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At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources
USGS2016

Logistic and linear regression model documentation for statistical relations between continuous real-time and discrete water-quality constituents in the Kansas River, Kansas, July 2012 through June 2015

The Kansas River is a primary source of drinking water for about 800,000 people in northeastern Kansas. Source-water supplies are treated by a combination of chemical and physical processes to remove contaminants before distribution. Advanced notification of changing water-quality conditions and cyanobacteria and associated toxin and taste-and-odor compounds provides drinking-water treatment facilities time to develop and implement adequate treatment strategies. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Kansas Water Office (funded in part through the Kansas State Water Plan Fund), and the City of Lawrence, the City of Topeka, the City of Olathe, and Johnson County Water One, began a study in July 2012 to develop statistical models at two Kansas River sites located upstream from drinking-water intakes. Continuous water-quality monitors have been operated and discrete-water quality samples have been collected on the Kansas River at Wamego (USGS site number 06887500) and De Soto (USGS site number 06892350) since July 2012. Continuous and discrete water-quality data collected during July 2012 through June 2015 were used to develop statistical models for constituents of interest at the Wamego and De Soto sites. Logistic models to continuously estimate the probability of occurrence above selected thresholds were developed for cyanobacteria, microcystin, and geosmin. Linear regression models to continuously estimate constituent concentrations were developed for major ions, dissolved solids, alkalinity, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus species), suspended sediment, indicator bacteria ( Escherichia coli , fecal coliform, and enterococci), and actinomycetes bacteria. These models will be used to provide real-time estimates of the probability that cyanobacteria and associated compounds exceed thresholds and of the concentrations of other water-quality constituents in the Kansas River. The models documented in this report are useful for characterizing changes in water-quality conditions through time, characterizing potentially harmful cyanobacterial events, and indicating changes in water-quality conditions that may affect drinking-water treatment processes.

Kansas↗
USGS2018

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2015–2016

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in the Black Mesa area because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of the arid climate. Precipitation in the area typically ranges from less than 6 to more than 16 inches per year depending on location. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from November 2015 to December 2016. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals (pumping), (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater chemistry. In calendar year 2016, total groundwater withdrawals were 3,540 acre-ft, industrial withdrawals were 1,090 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,450 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2016 were about 52 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005 because of Peabody Western Coal Company’s discontinued use of water to transport coal in a coal slurry pipeline. From 2015 to 2016, annually measured water levels available for comparison in wells completed in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer within the Black Mesa area declined in 9 of 16 wells, and the median change was –0.1 feet. Water levels also declined in 8 of 16 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was 0.0 feet. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2016, the median water-level change for all 32 wells in both the confined and unconfined areas was –10.2 feet; the median water-level changes were –1.6 feet for the 16 wells measured in the unconfined areas and –36.1 feet for the 16 wells measured in the confined area. Spring flow was measured at four springs in 2016. Flow fluctuated during the period of record for Burro Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring, but a decreasing trend was statistically significant (p<0.05) at Moenkopi School Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso. Discharge at Burro Spring has remained relatively constant since it was first measured in the 1980s and discharge at Pasture Canyon Spring has fluctuated for the period of record. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2016), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2016), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2016), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2016). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record, the median winter flows have generally remained constant at Dinnebito Wash and Polacca Wash, whereas a decreasing trend was indicated at Moenkopi Wash and Pasture Canyon Springs. In 2016, water samples collected from three wells and four springs in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents, and the results were compared with previous analyses from the same wells and springs. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate have varied at all three wells for the period of record, but neither increasing nor decreasing trends over time were found. Dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 25 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied significantly (p>0.05) since the early 1980s, and there is no increasing or decreasing trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record, but there is no statistical trend in the data.

