South Africa is unique in that the majority of its wildlife is managed in privately owned game reserves. One major challenge for reserves is maintaining healthy stable populations, particularly large species, such as the big five (white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), African elephant (Loxodonta africana), Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer), African leopard (Panthera pardus), and lion (Panthera leo)). Nevertheless, there has been very little research on management of these charismatic species in such size restricted reserves. To address this need, we are studying the impacts of megaherbivores on the structure and spatial distribution of vegetation in Amakhala Game Reserve. The reserve was created in 1999 from 7,500 ha of agricultural land. Since the formation of the reserve, succession of vegetation has been encouraged to create a more natural environment. However, the introduction of large herbivores, such as elephants and rhinos, may have altered or slowed down this succession. To explore this hypothesis, we conducted a GIS analysis using Landsat imagery and megaherbivore GPS tacking data. Vegetation type was classified to quantify historic changes, and we performed kernel densities and an emerging hotspot analysis with the tracking data (2011-2018) to determine megaherbivore distribution. We determined that the megaherbivores hindered the natural succession of vegetation by maintaining grasslands and preventing woodland encroachment. These findings will facilitate game reserve management by identifying Amakhala’s limitations for increasing browsing herbivores as well as the potential for the addition of grazing herbivores.

Large numbers of migratory tree bats are killed at wind turbines globally. Recent studies have predicted potential population-level impacts as a result, highlighting the need for strategies alleviating bat-wind turbine collisions. Research has shown bats active in close proximity to turbines, approaching and interacting with tower surfaces as if they provided resources, such as water sources and foraging opportunities. Evidence indicates that the smooth surface of the towers can be misperceived by bats as water, and it can also create an acoustic mirror that can enhance foraging success. We hypothesized that a textured coating would disrupt the smooth tower surfaces. Thus, the focus of our study was to determine if texture application would result in decreased bat activity in proximity to tower surfaces, which in turn would reduce collision risk. From May to September 2017, we used thermal cameras, night vision technology, and ultrasonic acoustic bat detectors to assess bat activity at two pairs of wind turbines in north central Texas. Each pair comprised a texture-treated turbine and a control, and bat proximity and behavior at towers were compared. In this first year of testing, we conducted 76 survey nights, observed 1030 confirmed bats on video, and recorded 1215 acoustic calls from 7 bat species. To fully assess the effectiveness of the texture coating, we will be repeating surveys from June to September 2018.

Although multiple localized chemostratigraphic and strength studies have been completed on the organic-rich Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth basin (Montgomery et al., 2005; Pollastro et al., 2007; Jarvie et al., 2007; Rowe et al., 2008; Williams et al., 2016; Taylor, 2017; Alsleben, unpublished), basin-wide correlations have not been completed. Basin-wide correlation of chemostratigraphy and mechanical stratigraphy could enhance the understanding of regional variations in chemical composition and rock competence. Therefore, this study is going to test multiple hypotheses to identify regional trends and correlations within the Barnett Shale, based on variations in the formations chemical makeup and rock strength. The purpose is to start establishing a more comprehensive, basin-wide characterization of the mechanical stratigraphy and chemostratigraphic framework of the Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth Basin. Results will start to establish possible regional variations such as rock strength and help determine what controls those variations. Ultimately, the data compilation may provide a better understanding of the Barnett Shale and start to address the complex interactions between marine sediment flux, terrestrial sediment flux, and geochemistry throughout the basin at the time of deposition.

Silica oxides (SiO2) come in a variety of forms including quartz, opal, silica gel and phytoliths. This study will focus on the binding and debinding energetics of sodium benzoate, sodium butyrate and sodium acetate on these various silica oxides. The direct measurement and analysis of binding and debinding energies should provide valuable data and insights into the dynamics of organic molecules at the oxide-water interface. The study will focus on the systematic collection and analysis of experimental data that can be used to support the development, validation and refinement of computational models of interactions involving natural organic matter at the metal oxide-water interface, while facilitating the further development of experiment-driven understanding of binding-debinding dynamics of organic molecules onto mineral surfaces.

