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SESSION NO. 28 manually look up and correct the travel time for each of these UEOs to determine which phase they belong to. With the use of JavaScript and HMTL, a website calculator was made to achieve these travel times in a more convenient way. The code uses the spherical law of cosines and bilinear interpolation to complete the task. The only thing necessary of the user, is to input the latitude and longitude of the observation site (seismic station) and the earthquake site, along with the focal depth of the earthquake. The program then outputs the travel times for all the possible wave phases. A once tedious task has now been made simple, allowing geologists to focus on the implications of these travel times for the phases, rather than using valuable time to manually calculate them. 28-13 BTH 13 DeWolf, Cris L. [218122] MIQUAKES: SHAKING UP EARTH SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, & PHYSICS EDUCATION IN MICHIGAN DEWOLF, Cris L., Chippewa Hills High School, 3226 Arthur Rd, Remus, MI 49340, cdewolf@chsd.us, FUJITA, Kazuya, Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, 206 Natural Science Building, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824- 1115, SCHEPKE, Chuck, Roscommon Middle School, 299 West Sunset Drive, Roscommon, MI 48653, RUDDOCK, Judy, Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association, Flushing, MI 48433, SINCLAIR, Jay, Ida Middle School, 3145 Prairie Street, Ida, MI 48140, SVOBODA, Michele R., Mill Creek Middle School, 100 Betty Street, NE, Comstock Park, MI 49321, and WAITE, Greg, Gmes, Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Dr, Houghton, MI 49931 MIQuakes, a regional educational seismograph network, is part of the Seismographs in Schools (SIS) program of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS). The Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association (MESTA) sponsors the network in cooperation with IRIS, Michigan State University and Michigan Technological University. MIQuakes follows the MESTA philosophy of “teachers helping teachers”. Experienced teachers help other teachers maintain instrumentation and provide professional development. The universities provide technical and content support. MESTA teachers in the IRIS SIS program developed MIQuakes in 2010. In 2011, recipients of 5 more seismometers were chosen based on geographic distribution, and cross-grade level and interdisciplinary teams. Today, MIQuakes includes 17 K-14 schools operating AS-1 and EAI- S102 seismometers. One station shares “live” data on-line, while others upload data from specific events to the SIS website. Having instruments able to show students when and where earthquakes occur can stimulate interest and foster deeper exploration of Earth science topics. As not all teachers want to have a seismometer of their own, professional development features activities that allow teachers to use seismic data in many science disciplines. With AmaSeis, teachers view and work off-line with earthquake data from multiple sources, including MIQuakes. Plans exist to update to newer software as IRIS or other academic sources release it. Five teacher workshops were held in 2011-2013. A science presentation, teacher-led activity, and discussion of recent seismic events was a goal of each. Attendance has included teachers with seismometers as well as those interested in learning more about seismology. Developing, and/or adopting previously developed classroom activities relating mathematics, physics, and Earth Science continues. Adapting lessons to use data from MIQuakes stations is a goal. Development and vetting of activities prior to workshops is a challenge, especially as the group has grown. The experience and needs of participants has become more variable and providing meaningful content to the entire group has become more difficult. One solution may be to have workshops targeted at specific sub-groups depending on their desired level of involvement. 28-14 BTH 14 Fordyce, Samuel W. [218705] VISUALIZING EARLHAM COLLEGE’S MILLER FARM: A VISITOR’S MAP AND GUIDE FORDYCE, Samuel W. and FADEM, Cynthia M., Geology, Earlham College, 801 National Rd W, Campus Drawer #132, RIchmond, IN 47374, swfordy08@earlham.edu Miller Farm is located on roughly 40 acres of land along the Whitewater river. A digital elevation model produced from differential GPS data will form the basis for an educational sign and map displayed the farm’s entrance, highlighting the farm and surrounding forest, marshes, streams, and historical ruins. This educational display, funded by Earlham College’s Student Action Research Grant Initiative, will raise awareness of the farm’s rich heritage and resources, and encourage community participation in the farm’s programs. We used a Magellan DGPS to collect elevation and location data, and processed them in ArcGIS. Our digital elevation model will be printed on a durable outdoor signboard, along with background information for and photographs of the features highlighted on the map. This project is an interdisciplinary effort of Earlham’s Miller Farm, Geology Department, and Center for Environmental Action, combining collection of field topographic data, processing in GIS, and exhibit design with the goal of encouraging and welcoming visitors to explore the farm. 28-15 BTH 15 