Freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems are connected through biomass exchanges such as the flow of predators, prey, nutrients and detritus between them. Emerging aquatic insects provide an alternate food source to riparian consumers often termed an allochthonous subsidy. Stable isotope analyses of naturally occurring carbon and nitrogen is effective for tracing energetic food sources to consumers. This thesis evaluated whether stable isotope analysis would be effective in the Oldman River Basin, Alberta. Aquatic and riparian primary consumers are distinct in their isotopic signatures and valid for to use in stable isotope analysis. Stable isotope modelling was then used to evaluate the proportional contribution of aquatic insects to riparian spider and beetle diets. Carbon analysis showed an overall aquatic insect contribution of 25 % and 18 % for spiders and beetles, respectively; while nitrogen analysis showed an overall contribution of 36 % and 20 %, respectively. The spatial extent of the aquatic insect contribution upland from the river was shown to decrease from 50 - 55 % at 1 m to 0 % at 30 m for both consumers using carbon, and from 35 - 40 % at 1 m to 0 % at 40 m using nitrogen. Finally, regression modelling of the size of a river and the spatial scale of an aquatic insect dietary contribution showed a significant relationship, indicating larger water bodies support higher production of aquatic insects. A meta-analysis of published literature applied to this model also indicated a significant relationship between the size of the river and the extent of an aquatic insect contribution. / xii, 126 leaves m ; 29 cm

The Early Permian (Sakmarian to Kungarian) Raanes and Great Bear Cape formations of the Sverdrup Basin were deposited at a time of ocean cooling, and are interpreted to reflect a subtropical setting. Pelmatozoans, bryozoans, and brachiopods are the predominant fossils throughout the extent of these two units, with local occurrences of large fusulinids and colonial corals. This mixed photozoan-heterozoan assemblage is similar to the sediments of modern-day subtropical settings. Although the Raanes and Great Bear Cape have warm-water rocks below, and cool-water rocks above, the fossil assemblages in these formations were dependent upon changes in oceanography and sea-level. Three distinct phases, as determined by water depth and temperature, occur. First, the rocks of the Raanes and lower Great Bear Cape are deep water and heterozoan in nature. Second, the middle Great Bear Cape limestones record a time of shallow, subtropical waters. Finally, the upper Great Bear Cape is shallow-water, but cooling had progressed to a point that precluded the occurrence of any photozoan components, regardless of depth. Due to evolutionary changes in other subtropical biota, the most reliable fossil indicator of subtropical deposition in the rock record is large benthic foraminifera (including fusulinids) in an otherwise heterozoan assemblage. The identification of limestones representative of these conditions should, therefore, be identifiable at times in the Earth’s history when large benthic foraminifera lived in shallow marine environments. The Great Bear Cape Formation subtropical facies underwent post-depositional changes that are manifest as calcite cements, iron-oxides, glauconite, and silica. Isopachous calcite cements precipitated in intraskeletal pore spaces as well as around the outside of grains. Glauconite, which is an authigenic marine mineral, has been oxidized to iron oxide, and both minerals post-date, or are included within, the isopachous cements. The isopachous cements must, therefore, have also formed in the marine environment. Where they are precipitated around pelmatozoan fragments, these originally high magnesium calcite cements have been neomorphosed to single-crystal epitaxial cements at the same time as mineral stabilization of the biofragments. These cements then seeded the growth of further epitaxial cement in the meteoric environment. / Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-21 10:58:18.958

Microbes, including fungi and bacteria, and insects are responsible for the consumption and subsequent degradation of plant materials into humus. These microbes directly and indirectly affect the physical and chemical characteristics of coal macerals. Efforts to understand and determine the origins of inertinite macerals are largely misrepresented in the literature, conforming to a single origin of fire. This study focuses on the variability of physical and inferred chemical differences observed petrographically between the different inertinite macerals and discusses the multiple pathways plant material may take to form and or degrade these macerals. Petrographic results show that fungal activity plays a fundamental role in the formation of inertinite macerals, specifically macrinite and non-fire derived semifusinite. Fungal activity chemically removes the structural framework of woody plant tissues, forming less structured to unstructured macerals. Insect activity within a mire also greatly influences the inertinite maceral composition. Wood-consuming insects directly degrade wood tissue leading to the formation of less structured inertinites, as well as producing large conglomerates of inert fecal pellets chemically similar to the original plant tissue that may be represented in the inertinite maceral composition.

