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The Llano Uplift of central Texas contains the largest exposure of Mesoproterozoic rocks along southern Laurentia and is thus crucial to the understanding of orogenesis and plate reconstructions along a portion of one of the largest orogens in the world. Most of the current understanding of the Mesoproterozoic tectonic evolution of southern Laurentia comes from the southeastern portion of the Llano Uplift. To fully characterize the tectonic evolution Llano Uplift, detailed mapping is necessary in the less-studied western Llano Uplift. The Mesoproterozoic Llano Uplift exposes mid-crustal, poly-deformed and metamorphosed schists and gneisses and abundant pre- to post-tectonic granites through an erosional window of Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. Three lithologic groups were mapped in the western Llano Uplift, from structural highest to lowest these are the Valley Spring Gneiss (VSG), Lost Creek Gneiss (LCG) and Packsaddle Schist (PS). The VSG consists of pelitic schists and pink quartzofeldspathic schists and gneisses. The LCG is a thick, homogeneous package of medium- to coarse-grained augen granite gneiss, interpreted to be a deformed, coarse-grained, porphyritic pluton. The PS consists of a heterogeneous package of interlayered quartzofeldspathic gneisses, amphibolites and minor marbles. These lithologies are consistent with the PS and VSG domains described in the southeastern Llano Uplift (Mosher, 1998; Reese et al., 2000). The exotic Coal Creek Domain (CCD) of the southeastern Llano Uplift is not observed in the western Llano Uplift. The western Llano Uplift, including the VSG, LCG and PS, records a deformational history that resulted in multiple fold generations (F1-F5) and is characterized by a penetrative axial planar foliation (S1-S5). F2s are isoclinal folds of S0 (primary layering) and S1 that locally fold F1 axial planes and have steeply plunging and generally easterly trending hinge lines. F3 folds are locally developed, nearly colinear and coplanar with F2s, tight to open, and fold all previous structures (F1/F2) and fabrics (S1/S2). F4s are open folds with northeast-trending axial traces that occur on a regional-scale. F5s are open to tight folds of all previous structures, with hinge lines that are primarily southeast trending and steeply plunging. S0 to S3 orientations vary from north to east dipping because of reorientation by younger folds. S4 foliations strike to the northeast and S5 foliations are northwest striking and nearly vertically dipping. Late left-lateral shear zones (D6) with generally an easterly trend and boudinage affects the VSG, LCG and VSG in this study area and is commonly associated with unfoliated granite material. Four generations of intrusive granitic sills and dikes are documented and provide relative and absolute age constraints on deformation. The oldest recognized deformation (D1-D3) is constrained between 1253 +5/-3 Ma and 1126 +5/-4 Ma (Roback, et al., 1999). D4 and D5 deformation are constrained between 1126 +5/-4 Ma and 1076 ± 5 Ma (Roback, et al., 1999). Although a change in metamorphic conditions is documented to have occurred between D2 and D3, metamorphic fabrics and assemblages indicate granulite facies conditions during D1, D2 and D3. Amphibolite facies metamorphism occurred during D4 and presumably D5. Deformation in the eastern Llano Uplift has a similar polyphase deformational history to that recorded here for the western Llano Uplift. Deformation in the eastern Llano Uplift is similarly constrained between ca. 1238 to 1091 Ma. In addition, the youngest fold generation (F5) can be directly correlated in orientation and timing from the western to the eastern Llano Uplift, and is constrained between ca. 1119 and 1091 Ma in the eastern uplift. Both the western and eastern Llano Uplift contain late shear zones and extensional structures. Structural differences between the western and eastern Llano Uplift include differences in style and orientation of all but the latest (D5 and D6) structures. In addition, dip of fabrics and, therefore, structural stacking of lithologic domains is opposite, and no mylonite zones were identified in the west. In conclusion, the lithologic domains appear to correlated across the Llano Uplift based upon gross lithologic similarities and the tectonic evolution is similar to the well-studied eastern Llano Uplift, though the kinematics and orientations differ. These conclusions may require that the kinematics of deformation in the southeastern uplift were controlled by the presence of the exotic island arc terrane (CCD) whereas the kinematics of deformation in the western uplift were controlled by continent-continent collision. / text