METASOMATIC FEATURES IN EUCRITES. R. L. Funderburg1, R. G. Mayne, N. G. Lunning2, and S. Sin-gletary3, 1Monnig Meteorite Collection, 2950 West Bowie Street, SWR 244, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76109. (r.funderburg@tcu.edu), 2Department of Mineral Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 10th and Constitution NW, Washington, DC 20560-0119. 3Robeson Community College, 5160 Fayetteville Road, Lumberton, NC 28360.

Introduction: The breakdown of pyroxene to silica and troilite was first identified as an alteration process in eucrites by Duke and Silver [1]; however, metasomatism was not iden-tified as a potential cause of these features until the 1990s [2] and has been increasingly identified in the last 10 years [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Many eucrite studies were conducted prior to this time and, while metasomatic features may have been identified, they were not attributed to this process.

Barrat et al. [4] proposed a three-stage alteration process to explain the products of metasomatic alteration found in eu-crites:
(1) Fe-enrichments along cracks in pyroxenes
(2) Fe-rich olivine deposits in cracks and troilite
(3) Al-depletion coincident with Fe-enrichment of pyroxene

While metasomatism within eucrites is now commonly identified within the literature, the mechanism for this altera-tion is not well understood. Possible mechanisms proposed in-volve hydrous fluid alteration [4] or sulfurization from a S-rich vapor [6, 7]. The addition of sulfur is required to produce troilite from the breakdown of pyroxene, which has been ob-served in several eucrites [3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Zhang et al. [5] sug-gested that the sulfur may have been present in the form of a dry S-O-P vapor, formed by the volatilization of pre-existing S- and P-rich material as a result of impacts. Additional petro-logical studies are needed to test if metasomatism was consist-ently driven by S-O-P vapors or if some metasomatism lacks the P-component expected for impact derived vapor.

Metasomatism has been directly investigated for only a handful of eucrites. This study will investigate metasomatism in both Stannern and Main-Group-Nuevo-Laredo (MGNL) eucrites to investigate the com-position of the altering fluid/vapor and overarching processes that drive metasoma-tism on the eucrite parent body. Our preliminary work is fo-cused on the Stannern-trend eucrites Bouvante and LEW 88010, the main group eucrite Béréba, and the polymict eu-crite NWA 4834.

Methods: The samples from this study are on loan from the following: Béréba (USNM 5745-2, USNM 6003-2; Na-tional Meteorite Collection, Smithsonian Institution), Lewis Hills 88010 (LEW 88010) (LEW 88010,4; Meteorite Working Group), Bouvante and Northwest Africa 4834 (NWA 4834) (M1224.3, M1224.5, and M2049.2; Monnig Meteorite Collection). Petrographic analysis was conducted via optical micros-copy with an Olympus BX51 polarizing light microscope at the Oscar Monnig Meteorite Collection at Texas Christian University. Backscatter electron (BSE) maps and major ele-ment data for pyroxenes in Bouvante, LEW 88010, and NWA 4834 were measured by a JEOL JXA-8530F HyperProbe elec-tron microprobe analyzer (EMPA) at Fayetteville State Uni-versity’s Southeastern North Carolina Regional Microanalyti-cal and Imaging Consortium. Backscatter maps were gener-ated for each thin section and energy dispersive x-ray spec-trometry (EDS) point analyses were performed.

Results and Discussion: Of the four samples selected for this study so far, one is unbrecciated (LEW 88010), two are monomict (Béréba and Bouvante), and one is polymict (NWA 4834). These samples were selected as they were observed to contain possible metasomatic features during our petrographic survey, but have not been included in the current literature re-garding metasomatism. They include members of both the Stannern- and MGNL- trends (S: Bouvante and LEW 88010; MGNL: Béréba). All samples are either falls or were observed to show little to no terrestrial alteration. Mineralogically, they are typical eucrites, being dominated by pyroxene and plagio-clase, with lesser phases including troilite, chromite, ilmenite, Fe-rich olivine, and silica.
Preliminary results suggest that Fe-enrichment of pyrox-ene rims, along with an associated Al-depletion, is occurring due to metasomatism in the three samples examined using EMPA. Fe-rich olivine was observed in NWA 4834. Petrographic analysis identified the breakdown of pyroxene into troilite and silica in all four samples.