Couts, Kimberly E. [218713] SEASONAL AND LONG-TERM (1996-2012) TRENDS IN THE CONCENTRATIONS AND RATIOS OF DISSOLVED SILICA AND DISSOLVED INORGANIC NITROGEN IN THE GREAT MIAMI RIVER AT MIAMISBURG, OHIO COUTS, Kimberly E. 1 , CRISP, Alexis A. 1 , GOODWIN, Grant M. 1 , HAGEN, Benjamin P. 1 , MOBLEY, Tilden J. 1 , WILSON, Elizabeth L. 2 , and FORTNER, Sarah K. 3 , (1) Geology, Wittenberg, P.O. Box 720, Springfield, OH 45501, ce.kcouts@exchange.wittenberg.edu, (2) Geology, Wittenberg University, Springfield, OH 45501, (3) Department of Geology, Wittenberg University, Springfield, 45501 Nutrient balance controls the health and survival of ecosystems. A low ratio (80%), but includes several major urban areas. The ratio of DSi to DIN shows a significant decrease through time associated with a corresponding significant decrease in DIN concentrations. There was no significant trend in Si concentrations through the long-term record. Seasonally, the lowest mean monthly DSi:DIN (
as geology, ecology, biology, and resource conservation. With such a wide variety of educational opportunities, this ecosystem brings together students and researchers from many branches of science. This study was conducted as a service learning project to collect diatom samples from Glen Helen, to relate the diatom species to water chemistry data, and to provide teaching materials for the numerous education activities taking place in Glen Helen. Permanent slides will be made from samples collected from water, macrophytes, and sediments. Diatoms will be identified, sketched, and photographed to develop a teaching set of diatom identification for the Glen Helen area that will be published as a handbook for use in the Glen Helen educational activities. The diatoms will provide an additional layer of data to complement the ongoing water chemistry study being conducted by Wright State University and Antioch College students. 28-19 BTH 19 Brinkmann, Sarah [218522] DIATOM COMMUNITIES NEAR ACID MINE DRAINAGE AT GREEN VALLEY LAKE, WEST TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA BRINKMANN, Sarah, BRAKE, Sandra S., and STONE, Jeffery, Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, sbrinkmann@ sycamores.indstate.edu Green Valley Lake is located in West Terre Haute, Indiana, near an abandoned coal mine. Acid mine drainage (AMD) leaching from the site of the abandoned mine has impacted this area for almost 55 years. Seasonally, the pH of effluent streams drops as low as 3 in some areas. Elevated levels of SO , Fe, Al, and heavy metals occur in streams (and groundwater) that may contaminate 4 Green Valley Lake. Diatoms are a golden-brown algae with a siliceous skeleton; they are an important primary producers that are abundant and typically well-preserved as fossils in most lake systems. To explore the environmental impact of AMD on this system, we sampled the lake plankton and sediments for fossil diatoms, which are known to be highly sensitive to acidity in lakes and streams. The purpose of this study is to analyze the spatial distribution of diatoms in the lake and sediments. Samples were collected from the plankton and sediment from 11 locations around the lake. Our hypothesis is that diatom diversity should increase away from areas of riverine discharge into the lake. Results from this study will help determine how AMD has influenced the structure of the diatom community in the lake and provide a baseline measurement for the modern lake system so that the long-term resilience of these communities can be analyzed in future studies. 28-20 BTH 20 Smart, Saundra M. [218589] INFLUENCE OF DIATOM DIVERSITY IN AN INDIANA STREAM IMPACTED BY ACID MINE DRAINAGE SMART, Saundra M., STONE, Jeffery, and BRAKE, Sandra S., Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, ssmart1@ sycamores.indstate.edu Acid mine drainage (AMD) associated with the abandoned Green Valley coal mine site in West Terre Haute, IN, discharges into West Little Sugar Creek (WLSC), a nearby natural stream. The area has been impacted by AMD for nearly 55 years, denoting WLSC as one of Indiana’s most contaminated water systems. Despite various remedial efforts, AMD still discharges into WLSC, where pH drops to as low as 3. The acidic effluent and stream water contains elevated concentrations of SO , Fe, Al, and trace elements, many of which exceed state and federal 4 surface water quality standards. Local aquatic life is adversely impacted by the high acidity and high concentrations of dissolved constituents. Downstream of the mines site, metal concentrations decrease and pH increases due to dilution from surface water runoff and groundwater discharge into the stream. To assess the environmental impact of AMD on the ecology of the WLSC stream system, this study evaluates changes in diatom species upstream and downstream of the discharge zone. Diatoms were selected because of their abundance in most water systems, high diversification, and siliceous frustules, the latter of which is often preserved in sediment. Diatoms are known to be highly sensitive to environmental changes, such as toxic metal concentrations and acidity. We hypothesize that the low pH and highly toxic conditions of WLSC will decrease species diversification downstream. Specifically, we examine changes in riverine diatom communities downstream from the discharge site to determine how far downstream the influence of acid mine drainage persists and to establish a baseline for seasonal fluctuations to help evaluate the resilience of these communities. 