SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Results for “basins”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
The Dual Role of Snowfall in Impacting Surface Albedo and Spring Snowmelt in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Multispectral remote sensing as stratigraphic and structural tool, Wind River Basin and Big Horn Basin areas, Wyoming
The use of Landsat TM, Airborne Imaging Spectrometer, and airborne Thermal IR Multispectral Scanner data in the geological evaluation of two sites in central Wyoming is described and illustrated with diagrams, maps, photographs, sample images, and tables of numerical data. The value of the remotely sensed information on the areal variation of attitude, sequence, thickness, and lithology of exposed strata is demonstrated; details of the data analysis are given; and the specialized software packages employed are briefly characterized.
Spectral reflectance characterization (0.4 to 2.5 and 8.0 to 12.0 microns) of phanerozoic strata, Wind River basin and southern Bighorn basin areas, Wyoming
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Powder River Basin Water Resources: Mapping Russian Olive in the Powder River Basin to Inform Invasive Species Management
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Aconcagua Basin Agriculture: Analyzing Hydrological Norms, Soil Moisture, Evapotranspiration, and Vegetation Indices to Assess Crop Yields and Water Usage in the Aconcagua Basin of Central Chile During Megadrought Conditions
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Platte River Basin Water Resources II: Predicting Land Cover Change in the Platte River Basin to Select Wetland Protection Sites Vulnerable to Urban Encroachment
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Developing Land Use Land Cover Maps for the Lower Mekong Basin to Aid Hydrologic Modeling and Basin Planning
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Basin Crustal Structure at the Multiring Basin Transition
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Preliminary Study of Potential Utilization of Triassic Rift Basins for Long-Term Carbon Sequestration
Triassic rift basins of the eastern United States present a potential option for long–term carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration. Exposed and buried basins are located near large point CO 2 sources. Because of their similar origins, comparable fill successions indicate a level of reproducibility that can be conveyed between basins. The thick rock successions of the exposed Culpeper and Gettysburg basins served as proxies for understanding of the basin sequences. Their study allowed recognition of five mappable assemblages of rock types, herein termed lithofacies associations. These lithofacies associations were formed by alluvial fan, braided and meandering streams and marginal and distal lake depositional processes.Stratigraphic architecture of the lithofacies associations within exposed basins suggests a vertical succession that consists of an initial coarse-grained fluvial succession that is progressively replaced upward and basinward by finer grained lacustrine deposits. Along the faulted margins of the basins alluvial fans transitioning to fluvial delta deposits reflect lateral progradation and contemporaneous lateral components of the basin filling.To test the model devised in exposed basins, facies associations were developed for the buried Taylorsville Basin. This basin preserves over 8,000 feet of Triassic rocks that are concealed beneath more than 2,000 feet of Cretaceous and Tertiary Coastal Plain sediments. Composition and stratigraphic architecture of these rocks are similar to those observed in exposed basins. Infilling of the basin was the result of vertical aggradation and lateral progradation of coarse-grained to fine-grained facies. Based upon study of outcrops in the Culpeper and Gettysburg basins, groups of recurring lithologic facies were identified as the fundamental constructs of the basin’s sediment infilling. These groups of facies, termed lithofacies associations, represent an amalgamation of lithologic components from broadly similar depositional systems. These lithologic associations were then extrapolated into the exposed and buried portions of the Taylorsville basins. This effort determined that Triassic rift basins provide several avenues for potential study of geologic sequestration of carbon. The characteristic rift basin succession in the basins presents possible reservoir targets within the marginal fluvial deposits. Furthermore, intrusive and extrusive mafic bodies present a potential source of fracture porosity that could serve as CO 2 reservoirs. Porosity values from thin section analysis of exposed basin samples are higher in alluvial fan and braided fluvial lithofacies. Porosity is highest in samples that show less compaction, due to a lack of ductile lithic fragments and/or higher stratigraphic position. Log data from the Taylorsville Basin indicates that porosity and permeability values in basin marginal fluvial strata are elevated. Near the center of the basin, porosity and permeability values are greatly reduced, primarily owing to the fine-grained character of the lacustrine deposits. Some Triassic basins also contain thick intervals of concordant extrusive and intrusive mafic igneous rocks. These igneous bodies are potential CO 2 reservoirs for several reasons. Firstly, extrusive lava flows provide potential storage in the layers of primary porosity that occur in the vesicules formed at the top of lava flows. Secondly, both lava flows and subsurface igneous sills exhibit extensive fracture porosity produced by the rapid cooling of the flows and intrusions. Thirdly, these igneous rocks are mafic in composition, and studies have shown that iron- and magnesium-rich mafic rocks provide sequestration opportunities through carbonate remineralization. Lastly, extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks are invariably preserved within fine-grained lake deposits. These lacustrine sediments can serve as a fine-grained confining layer that encases the igneous rocks both above and below.
