The Baton Rouge Fault (BRF), a growth fault, traverses Baton Rouge Parish, the study area. This fault is a part of the Baton Rouge Fault System (BRFS), located in South Louisiana. There are ten aquifers in the Baton Rouge area, which are the main source of freshwater. Beds dip and thicken toward the south. Aquifers in the Baton Rouge area are disrupted by the BRF. Aquifers contain fresh water in the updip (north of the BRF) and saline water in the downdip (south of the BRF) directions. Saline water has intruded into some of the aquifers north of the BRF as a result of overpumping. It was assumed until 2000 that the BRF is acting as a leaky barrier for the movement of saline water north of the fault. Later, in 2002 two abstracts assert that this fault is acting as a conduit. The main purpose of this work was to analyze this controversy by reviewing previous literature, modeling, and chemical analysis. This work has been done using the USGS model "MOCDENSE", a density-driven 2-D fluid flow. Five different scenarios have been developed. Chemical analysis has been done using available USGS data sources and data collected by Professor Stoessell. Modeling indicates that the fault can act as either a leaky barrier or a conduit for saline water to migrate north of the fault. Chemical analysis also shows a dual role is likely.

<p>This file contains all U-Pb zircon geochronology results collected at the University of Arizona -  Laserchron Center and Washington State University</p> <p><br></p> <p>Detailed datasets include laser settings and counts per second for each analysis</p> <p><br></p> <p>See summary for all U-Pb detrital zircon analyses for GPS, geographic location, and sample name. This data table can be used for guidance to each raw dataset. Additionally, summary datatable files are grouped into Western, Central, and Eastern Stratigraphic packages. Information sheets provide additional information for U-Pb methods.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Samples: FTUPbICP-1248-1, FTUPbICP-1248-2, FTUPbICP-1248-3  are samples analyzed at Washington State University for Jeffrey Benowitz</p> <p><br></p> <p>All other samples were analyzed at the University of Arizona Laserchron Center <em><strong>( NSF-EAR 1649254</strong></em><strong>  </strong>)</p>

Accumulations of brackish groundwater exist across south Louisiana within the shallow, south-dipping Pleistocene to Upper Miocene Baton Rouge Aquifer System (BRAS). This research investigates the source of brackish groundwater through geochemical analysis of representative groundwater samples by comparing the following geochemical ratios along with other trace elements. Low Bromide (Br)/Chloride (Cl) and Potassium (K) /Cl ratios, high Sodium (Na) /Cl ratios, trace Magnesium (Mg) concentrations, and low Strontium (Sr) 87/Sr86 in brackish waters from the BRAS are inconsistent with in situ saline water from marine formation fluids of similar age. The ratios are consistent with in situ saline-water sources from Lower Miocene or Paleogene formation fluids from dissolved recrystallized halite. Deep formation fluids have interacted with Louann Salt diapirs underlying the BRAS area, dissolving halite, and are shown to have moved up fault planes and entered shallow aquifers to mix with the in situ groundwaters.

Geologic mapping, basin analysis, and tephrochronologic analysis in the Clifton quadrangle of southeast Idaho indicates that the modern Basin-and-Range topography is only a few million years old and that the bulk of Cenozoic extension was accommodated by slip on an older low-angle normal-fault system, the Bannock detachment system. The detachment system was active between ~12 and < 4 Ma and accommodated ~50 % extension. Cross-cutting relationships show that the master detachment fault, the Clifton fault, is the youngest low-angle normal fault of the system, was active at a low angle, and has not been rotated to a low-dip angle through time. Map patterns and relationships indicate that the hanging wall to the detachment system began as a cohesive block that later broke up along listric and planar normal faults that either sole into or are cut by the master detachment fault. The Miocene-Pliocene Salt Lake Formation, a syntectonic, basin-fill deposit of the Bannock detachment system, was deposited during three sub-episodes of extension on the detachment system. Depositional systems within the Salt Lake Formation evolved from saline/alkaline lakes to fresh water lakes and streams to braided streams in response to the changing structural configuration of rift basins in the hanging wall of the detachment system. After breakup of the hanging wall began, the master detachment fault excised part of the hanging wall and cut hanging-wall deposits and structures. The structural geometry of the Bannock detachment system strongly resembles that of detachments documented in metamorphic core complexes. Therefore, we interpret the Bannock detachment system as a proto-metamorphic core complex, akin to the Sevier Desert detachment fault. The Bannock detachment system also collapsed the Cache-Pocatello culmination of the dormant Sevier fold-and-thrust belt, much like the Sevier Desert detachment collapsed the Sevier culmination. Structures of the Bannock detachment system are overprinted by a second episode of extension accommodated by E- and NE-trending normal faults that may be related to subsidence along the Yellowstone hotspot track and a third episode of extension accommodated by high-angle, Basin-and-Range normal faults. This last episode of extension began no earlier than 4-5 Ma and continues today.