28-21 BTH 21 Burns, Anastasia Marie [218664] EVALUATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING NITRATE CONCENTRATIONS IN GROUNDWATER IN EAU CLAIRE COUNTY BURNS, Anastasia Marie, UW-Eau Claire, 1824 1/2 Brackett Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54701, burnsam@uwec.edu and GROTE, Katherine R., Geology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 105 Garfield Ave, Eau Claire, WI 54702 In Eau Claire County, about 6.4% of private wells have nitrate concentrations exceeding the Enforcement Standard (ES) of 10 mg/L. This project investigates whether high nitrate concentrations can be correlated to geologic and hydrologic parameters or to land management. If such correlations are found, they can be used to develop a risk assessment map for Eau Claire County that could be used to predict areas that are at an elevated risk for nitrate contamination. To aid in this study, the Eau Claire County Health Department provided nearly 6,000 nitrate concentrations from groundwater samples acquired in private wells over a period from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2009. Using GIS, these data sets were joined to maps of depth to bedrock, depth to water table, soil texture, soil taxonomy, geomorphology, and land use. The resulting data sets enabled correlations to be made between these parameters and nitrate concentrations, and to observe how these correlations changed with time between the two data sets. The factors which appeared to have the most impact on nitrate concentrations were land use, depth to the water table, and depth to bedrock. Agricultural land typically had the highest nitrate values, although the nitrate concentrations in urban areas increased significantly with time. Areas with higher bedrock tended to have higher nitrate values, while areas with shallow water tables had lower average nitrate values. To better investigate the factors controlling nitrate contamination, combinations of factors that independently appeared to influence nitrate concentration were considered. These analyses helped to show which combinations of natural and anthropogenic conditions were most likely to result in high nitrate concentrations. Although analysis of different combinations of factors is ongoing, the areas which seem most likely to have high nitrate concentrations are rural areas with intermediate water tables (5-50 ft beneath the surface), highly developed (more urban) areas with shallow bedrock, and areas with both shallow bedrock and shallow water tables. SESSION NO. 28 28-22 BTH 22 Peters, Carl E. [218462] GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF HEAVY METALS IN SEDIMENTS SURROUNDING THE BAUTSCH-GRAY MINE SUPERFUND SITE, JO DAVIESS COUNTY, ILLINOIS PETERS, Carl E., Geology Department, Augustana College, 639 38th Street, Rock Island, IL 61201, carlpeters09@augustana.edu Mining operations at the Bautsch-Gray lead mine site, located near Galena, IL, for the last eighty-six years have resulted in elevated levels of lead, zinc, and arsenic within the surface materials surrounding the mine property. Although remediation began in September of 2010 with the removal of 2600 m3 of contaminated soil from the mine site and neighboring residential properties, there has been continued migration of mine tailings. This has prompted a need to better understand the extent of contamination in the properties surrounding the mine tailings, at depth, and within particle sizes of mine tailings. A total of 29 surface soil samples, six depth samples, and two grain size analysis samples were taken from properties west, northeast, north, and south of the mine site. Samples were analyzed for heavy-metal contamination with an X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). Of the 29 surface samples, three samples exceeded Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory limits for heavy-metals in soils, and 24 samples exceeded background levels for heavy-metals. The highest concentrations of lead, zinc, and arsenic contamination were measured at 510ppm, 3024ppm, and 100ppm respectively. No migration of heavy-metals was seen to occur downward through the soil profile, suggesting that transportation of contaminants is occurring primarily due to runoff directly from the mine tailings. From this research it was determined that heavy-metals have continued to migrate into the properties west and north of the mine, with lead, zinc, and arsenic levels still exceeding EPA regulatory limits and background levels. 