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Career Center Open House
Start:February 2, 2015 at 9:00 am
End:
February 2, 2015 at 12:00 pm
Location:
JGB 2.112 Martineau Career Services Suite
Contact:
Chelsea Ochoa, chelsea.ochoa@jsg.utexas.edu, 5122320893
JSG students, faculty and staff are invited to come by the Career Center for coffee and bagels.
Soft Rock Seminar - Anthony McGlown
Start:February 2, 2015 at 12:00 pm
End:
February 2, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Location:
JGB 3.222
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: PhD Talk
Start:February 3, 2015 at 4:00 pm
End:
February 3, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: Catherine McCammon
Start:February 5, 2015 at 4:00 pm
End:
February 5, 2015 at 5:00 pm
BEG Friday Seminar Series
Start:February 6, 2015 at 9:00 am
End:
February 6, 2015 at 10:00 am
Location:
BEG Main Conference Room; Building 130; PRC Campus
Contact:
Sophia Ortiz, sophia.ortiz@beg.utexas.edu, 512.475.9588
View Event
Robert G. Loucks
Senior Research Scientist
Bureau of Economic Geology
Abstract:
Organic-matter (OM) pores are an important constituent of mudrocks and comprise the dominant or subsidiary pore network of many shale-gas and shale-oil systems. New research suggests that OM pores form not only in kerogen, as originally proposed, but also in solid bitumen and pyrobitumen. Identifying the type of nanometer- to micrometer-sized organic matter that is present in mudrocks is extremely difficult, if not impossible, using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). However, distinguishing whether the OM-pore hosted organic material exists in place or has migrated would allow the determination to be made whether the original organic material was kerogen or migrated bitumen. There are several SEM-based petrographic criteria that can be used to separate depositional versus migrated organic matter. These criteria include: (1) organic matter occurring after cementation in mineral pores, (2) fossil body-cavity voids filled with organic matter, (3) dense, spongy pore texture of the organic matter, (4) abundant contiguous pores filled with organic matter having a spongy pore network, (5) no alignment of pores in organic matter (aligned OM pores are present in kerogen), (6) cracks in organic matter related to devolatilization, and (7) anomalously larger bubbles associated with development of two hydrocarbon phases. It is important to recognize the difference between deposition organic matter versus migrated organic matter associated nanopores because their distribution is different and this has a profound effect on reservoir quality. Original depositional organic material is composed of kerogen, which can be transformed to bitumen and then oil, gas, solid bitumen, and pyrobitumen (char) during thermal maturation. When bitumen is produced from the kerogen, it can migrate into the mineral pore network and later transform to solid bitumen or pyrobitumen. The final pore network and associated reservoir quality within the mudrock is dependent on the proportions of the distribution of these two organic matter states. OM pores in isolated depositional organic matter may not be well connected and not form a continuous permeability pathway for the hydrocarbons. Migrated organic-matter-hosted pores mimic the three-dimensional distribution of the original mudrock mineral pore network and provide more extensive contiguous permeability pathways than isolated organic matter, thus providing a higher reservoir-quality mudstone system.
Acknowledgment for contribution: Robert M. Reed, Structural Geologist
UTIG Seminar Series: Catherine McMammon, University of Bayreuth
Start:February 6, 2015 at 10:30 am
End:
February 6, 2015 at 11:30 am
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 196, Rm 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Afu Lin, afu@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-471-8054
View Event
“Geophysical Constraints on the Early Earth”
The Earth’s formation is one of the most profound events in our history. Evidence from meteorites provides constraints on the refractory material from which the Earth formed, but the origin of volatile elements, including those that gave us oceans of water and the building blocks needed for life, are not well known. Surface reservoirs are generally well documented, but the deep Earth’s interior may contain large hidden inventories. The presentation will illustrate how synchrotron experiments allow us to investigate this otherwise inaccessible part of the Earth in the laboratory and provide constraints that can be directly compared to geophysical data, allowing us to look back in time to the beginning of Earth’s history.