Arizona↗
USGS2021

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2016–2018

The Navajo (N) aquifer is the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in the Black Mesa area because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use by a growing population and because of its arid climate. Precipitation in the area typically ranges from less than 6 to more than 16 inches per year depending on location. The U.S. Geological Survey water-monitoring program in the Black Mesa area began in 1971 and provides information about the long-term effects of groundwater withdrawals from the N aquifer for industrial and municipal uses. This report presents results of data collected as part of the monitoring program in the Black Mesa area from November 2016 to December 2018. The monitoring program includes measurements of (1) groundwater withdrawals (pumping), (2) groundwater levels, (3) spring discharge, (4) surface-water discharge, and (5) groundwater and surface-water chemistry. In calendar year 2017, total groundwater withdrawals were 3,710 acre-feet (acre-ft), industrial withdrawals were 1,110 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,600 acre-ft. In calendar year 2018, total groundwater withdrawals were 3,670 acre-ft, industrial withdrawals were 1,170 acre-ft, and municipal withdrawals were 2,500 acre-ft. Total withdrawals during 2017 and 2018 were about 49 percent less than total withdrawals in 2005 because of Peabody Western Coal Company’s discontinued use of water to transport coal in a coal slurry pipeline. From the prestress period (prior to 1965) to 2018, measured water levels available for comparison in wells completed in the unconfined areas of the N aquifer within the Black Mesa area declined in 8 of 14 wells, the changes ranged from +12.1 feet to −39.4 feet, and the median change was -0.6 feet. Water levels also declined in 15 of 18 wells measured in the confined area of the aquifer. The median change for the confined area of the aquifer was −40.2 feet (ft), with changes ranging from +14.2 ft to −189.0 ft. From the prestress period to 2018, the median water-level change for all 32 wells in both the confined and unconfined areas was −9.4 ft. Spring flow was measured at four springs in 2017 and 2018. Flow fluctuated during the period of record for Burro Spring and Pasture Canyon Spring, but a decreasing trend was statistically significant (p<0.05) at Moenkopi School Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso. Discharge at Burro Spring has remained relatively constant since it was first measured in the 1980s and discharge at Pasture Canyon Spring has fluctuated for the period of record. Continuous records of surface-water discharge in the Black Mesa area were collected from streamflow-gaging stations at the following sites: Moenkopi Wash at Moenkopi 09401260 (1976 to 2018), Dinnebito Wash near Sand Springs 09401110 (1993 to 2018), Polacca Wash near Second Mesa 09400568 (1994 to 2018), and Pasture Canyon Springs 09401265 (2004 to 2018). Median winter flows (November through February) of each water year were used as an index of the amount of groundwater discharge at the above-named sites. For the period of record, the median winter flows have generally remained constant at Dinnebito Wash and Polacca Wash, whereas a decreasing trend was indicated at Moenkopi Wash and Pasture Canyon Springs. In 2017 and 2018, water samples collected from two wells, four springs, and three streams in the Black Mesa area were analyzed for selected chemical constituents. The results from wells and springs were compared with previous analyses from the same wells and springs. At the Peabody 2 well, a significant (p<0.05) decreasing trend in dissolved solids over time was found, while concentrations of dissolved solids have not varied significantly (p>0.05) at the Kykotsmovi PM2 well. Dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate concentrations increased at Moenkopi School Spring during the more than 30 years of record at that site. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Pasture Canyon Spring have not varied significantly (p>0.05) since the early 1980s, and there is no increasing or decreasing trend in those data. Concentrations of dissolved solids, chloride, and sulfate at Burro Spring and Unnamed Spring near Dennehotso have varied for the period of record, but there is no statistical trend in the data. Baseflow water chemistry samples were collected from Moenkopi, Dinnebito, and Polacca washes in 2017. Samples from all three washes had total-dissolved solids concentrations higher than is typically found in the N aquifer water.

Arizona↗
USGS2008

Occurrence of organic wastewater compounds in the Tinkers Creek watershed and two other tributaries to the Cuyahoga River, northeast Ohio

The U.S. Geological Survey - in cooperation with the Ohio Water Development Authority; National Park Service; Cities of Aurora, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Solon, and Twinsburg; and Portage and Summit Counties - and in collaboration with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, did a study to determine the occurrence and distribution of organic wastewater compounds (OWCs) in the Tinkers Creek watershed in northeastern Ohio. In the context of this report, OWCs refer to a wide range of compounds such as antibiotics, prescription and nonprescription pharmaceuticals, personal-care products, household and industrial compounds (for example, antimicrobials, fragrances, surfactants, fire retardants, and so forth) and a variety of other chemicals. Canisters containing polar organic integrative sampler (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane device (SPMD) media were deployed instream for a 28-day period in Mayand June 2006 at locations upstream and downstream from seven wastewater-treatment-plant (WWTP) outfalls in the Tinkers Creek watershed, at a site on Tinkers Creek downstream from all WWTP discharges, and at one reference site each in two nearby watersheds (Yellow Creek and Furnace Run) that drain to the Cuyahoga River. Streambed-sediment samples also were collected at each site when the canisters were retrieved. POCIS and SPMDs are referred to as 'passive samplers' because they sample compounds that they are exposed to without use of mechanical or moving parts. OWCs detected in POCIS and SPMD extracts are referred to in this report as 'detections in water' because both POCIS and SPMDs provided time-weighted measures of concentration in the stream over the exposure period. Streambed sediments also reflect exposure to OWCs in the stream over a long period of time and provide another OWC exposure pathway for aquatic organisms. Four separate laboratory methods were used to analyze for 32 antibiotic, 20 pharmaceutical, 57 to 66 wastewater, and 33 hydrophobic compounds. POCIS and streambed-sediment extracts were analyzed by both the pharmaceutical and wastewater methods. POCIS extracts also were analyzed by the antibiotic method, and SPMD extracts were analyzed by the hydrophobic-compound method. Analytes associated with a given laboratory method are referred to in aggregate by the method name (for example, antibiotic-method analytes are referred to as 'antibiotic compounds') even though some analytes associated with the method may not be strictly classified as such. In addition, some compounds were included in the analyte list for more than one laboratory method. For a given sample matrix, individual compounds detected by more than one analytical method are included independently in counts for each method. A total of 12 antibiotic, 20 pharmaceutical, 41 wastewater, and 22 hydrophobic compounds were detected in water at one or more sites. Eight pharmaceutical and 37 wastewater compounds were detected in streambed sediments. The numbers of detections at reference sites tended to be in the low range of detection counts observed in the Tinkers Creek watershed for a given analytical method. Also, the total numbers of compounds detected in water and sediment at the reference sites were less than the total numbers of compounds detected at sites in the Tinkers Creek watershed. With the exception of hydrophobic compounds, it was common at most sites to have more compounds detected in samples collected downstream from WWTP outfalls than in corresponding samples collected upstream from the outfalls. This was particularly true for antibiotic, pharmaceutical, and wastewater compounds in water. In contrast, it was common to have more hydrophobic compounds detected in samples collected upstream from WWTP outfalls than downstream. Caffeine, fluoranthene, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), phenanthrene, and pyrene were detected in water at all sites in the Tinkers Creek watershed, irrespective of whether the site was upstream or downs

