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At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
USGS2016

User guide for MODPATH Version 7—A particle-tracking model for MODFLOW

MODPATH is a particle-tracking post-processing program designed to work with MODFLOW, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference groundwater flow model. MODPATH version 7 is the fourth major release since its original publication. Previous versions were documented in USGS Open-File Reports 89–381 and 94–464 and in USGS Techniques and Methods 6–A41. MODPATH version 7 works with MODFLOW-2005 and MODFLOW–USG. Support for unstructured grids in MODFLOW–USG is limited to smoothed, rectangular-based quadtree and quadpatch grids. A software distribution package containing the computer program and supporting documentation, such as input instructions, output file descriptions, and example problems, is available from the USGS over the Internet ( http://water.usgs.gov/ogw/modpath/) .

Open-File Report↗
USGS2001

Geologic map of the Devore 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California

This Open-File Report contains a digital geologic map database of the Devore 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California, that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various components of the geologic map 2. A PostScript (.ps) file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram, a Description of Map Units, an index map, and a regional structure map 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes an Appendix, containing metadata details found in devre_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. (Test plots from this .pdf do not produce 1:24,000-scale maps. Adobe Acrobat page-size settings control map scale.) The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units are in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series maps (I-maps) but have not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic-map data package, map units are identified by such standard geologic-map criteria as formation name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially forest roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS Devore 7.5’ topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.

California↗
USGS2001

Geologic map of the Lakeview 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California

This Open-File Report contains a digital geologic map and map database of the Lakeview 7.5' quadrangle, Riverside County, California, that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute) version 7.2.1 double-precision coverages of the various elements of the geologic map 2. A Postscript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram and a Description of Map Units 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes, in Appendix I, data contained in lkvw_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. (Test plots from this .pdf do not produce 1:24,000-scale maps. Adobe Acrobat page size settings control map scale.) This release includes features not found in most other digital geologic maps, in that all polygons, lines, and points in the coverage are encoded with detailed, comprehensive, contained in five INFO data tables (.rel) (see Matti and others, 1998a, 1998b, and 1998c for information on how the encoding may be accessed and utilized). No paper map is included in this report, but a PostScript plot file containing an image of the geologic map sheet, topographic base, Correlation of Map Units (CMU), and detailed Description of Map Units (DMU) is. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U. S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS Lakeview 7.5' topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.

California↗
USGS1999

Preliminary digital map of cryptocrystalline occurrences in northern Nevada

The purpose was to identify potential cryptocrystalline material sources for tools used by indigenous people of the northern Nevada portion of the Great Basin. Cryptocrystalline occurrence data combed from the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS, 1995) were combined with sites described in Nevada rockhound guides and entered into a geographic information system (GIS). The map area encompasses northern Nevada (fig.1). This open-file report describes the methods used to convert cryptocrystalline occurrence data into a digital format, documents the file structures, and explains how to download the digital files from the U.S. Geological Survey's World Wide Web site. Uses of the spatial dataset include, but are not limited to, natural and cultural resource management, interdisciplinary activities, recreational rockhounding, and gold exploration. It is important to note that the accuracy of the spatial data varies widely, and for some purposes, field checks are advised.

Nevada↗
USGS2012

Seismic hazard of American Samoa and neighboring South Pacific Islands--methods, data, parameters, and results

American Samoa and the neighboring islands of the South Pacific lie near active tectonic-plate boundaries that host many large earthquakes which can result in strong earthquake shaking and tsunamis. To mitigate earthquake risks from future ground shaking, the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested that the U.S. Geological Survey prepare seismic hazard maps that can be applied in building-design criteria. This Open-File Report describes the data, methods, and parameters used to calculate the seismic shaking hazard as well as the output hazard maps, curves, and deaggregation (disaggregation) information needed for building design. Spectral acceleration hazard for 1 Hertz having a 2-percent probability of exceedance on a firm rock site condition (Vs30=760 meters per second) is 0.12 acceleration of gravity (1 second, 1 Hertz) and 0.32 acceleration of gravity (0.2 seconds, 5 Hertz) on American Samoa, 0.72 acceleration of gravity (1 Hertz) and 2.54 acceleration of gravity (5 Hertz) on Tonga, 0.15 acceleration of gravity (1 Hertz) and 0.55 acceleration of gravity (5 Hertz) on Fiji, and 0.89 acceleration of gravity (1 Hertz) and 2.77 acceleration of gravity (5 Hertz) on the Vanuatu Islands.

