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At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources

USGS2004

Digital data to support development of a pesticide management plan for the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, Sioux County, North Dakota, and Corson County, South Dakota

As part of a program to support development of pesticide management plans for Indian Reservations, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to make selected information available to the Tribes or in a format easier for the Tribes to use. As a result of this program, four digital data sets related to the geology or hydrology of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation were produced as part of this report. The digital data sets are based on maps published in 1982 at the 1:250,000 scale in "Geohydrology of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, North and South Dakota," U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-644 by L.W. Howells. The digital data sets were created by 1) scanning the appropriate map to create an image file, 2) registering the image file to real-world coordinates, 3) creating a new image file rectified to real-world coordinates, and 4) digitizing of the features of interest using the rectified image as a guide. As digital data sets, the information can be used in a geographic information system in combination with other information to help develop a pesticide management plan.

Data Series↗

USGS2018

Hydrogeologic framework for characterization and occurrence of confined and unconfined aquifers in quaternary sediments in the glaciated conterminous United States—A digital map compilation and database

The U.S. Geological Survey has created a hydrogeologic framework for Quaternary sediments in glaciated areas of the conterminous United States that categorizes, maps, and characterizes the glacial sediments at and beneath the land surface. The hydrogeologic framework divides the glaciated United States into 17 distinct hydrogeologic terranes using a geologic approach based on previous mapping, and was characterized using the Glacial Environments and Surficial Sediments geodatabase compiled from the Quaternary Atlas of the United States map series, the Surficial Materials Map of the United States, and several Integrated Geologic Map Databases for the United States; a groundwater use database compiled from public-supply, water-well data; and a lithologic database compiled from State-managed well records and geologic logs. This framework is to be used to assess the occurrence and characteristics of confined and unconfined glacial aquifers, their distribution and extent, and their potential intrinsic susceptibility and vulnerability.

Data Series↗

USGS1996

Great Basin geoscience data base

This CD-ROM serves as the archive for 73 digital GIS data set for the Great Basin. The data sets cover Nevada, eastern California, southeastern Oregon, southern Idaho, and western Utah. Some of the data sets are incomplete for the total area. On the CD-ROM, the data are provided in three formats, a prototype Federal Data Exchange standard format, the ESRI PC ARCVIEW1 format for viewing the data, and the ESRI ARC/INFO export format. Extensive documentation is provided to describe the data, the sources, and data enhancements. The following data are provided. One group of coverages comes primarily from 1:2,000,000-scale National Atlas data and can be assembled for use as base maps. These various forms of topographic information. In addition, public land system data sets are provided from the 1:2,500,000-scale Geologic Map of the United States and 1:500,000-scale geologic maps of Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. Geochemical data from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program are provided for most of the Great Basin. Geophysical data are provided for most of the Great Basin, typically gridded data with a spacing of 1 km. The geophysical data sets include aeromagnetics, gravity, radiometric data, and several derivative products. The thematic data sets include geochronology, calderas, pluvial lakes, tectonic extension domains, distribution of pre-Cenozoic terranes, limonite anomalies, Landsat linear features, mineral sites, and Bureau of Land Management exploration and mining permits.

Data Series↗

USGS2008

The National Map product and services directory

As one of the cornerstones of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Geospatial Program (NGP), The National Map is a collaborative effort among the USGS and other Federal, state, and local partners to improve and deliver topographic information for the Nation. It has many uses ranging from recreation to scientific analysis to emergency response. The National Map is easily accessible for display on the Web, as products, and as downloadable data. The geographic information available from The National Map includes orthoimagery (aerial photographs), elevation, geographic names, hydrography, boundaries, transportation, structures, and land cover. Other types of geographic information can be added to create specific types of maps. Of major importance, The National Map currently is being transformed to better serve the geospatial community. The USGS National Geospatial Program Office (NGPO) was established to provide leadership for placing geographic knowledge at the fingertips of the Nation. The office supports The National Map , Geospatial One-Stop (GOS), National Atlas of the United States ® , and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). This integrated portfolio of geospatial information and data supports the essential components of delivering the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and capitalizing on the power of place.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2009

The National Geospatial Technical Operations Center

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) provides geospatial technical expertise in support of the National Geospatial Program in its development of The National Map, National Atlas of the United States, and implementation of key components of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

