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458 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
USGS2025

Drone-based radiometric surveys provide high-resolution mine waste characterization

Airborne radiometric surveys use passive geophysical techniques to characterize geochemical variations at or near earth’s surface. These methods have been used for a variety of mapping applications, including mineral resource evaluation. However, detailed characterization of smaller geologic targets, including mine waste features, requires flying at lower altitudes and with tighter line spacing than is feasible with traditional aircraft. Here, a small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS) equipped with a radiometric sensor was used to acquire high-resolution gamma-spectrometry over small mine waste features and a low-grade stockpile in southwestern New Mexico. The sUAS radiometric system mapped local variability within each survey area and revealed ~2–10 m wide zones where radioelements K, Th, and U may be elevated 2–10× the surrounding material. Additionally, the sUAS radiometric data revealed radioelement variability across survey sites, which correlated reasonably well with variability seen in geochemical samples at each survey site, even though samples collected from individual sites showed high local variability. The sUAS data characterized local heterogeneity within mine waste and other small geologic targets at scales of a few meters to tens of meters, which is not possible with traditional crewed aircraft, and with continuity of coverage that is not possible with ground surveys, thus filling a key gap in geophysical survey spatial resolution.

New Mexico↗
USGS2026

Magnetic storms and geoelectric hazards

Magnetic storms induce geoelectric fields at Earth's surface that can interfere with grounded long-line systems. The September 1859 storm disrupted global telegraph operations, the March 1989 storm caused a blackout in Canada and interfered with electric-power-transmission systems in the United States, and other storms have had related impacts. The geographic and temporal dependence of geoelectric fields are functions of both geomagnetic variation and local surface impedance, which differ considerably across different geological regions. These dependencies can be mapped across the contiguous United States by combining magnetotelluric impedance tensors with ground magnetometer time series. This review illustrates such mapping for the 1989 storm and shows that power-system interference was experienced where surface impedance is high, and when and where geoelectric fields were intense. Statistical analyses indicate that storms comparable to that of March 1989 occur roughly once every four solar cycles. Ongoing developments in numerical modeling and real-time monitoring are anticipated to enable prediction of geoelectric hazards. ▪ Magnetic storms can induced electric fields in the solid Earth that interfere with electric-power-transmission systems. ▪ Geoelectric hazards depend on the storm-time geomagnetic disturbance and the electrical conductivity structure of Earth. ▪ Historically, impacts on telecommunication and power-transmission systems in the United States have been concentrated in the East and Midwest. ▪ The future occurrence of a magnetic superstorm could cause widespread disruption of electric-power-transmission systems.

Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences↗
USGS2024

Assessing locations susceptible to shallow landslide initiation during prolonged intense rainfall in the Lares, Utuado, and Naranjito municipalities of Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria induced about 70 000 landslides throughout Puerto Rico, USA, including thousands each in three municipalities situated in Puerto Rico's rugged Cordillera Central range. By combining a nonlinear soil-depth model, presumed wettest-case pore pressures, and quasi-three-dimensional (3D) slope-stability analysis, we developed a landslide susceptibility map that has very good performance and continuous susceptibility zones having smooth, buffered boundaries. Our landslide susceptibility map enables assessment of potential ground-failure locations and their use as landslide sources in a companion assessment of inundation and debris-flow runout. The quasi-3D factor of safety, F 3 , showed strong inverse correlation to landslide density (high density at low F 3 ). Area under the curve (AUC) of true positive rate (TPR) versus false positive rate (FPR) indicated success of F 3 in identifying head-scarp points (AUC = 0.84) and source-area polygons (0.85 ≤ AUC ≤ 0.88). The susceptibility zones enclose specific percentages of observed landslides. Thus, zone boundaries use successive F 3 levels for increasing TPR of landslide head-scarp points, with zones bounded by F 3 at TPR = 0.75, very high; F 3 at TPR = 0.90, high; and the remainder moderate to low. The very high susceptibility zone, with 118 landslides km −2 , covered 23 % of the three municipalities. The high zone (51 landslides km −2 ) covered another 10 %.

