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A Comparison of Learning: Integration of a Virtual and Traditional Field Trip into an Introductory Environmental Geology Course: Author: Cantwell, Laurie Beth; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Field trips are a common component of geoscience courses. However, time and budget constraints, increased safety considerations and large class size have become common obstacles to teaching in the field. Technology has provided an attractive alternative through the virtual field trip. While there is a wealth of virtual field trips available on the internet, it is unclear how students learn on a virtual field trip and how those trips are best incorporated in Earth Science curriculum. The goals of this study are to establish the learning goals addressed by virtual field trips, determine if virtu...; Download File | View full details

Creating the Old and New Wests: Landscape and Identity in Anaconda and Hamilton, Montana: Author: Bryson, Jeremy Glen; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: This research employs case studies of Anaconda and Hamilton, Montana to explore the creation of the Old and New Wests. For nearly a century, Anaconda functioned as a copper smelting city. However, since the smelter closed the community has witnessed withering population losses, economic contraction, and investment withdrawal. Alternatively, Hamilton has a long history of recreational and leisure amenity investment. Recently, Hamilton's rapid population growth, economic expansion and considerable investment have transformed the community. This research seeks to understand and interpret the chan...; Download File | View full details

The Emerging Hispanic Homeland of the Pacific Northwest: A Case Study of Yakima Valley, Washington: Author: Darian, Laurie; Date: 2006-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: The transition of spaces and places by the increasing number of Hispanics in the United States is a topic of growing importance in cultural geography. The degree to which Hispanics integrate, or assimilate, into Anglo culture plays a vital role in such transformations. This research examines the different avenues of Hispanic assimilation and non-assimilation in the Lower Yakima Valley in Washington State. These avenues consist of economic, structural, cultural, and spatial assimilation, as well as the Hispanic representation in the cultural landscape. Fieldwork in the Valley, combined with cen...; Download File | View full details

Extent and Timing of Laurentide Glacial Lake Musselshell, Central Montana: Author: Davis, Nicole Kristina; Date: 2004-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Glacial Lake Musselshell is the middle link in a chain of lakes that formed along the Pleistocene Laurentide ice margin in central Montana. It was first recognized because scores of glacially-transported boulders from the Canadian Shield are found in the Musselshell River basin, yet there is no evidence that the Laurentide ice sheet advanced that far south. For a century, the ice-rafted boulders remained the only physical evidence associated with the lake. No other features typical of other large, ephemeral lakes - varved lacustrine sediment, inflow deltas, or lake shorelines - had been identi...; Download File | View full details

Geographic Knowledge Discovery Techniques for Exploring Historical Weather and Avalanche Data: Author: McCollister, Christopher Michael; Date: 2004-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Many ski areas, backcountry avalanche centers, highway departments, and helicopter ski operations record and archive daily weather and avalanche data. The objective of this thesis is to present probabilistic techniques that allow avalanche forecasters to better utilize weather and avalanche data by incorporating a Geographic Information System with a modified meteorological nearest neighbors approach. This nearest neighbor approach utilizes evolving concepts related to visualizing geographic information stored in large databases. The resulting interactive database tool, Geographic Weather and ...; Download File | View full details

Graph-Theoretic Modeling of Functional Habitat Connectivity for Lynx on the Okanogan Highlands, Northern Washington: Author: Jones, Aaron Paul; Date: 2004-12-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Maintenance of habitat connectivity over various geographic scales is a conservation imperative for the long-term persistence of many species. Functional linkages for a given focal species may not be readily apparent or spatially coincident with explicit structural patterns in a landscape. In species-level habitat connectivity modeling, therefore, techniques derived from empirical data are needed to sustain a species-centric perspective on landscape mosaics. This study demonstrates an empirically-based, combined Bayesian and graph-theoretic approach to modeling functional habitat connectivity....; Download File | View full details

