction, Purpose and Scope of Work, page 1.

Oil and gas resources, Jackson County, Missouri

"The oil and gas production in Jackson County, though rather small, is nevertheless of considerable economic importance. A portion of the county has been rather thoroughly developed but the remainder has had little prospecting. In order to aid further development in the region the Missouri Geological Survey engaged in the mapping of all the known wells in the county as a basis for preparing a structural contour map of the area. In addition, a member of the Survey staff is stationed permanently in Kansas City to give assistance to the operators in the region and to collect the logs of all wells drilled. The following report is presented as a means of placing before these operators all the information available in the county and to indicate possibilities for further development.

In working out the subsurface structure shown on the accompanying maps (Plates I and II) logs of some 1500 wells were used. A few of these are included in detail in the appendix of this report together with a tabulation showing the data for each well used. Each one is tabulated as to: (1) map number of well, (2) company or owner, (3) farm, (4) location, (5) surface elevation, (6) total depth, (7) depth to top of Bethany Falls limestone, (8) elevation top of Bethany Falls limestone, (9) depth to base of Lexington coal "Cap Rock", (10) elevation base of Lexington coal “Cap Rock", and (11) type of well. The logs of all the wells are on file in the offices of the Missouri Geological Survey and Water Resources, at Rolla, Missouri. Supplementing the maps are geologic structure sections along the lines A-A, B-B, and C-C as shown on Plates I and ll. These show in detail the rather sharp arching under the more pronounced structural features and the rather gentle attitude of the beds in the broader anticlinal and synclinal areas"--Introduction, page 1.

Petrographic analyses of the Chepultepec sandstones of the Norris Reservoir region, Tennessee

"The Norris Reservoir is located in northeastern Tennessee, in the Appalachian Valley. It includes all or portions of Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Granger, Knox, and Union counties. The area is shown by the map of Pate I. It is approximately thirty-five miles long in a northeast-southwest direction and about eighteen to twenty miles wide, in a northwest-southeast direction. The area is bounded on the northwest by the Cumberland escarpment and on the southeast by Clinch Mountain. The other boundaries are arbitrarily drawn near the town of Clinton to the southwest and near Tazewell to the northeast"--Introduction. Location and Nature of the Region, page 1.
