I measured three variables of coyote-food base relationships in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during t he period Jul y, 1973, to July, 1975. Field work provided estimates of relative coyote and prey abundance as well as observations on coyote feeding behavior during winter. Laboratory analysis of 1,500 coyote scats reveal ed feeding patterns while feeding trials with captive coyotes allowed refinement in interpretation of scat analysis. Deer mice and chipmunks comprised most of the rodent biomass captured in traps in the fall, while ground squirrels accounted for much of the rodent biomass in the spring. Field voles declined from 1973 to 1974 throughout much of the study area. Northern pocket gophers, field voles, and Uinta ground squirrels were the principal foods in the May-October diet of coyotes. They fed primarily upon ungulate carrion during winter. Because substantial differences in weight between adult and juvenile ground squirrels and pocket gophers make age classification important in calculating biomass, I developed a technique for identifying age classes based upon measurements of tooth remains in coyote scats. Feeding trials with captive coyotes indicated that heavier prey are detected in scats more often than lighter ones. Differences in weight multiplied by differences in detectability for the three principal rodents varied by factors of 1.1 to 2.6. Carrion from hunter-killed and winter-killed elk supplied food for coyotes from October to May. The abundance and temporal availability of carrion varied substantially between areas. Up to six-fold differences in coyote population indices occurred between areas. These differences were attributed primarily to differences in the amount of ungulate carrion available during winter. The possible influence of nutrition upon coyote natality, mortality, and movements are contemplated.

Neoarchean thermotectonism at in the northern Wyoming province is preserved in metamorphic zircon rims and monazite growth throughout the Snowy shear zone (SSZ) and the Madison mylonite zone (MMZ), South Madison Range, Montana. Comparison of U-Pb and U-Th-Pb ages yielded by monazite grains from both shear zones and zircon rims from SSZ, a new timing for major SE-directed thrusting and formation of the MMZ and SSZ has been identified at ~2550 Ma. The collinearity of these two shears indicates the formation of a much larger single shear zone that extends from the North Snowy block (NE), Beartooth Mountains, through the South Madison range (SW), and is paralleled to the immediate NW by the Mirror Lake and Big Brother shear zones. A detrital zircon study of two quartzites, from the westernmost North Snowy block units, yielded concordant age populations ranging in age from 3556 ± 10 to 2752 ± 9 Ma indicating that these sediments were derived either from older crust located in the Beartooth Mountains or from another source that was relatively close to the region prior to ~2750 Ma. The youngest magmatic zircon core found among these quartzites yielded a U-Pb age of 2690 ± 12 Ma, setting a new maximum age for sandstone deposition, additionally 10 metamorphic zircon rims and one monazite grain provide a new minimum U-Pb age of deposition and metamorphism at 2545 ± 2 Ma. Driving forces behind the ~2550 Ma SE-directed thrusting in the NW Wyoming craton may have been the final stages of supercontinent Kenorland assembly, whereas the ~2450 Ma reactivation, recorded by monazite rim growth, along the SSZ-MMZ may relate to the incipient supercontinent break-up, which has been suggested to have occurred at about this time by other studies. / Master of Science

The nature of the inter-relationship of valley-side slopes and the streams at their base is regarded as being of fundamental significance in the study of landscape morphology. One aspect of this relationship, the problem of the development of valley-side asymmetry in east-trending valleys under the joint influence of microclimatic and stream controls, is investigated in two areas of uniform, flat-lying beds, using the approach and techniques of experimental design. Valleys in both study areas have been formed during the last 12,000 years, so that the importance of fossil slope forms is minimal. The variation in lithology between the two areas is held to be of less consequence than the difference in climatic regimes, as far as the type of asymmetry developed. The moister of the two areas, S.W. Manitoba, shows the typical, valley-wide asymmetry regarded as characteristic of non-periglaclal regions, with north-facing slopes significantly steepened by 3.1°, on average: the effects of basal steepening by meandering streams are additive with the microclimatic differences. In the drier area, S.E. Wyoming, the effects of the two controls are non-additive, and asymmetry is a purely localised development created by the over-steepening of shaded, north-facing undercut slopes. The moisture availability in this environment is probably increased by the formation of snowdrifts in the winter months. Asymmetry resulting from differences in aspect is statistically insignificant both in east-trending valleys without defined stream channels and in south-trending valleys with meandering streams. The absolute maximum angle is found to be an excellent indicator both of local changes in slope form and of the nature of the profiles as a whole. The degree of organisation of all profiles studied, in relation to the maximum angle, is high, with the exception of the south-facing slopes in those east-trending valleys in Wyoming which lack defined channels. In general, the maximum angle appears more directly related to the other geometric features of the profile than to the characteristics of soil, vegetation or nearby stream channel. A consideration of all available data on multiply-controlled asymmetry in non-periglacial areas leads to the conclusion that differences in steepness of slopes with northern and southern aspects are more likely to develop in regions of comparatively low humidity and that the valley-wide asymmetry found in Manitoba is the most common form. The strictly localised asymmetry developed in the Wyoming valleys appears to be a specialized phenomenon confined to a narrow area of semi-arid climate. It is suggested that the local conditions of moisture availability are the prime controls of multiply-controlled valley asymmetry, in that they will determine the relative importance of slope and channel processes and hence the nature of the valley-side development. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

