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At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources

Report of the committee on underground waters, 1938–39

In preparing the report of the Committee on Underground Waters of the Section of Hydrology for the final year of the triennium, it becomes evident that the collection of fundamental data relating to the hydrology of underground waters continues at a rate comparable to that maintained in the past few years, and perhaps even at an accelerated rate. Almost every extensive practical investigation of ground‐water supplies offers some opportunity for study of fundamental problems, in fact many of them require such fundamental study. With a larger number of investigations in progress, and with fairly liberal appropriations much new and valuable information is being discovered. Some idea of the increase in ground‐water studies since the organization of the Section of Hydrology may be given by a few statistics on the work of the Division of Ground‐Water of the Federal Geological Survey, which does the largest amount of ground‐water work in the United States. In 1932 the Division worked on about 50 projects in 25 States, in 15 of which and in Hawaii the investigations were made in cooperation with States, or other local Governmental agencies. During the current fiscal year work has been completed, or is in progress, on about 100 investigations in 35 States, Hawaii, and the Virgin Islands. The number of States cooperating on the work has increased to 24. During the current fiscal year about \$375,000 will be spent for ground‐water investigations by the Federal Geological Survey and cooperating organizations, as compared to about $175,000 spent during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1932.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗

Miocene tholeiitic basalts of coastal Oregon and Washington and their relations to coeval basalts of the Columbia Plateau

Note: This paper is dedicated to Aaron and Elizabeth Waters on the occasion of Dr. Waters' retirement. Tholeiitic basalt flows and breccias of Miocene age in western Oregon and Washington form three distinct stratigraphic units. Each unit was erupted from coastal vents marked by dikes and sills of the same composition as associated extrusive rocks. The three coastal basalt units are interbedded with predominantly marine sedimentary rocks of middle to late Miocene age. These units are here named, from older to younger, the Depoe Bay Basalt, Cape Foulweather Basalt, and basalt of Pack Sack Lookout. The three units can be distinguished by their petrographic characteristics. The Depoe Bay Basalt is nonporphyritic; Cape Foulweather Basalt has sparse large labradorite phenocrysts; and Pack Sack basalt has labradorite phenocrysts with numerous pyroxene and glass inclusions as well as augite and olivine phenocrysts. Chemical analyses of basalts from these three units show that each has a distinct and uniform composition. The Depoe Bay Basalt is characterized by high SiO 2 content; the Cape Foulweather Basalt has high content of total iron, TiO 2 , and P 2 O 5 ; and Pack Sack basalt is marked by relatively high MgO and CaO content. The Depoe Bay Basalt, Cape Foulweather Basalt, and basalt of Pack Sack Lookout on the coast occur in the same stratigraphic order and are essentially the same ages as three basalt units that erupted on the Columbia Plateau. The plateau-derived units are the Yakima and late-Yakima petrographic types of Waters (1961) and the Pomona flow of Schmincke (1967). The virtual identity in chemical composition of the Depoe Bay Basalt and Yakima-type basalt, the Cape Foulweather Basalt and the late-Yakima–type basalt, and the Pack Sack basalt and the Pomona basalt flow indicate that each pair is consanguineous. Fissure vents for the plateau basalt are located in eastern Oregon and Washington and western Idaho more than 500 km east of the coastal vent areas. Thus, a regional mechanism of magma generation or emplacement is required. Three models of magma genesis considered in this report are: (1) partial melting of the subducted Juan de Fuca plate; (2) partial melting along a nearly horizontal shear zone at the base of the American plate; and (3) partial melting within the asthenosphere and fractionation during ascent of the magma.

Oregon, Washington↗

Influence of northwest Pacific productivity on North Pacific Intermediate Water oxygen concentrations during the Bølling-Ållerød interval (14.7-12.9 ka)

Elevated productivity in the northwest Pacific is suggested as a new possible control driving past intervals of low-O 2 intermediate water along the western continental margin of North America. According to this mechanism, O 2 consumption would occur near the site of formation of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), due to increased respiration of organic carbon in response to a high-productivity event. Evidence is provided for such a productivity increase during the Bølling-Ållerød interval (14.7–12.9 ka), a time when laminated sediments were deposited along the northern California margin. By this mechanism, low-O 2 events in intermediate waters off the western North American margin could occur without significant changes in the rate of NPIW ventilation.