Ma'adim Vallis Estuarine Delta in Elysium Basin and Its Relevance as a Landing Site for Exobiology Exploration on Mars
The debouche of Ma'adim Vallis in the Elysium Basin generated a transitional transported sediment structure, which planimetric shape is controlled by the enclosing topography of a deep reentrant gulf of the Basin into the highland. We defined it as an estuarine delta. The location and the importance of this estuarine delta is supported by the theoretical model of graded profile constructed for Ma'adim Vallis, and by two approaches: (i) the reconstruction of Ma'adim Vallis downstream course from Gusev to Elysium Basin, and (ii) the survey of the sediment deposit in the alleged estuary. The longitudinal graded profile of Ma'adim Vallis finds its base-level in the Elysium Basin, at a about 1000 m elevation, which is in agreement with the observed Basin shoreline. This model is supported by observational evidence of flow between the northern rim of Gusev crater, and the Elysium Basin shoreline. This downstream course of Ma'adim Vallis can be divided into three hydrogeologic regions. into three hydrogeologic regions. (a) The first region is a flooded plain (Zephiria Mensae), consisting in chaotic terrain formed by highland rocks, and disintegrated lava of the western flank of Apollinaris. Morphologic indicators of the flood process are: (1) the sediment deposit over the Gusev crater northern rim that reflects the overspilling of the crater-lake water through a 40-km wide gap provided by an ancient impact crater, (2) the tear-drop shaped feature on the northeastern flank of Apollinaris Patera, and (3) the chaotic terrain that suggest the emergence of ground water generated by the seepage of the crater lake through high-permeable broken rampart material. This underground water circulation sustained by the hydrostatic pressure of the crater-lake has likely generated a hydrothermal system in the volcanic environment of Apollinaris Patera. The stratigraphy of the flooded area is identified as Hesperian age, with occurrences of Noachian hilly individual features, and as Amazonian flooded plain and chaotic material, (b) The second region is located on the western flank of Apollinaris Patera. It is surrounded by relics of deep valleys that suggest a former downstream course of Ma'adim Vallis. The geologic setting of this region (Lucus Planum) is interpreted to be an Amazonian formation composed by the middle and lower members of the Medusae Formation., c) The third region corresponds to the convergence of the west and east branches of Ma'adirn Vallis into a deep re-entrant wide gulf that penetrates about 100 km into the highland. This topographic depression is delineated by the 1000 in elevation contour. This gulf has formed an estuarine configuration centered at 3S/190W within the Elysium Basin. This configuration has favored the formation of a estuarine sedimentary delta, because of topographically controlled lateral migration. This estuarine structure is strongly dominated by the incoming supply of Ma'adim Vallis fluvial sediment extracted from Zephiria Mensae and Lucus Planum. The obtuse-angle geometry of the estuary increases the sedimentation rate, which is higher than in the course of the channel. The sediment deposition process is governed by the estuarine water circulation. The inflowing loaded fluvial water enters the estuary as a bottom current, and mixes with the relatively less-loaded water of the receiving basin. When they mixed. the inflowing fluvial material, and the landward basin circulating water generate an accumulation of highly-diversified estuarine deposit stratification. This accumulation of material is mostly centered in the transitional zone of the delta. The sediment trapping efficiency of the estuary is function of the energy balance between the inflowing fluvial water, and the ingoing basin current. The submergence of the delta by the rising of the water-level increases the estuary water-depth, and consequently the sediment entrapment is favored. The locus of sediment accumulation moves landward in the zone of inflowing fluvial water. This results in the rising of the channel base-level, thus in the increase of the length of the longitudinal graded-profile. The sediment deposit facies of the zone A shows a generally smooth surface. The longitudinal deposit is bordered by alluvial terraces that reflect the variations of the channel level. The waning of the Elysium Basin caused the erosion of the Basin estuarine zone by small channels, this episode being characterized by dissected tear-drop shaped mesa-like morphologies in the delta. Our estuarine delta model predicts a lithostratigraphic depositional sequence associated with the water submergence and the transgression of Elysium Basin. The thickness of the estuarine sediment corresponds to the Elysium Basin levels changes relatively to the bed floor of the estuary, The depositional sequence of Ma'adim Vallis are described: (1) a pro-current filled region (A), where fluvial are longitudinally accumulated by the inflowing