Fact Sheet↗

USGS1955

Geology of the Calamity Mesa quadrangle, Colorado

The series of Geologic Quadrangle Maps of the United States continues the series of quadrangle maps begun with the folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States, which were published from 1894 to 1945. The present series consists of geologic maps, supplemented where possible by structure sections, columnar sections, and other graphic means of presenting geologic data, and accompanied by a brief explanatory text to make the maps useful for general scientific and economic purposes. Full description and interpretation of the geology of the areas shown on these maps are reserved for publication in other channels, such as the Bulletins and Professional Papers of the Geological Survey. Separate maps of the same areas, covering bedrock, surficial, engineering, and other phases of geology, may be published in the geologic quadrangle map series.

Colorado↗

USGS1978

Geologic map of the Casius Quadrangle of Mars

Geologic units of the martian surface are subdivided on the basis of surface morphology, albedo, and crater distribution and are placed in a stratigraphic sequence following principles of superposition, crosscutting relations, and, to a degree, crater density. The Casius quadrangle (30˚ N to 65˚ N lat; 240˚ W to 300˚ W long) is one of the northern tier of Lambert conformal sheets of the Mars Atlas. It consists of four distinctive physiographic regions: 1) part of the northern cratered plains which forms an incomplete annulus around the north polar region, 2) smooth lowland plains of Utopia Planitia across the central and southeastern part of the map, 3) mountainous terrain, in the Nilosyrtis Mensae region south of the lowland plains, consisting of distinct mountains with hummocky surfaces, and 4) cratered plateau in the southwest part of the map, forming the northern part of the large complex cratered region in the mid-latitudes of Mars. In the Casius quadrangle, the cratered plateau is broken by a set of linear to curved parallel-sided canyons on its northern margin.

IMAP↗

USGS1997

Digital shaded-relief image of Alaska

One of the most spectacular physiographic images of the conterminous United States, and the first to have been produced digitally, is that by Thelin and Pike ( USGS I-2206, 1991 ). The image is remarkable for its crispness of detail and for the natural appearance of the artificial land surface. Our goal has been to produce a shaded-relief image of Alaska that has the same look and feel as the Thelin and Pike image. The Alaskan image could have been produced at the same scale as its lower 48 counterpart (1:3,500,000). But by insetting the Aleutian Islands into the Gulf of Alaska, we were able to print the Alaska map at a larger scale (1:2,500,000) and about the same physical size as the Thelin and Pike image. Benefits of the 1:2,500,000 scale are (1) greater resolution of topographic features and (2) ease of reference to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (1987) Alaska Map E and the statewide geologic map (Beikman, 1980), which are both 1:2,500,000 scale. Manually drawn, shaded-relief images of Alaska's land surface have long been available (for example, Department of the Interior, 1909; Raisz, 1948). The topography depicted on these early maps is mainly schematic. Maps showing topographic contours were first available for the entire State in 1953 (USGS, 1:250,000) (J.H. Wittmann, USGS, written commun., 1996). The Alaska Map E was initially released in 1954 in both planimetric (revised in 1973 and 1987) and shaded-relief versions (revised in 1973, 1987, and 1996); topography depicted on the shaded-relief version is based on the 1:250,000-scale USGS topographic maps. Alaska Map E was later modified to include hypsometric tinting by Raven Maps and Images (1989, revised 1993) as copyrighted versions. Other shaded-relief images were produced for The National Geographic Magazine (LaGorce, 1956; 1:3,000,000) or drawn by Harrison (1970; 1:7,500,000) for The National Atlas of the United States. Recently, the State of Alaska digitally produced a shaded-relief image of Alaska at 1:2,500,000 scale (Alaska Department of Natural Resources, 1994), using the 1,000-m digital elevation data set referred to below. An important difference between our image and these previous ones is the method of reproduction: like the Thelin and Pike (1991) image, our image is a composite of halftone images that yields sharp resolution and preserves contrast. Indeed, the first impression of many viewers is that the Alaskan image and the Thelin and Pike image are composites of satellite-generated photographs rather than an artificial rendering of a digital elevation model. A shaded-relief image represents landforms in a natural fashion; that is, a viewer perceives the image as a rendering of reality. Thus a shaded-relief image is intrinsically appealing, especially in areas of spectacular relief. In addition, even subtle physiographic features that reflect geologic structures or the type of bedrock are visible. To our knowledge, some of these Alaskan features have not been depicted before and so the image should provide earth scientists with a new "look" at fundamental geologic features of Alaska.

