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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.

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At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Environmental aspects of run-off and siltation in the Anacostia basin from hyperaltitude photographs

The effects of urbanization and highway construction on run-off, erosion and siltation on the Anacostia watershed was analyzed. The analysis was based on changes in land use patterns demonstrated by aerial photographs, geologic and hydrologic data. Subwatersheds were studied in terms of three hypothetical storms of different magnitudes. An approximately 10 percent increase in impervious surface can cause a 12 percent increase in peak discharge for storms of the magnitude of tropical storm Agnes, a 20 percent increase for a 10 hour storm and a 150 percent increase for a thunderstorm. The early discharge from a storm of Agnes' magnitude can be increased by 100 percent. Corresponding effects were observed in soil erosion and siltation from bare construction sites. These effects are interrelated with sewage, oil, and chemical pollution and inadequate public transportation. The net result is steady degradation of the local environment, the estuary and the bay.

Ealy, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A study of atmospheric effects on pattern recognition devices

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery can be applied in the broadscale assessment of forest resources as a supplement to aerial photography and field survey. There was no application to inventory of crop and pasture diseases mainly because of poor quality and low resolution, and unreliability of image acquisition. Inventory of soil erosion was satisfactory in humid eastern New South Wales, but not in semi-arid areas. Patterns of snow cover, areas of water in natural and artificial water bodies, extent of bushfires, and location of coastal mobile sand bodies were readily apparent. ERTS-1 imagery was judged to be a valuable addition to conventional techniques of regional small scale geological mapping. ERTS data was successfully used to map flooding and flood progression. The imagery was found suitable for mapping at 1:1,000,000 scale both on the mainland and in Antarctica, but did not meet accuracy specifications for 1:250,000 mapping.

Thomson, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Spectral response of the Viking lander camera: Preliminary evaluation

One of the objectives of the Viking lander imaging investigation is to obtain color and near-infrared multispectral panoramas of the Martian surface using six spectral channels in the 0.4 to 1.1 microns wavelength range. This data can be compared with data obtained by imaging a reference test chart to construct approximate spectral reflectance curves that can then be matched to laboratory standards to aid in identifying surface materials. Some channels exhibit appreciable out-of-band spectral responses, making data reduction and interpretation difficult. A preliminary evaluation of predicted multispectral data for eight geological materials reveals that fairly good reflectance estimates can be made for those materials which have monotonically increasing or decreasing reflectances. Reflectance estimates for materials with more complex reflectances often do not reveal important spectral features and sometimes provide misleading results.

Kelly, W. L., IV↗
NASA NTRS1975

Evaluation of Skylab photography for water resources, San Luis Valley, Colorado

The author has identified the following significant results. Skylab S190A photography used in a stereo mode is sufficient for defining the drainage divides and drainage patterns at the regional level. This data, combined with geologic information, define the boundaries and distribution of ground water recharge and discharge areas within the basin.

Lee, K.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Fault tectonics and earthquake hazards in parts of southern California

The author has identified the following significant results. Four previously unknown faults were discovered in basement terrane of the Peninsular Ranges. These have been named the San Ysidro Creek fault, Thing Valley fault, Canyon City fault, and Warren Canyon fault. In addition fault gouge and breccia were recognized along the San Diego River fault. Study of features on Skylab imagery and review of geologic and seismic data suggest that the risk of a damaging earthquake is greater along the northwestern portion of the Elsinore fault than along the southeastern portion. Physiographic indicators of active faulting along the Garlock fault identifiable in Skylab imagery include scarps, linear ridges, shutter ridges, faceted ridges, linear valleys, undrained depressions and offset drainage. The following previously unrecognized fault segments are postulated for the Salton Trough Area: (1) An extension of a previously known fault in the San Andreas fault set located southeast of the Salton Sea; (2) An extension of the active San Jacinto fault zone along a tonal change in cultivated fields across Mexicali Valley ( the tonal change may represent different soil conditions along opposite sides of a fault). For the Skylab and LANDSAT images studied, pseudocolor transformations offer no advantages over the original images in the recognition of faults in Skylab and LANDSAT images. Alluvial deposits of different ages, a marble unit and iron oxide gossans of the Mojave Mining District are more readily differentiated on images prepared from ratios of individual bands of the S-192 multispectral scanner data. The San Andreas fault was also made more distinct in the 8/2 and 9/2 band ratios by enhancement of vegetation differences on opposite sides of the fault. Preliminary analysis indicates a significant earth resources potential for the discrimination of soil and rock types, including mineral alteration zones. This application should be actively pursued.

Merifield, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Regional tectonic evaluation of the Tuscan Apenine, vulcanism, thermal anomalies and the relation to structural units

The author has identified the following significant results. The geological interpretation on data exhibiting the Italian peninsula led to the recognition of tectonic features which are explained by a clockwise rotation of various blocks along left-handed transform faults. These faults can be interpreted as resulting from shear due to main stress directed north-eastwards. A land use map of the mountainous regions of Italy was produced on a scale of 1:250,000. For the digital treatment of MSS-CCTs an image processing software was written in FORTRAN 4. The software package includes descriptive statistics and also classification algorithms.