The Eastern Kentucky Coal Field is located in the central portion of the Appalachian Basin. The Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation in this region is characterized by numerous sequences of bituminous coal-bearing sedimentary rocks. These coals have distinct maceral compositions due to variations in depositional environments. Coal characterization is an important method for determining conditions that influenced peat accumulation and overall depositional settings of mires. This study focuses on the characterization of the maceral composition of the Middle Pennsylvanian-age Leatherwood coal bed. It utilizes petrographical, palynological, and geochemical analyses to describe specific depositional environments and associated peat accumulation conditions. Petrographic analyses indicate that these coals have relatively high liptinite and varying inertinite content, along with trace amounts of mineral matter. Vitrinite, mainly in the form of collotelinite, is the most dominant maceral group. Geochemical data reveal low ash and sulfur content. Ancillary palynological data shows the palynomorph assemblage to be dominated by tree fern and large lycopsid tree spores, with lesser amounts of small lycopsid tree, small fern, and cordaites and calamites spores. The petrographic, geochemical and palynological data indicate that both domed, ombrotrophic, and planar, rheotrophic mire conditions, with limited local detrital influx, contributed to the formation of the Leatherwood coal.

No description available.

A subsurface and surface structural study was completed in the southwest part of the Elk Basin Anticline, Wyoming. The goals of this study were to better improve preexisting geologic surface maps of the area and to better understand subsurface structural relationships. A normal fault with a splay to the north was recorded through sections 25, 26. and 35 of T58N, RI00W. Using well logs to create across section, this fault was traced in the subsurface. Strike and dip measurements in undisturbed areas of the anticline averaged 332° (azimuth) or N28W (quadrant). In an area of anomalous strike (section 26 of T58N, R1 00W), strike readings averaged 303° (azimuth) or N57W (quadrant). This region has been interpreted as an area rotated counter clockwise due to drag on a subsurface tear fault located at the northern end of the anticline. The current study is significant since it lends support to a little studied Laramide structural feature. / Department of Geology

No description available.

No description available.

Graduation date: 1978

The Eromanga Basin hosts the Early Cretaceous reservoir sediments of the Murta Formation and its basal McKinlay Member of prograding fluvio-lacustrine and deltaic origin that are characterized by low oil production and recovery factors which are heavily controlled by depositional facies. The integration of the concepts of facies associations, sequence stratigraphy and petrography enabled this study to map the continuity of the Murta Formation and to point out the effect of the diagenetic features on the reservoir quality. The diagenetic effects and spatial distribution of the depositional facies in the basin are essential in nominating locations of good quality reservoirs. The aims of this study were: to characterize the chronostratigraphic depositional facies and distribution, to examine the affect of diagenesis on reservoir quality and to define those parts of the basin where potential reservoir sands are likely to be found. A detailed analysis of depositional facies in the Murta Formation and its basal McKinlay Member was based on drill core analysis and regional wireline log correlations. The application of non-marine sequence stratigraphic concepts to the wireline logs and core description data have led to the identification of 7 chronostratigraphic units. This data was used in constructing a series of schematic palaeogeographic and isopach maps of the study area to predict the changes in depositional styles with time and space. Six depositional facies were identified in the study area with overall fine-grained sandstones, siltstones and mudstones. These depositional facies include; distributary channels, shoreline, protected shoreline, deltaic mouth bars, tempestites and turbidites deposits. One particular unit, the transgressive systems tracts of the McKinlay Member, (Unit 7) is the best target for reservoir development because of relatively high proportion of pay sands, medium to coarse-grained sand sizes and good reservoir quality with low diagenetic affects. High stand systems tract units 2, 3 and 5 are considered to be secondary reservoir targets because of diagenetic affects and their fine-grained character. Units 1, 4 and 6 are not considered of economic value for oil production because of their extremely low reservoir quality and muddy lithologies. The main diagenetic affects on sandstones (quartzarenites) in the study area are quartz overgrowths, formation of authigenic clay (kaolinite), carbonate cement (calcite and siderite), formation of microstylolites (pressure solution) and dissolution of the framework grains to form secondary pores. The McKinlay Member of the Murta Formation in South Australia consists mainly of medium to coarse-grained sandstones of distributary channel origin (facies association 1). It has the highest recorded porosity and permeability (9.5% and 36.8mD respectively). Shoreline, protected shoreline, deltaic mouth bars and tempestites deposits, mainly from Jackson-Naccowlah Trend wells in Queensland, are of finegrained sandstones (facies associations 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively). They have adequate average porosity (7%), but the formation of microstylolites and associated mica parallel to the bedding planes inhibited vertical permeability and has been recorded to be as low as 3.1mD. Turbidites in the central basin are characterized by extremely low reservoir quality (2.6% and 0.25 mD) and muddy lithologies of facies association 6 that are severely degraded by diagenetic effects. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1320525 / Thesis (M.Sc.) - University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2008