Puerto Rice↗
USGS2026

The digital archivist: Automating legacy macroseismic data processing using large language models

Macroseismic data are a key resource to investigate shaking and damage from preinstrumental and early instrumental eras. However, data are often stored as inconsistently formatted reports describing observed shaking and damage, making manually parsing and interpreting accounts labor‐intensive. We introduce a novel workflow using Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro large language model (LLM) to automate the extraction and structuring of macroseismic observations from summary reports. We apply this workflow to the 22 March 1957 M 5.3 Daly City, California, earthquake as a case study. We used Gemini to extract addresses, originally assigned modified Mercalli intensity values, and descriptions from each report. To address coordinate precision limits, addresses were geocoded via Google’s Geocoding application programming interface. This workflow yielded over 2300 geocoded intensity reports for the Daly City earthquake. We use the geocoded accounts, with the original report intensity assignments, to develop a shaking intensity map that in some respects rivals modern Did You Feel It? Maps. We also extract and present data for the 9 February 1971 M L 6.7 Sylmar, California, earthquake. Our results demonstrate the potential of LLMs for reliably extracting and analyzing large, unstructured macroseismic datasets. LLMs offer a scalable solution for rapidly digitizing macroseismic archives, enabling their broader use to constrain ground‐motion models in modern seismic hazard analysis and to improve our understanding of site effects in urban areas. The concepts explored here may also be applied to the handling of other legacy seismological and earth science data.

Seismological Research Letters↗
USGS2024

Three-dimensional geologic framework model of the Rio San Jose groundwater basin and adjacent areas, New Mexico

As part of a U.S. Geological Survey study in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico, and the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico, a digital three-dimensional geologic framework model was constructed for the Rio San Jose and its surface-water drainage basin in west-central New Mexico. This three-dimensional model defines the altitude, thickness, and extent of 18 geologic units for use in a regional numerical hydrologic model. The model included an undifferentiated Proterozoic basement layer, 13 consolidated Paleozoic and Mesozoic rock units, and 4 Cenozoic units. Model input data were compiled from published cross sections, well data, structure contour maps, selected geophysical data, and data derived from geologic maps and structural features in the study area. These data were used to construct faulted surfaces that represent the upper and lower subsurface geologic unit boundaries. The digital three-dimensional geologic framework model combines faults, the altitude of the tops of each geologic unit, and boundary lines depicting the subsurface extent of each geologic unit. The digital three-dimensional geologic model described in this report and the corresponding data release represents the generalized geometry of the subsurface geologic units; it reproduces with reasonable accuracy the input geologic data and is consistent with previously published subsurface conceptualizations of the region. The geologic framework model is at a scale and resolution appropriate for use as the foundation for a numerical hydrologic model of the study area.

New Mexico↗
USGS2025

The Mammoth magnetic anomaly, Pinal County, Arizona

A high-resolution Earth Mapping Resources Initiative airborne geophysical survey was flown in the southwest North American porphyry copper province to improve bedrock geologic maps and to identify areas that have unrecognized critical mineral resource potential. During the review of the aeromagnetic data, a distinctly monopolar-shaped, negative magnetic anomaly was observed at a flight elevation of 200 m above the ground with a maximum amplitude of –9500 nT. We have named this the Mammoth magnetic anomaly (MMA) because it is centered 12 km northeast of the town of Mammoth, Arizona, USA. The total field anomaly (TFA) contour of –500 nT enclosing the MMA defines an elongate shape measuring 2.5 km long by 1 km wide that trends northwest–southeast. Given the striking nature of this negative, monopolar-shaped magnetic anomaly, we conducted a ground campaign in May 2025 to determine its authenticity and potential relationship to critical mineral endowment. The MMA was confirmed on the ground with a TFA approaching –46,000 nT. Total magnetic intensity (TMI) observations routinely fell below the 18,000 nT operating floor of an industry-standard cesium-vapor total field magnetometer, and extremely low TMI measurements were corroborated along coincident traverse lines using two high dynamic range, but lower sensitivity, smartphone vector magnetometers. The lowest TMI values recorded by both smartphone magnetometers were 1000 nT and confirmed with multiple adjacent and crossing lines. Field observations suggest that this magnetic feature is caused by strong remanent magnetization within fine-grained magnetite hosted within locally altered Pinal Schist.

