Geology topics

K.F. Rheams

Publications and source records attributed to K.F. Rheams.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS1988

Quaternary geologic map of the Mobile 4 degrees x 6 degrees quadrangle, United States

This map is part of the Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States (I-1420). It was first published as a printed edition in 1988. The geologic data have now been captured digitally and are presented here along with images of the printed map sheet and component parts as PDF files. The Quaternary Geologic Map of the Mobile 4 degrees x 6 degrees Quadrangle was mapped as part of the Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. The atlas was begun as an effort to depict the areal distribution of surficial geologic deposits and other materials that accumulated or formed during the past 2+ million years, the period that includes all activities of the human species. These materials are at the surface of the Earth. They make up the ground on which we walk, the dirt in which we dig foundations, and the soil in which we grow crops. Most of our human activity is related in one way or another to these surface materials that are referred to collectively by many geologists as regolith, the mantle of fragmental and generally unconsolidated material that overlies the bedrock foundation of the continent. The maps were compiled at 1:1,000,000 scale. In recent years, surficial deposits and materials have become the focus of much interest by scientists, environmentalists, governmental agencies, and the general public. They are the foundations of ecosystems, the materials that support plant growth and animal habitat, and the materials through which travels much of the water required for our agriculture, our industry, and our general well being. They also are materials that easily can become contaminated by pesticides, fertilizers, and toxic wastes. In this context, the value of the surficial geologic map

IMAP↗

USGS1987

Preliminary map showing landslides in Alabama

This map brings together data from all known reports on landslides in Alabama mentioned by Alger and Brabb (1985) and information provided by State and County Highway Departments in response to a questionnaire sent in 1981 by K. F. Rheams. Additional landslide data from the northern part of the state and from Jefferson County were added by Fred Taylor and E. E. Brabb from reports by Pomeroy (1982), Thomas (1979, 1982), and Szabo and others (1979). The locations of two landslides were provided by the U.S. Forest Service (written commun., 1982), and a few more additional landslide locations were noted by K. F. Rheams in 1981 and by E. E. Brabb in 1982. Locations of landslides from the various data sources were transferred to this map by measuring the distance from known landmarks. Substantial differences in scale, differential swelling and shrinking of paper source maps, and other technical problems in transferring the landslide data may have led to errors of as much as one mile in plotting the locations. The landslide locations, therefore, are located only approximately. Many more landslides exist in Alabama but have not yet been recognized or recorded in public documents. The absence of a landslide symbol on this map, therefore, does not indicate that an area is necessarily free of landslides. Conversely, the clustering of landslide symbols in an area should not be used to indicate that the area is unsafe, but rather that many landslides have been reported and that investigation of the problem by qualified geologists and engineers is prudent before development takes place. This map should be considered preliminary in the sense that a systematic evaluation of all areas in Alabama for landslides using standard photographic interpretation techniques has not yet been done. The user of this map is referred to Pomeroy and Thomas (1935) for a discussion of slope—stability problems in northern Alabama.

Alabama↗

USGS1986

Correlation between electron spin resonance spectra and oil yield in eastern oil shales

Organic free radical spin concentrations were measured in 60 raw oil shale samples from north Alabama and south Tennessee and compared with Fischer assays and uranium concentrations. No correlation was found between spin concentration and oil yield for the complete set of samples. However, for a 13 sample set taken from a single core hole, a linear correlation was obtained. No correlation between spin concentration and uranium concentration was found.

Alabama, Tennessee↗

USGS1984

Characterization and geochemistry of Devonian oil shale North Alabama - South Central Tennessee

Based on the physical and chemical data obtained to date, the Devonian oil shale rock of north Alabama and south-central Tennessee appears to offer an attractive potential for future resource development. The shale rock appears to have formed in a restrictive marine environment which provided opportunity for the accumulation of marine organic matter to form sufficient kerogen. The shale contains approximately 18% to 22% organic matter which is primarily kerogen. The kerogen has a relatively high H:C ratio indicative of an alginite and/or exinite source (Type 1 and Type II kerogen) and a high proportion of alkane and saturated ring hydrocarbons. However, a few samples have low H:C ratio values and are interpreted to have been formed in a shallow water oxidizing environment. Also, there is a possibility that these low H:C values may represent mixtures of terrestrial and marine organic material suggesting lateral facies changes of the rock from marine to near shore depositional environments. Trace metal values for both the whole rock and the shale oil fraction indicate a generally high V:Ni ratio, also indicative of a marine environment. Other trace metal values are in good agreement with data from other Devonian shales. Throughout the north Alabama and south-central Tennessee study area, the average oil yield from the shale is 13.9 gallon per ton. The highest oil yield values were obtained from the middle and upper parts of the shale sequence. Based on the crude oil composition diagram (11), the Alabama-Tennessee shale oil is classified as a aromatic-intermediate oil Estimated reserves of inplace shale oil resources in the principal study area, under less than 200 feet of overburden, exceeds 12.5 billion barrels.

Conference Paper↗