Browsing by Subject "Wyoming"
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Item A Beggar?s Ride: Tales From Within the Herd(2012-02-14) Jensen, Katie LaurieThis story suite is a work of autobiographical fiction, a coming of age tale which uses a young girl?s relationship to horses?along with various people and places connected to the horse world?as its narrative theme. The collection is comprised of twelve chapters, including an Introduction and Prologue and much later, an Interlude and Conclusion. While the first person narrative voice is maintained through most of the chapters herein, the Interlude uses second-person perspective. Additionally, NOW DEPARTING is written in the present narrative tense. Poems are interspersed throughout the work, between chapters, as transitional bridges for the reader.Item Administrator's Perceptions on Growing Populations of Students who are English Language Learners in the State of Wyoming(2014-01-31) Shannon, Keri LeighFor centuries, America has been the place for people from all countries to come and seek their dreams. Our nation continues to welcome all, offering cultural and linguistic diversity to the areas where they settle, which is in new areas of the country and into many public schools. This study looks at the increase in culturally and linguistically diverse students in Wyoming, and how schools in Wyoming are impacted by the linguistically diverse population. The qualitative study investigated the perspectives of district leadership regarding the growing population of ELs in the state. The purpose of the study was to understand what district leaders in the State of Wyoming are doing in terms of this growing population. The study focused on four areas regarding the growing EL population as to: 1) the challenges districts face 2) the positive opportunities districts have, 3) what districts are actually doing, and 4) what districts think they should be doing. The research participation was planned through purposeful sampling, as voices from all district leaders would provide more clarity to the research questions. Literature review focused on the challenges that school districts face with a growing English language learner population, the challenges superintendents face in their roles, and the ways that effective superintendents transform schools and student outcomes. Especially important in the literature are the discussions of how culturally responsive leadership is imperative for students to succeed. Themes emerged in response to each of the focus areas. Specifically, district leaders have been working to provide for stronger EL student outcomes, yet there are still areas in need of improving. Data revealed much what is found in the literature, though local idiosyncrasies provided insight as to how Wyoming has been affected differently. The general themes addressed staffing, professional training, and funding issues. Communications, political support, and cultural relations were themes that were also revealed.Item Architecture and evolution of submarine-fans, and coupling with shelf-edge processes in supply-dominated margins: example from Maastrichtian Washakie Basin(2015-05) Koo, Woong Mo; Steel, R. J.; Kim, Wonsuck; Olariu, CornelAlong high-sediment supply margins, sediment delivered from shallow to deep-water by shelf-edge deltas is considered as the a main source for submarine-fans on the basin floor. As the consequence of direct feed, the architecture and spatio-temporal evolution of submarine-fans are closely related with processes on shelf margins. This thesis investigates 1) the linkage between shelf-edge architecture and evolution (stacking pattern) of basin-floor fans in two basin-scale clinothems (Clinothems 9 and 10) and 2) the lithofacies variability on the fringes of submarine-fans, using about 1,500 gamma well-logs and four cores in the Maastrichtian Washakie Basin, Wyoming. Based on the correlation of gamma-ray logs, submarine fan-lobe complexes in Washakie Basin are shown to develop through stages of initiation, progradation and/or aggradation, and retreat. The aggradational stacking pattern of Clinothem 9 lobe complexes and progradational stacking pattern of Clinothem 10 lobe complexes are shown to be linked to the coeval shelf-edge trajectory behavior. This direct linkage between shelf-edge trajectories and submarine fan-behavior was possible firstly because Washakie Basin was a sediment supply-dominated margin despite times of strong accommodation influence. Secondly, the sediment in shelf margins was transported quasi-continuously to deep-water via slope channels, which were continuously connected between shelf-edges and basin-floor during most of the sea-level cycle. In high sediment-supply systems, rivers commonly overcome the significant reworking power of waves and tides and are thus able to deliver sediments from the shelf edge to deep water. Cores in Washakie Basin show that there was variable lithofacies patterns in mapped submarine fan-fringes. Multiple transitions of lithofacies occur within the same bed, without significant erosion between high-concentration turbidites (e.g., structureless sandstones) and debrites (e.g., mud-clasts rich muddy sandstones) are identified in distal