Arizona↗
USGS2023

Eruptive history within the vicinity of Al Madīnah in northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The northernmost part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field contains early Pleistocene to Holocene mafic eruptive products within the vicinity of the city of Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A detailed geologic investigation into the eruptive history of a 570 square kilometer (km 2 ) area covering Al Madīnah and the surrounding area has yielded 33 mapped Quaternary volcanic units consisting of lava flows, scoria cones, and shield volcanoes. These eruptive products consist of continental, intraplate alkalic and minor transitional basalts, hawaiites, and a single mugearite that were emplaced from at least 1,014±14 thousand years ago (ka) to a single Holocene eruption in 1256 C.E. Lava flows are generally 10 to 15 kilometers (km) long (but can reach 23 km long), 1 to 3 km wide, and at least 10 meters thick. Most of the mapped units erupted episodically between 400 and 340 ka and 180 and 100 ka. Despite small individual volumes (less than 1 cubic kilometers dense rock equivalent), each unit represents eruption of a distinct magma batch that was strongly influenced by clinopyroxene, olivine, and plagioclase fractionation. Some of these units are interpreted to have undergone magma mixing pre- and (or) syneruptively. Integrating eruption ages, geochemistry, and paleomagnetic data yields evidence that some eruptions were temporally and (or) spatially clustered. Aligned scoria cones and elongate vent edifices were constructed atop fissure vent systems that reflect the local stress field, which controls dike ascent through the middle and upper crust.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2025

Airborne geophysical analysis to decipher salinization for coastal Louisiana

Coastal Louisiana is known for saltwater intrusion that threatens wetlands, aquifers, and rivers. However, the extent of saltwater intrusion is not well understood. This study develops an innovative framework with airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data to map chloride concentration distributions for wetlands in the Mississippi River deltaic plain and Chenier plain as well as for the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer (MRVA) and Chicot aquifer. Moreover, the framework maps chloride concentrations along the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River. Key components in the framework include the establishment of resistivity-to-chloride concentration transformation, 3D resistivity architecture building through geostatistics, and the employment of a lithologic model. The transformation functions correlate AEM resistivity data with porewater salinity measurements and groundwater and river chloride samples. The results show that AEM data reliably infers soil water chloride concentrations and correlates well with the distribution of various marsh types. AEM data reveals extensive saltwater presence at depth and near the coast, originating from salt domes and the Gulf of Mexico, respectively. The saltwater upconing pattern in the Chicot aquifer is likely due to excessive groundwater withdrawals. The AEM data also confirms a distinct tongue of saltwater intruding into the Atchafalaya Basin from the Gulf. The AEM data helps to identify faults that are obscured or eroded at the surface, which appear as leaky barriers in the subsurface where dramatic changes in chloride concentration are apparent. Finally, this study uses the AEM data to infer the presence of an extensive seawater wedge in the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya River.

Louisiana↗
USGS2024

Peri-Gondwanan sediment in the Arkoma Basin derived from the north: The detrital zircon record of a uniquely concentrated non-Laurentian source signal in the late Paleozoic