Bodechtel, J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

An analysis of the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle with emphasis on high-level waste management, volume 1

The programs and plans of the U.S. government for the "back end of the nuclear fuel cycle" were examined to determine if there were any significant technological or regulatory gaps and inconsistencies. Particular emphasis was placed on analysis of high-level nuclear waste management plans, since the permanent disposal of radioactive waste has emerged as a major factor in the public acceptance of nuclear power. The implications of various light water reactor fuel cycle options were examined including throwaway, stowaway, uranium recycle, and plutonium plus uranium recycle. The results of this study indicate that the U.S. program for high-level waste management has significant gaps and inconsistencies. Areas of greatest concern include: the adequacy of the scientific data base for geological disposal; programs for the the disposal of spent fuel rods; interagency coordination; and uncertainties in NRC regulatory requirements for disposal of both commercial and military high-level waste.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

The mineralogy of global magnetic anomalies

Progress is reported in developing predictive abilities to evaluate the potential stabilities of magnetic minerals in the Earth crust and mantle by: (1) computing oxidation state profiling as a function of temperature and pressure; (2) compiling data on basalts to establish validity of the oxidation state profiles; (3) determining Fe-Ni alloys in association with magnetitie as a function of temperature and oxidation state; and (4) acquiring large chemical data banks on the mineral ilmenite which decomposes to mineral spinel in the presence of high sulfur or carbonate environments in the lower crust upper mantle. In addition to acquiring these data which are related to constraining Curie isotherm depths, an excellent correlation was found between MAGSAT anomaly data and the geology of West Africa.

Haggerty, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The enigma of lunar magnetism

Current understandings of the nature and probable origin of lunar magnetism are surveyed. Results of examinations of returned lunar samples are discussed which reveal the main carrier of the observed natural remanent magnetization to be iron, occasionally alloyed with nickel and cobalt, but do not distinguish between thermoremanent and shock remanent origins, and surface magnetometer data is presented, which indicates small-scale magnetic fields with a wide range of field intensities implying localized, near-surface sources. A detailed examination is presented of orbital magnetometer and charged particle data concerning the geologic nature and origin of magnetic anomaly sources and the directional properties of the magnetization, which exhibit a random distribution except for a depletion in the north-south direction. A lunar magnetization survey with global coverage provided by a polar orbiting satellite is suggested as a means of placing stronger constraints on the origin of lunar crustal magnetization.

Hood, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Image Analysis for Facility Siting: a Comparison of Lowand High-altitude Image Interpretability for Land Use/land Cover Mapping

For two test sites in Pennsylvania the interpretability of commercially acquired low-altitude and existing high-altitude aerial photography are documented in terms of time, costs, and accuracy for Anderson Level II land use/land cover mapping. Information extracted from the imagery is to be used in the evaluation process for siting energy facilities. Land use/land cover maps were drawn at 1:24,000 scale using commercially flown color infrared photography obtained from the United States Geological Surveys' EROS Data Center. Detailed accuracy assessment of the maps generated by manual image analysis was accomplished employing a stratified unaligned adequate class representation. Both 'area-weighted' and 'by-class' accuracies were documented and field-verified. A discrepancy map was also drawn to illustrate differences in classifications between the two map scales. Results show that the 1:24,000 scale map set was more accurate (99% to 94% area-weighted) than the 1:62,500 scale set, especially when sampled by class (96% to 66%). The 1:24,000 scale maps were also more time-consuming and costly to produce, due mainly to higher image acquisition costs.

Borella, H. M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Development of the Earth's early crust: Implications from the Beartooth Mountains

The Beartooth Mountains of Montana and Wyoming are one of several major uplifts of Precambrian rocks in the northwestern of the Wyoming Province. The range is composed of a wide variety of rock types which record a complex geologic history that extends from early ( 3400 Ma) to late (approx 700 Ma) Precambrian time. The Archean geology of the range is complex and many areas remain unstudied in detail. In this discussion two areas are discussed for which there is considerable structural, geochemical and petrologic information. The easternmost portion of the range (EBT) and the northwesternmost portion, the North Snowy Block (NSB), contain rather extensive records of both early and late Archean geologic activity. These data are used to constrain a petrologic tectonic model for the development of continental crust in this area.

Mueller, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Nitrogen threshold experiment

In order to obtain data on Earth geologic processes associated with wind erosion, Mar's and Venus' atmospheres were simulated. Experiments were designed to observe the effects of pressure, gravity, and density on sand movement. An experiment designed to test the operator variance was a comparative test between nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Pressure and therefore density was increased until threshold was noted. Threshold was determined at precisely the same densities of the two gases. If viscosity were a contributing factor in grain saltation the effect would be noted at low pressures. The experiment showed no such variance between carbon dioxide and nitrogen runs for low pressure (density). The largest difference in viscosity between carbon dioxide and nitrogen occurs at low pressures (densities).