Soft Rock Seminar - Joel Lunsford
Start:February 9, 2015 at 12:00 pm
End:
February 9, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Location:
JGB 3.222
UTIG Seminar: Douglas Schmitt, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton
Start:February 9, 2015 at 12:00 pm
End:
February 9, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 196, Rm 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Ian Dalziel, ian@ig.utexas.edu, 512-471-0431
View Event
“Seismic Anisotropy of Rocks: Measuring, Modeling, and Meaning”
Abstract:
We have known that the earth mechanically anisotropic since the very first attempts by Mallet In the 1860’s to measure both seismic wave propagation and rock anisotropy. Today, although everyone one knows that both the structure of the earth and the materials which form it conspire towards anisotropy nearly everywhere, we still mostly try to avoid it as much as possible in our analyses. One reason for this is that we often do not have solid quantitative measures of the anisotropy so that we can properly incorporate it. The problem must be resolved at many scales, and indeed, Is often scale dependent. In this talk, I will provide a brief review of some of the interesting implications of elastic anisotropy, show how we attempt to measure it in the laboratory with examples taken from metamorphic and unconventional rocks, and give an example of a larger km-scale measurement of anisotropy in a relatively homogeneous formation from a borehole seismic experiment. If time permits, I will show some of our results on the laboratory study of the reflectivity from anisotropic materials. I will also comment on what the implications of these various measures might be. In particular, what ‘fractures’ are we talking about when we blame them for inducing seismic anisotropy?
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: Whitney Behr
Start:February 10, 2015
End:
February 10, 2015
Shell Lunch & Learn
Start:February 10, 2015 at 11:45 am
End:
February 10, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Location:
JGB 6.218 Dean's Conference Room
Contact:
Chelsea Ochoa, chelsea.ochoa@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-232-0893
Have lunch with Shell! Learn about the company, opportunities for summer internships and recent projects. RSVP link can be found on GeoSource. Space limited to 20 JSG graduate students.
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: Sean Solomon
Start:February 12, 2015 at 4:00 pm
End:
February 12, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Alumni Reception during Winter NAPE
Start:February 12, 2015 at 5:00 pm
End:
February 12, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Location:
Hilton of the Americas, Ballroom of the Americas section B
Contact:
Kristen Tucek, ktucek@jsg.utexas.edu, 512-775-6745
BEG Friday Seminar Series
Start:February 13, 2015 at 9:00 am
End:
February 13, 2015 at 10:00 am
Location:
BEG Main Conference Room; Building 130; PRC Campus
Contact:
Sophia Ortiz, sophia.ortiz@beg.utexas.edu, 512.475.9588
View Event
Jeffrey A. Nittrouer
Assistant Professor
Rice University
Abstract:
Where lowland rivers near their marine outlet, gradually varying (non-uniform) flow develops, and this condition is colloquially known as backwater flow. This hydrodynamic condition significantly modifies sediment transport capacity and in turn has an important influence on the downstream transfer of sediment to the adjacent delta. Here I present the results of research conducted within the lowermost Mississippi River that documents the spatiotemporal variability of sediment transport, and links this information to the development of fluvial deltaic stratigraphy. Field observational studies collected data that were used to inform and validate morphodynamic models that analyze river dynamics, including timing and location of river distributary avulsions, and lateral migration rates of the channel. The analyses document that reach-average shear stress varies in accordance with the annual hydrograph over the 500 km backwater segment of the Mississippi River, thereby affecting the timing, magnitude, and grain size of sediment in active transport. Importantly, a net reduction in shear stress restricts the downstream movement of the coarsest sediment within the Mississippi River channel, so that this portion of sediment does not reach the ocean receiving basin. Instead, coarse sediment is sequestered in the river channel, thereby producing channel bed aggradation. The transition to backwater hydrodynamics and associated channel sediment infilling has three important influences on the deltaic stratigraphy: 1) producing a preferential region (nodal point) for distributary forming channel avulsions, 2) enhancing lateral migration rates of the river channel, and 3) modifying the delta distributary channel width-to-depth ratios from the delta apex to the river-ocean interface.