Future Work: Quantitative pyroxene and plagioclase data for all four samples will be collected prior to the conference. This will allow for further assessment of the Al-depletion along with Fe-enrichment in pyroxenes. We will also investigate the presence of phosphates in these samples to investigate the P-component that would be present in an impact derived vapor. We will assess if there are any differences in metasomatism between MGNL and Stannern-trend eucrites. A survey of previously identified residual eucrites for metasomatic features will also be conducted, so that all three geochemical groupings are represented, if possible.

The Raton Basin of Colorado and New Mexico is a Laramide foreland basin that has been important to coal geology since its first identification as a coal resource in 1821, and as a major Coal Bed Methane resource in the modern era. Raton Basin contains Cretaceous to Paleogene strata representative of the major transgression and subsequent regression of the Western Interior Seaway. The interaction between the distal and proximal lithosomes of strata within the Raton Basin is not fully understood. The coaly, fine-grained rocks of the lower and upper coal zones of the Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene Raton Formation are indicative of deposition in wet, distal lowlands, whereas the coarser grains of the barren series of the Raton Formation indicate that this unit was deposited in a highland setting proximal to the source. While the basin has been explored and produced for petroleum and coal in the past (specifically the Cretaceous Vermejo Formation and Raton Formation), vertical and lateral interaction, geometries, and potential communication between the coal deposits and surrounding fluvial deposits is not well-understood. This project has served as an investigation into the depositional model of the coal deposits and their surrounding fluvial deposits, specifically by: analyzing outcrops using architecture analysis, performing core descriptions and interpretations, conducting coal palynology, organic petrology, and chemical analysis. It has been proposed that the Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene strata of the Raton Basin were deposited within a Distributive Fluvial System (DFS), and that the coal-rich zone is the down-dip expression of this system. Initial results (vertical and lateral relation of facies in core and outcrop, organic petrology, and palynology) reveal that the extensive and laterally continuous coals formed in a woody low-lying fluvio-lacustrine depositional environment, and humid subtropical climate.

The Raton Basin of Colorado and New Mexico is a Laramide foreland basin that has been important to coal geology since its first identification as a coal resource in 1821, and as a major Coal Bed Methane resource in the modern era. Raton Basin contains Cretaceous to Paleogene strata representative of the major transgression and subsequent regression of the Western Interior Seaway. The interaction between the distal and proximal lithosomes of strata within the Raton Basin is not fully understood. The coaly, fine-grained rocks of the lower and upper coal zones of the Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene Raton Formation are indicative of deposition in wet, distal lowlands, whereas the coarser grains of the barren series of the Raton Formation indicate that this unit was deposited in a highland setting proximal to the source. While the basin has been explored and produced for petroleum and coal in the past (specifically the Cretaceous Vermejo Formation and Raton Formation), vertical and lateral interaction, geometries, and potential communication between the coal deposits and surrounding fluvial deposits is not well-understood. It has been proposed that the Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene strata of the Raton Basin were deposited within a Distributive Fluvial System (DFS), and that the coal-rich zone is the down-dip expression of this system. This hypothesis was tested by integrating results from well log correlations, measured sections, architecture analysis of outcrops from drone photogrammetry, core descriptions, and coal palynology and microscopy. Initial results reveal the presence of three distinct, repeating lithosomes (valley-fill sandstones, mixed terminal splays, and very extensive and laterally continuous coals) that are identifiable and correlatable in well logs, are cyclically represented, and suggest basin-scale swings in depositional environment consistent with shifting components within a basin-wide DFS system, consistent with the DFS hypothesis.

The ~1.2 billion-year-old-Barby Formation is located in SW Namibia and has been argued to represent a continental volcanic arc. Previous studies on these rocks primarily relied on mobile-element data, which can be altered by secondary processes and therefore is unreliable for constraining petrologic processes. In an effort to establish the Barby Formation's petrotectonic history, 20 samples were analyzed using XRF and ICP-MS to determine whole-rock major and trace element concentrations. These data were used to answer two questions: (1) Do the samples represent one unique magma series that came from a single source? (2) If the Barby Formation is indeed a volcanic arc, did it form from normal, flat-slab, or oblique subduction? These questions were answered using a combination of geostatisical analyses (distribution, cluster, and outlier analyses), trace-element tectonic discrimination diagrams, and geospatial analyses (see other poster by Lehman et al.). This study supports previous interpretations that the Barby Formation formed in a continental arc setting, with rock samples displaying steeply dipping, light-rare-earth-element enriched patterns, negative Nb/Ta anomalies, and calc-alkaline andesitic to shoshonitic compositions. Major and trace element data indicate at least two magma series from two distinct mantle sources. These two groups are controlled by enrichment differences and variations in the high-field-strength element ratios. The presence of shoshonitic rocks is consistent with flat-slab or oblique subduction.