South Pacific Islands↗
USGS1976

Descriptions of core from three U.S. Geological Survey core holes in Carboniferous rocks of West Virginia

This open-file report contains descriptive stratigraphic data from three core holes that were drilled for the Pennsylvanian System Stratotype Project of the U.S. Geological Survey (Englund, K. J., and others, 1974) in the spring of 1975 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These holes were drilled to obtain information needed to study critical stratigraphic relationships that could not be determined from surface geologic work alone. The planned location and projected depth of each of the three core holes was based on the need to either establish, or confirm, stratigraphic correlations within the Pennsylvanian System, between the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian Systems, and between the Pennsylvanian and Permian Systems in West Virginia, Locations of the core holes are shown in figures 1, 3, 4 and 5, and the stratigraphic intervals penetrated are shown in figure 2,

West Virginia↗
USGS2001

Geologic map of the Fifteenmile Valley 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California

Open-File Report OF 01-132 contains a digital geologic map database of the Fifteenmile Valley 7.5’ quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute, http://www.esri.com) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various elements of the geologic map. 2. A PostScript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram, a Description of Map Units, an index map, and a regional structure map. 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in fif_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. (Test plots have not produced 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat pagesize setting influences map scale.) The Correlation of Map Units (CMU) and Description of Map Units (DMU) is in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series (I-series) maps. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U. S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially forest roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS Fifteenmile Valley 7.5’ topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.

California↗
USGS2001

Geologic map of the San Bernardino North 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California

Introduction Open-File Report OF 01-131 contains a digital geologic map database of the San Bernardino North 7.5’ quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various components of the geologic map 2. A PostScript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units (CMU) diagram, a Description of Map Units (DMU), an index map, and a regional structure map. 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes an Appendix, containing data found in sbnorth_met.txt . b. The Description of Map Units identical to that found on the plot of the PostScript file. c. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. (Test plots from this .pdf do not produce 1:24,000-scale maps. Use Adobe Acrobat pagesize setting to control map scale.) The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series (I-series) maps. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U. S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially forest roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS San Bernardino North 7.5’ topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.

California↗
USGS2008

Reserve Growth of Alberta Oil Pools

This Open-File Report is based on a presentation delivered at the Fourth U.S. Geological Survey Workshop on Reserve Growth on March 10-11, 2008. It summarizes the results of a study of reserve growth of oil pools in Alberta Province, Canada. The study is part of a larger effort involving similar studies of fields in other important petroleum provinces around the world, with the overall objective of gaining a better understanding of reserve growth in fields with different geologic/reservoir parameters and different operating environments. The goals of the study were to: 1. Evaluate historical oil reserve data and assess reserve growth. 2. Develop reserve growth models/functions to help forecast hydrocarbon volumes. 3. Study reserve growth sensitivity to various parameters ? for example, pool size, porosity, oil gravity, and lithology. 4. Compare reserve growth in oil pools/fields of Alberta provinces with those from other large petroleum provinces.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2012

Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources

The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140) directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and to consult with other Federal and State agencies to locate the pertinent geological data needed for the assessment. The geologic sequestration of CO 2 is one possible way to mitigate its effects on climate change. The methodology used for the national CO 2 assessment (Open-File Report 2010-1127; http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1127/) is based on previous USGS probabilistic oil and gas assessment methodologies. The methodology is non-economic and intended to be used at regional to subbasinal scales. The operational unit of the assessment is a storage assessment unit (SAU), composed of a porous storage formation with fluid flow and an overlying sealing unit with low permeability. Assessments are conducted at the SAU level and are aggregated to basinal and regional results. This report identifies and contains geologic descriptions of SAUs in separate packages of sedimentary rocks within the assessed basin and focuses on the particular characteristics, specified in the methodology, that influence the potential CO 2 storage resource in those SAUs. Specific descriptions of the SAU boundaries as well as their sealing and reservoir units are included. Properties for each SAU such as depth to top, gross thickness, net porous thickness, porosity, permeability, groundwater quality, and structural reservoir traps are provided to illustrate geologic factors critical to the assessment. Although assessment results are not contained in this report, the geologic information included here will be employed, as specified in the methodology, to calculate a statistical Monte Carlo-based distribution of potential storage space in the various SAUs. Figures in this report show SAU boundaries and cell maps of well penetrations through the sealing unit into the top of the storage formation. Wells sharing the same well borehole are treated as a single penetration. Cell maps show the number of penetrating wells within one square mile and are derived from interpretations of incompletely attributed well data, a digital compilation that is known not to include all drilling. The USGS does not expect to know the location of all wells and cannot guarantee the amount of drilling through specific formations in any given cell shown on cell maps.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Deep resistivity structure of Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at their Nevada Site Office are addressing groundwater contamination resulting from historical underground nuclear testing through the Environmental Management program and, in particular, the Underground Test Area project. One issue of concern is the nature of the somewhat poorly constrained pre Tertiary geology and its effects on ground-water flow in the area adjacent to a nuclear test. Ground water modelers would like to know more about the hydrostratigraphy and geologic structure to support a hydrostratigraphic framework model that is under development for the Yucca Flat Corrective Action Unit (CAU). During 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey, supported by the DOE and NNSA-NSO, collected and processed data from 51 magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) stations at the Nevada Test Site in and near Yucca Flat to assist in characterizing the pre-Tertiary geology in that area. The primary purpose was to refine the character, thickness, and lateral extent of pre Tertiary confining units. In particular, a major goal has been to define the upper clastic confining unit (late Devonian - Mississippian-age siliciclastic rocks assigned to the Eleana Formation and Chainman Shale) in the Yucca Flat area. The MT and AMT data have been released in separate USGS Open File Reports. The Nevada Test Site magnetotelluric data interpretation presented in this report includes the results of detailed two-dimensional (2 D) resistivity modeling for each profile (including alternative interpretations) and gross inferences on the three dimensional (3 D) character of the geology beneath each station. The character, thickness, and lateral extent of the Chainman Shale and Eleana Formation that comprise the Upper Clastic Confining Unit are generally well determined in the upper 5 km. Inferences can be made regarding the presence of the Lower Clastic Confining Unit at depths below 5 km. Large fault structures such as the CP Thrust fault, the Carpetbag fault, and the Yucca fault that cross Yucca Flat are also discernable as are other smaller faults. The subsurface electrical resistivity distribution and inferred geologic structures determined by this investigation should help constrain the hydrostratigraphic framework model that is under development.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2001

