Land use and land cover and associated maps for Burns, Oregon
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Open-File Report↗
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Results for “Oregon Geology”
Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.
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Aeromagnetic map of the Pueblo Mountains, southeastern Oregon
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Open-File Report↗
Geologic map of the Frederick Butte volcanic center, Deschutes and Lake Counties, south-central Oregon
No abstract available.
Oregon↗
Logs and data from the Starthistle trench across a scarp within the Wallula Fault Zone, southeastern Washington
Introduction The Wallula Fault Zone is composed of a series of northwest-trending faults and folds that coincide with a prominent magnetic anomaly that extends uninterrupted for approximately 120 kilometers within the Cascadia back arc of southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. It is part of the geologic structures associated with the topographic lineament known as the Olympic-Wallowa lineament and represents a relatively narrow zone of active faulting and seismicity that trend along the northern flank of the Horse Heaven Hills. Prior paleoseismic study of the Wallula Fault at an exposure at Finley Quarry indicates multiple Quaternary ruptures, including a Holocene liquefaction event, demonstrating that this fault zone poses a seismic hazard to the Tri-Cities region (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick) in southeastern Washington. Recent airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) data coverage east of the Columbia River reveals an approximately 0.5-meter-high south-facing scarp east of the Columbia River that extends, almost continuously, for about 25 km to the east along the base of the Horse Heaven Hills. As part of an effort to assess and characterize the seismic hazard posed by the Wallula Fault Zone, we excavated and studied a trench exposure across the scarp to understand its origin and the potential history of rupture along the fault zone. We present preliminary mapping and trench site information from a paleoseismic investigation. These field and laboratory data may support development of a history of the latest Pleistocene and Holocene surface rupture within the Wallula Fault Zone.
Washington↗
Dioxins and furans in bed sediment and fish tissue of the Willamette Basin, Oregon, 1992-95
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) are related compounds that are of interest primarily because of their potential toxicity. They are considered carcinogens and have been implicated as hormone disrupters. An occurrence and distribution study of these compounds in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1992- 1995. Bed sediment samples were collected at 22 sites, and fish tissue samples were collected from 8 sites. Samples were analyzed for 10 tetra- through octa- congener class totals and for 17 individual 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners. PCDD/Fs were found in bed sediment and fish tissue throughout the basin, including samples from the most remote forested sites. PCDD/F concentrations in bed sediment at most sites in agricultural and forested areas were similar to those at reference sites worldwide and are probably background concentrations due to atmospheric deposition. The highest concentrations in bed sediment were found at sites where industrial or urban inputs were likely. Potential toxicity at these sites (as measured by toxicity equivalents concentration) was high enough to be associated with increased risk to sensitive wildlife. From 30-60 percent of the toxicity equivalents concentration in bed sediment was due to hepta- and octa- congeners. The most toxic congener, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD), was detected at only 6 of 22 sites. Compared to bed sediment from the same site, fish tissue usually had a lower total PCDD/F concentration, but contained a higher proportion of the most toxic congeners, such as 2,3,7,8-TCDD and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran. Because of these differences, toxicity equivalents concentrations in fish were higher than those in bed sediment from the same site at half of the sites where both media were analyzed.
Oregon↗
Oregon OCS seafloor mapping: Selected lease blocks relevant to renewable energy
In 2014 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) entered into Intra-agency agreement M13PG00037 to map an area of the Oregon Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off of Coos Bay, Oregon, under consideration for development of a floating wind energy farm. The BOEM requires seafloor mapping and site characterization studies in order to evaluate the impact of seafloor and sub-seafloor conditions on the installation, operation, and structural integrity of proposed renewable energy projects, as well as to assess the potential effects of construction and operations on archaeological resources. The mission of the USGS is to provide geologic, topographic, and hydrologic information that contributes to the wise management of the Nation's natural resources and that promotes the health, safety, and well being of the people. This information consists of maps, databases, and descriptions and analyses of the water, energy, and mineral resources, land surface, underlying geologic structure, and dynamic processes of the earth. For the Oregon OCS study, the USGS