water, (2) inverse current from Elysium Basin (B), where fluvial and lacustrine sediments are accumulated, and (3) zone of current equilibrium (C), where the sediments are distributed as a shoreline at the boundary of the estuarine delta. The estuary sedimentology dynamics collects and keeps the record of the geologic unit material crossed by Ma'adim Vallis, and those of the lakebed deposit of Elysium Basin. The predicted mixed stratigraphic sequence from fluvial and lacustrine sediment makes this site an exceptional environment to concentrate potential multi-origin biologic records. We envision four possible strategies to explore this sedimentologic record: (1) longitudinal surface and subsurface traverses in region A to investigate outcrop levees, (2) exploration of the mesa walls in region B, (3) deep drilling hole lodging of the sequential deposits in the zones A and B, and (4) surface and subsurface exploration of the shoreline delta. The expected results for each of these strategies are: (1) in the deepest layers of region A are predicted frequent and abundant coarse material, sandy lenses lamination grading downward from sand to cobbles. Volcanic debris from the Noachian crustal Plateau unit material, hydrothermal altered rocks, carbonates, Hesperian and possibly Amazonian volcanic material, from Apollinaris Patera, altered rocks and carbonates from Zephiria Mensae are expected. As a favorable environment for inception of life, possible biological records are expected in transported rock, (2) At the surface, and subsurface (<=100 m), large deposits sandy to silted material from Elysium paleolake basin mixed with fine-grained sediments from Ma'adim Vallis are expected mostly in the upstream part of region B, (3) on the shoreline of the estuarine delta, abundant fine material from Elysium paleolake basin (evaporites, carbonates), mostly Amazonian in age are expected. The Ma'adini estuary is a favorable landing site for all the above mentioned science aspects, and .for its location. The site lies near the equator, which is favorable for the rover solar power supply, and at 1000m elevation, which is a favorable configuration for the descent system braking. Another advantage is the extent of the area of high scientific interest (33,000 sq km), which provides a good ellipse, and potential long study traverses.
The Transition from Complex Crater to Peak-Ring Basin on the Moon: New Observations from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) Instrument
Impact craters on planetary bodies transition with increasing size from simple, to complex, to peak-ring basins and finally to multi-ring basins. Important to understanding the relationship between complex craters with central peaks and multi-ring basins is the analysis of protobasins (exhibiting a rim crest and interior ring plus a central peak) and peak-ring basins (exhibiting a rim crest and an interior ring). New data have permitted improved portrayal and classification of these transitional features on the Moon. We used new 128 pixel/degree gridded topographic data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) instrument onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, combined with image mosaics, to conduct a survey of craters >50 km in diameter on the Moon and to update the existing catalogs of lunar peak-ring basins and protobasins. Our updated catalog includes 17 peak-ring basins (rim-crest diameters range from 207 km to 582 km, geometric mean = 343 km) and 3 protobasins (137-170 km, geometric mean = 157 km). Several basins inferred to be multi-ring basins in prior studies (Apollo, Moscoviense, Grimaldi, Freundlich-Sharonov, Coulomb-Sarton, and Korolev) are now classified as peak-ring basins due to their similarities with lunar peak-ring basin morphologies and absence of definitive topographic ring structures greater than two in number. We also include in our catalog 23 craters exhibiting small ring-like clusters of peaks (50-205 km, geometric mean = 81 km); one (Humboldt) exhibits a rim-crest diameter and an interior morphology that may be uniquely transitional to the process of forming peak rings. Comparisons of the predictions of models for the formation of peak-ring basins with the characteristics of the new basin catalog for the Moon suggest that formation and modification of an interior melt cavity and nonlinear scaling of impact melt volume with crater diameter provide important controls on the development of peak rings. In particular, a power-law model of growth of an interior melt cavity with increasing crater diameter is consistent with power-law fits to the peak-ring basin data for the Moon and Mercury. We suggest that the relationship between the depth of melting and depth of the transient cavity offers a plausible control on the onset diameter and subsequent development of peak-ring basins and also multi-ring basins, which is consistent with both planetary gravitational acceleration and mean impact velocity being important in determining the onset of basin morphological forms on the terrestrial planets.
