In this thesis I develop a model of potential distribution of argali (Ovis ammon ammon) in South Altai. There are two hypotheses of why the numbers of argali are declining, and I try to discover which of them is the most probable in our case. In the end I create a proposal for better conservation of the Ukok plateau, or (if you prefer) argali

La géométrie actuelle de l'est du plateau Tibétain, constitué par le Songpan Ganze et les Longmen Shan, est probablement dictée par une différence de rhéologie entre le craton du Yangtze à l'est, et le Songpan Ganze à l'ouest, qui vient buter contre la marge du craton en réponse à la collision Inde-Asie. L'histoire géodynamique de la région a été reconstituée depuis le Néoprotérozoïque, afin d'évaluer l'influence des différents cycles orogéniques sur la structure thermique, minéralogique et chimique actuelle. L'étude des massifs cristallins bordant le craton du Yangtze et de l'ophiolite de San Dao Qiao a montré que durant le Néoprotérozoïque, le craton était bordé par une marge active, avec ouverture de bassins marginaux sous l'influence de panaches mantelliques. L'étude pétrologique et structurale du complexe métamorphique de Danba permet de déterminer que lors de l'orogénèse Indosinienne (200-180Ma), l'exhumation des niveaux structuraux profonds se produit par extrusion le long d'un grand chevauchement ductile. La position des granites du Songpan Ganze par rapport aux sutures au sein du plateau Tibétain permet de proposer un double retrait de slab sous le Songpan Ganze à la fin de l'orogénèse Indosinienne qui explique la diversité des granitoïdes. Ce double retrait de slab et la différence de réponse à la contrainte entre le Songpan Ganze et le craton du Yangtze a conduit à un déchirement de slab. La délamination complète de la partie mantellique de la lithosphère du Songpan Ganze à la fin de l'orogénèse Indosinienne peut expliquer l'accolement d'une lithosphère à croûte épaisse et manteau fin contre une lithosphère cratonisée à la bordure est du plateau Tibétain / The present geometry of the Eastern Tibetan plateau, made of the Songpan Ganze terrane and the Longmen Shan range, is probably due to a rheological contrast between the Yangtze craton to the East, and the Songpan Ganze, which bump into the craton margin in response to the India-Asia collision. We reconstituted the geodynamic evolution of the area from Neoproterozoic times to present to evaluate how the different orogenic cycles influence the thermal, mineralogical and chemical structures observed today. Studies of the crystalline massifs of the western margin of the Yangtze craton and of the San Dao Qiao ophiolite show that during the Neoproterozoïc times, the craton margin was a subduction zone with opening of marginal basin due to mantle plumes. Petrologic and structural studies of the Danba metamorphic complex allow determining that during the Indosinian orogeny (200-180 Ma), exhumation mechanism of the deep structural level of the complex is an extrusion along a ductile thrust. Plutons position relative to sutures zones in the Tibetan plateau lead to a model of double slab roll-back under the Songpan Ganze at the end of the Indosinian orogeny which explain the diversity of the granites. The double slab roll-back and the difference in deformation between the Songpan Ganze and the Yangtze craton lead to a slab tear along the craton margin. The complete delamination of the lithospheric mantle under the Songpan Ganze terrane can explain the present juxtaposition of a thick crust and thin mantle lithosphere against a cratonized one.

The Eagle Bay Formation in the Adams Plateau-Clearwater area, 35km northeast of Kamloops, hosts several economic and sub-economic mineralized occurrences. The age and genesis of these mineral deposits can be estimated by using a specific growth curve which depicts the lead evolution for the Eagle Bay Formation. This curve, named the remodeled curve, represents a local deviation from the average 'shale' curve of Godwin and Sinclair (1982) for the autochthonous part of the Canadian Cordillera. This remodeled curve is specifically applicable to the Adams Plateau-Clearwater area. The lead isotope data from the deposits of the Eagle Bay Formation plot in three distinct clusters along the curve indicating that the lead isotopic signature of the Eagle Bay Formation is upper crustal, and that three periods of mineralization can be recognized or 'fingerprinted'. Accordingly, mineralization cogenetic with Devonian volcanism, and veins related to Cretaceous magmatism can be distinguished by location of galena-lead isotope values within clusters 1 or 3 respectively. Cluster 2 reflects a Late Triassic pulse of mineralization and includes epigenetic veins and stratiform deposits. These deposits are either replacement or cogenetic with their host. The Triassic model age for mineralization that is apparently stratiform and cogenetic raises questions about the currently assigned Cambrian age of associated host rock. To accommodate the lead isotope data a new Upper Triassic unit (T-EBG) within the Eagle Bay Formation is defined. The distinctive lead isotopic signature between deposits hosted by the Eagle Bay Formation is valuable as a guide for future mineral exploration programs in the Adams Plateau-Clearwater area. Recognition of lead isotopic fields that fingerprint types of mineral deposits, provides a useful and practical framework for the classification and evaluation of new mineralized prospects in the area. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

