West Virginia University
Geology and Geography
To precisely quantify pore space and organic matter (OM) from two-dimensional scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, an efficient and consistent workflow using adaptive local thresholding, Otsu thresholding and Image Calculator are... more
This paper evaluates how changes in economic market and policy conditions, including the establishment of a per-unit tax on unabated emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) set equal to estimates of the social cost of carbon (SCC), influence... more
Over 24 million plastic bags are consumed in Kenya monthly. More than half of the bags end up in the solid waste stream. Plastic bags now constitute the biggest challenge to solid waste management in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and home... more
The mid-Permian Opeche Shale of North Dakota consists of bedded evaporites and red-bed siliciclastics. Detailed core and petrographic study has documented sedimentary and early diagenetic features in order to develop a depositional model,... more
Abundant shallow saline lakes on the Archean Yilgarn Craton in southern Western Australia exhibit a rare spectrum of geochemical conditions. Here the field geochemistry over three seasons (pH, salinity, and temperature), as well as major... more
Two distinct and newly recognized, formation-scale stratigraphic units, predominantly red-bed sandstones and shales, are found on the surface and in the shallow subsurface of the central Michigan region. Here, we use core, field, and... more
Modern acid and neutral saline lakes in Western Australia are an excellent natural laboratory for testing how pH affects halite, and for developing criteria for distinguishing past acid saline waters from past neutral saline waters in the... more
Mars surface flow acid physical sedimentology experiments channels fans gullies Physical sedimentology experiments have shown that sulfuric acid solutions may have formed some surface features seen on Mars. Recent data returned from Mars... more
Acid saline lake systems in Western Australia may be the best known modern terrestrial analog for the Burns formation on Mars and, thus, provide information about past environments and life on Mars.
An important result of the Mars Exploration Rover's (MER) mission has been the images of sedimentary structures and diagenetic features in the Burns Formation at Meridiani Planum. Bedding, cross-bedding, ripple marks, mud cracks,... more
A basic goal of historical geology courses is for students to gain an understanding of the methods, theories, and logic used in interpreting geologic histories. This is traditionally taught as a series of individual, isolated lessons in... more