Wetlands monitoring requires accurate topographic and bathymetric maps. Regular creation of these... more Wetlands monitoring requires accurate topographic and bathymetric maps. Regular creation of these with minimal cost and reduced environmental impact, can be achieved using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This chapter introduces a set of systems needed to create this automation starting with an automatic image labeling system, an online classification system for differentiating land and water, offline bathymetric map creation, and online bathymetric map creation. All systems have been implemented, simulated, and field tested where possible.
Editor's postscript
Prescription trentenaire - Ouvertures pratiquées dans un mur de façade depuis plus de trente ans - Suppression (non) - Modification (non)
The essential ideas behind the major methods for assessing the relative ages of geological and ar... more The essential ideas behind the major methods for assessing the relative ages of geological and archeological materials and events are reviewed. These include the principles of original horizontality, superposition, inclusion, cross-cutting relations, and cross-dating by index fossils (biological succession) or artifacts. Some general principles of absolute dating are introduced, and, as representatives of non-radiometric methods, tree-ring, thermoluminescence, obsidian hydration, and amino acid racemization dating are discussed with examples.
W ithin a decade of the discovery of radioactivity in 1896, the chemical elements uranium, radium... more W ithin a decade of the discovery of radioactivity in 1896, the chemical elements uranium, radium, polonium, and thorium were recognized as radioactive; the basic theory, mechanisms, and mathematics of radioactive decay were established; decay rates of some radioactive chemical elements were determined; and the ages of two mineral specimens were calculated for the first time from their uranium and helium contents.1 Soon thereafter, isotopes were discovered, the decay constants of a few specific isotopes were determined, and mass spectroscopy was developed.2 Ever since these early heady days in the study of radioactivity, numerous radiometric dating methods have been proposed. Some methods were eventually discarded,3 but many others have not only withstood critical scrutiny but have been refined and improved.4 Radiometric Dating To understand how radiometric dating works, consider a crystal of pure rubidium chloride (RbCl). Rubidium (Rb) consists of 72.2% Rb, an isotope that is not r...
Kornerupine-group minerals in Grenville granulite-facies paragneiss, Reading Prong, New Jersey
Canadian Mineralogist, 1995
Recollections of a Petrologist
Joseph Henry and Geology at Princeton
Earth Sciences History, 2019
The first documented geology lectures at Princeton were given in 1825 by John Finch ( circa 1790–... more The first documented geology lectures at Princeton were given in 1825 by John Finch ( circa 1790– circa 1835), an English visitor to the United States. In the 1830s, John Torrey (1796–1873) delivered a few geology and mineralogy lectures at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), but Joseph Henry (1797–1878), Professor of Natural Philosophy at the College of New Jersey from 1832 to 1848, introduced the first repeated geology course. In the 1830s, the College of New Jersey instituted a handful of short courses on topics outside of the regular curriculum. Geology was assigned to Henry, owing to his geological experience with Amos Eaton (1776–1842) along the recently opened Erie Canal. Henry taught geology for the first time in August 1841, repeated the course in 1843, 1846, and 1847, and probably also in 1844, 1845, 1850, and 1851. Henry typically focused on geophysical aspects of Earth, such as internal heat and Laplace's nebular hypothesis. He also discussed the ge...
The Bible, rocks and time: geological evidence for the age of the Earth
Choice Reviews Online, 2009
... Every church library, Christian high school, and college seminary and bookstore should have t... more ... Every church library, Christian high school, and college seminary and bookstore should have this volume available as an essential reference. Jeff Greenberg, professor of geology, Wheaton College The title says it all, as Davis Young has dealt with the issues of geology and ...
Earth cycles: a historical perspective
Choice Reviews Online, 2007
Humans have tried to figure out what formed the landscape of the earth for thousands of years. Ho... more Humans have tried to figure out what formed the landscape of the earth for thousands of years. How were mountains created? Where did lakes and rivers come from? What lies under the surface of the earth? And one concept that greatly aided the scientific advance of the earth sciences was that of geological cycles. Once scientists understood that many geological actions are cyclic, the scientific knowledge of the earth exploded. These ideas are central to the nature of the earth sciences, and appreciating how scientists arrived at these ideas is essential for understanding the nature of the earth sciences.
Origin of the American Qantitative Igneous Rock Classification: Part 2
Earth Sciences History, 2009
After the tragic premature death of George Huntington Williams in 1894, the attempt by four young... more After the tragic premature death of George Huntington Williams in 1894, the attempt by four young American petrographers to collaborate on construction of a quantitative classification of igneous rocks fell apart. The three survivors of the original quartet, C. Whitman Cross, Joseph P. Iddings, and Louis V. Pirsson, kept up their close friendship but produced their important petrological papers, including some contributions relating to classification, independently. In time, Henry Stephens Washington befriended the three.Discussions about igneous rock classification at the VII International Geological Congress (St Petersburg, 1897); establishment of the International Committee on Rock Nomenclature; efforts to develop an international classification; and renewed discussion at the VIII International Geological Congress (Paris, 1900) re-ignited Iddings' passion to develop a cooperative American scheme. Beginning with preliminary conferences at Iddings' instigation at annual mee...
