This collection includes theses, dissertations, and professional papers from the University of Montana Department of Geosciences. Theses, dissertations, and professional papers from all University of Montana departments and programs may be searched here.
Theses/Dissertations from 2023
Investigating Elastic Deformation Induced by Surface Loads on Planetary Bodies, Ashlesha Khatiwada, Hilary Martens, and Donald F. Argus
Climatological, Hydrological, and Economic Analysis of Agriculture in Montana and the Western U.S.A., Zachary H. Lauffenburger
Evaluating the Use of Environmental Tracers to Reduce Conceptual Model Uncertainty of Hydrogeologic Models, Andrew Nordberg, Jon Graham, and W. Payton Gardner
Evaluating the Sensitivity of Crustal Deformation to Bedrock Hydrology in a Mountain Watershed, Brett J. Oliver
Theses/Dissertations from 2022
Development of regional landslide susceptibility models: a first step towards model transferability, Gina M. Belair
Hydrogeomorphic Response of Steep Streams following Severe Wildfire in the Western Cascades, Oregon, David Matthew Busby
1-D Crustal Seismic Velocity Models for West-Central and Western Montana, Courtenay Duzet
Using Multiple Environmental Tracers to Estimate Field-Scale Longitudinal Dispersivity, Casey L. Kleppel
Determining Spatial Controls on Snow Isotopic Signature and Tracing the Snowmelt Pulse as it Moves Through Two Montane Catchments, Jenna K. Rolle
PREDICTING GROUNDWATER FLOW AND TRANSPORT WITH NUMERICAL MODELS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRACERS, Nicholas E. Thiros
Theses/Dissertations from 2021
QUANTIFYING BEDROCK RECHARGE IN TWO PAIRED MOUNTAINOUS WATERSHEDS, Kimberly Bolhuis
Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of cordierite-orthoamphibole gneisses (COG) in the NW Wyoming Province, Brianna K. Crenshaw ms
Linking Seismicity and Time-Variant Loading of the Solid Earth, Mason Perry
Benthic Invertebrate Paleontology of the late Mississippian (Serpukhovian) Bear Gulch Limestone, Central Montana, Amy Elizabeth Singer
Modeling Stromatolite Formation with Diffusion-Limited Aggregation, Laura E. Stevens
Diagenesis of the Lower Permian Wolfcamp Formation, West Texas: Implications for reservoir quality in the Midland basin, Kory John Talcott
Theses/Dissertations from 2020
SEDIMENT DYNAMICS IN THE MAGDALENA RIVER BASIN, COLOMBIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR UNDERSTANDING TROPICAL RIVER PROCESSES AND HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT, Luke H. Fisher
DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF A CATCHMENT SCALE SEDIMENT ROUTING MODEL, Jordan T. Gilbert
Attribution of Soil Surface Temperature Sensitivity to Hydro-climatic Drivers, Sarah Khalid and Marco Maneta
MICROSEISMIC EVIDENCE FOR BOOKSHELF FAULTING IN WESTERN MONTANA, Ellen McGough Smith
Theses/Dissertations from 2019
PROBING EARTH DEFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO LOCALIZED HYDROLOGIC MASS LOADING, SUSITNA RIVER BASIN, ALASKA, Andrew Parker Keene
GEODETIC TIME SERIES AS OBSERVATIONAL CONSTRAINTS ON TECTONIC AND HYDROLOGIC DEFORMATION OF THE SOLID EARTH, Ellen Knappe
Ice Flow Impacts the Firn Structure of Greenland's Percolation Zone, Rosemary C. Leone
Determining the Precambrian Structure and Thermotectonic Evolution of the Central Ruby Range, southwest Montana, Sara Vivienne Stotter
Tectonic Geomorphology of the NE Clark Canyon Reservoir Area, Beaverhead County, Montana, Ian Robinson Thomsen
Influence of Large Wood on Sediment Routing in a Mixed Bedrock-Alluvial Stream, Robin Welling
Theses/Dissertations from 2018
UNDERSTANDING CHANGES TO GLACIER AND ICE SHEET GEOMETRY: THE ROLES OF CLIMATE AND ICE DYNAMICS, Caitlyn Elizabeth Florentine
Estimating groundwater inflow and age characteristics in an alluvial aquifer along the Little Wind River, Wyoming, Derek Goble
FACIES ARCHITECTURE AND CONTROLS ON RESERVOIR BEHAVIOR IN THE TURONIAN WALL CREEK MEMBER OF THE FRONTIER FORMATION, POWDER RIVER BASIN, WYOMING, Nathan M. La Fontaine
Photochemical Cycling of Reactive Oxygen Species in Hydrothermal Systems: Impacts on Biosignature Preservation, Megan A. Mave
COUPLED ECOHYDROLOGY AND PLANT HYDRAULICS MODEL PREDICTS PONDEROSA SEEDLING MORTALITY AND LOWER TREELINE IN THE U.S. NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS, Caelan Simeone
Using multiple environmental tracers to investigate the relative role of soil and deep groundwater in stream water generation for a snow-dominated headwater catchment, Isabellah V. von Trapp
Understanding the food water nexus: Characterizing the impact of climatological anomalies on agrosystems, Patrick M. Wurster Jr.