Geology↗

The San Andreas Fault System--Complexities along a major transform fault system and relation to earthquake hazards

The San Andreas Fault System is a 1300-km-long transform boundary that accommodates motion between the North American and Pacific Plates. New technologies and data reveal rich details about the present configuration of faults, distribution of strain and associated seismic hazard on this complex network of faults. This contribution provides a brief summary of the geologic history of the San Andreas Fault System, followed by an introduction to recent research that has changed understanding of the hazards along the main faults. Organized by region, we highlight a selection of recent research using new geodetic techniques, improved topographic data, advanced geochronologic methods, and high-resolution geophysics. The contribution ends with a review of the historic earthquakes on the San Andreas and San Jacinto Faults, comparing these to past ruptures interpreted from paleoseismic studies.

California↗

Central Appalachian basin natural gas database: distribution, composition, and origin of natural gases

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has compiled a database consisting of three worksheets of central Appalachian basin natural gas analyses and isotopic compositions from published and unpublished sources of 1,282 gas samples from Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The database includes field and reservoir names, well and State identification number, selected geologic reservoir properties, and the composition of natural gases (methane; ethane; propane; butane, iso -butane [ i -butane]; normal butane [ n -butane]; iso -pentane [ i -pentane]; normal pentane [ n -pentane]; cyclohexane, and hexanes). In the first worksheet, location and American Petroleum Institute (API) numbers from public or published sources are provided for 1,231 of the 1,282 gas samples. A second worksheet of 186 gas samples was compiled from published sources and augmented with public location information and contains carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen isotopic measurements of natural gas. The third worksheet is a key for all abbreviations in the database. The database can be used to better constrain the stratigraphic distribution, composition, and origin of natural gas in the central Appalachian basin.

Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, ↗

Western pond turtles in the Mojave Desert? A review of their past, present, and possible future

= The western pond turtle ( WPT ) was formerly considered a single species ( Actinemys or Emys marmorata ) that ranged from southern British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, México. More recently it was divided into a northern and a southern species. WPTs are found primarily in streams that drain into the Pacific Ocean, although scattered populations exist in endorheic drainages of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts. Populations in the Mojave Desert were long thought to be restricted to the Mojave River, but recently another population was documented in Piute Ponds, a terminal wetland complex associated with Amargosa Creek on Edwards Air Force Base. WPT fossils in the Mojave Desert are known from the Miocene to the Pleistocene. Recently, Pleistocene fossils have been found as far into the desert as Salt Springs, just south of Death Valley. The oldest fossil records suggest that WPTs were present in wetlands and drainages of the geological feature known as the Mojave block prior to the uplift of the Sierra Nevada Range about 8 Ma and prior to the ~ 3 Ma uplift of the Transverse Ranges. Archaeological records document use of turtles by Native Americans for food and cultural purposes 1,000 or more years ago at the Cronese Lakes on the lower Mojave River and Oro Grande on the upper river. The first modern publication documenting their presence in the Mojave River was 1861. Museum specimens were collected as early as 1937. These fossil and early literature records support the indigenous status of WPTs to the Mojave River. However, mtDNA -based genetic evidence shows that Mojave River turtles share an identical haplotype with turtles on the California coast. Limited nuclear data show some minor differences. Overdraft of water from the Mojave River for municipal and agricultural uses, urban development, and saltcedar expansion are threats to the continued survival of WPTs in the Mojave River.