Treat, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Neotectonics of the Caribbean

Burke et al. (1980) have considered geologic and seismic data from Jamaica, while Mann et al. (1984) have examined data from Hispaniola. The present investigation is concerned with the neotectonics of the entire Caribbean region, taking into account the recent results in the northeastern Caribbean and a more comprehensive compilation of seismicity and neotectonic structures from other areas than has been available to most previous authors. It is hoped that this study will complement seismic network results in helping to pinpoint areas of seismic hazard. It is also intended to provide a framework for high-precision geodetic surveys of Caribbean plate motion using measurements from satellites and astronomical observations.

Mann, P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Lithologic discrimination of volcanic and sedimentary rocks by spectral examination of Landsat TM data from the Puma, Central Andes Mountains

The Central Andes are widely used as a modern example of noncollisional mountain-building processes. The Puna is a high plateau in the Chilean and Argentine Central Andes extending southward from the altiplano of Bolivia and Peru. Young tectonic and volcanic features are well exposed on the surface of the arid Puna, making them prime targets for the application of high-resolution space imagery such as Shuttle Imaging Radar B and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). Two TM scene quadrants from this area are analyzed using interactive color image processing, examination, and automated classification algorithms. The large volumes of these high-resolution datasets require significantly different techniques than have been used previously for the interpretation of Landsat MSS data. Preliminary results include the determination of the radiance spectra of several volcanic and sedimentary rock units and the use of the spectra for automated classification. Structural interpretations have revealed several previously unknown folds in late Tertiary strata, and key zones have been targeted to be investigated in the field. The synoptic view of space imagery is already filling a critical gap between low-resolution geophysical data and traditional geologic field mapping in the reconnaissance study of poorly mapped mountain frontiers such as the Puna.

Fielding, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

On the cenozoic uplift and tectonic stability of the Colorado Plateau

Models of plateau uplift which can be applied to the Colorado Plateau are presented. The sequence and consequences of the 2-km Cenzoic uplift of the Plateau and volcanism and rifting in the adjoining Basin and Range and Southern Rocky Mountain-Rio Grande rift provinces are examined. Geologic and geophysical data suggest that more than one mechanism is required to explain the 2 km of uplift, and that thermal expansion and magmatic crustal thickening are the dominant mechanisms. It is argued that the early Cenzoic stability of the Plateau was related to the relatively cool geotherm and hence high strength of the Plateau lithosphere relative to the adjoining regions. As the Plateau lithosphere has been heated and uplift has occurred, the overall stability of the Plateau has decreased.

Morgan, P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Improving the geological interpretation of magnetic and gravity satellite anomalies

Quantitative analysis of the geologic component of observed satellite magnetic and gravity fields requires accurate isolation of the geologic component of the observations, theoretically sound and viable inversion techniques, and integration of collateral, constraining geologic and geophysical data. A number of significant contributions were made which make quantitative analysis more accurate. These include procedures for: screening and processing orbital data for lithospheric signals based on signal repeatability and wavelength analysis; producing accurate gridded anomaly values at constant elevations from the orbital data by three-dimensional least squares collocation; increasing the stability of equivalent point source inversion and criteria for the selection of the optimum damping parameter; enhancing inversion techniques through an iterative procedure based on the superposition theorem of potential fields; and modeling efficiently regional-scale lithospheric sources of satellite magnetic anomalies. In addition, these techniques were utilized to investigate regional anomaly sources of North and South America and India and to provide constraints to continental reconstruction. Since the inception of this research study, eleven papers were presented with associated published abstracts, three theses were completed, four papers were published or accepted for publication, and an additional manuscript was submitted for publication.

Hinze, William J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Synthesis of finite displacements and displacements in continental margins

The scope of the project is the analysis of displacement-rate fields in the transitional regions between cratonal and oceanic lithospheres over Phanerozoic time (last 700 ma). Associated goals are an improved understanding of range of widths of major displacement zones; the partition of displacement gradients and rotations with position and depth in such zones; the temporal characteristics of such zones-the steadiness, episodicity, and duration of uniform versus nonunifrom fields; and the mechanisms and controls of the establishment and kinematics of displacement zones. The objective is to provide a context of time-averaged kinematics of displacement zones. The initial phase is divided topically among the methodology of measurement and reduction of displacements in the lithosphere and the preliminary analysis from geologic and other data of actual displacement histories from the Cordillera, Appalachians, and southern North America.

Speed, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Documenting volcano-tectonic episodes in Mars' stratigraphic record

Global geologic maps of Mars at 1:15,000,000 scales were digitized to obtain accurate measurements of the areal extent of 90 geologic units. These data were used to determine the resurfacing history of Mars by volcanic, eolian, fluvial, periglacial, and impact processes. This work is presently being extended to focus on the extent, magnitude, and duration of volcanism and tectonism (mainly faulting) throughout each of the three time-stratigraphic systems. This work involves detailed mapping to assess volcano-tectonic episodes in terms of their occurrence in eight epochs that represent subdivisions of Martian periods.

Scott, David H.↗