acquired multibeam echo sounder and seafloor video data surrounding the proposed development site, which is 95 km2 in area and 15 miles offshore from Coos Bay. The development site had been surveyed by Solmar Hydro Inc. in 2013 under a contract with WindFloat Pacific. The USGS subsequently produced a bathymetry digital elevation model and a backscatter intensity grid that were merged with existing data collected by the contractor. The merged grids were published along with visual observations of benthic geo-habitat from the video data in an associated USGS data release (Cochrane and others, 2015). This report includes the results of analysis of the video data conducted by Oregon State University and the geo-habitat interpretation of the multibeam echo sounder (MBES) data conducted by the USGS. MBES data was published in Cochrane and others (2015). Interpretive data associated with this publication is published in Cochrane (2017). All the data is provided as geographic information system (GIS) files that contain both Esri ArcGIS geotiffs or shapefiles. For those who do not own the full suite of Esri GIS and mapping software, the data can be read using Esri ArcReader, a free viewer that is available at http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader/index.html (last accessed August 29, 2016). Web services, which consist of standard implementations of ArcGIS representational state transfer (REST) Service and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) GIS web map service (WMS), also are available for all published GIS data. Web services were created using an ArcGIS service definition file, resulting in data layers that are symbolized as shown on the associated report figures. Both the ArcGIS REST Service and OGC WMS Service include all the individual GIS layers. Data layers are bundled together in a map-area web service; however, each layer can be symbolized and accessed individually after the web service is ingested into a desktop application or web map. Web services enable users to download and view data, as well as to easily add data to their own workflows, using any browser-enabled, standalone or mobile device. Though the surficial substrate is dominated by combinations of mud and sand substrate, a diverse assortment of geomorphologic features are related to geologic processes—one anticlinal ridge where bedrock is exposed, a slump and associated scarps, and pockmarks. Pockmarks are seen in the form of fields of small pockmarks, a lineation of large pockmarks with methanogenic carbonates, and areas of large pockmarks that have merged into larger variously shaped depressions. The slump appears to have originated at the pockmark lineation. Video-supervised numerical analysis of the MBES backscatter intensity data and vector ruggedness derived from the MBES bathymetry data was used to produce a substrate model called a seafloor character raster for the study area. The seafloor character raster consists of three substrate classes: soft-flat areas, hard-flat areas, and hard-rugged areas. A Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoform and substrate map was also produced using depth, slope, and benthic position index classes to delineate geoform boundaries. Seven geoforms were identified in this process, including ridges, slump scars, slump deposits, basins, and pockmarks. Statistical analysis of the video data for correlations between substrate, depth, and invertebrate assemblages resulted in the identification of seven biomes: three hard-bottom biomes and four softbottom biomes. A similar analysis of vertebrate observations produces a similar set of biomes. The biome between-group dissimilarity was very high or high. Invertebrates alone represent most of the structure of the whole benthic community into different assemblages. A biotope map was generated using the seafloor character raster and the substrate and depth values of the biomes. Hard substrate biotopes were small in size and were located primarily on the ridge and in pockmarks along the pockmark lineation. The soft-bottom bitopes consisted of large contiguous areas delimited by isobaths.
Open-File Report↗
Northward migration of the Cascadia forearc in the northwestern U.S. and implications for subduction deformation
Geologic and paleomagnetic data from the Cascadia forearc indicate long-term northward migration and clockwise rotation of an Oregon coastal block with respect to North America. Paleomagnetic rotation of coastal Oregon is linked by a Klamath Mountains pole to geodetically and geologically determined motion of the Sierra Nevada block to derive a new Oregon Coast—North America (OC-NA) pole of rotation and velocity field. This long-term velocity field, which is independent of Pacific Northwest GPS data, is interpreted to be the result of Basin-Range extension and Pacific-North America dextral shear. The resulting Oregon Coast pole compares favorably to those derived solely from GPS data, although uncertainties are large. Subtracting the long-term motion from forearc GPS velocities reveals ENE motion with respect to an OC reference frame that is parallel to the direction of Juan de Fuca-OC convergence and decreases inland. We interpret this to be largely the result of subduction-related deformation. The adjusted mean GPS velocities are generally subparallel to those predicted from elastic dislocation models for Cascadia, but more definitive interpretations await refinement of the present large uncertainty in the Sierra Nevada block motion.