The ~1.2 billion-year-old-Barby Formation located in SW Namibia has been argued to represent a continental volcanic arc. Recent research by our group (see other poster by Lehman et al.) has supported these arguments with data exhibiting steeply dipping, light-rare-earth-element enriched patterns, negative Nb/Ta anomalies, and calc-alkaline andesitic to shoshonitic compositions. The shoshonitic rocks are particularly interesting as these compositions often form in unusual arc settings (i.e., flat-slab subduction, oblique subduction, ridge subduction). Pearce et al. (2005) showed that the relative plate depth, and in turn, subduction angle and orientation can be interpreted by mapping diagnostic trace element ratios. The spatial distribution of the geochemical ratios could potentially also differentiate between shoshonitic volcanic rocks formed as a result of unusual plate geometries as opposed to a slab tear. If the map displays a tight cluster of shoshonitic composition rocks, the samples more likely formed above a slab tear, while a dispersed arrangement would be more suggestive of either a flat-slab or oblique subduction origin. ArcGis Pro was used to map and analyze XRF and ICP-MS data from 20 samples of the Barby Formation. The samples are from lava flows or sills and range from calc-alkaline to shoshonitic in composition. Both spatial tools and statistical analysis tools were used in an effort to explore potential geospatial relationships of key trace element ratios and previously established geochemical clusters. These results were then employed to attempt to recreate the subduction conditions that formed this volcanic arc.

The depositional model of the Festningen Member of the Barremian Helvetiafjellet Formation is that fluvial to inner deltaic-plain conditions were established as deltas that built southeastward into the Barents Sea basin from an unknown source northwest of present-day Svalbard. Currently, models of Artic drainage provinces are nascent to non-existent. Here, evidence for a large artic drainage basin into the Cretaceous Barents Sea is suggested by using established scaling relationships and the fulcrum method in the Festningen Sandstone.
Data from several locations in Svalbard: Konusdalen, Revneset, Criocerasaksla, and Hanaskogdalen. The Festningen Member sandstone sections were all initially photographed by drone in order to determine channel body dimensions and architecture in the sandstone as well as to record data for 3D photogrammetric construction of virtual outcrop models. Paleohydraulic estimates based on the fulcrum method use bankfull channel dimensions, specifically the height and width, and the D16, D50, D84, and D90 grainsizes to develop basin-process models and infer past catchment constraints. Festningen Member sandstone sections were logged and found to represent braided fluvial systems with mid-channel bars up to 3 m thick and channel-fills up to 4 m thick. Representative bedload samples were taken from approximately 10 cm above the base of channel scours for analysis and model input. The coarse grainsize and large clasts, frequently 3-4 cm and up to 15 cm in diameter, in the Festningen Member sandstone samples show that this was a large river capable of moving a coarse bedload. Scaling relationships equivalent to 4 m channels and coarse grained D-values is on the order of the modern braided Missouri River, on the South Dakota/Nebraska border.
The Bjarmeland Platform and Fingerdjupet Subbasin in the western Barents Sea have a potential petroleum play in the Lower Cretaceous strata, which are, in part, considered to have been fed by the same Festningen fluvial system that is represented in cliff sections on Svalbard. Seismic profiles show clinoforms that may suggest deltaic facies, but remains unknown due to lack of well data.
Seismic data shows that the Cretaceous Festningen fluvial system was able to deliver enough sediments onto the Bjarmeland Platform area to build clinoforms. The size of the source area sufficient to produce a trunk river on this scale remains unconstrained, but an area of at least 100,000 km2 is necessary to produce the river found in the rock record, if the Fulcrum method is applied. Existing Arctic tectonic reconstructions do not consistently show a land area of sufficient size to accommodate this magnitude of drainage area, but results from this study may provide further input to the discussion on timing and land-mass configuration in the present day arctic during the Early Cretaceous.