Ohio↗
USGS1972

Mineral deposits of the northwestern Hijaz quadrangle, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

A reconnaissance of portions of the Northwestern Hijaz quadrangle in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was made during 1964 and 1965 as part of a mineral survey of the Precambrian crystalline rocks of the country. The survey is being made under the terms of an agreement between the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the United States Geological Survey. Ancient gold and copper mines occur in the area, and deposits of iron minerals, chromite, copper minerals, asbestos, magnesite, gypsum, and glass sand have been discovered in recent years. The land surface of the quadrangle consists of a narrow coastal plain, a mountainous belt, and a plateau. The mountainous bolt is made up of Precambrian rocks that include three major stratigraphic units separated by unconformities. The two older units are slightly metamorphosed and are intruded by plutonic rocks of many kinds. Granitic rocks predominate but intrusions of syenite, diorite, gabbro, and peridotite are known. Dikes are abundant throughout the mountainous area. The Precambrian rocks have been folded on north- to northwest-trending axes. A major northwest-striking wrench fault zone crosses the central portion of the quadrangle. North-, northeast-, and east-trending faults are locally prominent. The plateau lies in the northeastern part of the quadrangle. It is made up of unmetamorphosed gently dipping sandstone of Paleozoic age overlain in part by flood basalts of Tertiary to Quaternary age. Sedimentary rocks of Miocene(?) age crop out in the coastal area. Gold was mined in the area during the eighth and ninth centuries A. D. The ancient gold mines were reexamined in the 1930s but wore found to be too small and too low grade for mining. Exploration for minerals other than gold began in 1950. The present work consisted of the examination of geological features that are potentially favorable for the presence of mineral deposits such as intrusive contacts, fault zones, quartz veins, and hydrothermally altered areas. Samples of wadi sediment were collected in areas that appeared most favorable. The samples were analyzed spectrographically for trace amounts of 27 elements to confirm the presence or absence of mineralization. Massive magnetite bodies that range in size from a few hundred to a few thousand tons wore discovered in the course of the work as well as widely scattered traces of secondary copper minerals. The wadi samples disclosed several areas that contain from 5 to 10 times the average trace amounts of base metals and molybdenum; these areas should be prospected in more detail.

Hijaz quadrangle↗
USGS2007

Aeromagnetic mapping of the structure of Pine Canyon caldera and Chisos Mountains intrusion, Big Bend National Park, Texas

Analysis of aeromagnetic and gravity data reveals new details of the structure, igneous geology, and temporal evolution of the prominent, enigmatic ca.32 Ma Pine Canyon caldera and the Chisos Mountains (Big Bend National Park, Texas). The main caldera-filling Pine Canyon Rhyolite, the oldest member of the South Rim Formation, is reversely magnetized, allowing it to be used as a key marker bed for determining caldera fill thickness. Modeling of gravity and magnetic anomalies indicates that the Pine Canyon Rhyolite is probably thicker in the northeastern part of the caldera. Lineaments in the magnetic data suggest the presence of buried faults beneath the caldera that may have led to increased downdrop in the northeast versus the southwest, allowing a thicker section of caldera fill to accumulate there. The Pine Canyon caldera has been interpreted as a downsag caldera because it lacks surficial faulting, so these inferred faults are the first mapped features there that could be responsible for caldera collapse. The caldera boundary correlates well with the margins of a gravity low. General features of the caldera match well with basic models of downsag calderas, meaning that the Pine Canyon caldera may be a classic example of downsagging, of which few well-described examples exist, in terms of a geophysical signature. The source of a long-wavelength magnetic high over the Chisos Mountains is interpreted as a previously unknown broad intrusion, the long axis of which trends parallel to a major crustal boundary related to the Ouachita orogeny or an even earlier Precambrian margin. This feature represents the largest intrusion (28-34 km diameter, 1-4 km thick, 700-3000 km3 in volume) in an area where relatively small laccoliths are ubiquitous. The intrusion most likely represents a long-lived (>1 m.y.) reservoir replenished by small batches of magma of varying composition, as reflected in the variation of eruptive products from the Pine Canyon and Sierra Quemada calderas. The intrusion may represent the easternmost occurrence of voluminous Tertiary magmatism in the southwestern United States. ?? 2007 Geological Society of America.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗
USGS1983