California, Nevada↗

In search of the Abrams post office, Trinity County

An understanding of earth history depends in part on stratigraphy, a division of geology in which the distinctive features of natural units or formations of layered rocks are studied and described and names are assigned to them. The procedures for describing and naming rock units in a uniform way are incorporated in documents known as stratigraphic codes. The North American Stratigraphic Code (1983) is currently used by most geologists in the United States when formation names are selected. Rock unit names consist of a geographic name, generally taken from a natural feature near the locality where the unit was first described, followed by a descriptive feature, usually the dominant rock type in the unit. Although the procedure for naming a rock unit seems straightforward, stratigraphic nomenclature can lead to confusion when the principles outlined in the stratigraphic code are ignored or incorrectly applied. This paper traces the naming of the Abrams Mica Schist, one of the major units of the northern California Klamath Mountains. It describes how uncertainty about the location of the geographic feature after which the unit was named has led to conflicting terminology. The search revealed some interesting history of the early days of mining in the Coffee Creek region of the Trinity Alps in Trinity County.

California Geology↗

The Pacific Northwest; linkage between earthquake and volcano hazards

AS the title of the magazine Earthquake and Volcanoes suggests, these two geological phenomena are often closely associated. Earthquakes frequently precede volcanic eruptions, and volcanoes are often sources of small to intermediate size earthquakes resulting from the movement of magma within the volcano's plumbing system. In the Pacific Northwest, the association between earthquakes and volcanoes is much more fundamental- they both arise from the same large-scale interaction between two plates of the Earth's crust. The oceanic Juan de Fuca plate is being shoved beneath the edge of the continental North American plate in the process known as subduction. The result is the Cascade chain of volcanoes, the potential for very large earthquakes along the coastal margin, and the generation of stresses that produce other regional earthquakes. The Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and northern California) is experiencing rapid industrial and population growth. The same conditions that make the region attractive- close proximity to both mountains and oceans, volcanoes and spectacular inland waters- also present significant geologic hazards that are easily overlooked in the normal timetable of human activities. The catastrophic eruption of Mount St. Helens 10 years ago serves as a dramatic reminder of the forces of nature that can be unleashed through volcanism. other volcanoes such as mount Rainier, a majestic symbol of Washington, or Mount hood in Oregon, lie closer to population centers and could present far greater hazards should they become active. Earthquakes may affect even larger regions, prodcuging more cumulative damage.

Pacific Northwest↗

Debris avalanches in the northern California Coast Range triggered by plate boundary earthquakes

Determining the timing and cause for ancient hillslope failures proves difficult in the western United States, yet critical as it ties directly into groundmotion estimates for hazardous events. This knowledge gap is important to confront as hillslope failures are candidates to be triggered by earthquakes along active plate boundaries. We identify two prehistoric, i.e., preinstrumental history, debris avalanches (3 10^6 and 6 10^6 m^3) in the Coast Ranges of northern California. These debris avalanches are well suited for studying the timing (to the exact year) and trigger as the densely forested landscape enables effective use of dendrochronology and high-resolution radiocarbon to pinpoint time of failure, and the legacy of landslide studies in the region provides context for evaluating a seismic trigger as the most likely triggering mechanism. Neither debris avalanche was triggered by the largest precipitation event of the instrumental record in 1964 CE, and the two debris avalanche sites are physiographically suited to accommodate topographic amplification of seismic shaking. Through a suite of geologic and dendrochronologic evidence, we establish the likely time of failure of the two debris avalanches as 1906 CE and 933 CE. The failure of the younger landslide coincides with the 1906 CE San Francisco earthquake on the Pacific/North American plate boundary, while the older landslide dates to 933 CE falling within the broad age range (850-966 CE) of a likely megathrust earthquake on the Cascadia subduction zone as recorded in coastal marshes in Humboldt Bay, California. The precise age on the 933 CE debris avalanche could trim the uncertainty on a Cascadia subduction zone event from 116 years to one year. Utilizing debris avalanche records from sites suitable to record seismic shaking improves understanding of plate-boundary earthquake timing and extent of shaking.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Geomagnetic monitoring in the mid-Atlantic United States

Near historic battlegrounds of the American Civil War, southeast of Fredericksburg, Virginia, on a secluded grassy glade surrounded by forest, a specially designed observatory records the Earth’s changing magnetic field. This facility, the Fredericksburg Magnetic Observatory, is 1 of 14 observatories the U.S. Geological Survey Geomagnetism Program operates at various locations across the United States and its Territories as a service to the Nation and in support of a diversity of governmental, academic, and commercial scientific projects.

Virginia↗

Analysis of alternative weir designs for improved passage of select fish at the U.S. Geological Survey streamgaging weir at Blackwells Mills, New Jersey

As the population of New Jersey continues to remain dense, the need for water supply will likely continue to be high, which can lead to water managers needing to make difficult decisions about managing drinking-water supply. Streamgaging weirs like the ones used by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) play a critical role in providing accurate and stable streamflow data, but their presence can affect the passage of diadromous fish species such as river herring ( Alosa pseudoharengus [alewife], Alosa aestivalis [blueback herring], and Alosa sapidissima [American shad]). In some situations, weirs existing in rivers and streams are no longer used because they were part of a farm irrigation system or some type of industrial operation. The weir at the USGS streamgage 01402000 Millstone River at Blackwells Mills, New Jersey, was purposefully built as a hydraulic-control structure that provides a precise and stable control for the measurement of stage and computation of continuous streamflow. To satisfy the dual need of maintaining accurate streamflow data and providing improved fish passage for select species of fish during migration season, the USGS proposed the development and evaluation of two alternative weir designs that would meet the criteria established for successful passage of American shad, alewife, and blueback herring during their yearly migration. The designs were also required to maintain adequate control of the upstream pool elevation necessary for the precise computation of streamflow used by State agencies for municipal water-supply purposes for surrounding communities. Two alternative weir design modifications were incorporated at the center of the Blackwells Mills weir and modeled using two-dimensional hydraulic modeling software and three-dimensional computational fluid-dynamics software to simultaneously evaluate conditions for passage of the target fish species and effects to streamflow computations at the streamgage. The models were calibrated to existing conditions around the weir location using surveyed-elevation data and recorded stage, streamflow, and velocity in the Millstone River. The alternative weir designs lowered the weir crest by 1.02 feet (ft) and the resulting simulations showed an effective increase in depth of 0.98 ft at the median streamflow of 251 cubic feet per second (ft 3 /s) and 0.96 ft at the 95-percent exceedance streamflow of 98 ft 3 /s. The alternative weir designs were also found to increase streamflow depth across the shallowest portions of the weir structure at the downstream anti-scour skirt by lowering the skirt about 4 inches, allowing for two or more body depths of water for American shad, alewife, and blueback herring at the median migration streamflow of 251 ft 3 /s. The alternative weir designs also reduced the highest stream velocities across the downstream weir sill and anti-scour skirt from about 9 to 10 feet per second, and the depth-averaged velocity to about 7 to 8 feet per second. The sensitivity of the weir with respect to the computation of streamflow was increased from about 1.8 cubic feet per second per hundredth foot to 1.6 cubic feet per second per hundredth foot for streamflows of about 10–100 cubic feet per second.

New Jersey↗

Optical dating of the anastasia formation, northeastern florida, USA

The single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) procedure was used to obtain optically stimulated luminescence ages to determine the depositional age of the upper part of the Anastasia Formation. This unit, which crops out along the east coast of Florida, is one of the most culturally and economically important coquina deposits in North America. Rock samples from the upper three meters of exposure at three locations were collected. Additional materials for paleontological analysis were also taken. Based on our samples, the luminescence ages of the Anastasia Formation are well within marine isotope stage 5, which is supported by the results of Osmond et al. (1970) based on U/Th ages. The associated fossil assemblages support our luminescence age determinations. Associated fossils fall within the Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age (300 10 ka) and the fossil mollusk assemblage consists entirely of modern species.

Southeastern Geology↗

Proceedings of the Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symposium, November 18-20, 2008, Scottsdale, Arizona

Since the 1980s, four major science and restoration programs have been developed for the Colorado River Basin to address primarily the conservation of native fish and other wildlife pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA): (1) Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin (commonly called the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program) (1988); (2) San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program (1992); (3) Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (1997); and (4) Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (2005). Today, these four programs, the efforts of which span the length of the Colorado River, have an increasingly important influence on water management and resource conservation in the basin. The four efforts involve scores of State, Federal, and local agencies; Native American Tribes; and diverse stakeholder representatives. The programs have many commonalities, including similar and overlapping goals and objectives; comparable resources and threats to those resources; and common monitoring, research, and restoration strategies. In spite of their commonalities, until recently there had been no formal opportunity for information exchange among the programs. To address this situation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) worked in coordination with the four programs and numerous Federal and State agencies to organize the first Colorado River Basin Science and Resource Management Symposium, which took place in Scottsdale, AZ, in November 2008. The symposium's primary purpose was to promote an exchange of information on research and management activities related to the restoration and conservation of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A total of 283 managers, scientists, and stakeholders attended the 3-day symposium, which included 87 presentations and 27 posters. The symposium featured plenary talks by experts on a variety of topics, including overviews of the four restoration programs, water-management actions aimed at restoring native fish habitat, climate change, assessments of the status of native and nonnative fish populations, and Native American perspectives. Intermixed with plenary talks were four concurrent technical sessions that addressed the following important topics: (1) effects of dam and reservoir operations on downstream physical and biological resources; (2) native fish propagation and genetic management and associated challenges in co-managing native and nonnative fish in the Colorado River; (3) monitoring program design, case studies, and links to management; and (4) riparian system restoration, monitoring, and exotic species control efforts.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

Evidence from Cd/Ca ratios in foraminifera for greater upwelling off California 4,000 years ago

UPWELLING of nutrient-rich Pacific deep water along the North American west coast is ultimately driven by the temperature difference between air masses over land and over the ocean. The intensity of upwelling, and biological production in the region, could therefore be affected by anthropogenic climate change. Examination of the geological record is one way to study the link between climate and upwelling. Because Pacific deep water is enriched in cadmium, dissolved cadmium concentrations in coastal water off central California reflect the intensity of upwelling. By demonstrating that the Cd/Ca ratio in the shell of a benthic foraminifer, Elphidiella hannai, is proportional to the Cd concentration in coastal water, we show here that foraminiferal Cd/Ca ratios can be used to detect past changes in mean upwelling intensity. Examination of a sediment core from the mouth of San Francisco Bay reveals that foraminiferal Cd/Ca decreased by about 30% from 4,000 years ago to the present, probably because of a reduction in coastal upwelling. This observation is consistent with predictions of atmospheric general circulation models that northwesterly winds, which drive upwelling, became weaker over this period as summer insolation of the Northern Hemisphere decreased.

Nature↗

Pikes Peak, Colorado

For 200 years, Pikes Peak has been a symbol of America's Western Frontier--a beacon that drew prospectors during the great 1859-60 Gold Rush to the 'Pikes Peak country,' the scenic destination for hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and an enduring source of pride for cities in the region, the State of Colorado, and the Nation. November 2006 marks the 200th anniversary of the Zebulon M. Pike expedition's first sighting of what has become one of the world's most famous mountains--Pikes Peak. In the decades following that sighting, Pikes Peak became symbolic of America's Western Frontier, embodying the spirit of Native Americans, early explorers, trappers, and traders who traversed the vast uncharted wilderness of the Western Great Plains and the Southern Rocky Mountains. High-quality printed paper copies of this poster are available at no cost from Information Services, U.S. Geological Survey (1-888-ASK-USGS).

General Information Product↗

Preliminary geologic map of the Little Piute Mountains, San Bernardino County, California

Introduction The Little Piute Mountains in the eastern Mojave Desert expose a series of folds and thrust faults involving metamorphosed Paleozoic strata (Miller and others, 1982; Stone and others, 1983). Detailed mapping of these structures was undertaken to help elucidate regional Mesozoic structural evolution. Earlier geologic maps were prepared by Cooksley (1960a,b,c,d, generalized by Bishop, 1964) and Stone and others (1983). Deformed and metamorphosed Paleozoic and Triassic rocks form a stratal succession that was originally deposited in shallow seas on the North American craton. Based on lithologic sequence the units are correlated with unmetamorphosed equivalents 200 km to the northeast in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, and 35-50 km to the west in the Marble, Ship, and Providence Mountains, California (Stone and others, 1983). The Paleozoic sequence rests nonconformably on a heterogeneous basement of polydeformed Early Proterozoic gneiss (Miller and others, 1982; Wooden and Miller, 1990). Triassic and older rocks were deformed, metamorphosed to staurolite or andalusite grade, and intruded concordantly at their base by Late Cretaceous granodiorite (Miller and others, 1982).

California↗

Geologic and hydrogeologic framework of the Espa?ola basin -- Proceedings of the 5th annual Espa?ola basin workshop, Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 7-8, 2006

This report presents abstracts of technical studies that are focused on the hydrogeologic framework of the Espa?ola basin, a major subbasin of the Cenozoic Rio Grande rift. The Rio Grande, Rio Chama, Santa Fe River, and their tributaries carry important surface water in the Espa?ola basin. Sediments and interbedded volcanic rocks fill the Espa?ola basin and form extensive aquifer systems for ground water. Surface and ground water provide the principal sources of water for most residents of the basin, including people in the cities of Santa Fe, Espa?ola, and Los Alamos as well as Native Americans in several Pueblos. The abstracts describe results of technical studies that were presented either as poster exhibits or oral presentations at the fifth-annual Espa?ola basin workshop, held March 7-8 of 2006 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The principal goal of this workshop was to share information about ongoing studies. The Espa?ola basin workshop was hosted by the Espa?ola basin technical advisory group (EBTAG) and sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and the Water Research Technical Assistance Office of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Abstracts in this report have been grouped into six information themes: Basic Water Data, Water Quality and Water Chemistry, Water Balance and Stream/Aquifer Interaction, Data Integration and Hydrologic Model Testing, Three-Dimensional Hydrogeological Architecture, and Geologic Framework. Abstracts submitted by U.S. Geological Survey authors in this report have had their technical content peer reviewed before they were included in the report. Technical reviews were not required for abstracts submitted by authors outside the USGS, although most did receive peer reviews within their originating agencies. Taken together, the abstracts in this report provide a view of the current status of hydrogeologic research within the Espa?ola basin.

Open-File Report↗

Geochemical and detrital mode evidence for two sources of Early Proterozoic sedimentary rocks from the Tonto Basin Supergroup, central Arizona

The Tonto Basin Supergroup includes up to 6.5 km of Early Proterozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks that were deposited in a relatively short period of time at about 1.7 Ga in central Arizona. Moderate correlations of rare earth elements (REE) and Ti with Al 2 O 3 and REE distributions in detrital sediments of this supergroup suggest that these elements are contained chiefly in clay-mica and/or zircon fractions. REE distributions, including negative Eu anomalies in most Tonto Basin sediments, are similar to those in Phanerozoic shales. Weak to moderate correlations of Fe, Sc, Ni, and Co to Al 2 O 3 also suggest a clay-mica control of these elements. Detrital modes and geochemical characteristics of sediments indicate two dominant sources for sedimentary rocks of the Tonto Basin Supergroup: a granitoid source and a volcanic source. The granitoid source was important during deposition of the upper part of the succession (the Mazatzal Group) as shown by increases in K 2 O, Al 2 O 3 , and Th in pelites with stratigraphic height, and increases in Zr and Hf and decreases in Eu/Eu ∗ , Cr, and Ni in in pelites of the Maverick Shale. Sediment provenance characteristics and paleocurrent indicators are consistent with deposition of the supergroup in a continental-margin back-arc basin. The granitoid sediment source appears to have been the North American craton on the north, and the volcanic source a more local source from an arc on the south.

Arizona↗