Insight gained from the Mississippi River system is used to interpret stratigraphic data collected from the Campanian Castlegate Sandstone (Utah). The comparison of these data helps to produce a theoretical framework that describes the movement of coarse sediment within lowland river channels. The coarse sediment that preferentially deposits in the channel migrates downstream as a wave, so long as the channel conveys water. However, the deposition of sediment super elevates the channel bed and therefore facilitates avulsions, whereby the abandoned and inactive channel (along with its coarse-grain sediment fill) is incorporated into the delta stratigraphy. Therefore the question whether coarse sediment ever reaches the ocean receiving basin is dependent on the relative timescales for: 1) migrating the coarse sediment wave over the backwater segment, and 2) the recurrence of a channel avulsion event. This theoretical framework is tested by estimating the time of sediment migration and channel avulsions for a wide-range of fluvial-deltaic systems. The outcomes suggest that for deep and low-sloping rivers with long backwater lengths, the movement of coarse sediment to the river-ocean interface does not occur before channel abandonment via avulsion. In contrast, smaller and steeper river systems possess relatively shorter backwater lengths, and therefore coarse sediment migrates to the river-ocean interface before channel avulsion. Therefore by linking hydrodynamic and sediment transport processes, it is possible to analyze the spatial partitioning of sediment based on grain size over the delta system, and this information is important for determining the stratigraphic framework of both modern and ancient delta deposits.
UTIG Seminar Series: Sean Solomon, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Start:February 13, 2015 at 10:30 am
End:
February 13, 2015 at 11:30 am
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 196, Rm 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Jack Holt, holt@ig.utexas.edu, 512-471-0487
View Event
“The Iron Planet: Structure, Evolution, and Magnetism of Mercury’s Core”
Abstract:
With the highest uncompressed density among the planets, Mercury has long been known to possess an iron-rich core that occupies a much larger mass fraction of the planet than the cores of Earth, Venus, or Mars. Mercury is also the only inner planet other than Earth to host a modern global magnetic field. Measurements of Mercury’s gravity field by the MESSENGER spacecraft, in orbit around the innermost planet since March 2011, together with measurements of Mercury’s solid-body motions by Earth-based radar, yield both the moment inertia of the planet and the moment of inertia of the solid outer shell that participates in Mercury’s 88-day libration forced by variations in the gravitational torque from the Sun during Mercury’s eccentric orbit. The radius of the fluid outer core of Mercury is 2020±30 km, so the solid outer shell of the planet is only 420±30 km thick. The high density of that shell (3380±200 km/m3), despite a crust and mantle low in Fe, Ti, and Al compared with other terrestrial bodies, points to the possibility of contributions from another dense material. The chemically reduced conditions of Mercury’s crustal materials suggest that Mercury’s iron core, if similarly reducing, contains Si as well as S. Under the range of pressures and temperatures in Mercury’s outer core, Fe-Si-S forms two immiscible liquids, so Mercury’s outer core may be stratified, a solid layer of FeS may have formed at the top of the outer core, and, if so, such a layer would now contribute to the average density of Mercury’s outer solid shell. Mercury is the only inner planet with a clear record, in its preserved tectonic features, for an extended history of interior cooling and global contraction. Prior to the MESSENGER mission, however, the contraction predicted from thermal history models, dominated by the cooling and partial solidification of the core, far exceeded the contraction inferred from shortening across tectonic landforms resolved in Mariner 10 images of the surface. A new analysis of contractional structures imaged by MESSENGER has increased the implied decrease in planetary radius by as much as a factor of five over previous estimates, bringing the geological observations at last into line with model predictions. Mercury’s internal magnetic field, like that of Earth, is dominantly dipolar, albeit with a dipole moment less than that of Earth by a factor of approximately 103. Measurements of the location of Mercury’s magnetic equator, however, show that Mercury’s dipole, although aligned with the spin axis, is offset from the center of the planet by 20% of the planet’s radius. An axially symmetric but equatorially asymmetric field had not been predicted by any dynamo model prior to the MESSENGER observations. Beginning in April 2013, the periapsis altitude of the MESSENGER spacecraft began to decrease progressively with each orbit, and in July 2014 the closest approach distance dropped to less than 100 km. Magnetic field measurements obtained at still lower altitudes have resolved crustal magnetic anomalies for the first time. The anomalies are consistent with thermoremanent magnetization acquired at least 3.7-3.9 billion years ago and indicate that Mercury’s core dynamo has operated over most of the planet’s history.