Habitat-Based Species-Specific Spatial Prediction: Geographical Distribution of Spiranthes diluvialis: Author: Pidgeon, Leo Edward; Date: 2005-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Influenced by the spirit of the American conservation tradition, federal and state land management agencies are mandated to protect threatened plant species. Field surveys conducted by the Montana Natural Heritage Program indicated the presence of a rare orchid, Spiranthes diluvialis, in southwest Montana wetlands. A study of state-managed wetlands conducted at Missouri Headwaters State Park was requested to determine existing suitable species habitats, to identify species populations, and to develop a conservation management strategy based on habitat evaluation. The objective of this project ...; Download File | View full details

The Influence of Riparian-Canopy Structure and Coverage on the Breeding Distribution of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher: Author: Brodhead, Katherine May; Date: 2005-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: There is a long history of relating bird species diversity and distributions to heterogeneity in foliage structure as seen from within the habitat and measured from the ground up. There is also an overwhelming contribution in the literature promoting and justifying a broad-scale approach to characterizing spatial patterns, especially for the purpose of relating to, and predicting, species distributions. This study draws from the relationship between birds and habitat structure but assesses heterogeneity in structure from a broader perspective. For this analysis, I compared the spatial distribu...; Download File | View full details

March Wet Avalanche Prediction at Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Montana: Author: Romig, Jeannette M.; Date: 2004-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Wet avalanches are a safety concern for all ski areas because they are difficult to control artificially and the shift from safe to dangerous wet snow conditions can happen very quickly. Forecasting for wet avalanche conditions in intermountain ski areas, such as Bridger Bowl, Montana, can be especially difficult because intermountain snow climates can exhibit wet avalanche characteristics of either maritime or continental snow climates. Various statistical models have been developed for avalanche prediction; however, most are tailored specifically for dry avalanche forecasting. Archived meteo...; Download File | View full details

Physiographic Components of Trail Erosion: Author: Godwin, Ian Chandler Paterson; Date: 2000-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: No previous study has sought to discriminate between soil erosion and soil compaction when explaining the "missing" cross-sectional areas of incised trails, assuming instead that erosion was the dominant process. Separating the two processes of erosion and compaction is critical to understanding the relationship between physiographic variables and the structure of trails. The purposes of this project are to estimate the relative effects of compaction and erosion on trail cross sectional area along the New World Gulch Trail, Montana, and to better understand the relationship between e...; Download File | View full details

The Quaternary History of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet Fringe: Ashley Lake Area, Montana: Author: Capps, Denny Lane; Date: 2004-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: The Quaternary glacial history of the Ashley Lake area, approximately 20 km west of Kalispell, MT, was deciphered using classic techniques of glacial geology. Unlike the Laurentide Ice Sheet, the multiple advances of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet have not been well defined. Ashley Lake nestles within the central Salish Mountains, an area interpreted by some previous workers (e.g., Alden, 1953; Richmond, 1986; cf. Waitt and Thorson, 1983) as surrounded by, but not covered by the fringes of the lastglacial Cordilleran Ice Sheet. This study attempts to establish a foundation for the Quaternary histor...; Download File | View full details

Sequence Stratigraphic Analysis of the Fox Hills and Hell Creek Formations (Maastrichtian), Eastern Montana and its Relationship to Dinosaur Paleontology: Author: Flight, Jennifer Noel; Date: 2004-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: The Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation near the Fort Peck Reservoir, eastern Montana, has received significant investigation due to the large variety and exceptional preservation of included fossil material. Workers have focused mainly on taphonomic and paleontologic issues, but lack of a stratigraphic framework within which to place fossil finds in order to address questions of evolution, population diversity, and paleoecology. This study uses sequence stratigraphy to correlate within the Fox Hills and Hell Creek Formations such that paleontologic data can be interpreted in relation to a s...; Download File | View full details