Geology of the Volga-Ural petroleum province and detailed description of the Ramashkino and Arlan oil fields

The Volga-Ural petroleum province is in general coincident with the Volga-Ural regional high, a broad upwarp of the east-central part of the Russian (East European) platform. The central part of the province is occupied by the Tatar arch, which contains the major share of the oil fields of the province. The Perm-Bashkir arch forms the northeastern part of the regional high, and the Zhigulevsko-Orenburg arch makes up the southern part. These arches are separated from one another by elongate downwarps. The platform cover overlies an Archean crystalline basement and consists of seven main sedimentation cycles as follows: 1) Riphean (lower Bavly) continental sandstone, shale, and conglomerate beds from 500 to 5,000 m thick deposited in aulacogens. 2) Vendian (upper Bavly) continental and marine shale and sandstone up to 3,000 m thick. 3) Middle Devonian-Tournaisian transgressive deposits, which are sandstone, siltstone, and shale in the lower part and carbonates with abundant reefs in the upper; thickness is 300-1,000 m. In the upper carbonate part is the Kamsko-Kinel trough system, which consists of narrow interconnected deep-water troughs. 4) The Visean-Namurian-Bashkirian cycle, which began with deposition of Visean clastics that draped over reefs of the previous cycle and filled in an erosional relief that had formed in some places on the sediments of the previous cycle. The Visean clastics are overlain by marine carbonates. Thickness of the cycle is 50-800 m. 5) Early Moscovian-Early Permian terrigenous clastic deposits and marine carbonate beds 1,000-3,000 m thick. 6) The late Early Permian-Late Permian cycle, which reflects maximum growth of the Ural Mountains and associated Ural foredeep. Evaporites were first deposited, then marine limestones and dolomites, which intertongue eastward with clastic sediments from the Ural Mountains. 7) Continental redbeds of Triassic age and mixed continental and marine elastic beds of Jurassic and Cretaceous age, which were deposited on the southern, southwestern, and northern margins of the Russian platform; they are generally absent in the Volga-Ural province, however. The Volga-Ural oil and gas basin is a single artesian system that contains seven aquifers separated by seals. The areas of greatest hydraulic head are in the eastern parts of the basin near areas where the aquifers crop out on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains. The Peri-Caspian basin is the principal drainage area of the artesian system. Approximately 600 oil and gas fields and 2,000 pools have been found in the Volga-Ural province. Nine productive sequences are recognized as follows: 1) Upper Proterozoic (Bavly beds), which are promising but not yet commercial. 2) Clastic Devonian, which contains the major reserves and includes the main pays of the super-giant Romashkino field. 3) Carbonate Upper Devonian and lowermost Carboniferous, which is one of the main reef-bearing intervals. 4) Visean (Lower Carboniferous) elastics, which are the main pays in the super-giant Arian field. 5) Carbonate Lower and Middle Carboniferous. 6) Clastic Middle Carboniferous Moscovian. 7) Carbonate Middle and Upper Carboniferous. 8) Carbonate-evaporite Lower Permian, which contains the major gas reserves and the lower part of the Melekess tar deposits. 9) Clastic-carbonate Upper Permian, which contains the major part of the Melekess tar deposits. The Volga-Ural province is divided into several productive regions on a basis of differences in structure, distribution of reservoir and source-rock facies, and general composition of the petroleum accumulations. These regions are the Tatar arch, Birsk saddle, Upper Kama depression, Perm-Bashkir arch, Ufa-Orenburg monocline, Melekess-Sernovodsko-Abdulino basin, Zhligulevsko-Orenburg arch, Ural foredeep, and north borders of the Peri-Casplan depression. Exploration activity has declined in recent years; however, interest remains high in several parts of the province, particula

Open-File Report↗
USGS2021

Correcting the historical record for Kīlauea Volcano's 1832, 1868, and 1877 summit eruptions

Three fissure eruptions are known to have occurred along the northeastern edge of Kīlauea's summit caldera in the 19th century—in the years 1832, 1868, and 1877. