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Joseph E. Hazel

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph E. Hazel.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2010

20,000 grain-size observations from the bed of the Colorado River, and implications for sediment transport through Grand Canyon

In the late 1990s, we developed digital imaging hardware and software for in-situ mapping of sand-sized bed sediment of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. This new technology enables collection and processing of hundreds of grain-size samples in a day. Bed grain size was mapped using this equipment on 8 surveys of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, for a total of more than 20,000 observations spanning 8 years. These observations document the fining of the bed when fine sand is introduced from tributaries and document the winnowing of that new sediment in the mainstem during intervening periods. The observations show how grain size varies with depth and geomorphic setting (finer in shallow depths and in lateral separation eddies), and how it varies through time. The results document that mean grain size of sand covering much of the riverbed can change substantially through time (a factor of 3). Such changes in bed sediment can be expected to cause suspended sediment concentration and flux to change by an order of magnitude for a constant water discharge.

Arizona↗
USGS2009

2008 Weather and Aeolian Sand-Transport Data from the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

This report presents measurements of weather parameters and aeolian (windblown) sand transport made in 2008 near selected archaeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Ariz. The quantitative methods and data discussed here form a basis for monitoring ecosystem processes that affect archeological-site stability. Combined with forthcoming work to evaluate landscape evolution at nearby archaeological sites, these data can be used to document the relationship between physical processes, including weather and aeolian sand transport, and their effects on the physical integrity of archaeological sites. Data collected in 2008 reveal event- and seasonal-scale variations in rainfall, wind, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. Broad seasonal changes in aeolian sediment flux are also apparent at most study sites. The continuation of monitoring that began in 2007, and installation of equipment at several new sites in early 2008, allowed evaluation of the effects of the March 2008 high-flow experiment (HFE) on aeolian sand transport. At two of the nine sites studied, spring and summer winds reworked 2008 HFE sandbars to form new aeolian dunes, at which sand moved inland toward larger, well-established dune fields. At the other seven study sites, neither dune formation nor enhanced sand transport after the HFE were observed. At several of those sites, dominant wind directions in spring 2008 were not oriented such that much HFE sand would have moved inland; at other sites, lack of increased inland sand flux is attributable to lack of sandbar enlargement near the study sites or to inhibition of sand movement by vegetation or local topography.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

Monitoring fine-sediment volume in the Colorado River ecosystem, Arizona: Bathymetric survey techniques

In 2002, a fine-grained sediment (sand, silt, and clay) monitoring effort was initiated in the Colorado River ecosystem, the river corridor downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, to directly survey channel topography at scales previously unobtainable in this canyon setting. This report presents an overview of the equipment and the methods used to collect and process the high-resolution bathymetric data required for this monitoring effort. The survey methods were employed in up to 11 discrete reaches during various time intervals. The reaches varied in length from 1.3 to 6.4 km. An assessment of depth-measurement uncertainty is presented that shows the surveys meet or exceed the requirement needed to detect changes at the 0.25-m level with 95 percent confidence. These data, in the form of high-resolution digital elevation models, will be integrated in a geographic information system and used to compare maps of topography, grain size, and other information to study the spatial distribution of fine sediment in this system.

Arizona↗
USGS2008

Aggradation and Degradation of the Palisades Gully Network, 1996 to 2005, with Emphasis on the November 2004 High-Flow Experiment, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

This study examines a large drainage network incised into alluvial terraces located along the Colorado River downstream of Palisades Creek in Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. Gully erosion in the drainage affects archaeological sites found on the wide, relatively flat alluvial terraces. In 1996, 7-d release of 1,274 cubic meters per second of water from Glen Canyon Dam, known as a controlled flood, deposited fine-grained sediment - sand, silt, and clay - in the mouth of the network's largest gully, informally known as south gully. The deposit persisted for several years, but the drainage network steepened in the downstream reaches between 1999 and 2004. A high-flow experiment similar to the 1996 controlled flood was conducted in November 2004. The 2004 experiment was of a lower magnitude and shorter duration compared to the 1996 controlled flood. Topographic surveys were made in the field before, immediately after, and 6 months following the November 2004 experiment, and these measurements were compared to those made in 1996 and in other years. Similar to the response in 1996, fine-grained sediment was deposited in the mouth of the south gully and this mass was largely retained during the 6 months following the 2004 event. The magnitude of deposition in 2004 was nearly two times greater than that resulting from the 1996 controlled flood. We attribute this marked difference to increased accommodation space for deposition in the gully mouth, which was more deeply eroded in 2004 than it was in 1996. The second of the two primary gullies found within the Palisades gully network, the north gully, was largely unaffected by either high flow. Between 1996 and 2005, erosion was primarily confined to the lower reach of the south gully, while the upper reach remained relatively stable. The available data suggest that local base-level changes in the south gully mouth were not linked to the stability of the upstream gully reach. It could not be determined whether temporary base-level increases or maintenance of erosion-control structures were causal factors in limiting erosion in the upstream reaches of the drainage network.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2008

Monitoring fine-grained sediment in the Colorado River ecosystem, Arizona — Control network and conventional survey techniques

In 2002, fine-grained sediment (sand, silt, and clay) monitoring in the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam was initiated to survey channel topography at scales previously unobtainable in this canyon setting. This report presents the methods used to establish the high-resolution global positioning system (GPS) control network required for this effort as well as the conventional surveying techniques used in the study. Using simultaneous, dual-frequency GPS vector-based methods, the network points were determined to have positioning accuracies of less than 0.03 meters (m) and ellipsoidal height accuracies of between 0.01 and 0.10 m at a 95-percent degree of confidence. We also assessed network point quality with repeated, electronic (optical) total-station observations at 39 points for a total of 362 measurements; the mean range was 0.022 m in horizontal and 0.13 in vertical at a 95-percent confidence interval. These results indicate that the control network is of sufficient spatial and vertical accuracy for collection of airborne and subaerial remote-sensing technologies and integration of these data in a geographic information system on a repeatable basis without anomalies. The monitoring methods were employed in up to 11 discrete reaches over various time intervals. The reaches varied from 1.3 to 6.4 kilometers in length. Field results from surveys in 2000, 2002, and 2004 are described, during which conventional surveying was used to collect more than 3000 points per day. Ground points were used as checkpoints and to supplement areas just below or above the water surface, where remote-sensing data are not collected or are subject to greater error. An accuracy of +or- 0.05 m was identified as the minimum precision of individual ground points. These results are important for assessing digital elevation model (DEM) quality and identifying detection limits of significant change among surfaces generated from remote-sensing technologies.

Arizona↗
USGS2007

Stage-Discharge Relations for the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons, Arizona, 1990-2005

This report presents stage-discharge relations for 47 discrete locations along the Colorado River, downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. Predicting the river stage that results from changes in flow regime is important for many studies investigating the effects of dam operations on resources in and along the Colorado River. The empirically based stage-discharge relations were developed from water-surface elevation data surveyed at known discharges at all 47 locations. The rating curves accurately predict stage at each location for discharges between 141 cubic meters per second and 1,274 cubic meters per second. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the fit to the data ranged from 0.993 to 1.00. Given the various contributing errors to the method, a conservative error estimate of ?0.05 m was assigned to the rating curves.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Streamflow and Sediment Data Collected to Determine the Effects of Low Summer Steady Flows and Habitat Maintenance Flows in 2000 on the Colorado River between Lees Ferry and Bright Angel Creek, Arizona

The low summer steady flows (LSSF) experiment of 2000 further demonstrated that spike flows released from Glen Canyon Dam redistribute sand from the channel bed and lower elevation parts of eddy sandbars to channel-margin deposits and the higher elevation parts of eddy sandbars. Unfortunately, summer 2000 was a period of unusually low tributary influx of sediment and there was little fine sediment (i.e., sand and finer material) available for redistribution. Nevertheless, the low steady flows, which held releases from the dam steady at 230 m3/s (8,100 ft3/s), during the summer of 2000 effectively retained on the channel bed the little sediment that was supplied by tributaries, and a subsequent 4-day, 870 m3/s (30,700 ft3/s) spike flow caused modest increases in the area of the mid-elevation zone of eddy sandbars.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2005

Sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Palisades, Lower Comanche, and Arroyo Grande areas of the Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona

This report analyzes various depositional environments in three archaeologically significant areas of the Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon. Archaeological features are built on and buried by fluvial, aeolian, and locally derived sediment, representing a complex interaction between geologic and cultural history. These analyses provide a basis for determining the potential influence of Glen Canyon Dam operations on selected archaeological sites and thus for guiding dam operations in order to facilitate preservation of cultural resources. This report presents initial results of a joint effort between geologists and archaeologists to evaluate the significance of various depositional processes and environments in the prehistoric formation and modern preservation of archaeological sites along the Colorado River corridor in Grand Canyon National Park. Stratigraphic investigations of the Palisades, Lower Comanche, and Arroyo Grande areas of Grand Canyon yield detailed information regarding the sedimentary history at these locations. Reconstruction of past depositional settings is critical to a thorough understanding of the geomorphic and stratigraphic evolution of these three archaeologically significant areas. This examination of past sedimentary environments allows the relative significance of fluvial, aeolian, debris-fan, and slope-wash sedimentary deposits to be identified at each site. In general the proportion of fluvial sediment (number and thickness of flood deposits) is shown to decrease away from the river, and locally derived sediment becomes more significant. Flood sequences often occur as 'couplets' that contain a fluvial deposit overlain by an interflood unit that reflects reworking of fluvial sediment at the land surface by wind and local runoff. Archaeological features are built on and buried by sediment of various depositional environments, implying a complex interaction between geologic and cultural history. Such field analysis, which combines geological and archaeological information and techniques, can provide a basis for future determination of the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on selected areas of the river corridor. This knowledge is essential to the development of preservation strategies for cultural resources in Grand Canyon.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS1984

