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Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

For information about submitting your thesis or dissertation, or its availability here, please see the Overview of Thesis & Dissertation Policies and Procedures or contact the Office of Graduate Studies.

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

CO2 Flux Along Faults of the Central Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico, Jared Smith

Experimental Investigation into the Thermal and Magmatic Evolution of Mercury, Kathleen Vander Kaaden

Cl in the Early Solar System, Jeffrey Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Teleseismic P Wave Attenuation in the Upper Mantle Beneath the United States, Samantha Lynn Cafferky

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of martian breccia Northwest Africa 7034: comparison with Mars Science Laboratory results, Suzanne Gordon

CARBONIC SPRINGS AS DISTAL MANIFESTATIONS OF THE JEMEZ GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM, SAN YSIDRO, NEW MEXICO, HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF FAULT PATHWAYS AND HYDROCHEMICAL MIXING., Christopher McGibbon

BUILDING A BETTER TRAINING IMAGE WITH DIGITAL OUTCROP MODELS: THESE GO TO ELEVEN, Alexandra Pickel

Deep-seated bedrock landsliding in Grand Canyon's Surprise Valley area, Jesse Robertson

Drought in the Colorado River Basin: Spatiotemporal Analysis using an Edge Detection Filter, Lindsay Ross

DIURNAL VARIATION OF WATER VAPOR ISOTOPOLOGUES ON THE CHAJNANTOR PLATEAU DURING THE AUSTRAL SPRING, Alec Tunner

Climatic factors influencing Last Glacial Maximum and modern glacial conditions in the tropical and subtropical Andes, Lauren Vargo

Timing of erosional episodes in the Marble Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs region from apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology, Nadine Lynne Warneke

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Characterization of fluvial facies distributions and cyclicity using terrestrial lidar: Paleocene Nacimiento Formation, Kutz Canyon, New Mexico, Jeffrey Carritt

An experimental and petrologic investigation of the source regions of lunar magmatism in the context of the primordial differentiation of the Moon, Stephen Elardo

MICROSTRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS ON THE FORMATIONAL AND THERMAL HISTORIES OF REFRACTORY INCLUSIONS IN CO3 CHONDRITES, Jangmi Han

AN IMBRICATE MID CRUSTAL SUTURE ZONE: THE MOJAVE-YAVAPAI PROVINCE BOUNDARY IN GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA, Mark Holland

Continental-scale isotope hydrology, Scott Jasechko

Spatial and Seasonal Variations in Aridification Across Southwest North America, Shannon Miller Jones

Analyzing geological materials under martian conditions using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy : plasma fundamentals, sample classification, and trace element quanitification, Ann Ollila

GEOCHRONOLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY, AND TECTONIC CHARACTERIZATION OF QUATERNARY LARGE-VOLUME TRAVERTINE DEPOSITS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR CO2 SEQUESTRATION, Alexandra Priewisch

Using Nd Isotopes to understand changes in continental weathering flux in Mid-Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) carbonate cycles, Phil Ragonese

STRUCTURAL EVOLUTION OF THE RIO GRANDE RIFT: SYNCHRONOUS EXHUMATION OF RIFT FLANKS FROM 20-10 MA, EMBRYONIC CORE COMPLEXES, AND FLUID-ENHANCED QUATERNARY EXTENSION, Jason Ricketts

ISOTOPIC CONSTRAINTS ON ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE TRANSPORT PROCESSES IN SOUTH AMERICA, Kimberly Samuels-Crow

Thermal histories of CB meteorites: Constraints from compositions and microstructures of sulfides, Poorna Srinivasan

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Satellite imagery evaluation of soil moisture variability in north-east part of Ganges Basin, India, Proma Bhattacharyya

Metal-silicate Partitioning Behavior of Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Nickel: Implications for Core Formation, Laura Burkemper

Neotectonic evolution of Grand Canyon : interaction between volcanism, river incision, epeirogenic uplift, and faulting, Ryan Crow

Magmatic volatiles at rifts and arcs: Sources and fractionation effects, Joost Maarten de Moor

REMOTELY MAPPING SURFACE ROUGHNESS ON ALLUVIAL FANS: AN APPROACH FOR UNDERSTANDING DEPOSITIONAL PROCESSES, Sarah Doyle

HOLOCENE FIRE-RELATED ALLUVIAL CHRONOLOGY AND GEOMORPHIC IMPLICATIONS IN THE JEMEZ MOUNTAINS, NEW MEXICO, Erin Fitch

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE GLACIAL CYCLE-II AND TERMINATION FROM HIGH RESOLUTION SPELEOTHEM ISOTOPE AND TRACE ELEMENTAL TIME-SERIES DATA, SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES, Zachary LaPointe

Uranium-series isotope constraints on magma generation and differentiation in the central Oregon Cascades, Euan Mitchell

Slope and bifurcation on braided distributive fluvial systems, Michelle Olson

The discovery of baddeleyite (ZrO2) and chrome spinel in the basal Rooiberg Group of the 2.057 Ga Bushveld Complex, South Africa: Implications for the impact and igneous scenarios for the petrogenesis of the Rooiberg Group., Eric Tegtmeier

