Papers by Calvin Alexander
Developments in Sedimentology, 2004
The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports
The hydrologic study at Wind and Jewel Caves has the following Objectives: 1) to evaluate the wat... more The hydrologic study at Wind and Jewel Caves has the following Objectives: 1) to evaluate the water distribution within these two park areas; 2) to determine the effects of human impact upon the natural hydrologic system; 3) to document any detrimental effects to the water quality; 4) to document any instances in which the cave environment is adversely affected by the quality or quantity of the water present; and 5) to suggest options to change present water use practices, if necessary.
Single trace conducted in order to establish a connection from York Blind Valley to water flowing... more Single trace conducted in order to establish a connection from York Blind Valley to water flowing in the lower levels of Holy Grail Cave.
Bus 1 (low stair climbing) turns hard right on Co. 8 at the northwest corner of Fountain and then... more Bus 1 (low stair climbing) turns hard right on Co. 8 at the northwest corner of Fountain and then right on Keeper Road to Fountain Big Spring. This group will be led by Jeff Green and Tony Runkel.
Six individual dyes poured in July of 2009. Includes objectives, methods, results, discussion and... more Six individual dyes poured in July of 2009. Includes objectives, methods, results, discussion and future directions for all three study areas (Freiheit, Tyson, and SB Root River). Three additional files included containing summary tables for each study area. A collaborative effort between the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the University of Minnesota.
AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts, May 1, 2001
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 1979
REFERENCES. (1 )Alexander E. C. Jr. et a1. (1972) Proc. Lunar Sci . Conf. 3rd, 1787; (2)Reed G.W.... more REFERENCES. (1 )Alexander E. C. Jr. et a1. (1972) Proc. Lunar Sci . Conf. 3rd, 1787; (2)Reed G.W. Jr. et al.(l972)Proc~unar Sci.Conf.3rd,l989;3)Jovanovic S. and G. W. Reed 3r. (1975)EocLunar Sci . C o ~h ~5 ~4 ) L u g m a i r G. W. and K.Marti (I 972)Proc. Lunar Sci . Conf.3rm1;5)PepiR. 0. et a]. ( I 974)Proc. Lunar Sci . Conf.5th,2149;6)PepR.0.and D. Phinney(l978)C%ponents o f r i n m a r
Prototype funnel lysimeters were constructed using 2-m dia. tree transplanting equipment. This eq... more Prototype funnel lysimeters were constructed using 2-m dia. tree transplanting equipment. This equipment offers a possible means for quantitative, practical, and cost-effective measurement of flow in the unsaturated zone at the meter scale. The objective of this investigation was to develop and test the funnel lysimeter as a practical field methodology to conduct controlled quantitative tracer tests on large undisturbed soil samples. The steps to achieve this objective were to develop a working prototype, conduct tracer tests at sites with different field soils and a repacked soil in the laboratory, determine the characteristics of tracer breakthrough curves for the test soils, and assess the degree to sample disturbance caused by the lysimeter installation process. Lysimeters were installed by temporarily excavating a 2_m 3 soil sample using the tree transplanter and then replacing the sample after the installation of a sump and funnel-shaped impermeable liner. Tracer experiments were then carried out by applying solutes at the surface and sampling from the sump using an automatic sampler. Seven funnel field lysimeters were installed in Minnesota over two field seasons in three different soil types. Experiments identified two distinct flow types; preferential and matrix flow. In a typical field experiment with the preferential-flow soil, discharge at the lysimeter sump occurred within 15 minutes of the start of a six minute tracer application; discharge of the tracer started after 23 minutes. For the matrix-flow soil, discharge to the sump typically took several hours to respond to tracer application. Drainage to the sump in the same cycle was composed of 100% antecedent water. The installation method does not lead to major disturbance of the soil but is more effective in sandy soils. The experimental results indicate that the funnel lysimeter methodology is suited for wide application in subsurface hydrology because of its large sample size, a time scale resolution of minutes, and mass balance control. Essential technological improvements to the lysimeter and further tracer experiments are required to fully define the lysimeter flow characteristics. S~m~ ~ 4. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Lysimeter Discharge Solute Transport Method Development and Future Research 5. CONCLUSIONS 6. REFERENCES APPENDIX CHAPTER 1 Sample disturbance-measurements must be taken in-situ or undisturbed, natural flow pathways may be destroyed. Practicality-excavation of two cubic meters of soil or more in an undisturbed condition generally requires an elaborate and expensive field exercise.