Temporal Changes in the Spatial Patterns of Weak Layer Shear Strength and Stability on Uniform Slopes: Author: Logan, Spencer Carl; Date: 2005-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Avalanche forecasting involves the prediction of spatial and temporal variability of the stability of the snowpack. Greater spatial variability increases the uncertainty of forecasts and reduces the ability of a forecaster to extrapolate snowpack stability reliably. A greater understanding of the spatial patterns of stability, and how they change through time, could improve avalanche forecasting. I examined temporal changes in shear strength and stability of three persistent weak layers at three different sites. Sites were located on uniform slopes to minimize factors that introduce variabilit...; Download File | View full details

Sedimentology and Geomorphology of Quaternary Alluvial Fans with Implications to Growth Strata, Lost River Range, Idaho: Author: Patterson, Scott Joseph; Date: 2006-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Small-radius (<2 km), steep (8-17°), Holocene debris flow dominant alluvial fans are depositing on top of large-radius (~5 km), shallow (2-3°) inactive Pleistocene sheetflood dominant alluvial fans along the western flank of the Lost River Range, Idaho. Channel ways, with and without backfilling, have developed within the large sheetflood dominant alluvial fans. The sheetflood dominant alluvial fans are being dissected. Three wedge shaped gravel packages were identified by field mapping and measured sections in four alluvial fans along the active extensional Lost River...; Download File | View full details

Comparative Taphonomy and Paleoecological Reconstruction of Two Microvertebrate Accumulations from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Hell Creek Formation, Eastern Montana: Author: Wilson, Laura Elizabeth; Date: 2006-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Although microvertebrate accumulations are commonly used for paleoecological reconstructions, the taphonomic processes affecting the final taxonomic composition of an accumulation are often ignored. To explore the correlation between taphonomic processes and taxonomic structure, one floodplain and one channel-lag deposit from the Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation were compared. Specimens were quarried to collect high-resolution vertical and horizontal distribution data. Distribution of skeletal elements with specific physical attributes and relative abundance of taxa are shown to correlate wi...; Download File | View full details

Pleasure Ground for the Future: The Evolving Cultural Landscape of Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park 1870-1966: Author: Youngs, Yolonda Lucille; Date: 2004-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Yellowstone Lake is located in the protected federal lands of Yellowstone National Park. This park is situated in the Rocky Mountains and its boundaries reach into the tri-state areas of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. While many researchers have investigated the history and geography of Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Lake has been largely ignored as a topic of research. In order to reconstruct the evolution of Yellowstone Lake as a cultural landscape, this study focuses on Yellowstone Lake temporally and spatially as an important and central area of Yellowstone National Park. This study ...; Download File | View full details

Prioritizing Private Land For Conservation Easement Riparian Corridor Conservation Along The West Gallatin River: Author: Holscher, Erik Edward; Date: 2005-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Several studies have been done that utilize a Geographic Information System GIS) to analyze and rank riparian habitat for conservation potential based on natural resource data. There is also a growing body of literature that describes the importance of landowner surveys when planning land management strategies. The objective of this study is to combine both of these techniques to create an integrated approach for conservation and planning efforts with emphasis on riparian zones. Publicly available GIS data was used to map existing natural resource data for the Gallatin River riparian corridor ...; Download File | View full details

Geochemical evidence for microbially mediated subglacial mineral weathering: Author: Montross, Scott Norman; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Interactions between dilute meltwater and fine-grained, freshly comminuted debris at the bed of temperate glaciers liberate significant solute. The proportions of solute produced in the subglacial environment via biotic and abiotic processes remains unknown, however, this work suggests the biotic contribution is substantial. Laboratory analyses of microbiological and geochemical properties of sediment and meltwater from the Haut Glacier d'Arolla (HGA) indicates that a metabolically active microbial community exists in water-saturated sediments at the ice-bedrock interface. Basal sediment slur...; Download File | View full details

Titanosaur Reproductive Biology: Comparison of the Auca Mahuevo Titanosaur Nesting Locality (Argentina), to the Pinyes Megaloolithus Nesting Locality (Spain): Author: Jackson, Frances Drew; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Taphonomic and microstructural studies at the Late Cretaceous Auca Mahuevo titanosaur nesting site (Argentina) reveal significant differences in reproductive attributes compared to alleged sauropods producing Megaloolithus eggs at the Pinyes locality (Spain). Auca Mahuevo clutches contain 15-40 M. patagonicus eggs; many of the 12-14 cm eggs contain titanosaur remains. Six clutches include both normal and abnormal eggs exhibiting three types of abnormal morphology: Type I displays two normal, superimposed eggshells, while Type II and III exhibit a normal inner eggshell, with one and three overl...; Download File | View full details