Geomorphological and paleoseismic studies provide insight into the fault geometry and kinematics of a series of dextral northeast striking faults, including the Porters Pass, Hawdon, Bullock Hill, and Esk faults, in the South Island of New Zealand. These faults show post-glacial offsets that are significantly larger than predicted from co-seismic displacement - surface rupture length regressions derived from empirical relationships. Geomorphological mapping reveals slip rates as high as 9 mm/year for the Hawdon fault and Bullock Hill fault over an expected fault length of c. 140 km. Surface expressions of some parts of the studied faults are obscured by glacial gravels, indicating that blind faults are present in parts of the Sourthern Alps and may be the source for a component of a reported slip deficit in North Canterbury. Concluding from comparing scaling relationship results for the individual faults I hypothesize that the Porters Pass, Hawdon, Bullock Hill and Esk faults are segments of an incipient fault system that stretches from the western tip of the Porters Pass fault to the Hope fault, east of Hanmer Springs. Considering the location, similar strike and dextral deformation mode, I suggest that this 140 km long dextral strike-slip fault system marks the southernmost extension of the Marlborough Fault System resulting from the ongoing southward propagation of the Pacific-Australian plate boundary in New Zealand's South Island.

This study utilises seismic data to improve understanding of the subsurface fluid flow behaviour in the Taranaki and Great South Basins offshore New Zealand. The aim of this study is to characterise fluid flow features and to investigate their genesis, fluid origins and implications for subsurface fluid plumbing system by integrating seismic interpretation and 3D petroleum systems modelling techniques. After an early phase studying Pliocene pockmarks in the Taranaki Basin, this study has been focused on the subsurface fluid plumbing system and on the fluid expulsion history in the Great South Basin. The Taranaki Basin lies on the west coast and offshore of the North Island, New Zealand. The seismic interpretation revealed that paleo-pockmark formation in the study area relates to fluid escape due to a rapid sediment loading environment in a distal fan setting. Seismic analysis rules out any links between the paleo-pockmarks and faulting. The relationship between paleo-pockmark occurrence and fan depositional thickness variations suggests that pore-water expulsion during overburden progradation is the most likely cause of the paleo-pockmarks. The rapid sediment loading generated overpressure which was greatest on the proximal fan due to a lateral gradient in overburden pressure. Fluids were consequently forced towards the fan distal parts where, eventually, the pore pressure exceeded the fracture gradient of the seal. The Great South Basin lies off the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand and is located beneath the modern shelf area. Evidence for past and present subsurface fluid flow in this basin is manifested by the presence of numerous paleo-pockmarks, seabed pockmarks, polygonal fault systems, bright spots and bottom simulating reflections (BSR), all of which help constrain aspects of the overburden plumbing system and may provide clues to deeper hydrocarbon prospectivity in this frontier region. The various types of fluid flow features observed in this study are interpreted to be caused by different fluid origins and mechanisms based on evidences from seismic interpretation in the study area. The possible fluid origins which contribute to fluid flow features in the Great South Basin are compactional pore water as well as biogenic and thermogenic hydrocarbons. Using 3D seismic attribute analysis it was possible to highlight the occurrence of these features, particularly polygonal faults and pockmarks, which tend to be hosted within fine-grained sequences. Paleo- and present-day fluid flow features were investigated using 3D basin and petroleum systems modelling with varying heat flow scenarios. The models predict that thermogenic gas is currently being generated in mid-Cretaceous sedimentary sequences and possibly migrates along tectonic faults and polygonal faults feeding present-day pockmarks at the seabed. The models suggest that biogenic gas was the main fluid source for the Middle Eocene paleo-pockmarks and compactional pore fluid may be the main fluid contributor to the Late Eocene paleo-pockmarks. Different heat flow scenarios show that only mid-Cretaceous source rocks have reached thermal maturity in the basin, whilst Late Cretaceous and Paleocene source rocks would be largely immature. The observations and interpretations provided here contribute to the ongoing discussion on basin de-watering and de-gassing and the fluid contributors involved in pockmark formation and the use of pockmarks as a potential indicator of hydrocarbon expulsion. It is clear from this study that seismically-defined fluid flow features should be integrated into petroleum systems modelling of frontier and mature exploration areas in order to improve our understanding on fluid phases, their migration routes, timings and eventual expulsion history.