fringes of submarine fans. In contrast, in the lateral fringes of fans, there is a significantly shorter transition from turbidites to debrites. One explanation of facies variability is correlated with the run-out distance of flow that enhances transitions of flow. The longer axial run-out distance of flows results in deposition of mud-clast rich debrites. The shorter, transverse to lobe run-out distance causes only partial or non-transformed flows, resulting in deposition of muddy and sandy turbidites respectively. In the longitudinally elongated submarine fans in Washakie Basin, developed by long run-out distance of flow, the distal fan-fringes are thus significantly muddier than the lateral fringes, something of importance to hydrocarbon productivity on fan lobes.Item Closing the loop on assessment : an analysis of the use of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement(2010-05) Wilson, Grant Warren; Bumphus, Walter G.; Roueche, John E.; Cary, Lisa J.; Nolte, Walter; Johnson, Christine; McClenney, Kay M.Accountability in community colleges, like all institutions of higher education, is a movement that has grown over the past several years. Consequently, colleges are generating a great deal of assessment data, both locally developed and nationally benchmarked. One national survey is the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). CCSSE is an appropriate focus for this study because many community colleges are concerned about the lack of comparative data that would enable them to make more comprehensive evaluations of their programs. This is a case study of a college in Wyoming and its use of the CCSSE data after the college received the results of the survey. A Wyoming college is the focus because it performed adequately on the CCSSE measures and was not currently under any economic pressures that may have affected colleges in other parts of the country during the time frame of the study.Item Evolution of a regionally extensive evaporite removal paleokarst complex : Mississippian Madison Group, Wyoming(2011-12) Kloss, Travis T.; Zahm, Christopher Kent; Kerans, C. (Charles), 1954-; Fisher, William L.Paleokarst systems owe their complex geometries to the interaction between the karst aquifers and the host rock being dissolved. The majority of paleokarst research to date has considered dissolution of carbonate strata (James and Choquette 1987), but rapid and extensive dissolution of interstratified evaporites can be an important if largely undocumented style of paleokarst that may play an important role in near-surface environmental settings as well as providing a unique style of reservoir heterogeneity in the subsurface (Sando 1967, 1974, 1988; Smith et al. 2004). This study is designed to answer the question, “How do we recognize evaporite paleokarst as distinct from standard meteoric carbonate paleokarst?” using spectacular, laterally continuous exposures in the upper Madison Formation within Bighorn Canyon, Wyoming. Key characteristics of the Madison intrastratal evaporite karst complex were documented and contrasted with the top-Madison surficial karst system resulting in a suite of data that includes detailed section measuring, facies mapping using high resolution photo panels and ground based LiDAR for control. Hand samples, thin sections and x-ray diffraction analysis also contributed to this study. High resolution mapping of key surfaces, karst facies and petrophysical properties were used to develop a stepwise evolutionary model of the evaporite removal paleokarst complex. The interplay between surficial karstification, solution enhanced fractures, subsurface intrastratal evaporite dissolution, collapse and infill, were considered in constructing this model. Similar to standard meteoric paleokarst systems, the Madison evaporite paleokarst has been divided into 7 distinct karst “facies” including laminated cave floor fill, roof collapse chaotic breccias, and suprastratal dissolution complexes. Features proposed to be unique to evaporite paleokarst that will aid in future studies are (1) presence of relic gypsum breccia clasts within cave-fill facies, (2) the near absence of cave pillars or roof touch down within the chaotic breccia zones, indicating removal of a laterally extensive soluble stratum, (4) a striking absence of sub-cave floor breccias or fractures, (5) a distinct breccia matrix consisting of primarily autochthonous detrital dolomite with a minor component of allochthonous detrital clays from the overlying Amsden, suggesting that the bulk of the breccia matrix is locally sourced insoluble residue from evaporite dissolution, and finally (6) close facies associations of the depositional sequence suggesting that evaporites were a likely part of the original stratigraphic record in the Madison. These criteria are considered to be a solid starting point for an evaporite paleokarst model and should assist in the recognition of similar paleokarst breccias in the ancient rock record.Item Fracture sets, timing, and size distributions in the Cretaceous Frontier Formation, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming(2015-05) Copley, Lauren Kupecz; Laubach, Stephen E. (Stephen Ernest), 1955-; Marrett, Randall; Behr, Whitney; Wilkins, ScottFractures