Journal of Geophysical Research, Mar 30, 1987
Several components of planetary noble gases, including CCFXe (Xe-X), s-process Kr and Xe, and Ne-... more Several components of planetary noble gases, including CCFXe (Xe-X), s-process Kr and Xe, and Ne-E, are now thought to have had a presolar origin. It is proposed that the 'normal planetary' noble gas component, which contains most of the planetary Ar, Kr, and Xe, is also presolar. This component was trapped in carbonaceous mantles as the mantles formed on grain surfaces in the molecular cloud. The presolar dust grains and their carbonaceous mantles were then incorporated into primitive meteorites. This model naturally explains: (1) the affinity of 'normal planetary' noble gases for carbonaceous material in primitive chondrites; (2) the near absence of He and Ne in the 'normal planetary' component; (3) the elemental fractionation patterns of the 'exotic' and 'normal planetary' components; (4) the similarity of the isotopic compositions of 'normal planetary' and trapped solar Ar, Kr, and Xe; (5) the high noble gas content of the 'normal planetary' gas carrier; (6) several aspects of the chemistry of the 'normal planetary' gas carrier; (7) the correlation of planetary noble gases with the fine-grained material in primitive chondrites; and (8) the widespread occurrence of the planetary fractionation pattern throughout the solar system.
Environmental geology, Apr 19, 2005
This paper is the second of a series of two papers describing the Karst Feature Database (KFD) of... more This paper is the second of a series of two papers describing the Karst Feature Database (KFD) of Minnesota (Gao et al. 2005). The development, implementation, and data analyses of the Minnesota KFD are described in detail in the first author's Ph.D. dissertation (Gao 2002). This paper discusses the analysis of sinkhole distribution based on the sinkhole data stored in the Minnesota KFD. The fundamental scientific question of this study is what controls sinkhole distribution in Minnesota. A complete statewide KFD provides data and tools to test hypotheses about sinkhole distribution in Minnesota. Overview of spatial analysis on cave and karst studies Karst scientists and researchers have developed and used several analytic methods in cave and karst studies. Lineament analysis and nearest-neighbor analysis (NNA) are two of the most commonly used approaches to study karst feature distributions. Lineament analysis Geological structures in karst terrain are often observable as traces or lines, commonly referred to as ''lineaments.'' Mapping and interpretation of lineaments
University of Arizona Press eBooks, Jan 10, 2023
1850s and 1930s filled many of the conduit systems with soil. Over eighty years of soil conservat... more 1850s and 1930s filled many of the conduit systems with soil. Over eighty years of soil conservation efforts have significantly reduced the flux of mobilized soil into the conduits. Those conduits are currently flushing much of those stored soils out of their spring outlets. Finally, the increased frequency and intensity of major storm events is reactivating conduit segments that have been clogged and inactive for millions of years. The karst solution voids into which the lagoons collapsed have formed over 480 million years. The recognition and mapping of this major karst zone will allow much more accurate karst hazard maps to be constructed and used in sustainable resource management decisions.
Abstracts with programs, 2021
Abstracts with programs, 2021
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 1986
Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Mar 1, 1973
We report stepwise heating experiments 'on unirradiated and pile-irradiated samples of 14318. Xen... more We report stepwise heating experiments 'on unirradiated and pile-irradiated samples of 14318. Xenon in the unirradiated sample is a nearly homogeneous mixture of fission, spallation, and trapped components, all of which have nearly the same thermal release patterns, peaking strongly at 1200 C. Nevertheless the fission component is slightly enriched relative to the trapped component at low temperatures while the spallation component is slightly enriched at high temperatures. This small separation permits calclllation of the isotopic composition of the fission component; the isotopic compositions of the trapped and spallation component need not be known provided they are homogeneous. The analysis employs a new, three-dimensional, least-squares technique(1). If a particular trapped component, SUCOR(2), is assumed, the definition of the fission component is improved. The "rich component subtraction method" previously employed on 14301(3) yields similar results, as shown in Table 1:
Abstracts with programs, 2020
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Papers by Calvin Alexander