Soft Rock Seminar - Travis Swanson
Start:February 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm
End:
February 16, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Location:
JGB 3.222
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: PhD Talk
Start:February 17, 2015 at 4:00 pm
End:
February 17, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: Alex Hall
Start:February 19, 2015 at 4:00 pm
End:
February 19, 2015 at 5:00 pm
BEG Friday Seminar Series
Start:February 20, 2015 at 9:00 am
End:
February 20, 2015 at 10:00 am
Location:
BEG Main Conference Room; Building 130; PRC Campus
Contact:
Sophia Ortiz, sophia.ortiz@beg.utexas.edu, 512.475.9588
View Event
Bridget R. Scanlon
Senior Research Scientist
Bureau of Economic Geology
Abstract:
There is increasing concern about water constraints limiting oil and gas production using hydraulic fracturing (HF) in shale plays, particularly in semiarid regions and during droughts. Here we evaluate HF vulnerability by comparing HF water demand with supply in the semiarid Texas Eagle Ford play, the largest shale oil producer globally. Current HF water demand (18 billion gallons, bgal in 2013) equates to ~16% of total water consumption in the play area. Projected HF water demand of ~330 bgal with ~62,000 additional wells over the next 20 years equates to ~10% of historic groundwater depletion from regional irrigation. Estimated potential freshwater supplies include ~1,000 bgal over 20 yr from recharge and ~10,000 bgal from aquifer storage, with land-owner lease agreements often stipulating purchase of freshwater. However, pumpage has resulted in excessive drawdown locally with estimated declines of ~100–200 ft in ~6% of the western play area since HF began in 2009–2013. Non-freshwater sources include initial flowback water, which is ?5% of HF water demand, limiting reuse/recycling. Operators report shifting to brackish groundwater with estimated groundwater storage of 80,000 bgal. Comparison with other semiarid plays indicates increasing brackish groundwater and produced water use in the Permian Basin and large surface water inputs from the Missouri River in the Bakken play. The variety of water sources in semiarid regions, with projected HF water demand representing ~3% of fresh and ~1% of brackish water storage in the Eagle Ford footprint indicates that with appropriate management, water availability should not physically limit future shale energy production.
Acknowledgments for contribution:
Robert M. Reed, Structural Geologist
J.P. Nicot, Geological Engineer
UTIG Seminar Series: Hiroko Kitajima, Texas A&M University
Start:February 20, 2015 at 10:30 am
End:
February 20, 2015 at 11:30 am
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 196, Rm 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Nathan Bangs, nathan@ig.utexas.edu, 512-471-0424
View Event
“Stress States and Physical Properties along the Megathrust Plate Boundary at the Nankai Trough”
Abstract:
Understanding the mechanics of plate boundary earthquakes requires a sound investigation of in-situ stress condition and deformation processes. It is critical to well characterize not only the in-situ stress and pore pressure condition, but also an absolute strength and mechanical behavior at that stress condition. Porosity reduction, compaction, of the subducting sediments play an important role in the deformation in the shallow portion of subduction zones because the deformation mode (either brittle or ductile) and strength of porous rocks are largely dependent on both porosity and pressure. In this talk, I will present results of triaxial deformation experiments on (1) core samples currently subducting at the Nankai Trough and (2) prism samples from the Shimanto complex, which have been subducted, underthrusted, and underplated along the ancient plate boundary. Based on the experimental results, I will discuss the stress state and strength along the plate boundary.
AAPG Distinguished Lecturer Seminar
Start:February 23, 2015 at 9:00 am
End:
February 23, 2015 at 10:00 am
Location:
BEG Main Conference Room; Building 130; PRC Campus
Contact:
Sophia Ortiz, sophia.ortiz@beg.utexas.edu, 512.475.9588
View Event
Rob Lander
Scientific Advisor, Geocosm LLC
Research Fellow, Bureau of Economic Geology
Abstract:
We have an unprecedented ability to realistically depict the spatial distributions of lithofacies in the subsurface thanks to developments in sequence stratigraphy, sedimentology, structural geology, geostatistics, and geophysics. As important as these developments have been, however, they in themselves have a limited ability to accurately predict rock properties–particularly in regions with high thermal exposures and restricted well control. This limitation arises because the geomechanical, petrophysical, and fluid-flow properties of clastic rocks are strongly affected by diagenetic processes (i.e., biological, physical, and chemical processes that occur after burial). For instance, the mechanical nature of a sand deposit may change with diagenetic alteration from a quasi-liquid (think quicksand) to a rigid material suitable for building gothic cathedrals. Likewise, permeability may decline by as much six orders of magnitude as the sediment compacts and is subject to geochemical alteration.