This thesis was written to outline the history of five stone houses, which have survived almost a century of mining activity. The houses are located on a barren mesa, called Calamity, in southwestern Colorado. This work was funded by the Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, in order to explore the possibility of designating this site as a National Historic Site. Men and women lived and worked on this and the surrounding mesas for most of the twentieth century. The lives of the families, the men, women, and children who lived and worked on Calamity Mesa, provided the context for the entire period. These people formed nebulous communities on what could only be called a twentieth-century frontier. I used several methods for this study, including oral interviews with surviving miners and their families, company and government officials, mining engineers, and medical personnel involved in studies concerning the effects of radiation exposure. Government publications, local newspapers, and personal papers of several individuals were also researched. Through the use of these methods I further developed the history of the period, by focusing on Calamity Camp and the lives of the men and women who lived and worked there. The miners who came to Calamity Mesa extracted the carnotite ore from sandstone beds. Originally, miners searched for radium, desired for its illusory cure for cancer. Then they sought vanadium, which was used as a strengthening agent for steel during both world wars . Finally, their goal was uranium, a key component for the production of nuclear weapons and energy. The search for these minerals brought, many working class men and women to the Colorado Plateau. They brought their families to Calamity Mesa and lived in whatever shelter they could find. The stone houses, lived in by generation after generation of miners and their families, who came searching for carnotite, provided a permanence to Calamity Mesa throughout this period.

No description available.

This study explores how students in rural areas of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau area perceive engineering as a future career. This area is a portion of the greater Appalachian region, which has historically, faced disproportionate economic struggles when compared to other areas of the United States. However, little research on career choice exists outside of the coal producing areas of Central Appalachia. This research, in contrast, focuses on rural counties without interstate access, situated along the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, an area with an economy historically based in manufacturing. This research focuses on understanding students' perceptions of engineering as a future career and on factors that support and inhibit the development of these perceptions. To understand these perceptions, the study used qualitative, semi-structured interviews, situated in a Social Constructivist worldview, informed by the Future Possible Selves framework. Participants include 27 high school students, 7 college engineering students, and 5 college students who had exposure to engineering through a formal program but are currently enrolled in another major. Results of the study show that without access to formal programs or professionals to expose them to engineering, participants did not have a clear perception of engineering, and were not likely to pursue this career. Exposure through a formal program seemed to spark the start of engineering future possible self development by aligning engineering with activities participants enjoy. However, these participants often also believed that they lacked some key "ability" needed to become an engineer. Participants who had access to both formal programs and professionals were able to provide a clear description of potential engineering careers, aligning such careers with activities they enjoyed and, importantly, with desired attributes of their future. In addition, participants typically described relationships with professionals as mitigating the fear that an engineering career was beyond their "ability." These results provide evidence, that in this study area, printed materials and programs are not enough; people clearly make the difference in helping students develop a clear perception of engineering as a viable future career choice. This result has multiple implications for engineering educators and industries interested in K-12 outreach. / Ph. D.