Application of sequence stratigraphy to the nonmarine upper cretaceous Two Medicine formation, Willow Creek anticline, northwestern Montana: Author: Shelton, Jessica Anne; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: The purpose of this research is to create a sequence stratigraphic framework for the Upper Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation exposed on the Willow Creek anticline along the western flank of the Sweetgrass Arch in Montana. The framework developed at this site was then correlated to the framework developed at the type section of the Two Medicine Formation located near Cut Bank, Montana. This research is significant because: 1) it provides a chronostratigraphically-significant framework within which Egg Mountain dinosaur nesting sites can be correlated, providing an important contribution to pale...; Download File | View full details

Oral pathology of the Archosauria: Bony abnormalities and phylogenetic inference: Author: Wolff, Ewan Douglas Stephens; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: As a reaction to comparative paleopathology, which homologizes human and dinosaur disease, this project proposed that a broad-scale survey of oral pathology in archosaurs would reveal unique relationships in disease. The approach that was created to pursue this study was termed zoological paleopathology. The justification of this approach lies in the differences between the immune and inflammatory response in mammals and archosaurs. This response governs disease progression within the body and the morphology of many lesions. 2,443 skulls and heads were examined for abnormalities from specimen...; Download File | View full details

Fire and Vegetation History of the Last 2000 Years in Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: Author: Jacobs, Karen Marie; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Fire is an important natural disturbance in the western U.S., and information on how fire occurrence has varied in the past is critical to understanding modern ecosystem processes and their link to climate change. Long-term fire and vegetation histories are obtained from charcoal and pollen records preserved in lake sediments. Most charcoal-based fire-history studies have been conducted in middle- and high-elevation forest ecosystems, where glacial and other natural lakes are abundant. We have almost no information on the long-term fire history of low-elevation forest and steppe. The last 2000...; Download File | View full details

Design and Learning Outcomes of Web-Based Instructional Resources Focused on the Impacts of Resource Development on Native American Lands: Author: Klauk, Erin Elizabeth; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: This study explored the use of web-based learning by introductory Earth science students (n = 269) to develop an understanding of how students learn in this environment. This was done in two stages. First, the design, development and testing of an online teaching resource about the impacts of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation (http://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/nativelands/navajo/index.html) was done using best practices in web design and a series of usability studies. Seco...; Download File | View full details

Wet Loose Snow Avalanching in Southwestern Montana: Author: Trautman, Simon August; Date: 2007-05-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: Wet loose snow avalanches are a significant hazard within many ski areas. Wet snow stability changes dramatically over short time periods which typically coincide with operating hours, and few quantitative tools exist for avalanche workers attempting to predict the onset of wet snow avalanching. Field work was conducted at two study sites in southwestern Montana during the springs of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. The study is composed of three separate experiments. The first documents stratigraphic boundary conditions present during periods of wet loose instability. Results show that melt-water ...; Download File | View full details

Campsite Impacts and the Limits of Acceptable Change Planning Progress: A Case Study of the Jedediah Smith Wilderness: Author: Grossenburg, Chad G.; Date: 2007-08-15; Program: Earth Sciences; Abstract: The Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) planning process is a means by which planners attempt to preserve naturalness while facilitating public use in federally designated wilderness areas. The biophysical condition of campsites is often used as one indicator of naturalness in LAC plans. Despite the emergence of scientific methods to monitor campsites, campsite standards often neglect to reflect the findings of this science. The LAC process was used in Wyoming's Jedediah Smith Wilderness, which is situated east of fast growing Teton County, Idaho and west of popular Grand Teton National Park. T...; Download File | View full details

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