Lunar impact basins: New data for the nearside northern high latitudes and eastern limb from the second Galileo flyby
During the December 1992 Galileo Earth/Moon encounter the northern half of the nearside, the eastern limb, and parts of the western farside of the Moon were illuminated and in view, a geometry that was complementary to the first lunar encounter in December, 1990, which obtained images of the western limb and eastern farside. The Galileo Solid State Imaging System (SSI) obtained multispectral images for these regions during the second encounter and color ratio composite images were compiled using combinations of band ratios chosen on the basis of telescopic spectra and laboratory spectra of lunar samples. Ratios of images taken at 0.41 and 0.76 micron are sensitive to changes in the slope in the visible portion of the spectrum, and ratios of 0.99 and 0.76 micron relate to the strength of near-infrared absorptions due to iron-rich mafic minerals (0.76/0.99 ratio) such as olivine and pyroxene. Results of the analyses of the compositional diversity of the crust, maria, and Copernican craters are presented elsewhere. Primary objectives for lunar basin analysis for the second encounter include analysis of: the north polar region and the Humboldtianum basin; the characteristics of the Imbrium basin along its northern border and the symmetry of associated deposits; the origin of light plains north of Mare Frigoris and associated with several other basins; the nature and significance of pre-basin substrate; the utilization of the stereo capability to assess subtle basis structure; the identification of previously unrecognized ancient basins; basin deposits and structure for limb and farside basins; and assessment of evidence for proposed ancient basins. These data and results will be applied to addressing general problems of evaluation of the nature and origin of basin deposits, investigation of mode of ejecta emplacement and ejecta mixing, analysis of the origin of light plains deposits, analysis of basin deposit symmetry/asymmetry, investigation of basin depth of excavation and crustal stratigraphy, and assessment of models for basin formation and evolution. Here we discuss some preliminary results concerning lunar impact basins, their deposits, and prebasin substrates, using the same approaches that we employed for the Orientale and South Pole-Aitken basins using the data from the first encounter.
Morphology and Distribution of Volcanic Vents in the Orientale Basin from Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) Data
One of the most fundamental questions in the geological and thermal evolution of the Moon is the nature and history of mantle melting and its relationship to the formation and evolution of lunar multi-ringed basins. Mare volcanic deposits provide evidence for the nature, magnitude and composition of mantle melting as a function of space and time [1]. Many argue that mantle partial melts are derived from depths well below the influence of multiringed basin impact events [1], while others postulate that the formation of these basins can cause mantle perturbations that are more directly linked to the generation ascent and eruption of mare basalts [2,3]. In any case, longer-term basin evolution will considerably influence the state and orientation of stress in the lithosphere, and the location of mare volcanic vents in basins as a function of time [4]. Thus, the location, nature and ages of volcanic vents and deposits in relation to multi-ringed impact basins provides evidence for the role that these basins played in the generation of volcanism or in the influence of the basins on surface volcanic eruption and deposit concentration. Unfortunately, most lunar multi-ringed impact basins have been eroded by impacts or filled with lunar mare deposits [5-8], with estimates of the thickness of mare fill extending up to more than six km in the central part of some basins [9-11]. The interior of most basins (e.g., Crisium, Serenitatis, Imbrium, Humorum) are almost completely covered and obscured. Although much is known about the lava filling of multi-ringed basins, and particularly the most recent deposits [5-8], little is known about initial stages of mare volcanism and its relationship to the impact event. One multi-ringed basin, Orientale, offers substantial clues to the relationships of basin interiors and mare basalt volcanism.
