Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Theatre, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 68).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 1997. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-205).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

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Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή χωρίζεται σε έξι κεφάλαια: Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο μελετάται η γεωλογία, τεκτονική και η σεισμική δραστηριότητα στην ευρύτερη περιοχή μελέτης. Συγκεντρώνονται όλα τα διαθέσιμα στοιχεία από προηγούμενες μελέτες και δίνεται ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στα γεωλογικά, τεκτονικά και γεωτεχνικά χαρακτηριστικά της υπό εξέτασης περιοχής. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο διερευνώνται οι επιπτώσεις που θα έχει στους επιφανειακούς σχηματισμούς η δραστηριοποίηση ρηγμάτων με ή χωρίς σεισμούς στην περιοχή της διώρυγας της Κορίνθου. Οι προσομοιώσεις διάδοσης της σεισμικής διάρρηξης για κάθε μία περίπτωση πραγματοποιήθηκε με τη μέθοδο των πεπερασμένων στοιχείων, με στόχο να αποκτηθεί μία πιο σαφής εικόνα της κατανομής των παραμορφώσεων, που αναμένεται να αναπτυχθούν σαν αποτέλεσμα της διάρρηξης των συγκεκριμένων ρηγμάτων, και να προσδιοριστούν περιοχές με αναμενόμενες μέγιστες παραμορφώσεις. Στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο προσδιορίστηκαν οι πιο σημαντικές και καλά προσδιορισμένες γραμμικές σεισμικές πηγές (ενεργά ρήγματα) που είναι πιθανόν να επηρεάσουν την περιοχή της διώρυγας και υπολογίσθηκε η σεισμική επικινδυνότητα. Προσδιορίστηκαν οι μέγιστες αναμενόμενες τιμές της εδαφικής επιτάχυνσης, ταχύτητας και μετατόπισης καθώς και της έντασης Arias μια παραμέτρου που παρουσιάζει καλή συσχέτιση με σεισμικά προκαλούμενες κατολισθήσεις, για διάφορες χρονικές περιόδους. Στο τέταρτο κεφάλαιο, με τη μέθοδο των συνοριακών στοιχείων μελετάται η επίδραση που θα έχει στα πρανή της διώρυγας η πιθανή ενεργοποίηση τριών διαφορετικών σεισμικών πηγών οι οποίες εντοπίζονται στην ευρύτερη περιοχή, με βασικό στόχο τον προσδιορισμό πιθανών θέσεων εκδήλωσης αστοχιών και κατ' επέκταση τον προσδιορισμό της πιο δυνητικά επικίνδυνης σεισμικής πηγής. Στο πέμπτο κεφάλαιο περιγράφεται η κατασκευή μιας ράβδου ακουστικής εκπομπής που προτείνεται για την συνεχή παρακολούθηση τμημάτων των πρανών της διώρυγας με αυξημένο πρόβλημα πιθανών καταπτώσεων. Παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα της επεξεργασίας και ανάλυσης ακουστικών εκπομπών από τις εργαστηριακές δοκιμές της ράβδου και προτείνεται ένα πλήρες σύστημα παρακολούθησης όσον αφορά την παρακολούθηση κατολισθητικών φαινομένων στη Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου. Στο τελευταίο κεφάλαιο παρατίθενται τα συμπεράσματα της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής, προσδιορίζονται συγκεκριμένες θέσεις στη Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου με αυξημένο πρόβλημα εμφάνισης κατολισθητικών φαινομένων, προτείνονται λύσεις αντιμετώπισης του προβλήματος. Τέλος γίνονται προτάσεις για το πως πρέπει να συνεχιστεί η έρευνα και η αξιοποίηση των αποτελεσμάτων. / -

Η παρούσα εργασία πραγματεύεται την τεκτονική ανάλυση δύο μεγασκοπικών επωθήσεων στην περιοχή της νότιας Εύβοιας. Αναλύονται τα εξελικτικά στάδια της παραμόρφωσης στην περιοχή μελέτης, τα μέσα που χρησιμοποιούνται για την κατανόηση των παραμορφωτικών φάσεων είναι εικόνες καθώς επίσης και μετρήσεις με γεωλογική πυξίδα οι οποίες προβλήθηκαν σε στερεογραφικά δίκτυα για εξαγωγή συμπερασμάτων. Τονίζεται ότι τα παραπάνω παρουσιάζουν ορθή ερμηνεία πάντα σε συσχέτιση με υπαίθριες παρατηρήσεις. / The present work deals with the tectonic analysis of two megascopic structures in the region of southern Evia. Are analyzed the evolutionary stages of deformity in the region of study,the means that are used for the comprehension of the deforming phases are pictures as well as measurements with geological compass.