Alaska↗

USGS2003

Map of surficial deposits and materials in the eastern and central United States (east of 102 degrees West longitude)

This data set contains surficial geologic units in the Eastern and Central United States, as well as a glacial limit line showing the position of maximum glacial advance during various geologic time periods. The geologic units represent surficial deposits and other surface materials that accumulated or formed during the past 2+ million years, such as soils, alluvium, and glacial deposits. These surface materials are referred to collectively by many geologists as regolith, the mantle of fragmented and generally unconsolidated material that overlies the bedrock foundation of a continent. This data set and the printed map produced from it, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geologic Investigation Series I-2789, were based on 31 published maps in the USGS's Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States map series (USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series I-1420). The data were compiled at 1:1,000,000 scale, to be viewed as a digital map at 1:2,000,000 nominal scale and to be printed as a conventional paper map at 1:2,500,000 scale.

IMAP↗

USGS1972

Map showing length of freeze-free season in the Salina quadrangle, Utah

In general, long freeze-free periods occur at low elevations, and short freeze-free periods occur at high elevations. But some valley floors have shorter freeze-free seasons than the glancing foothills because air cooled at high elevations flows downward and is trapped in the valleys. This temperature pattern occurs in the western part of the quadrangle in Rabbit Valley, Grass Valley, and the Sevier River Valley near Salina. Because year-round weather stations are sparse in Utah, a special technique for estimating length of freeze-free season was developed by Dr. Gaylen L. Ashcroft, Assistant Professor of Climatology, Utah State University, and E. Arlo Richardson, State Climatologist, U.S. Weather Bureau, based on average annual temperature, average annual temperature range, average daily temperature range, and average july maximum temperature. This technique was used in preparation of the map showing “Length of 32°F freeze-free season for Utah,” figure 23 in Hydrologic Atlas of Utah (Utah State University and Utah Division of Water Resources, 1968), from which the data for this map were taken.

Utah↗

USGS2000

Dataset of aggregate producers in New Mexico

This report presents data, including latitude and longitude, for aggregate sites in New Mexico that were believed to be active in the period 1997-1999. The data are presented in paper form in Part A of this report and as Microsoft Excel 97 and Data Interchange Format (DIF) files in Part B. The work was undertaken as part of the effort to update information for the National Atlas. This compilation includes data from: the files of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); company contacts; the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, New Mexico Bureau of Mine Inspection, and the Mining and Minerals Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (Hatton and others, 1998); the Bureau of Land Management Information; and direct communications with some of the aggregate operators. Additional information on most of the sites is available in Hatton and others (1998).

New Mexico↗

USGS2004

Surficial materials in the conterminous United States

Introduction: The Earth's bedrock is overlain in many places by a loosely compacted and mostly unconsolidated blanket of sediments in which soils commonly are developed. These sediments generally were eroded from underlying rock, and then were transported and deposited. In places, they exceed 1,000 ft (330 m) in thickness. Where the sediment blanket is absent, bedrock is either exposed or has been weathered to produce a residual soil. This map shows the sediments and the weathered, residual material; for ease of discussion, these are referred to here as 'surficial materials.' Certain areas on this map include a significant number of rock outcrops, which cannot be shown at the scale of the map; this is noted in the 'Description of Map Units' section. Most daily human activities occur on or near the Earth's surface. Homeowners, communities, and governments can make improved decisions about hazard, resource, and environmental issues, when they understand the nature of surficial materials and how they vary from place to place. For example, are the surficial materials upon which a home is built stable enough to resist subsidence or lateral movement during an earthquake? Do these materials support a ground water resource adequate for new homes? Can they adequately filter contaminants and protect buried aquifers both in underlying sediments and in bedrock? Are they suitable for development of a new wetland? Where can we find materials suitable for aggregate? The USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) works with the State geological surveys to identify priority areas for mapping of surficial materials (for example, in areas of complex and poorly understood deposits of various sediment types, where metropolitan areas are experiencing rapid growth). To help establish these priorities, a modern, synoptic overview of the geology is needed. This map represents an overview of our current knowledge of the composition and distribution of surficial materials in the conterminous United States. (The map covers only the conterminous U.S. because similar geologic information in digital form was not readily available for Alaska and Hawaii.) The best available map has been a highly generalized depiction at 1:7,500,000-scale (about 120 miles to the inch), prepared for the USGS National Atlas (Hunt, 1979; 1986). This map is compiled at a slightly more detailed scale (about 80 miles to the inch) than Hunt (1979; 1986). We used digital methods, which enabled us to rapidly incorporate the variety of source maps available to us. State-scale geologic maps from the western United States were brought directly into this map, without expending the time needed to resolve interpretive differences among them. Therefore, abrupt changes in surficial materials are indicated along many State boundaries. This of course is an artifact of our compilation technique, and a limitation on its utility. However, this approach supports the basic premise of the map -- to provide an overview of surficial materials, and to identify areas where additional work may be needed in order to resolve scientific issues that can, in turn, lead to improved mapping.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2009