Recent breakthroughs in sedimentary petrology have led to improved understanding of compaction and quartz cementation in sandstones. Our group has built process models that build on these advances and developed additional models for grain-coating chlorite formation from volcanic rock fragment alteration, illite formation from the reaction of kaolinite and K-feldspar, and mechanical compaction, among others. Additionally, we use an a posteriori procedure that relies on analog sandstones to consider the effects of diagenetic processes for which accurate process models have yet to be developed. We combine these diagenetic models to predict the composition, texture, and porosity of sandstones through geologic time given the depositional composition and texture of a sand and its burial history. These results, in turn, serve as input for models that predict permeability and seismic velocities.
Accurate subsurface rock property models can be developed when this diagenetic modeling system is integrated with methods that describe the spatial distributions and depositional characteristics of lithofacies and petroleum system models that reconstruct sediment thermal and stress histories. This integrated approach has proven to be useful for reservoir quality risk assessment in a broad range of geologic settings, including some with considerable complexity. For instance, it has been used for accurate pre-drill prediction of reservoir quality in regions affected by thermal anomalies associated with salt structures.
To take this methodology a step farther and to better constrain rock physics, geomechanics, and fluid-flow properties of rocks in undrilled areas, we are developing a next-generation modeling platform that rigorously simulates processes in 3D at the grain scale. This 3D approach has the potential to provide unique predictive models of pore network geometries and grain contact properties for rocks in undrilled areas. The system considers thousands of grains with realistic shape and size variations and simulates deposition and rearrangement with Newtonian physics and brittle and ductile deformation of solid components with continuum mechanics. It also considers geochemical processes including quartz cementation and contact dissolution (“pressure solution”).
UTIG Seminar Series: James C. Zachos, UC, Santa Cruz
Start:February 23, 2015 at 12:00 pm
End:
February 23, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 196, Rm 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Ian Dalziel, ian@ig.utexas.edu, 512-471-0431
View Event
“Tempo and Scale of Paleocene and Eocene Climate and Carbon Isotope Cycles: Implications for the Origin of Hyperthermals and Other Phenomena”
Abstract:
Astronomically tuned, high-resolution marine carbon and oxygen isotope records are essential for identifying the underlying causes of past changes in climate (e.g., the origin of glacial – interglacial cycles). While such records have been available for the Plio-Pleistocene for over 3 decades, only recently have records of similar quality been extended back into the early Cenozoic, specifically for intervals characterized by major climatic transitions or extremes such as the Eocene-Oligocene and the Paleocene-Eocene boundaries. The perspective provided by these high-resolution records, has altered our understanding of how various forcing factors can interact to drive changes in climate on a variety of time scales. They have also created new opportunities to study the coupling between climate and carbon cycle through various feedbacks, both positive and negative.
In this presentation, I focus on high-resolution pelagic and hemi-pelagic ?18O and ?13C and lithologic records from the Atlantic and Pacific that span the upper Paleocene and lower Eocene. These records resolve the orbital scale variability in both climate and the carbon cycle showing pronounced concentration of variance at periods associated with precession (21 kyr) and eccentricity (100 and 400-kyr), as well as obliquity (41 kyr). The records also capture the Eocene “hyperthermals”, as represented by extreme minima in ?18O and ?13C, which appear to be in phase with maxima in eccentricity, implying orbital pacing of these events. The magnitude of the hyperthermals relative to background variability, however, suggests amplification by feedbacks involving the carbon cycle. Here I discuss the possible nature of these feedbacks, specifically the potential coupling of climate with the large exogenic marine and continental reduced carbon reservoirs.
Climate Forum speaker series: Prof. Yutian Wu
Start:February 23, 2015 at 3:00 pm
End:
February 23, 2015 at 4:00 pm
Location:
JGB 3.222
Contact:
Kai Zhang, kzkaizhang@gmail.com
Yutian Wu (Assistant Prof. from Purdue Univ.)