Orbital-scale fluctuations in continental weathering flux and continental ice-volume during greenhouse and icehouse climate intervals : evidence from oxygen and neodymium isotopes, Bethany Theiling

Using oxygen and carbon stable isotopes, 53Mn-53Cr isotope systematics, and petrology to constrain the history of carbonates and water in the CR and CM chondrite parent bodies, Mark Tyra

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Geochemistry of cave pools in the Guadalupe Mountains, NM : implications for geomicrobiology, Kooser Ara

Effect of halite and calcite coatings on thermal infrared spectra wih implications for Mars exploration, Jeffrey A. Berger

A TEM study of crystalline silicates in the matrices of MET 00426 and QUE 99177 CR3.0 chondrites: Constraints on the formation mechanisms of dust in the solar nebula, Chelsea Brunner

Soil geomorphology of the eastern Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research Site, Debra Bryan-Ricketts

Geochemical characteristics and microbial diversity of CO2-rich mound springs of the Tierra Amarilla anticline, New Mexico, Brandi Cron

Magnetic records from latest Triassic to earliest Jurassic red beds, Utah and Arizona, and from mid-Pleistocene lake beds, New Mexico, Linda Lee Donohoo Hurley

Studying signatures of water on Mars at two macro and micro scales : orbital analyses of hillslope geomorphology and ChemCam calibration for surficial rock chemistry, Nina Lanza

The chlorine isotope composition of chondrites : evidence for a single nebular reservoir and the effects of secondary processes on chondrite parent bodies, Jessica Mumphrey

Dynamic topography of the western Great Plains : geomorphic and 40Ar/39Ar evidence for mantle-driven uplift associated with the Jemez lineament, New Mexico and SE Colorado, Alexander Nereson

Fluvial processes, beaver activity, and climate in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem and rock type control on hillslope morphology and soil development in the Sandia Mountains, New Mexico, Lyman Persico

The geochemistry of water-filled sinkholes at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Roswell, NM : implications for hydrochemical evolution and trophic support, Elizabeth Premo

The effect of carbon dioxide on the density and compressibility of kimberlitic magma, Alison R. Santos

Nutrient dynamics in a headwater stream : use of continuous water quality sensors to examine seasonal, event, and diurnal processes in the East Fork Jemez River, NM, Lauren R. Sherson

Variations in the stable isotope compositions of water vapor and precipitation in New Mexico : links to synoptic-scale weather, Mel Strong

The impact of dams, droughts, and tributary drainages on channel form and process : Rio Grande and Rio Chama, NM, Benjamin Swanson

Uranium-series geochronology and stable isotope analysis of travertine from Soda Dam, New Mexico : a Quaternary record of episodic spring discharge and rivern incision in the Jemez Mountains hydrothermal system, April Jean Tafoya

Experimental investigation into lunar melt density and compressibility : the role of titanium, Kathleen Vander Kaaden

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

New incision rates on the Colorado River system based on cosmogenic burial dating of terraces : implications for a transient knickpoint at Lees Ferry and differential uplift of the Rocky Mountains, Andrew Darling

Oxygen isotopes in diatom silica : a new understanding of silica-water oxygen isotope fractionation in diatom frustules and an application of diatom d180 values as a record of paleohydrologic variability in a middle-Pleistocene lacrustine core from the Valles Caldera, New Mexico, Justin Dodd

Late Quaternary semiarid eolian system dynamics : distribution, timing, and soil geomorphic controls, Black Mesa, northeastern Arizona, USA, Amy Ellwein

Last-saturation applications to the humidity of the subtropical middle troposphere, John Hurley

Trends and interannual variability in snowpack and spring season hydroclimatology in the southwestern United States, Sarah J. Keller

Stream channel adjustments and persistence of change in response to beaver damming on a fluvial fan, Odell Creek, Montana, Rebekah Levine

Paleomagnetic and AMS results from Oligocene ash-flow tuffs of the eastern San Juan Mountains : implications for the evolution of the western margin of the San Luis Basin, northern Rio Grande Rift, Stephanie N. Mason

Microstructural, geochronologic and thermochronologic evidence for both Paleo- and Mesoproterozoic displacement across the Gneiss Canyon shear zone : lower Granite Gorge, Grand Canyon, Arizona, Jacob McDermott

Investigating evidence of high frequency glacial eustacy in the Lower Mississippian (Tournasian) Lodgepole Formation of southwest Montana : insights from conodont oxygen isotopes, Zachary Wallace

Formation conditions of plagioclase-bearing type I chondrules in CO chondrites : a study of natural samples and experimental analogs, Molly Wick

Interpreting Early Triassic (Smithian) sea-level change and climate using sequence stratigraphy and oxygen isotopes of conodont apatite, Stephanie Yurchyk

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Mineralogy and bulk chemistry of chondrules and matrix in petrologic type 3 chondrites : implications for early solar system processes, Jana Berlin

Fluvial sedimentation in continental half-graben basins, Sean Connell

The partial molar volume of carbon dioxide in peridotite partial melt at high pressure, Megan Duncan