During the assembly of Pangea, peri-Gondwanan terranes collided with the eastern and southern margins of Laurentia and brought with them unique detrital zircon U-Pb signatures. Discriminating between individual peri-Gondwanan terranes in the detrital record is difficult due to their similar geologic histories. However, characterization of this provenance is critical for understanding late Paleozoic sediment routing during development of Pangea. Along southeastern Laurentia, in the Arkoma Basin (present-day Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, southeastern United States), we identified Middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) strata that exhibit a concentrated peri-Gondwanan detrital zircon signature (e.g., ca. 800–550 Ma). Although several southern peri-Gondwanan terranes (e.g., Maya, Suwannee) are closer to the Arkoma Basin, geologic data, such as predominantly north-to-south paleocurrents and proximal-to-distal facies relationships in these Desmoinesian strata, support a northern source (e.g., Ganderia, Avalonia, Meguma). Further evidence of a northern source comes from detrital zircon source mapping, which reveals the persistence of this peri-Gondwanan signal in depocenters to the north of the basin after the signal had diminished in the Arkoma Basin. To this end, bottom-up detrital zircon source modeling, source mapping, regional stratigraphy, paleocurrent data, and sandstone petrography allow us to reconstruct the evolution of this Middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) sediment pathway in the context of intraplate and plate-margin tectonic activity. This reconstruction documents processes affecting Earth’s surface (e.g., tectonics, climate) during the assembly of Pangea and describes in detail part of a dynamic continental-scale drainage system.

Geosphere↗
USGS1994

Hydrogeologic atlas of aquifers in Indiana

Aquifers in 12 water-management basins of Indiana are identified in a series of 104 hydrogeologic sections and 12 maps that show the thickness and configuration of aquifers. The vertical distribution of water-bearing units and a generalized potentiometric profile are shown along 3,500 miles of section lines that were constructed from drillers' logs of more than 4,200 wells. The horizontal scale of the sections is 1:125,000. Maps of aquifers showing the areal distribution of each aquifer type were drawn at a scale of 1:500,000. Unconsolidated aquifers are the most widely used aquifers in Indiana and include surficial, buried, and discontinuous layers of sand and gravel. Most of the surficial sand and gravel is in large outwash plains in northern Indiana and along the major rivers. Buried sand and gravel aquifers are interbedded with till deposits in much of the northern two-thirds of Indiana. Discontinuous sand and gravel deposits are present as isolated lenses, primarily in glaciated areas. The bedrock aquifers generally have lower yields than most of the sand and gravel aquifers; however, bedrock aquifers are areally widespread and are an important source of water. Bedrock aquifer types consist of carbonates; sandstones; complexly interbedded sandstones, siltstones, shales, limestones, and coals; and an upper weathered zone in low permeability rock. Carbonate aquifers underlie about one-half of Indiana and are the most productive of the bedrock aquifers. The other principal bedrock aquifer type, sandstone, underlies large areas in the southwestern one-fifth of Indiana. No aquifer is known to be present in the southeastern corner of Indiana.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2025

Predictive regressive models of recent marsh sediment thickness improve the quantification of coastal marsh sediment budgets

Coastal marsh wetlands experience variations in vertical gains and losses through time, which have allowed them to infill relict topography and record variations in drivers. The stratigraphic unit associated with the development of the marsh also reflects the long-term importance of key ecosystem services supplied by the marsh environment, including carbon storage and storm mitigation. Mapping these coastal wetland sediments and the marsh unit thickness is challenging as traditional coastal geophysical tools are not easily deployable (acoustic methods) or are unreliable in saline-soil environments (e.g., ground-penetrating radar), leaving core-based methods the most viable mapping method. In the present study, we utilized prior information on the geologic architecture of the region to select spatial and physical metrics that likely persisted throughout evolution of the marsh during the late Holocene. We then assessed the individual and collective power of these metrics to predict marsh thickness observed from cores. Employing regressive predictive models powered by these data, we improve the quantification of marsh thickness for a coastal fringing marsh within the Grand Bay estuary in Mississippi and Alabama (USA). The information gained from this approach yields improved estimates of the carbon stocks in this environment. Additionally, the stored sediment masses reflect the past, and potential future, persistence of the Grand Bay marsh under historical and present marsh-estuarine sediment exchange fluxes. Such improvements to both the sediment budget of recent marsh stratigraphic units and the spatial extent provide new resources for comparison with large-scale landscape models, the latter of which may be used, when validated, to predict future change and ecosystem transformations.