Theses/Dissertations from 2017
Structural Analysis of a Triangle Zone Culmination, Comb Rock, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Shane S. Fussell
In Situ Measurements and Modeling Used to Constrain Heat Transfer in the Western Greenland Ice Sheet, Benjamin H. Hills
Theses/Dissertations from 2016
SPATIAL SCALING OF CRUSTAL AND LITHOSPHERIC DEFORMATION IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES, Cody W. Bomberger
HazardReady – a geographically based natural hazard education and preparedness web application, Carson C. MacPherson-Krutsky Ms.
TECTONIC ALTERATION OF A MAJOR NEOGENE RIVER DRAINAGE OF THE BASIN AND RANGE, Stuart D. Parker
KINEMATIC CONSTRAINTS ON TECTONICS OF THE NORTHERN BASIN AND RANGE, Dylan Schmeelk
Diagenesis of the Devonian-Mississippian Sappington Formation, southwestern Montana: Implications for petroleum reservoir quality, Clayton Schultz
Theses/Dissertations from 2015
The use of three-dimensional GPS observations for tectonics and hydrology in northeast Africa, Yelebe Birhanu Amere
The influence of pioneer riparian vegetation on river processes from the plant to reach scale, Sharon Verdawn Bywater-Reyes
Sediment routing through channel confluences: Particle tracing in a gravel-bed river headwaters, Kurt Imhoff
Taphonomy of the Chengjiang Biota: Using a combination of sedimentology, geochemistry and experimental taphonomy to determine preservation, Lindsay Ann MacKenzie
The biogeochemistry of elemental sulfur contaminated soils: insights into effective remediation, Michael Ryan McTee
FACIES, ARCHITECTURE, AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE DEVONIAN-MISSISSIPPIAN SAPPINGTON FORMATION, BRIDGER RANGE, MONTANA, Anna S. Phelps
Flood duration and chute cutoff formation in a wandering gravel-bed river, April M. Sawyer
Pressure-Temperature-Time Constraints on Metamorphism, Anatexis, Magmatism & Exhumation in the Priest River Complex, Northern Idaho, and Comparison with Geodynamic Models, Liane Marie Stevens
TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF BASAL WATER PRESSURE AND ICE VELOCITY ALONG A 50 KM FLOW LINE TRANSECT OF WESTERN GREENLAND, Patrick Wright
Theses/Dissertations from 2014
The sequence stratigraphy of tectonically influenced Upper Santonian to Lower Campanian strata: the Telegraph Creek and Eagle Formations in south‐central Montana, Alexander Bradford Brekke
Downstream spatial and temporal response to dam removal, White Salmon River, WA, Erika J. Colaiacomo
Ice-water dynamics over a land-terminating sector of western Greenland, Toby Meierbachtol
Metamorphic Evolution of Precambrian Rocks in the Southern Highland Mountains, Montana, and Implications for Proterozoic Tectonics, David Alan Reioux
A Study of Hydroclimatic Dynamics in Mountain Landscapes, Nicholas Loren Silverman
Theses/Dissertations from 2013
PETROLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY, AND AGE OF EXTENSION IN THE LOST TRAIL PASS DIKE SWARM, SOUTHWEST MONTANA, Whitney Gustin Bausch
FORECASTING GROUNDWATER RESPONSES TO DAM REMOVAL, Antony Ray Berthelote
Ensemble Modeling of SWE Distribution in the Bitterroot Mountains, Montana, USA, Frederick Kellner
Statistical modeling of rare stochastic disturbance events at continental and global scales: post-fire debris flows and wildland fires, Karin Lynn Riley
NEARING THE END: REEF BUILDING CORALS AND BIVALVES IN THE LATE TRIASSIC AND COMPARING CORALS AND BIVALVES BEFORE AND AFTER THE END-TRIASSIC MASS EXTINCTION USING A TAXONOMIC DATABASE, Hannah Morgan Elliott Shepherd
Hydrologic Conditions and Streamflow Change in an Evolving Semi-Arid Agricultural Watershed, Smith River, Montana, Andrea Stanley
Energy controls on diurnal snowmelt events and stream recharge, Lost Horse Canyon, Bitterroot Mountains, MT, Brett Woelber
Theses/Dissertations from 2012
Evolution and Architecture of an Incised Valley in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Formation in South-Central Montana, Neal Auchter