Nous présentons une étude par Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire (RMN) de l'azurite, Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, un système de spins quantiques. Ce composé peut être modélisé comme une chaine quasi-unidimensionnelle, frustrée, ‘de type diamant', de spins électroniques S=1/2 portés par les ions de cuivre Cu2+. Il présente dans sa courbe de l'aimantation en fonction du champ magnétique, entre 11 et 30 T et à très basse température, un plateau à 1/3 de l'aimantation à saturation. Nous avons effectué des mesures RMN du cuivre dans l'azurite à T=1.5 K afin de déterminer sa structure magnétique microscopique. Les résultats obtenus dans le plateau démontrent que le ‘dimère' des deux spins qui sont plus fortement couplés est approximativement dans l'état singulet, tandis que le troisième spin (le ‘monomère') est presque complètement polarisé. Cela confirme que la configuration électronique du plateau à 1/3 est un nouvel état quantique qui n'a pas d'équivalent classique [F. Aimo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 102 127205, (2009)]. Par RMN du proton à très haut champ magnétique, entre 31 et 34 T à T=0.6 K, nous avons aussi étudié le passage depuis le plateau à 1/3 vers la polarisation complète du système, afin de confirmer ou infirmer l'existence éventuelle d'un plateau à 2/3. Ce plateau est attendu dans le cas exceptionnel où les corrélations longitudinales de spins sont dominantes et stabilisent un ordre incommensurable longitudinal. L'analyse détaillée du dédoublement très symétrique des spectres RMN nous amène à conclure que c'est un ordre antiferromagnétique transverse et non longitudinal qui est établi, ce qui est incompatible avec l'existence du plateau à 2/3. / We present a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) study of azurite, Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, a quantum spin system. This compound has been recognised as a model system for a quasi-1D, frustrated, ‘diamond' chain of S=1/2 spins beared by Cu2+ ions. In the magnetisation curve as a function of magnetic field it presents, between 11 and 30 T and at very low temperatures, a plateau at 1/3 of the saturation magnetisation. We performed Cu NMR measurements in azurite at T=1.5 K in order to determine its microscopic magnetic structure. The obtained results show that the ‘dimer' of two more strongly coupled spins is approximately in a singlet state while the third spin (the ‘monomer') is almost fully polarised. This confirms that the electronic configuration of the 1/3 plateau is a new quantum state without classical analogue [F. Aimo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 127205, (2009)]. By very high magnetic field proton NMR, between 31 and 34 T and at T=0.6 K, we have also studied the transition region between the 1/3 plateau and the full polarisation of the system in order to test for the possible existence of a 2/3 plateau. This plateau is expected in rather exceptional case when longitudinal spin correlations are dominant and stabilise an incommensurable longitudinal order. However, our analysis showed that the symmetric splitting of NMR spectra corresponds to an antiferromagnetic transverse and not longitudinal order, which is incompatible with the existence of a 2/3 plateau.

L'étude de ce complexe plutonique alcalin fut multidisciplinaire mêlant, observations et mesures sur le terrain, ASM, pétrographie, minéralogie, géochimie (majeur et traces), géochimie isotopique Rb/Sr et Sm/Nd et géochronologie U-Pb sur zircons. La synthèse des résultats démontre la participation minoritaire de plusieurs sources (manteau métasomatisé et fragments continental) en plus de la source prédominante qui est le manteau typique du panache de Kerguelen. Dans un environnement magmatique ouvert, les magmas contaminés ont formé la plus ancienne série magmatique calcique du complexe. La seconde et plus jeune série magmatique a produit (dans un environnement clos) des roches de plus en plus agpaïtique au cours de la différenciation. La mise en place progressive mais diachrone des intrusions s'est faite entre 11,7 (au sud) et 7,9 Ma (au nord). Enfin, le mode de construction de ce pluton en fait un exemple unique connu de laccolithe en contexte intraplaque océanique. / The study of this alkaline plutonic complex was multidisciplinary, mixing field observations and measurements, AMS, petrography, mineralogy, geochemistry (major and traces), isotopic geochemistry Rb / Sr and Sm / Nd and geochronology U-Pb on zircons. The synthesis of the results shows the minor participation of several sources (metasomatised mantle and continental fragments) in addition to the predominant source which is the typical asthenospheric mantle of the Kerguelen plume. In a dynamic and open magmatic system, the contaminated magmas formed the oldest magmatic and calcic series of the complex. The second and younger magmatic series produced (in a closed environment) more and more agpaitic rocks during differentiation. The incremental emplacement of the intrusions occurred between 11.7 (in the south) and 7.9 Ma (in the north). Finally, the type of construction of this pluton makes it a unique known example of laccolith in oceanic within-plate settings.