The coal-bearing sediments of the Antelope coal field in the southcentral Powder River Basin, Wyoming were deposited in paludal and tributary subsystems of the fluvial system that existed in the basin during the early Tertiary. A depositional model for the Antelope coal field was constructed from data collected from approximately 500 drill holes that penetrated the upper 90 meters (300 feet) of the Fort Union Formation. The depositional environments were interpreted from lithologic descriptions and guidelines established in the literature. The two main coal seams at the Antelope coal field are the Anderson and stratigraphically lower Canyon coal seams. They represent poorly-drained swamp depositional environments. Each of the coal seams exhibit splits into multiple and thinner coal seams to the southwest. The parting rocks that lie between these splits, sedimentary structures, and isopach maps of the partings indicate that crevasse splaying with lacustrine and small channel development caused the observed splits in the coal seams. Distal overbank deposits occur at the top of the Canyon seam and at the base of the Anderson seam; well-drained swamp deposits and crevasse splay, lacustrine, lacustrine delta, and small channel-fill deposits occur in between the coal seams. The rocks underlying the Canyon coal seam suggest that the area of the Antelope coal field was a poorly-drained swamp that developed into a well-drained swamp with minor small channel development. The area once again digressed to a poorly-drained swamp which was the beginning of the Canyon coal swamp. The rocks overlying the Anderson seam represent a combination of the environments mentioned above with deposits from lacustrine and well-drained swamp environments dominating. The observed splits in the Anderson and Canyon coal seams to the southwest at the Antelope coal field suggest that a change in the fluvial system and/or tectonic stability of the Powder River Basin occurred and affected deposition in the southcentral portion of the basin. A combination of 1) relative basin subsidence, 2) a prograding and aggrading trunk stream with a thick levee deposit, and 3) peat accumulation that kept pace with relative basin subsidence are proposed mechanisms for the formation of the thick, continuous coal seams present in the basin and a disturbance or change in any of these processes could produce the splits observed in the Anderson and Canyon coal "Seams at the Antelope coal field. Syn- and post-depositional processes that have affected the coal quality and reserves at the Antelope coal field include compaction, erosion and deposition from modern stream action, and burning and oxidation of the coal seams. The position of the paleowater table during stream downcutting and erosion of the coal seams controlled the occurrence and extent of oxidation and burning. Exploration and development of the Antelope coal deposit can be executed in a more efficient manner by using the depositional model. Future exploration drilling programs, design of the mine site, mining and marketing the coal, and later reclamation of the mined area are all affected by the depositional model.

No description available.

The vibrational frequencies of atom to atom bonds within a molecule are a function of the bond energies. Each bond has its characteristic frequency, and most of these frequencies can be detected with the infrared spectrophotometer. When one compound reacts with another or is adsorbed on the surface of a solid, detectable frequency changes or shifts may occur. These changes or shifts yield valuable information about the bonds which are formed or broken.

Subnivean prey appeared to be the primary reason for subnivean access point use by martens. A logistic regression was used to create a predictive model for differential access point use. Prey biomass in grams and percent ground cover of coarse woody debris (CWD) were used as variables in the model. Goodness of fit of the multivariate model was 0.216; biomass was significant al p = 0.0003, CWD was significant at p = 0.0718. Mean values for prey biomass at used and unused access points were 174.2 g and 81 g, respectively, while mean values of CWD were 24.7% and 18.5%, respectively. Both CWD and prey can be used to predict access point use by martens. CWD provides access to the subnivean zone. Martens appear lo key in on access points with higher levels of prey. Red squirrel middens were found at 33% of used and 16% of unused access points (p = 0.015, n = 90). There was no significant difference in prey biomass or CWD based upon the presence or absence of a squirrel midden. Prey biomass was significantly related to access point use (p = 0.0022) and the relationship was strengthened when squirrels were included in the biomass estimates (p = 0.0001). It is likely that red squirrel middens were used as access points by martens because of the opportunity to prey on red squirrels as a prey item. Seed boluses were used to estimate the relative prey abundance at subnivean access points. Use of seed boluses in winter was correlated with prey abundance values obtained by snap trapping after the snow melt (J2 = 0.0134, ¢2 = 0.435). A program for direct entry of raw telemetry data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) data base was developed. With this method telemetry data can be interpreted directly al a number of scales to determine habitat patterns using area rather than point data.