abstract: The tectonic significance of the physiographic transition from the low-relief Tibetan plateau to the high peaks, rugged topography and deep gorges of the Himalaya is the source of much controversy. Some workers have suggested the transition may be structurally controlled (e.g. Hodges et al., 2001), and indeed, the sharp change in geomorphic character across the transition strongly suggests differential uplift between the Himalayan realm and the southernmost Tibetan Plateau. Most Himalayan researchers credit the South Tibetan fault system (STFS), a family of predominantly east-west trending, low-angle normal faults with a known trace of over 2,000 km along the Himalayan crest (e.g. Burchfiel et al., 1992), with defining the southern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in the Early Miocene. Inasmuch as most mapped strands of the STFS have not been active since the Middle Miocene (e.g., Searle & Godin, 2003), modern-day control of the physiographic transition by this fault system seems unlikely. However, several workers have documented Quaternary slip on east-west striking, N-directed extensional faults, of a similar structural nature but typically at a different tectonostratigraphic level than the principal STFS strand, in several locations across the range (Nakata, 1989; Wu et al., 1998; Hurtado et al., 2001). In order to explore the nature of the physiographic transition and determine its relationship to potential Quaternary faulting, I examined three field sites: the Kali Gandaki valley in central Nepal (~28&#730;39'54"N; 83&#730;35'06"E), the Nyalam region of south-central Tibet (28°03'23.3"N, 86°03'54.08"E), and the Ama Drime Range in southernmost Tibet (87º15'-87º50'E; 27º45'-28º30'N). Research in each of these areas yielded evidence of young faulting on structures with normal-sense displacement in various forms: the structural truncation of lithostratigraphic units, distinctive fault scarps, or abrupt changes in bedrock cooling age patterns. These structures are accompanied by geomorphic changes implying structural control, particularly sharp knickpoints in rivers that drain from the Tibetan Plateau, across the range crest, and down through the southern flank of the Himalaya. Collectively, my structural, geomorphic, and thermochronometric studies confirm the existence of extensional structures near the physiographic transition that have been active more recently than 1.5 Ma in central Nepal, and over the last 3.5 Ma in south-central Tibet. The structural history of the Ama Drime Range is complex and new thermochronologic data suggest multiple phases of E-W extension from the Middle Miocene to the Holocene. Mapping in the accessible portions of the range did not yield evidence for young N-S extension, although my observations do not preclude such deformation on structures south of the study area. In contrast, the two other study areas yielded direct evidence that Quaternary faulting may be controlling the position and nature of the physiographic transition across the central Tibetan Plateau-Himalaya orogenic system. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Geological Sciences 2012

The Cottage Grove Fault System is an East-West trending system of strike slip faults within Southern Illinois that has been explored for mineral resources but never systematically examined for seismicity or seismic hazard. Due to its location between the seismically active Wabash Valley, Saint Genevieve, and the New Madrid Seismic Zones, and the prevalence of nearby structural features, this fault system merits its own systematic study. Using existing data from the EarthScope Transportable Array, seismic activity and implications for hazard are explored through microseismicity. Over a two-year period, the closest two seismometers to the CGFS were utilized to search for microseismicity along the fault. Analysis was done through visually assessing waveforms and frequency-amplitude plots, which can help differentiate mine blasts and earthquakes based on the frequency content of the waveform. During the 2-year deployment, a total of 94 seismic events were detected, with 5 previously unrecorded earthquakes located within the Cottage Grove Seismic Zone, although none were located on the main fault. The greatest magnitude of the Cottage Grove Fault System events found was an M_L 1.5 and the smallest an M_L 0.8. The methodology found all seismic events mb 2.3 or greater listed by the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) catalog, within a 150 km radius. Missed events from the CERI catalog were small and distant. Finding earthquakes near the Cottage Grove Fault System undetected by the CERI network demonstrates that the region has a degree of previously undetected seismic activity. Preliminary event detection is better explained by a b-value of 0.7 than a b-value of 1.0, suggesting current estimates of the hazard of the CGFS is underestimated.