MERIT-Plus Dataset: Delineation of endorheic basins in 5 and 15 min upscaled river networks
Endorheic drainage basins, those inland basins not connected directly to ocean, are essential for hydrological modeling of global and regional water balances, land surface water storage, gravity anomalies, sea level rise, etc. Within many hydrological model frameworks, river basins are defined by digital river networks through their flow direction and connectivity datasets. Here we present an improvement to gridded flow direction data and its derivatives produced from upscaled global 5 and 15 arc minute MERIT networks. We explicitly label endorheic and exorheic drainage basins and alter the delineation of endorheic basins by merging small inland watersheds to the adjacent host basins. The resulting datasets have a significantly reduced number of endorheic basins while preserving the total land portion of those basins since most of the merged catchments were inside other larger endorheic areas. We developed and present here the endorheic basin delineation method. This method performs an analysis of the contributing river and basin geometry relative to the location of the flow end point (i.e. potential endorheic lake), proximity of the latter to the drainage basin boundary and the elevation difference between the basin's lowest point and potential spillover location at the basin boundary. The new digital river network was validated using the University of New Hampshire Water Balance Model by comparing the water balance of endorheic inland depressions with modeled accumulation of water in their inland lakes based on the observed historical climate drivers used by WBM.
MERIT-Plus Dataset: Delineation of endorheic basins in 5 and 15 min upscaled river networks
Endorheic drainage basins, those inland basins not connected directly to ocean, are essential for hydrological modeling of global and regional water balances, land surface water storage, gravity anomalies, sea level rise, etc. Within many hydrological model frameworks, river basins are defined by digital river networks through their flow direction and connectivity datasets. Here we present an improvement to gridded flow direction data and its derivatives produced from upscaled global 5 and 15 arc minute MERIT networks. We explicitly label endorheic and exorheic drainage basins and alter the delineation of endorheic basins by merging small inland watersheds to the adjacent host basins. The resulting datasets have a significantly reduced number of endorheic basins while preserving the total land portion of those basins since most of the merged catchments were inside other larger endorheic areas. We developed and present here the endorheic basin delineation method. This method performs an analysis of the contributing river and basin geometry relative to the location of the flow end point (i.e. potential endorheic lake), proximity of the latter to the drainage basin boundary and the elevation difference between the basin's lowest point and potential spillover location at the basin boundary. The new digital river network was validated using the University of New Hampshire Water Balance Model by comparing the water balance of endorheic inland depressions with modeled accumulation of water in their inland lakes based on the observed historical climate drivers used by WBM.
MERIT-Plus Dataset: Delineation of endorheic basins in 5 and 15 min upscaled river networks
Endorheic drainage basins, those inland basins not connected directly to ocean, are essential for hydrological modeling of global and regional water balances, land surface water storage, gravity anomalies, sea level rise, etc. Within many hydrological model frameworks, river basins are defined by digital river networks through their flow direction and connectivity datasets. Here we present an improvement to gridded flow direction data and its derivatives produced from upscaled global 5 and 15 arc minute MERIT networks. We explicitly label endorheic and exorheic drainage basins and alter the delineation of endorheic basins by merging small inland watersheds to the adjacent host basins. The resulting datasets have a significantly reduced number of endorheic basins while preserving the total land portion of those basins since most of the merged catchments were inside other larger endorheic areas. We developed and present here the endorheic basin delineation method. This method performs an analysis of the contributing river and basin geometry relative to the location of the flow end point (i.e. potential endorheic lake), proximity of the latter to the drainage basin boundary and the elevation difference between the basin's lowest point and potential spillover location at the basin boundary. The new digital river network was validated using the University of New Hampshire Water Balance Model by comparing the water balance of endorheic inland depressions with modeled accumulation of water in their inland lakes based on the observed historical climate drivers used by WBM.