influence permeability but sampling subsurface fractures is difficult in vertical wells. Horizontal cores are special cases allowing fracture abundance, distribution, and aperture size populations to be measured. Four horizontal cores (41.5 m) in Cretaceous Frontier Formation, eastern Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, sample litharenites to sublitharenites (average 87.4% quartz, 2.1% feldspar, 10.6% lithics) deposited in upper and lower shoreface marine environments. Low porosity (3-10%) results from compaction and quartz, calcite, and kaolinite cement. Younger north-striking Set 2 fractures cross cut older east-striking Set 1 fractures, and both are likely regional fractures predating local folding. Both sets contain quartz, calcite, and kaolinite cement with local remnant porosity. Fluid inclusion assemblage temperatures were sequenced using quartz crack-seal cement textures compared to thermal history, and indicate Set 1 opened at 140-160°C during burial in Eocene time. Set 2 fractures opened at maximum burial, and continued to open during uplift from local basement-involved fold-fault. Subsequently some Set 1 fractures reactivated as faults. Fault-related kaolinite deposits locally occlude fracture porosity. Extensive SEM-CL micro-imaging demonstrates that transgranular microfracture populations are rare. Although only 48% of macrofracture aperture sizes could be measured accurately, aperture size ranges appear to be narrow, with apertures of 0.62-1.75 mm. Spacing ranges from 0.01 mm to meters with moderate clustering. Lower macrofracture abundance in the upper shore face (2.39 fractures/m) compared to the lower shore face (4.12 fractures/m) corresponds to lower subcritical crack index (SCI) and fracture toughness of the upper shoreface. Upper shoreface sandstones have lower average SCI (46) and fracture toughness (1.6 Mpa√m) than upper shoreface sandstones (54 and 2.2 Mpa√m, respectively). Presence of crack-seal quartz in both sets, together with extremely sparse microfractures, indicates thin, sparse, intermittently-bridging synkinematic quartz likely provided insufficient within-fracture bonding to partition deformation into microfracture populations during fracture development. High initial gas production in these wells correlate with observations of persistent fracture porosity in fractures through burial and uplift, locally-large apertures, and extremely long regional fracture lengths (>500 m) in Frontier Formation outcrops. Results suggest that for the Frontier Formation in this setting, productive fractures are not necessarily localized near folds and faults.Item A taxonomic and anatomic assessment of the extinct Zygodactylidae (Aves) from the Green River Formation of Wyoming and placement of Zygodactylidae within Aves(2012-05) DeBee, Aj McLellan; Clarke, Julia A.Birds are the most diverse extant group of terrestrial vertebrates, and relationships amongst major extant and extinct avian lineages remain hotly debated. A clade of Aves which has received limited attention is the extinct Zygodactylidae, a species-rich group of perching birds that possess a foot with a retroverted fourth toe, an elongate tarsometatarsus and a large intermetacarpal process in the wing. Specimens currently included within Zygodactylidae previously were thought to be sister taxa to songbirds (Passeriformes) or woodpeckers and allies (Piciformes). Zygodactylids were most abundant during the Eocene in North America and Europe and persisted to the Early Miocene. Five exceptionally preserved fossils from the Early Eocene Green River Formation of Wyoming are described, and provide insights into the interrelationships of zygodactylid taxa and the position of the clade within Aves. In an attempt to resolve systematic relationships within zygodactylids, and the position of the clade within Aves, I conducted two sets of phylogenetic analyses. The first focused on clarifying relationships within Zygodactylidae. Each taxon was evaluated for 37 morphological characters. Resulting strict consensus cladograms yield topologies in which two of the new Green River specimens are positioned in a clade within Zygodactylus, a taxon previously known only from the Early Oligocene and Early Miocene of Europe. The second set of analyses sought to assess which extant avian lineage is most closely allied with Zygodactylidae. Those analyses used a dataset of 135 characters evaluated for 57 species and a supraspecific terminal, Zygodactylidae. Scoring of Zygodactylidae was based on morphological observations from all described taxa within Zygodactylidae. The extant species sample was chosen to evaluate previously proposed hypotheses of relationships between Zygodactylidae and other avian clades and included songbirds, parrots and 43 species from the coraciiform-piciform clade (e.g., woodpeckers, galbulids, rollers and motmots). Outgroup species were iteratively swapped to determine if outgroup choice affected recovered estimates of zygodactylid relationships within Aves. Zygodactylidae is the sister taxon to songbirds in the resultant tree topologies. These results forward our understanding of the relationship between Zygodactylidae and Passeriformes within Aves.