Characterization of a volcanically impacted, overfilled continental rift basin within the southeastern Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, Ashley Elizabeth Edelman

Experimental simulation of Lunar Magma Ocean crystallization : insights into mantle composition and the source regions of lunar basaltic magmatism, Stephen Matthew Elardo

Documenting multiple metasomatic events within the Finero phlogopite peridotite using chlorine isotopes, Ivrea zone, Italy, Melissa Halick

Travertine from Egypt's Western Desert: a terrestrial record of North African paleohydrology and paleoclimate during the late Pleistocene, Gloria Jimenez

Remote sensing assessment of rapidly changing lake areas in semi-arid closed basins : modern playa lake response to meteorological variability and implications for pluvial Lake Palomas Holocene highstands, Christine K. Laudadio

Syntectonic deposition and paleohydrology of the spring-fed Hualapai Limestone and implications for 5-6 MA integration of the Colorado River system through Grand Canyon : evidence from sedimentology, geochemistry and detrital zircon analysis, Jessica Lopez Pearce

Biogeomorphology and soil geomorphology of small semiarid basins, northeastern Arizona : influences of topoclimate and climate variations, Leah M. Roberts

New structural interpretation, microstructural analyses, and preliminary monazite geochronology of Proterozoic rocks in the central Manzano Mountains, New Mexico, Steve A. Rogers

Archean detrital zircons in the Proterozoic Vishnu Schist of the Grand Canyon, Arizona : implications for crustal architecture and Nuna reconstructions, Owen Philip Shufeldt

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

U-series dating, geochemistry, and geomorphic studies of travertines and springs of the Springerville area, east-central Arizona, and tectonic implications., Eileen Hardy Embid

Heterogeneity effects on flow and transport within a shallow fluvial aquifer, Nicholas Engdahl

Paleomagnetic data bearing on the evolution of the Walker Lane Belt transfer zone from mid-Miocene to present : an investigation of the inferred southern and eastern boundaries, Jack Grow

Timing and emplacement of the Philipsburg batholith, SW Montana, and a comparison of two magnetic fabric techniques, Travis James Naibert

Mesozoic tectonics of the Maria fold and thrust belt and McCoy basin : an examination of polyphase deformation and synorogenic response, Anthony C. Salem

An aqueous geochemical and hydrologic study of the springs and wells of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge : evaluating hydrochemical pathways, Amy Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Refining models of crustal growth and evolution in southwestern Laurentia with paired U-Pb and Lu-Hf analyses of igneous and detrital zircon, Mark E. Holland

Volatile chemistry, and nitrogen sources and fluxes, in subduction zones : insights from the Izu-Bonin-Mariana Arc, Euan Mitchell

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Quaternary incision history of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado, M. Magdalena Sandoval

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

New stratigraphy, polyphase deformational history and basement-involved thrust belt model for the Proterozoic Uncompahgre Group and Vallecito Conglomerate, Needle Mountains, Colorado, Zinsser Austin

History and timing of polyphase Proterozoic deformation in the Manzano thrust belt, central New Mexico, Amy Luther

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Geologic and tectonic evolution of the Manzano Peak Quadrangle, central New Mexico, Shannon H. Baer

Mesoproterozoic tectonic evolution of southwestern North America : protracted intracratonic deformation, sedimentation, and differential exhumation in Grand Canyon and the Rocky Mountain Region, J. Michael Timmons

Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002

A Late Pleistocene and Holocene High-Resolution Glacial and Paleoclimate Record from the Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Northern New Mexico, Jake Armour

Biogeochemistry Of The Middle Rio Grande Bosque: Links Among Surface Water, Groundwater, And Sediments, Susan E. Block

Banded metasiltstones in Trigo Canyon : the story they tell about the Proterozoic deformational history of the Manzano Mountains, Linda Doran

Tectonic development of Proterozoic structures and their influence on Laramide and Miocene deformation, north Virgin Moutains, SE Nevada and NW Arizona, Mark Cameron Quigley

Proterozoic Farwell Mountain-Lester Mountain suture zone, northern Colorado : subduction flip and progressive assembly of arcs, Amanda Tyson

Seasonal Biogeochemistry And Mineral Cycling Of The Middle Rio Grande Alluvial Aquifer, New Mexico, David Stewart Vinson

Theses/Dissertations from 2001 2001

The Proterozoic ancestry of the Colorado Mineral Belt : ca. 1.4 Ga shear zone system in central Colorado, Annie Marie McCoy

Genesis and evolution of Proterozoic crustal boundaries in the southern Rocky Mountains., Colin Arthur Shaw

Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000

Analysis of the Cabin Canyon shear zone in the Virgin Mountains : implications for an early accretionary province boundary and later transpressional zone., Jason Ray

Proterozoic evolution of the Zuni Mountains, New Mexico: Peridotites, granites, rhyolites, shear zones, and a reactivation history through the present, Diana Strickland

Theses/Dissertations from 1999 1999

Polyphase tectonics and metamorphism and their relation to movement on the Monte Largo shear zone in the Manzano Mountains, central New Mexico, Douglas A. Raszewski