An integrated field , microstructure, fracture statistic , geochemistry , and laboratory permeability study of the East Fork and White Rock fault zones , of similar age and tectonic regime but different structural level and hydrogeologic history , provides detailed information about the internal deformation and fluid flow processes in fault zones . The primary conclusions of this research are: 1) Fault zones can be separated into subzones of protolith, damaged zone , and gouge /cataclasite , based on physical morphology and permeability structure . At deep structural levels, gouge/cataclasite zones are more evolved (thicker with increased grain size reduction) due to strain localization , higher pressure and temperature, and fluid/rock interaction ; 2) Deformation mechanisms evolved from primarily brittle fracturing and faulting in the damaged zone to extreme, fluid-enhanced chemical breakdown and cataclasis which localized strain in the fault core. Deformation in the deep-level-fault core may be a combination of frictional and quasiplastic mechanisms, and is largely controlled by extremely fine-grained clays, zeolites , and other phyllosilicates that may have acted as a thermally pressurized, fluid-saturated lubricant; 3) Permeability in fault zones was temporally heterogeneous and anisotropic (permeability of damaged zone>protolith>gouge /cataclasite, permeability along fault> permeability across fault); 4) Volume loss was concentrated in the fault cores and was negligible at intermediate structural levels and high at deep structural levels in the semi-brittle to brittle regime ; 5) Fluid flow and solute transport were concentrated upwards and subparallel to the fault in the damaged zone ; 6) Faults at both the local and regional scale acted as fluid flow conduit/barrier systems depending upon the evolutionary stage and interval in the seismic cycle ; 7) Fluid/rock volume ratios , fluid flux , and fluid/rock volume ratios over time ranged from ⋍ 103 to 104, 10-6 ms-1 to 10-9 ms-1, and 0.05 L/m3 rock•yr to 0.50 L/m3 rock•yr, respectively, suggesting that enormous quantities of fluids passed through the fault zones; 8) Box counting fractal analyses of fault zone fractures showed that fracture spatial and density distribution is scale-invariant at the separate scales of outcrop , hand-sample , and thin section, but self-affine from outcrop to thin-section scale; 9) Linear fractal analysis depicts clustering and density distribution as a function of orientation, and may be a quick, robust method of estimating two-dimensional fracture permeability; and 10) Fractal analysis of fractures is not a comprehensive statistical method, but can be used as another supplemental statistical parameter.

In this thesis I try to discover the American West in Annie Proulx¡¦s Wyoming Stories. I do so in three chapters, each devoted to a different approach of the stories: chapter one looks at Proulx¡¦s work from the point of view of history, chapter two from that of sense of place, and chapter three looks at the grotesque elements in the Wyoming Stories. While approaching Wyoming Stories with a historical perspective, I discuss how Proulx reverses the stereotypical Western images that have been widely accepted since Frederick Jackson Turner published his ¡§The Significance of Frontier.¡¨ I use historian Patricia Limerick¡¦s historical observations, which discover the intertwined relationship of the mythisized West and American culture, to be my theoretical base to examine how the stereotypes of the American West create a virtual American West while marginalizing the real American West. I argue that Proulx¡¦s Wyoming Stories break the Western myths and suggest that the region has many of its own stories to tell. By presenting an unconventional Western image to readers, the stories also invite new perspectives on the region which may lead more outsiders to see the West without stereotypes. In chapter two, I argue that Proulx¡¦s stories contain a ¡§sense of place¡¨ that does not resemble the joyous topophilic feelings usually associates by that phrase, but that rather, presents complicated relationships between humans and the landscape. By presenting different relationships between humans and landscapes in her Wyoming stories, Proulx also exposes urban-rural conflicts that result from an urban living style that turns away from landscapes and ¡§the world out there.¡¨ However, as the urban pushes the rural far away, Proulx suggests that the rural, also rejects the urban. Nevertheless, I argue that, Proulx establishes in her stories a communal path for both sides with her sense of place that stresses that ¡§everything is linked.¡¨ In the third chapter, I turn to the grotesque to discuss Proulx¡¦s writing style and how this style leads the readers into the inner culture of Wyoming that is itself grotesque and full of contradictions. I also argue that with the form of grotesque, Proulx¡¦s stories weave complex and challenging texts that often confuse and challenge readers so that they have to constantly work with the stories, questioning them as well as their own experiences and knowledge in order to make sense out of the stories. And such a process not only allows the readers to, again, connect to a Wyoming or American West that does not exist in the stereotypes, but also provides a chance for readers to see conflicts, struggles, and grotesques in themselves and their own cultures.

This story suite is a work of autobiographical fiction, a coming of age tale which uses a young girl’s relationship to horses—along with various people and places connected to the horse world—as its narrative theme. The collection is comprised of twelve chapters, including an Introduction and Prologue and much later, an Interlude and Conclusion. While the first person narrative voice is maintained through most of the chapters herein, the Interlude uses second-person perspective. Additionally, NOW DEPARTING is written in the present narrative tense. Poems are interspersed throughout the work, between chapters, as transitional bridges for the reader.