Cratonic basins cover more than 10% of Earth's continental surface area, yet their origin remains enigmatic. In this thesis a suite of new and legacy geophysical and geological data are integrated to constrain the origin of the Parnaíba basin, a cratonic basin in Northeast Brazil. These data include a 1400 km long, deep (20 s two-way travel time) seismic reflection profile, five +/- 110 km offset wide-angle split-spread receiver gathers, gravity anomaly, and well data. In the centre of the basin, the depth to pre-Paleozoic basement is ~ 3.3 km, a zone of midcrustal reflectivity (MCR) can be traced laterally for ~ 250 km at depths between 17-25 km and Moho depth is ~ 42 +/- 2 km. Gravity and P-wave modelling suggests that the MCR represents the upper surface of a high density (2985 kg m³) and V_p (6.7 - 7.0 km s^-1) lower crustal body, likely of magmatic origin. Backstripping of well data shows a concave up decreasing tectonic subsidence, similar in form to that commonly observed in rift-type basins. It is shown, however, that the seismic and gravity data are inconsistent with an extensional origin. It is shown that an intrusive body in the lower crust that has loaded and flexed the surface of the crust, combined with sediment loading, provides a satisfactory fit to the observed gravity anomaly, sediment thickness and basin shape. A buried load model is also consistent with seismic data, which suggest that the Moho is as deep or deeper beneath the basin centre than its flanks and accounts for at least part of the tectonic subsidence through a viscoelastic stress relaxation that occurs in the lithosphere following load emplacement. Comparative analysis of the Michigan and Congo basins shows gravity data from these basins is also consistent with a lower crustal mass excess, while subsidence analysis shows viscoelastic stress relaxation may also contribute to their early subsidence histories. However, unlike Parnaíba, both of these basins appear to have been subjected to secondary tectonic processes that obscure the primary 'cratonic basin' subsidence signals. Parnaíba basin, therefore, offers an excellent record for the investigation of cratonic basin formation.

abstract: Meter-resolution topography gathered by LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) has become an indispensable tool for better understanding of many surface processes including those sculpting landscapes that record information about earthquake hazards for example. For this reason, and because of the spectacular representation of the phenomena that these data provide, it is appropriate to integrate these data into Earth science educational materials. I seek to answer the following research question: "will using the LiDAR topography data instead of, or alongside, traditional visualizations and teaching methods enhance a student's ability to understand geologic concepts such as plate tectonics, the earthquake cycle, strike-slip faults, and geomorphology?" In order to answer this question, a ten-minute introductory video on LiDAR and its uses for the study of earthquakes entitled "LiDAR: Illuminating Earthquake Hazards" was produced. Additionally, LiDAR topography was integrated into the development of an undergraduate-level educational activity, the San Andreas fault (SAF) earthquake cycle activity, designed to teach introductory Earth science students about the earthquake cycle. Both the LiDAR video and the SAF activity were tested in undergraduate classrooms in order to determine their effectiveness. A pretest and posttest were administered to introductory geology lab students. The results of these tests show a notable increase in understanding LiDAR topography and its uses for studying earthquakes from pretest to posttest after watching the video on LiDAR, and a notable increase in understanding the earthquake cycle from pretest to posttest using the San Andreas Fault earthquake cycle exercise. These results suggest that the use of LiDAR topography within these educational tools is beneficial for students when learning about the earthquake cycle and earthquake hazards. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Geological Sciences 2011

This thesis examines how the growth, interaction and linkage of normal faults, and the broader structural styles within rift basins, provide first-order controls upon syn-rift sediment routing and the development of coeval syn-rift stratigraphy. To achieve this, this thesis integrates observations from an area of active extension, alongside the stratigraphic record of an ancient rift basin. The former allows greater insight into sediment erosion, transport and preservation processes during rifting, whereas the latter represents the net depositional history, hence permitting a reconstruction of rift tectono-stratigraphic evolution. Recent advances in the understanding of landscape response to active faulting, have focused predominantly on large-scale rift provinces or where fault segments are widely-spaced across-strike (~15-30 km). As such, the neotectonic portion of this study integrates field and digitial terrain analysis to examine the geomorphic response to active faulting across the Perachora Peninsula (Gulf of Corinth, Central Greece), an uplifting, faulted-terrace setting. Here, the across-strike fault-spacing is small (~2-3 km), allowing fault segments to interact across-strike, and landscape evolution to be driven by a complex configuration of perched, intermittent and marine base-levels. These base-levels have a propensity to switch, with implications for sediment-routing and hanging-wall stratigraphic development. The preservation potential of sub-aerial syn-rift landscapes and basin-fill is extremely low in settings such as Perachora, due to the aggressive headward cannibalisation driven by ongoing tectonic uplift and short downstream distances to terminal base level. The subsurface stratigraphic study examines the Triassic-Jurassic syn-rift stratigraphy of the Danish Central Graben, an area displaying lateral variability in the original thickness and mobility of Late Permian Zechstein evaporites along-strike of the bounding Coffee-Soil Fault System. This setting enables a direct comparison between evaporite-influenced and non- evaporite-influenced rifting at a range of scales. By integrating observations of variability in structural style, with a systematic seismic-stratigraphic analysis of the syn-rift interval, the study documents how interactions between normal fault evolution and mobile evaporites influence: i) the variability in rift basin structural style; ii) the development of stratal geometries; and iii) the nature and location of depositional systems. On a basin-wide scale, the evaporite-influenced rift portions display more prominent fault-related and evaporite-related folding, which in turn controls syn-rift deposition, along with variable degrees of decoupling of basement and cover fault and fold systems. Focusing on the evaporite-influenced Coffee-Soil Fault System, variations in the locations and rates of accommodation generated by both load-driven withdrawal of evaporites up the hanging-wall dip-slope, and fault-related subsidence, provide a critical, and hitherto neglected control upon dip- and strike-oriented variability in hanging-wall stratigraphic architecture. Conceptual models for the development of hanging-wall stratigraphy, incorporating the influence of sediment supply rates upon load-induced evaporite mobilisation, provide a framework which may be used in the analysis of evaporite-influenced border fault systems worldwide. Overall, the findings of this thesis have implications for understanding the controls on spatial and temporal variability in structural style, sediment routing and syn-rift stratigraphic evolution in rift basins. In particular, the study highlights that to determine a deeper understanding of the interactions which determine the evolution of syn-rift stratigraphy, it is essential to examine basin processes in both modern and ancient rift settings, as well as at a range of scales.