A method for creating a three dimensional model from published geologic maps and cross sections

This brief report presents a relatively inexpensive and rapid method for creating a 3D model of geology from published quadrangle-scale maps and cross sections using Google Earth and Google SketchUp software. An example from the Green Mountains of Vermont, USA, is used to illustrate the step by step methods used to create such a model. A second example is provided from the Jebel Saghro region of the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The report was published to help enhance the public's ability to use and visualize geologic map data.

Vermont↗

USGS2012

Quaternary geologic map of the Glasgow 1° x 2° quadrangle, Montana

The Glasgow quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km 2 (6,210 mi 2 ). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S./Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Boundary Plateau, Peerless Plateau, and Larb Hills. The primary river is the Milk River. The map units are surficial deposits and materials, not landforms. Deposits that comprise some constructional landforms (for example, ground-moraine deposits, end-moraine deposits, and stagnation-moraine deposits, all composed of till) are distinguished for purposes of reconstruction of glacial history. Surficial deposits and materials are assigned to 23 map units on the basis of genesis, age, lithology or composition, texture or particle size, and other physical, chemical, and engineering characteristics. It is not a map of soils that are recognized in pedology or agronomy. Rather, it is a generalized map of soils recognized in engineering geology, or of substrata or parent materials in which pedologic or agronomic soils are formed. Glaciotectonic (ice-thrust) structures and deposits are mapped separately, represented by a symbol. The surficial deposits are glacial, ice-contact, glaciofluvial, alluvial, lacustrine, eolian, colluvial, and mass-movement deposits. Residuum, a surficial material, also is mapped. Till of late Wisconsin age is represented by three map units. Till of Illinoian age is also represented locally but is widespread in the subsurface. This map was prepared to serve as a database for compilation of a Quaternary geologic map of the United States and Canada (scale 1:1,000,000). Letter symbols for the map units are those used for the same units in the Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States map series.

Montana↗

USGS2021

System characterization report on the WorldView-3 Imager

Executive Summary This report addresses system characterization of the Maxar WorldView-3 satellite and is part of a series of system characterization reports produced and delivered by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence in 2020. These reports present and detail the methodology and procedures for characterization; present technical and operational information about the specific sensing system being evaluated; and provide a summary of test measurements, data retention practices, data analysis results, and conclusions. WorldView-3 is a high-resolution multispectral satellite launched in 2014 by Maxar Technologies on an Atlas V launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for Earth resources monitoring. WorldView-3 provides substantial technical improvements to previous WorldView satellites, including spectral bands, ground sample distance, and swath. The WorldView-3 satellite was designed and built by Lockheed Martin for Maxar Technologies using the BCP–5000 bus with the WorldView-3 Imager and the Clouds, Aerosols, Vapors, Ice, and Snow sensor. The high-resolution WorldView-3 Imager is the main instrument, and the Clouds, Aerosols, Vapors, Ice, and Snow sensor provides additional data on obscurants and other atmospheric effects used in data production. More information on Maxar WorldView satellites and sensors is available within the “2020 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium” and from the manufacturer at https://www.maxar.com/ . The Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence system characterization team completed data analyses to characterize the geometric (interior and exterior), radiometric, and spatial performances. Results of these analyses indicate that WorldView-3 has a range of interior geometric performance of −0.09 (−0.07 pixel) to 0.24 meter (0.19 pixel) in band-to-band registration; an exterior geometric performance in the range of a −21.10- (−2.11 pixels) to 28.23-meter (2.82 pixels) offset in comparison to Sentinel-2; a radiometric performance in the range of −0.121 to 1.420 (offset and slope); and a spatial performance in the range of 1.2 to 1.7 pixels at full width at half maximum with a modulation transfer function at a Nyquist frequency in the range of 0.093 to 0.185.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2023