28-23 BTH 23 Krehel, Austin W. [218634] WIND STEERING AND SEDIMENT TRANSFER ASSOCIATED WITH STORMS IN A BLOWOUT DUNE AT SAUGATUCK HARBOR NATURAL AREA, MICHIGAN KREHEL, Austin W., Geological and Environmental Sciences, Hope College, Holland, MI 49423, austin.krehel@hope.edu, YURK, Brian, Department of Mathematics, Hope College, PO Box 9000, Holland, MI 49422-9000, and HANSEN, Edward C., Geological and Environmental Sciences, Hope College, 35 E 12th Street, Holland, MI 49423 The effects of 8 extratropical cyclones on wind directions, wind speeds, sand erosion, and sand deposition were studied in a blowout dune in the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area on the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan during Fall, 2010 and Spring and Fall, 2011. The blowout is on the limb of a parabolic dune isolated from the beach by an established foredune ridge. It is 53m long, 8 m high, SE trending and opens to the northwest with two notches on the western limb. Wind speeds and directions were measured with anemometers and wind vanes at 6 different localities within the dune while erosion and deposition were measured with an array of 211 pins. Regional wind directions at a high angle (E, NE, S, SSW) to the opening of the dune, led to bifurcated flow of relatively low velocity winds within the trough, which can sweep sand out of the trough and deposit it in the northwest notch. Regional winds at a lower angle to the dune opening (WSW, W, NW, N), were steered up the axis of the trough with the loss of wind energy increasing with increasing steering angle. These winds are associated with erosion along the trough axis and deposition on the southern outer slope. Winds with a strong westerly component are also funneled through the notches leading to scoring along the inner limbs of the dune and deposition within the trough and eastern outer limb. The exact response of a dune to a given storm is the result of a complex interplay between wind direction, which depends on cyclone track, and local topography. 28-24 BTH 24 Salzwedel, Mitchell [218651] THE EFFECT OF LONG-TERM LAND USE CHANGES ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN SALZWEDEL, Mitchell and DOLLIVER, Holly A.S., Department of Plant and Earth Science, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 410 S. 3rd St, River Falls, WI 54022, mitchell.salzwedel@ my.uwrf.edu Transformation of undisturbed Wisconsin prairies to agricultural soils has resulted in a loss of soil carbon. Tillage of agricultural soils exposes soil organic matter (SOM) to oxygen, and the carbon in SOM will oxidize to the atmosphere. Soil carbon greatly improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. Equally as important, carbon locked in the soil does not impact carbon concentrations in the atmosphere, which contributes to global climate change. The objective of the study was to quantify the amount of organic carbon in undisturbed versus agricultural soils. A total of six paired sites were selected for this research. Undisturbed soils were classified as areas that have not been disturbed for 50+ years. In all cases disturbed and undisturbed areas were less than 100 meters apart and sampled at three depth intervals: 0-10 cm, 10-40 cm, 40-100 cm. Total organic carbon was on average 44.3% lower in agricultural versus undisturbed soils. Data from the depth intervals also shows that differences in carbon concentrations between undisturbed and agricultural soils were most significant in the 40-100 cm interval (57% higher in undisturbed) compared to the 0-10 cm interval (22% higher in undisturbed). This data supports that a tremendous amount of carbon has been lost to the atmosphere due to land use conversion. 28-25 BTH 25 Hein, Jordan A. [218760] QUANTIFYING BANK EROSION AND CHANNEL SEDIMENTATION ON THE TORCH, RAPID AND GRASS RIVERS IN NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN HEIN, Jordan A. 1 , KENDALL, Anthony D. 2 , and BUDD, Blaze M. 2 , (1) Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, 206 Natural Science Building, East Lansing, MI 48823, heinjord@msu.edu, (2) Department of Geological Sciences, Michigan State University, 206 Natural Sciences Bldg, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 Rapid sedimentation and bank erosion have steadily reduced the navigability of the rivers in the Chain of Lakes watershed in Northern Lower Michigan during the last several decades. Historical documentation indicates that these rivers were once deep enough for steamboat travel, but now are all but impassable by even shallow draft watercraft. Beyond the navigational issues presented by sedimentation, bank erosion threatens property and water access. This study focuses on three rivers: the Torch, the Rapid, and the Grass. Each of these rivers have been affected by dramatic anthropogenic changes during the last 150 years, including extensive land cover change, channel modification, and base level changes via damming the terminal lake on the Chain. Here we present work that quantifies bank erosion over the last eight decades via aerial and satellite imagery analysis, along with the current channel bottom depths via bathymetric measurements. This work demonstrates that significant changes have occurred, and continue to occur, to bank positions. Sections of the river with the most bank change are also the shallowest, indicating that the channel continues to evolve toward a new dynamic equilibrium. We illustrate how sections with the least change are those that have had the most active management, and 2013 GSA North-Central Section Meeting 63
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structures, isolated sink-fills, an
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3-10 11:20 AM Phillips, Andrew C. [
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NaCl+KCl+HCl+H 2 O. Sulfide mineral
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7-2 BTH 2 Miller, Kurtz K. [218056]
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Page 25 and 26: leakage. This study aims to use two
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