British Columbia, Washington↗
Pesticides in the Lower Clackamas River Basin, Oregon, 2000-01
In 2000-01, the U. S. Geological Survey sampled the Clackamas River and its major lower-basin tributaries during storm runoff conditions for 86 dissolved pesticides and selected breakdown products. Twenty-seven compounds, including 18 herbicides, 7 insecticides, and 2 pesticide breakdown products, were detected in 18 stream samples. The most commonly detected pesticides, in decreasing frequency, included atrazine, simazine, diazinon, metolachlor, and diuron, which variously occurred in 46-92% of samples collected from the tributaries. Of these, atrazine, simazine, and metolachlor, plus six other compounds, also were detected in the main-stem Clackamas River. Pesticides were detected more frequently and at higher concentrations in the four lowermost tributaries (Deep, Richardson, Rock, and Sieben Creeks). In these streams, 12 to 18 pesticides were detected per stream in samples collected during spring and fall. Pesticides always occurred with at least one other pesticide, and about half of the samples, including one sample from the Clackamas River in October 2000, contained six or more pesticides. Nine pesticides, including the insecticide diazinon and the herbicides 2,4-D, atrazine, dichlobenil, diuron, imazaquin, metolachlor, simazine, and trifluralin, were detected in five water samples of Clackamas River water. No pesticides were detected in three samples of treated Clackamas River water used for drinking-water supply. Concentrations of six compounds--carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dieldrin, malathion, and the breakdown product of DDT (p,p'-DDE)--exceeded established or recommended criteria for the protection of aquatic life in some of the tributaries, sometimes for multiple pesticides in one sample. Identifying the sources of pesticides detected in the Clackamas River Basin is difficult because of the diverse land use in the basin and the multiple-use nature of many of the pesticides detected. Of the 25 parent compounds detected, 22 have agricultural uses, 23 have urban uses, 16 are applied to golf courses, 11 are applied along roads and other right-of-ways, and 5 have or had forestry applications. Because only a small fraction of the thousands of pesticide products registered for use in Oregon were tested for in this study, future monitoring could benefit from knowledge of what pesticides are applied so that potential problems can be identified and managed.
Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
Holocene volcanism of the upper McKenzie River catchment, central Oregon Cascades, USA
To assess the complexity of eruptive activity within mafic volcanic fields, we present a detailed geologic investigation of Holocene volcanism in the upper McKenzie River catchment in the central Oregon Cascades, United States. We focus on the Sand Mountain volcanic field, which covers 76 km 2 and consists of 23 vents, associated tephra deposits, and lava fields. We find that the Sand Mountain volcanic field was active for a few decades around 3 ka and involved at least 13 eruptive units. Despite the small total volume erupted (∼1 km 3 dense rock equivalent [DRE]), Sand Mountain volcanic field lava geochemistry indicates that erupted magmas were derived from at least two, and likely three, different magma sources. Single units erupted from one or more vents, and field data provide evidence of both vent migration and reoccupation. Overall, our study shows that mafic volcanism was clustered in space and time, involved both explosive and effusive behavior, and tapped several magma sources. These observations provide important insights on possible future hazards from mafic volcanism in the central Oregon Cascades.
Geological Society of America Bulletin↗
Organic Compounds in Clackamas River Water Used for Public Supply near Portland, Oregon, 2003-05
Organic compounds studied in this U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment generally are man-made, including pesticides, gasoline hydrocarbons, solvents, personal care and domestic-use products, disinfection by-products, and manufacturing additives. In all, 56 compounds were detected in samples collected approximately monthly during 2003-05 at the intake for the Clackamas River Water plant, one of four community water systems on the lower Clackamas River. The diversity of compounds detected suggests a variety of different sources and uses (including wastewater discharges, industrial, agricultural, domestic, and others) and different pathways to drinking-water supplies (point sources, precipitation, overland runoff, ground-water discharge, and formation during water treatment). A total of 20 organic compounds were commonly detected (in at least 20 percent of the samples) in source water and (or) finished water. Fifteen compounds were commonly detected in source water, and five of these compounds (benzene, m- and p-xylene, diuron, simazine, and chloroform) also were commonly detected in finished water. With the exception of gasoline hydrocarbons, disinfection by-products, chloromethane, and the herbicide diuron, concentrations in source and finished water were less than 0.1 microgram per liter and always less than human-health benchmarks, which are available for about 60 percent of the compounds detected. On the basis of this screening-level assessment, adverse effects to human health are assumed to be negligible (subject to limitations of available human-health benchmarks).