Documentation of a pilot workflow for reanalyzing the U.S. Geological Survey principal aquifers datasets and prototype principal aquifer version 2 dataset for three aquifer systems

A pilot workflow to refine the principal aquifers of the United States as defined in the Ground Water Atlas of the United States and create a new version of the principal aquifers (referred to as “version 2”) is documented in this report. The workflow incorporates decision points for creating finer scale spatial data for the principal aquifers and refining the original principal aquifer definitions if warranted. This workflow was applied to four principal aquifers in the upper Midwest region of the United States that were not previously refined as part of a U.S. Geological Survey regional groundwater availability study: the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system, the Jacobsville aquifer, the Silurian-Devonian aquifer, and the upper carbonate aquifer. The refinement resulted in the consolidation of two of these aquifers (the Silurian-Devonian and upper carbonate aquifers), an expansion of the Jacobsville aquifer into a larger newly defined Midcontinent Rift sandstone aquifers unit, and a slight refinement of the Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system to exclude Precambrian units. The U.S. Geological Survey State Geologic Map Compilation geodatabase provided the base data used in the refined version 2 dataset, which are published in an accompanying U.S. Geological Survey data release as a prototype version 2 shapefile and include attributes describing the aquifer, data lineage, and source of the originally defined principal aquifer.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minne↗

USGS2024

Seasonal and breeding phenologies of 38 grassland bird species in the midcontinent of North America

Grasslands in the midcontinent of North America are highly imperiled, and grassland birds have suffered the largest bird declines of any terrestrial biome in North America in the last 50 years. Consequently, the conservation and management of grasslands, as well as their associated avian communities, are major priorities for the State, Provincial, and Federal agencies; non-governmental organizations; and private entities that influence the millions of hectares of grasslands in the midcontinent. Resource managers often deploy disturbances to grasslands (for example, grazing, haying, and burning) to maintain or enhance their quality or structure, but the timing of these disturbances has the potential to disrupt the nesting activities of grassland birds. In this report, we compiled two types of phenology information for 38 species of nonwaterfowl, grassland-nesting birds across four author-defined regions in the midcontinent of North America: (1) species- and region-specific arrival and departure dates from the eBird database, which indicate when a species may be assumed to be present in a region; and (2) reported dates of nesting activity for each species (start and end dates of nesting as well as total duration) from published bird distribution and occurrence books and breeding bird atlases, which indicate when nesting by a species may be assumed. This previously available but widely dispersed information, compiled for the first time, will aid resource managers and inform their decisions about the timing of disturbances while minimizing grassland management effects on nesting birds.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1970

Preliminary geologic map of the Glen Ullin quadrangle, Morton County, North Dakota

The Glen Ullin quadrangle occupies approximately 51 square miles inwestern Morton County, southwestern North Dakota. Glen Ullin, a small agricultural community on the Northern Pacific Railroad, about 52 miles west of Bismarck, is near the center of the quadrangle (fig. 1). The Glen Ullin quadrangle is one of a group of 14 adjoining 71/2-minute quadrangles (fig. 1) that are being mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey to furnish a basis for classification of lands withdrawn by the Federal Government pending classification for coal and to contribute to the geologic map atlas of the United States. Most of the fieldwork for the Glen Ullin quadrangle was done during the late summers and early falls of 1964 and 1965. During the summer of 1966 the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a drilling program in the Glen Ullin and nearby quadrangles (Smith, 1970) to gather information on the existence, thickness, and depth of lignite beds in withdrawn Federal lands. Three of the holes drilled are in the Glen Ullin quadrangle.

North Dakota↗