The East African Plateau provides a spectacular example of geodynamic plateau uplift, active continental rifting, and associated climatic forcing. It is an integral part of the East African Rift System and has an average elevation of approximately 1,000 m. Its location coincides with a negative Bouguer gravity anomaly with a semi-circular shape, closely related to a mantle plume, which influences the Cenozoic crustal development since its impingement in Eocene-Oligocene time. The uplift of the East African Plateau, preceding volcanism, and rifting formed an important orographic barrier and tectonically controlled environment, which is profoundly influenced by climate driven processes. Its location within the equatorial realm supports recently proposed hypotheses, that topographic changes in this region must be considered as the dominant forcing factor influencing atmospheric circulation patterns and rainfall distribution. The uplift of this region has therefore often been associated with fundamental climatic and environmental changes in East Africa and adjacent regions. While the far-reaching influence of the plateau uplift is widely accepted, the timing and the magnitude of the uplift are ambiguous and are still subject to ongoing discussion. This dilemma stems from the lack of datable, geomorphically meaningful reference horizons that could record surface uplift. In order to quantify the amount of plateau uplift and to find evidence for the existence of significant relief along the East African Plateau prior to rifting, I analyzed and modeled one of the longest terrestrial lava flows; the 300-km-long Yatta phonolite flow in Kenya. This lava flow is 13.5 Ma old and originated in the region that now corresponds to the eastern rift shoulders. The phonolitic flow utilized an old riverbed that once drained the eastern flank of the plateau. Due to differential erosion this lava flow now forms a positive relief above the parallel-flowing Athi River, which is mimicking the course of the paleo-river. My approach is a lava-flow modeling, based on an improved composition and temperature dependent method to parameterize the flow of an arbitrary lava in a rectangular-shaped channel. The essential growth pattern is described by a one-dimensional model, in which Newtonian rheological flow advance is governed by the development of viscosity and/or velocity in the internal parts of the lava-flow front. Comparing assessments of different magma compositions reveal that length-dominated, channelized lava flows are characterized by high effusion rates, rapid emplacement under approximately isothermal conditions, and laminar flow. By integrating the Yatta lava flow dimensions and the covered paleo-topography (slope angle) into the model, I was able to determine the pre-rift topography of the East African Plateau. The modeling results yield a pre-rift slope of at least 0.2°, suggesting that the lava flow must have originated at a minimum elevation of 1,400 m. Hence, high topography in the region of the present-day Kenya Rift must have existed by at least 13.5 Ma. This inferred mid-Miocene uplift coincides with the two-step expansion of grasslands, as well as important radiation and speciation events in tropical Africa. Accordingly, the combination of my results regarding the Yatta lava flow emplacement history, its location, and its morphologic character, validates it as a suitable “paleo-tiltmeter” and has thus to be considered as an important topographic and volcanic feature for the topographic evolution in East Africa. / Das Ostafrikanische Plateau ist ein eindrucksvolles Beispiel für aktive, kontinentale Grabenbildung, aber auch für geodynamische Hochebenenbildung mit weitreichendem klimatischen Einfluss auf die gesamte Region. Als integraler Bestandteil des Ostafrikanischen Grabensystems beläuft sich die mittlere Höhe des Plateaus auf durchschnittlich 1000 m ü.NN. Seine Lage korreliert gut mit der Präsenz einer halbkreisförmigen negativen Bouguer-Schwereanomalie, die an den Aufstieg eines Manteldiapirs im Untergrund gekoppelt ist. Dieser prägte die känozoische Krustenentwicklung seit seinem Aufstieg im Eozän-Oligozän. Die Hebungsgeschichte und topographische Entwicklung des Hochlandes steht seither in enger Beziehung zum einsetzenden Vulkanismus, der Bildung erster Abschiebungssysteme und führte schließlich zur Entwicklung des heutigen Vollgrabensystems. Neueste Hypothesen lassen den Schluss zu, dass topographische Veränderungen als dominierende Einflussgrößen atmosphärischer Zirkulationsmuster sowie der regionalen Niederschlagsverbreitung