2015 EDGER Forum Annual Meeting & Technical Symposium
Start:February 24, 2015 at 8:00 am
End:
February 25, 2015 at 3:00 pm
Location:
Texas Union Building (Santa Rita Suite)
Contact:
Margo Grace, margo@jsg.utexas.edu, (512) 232-1920
View Event
Tuesday, 24 February 2015:
8am-5pm: Day 1 of Annual Meeting & Technical Symposium in the TEXAS UNION BLDG (Santa Rita Suite)
6pm-9pm: Annual Dinner to honor Dr. Robert H. Tatham*
Wednesday, 25 February 2015:
8am-3pm: Day 2 of Annual Meeting & Technical Symposium in the TEXAS UNION BLDG (Santa Rita Suite)
* The EDGER Forum’s 2015 Annual Dinner will be an opportunity to honor Dr. Robert H. Tatham, the Forum’s Founder. Dr. Tatham is now Professor Emeritus at The Jackson School of Geosciences, UT-Austin. The banquet is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24th at 6:00 pm and will take place at the Student Activity Center’s North Ballroom.
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: PhD Talk
Start:February 24, 2015 at 4:00 pm
End:
February 24, 2015 at 5:00 pm
2015 EDGER Forum Annual Meeting & Technical Symposium
Start:February 24, 2015 at 8:00 am
End:
February 25, 2015 at 3:00 pm
Location:
Texas Union Building (Santa Rita Suite)
Contact:
Margo Grace, margo@jsg.utexas.edu, (512) 232-1920
View Event
Tuesday, 24 February 2015:
8am-5pm: Day 1 of Annual Meeting & Technical Symposium in the TEXAS UNION BLDG (Santa Rita Suite)
6pm-9pm: Annual Dinner to honor Dr. Robert H. Tatham*
Wednesday, 25 February 2015:
8am-3pm: Day 2 of Annual Meeting & Technical Symposium in the TEXAS UNION BLDG (Santa Rita Suite)
* The EDGER Forum’s 2015 Annual Dinner will be an opportunity to honor Dr. Robert H. Tatham, the Forum’s Founder. Dr. Tatham is now Professor Emeritus at The Jackson School of Geosciences, UT-Austin. The banquet is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24th at 6:00 pm and will take place at the Student Activity Center’s North Ballroom.
Tech Sessions Speaker Series: Pieter Vermeesch
Start:February 26, 2015
End:
February 26, 2015
BEG Friday Seminar Series
Start:February 27, 2015 at 9:00 am
End:
February 27, 2015 at 10:00 am
Location:
BEG Main Conference Room; Building 130; PRC Campus
Contact:
Sophia Ortiz, sophia.ortiz@beg.utexas.edu, 512.475.9588
View Event
Matthew W. Becker, Ph.D
Professor of Geology and Conrey Chair in Hydrogeology
Department of Geological Sciences, California State University Long Beach
Abstract:
The heterogeneous flow of fluids in fractures is a common challenge for enhanced oil recovery, geothermal circulation, and groundwater remediation systems. The cubic relationship between fracture aperture and flow rate, compounded by complex fracture network connectivity, leads to flow channeling, diversion, or short circuiting. We have been experimenting with periodic hydraulic tests as an economical and effective method for predicting flow heterogeneity and inter-well hydraulic connectivity. The propagation of a periodic signal through the formation follows preferential hydraulic pathways. Monitoring the amplitude and phase shift of the periodic signal at multiple wells can indicate the presence of high permeability flow paths (fairways) or hydraulically isolated zones. Following a brief summary of fluid flow in fractured rock systems, results from numerical simulations and field experiments will be presented. The field experimental site is unique in that flow paths can be imaged using surface ground penetrating radar. Channeling evident in the radar images confirmed the hydraulic connections measured by periodic hydraulic tests and tracer experiments. Potentially, periodic hydraulic methods could be used to test alternative structural mechanical models given sufficient pressure data.