Fact Sheet↗
Groundwater-flow model of the Treasure Valley, southwestern Idaho, 1986–2015
Most of the population of the Treasure Valley and the surrounding area of southwestern Idaho and easternmost Oregon depends on groundwater for domestic supply, either from domestic or municipal-supply wells. Current and projected rapid population growth in the area has caused concern about the long-term sustainability of the groundwater resource. In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Idaho Water Resource Board and the Idaho Department of Water Resources, began a project to construct a numerical groundwater-flow model of the westernmost portion of the western Snake River Plain aquifer system, called the Treasure Valley. The development of the model was guided by several objectives, including: to improve the understanding of groundwater and surface water interactions; to facilitate conjunctive water management; to provide a tool for water resources planning; and to provide a tool for water allocation. The model was constructed with a spatial scale and level of detail that aimed to meet these objectives while balancing the sometimes-competing goals of fast runtimes, numerical stability, usability, and parsimony. The Treasure Valley Groundwater Flow Model (TVGWFM) is a three-dimensional finite-difference numerical model constructed using MODFLOW 6 (Langevin and others, 2017, Documentation for the MODFLOW 6 Groundwater Flow Model: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 6, chap. A55, 197 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/tm6A55 ). The model covers the westernmost portion of the western Snake River Plain and is discretized into a regular grid of 64 by 65 cells with a side length of 1 mile and 6 layers of varying depth and active area. A historical model period was developed consisting of 360 month-long stress periods for 1986–2015. The model builds upon previous modeling efforts by adding a transient period, incorporating new head and discharge observations to constrain parameters, incorporating information from the hydrogeologic framework model (HFM) of Bartolino (2019, Hydrogeologic framework of the Treasure Valley and surrounding area, Idaho and Oregon: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2019–5138, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195138 ) and incorporating refined estimates of evapotranspiration and irrigation classification of lands in the study area. The TVGWFM includes all significant components of recharge to and discharge from the aquifer. Inflows include canal seepage, irrigation and precipitation recharge, mountain-front recharge, rivers and stream seepage, and seepage from Lake Lowell. Outflows include discharge to agricultural drainage ditches, discharge to rivers and streams, pumping, and discharge to Lake Lowell. Each recharge or discharge component is represented separately using individual MODFLOW 6 packages. Parameter values were derived with a combination of trial-and-error steps and automated parameter estimation using PEST software (Doherty, J.E., 2005, PEST, model-independent parameter estimation–User manual: Watermark Numerical Computing, https://pesthomepage.org/documentation ). Parameter estimates were constrained with several types of observation data, including water levels, water level changes, vertical water level differences, drain discharges, change in drain discharges, river seepage, seepage from Lake Lowell, and change in seepage from Lake Lowell. Material properties from the hydrogeologic framework were also used to assign the minimum and maximum values of some parameters. A final parameter realization was reached that minimized residuals between the observed and modelled values for the various observation groups. Mean residuals for the observation groups were 15.4 feet (ft) for water levels, 0.2 ft for water level changes, 19.4 ft for vertical water level differences, −3.9 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s) for drain discharges, 0.0 ft 3 /s for changes in drain discharge, 45.0 ft 3 /s for river seepage, −40.1 ft 3 /s for Lake Lowell seepage, and 126.3 ft 3 /s for changes in Lake Lowell seepage. The quality of the model’s fit to observations varied spatially, with notable areas of under- or over-simulation of water levels present to the northwest and southwest of Lake Lowell, in the foothills along the eastern model boundary, and near the City of Eagle. Trends were observed in the residuals of many of the observation groups, indicating that the model is missing or not fully reproducing some phenomena that are observed in the system. The TVGWFM can be used as a tool for water resource planning, for understanding the interactions of groundwater and surface water at a basin scale, and for facilitating conjunctive management, but may lack the precision needed for water rights administration at a local scale. Additional sources of uncertainty or limitations of the model are noted. The quantity and spatial distribution of canal seepage and infiltration of irrigation water recharge, the largest sources of recharge to the system, are unknown and approximated indirectly. There is poor understanding of how canal seepage and incidental recharge change as land is converted from agricultural (irrigated) to suburban (semi-irrigated). These uncertainties will affect any scenarios that investigate changes to land use or irrigation practices. Finally, the model has relatively high water-level residuals around and to the southwest of Lake Lowell and should not be used to estimate water level effects in that region. The model was built with multiple, broadly expressed objectives and did not optimize performance for specific uses. However, the model and the tools included in an associated data release provide ample flexibility to improve the model for future uses. Adjustments and improvements could be made by refining the model in an area of interest, collecting additional calibration data, applying more rigorous boundary conditions, or re-estimating model parameters to optimize model performance for a specific model forecast.
Idaho↗
Geological studies of the Salmon River suture zone and adjoining areas, west-central Idaho and eastern Oregon
The papers in this volume describe petrologic, structural, and geochemical studies related to geographic areas adjacent to and including the Salmon River suture zone. We therefore start this volume by defining and giving a general description of that suture zone. The western margin of the North American continent was the setting for complex terrane accretion and large-scale terrane translation during Late Cretaceous and Eocene time. In western Idaho, the boundary that separates the Paleozoic-Mesozoic accreted oceanic, island-arc rocks on the west from Precambrian continental metamorphic and sedimentary rocks on the east is called the Salmon River suture zone (SRSZ). Readers will note that the term 'Salmon River suture zone' is used in the title of this volume and in the text of several of the papers and the term 'western Idaho suture zone' is used in several other papers in this volume. Both terms refer to the same geologic feature and reflect historical usage and custom; thus no attempt has been made by the editors to impose or demand a single term by the various authors of this volume. The suture zone is marked by strong lithologic and chemical differences. Rocks adjacent to the suture zone are characterized by high-grade metamorphism and much structural deformation. In addition, the zone was the locus of emplacement of plutons ranging in composition from tonalite to monzogranite during and after the final stages of accretion of the oceanic terrane to the North American continent. The contents of this paper consists of seven chapters.