anzusehen sind. Zusätzlich werden diese Prozesse durch die äquatoriale Lage des Ostafrikanischen Plateaus verstärkt und die Hebung dieser Region oft mit wichtigen Klima- und Umweltveränderungen in Ostafrika und angrenzende Gebiete in Verbindung gebracht. Während der weitreichende klimatische Einfluss des Hochlandes größtenteils akzeptiert ist, sind Zeitpunkt und Ausmaß seiner Heraushebung nicht eindeutig bestimmt und daher noch immer Grundlage bestehender Diskussionen. Diese Zwangslage hat ihre Ursache im Fehlen aussagekräftiger und datierbarer Referenzhorizonte. Um den Hebungsbetrag zu quantifizieren und Beweise signifikanten Reliefs vor der Entwicklung des Grabensystems entlang des Ostafrikanischen Hochlandes zu erbringen, analysierte und modellierte ich einen der längsten terrestrischen Lavaströme. Dieser vor 13,5 Ma abgelagerte Yatta-Lavastrom hat mit 300 km Länge seinen Ursprung in der Region der heutigen östlichen Grabenschulter des zentralen Kenia-Rifts. Die phonolitische Lava ergoss sich entlang eines Flussbettes, das einst die östliche Flanke des Hochlandes entwässerte. Aufgrund unterschiedlicher Erosionspotentiale bildet der Lavastrom gegenwärtig ein positives Relief und befindet sich oberhalb des Athi Flusses, der parallel zum Paläofluß, und somit versetzt zu seinen früheren Verlauf, strömt. Mein Ansatz der Lavastrom-Modellierung basiert auf einer Methode, die das Fließverhalten einer beliebigen Lava in Abhängigkeit von Temperatur und Magmenzusammensetzung in einem rechtwinkligen Kanal berechnet. Die wesentlichen Wachstumsmuster des Lavastroms sind durch ein eindimensionales Modell beschrieben, wobei Newtonsches Fließverhalten im Innern hinter der Lavastromfront von der zeitlichen Entwicklung der Viskosität und/oder der Fließgeschwindigkeit bestimmt wird. Vergleiche meiner Resultate mit verschiedenen Magmenzusammensetzungen zeigen, dass sich lange, kanalisierte Lavaströme mit hohen Ergussraten und schneller Platznahme bilden können. Dies geschieht unter annähernd isothermalen Bedingungen und erfordert laminares Fließen. Die Integration der Yatta- Lavastrom-Dimensionen und der bedeckten Paläotopographie (Neigungswinkel) in das Modell, erlaubte es mir die Topographie des Ostafrikanischen Hochlandes vor der Grabenbildung zu modellieren. Das Ergebnis der Modellierung ergibt einen Neigungswinkel von mindestens 0,2° und impliziert, dass der Lavastrom seinen Ursprung in einer Höhe von mindestens 1400 m ü.NN gehabt haben muss. Somit existierte bereits vor 13,5 Ma hohe Topographie in der heutigen Region des zentralen Kenia-Rifts. Diese abgeleitete regionale Hebungsgeschichte im mittleren Miozän korreliert mit der zweistufigen Ausbreitung der Graslandschaften, sowie dem Aufkommen neuer Arten im tropischen Afrika. Die Kombination aus Fließverhalten, Entstehungsort und morphologischer Eigenschaften macht den Yatta-Lavastrom zu einem “Paläoneigungsmesser” und wichtigen vulkanischen Untersuchungsobjekt für die topographische Entwicklung in Ostafrika.

Plateau pika (Ochotonidae: Ochotona curzoniae) is widespread in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). It is endemic to QTP and restricted to high altitude area, ranging from 3,000 to 5,200 m above sea level. In this study, I examined the genetic structure of O. curzoniae along the Qinghai-Tibetan Railway (QTR) using mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences, and investigated whether QTR had become a barrier of gene flow to populations of O. curzoniae on its two sides. In total, I found 26 haplotypes of cyt b sequences from 29 individuals, of which the mean length was 1,190 bp including 68 informative sites, and the mean genetic distance was 1.7%. Two major clades were revealed in phylogenetic trees as well as TCS haplotype network. In general, the relative positions of haplotypes in the clades were corresponded to their geographic distribution. Most haplotypes of clade I were from east side, while all the haplotypes of clade II were from west side of QTR. Significant population differentiation was revealed between populations from the opposite sides of QTR, but not the same side. Due to the far smaller geographical distances between sampling sites between opposite sides than those of the same side, the differentiation pattern was not consistent with the theory of isolation by distance. Therefore, QTR might have resulted as a barrier to gene flow between populations of O. curzoniae living on opposite sides of QTR. The degree of genetic differentiation between populations of O. curzoniae on opposite sides of QTR will probably further increase in the future.