UTIG Seminar Series: Jessica Tierney, WHOI
Start:February 27, 2015 at 10:30 am
End:
February 27, 2015 at 11:30 am
Location:
PRC, 10100 Burnet Road, Bldg 196, Rm 1.603, Austin, TX 78758
Contact:
Yuko Okumura, Yukoo@ig.utexas.edu, 512-471-8844
View Event
“Past and Future Climate Change in the Horn of Africa”
Abstract:
The Horn of Africa is a geopolitically volatile region that is highly vulnerable to climatic change. A recent decline in rainfall in the region has led some to speculate whether global warming will lead to more frequent drought. However, others maintain that the decline is a feature of internal climate variability. Establishing which interpretation is correct is critical for future predictions of food security in the region. Here, I’ll present new paleoclimate records that give us a first look at recent past changes in rainfall and temperature in the Horn of Africa. Interpreted in the context of CMIP5 historical and future climate simulations, these data change our view of future climate change in the region and question our ability to accurately simulate regional climate in East Africa. Future climate change will likely act as a threat multiplier in the Horn region, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities associated with political instability, terrorism, and piracy.
UTIG Discussion Hour: Nicholas Montiel - PhD Talk (UTIG)April, 23 2024Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PMLocation: ROC 2.201 |
DeFord Lecture | Dr. Richard TaylorApril, 25 2024Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PMLocation: Boyd Auditorium (JGB 2.324) Adapting to the Amplification of Climate Extremes Through Freshwater Capture: Evidence from the Tropics by Dr. Richard Taylor, Department of Geography, University College London Abstract: In low-income countries of the tropics undergoing rapid growth, global warming presents challenges to the expansion and sustainability of water supplies required to advance progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Substantial uncertainty persists in projections of precipitation under climate change. A widely observed impact, pronounced in the tropics, is the intensification of precipitation comprising a transition towards fewer but heavier rainfalls. How does this transition impact terrestrial water balances? How might these changes influence freshwater demand? I will interrogate these questions and review mounting empirical evidence from the tropics of the resilience to climate change of groundwater resources, which act as a natural inter-annual store of freshwater supporting adaptation to the amplification climate extremes. Presented evidence includes case studies and local-to-regional scale analyses from tropical Africa and the Bengal Basin of South Asia. Outcomes emphasize the interconnected nature of surface water and groundwater as well as the value of groundwater as a natural, distributed store of freshwater. This insight provides a platform to explore more equitable and sustainable water development pathways resilient to climate change. |
UTIG Seminar Series: Cornelia Rasmussen, UTIGApril, 26 2024Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AMLocation: PRC 196/ROC 1.603 Speaker: Cornelia Rasmussen, Research Associate, University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Host: Krista Soderlund Title: The Emerging Field Of Position-Specific Isotope Analysis: Applications in chemical forensics, exobiology, geo- and environmental sciences Abstract: Complex organics can be found all over our solar system and within each living thing on our planet, be it as part of its physiology or as a contaminant. However, different processes can lead to the formation of chemical identical molecules. This makes answering a number of scientific questions challenging. One example is distinguishing between biotic and abiotic molecules, hence hindering life detection on early Earth but especially on other planetary bodies, such as on Mars, Titan, Enceladus and on meteorites where organics have been detected. Moreover, tracing molecules as they move through the environment can be demanding, yet is essential in studying the flow of organic molecules as well as correlating pollutants with their source. Novel tools to address these challenges are currently being developed. Especially, the emerging field of position-specific isotope analysis is beginning to grant access to the unique intramolecular carbon (13C/12C) isotope fingerprint preserved in complex molecules. This fingerprint can be applied in various scientific disciplines, ranging from forensics to exobiology, geo- and environmental sciences, including geo health. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has the potential to become a key player in this research area, as it allows the analysis of organics within complex mixtures, all without the need to fragment the molecule into single carbon units or the combustion of the molecule of interest. We have been developing several NMR tools that allow us to investigate the intramolecular carbon isotope distribution within various molecule classes and to test the central hypothesis that the position-specific carbon isotope distribution within complex organics depends on a molecule’s source and formation history. |
Planetary Habitability Seminar SeriesApril, 29 2024Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PMLocation: PMA 15.216B UT Center for Planetary Systems Habitability Seminar Series. See website for speaker schedule and more details: View Events Join remotely: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94052130734 In person: Classroom 15.216B, Physics, Math and Astronomy Bldg. UT Austin, Department of Astronomy 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400 Austin, Texas 78712-1205 |
UTIG Discussion Hour: Kristian Chan - PhD Talk (UTIG)April, 30 2024Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PMLocation: ROC 2.201 |