Geology topics

B.K. Nations

Publications and source records attributed to B.K. Nations.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2017

Early Holocene pecan, Carya illinoensis, in the Mississippi River Valley near Muscatine, Iowa

A fossil pecan, Carya illinoensis (Wang.) K. Koch, from floodplain sediments of the Mississippi River near Muscatine, Iowa, was accelerator-dated at 7280 ?? 120 yr B.P. This discovery indicates that pecan was at or near its present northern limit by that time. Carya pollen profiles from the Mississippi River Trench indicate that hickory pollen percentages were much higher in the valley than at upland locations during the early Holocene. Pecan, the hickory with the most restricted riparian habitat, is the likely candidate for producing these peaks in Carya pollen percentages. Therefore, pecan may have reached its northern limit as early as 10,300 yr B.P. Its abundance in Early Archaic archaeological sites and the co-occurrence of early Holocene Carya pollen peaks with the arrival of the Dalton artifact complex in the Upper Mississippi Valley suggest that humans may have played a role in the early dispersal of pecan. ?? 1990.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS1996

Acetochlor in the hydrologic system in the midwestern United States, 1994

The herbicide acetochlor [2-chloro- N -(ethoxymethyl)- N -(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)acetamide] was given conditional registration in the United States by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March 1994. This registration provided a rare opportunity to investigate the occurrence of a pesticide during its first season of extensive use in the midwestern United States. Water samples collected and analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1994 documented the distribution of acetochlor in the hydrologic system; it was detected in 29% of the rain samples from four sites in Iowa, 17% of the stream samples from 51 sites across nine states, and 0% of the groundwater samples from 38 wells across eight states. Acetochlor exhibited concentration increases in rain and streams following its application to corn in the midwestern United States, with 75% of the rainwater and 35% of the stream samples having acetochlor detected during this time period. Acetochlor concentrations in rain decreased as the growing season progressed. Based on the limited data collected for this study, it is anticipated that acetochlor concentrations will have a seasonal pattern in rain and streams similar to those of other acetanilide herbicides examined. Possible explanations for the absence of acetochlor in groundwater for this study include the rapid degradation of acetochlor in the soil zone, insufficient time for this first extensive use of acetochlor to have reached the aquifers sampled, and the possible lack of acetochlor use in the recharge areas for the wells examined.

Environmental Science & Technology↗

USGS1995

Water resources data, Iowa, water year 1994

Water resources data for Iowa for the 1994 water year consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; ground water levels and water quality of ground-water wells. This report contains discharge records for 115 gaging stations; stage or contents for 8 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 6 stream-gaging stations; sediment records for 11 stream-gaging stations; water levels for 232 observation wells; and chemical analyses for 101 municipal wells. Also included are data for 93 crest-stage partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, but are not part of the systematic datacollection program and are published as miscellaneous discharge measurements and miscellaneous water-quality analyses.

Iowa↗