Significant unconformities and the hiatuses represented by them in the Paleogene of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Province

A biostratigraphic, chronostratigraphic, and magnetostratigraphic model has been calibrated to produce a new time scale for the Paleogene. The model gives the biostratigraphic position and duration represented by significant unconformities in three areas of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Province: 1) western and central Alabama; 2) South Carolina; and 3) central Virginia to southwestern Maryland. In these areas, the most significant unconformity, in terms of duration represented and lateral extent, is found in the lower Eocene. In Alabama, this unconformity centers around 51.4 m.y. and represents a hiatus of about 1.4 m.y. In South Carolina, this unconformity centers around 50.3 m.y. and represents a hiatus of about 10.0 m.y. In Virginia-Maryland, the lower Eocene unconformity centers around 49.0 m.y. and represents a hiatus of about 7.3 m.y. A significant unconformity exists between the Cretaceous and Tertiary in all three areas. On the Atlantic coast the Cretaceous-Tertiary unconformity represents some missing Danian and significant missing Maestrichtian. In Alabama, however, there is virtually a complete Danian section and it is only most of the upper Maestrichtian that is missing. There are significant regional unconformities in all three areas.

Book chapter↗
USGS1977

Distribution of some biostratigraphically diagnostic ostracodes in the Pliocene and lower Pleistocene of Virginia and northern North Carolina

Ostracodes are abundant and diverse in Pliocene and lower Pleistocene deposits of Virginia and North Carolina. Many readily identified species are short ranging or have well-defined beginning and (or) end points to their stratigraphic range. These microscopic crustaceans, therefore, are very useful in zonation and correlation in the region. In this paper, 54 particularly useful species are illustrated, and their ranges are indicated graphically. The range zones, concurrent range zones, and local range zones of these forms allow the recognition of the chronozones of previously proposed ostracode assemblage zones in Virginia and North Carolina as well as in other regions.

North Carolina, Virginia↗
USGS1970

Binary coefficients and clustering in biostratigraphy

The large data arrays common in biostratigraphy make subjective groupings difficult. Because of this, biostratigraphers have commonly based conclusions on the occurrences of relatively few species. The use of binary similarity coefficients, cluster analysis techniques, and digital computers allows a polythetic approach to biostratigraphy. The approach is free of circular and a priori reasoning in that it is established that assemblage zones (major clusters in a dendrogram) are present before the biostratigraphic utility of various taxa for the recognition of the zones is determined. A measure for determining the biostratigraphic fidelity of a species for established zones is proposed. Published data on the distribution of ostracodes and foraminifers from the Eocene and Oligocene of Mississippi and Alabama are used to demonstrate a method of using coefficients and clustering in establishing a zonation.

Alabama, Mississippi↗
USGS1970

Atlantic Continental Shelf and Slope of the United States - Ostracode zoogeography in the southern Nova Scotian and northern Virginian faunal provinces

Ostracodes were identified from 236 bottom samples taken in the region from Nova Scotia to Long Island. There is a distinctive difference between the assemblages in the northern and southern parts of this region. Many sublittoral cryophilic species are not present south of Cape Cod or the Northeast Channel, and several thermophilic species a.re not .found north of Cape Cod or Georges Bank. The ostracode assemblages in the southern part of the cold-temperate Nova Scotian province are a mixture of amphiatlantic cryophilic species and endemic, mainly thermophilic species; European forms make up approximately 50 percent of the species. Less than 25 percent of the species known from the mild-temperate Virginian province have been reported from European waters. More endemic species pass Cape Cod from the south than amphiatlantic cryophilic species do from the north. This is consistent with the fact that summer isotherms are more compressed than winter isotherms in the Cape Cod region, and the southern limit of distribution of most amphiatlantic species is regulated by summer high temperatures. The distribution data on which these interpretations are based are presented in a series of .figures and over 60 species distribution maps.

Professional Paper↗