This study of alluvial aquifer basins in southern California is centered on observations of differential surface displacement and the search for the mechanisms of deformation. The San Bernardino basin and the Upper Coachella Valley aquifers are bound by range fronts and fault segments of the southern San Andreas fault system. I have worked to quantify long-term compaction in these groundwater dependent population centers with a unique synthesis of data and methodologies using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and groundwater data. My dissertation contributes to the understanding of alluvial aquifer heterogeneity and partitioning. I model hydrogeologic and tectonic interpretations of deformation where decades of overdraft conditions and ongoing aquifer development contribute to extreme rapid subsidence. I develop the Hydrogeologic InSAR Integration (HII) method for the characterization of surface deformation in aquifer basins. The method allows for the separation of superimposed hydraulic and/or tectonic processes in operation. This formalization of InSAR and groundwater level integration provides opportunities for application in other aquifer basins where overdraft conditions may be causing permanent loss of aquifer storage capacity through compaction. Sixteen years of SAR data for the Upper Coachella Valley exhibit rapid vertical surface displacement (#8804; 48mm/a) in sharply bound areas of the western basin margin. Using well driller logs, I categorize a generalized facies analysis of the western basin margin, describing heterogeneity of the aquifer. This allowed for assessment of the relationships between observed surface deformation and sub-surface material properties. Providing the setting and context for the hydrogeologic evolution of California's primary aquifers, the mature San Andreas transform fault is studied extensively by a broad range of geoscientists. I present a compilation of observations of creep, line integrals across the Pacific-North America Plate Boundary, and strain tensor volumes for comparison to the Working Group 2007 (UCERF 2) seismicity-based deformation model. I find that the moment accumulation across the plate boundary is consistent with the deformation model, suggesting fault displacement observations within the plate boundary zone accurately capture the strain across the plate boundary. This dissertation includes co-authored materials previously published, and also includes unpublished work currently under revisions for submission to a technical journal.

På Kanarieön La Palma finns sprickzonen och vulkanen Cumbre Vieja. Under ett vulkanutbrott år 1949 bildades ett förkastningssystem längs vulkanens västra sida som skulle kunna vara ett förstadium till en framtida kollaps av vulkanen. Denna kollaps skulle kunna leda till bildandet av en tsunami när kollapsmaterial rasar ner i havet likt ett jordskred. Tsunamin kan komma att spridas över stora delar av Atlanten och i olika grad påverka de omkringliggande kontinenterna. Det finns olika teorier om hur stort jordskredet kommer att bli och om det kommer att ske successivt eller kollapsa som en enda enhet. I detta arbete studeras fyra kollapsscenarier med volymer av 20 km3, 40 km3, 80 km3 och 450 km3 närmare. Utifrån dessa volymer skapas riskanalyskartor i GIS över ön Teneriffa och New Yorks storstadsområde som visar hur långt över land tsunamin når vid de olika kollapsscenarierna. Dessa kartor jämförs sedan med markanvändningskartor över Teneriffa och New Yorks storstadsområde. Trots att tsunamivågen kan bli mycket hög vid Teneriffas kust kommer stora delar av ön att undkomma tsunamin, vilket bl.a. beror på öns höga höjd över havet. Då de flesta byggnader är belägna vid kusten innebär det att många människor ändå riskerar att drabbas. New Yorks storstadsområde är istället lågt beläget, vilket bidrar till att många kustnära områden kommer att drabbas trots att våghöjden har avtagit väsentligt. Då detta område är mycket tätbefolkat kan en tsunami därför leda till en stor påverkan. / On the Canary Island La Palma there is a volcanic ridge called Cumbre Vieja. During an eruption in 1949 a fault system was formed along the western flank of the volcano that can be an early stage of a future flank collapse of Cumbre Vieja. During this collapse a large volume of rock material will fall into the ocean like a landslide, which could lead to the formation of a tsunami. The tsunami could spread over large parts of the Atlantic Ocean and to varying extent affect the surrounding continents. There are different theories of how big the landslide will be and if it will collapse gradually or as a coherent block. In this study four collapse scenarios with different volumes, 20 km3, 40 km3, 80 km3 and 450 km3, are studied more closely. Based on these volumes, vulnerability maps are created in GIS covering the island Tenerife and the New York metropolitan area. The maps show the land reach of the tsunami for each of the collapse scenarios. These maps are thereafter compared with land use maps over Tenerife and the New York metropolitan area. Despite the high amplitude of the tsunami wave at the coast of Tenerife, large parts of the island will remain unaffected by the tsunami. This is due to, among other things, the high altitude of the island. However, most buildings are located along the coast, which means that many people are at risk. The New York metropolitan area has, on the other hand, low altitude which is one explanation why many coastal areas will be affected despite the significant decrease in tsunami wave height. A tsunami would have a major impact due to these areas being densely populated.