Alabama. Mississippi↗
USGS2024

An orbital comparison of a late mantling unit on Aeolis Mons with other erosion-resistant strata explored by MSL in Gale crater, Mars

Previous investigations along Curiosity 's traverse in Gale crater have explored the relationship between orbital and in situ observations. This work aims to better understand the geologic environment of units only observable from orbit and compare them to the properties of units examined by Curiosity . Here, we map an erosion-resistant dark-toned mantling unit that overlies the modern topography of Aeolis Mons (informally known as Mt. Sharp) and compare this unit to two other previously mapped dark-toned resistant units, the marker band and the mound skirting unit (MSU), that have been inferred to represent different geologic environments (lacustrine and aeolian, respectively). Visible to short wave infrared spectra from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars and visual images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment and Context Cameras aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are used for this comparison. Spectral data suggest a mafic composition with minor alteration, although the composition varies more with location around Mt. Sharp rather than between units. Morphologically, the mantling unit has strong similarities to the marker band based on their consistent low-albedo, erosion-resistance, and smooth appearance, contrasting with the highly variable surface texture of the MSU. We hypothesize that all three units had a similar sediment source but experienced aqueous alteration at different times: early ubiquitous cementation in a surface aqueous environment in the mantling unit and marker band versus patchy late diagenesis in the MSU. If true, these results suggest that water activity continued within the Gale crater long after the erosion of Mt. Sharp.

JGR Planets↗
USGS2025

Meet the people where they are: Assessing user needs for aftershock forecast products in El Salvador, Mexico and the United States

Aftershock forecasts can help communities reduce their seismic risk by conveying how many aftershocks can be expected following a large earthquake, and how the expected number of aftershocks and their corresponding ground shaking evolves over time and space. Prior work finds that graphical forecast products may communicate such information better than only text or numbers. To identify which visual products can serve multiple user groups, we held workshops with members of several professions, including emergency managers, engineers, critical infrastructure operators, public health specialists, science communicators, and more. We conducted these workshops in El Salvador, Mexico and the United States to understand which forecast products may be effective across different countries. In these workshops, users performed small-group activities to elicit the types of aftershock forecast information that would support decisions in their respective roles and how this information would optimally be displayed. Maps of shaking hazards were frequently requested across all professions and countries, even for dissimilar forecast uses. The design of these maps, and other product needs, were differentiated by profession, country and other factors. Other forecast products, including those showing forecasts about the magnitudes and time periods of future aftershocks, also served a variety of users, but for different types of decisions. We found a greater variation in user needs by profession than by country, and that user needs also vary with time, communication channel and other contextual factors. We discuss practical implications for user-centered visual communication of operational aftershock forecasts.

International Journal for Disaster Risk Reduction↗
USGS2025

The 3D National Topography Model Call for Action—Part 2: The Next Generation 3D Elevation Program

The three-dimensional (3D) National Topography Model initiative to integrate elevation and hydrography data includes the next generation of hydrography data from the 3D Hydrography Program and the next generation of elevation data from the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). The first-ever collection of light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the nation (IfSAR for Alaska) provides a critical baseline reference, and the addition of multiple repeat elevation mapping projects as part of the next generation of 3DEP would substantially expand analysis capabilities. As the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is closing in on our goal of complete coverage with 3DEP data available or in progress for 98.3 percent of the Nation at the end of fiscal year 2024, the USGS is already transitioning to the next generation of 3DEP. Based on the 3D Nation Study results and input from a broad range of stakeholders, the USGS National Geospatial Program has finalized a new design for 3DEP that provides increased lidar quality levels and refresh rates. The new program is designed with more flexibility to meet changing user needs and take advantage of improvements in mapping technologies. The program will aim to expand the level of interagency coordination for topobathymetric lidar acquisition for inland rivers. The next generation of 3DEP will also aim to emphasize research, including advancing program design, products, and services and engaging and leveraging the evolving 3D industry. Research goals also include becoming more flexible in meeting user needs and taking advantage of evolving remote-sensing technologies. The program also plans to move from focusing on producing standard products to producing a concept of a 3D Nation Ecosystem with a variety of inputs, products, and services.