Geologic map of the Cucamonga Peak 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California

Open-File Report OF 01-311 contains a digital geologic map database of the Cucamonga Peak 7.5’ quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California that includes: 1. ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute, http://www.esri.com) version 7.2.1 coverages of the various elements of the geologic map 2. A PostScript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram, a Description of Map Units, an index map, and a regional structure map 3. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in fif_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. (Test plots have not produced 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat pagesize setting influences map scale.) The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U. S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially forest roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS Cucamonga Peak 7.5’ topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.

California↗
USGS2003

Java Programs for Using Newmark's Method and Simplified Decoupled Analysis to Model Slope Performance During Earthquakes

Landslides typically cause a large proportion of earthquake damage, and the ability to predict slope performance during earthquakes is important for many types of seismic-hazard analysis and for the design of engineered slopes. Newmark's method for modeling a landslide as a rigid-plastic block sliding on an inclined plane provides a useful method for predicting approximate landslide displacements. Newmark's method estimates the displacement of a potential landslide block as it is subjected to earthquake shaking from a specific strong-motion record (earthquake acceleration-time history). A modification of Newmark's method, decoupled analysis, allows modeling landslides that are not assumed to be rigid blocks. This open-file report is available on CD-ROM and contains Java programs intended to facilitate performing both rigorous and simplified Newmark sliding-block analysis and a simplified model of decoupled analysis. For rigorous analysis, 2160 strong-motion records from 29 earthquakes are included along with a search interface for selecting records based on a wide variety of record properties. Utilities are available that allow users to add their own records to the program and use them for conducting Newmark analyses. Also included is a document containing detailed information about how to use Newmark's method to model dynamic slope performance. This program will run on any platform that supports the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.3, including Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, Solaris, etc. A minimum of 64 MB of available RAM is needed, and the fully installed program requires 400 MB of disk space.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2003

Geology of the Right Stepover region between the Rodgers Creek, Healdsburg, and Maacama faults, northern San Francisco Bay region: A contribution to Northern California Geological Society Field Trip Guide, June 6-8, 2003

This Open file report was written as part of a two-day field trip on June 7 and 8, 2003, conducted for the Northern California Geological Society. The first day of this field trip (June 7) was led by McLaughlin and Sarna-Wojcicki in the area of the right- step between the Rodgers Creek- Healdsburg fault zone and the Maacama fault. The second day of the trip (June 8), was led by David Wagner of the California Geological Survey and students having recently completed MS theses at San Jose State University (James Allen) and San Francisco State University (Carrie Randolph-Loar), as well as a student from San Francisco State University whose MS thesis was in progress in June 2003 (Eric Ford). The second day covered the Rodgers Creek fault zone and related faults of the Petaluma Valley area (the Tolay and Petaluma Valley fault zones).

California↗
USGS2001

Geologic map of the Telegraph Peak 7.5' quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California

Open-File Report OF 01-293 contains a digital geologic map database of the Telegraph Peak 7.5’ quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California that includes: ARC/INFO (Environmental Systems Research Institute, http://www.esri.com) version 7.2.1 double precision coverages of the various elements of the geologic map. A PostScript file to plot the geologic map on a topographic base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram, a Description of Map Units, an index map, and a regional structure map. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files of: a. This Readme; includes in Appendix I, data contained in fif_met.txt b. The same graphic as plotted in 2 above. Test plots have not produced 1:24,000-scale map sheets. Adobe Acrobat pagesize setting influences map scale. The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units is in the editorial format of USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series (I-series) maps but has not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Within the geologic map data package, map units are identified by standard geologic map criteria such as formation-name, age, and lithology. Even though this is an author-prepared report, every attempt has been made to closely adhere to the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U. S. Geological Survey. Descriptions of units can be obtained by viewing or plotting the .pdf file (3b above) or plotting the postscript file (2 above). If roads in some areas, especially forest roads that parallel topographic contours, do not show well on plots of the geologic map, we recommend use of the USGS Telegraph Peak 7.5’ topographic quadrangle in conjunction with the geologic map.