Multi-scale hydrogeomorphic influences on bull trout spawning habitat in snowmelt-dominated headwater streams, Jared Robinson Bean
Quantifying Glacier-Derived Summer Runoff in Northwest Montana, Adam Michael Clark
Sediment Dynamics in a Dryland River: Grain-Size Variations, Erosion Rates, Sediment Mixing and Dam Effects, Franklin Jacob Dekker
STRUCTURAL, THERMOCHRONOLOGICAL, AND STRATIGRAPHIC CONSTRAINTS ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE CLEARWATER METAMORPHIC CORE COMPLEX, IDAHO, Victor Guevara
Controls on the Spatial-temporal distribution of soil moisture under snow dominated conditions in a naturally vegetated, sub-alpine mountain catchment, Adam Collier Johnson
THE CLIMATIC, BIOTIC AND TECTONIC EVOLUTION OF THE PALEOGENE RENOVA FORMATION OF SOUTHWESTERN MONTANA, Kevin John Lielke
Delay of Spring Snowmelt due to Storm-Induced Changes in Snowpack, Columbia River Headwaters, Western Montana, USA, Zachary M. Seligman
INTERNAL FACIES ARCHITECTURE OF A REGRESSIVE TO TRANSGRESSIVE WAVE-DOMINATED DELTA IN THE UPPER CRETACEOUS EAGLE FORMATION, SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA, Eleanor Spangler
A STRUCTURAL HISTORY OF THE GARNET STOCK AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO DEFORMATION ALONG THE LEWIS AND CLARK LINE, WESTERN MONTANA, Zackary Steven Wall
Theses/Dissertations from 2011
Temporal and Spatial Variation of Fine Sediment Infiltration in a Gravel-Bed River, Elena Gronli Evans
SAMPLING AND MODELING OF SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND RESERVOIR EROSION FOLLOWING DAM REMOVAL: MILLTOWN DAM, MONTANA, James Walden Johnsen
FACTORS AFFECTING MERCURY BIOMAGNIFICATION IN RIVERINE FOOD WEBS IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS: CLARK FORK RIVER BASIN, MONTANA, U.S.A., Molly Frances Staats
Theses/Dissertations from 2010
ALTERATIONS OF RIVER FLOW REGIMES IN THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS, USA, Alicia Arrigoni
Forecasting the Transport and Fate of Pharmaceuticals in Coarse Grained Aquifers, Tabetha Nicole Lynch
Classification of Aquifers, Scott Marshall Payne
BIO/ORGANIC COMPOUND DETECTION USING SODIUM SULFATE MINERALS: IMPLICATIONS IN THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS AND EUROPA, Charles Doc Richardson
Tertiary Sediments of the Big Hole Valley and Pioneer Mountains, Southwestern Montana: Age, Provenance, and Tectonic Implications, Warren Paul Roe
UPPER TRIASSIC CORALS AND CARBONATE REEF FACIES FROM THE MARTIN BRIDGE AND HURWAL FORMATIONS, WALLOWA TERRANE (OREGON), Megan Ruth Rosenblatt
Theses/Dissertations from 2009
Lithofacies and Microfacies of a Fossil Hot Spring System: McGinness Hills, Nevada, Bonnie Jean Ertel
Surface Water and Groundwater Exchanges in Fine and Coarse Grained River Bed Systems and Responses to Initial Stages of Dam Removal, Milltown, Montana, Anthony Joseph Farinacci
Cenozoic Evolution of the Gold Creek Basin, Western Montana: Mapping and Documenting the Geology of the Rock Creek Lake 7.5' USGS Quadrangle, Chelsea McRaven Feeney
Biosignature storage in sulfate minerals- synthetic and natural investigations of the jarosite group minerals, Julia Michelle Kotler
The Experimental Silicification of Bacillus subtilis, Aaron Chase Tenesch
Theses/Dissertations from 2008
DIRECT AND INDIRECT MODIFICATION OF STREAM FLOW IN THE FLATHEAD RIVER BASIN IN NORTHWESTERN MONTANA: HYDROLOGIC PARAMETER DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION, Angie Lynn Bell
The Construction of a Plutonic Complex in a Continental Arc Setting: The Skookum Butte Stock, Western Montana, Connie Lynn Brown
Snow Accumulation and Melt Timing at High Elevations in Northwest Montana, Bonnie Jean Gillan
Cenozoic Sedimentary Evolution of the Helmville Basin, West-Central Montana, Julian Glenn McCune
1. Geodetic constraints on slip rates of large Central Asian faults 2. Earthquake Emergency Education in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Solmaz Mohadjer
Channel Migration and Bank Erosion of the Clark Fork River at Grant-Kohrs Ranch N.H.S., Western Montana, Nisha Pravin Parmar