Circular↗
USGS2025

Evaluating Laramide orogenesis via flexural basin response in the San Juan basin, New Mexico and Colorado

A challenge in interpreting the location, timing, and magnitude of ancient orogenic events is that ongoing uplift and erosion in the hinterlands often destroys much of the primary record of these events. However, basin-thickness patterns in the sedimentary record can provide complimentary evidence of uplift via flexural effects. Here, we deploy well-log correlation, isochores, basin modeling, flexural modeling, and subcrop mapping to evaluate the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene basin response to Laramide tectonism in the San Juan basin. A wedge of upper Campanian to Maastrichtian sedimentary rock thickens from 200 to 800 meters from southeast to northwest in the basin. This pattern can be successfully simulated via flexural modeling if we infer early Laramide uplift along the northwest basin flank that produced a 0.8 km high topographic load. The Laramide unconformity bounds the top of this Upper Cretaceous sedimentary wedge and truncates progressively older strata to the east, further supporting a westward tilt of the basin. The onset of Campanian Laramide flexure may have also contributed to the profound transgression from the upper Menefee Formation to the Lewis Shale. The Paleocene isochore map displays an approximately symmetrical pattern, with thickening towards the center of the basin. This suggests the possibility of competing flexural loads. The base Eocene structure indicates an asymmetric deep on the northeast flank of the basin, providing flexural evidence of contemporaneous uplift/loading of the Nacimiento uplift and Archuleta arch; this has been modeled as ~2.1 km load height. Both Cretaceous and Paleocene sedimentary wedges are narrow, suggesting low flexural rigidity; modeled effective elastic thicknesses (EET) are 20-30 km, comparable to estimates of modern EET for the region.

Colorado, New Mexico↗
USGS2025

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center—2023 annual report

The 2023 annual report of the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center highlights accomplishments of 2023, includes a list of 2023 publications, and summarizes the work of the center, as well as the work of each of its science groups. This product allows readers to gain a general understanding of the focus areas of the center’s scientific research and learn more about specific projects and progress made throughout 2023, all while enjoying photographs taken in various environments and laboratories, and applicable maps and figures.

Circular↗
USGS2026

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center—2024 annual report

The 2024 annual report of the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center highlights accomplishments of 2024, includes a list of 2024 publications, and summarizes the work of the center, as well as the work of each of its science groups. This product allows readers to gain a general understanding of the focus areas of the center’s scientific research and learn more about specific projects and progress made throughout 2024, all while enjoying photographs taken in various environments and laboratories, and applicable maps and figures.

Circular↗
USGS2025

Evaluating the potential of co-located non-petroleum energy resources in the Gulf Coast using play fairwayaAnalysis

Geological resources critical to the energy transition, such as sedimentary geothermal, carbon storage potential, and lithium in brines, commonly struggle for economic feasibility as stand-alone developments but can have greater viability when the potential for more than one of these resources exist within the same reservoir or stacked in different stratigraphic intervals. There may also be instances where development of one resource inhibits development of others and decisions need to be made on how to best prioritize the use of those resources in the subsurface. Subsurface data sets were analyzed and integrated to evaluate the distribution of non-petroleum energy and related resources in the onshore and nearshore U.S. Gulf Coast. Temperature, pressure, brine composition (lithium content), and reservoir quality data for thirty-four depositional units have been compiled and visualized to high-grade areas where multiple resource opportunities likely coexist. For sedimentary geothermal, possible resource areas are defined as low potential (<90°C), moderate potential (90–150°C), and high potential (>150°C). For CO 2 storage, high potential areas exhibit supercritical CO 2 conditions less than 80% of the fracture gradient. Areas with pore pressure between 80% and 100% of the fracture gradient are considered to exhibit moderate potential and areas where the fracture gradient is equal to or greater than 100% are assigned low potential. Lithium resources in brines were defined by lithium concentrations as low potential (<100ppm), moderate potential (100-200ppm), or high potential (>200ppm). Reservoir quality affects the viability of all three of these resources and is evaluated using depositional environment maps of each unit. The resulting play fairway maps can be used for regional scale screening evaluations of these resources and to identify areas of interest where more detailed, prospect-scale studies can be undertaken.

Gulf Coast↗