California↗
USGS2011

Trends and causes of historical wetland loss, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, southwest Louisiana

Prior U.S. Geological Survey studies (Open-File Reports 2005-1216 and 2009-1158) examined historical land- and water-area changes and estimated magnitudes of land subsidence and erosion at 10 wetland sites in the Mississippi River delta plain. The present study extends that work by analyzing interior wetland loss and relative magnitudes of subsidence and erosion at five additional wetland sites in Sabine National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) in the western chenier plain. The study sites were selected because their geologic setting differed from that of the delta plain; also, although the refuge marshes had been managed partly to minimize wetland loss, interior wetland losses there were extensive. Historical aerial photography, datum-corrected marsh elevations and water depths, and sediment cores were integrated to evaluate historical land- and water-area changes at SNWR. The thickness of the uppermost Holocene sediments (peat and organic-rich mud) and the elevation of stratigraphic contacts were compared at marsh and open-water sites across areas of formerly continuous marsh to estimate magnitudes of recent elevation loss caused by vertical erosion and subsidence. Results of these analyses indicate that erosion greatly exceeded subsidence at most of the core sites, although both processes have contributed to historical wetland loss. Comparison of these results with results of our prior studies indicates that magnitudes of subsidence and total accommodation space that formed in the western chenier plain were less than those in the delta plain. Compared with the delta plain, where subsidence generally exceeded erosion and peat thicknesses were so great that peat was preserved even where erosion was greater than subsidence, the SNWR peats are thin and were absent (eroded) at most open-water sites. Although historical subsidence rates in the chenier plain are substantially lower than most of the same rates in the delta plain, the temporal and spatial trends of rapid wetland loss, highest rates of land-surface subsidence, and high rates of oil-and-gas production are similar, indicating that historical wetland loss was likely initiated by similar processes (deep-subsurface subsidence) in both regions.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1998

Digital Geologic Map of the Rosalia 1:100,000 Quadrangle, Washington and Idaho: A Digital Database for the 1990 S.Z. Waggoner Map

The geologic map of the Rosalia 1:100,000-scale quadrangle was compiled in 1990 by S.Z. Waggoner of the Washington state Division of Geology and Earth Resources. This data was entered into a geographic information system (GIS) as part of a larger effort to create regional digital geology for the Pacific Northwest. The intent was to provide a digital geospatial database for a previously published black and white paper geologic map. This database can be queried in many ways to produce a variety of geologic maps. Digital base map data files are not included: they may be obtained from a variety of commercial and government sources. This database is not meant to be used or displayed at any scale larger than 1:100,000 (e.g., 1:62,500 or 1:24,000) as it has been somewhat generalized to fit the 1:100,000 scale map. The map area is located in eastern Washington and extends across the state border into western Idaho. This open-file report describes the methods used to convert the geologic map data into a digital format, documents the file structures, and explains how to download the digital files from the U.S. Geological Survey public access World Wide Web site on the Internet. We wish to thank J. Eric Schuster of the Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources for providing the original stable-base mylar and the funding for it to be scanned. We also thank Dick Blank and Barry Moring of the U.S. Geological Survey for reviewing the manuscript and digital files, respectively.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2018

Mars global digital dune database (MGD3)—Composition, stability, and thermal inertia

The Mars Global Digital Dune Database (MGD 3 ) is an online repository that has catalogued dune fields larger than 1 km 2 located between latitudes 90° N. and 90° S. The work presented here expands upon previous MGD3 open-file reports, with a new emphasis upon characterizing dune fields through composition, stability, and thermal inertia. Included in this latest addition is a detailed compositional analysis and the associated observational data from Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) for dune fields 300 km 2 or larger; a near-global dune stability assessment; Mars Odyssey (MO1) Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) apparent thermal inertia values; and vertical near-surface thermophysical heterogeneities determined by fitting a two-layer thermal model to observed temperatures. These additional datasets are divided into two workbooks: equatorial and south polar regions. A detailed description for the layout of these workbooks can be found in the corresponding metadata document. The continuing goal of the MGD 3 is to provide a reliable and multifaceted repository of data for Mars’ dunes, with the intention that such data be easily accessible and useful to future research.

Open-File Report↗