Speculation about igneous rock diversity began in the first half of the nineteenth century after ... more Speculation about igneous rock diversity began in the first half of the nineteenth century after acceptance of the existence of ancient volcanism and the recognition of two fundamental types of lava: basalt and trachyte. Before 1850, George Poulett Scrope (1797-1876), Charles Darwin (1809-1882), and James Dwight Dana (1813-1895) attributed diversity to intumescence of gas-rich lava, crystal settling, and differential fusion of minerals. In the 1850s, Robert Bunsen (1811-1899) maintained that lava is derived from two deep normal trachytic and normal pyroxenic sources. Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen (1809-1876), Joseph Durocher (1817-1860), and Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833-1905) universalized Bunsen's sources by postulating a density-stratified Earth in which a layer of acid, feldspathic material rested above a layer of basic, basaltic material. Exploration of the complex volcanic terranes of western America in the 1860s and 1870s undermined the two-source theories and ope...
Speculation about igneous rock diversity began in the first half of the nineteenth century after ... more Speculation about igneous rock diversity began in the first half of the nineteenth century after acceptance of the existence of ancient volcanism and the recognition of two fundamental types of lava: basalt and trachyte. Before 1850, George Poulett Scrope (1797-1876), Charles Darwin (1809-1882), and James Dwight Dana (1813-1895) attributed diversity to intumescence of gas-rich lava, crystal settling, and differential fusion of minerals. In the 1850s, Robert Bunsen (1811-1899) maintained that lava is derived from two deep normal trachytic and normal pyroxenic sources. Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen (1809-1876), Joseph Durocher (1817-1860), and Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833-1905) universalized Bunsen's sources by postulating a density-stratified Earth in which a layer of acid, feldspathic material rested above a layer of basic, basaltic material. Exploration of the complex volcanic terranes of western America in the 1860s and 1870s undermined the two-source theories and ope...
The Rise of the Theory of Differentiation in Igneous Petrology (Part 2 of 2)
Earth Sciences History, 1999
The theory of differentiation dominated igneous petrology between 1880 and 1903. During this peri... more The theory of differentiation dominated igneous petrology between 1880 and 1903. During this period, petrologists eagerly applied insights from the burgeoning field of physical chemistry to account for differentiation. Acceptance of the Soret effect, a mechanism applicable to differentiation of magma in purely liquid condition, prevailed in the early 1890s. As support for the Soret effect eroded after 1893, a wide range of other mechanisms for producing differentiation was proposed including the Gouy-Chaperon effect (gravity stratification of magma), molecular flow in accord with Berthelot's principle, liquid immiscibility, eutectic crystallization, fractional crystallization, electrolysis, magnetic attraction, and circulation of mineralizing fluids. Consensus about the competing mechanisms of differentiation had not been achieved at the beginning of the twentieth century.The development of differentiation theory arose in the context of increased specialization in igneous petrol...
In this paper; we introduce an enhanced electromyography (EMG) pattern recognition algorithm base... more In this paper; we introduce an enhanced electromyography (EMG) pattern recognition algorithm based on a split-and-merge deep belief network (SM-DBN). Generally, it is difficult to classify the EMG features because the EMG signal has nonlinear and time-varying characteristics. Therefore, various machine-learning methods have been applied in several previously published studies. A DBN is a fast greedy learning algorithm that can identify a fairly good set of weights rapidly-even in deep networks with a large number of parameters and many hidden layers. To reduce overfitting and to enhance performance, the adopted optimization method was based on genetic algorithms (GA). As a result, the performance of the SM-DBN was 12.06% higher than conventional DBN. Additionally, SM-DBN results in a short convergence time, thereby reducing the training epoch. It is thus efficient in reducing the risk of overfitting. It is verified that the optimization was improved using GA.
Of the American Quantitative Igneous Rock Classification: Part 5
Earth Sciences History, 2012
The preference of the authors of the quantitative igneous rock classification for an artificial r... more The preference of the authors of the quantitative igneous rock classification for an artificial rather than a natural system, coupled with their invention of a new nomenclature to accompany the classification, indicates that some essential elements of scientific work are not empirically ascertained but are proposed and accepted (or rejected) by the relevant scientific community as a matter of free choice. The use of igneous rocks as exemplars in the education of novice geology students is discussed. It is claimed that the CIPW classification could not have been produced by a single individual geologist. The factors that allowed for the collective success in the creation of the quantitative classification are examined.Upon publication of their monumental quantitative chemico-mineralogical classification (CIPW 1902, 1903), C. W. Cross, J. P. Iddings, L. V. Pirsson, and H. S. Washington immediately received numerous letters of congratulation. Initial published reviews ranged from highl...
Of the American Quantitative Igneous Rock Classification: Part 5
Earth Sciences History, 2012
The preference of the authors of the quantitative igneous rock classification for an artificial r... more The preference of the authors of the quantitative igneous rock classification for an artificial rather than a natural system, coupled with their invention of a new nomenclature to accompany the classification, indicates that some essential elements of scientific work are not empirically ascertained but are proposed and accepted (or rejected) by the relevant scientific community as a matter of free choice. The use of igneous rocks as exemplars in the education of novice geology students is discussed. It is claimed that the CIPW classification could not have been produced by a single individual geologist. The factors that allowed for the collective success in the creation of the quantitative classification are examined.Upon publication of their monumental quantitative chemico-mineralogical classification (CIPW 1902, 1903), C. W. Cross, J. P. Iddings, L. V. Pirsson, and H. S. Washington immediately received numerous letters of congratulation. Initial published reviews ranged from highl...
Responses to Creationism: Abusing Science; Creation and Evolution
Uploads
Papers by Davis Young