A boulder bed unit in the upper Haymond Formation (Pennsylvanian), generally believed to be olistostromes, is exposed in the eastern Marathon Basin, west Texas. Two localities of this unit (Housetop Mountain and Clark Butte) contain clasts derived from several formations found within the basin, as well as exotic Devonian metamorphic and volcanic rocks. This report describes a third previously unstudied site (Martin Ranch locality) that contains clasts of exotic Middle Cambrian shelf limestones. These limestones provide a key to the Early Paleozoic history of the Marathon region. The boulder beds lie in the upper part of the Haymond Formation. At the Martin Ranch locality they form a zone that is traceable for 6.6 km along strike and is up to 230 m thick. These boulder beds contain interbedded units of massive, unstratified, pebble- to boulder-bearing mudstone, thickly bedded, massive sandstone, lenses of pebbly sandstone, and deformed flysch beds. About 80 percent of the clasts found in the boulder beds at Martin Ranch are chert derived from several basin formations. Unique displaced slabs of bedded chert pebble conglomerate comprise about 10 percent of the clasts. Theses conglomerates were probably derived from upper fan-channel deposits within the lower Haymond Formation. Pennsylvanian limestone clasts redeposited from the basin facies of the Dimple Formation and clasts of exotic, late Middle Cambrian limestones each comprise about 5 percent of the clasts. These Cambrian limestones, older than any formation in the Marathon Basin, contain a fauna characteristic of the seaward edge of the cratonic carbonate shelf. The presence of the Cambrian clasts constrains the location of the North American shelf edge during the Cambrian, placing it at least 120 km southeast of the present day Marathon Basin. Both the Martin Ranch and Housetop Mountain boulder beds are composed mainly of clast-bearing, matrix-supported mudstone which have pebbly sandstone, massive sandstone, and flysch beds interstratified with the mudstone and represent periodic deposition of debris flows, slumps, slides, and turbidites interspersed with normal basin deposition of flysch facies rocks. However, different clast types are found at the two localities. The Martin Ranch locality has clasts of Cambrian limestone and chert pebble conglomerate, the latter up to 90 m in length, that are absent at the other localities. Exotic Pennsylvanian limestone clasts and exotic Devonian metamorphic and volcanic rocks, common at Housetop Mountain, are rare or missing at Martin Ranch. The Clark Butte locality is unique because it lacks the mudstone which dominates the other two localities. Instead, the matrix is composed of a pebbly sandstone and conglomerate associated with thick sandstone beds. The boulder beds at this locality may represent upper fan channels and channel-lag deposits. The turbidites and olistostromes resulted from recycling of the southern edge of the tectonic basin as the advancing Ouachita thrusts uplifted the pre Haymond strata. Most of the clasts were from older basin formations exposed by these faults; however one of these thrusts also uplifted slivers of exotic Middle Cambrian limestone. Earthquakes probably triggered slumps and rock falls off the fault scarps. As the boulders travelled downslope plowing through the slope sediments, they accumulated more material. This combination of slide debris and slope mud turned the slumps and slides into debris flows. Between episodes of debris flows and turbidity currents, normal basin deposition of thinly bedded turbiditic sandstone and pelagic shale occurred. / text

The Woods Hollow Shale (Middle Ordovician), Maravillas Chert (Late Ordovician), Caballos Novaculite (Devonian?), Santiago Chert (Devonian?) and Mississippian shales of the Tesnus Formation are exposed along the Horse Mountain anticline 19 1/2 miles south of Marathon on U. S. Highway 385. Horse Mountain anticline is a narrow, northeast trending fold on the southeast flank of the complex anticlinorium which was formed by pulsatory thrusting and folding during the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian Periods. It is within the Marathon salient of the Ouachita system. All structures are related to a northwest-southeast maximum principal stress. The chert and novaculite folded concentrically above detachment planes in the Woods Hollow Shale. Subsequent failure of the shale produced a syncline along the crest of the anticline. This was followed by major thrusting over the northwest limb. The deformation culminated with underthrusting along the axis and southeast limb, right-handed and left-handed strike-slip oblique faulting and transverse faulting. Erosion has left only the nearly vertical, resistant beds on the limbs and a vestige of the former crestal syncline. Two sets of shear fractures (N 47° W, 23° SW; N 81° W, 23° NE) are perpendicular to the beds and make acute angles with the local maximum principal stress along the axis of the fold. A third set of extension fractures (N 52° W, 79° SW) is nearly perpendicular to the axis of the fold and formed when the flanks of the fold dipped 45 degrees. / text

Texas, along with many other states, finds itself in a state budget crisis by 2002. Budget demands by other components such as senior citizens, have brought a greater demand for universities to raise more of their own funds, the process known as development. Most state universities began serious development efforts by the mid 1990s. It was thought that a thorough survey of alums, parents, faculty, and other stakeholders would provide insight into how SWT could best communicate with these stakeholders. The approval of Gerald Hill, Vice President for Development at SWT, was obtained for the project. Numerous other important staff then joined the effort. Sixteen questions were formed to elicit information. These questions were placed on a website so that electronic mail could be used to obtain answers. Questions included how the stakeholders perceived SWT, how they communicate with SWT, their understanding of ways of giving, and attitudes about giving. Some 441 responses were obtained. These were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The results are presented. The meaning of these responses is analyzed. Suggestions are made for further research. / text

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of History, August 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas State University--San Marcos, 2009. / Vita. Appendix: leaves 258-264. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 265-280). Also available on microfilm.

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 2005. / Vita. Bibliography: 49.