Idaho, Oregon, Washington↗
Reconnaissance geologic map of the west half of the Crescent 1 degree by 2 degrees Quadrangle, central Oregon
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IMAP↗
Geologic map of the Sky Lakes roadless area and Mountain Lakes Wilderness, Jackson and Klamath counties, Oregon
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Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗
Geologic map of the Homestead, Lake Fork, and Lick Creek Roadless Areas, Baker and Wallowa counties, Oregon
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Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗
Water resources data for Oregon, water year 1976
Water resources data for the 1976 water year for Oregon consist of records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams; stage, contents, and water quality of lakes and reservoirs; and water levels and water quality in wells and springs. This report contains discharge records for 296 gaging stations; stage only records for 8 gaging stations; stage and contents for 42 lakes and reservoirs; water quality for 80 gaging stations, and water levels for 98 observation wells. Also included are 161 crest-stage partial-record stations. Additional water data were collected at various sites, not part of the systematic data collection program, and are published as miscellaneous measurements. These data represent that part of the National Water Data System operated by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating State and Federal agencies in Oregon.
Oregon↗
Platinum-group element resources in podiform chromitites from California and Oregon
Rock samples from about 280 podiform chromite deposits in California and Oregon were analyzed for Pt, Pd, Rh, and Ir by fire assay-atomic absorption and spectrographic techniques to estimate by-product platinum-group element potential of chromite mining. These deposits include ophiolites from the Sierra Nevada, Klamath Mountains, Coast Ranges, and the Canyon Mountain Complex; the deposits vary from Paleozoic to Mesozoic age and vary in size, shape, texture, and degree of metamorphism. The maximum platinum-group element contents (in ppm) measured for chromitites are: Pt, 2.53; Pd, 0.2; Rh, 0.14; Ru, 4.93; and Ir, 2.93.Correlations between Pt and Rh (0.60), Rh and Ir (0.64), Rh and Ru (0.71), and Ir and Ru (0.85) are significant at the 1 percent level. Relatively small but significant differences in platinum-group element content exist between geologic terranes. Chromite production from California and Oregon amounts to about 692,000 metric tons (1914-1985); the mean contained platinum-group element amounts in troy ounces are: Pt, 850; Pd, 100; Rh, 260; Ru, 4200; and Ir, 1,700, using estimated grades. Previous investigators have suggested that relatively few samples can represent the platinum-group element content of a podiform chromite deposit; therefore, these analyses are assumed to approximate "grades." Total world resources of platinum-group elements in podiform chromite deposits are estimated in troy ounces to be: Pt, 210,000; Pd, 25,000; Rh, 64,000; Ru, 1,000,000; and Ir, 420,000.
Economic Geology↗
Field-trip guide to Mount Hood, Oregon, highlighting eruptive history and hazards
This guidebook describes stops of interest for a geological field trip around Mount Hood volcano. It was developed for the 2017 International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Scientific Assembly in Portland, Oregon. The intent of this guidebook and accompanying contributions is to provide an overview of Mount Hood, including its chief geologic processes, magmatic system, eruptive history, local tectonics, and hazards, by visiting a variety of readily accessible localities. We also describe coeval, largely monogenetic, volcanoes in the region. Accompanying the field-trip guidebook are separately authored contributions that discuss in detail the Mount Hood magmatic system and its products and behavior (Kent and Koleszar, this volume); Mount Hood earthquakes and their relation to regional tectonics and the volcanic system (Thelen and Moran, this volume); and young surface faults cutting the broader Mount Hood area whose extent has come to light after acquisition of regional light detection and ranging coverage (Madin and others, this volume). The trip makes an approximately 175-mile (280-kilometer) clockwise loop around Mount Hood, starting and ending in Portland. The route heads east on Interstate 84 through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The guidebook points out only a few conspicuous features of note in the gorge, but many other guides to the gorge are available. The route continues south on the Mount Hood National Scenic Byway on Oregon Route 35 following Hood River, and returns to Portland on U.S. Highway 26 following Sandy River. The route traverses rocks as old as the early Miocene Eagle Creek Formation and overlying Columbia River Basalt Group of middle Miocene age, but chiefly lava flows and clastic products of arc volcanism of late Miocene to Holocene age.
Oregon↗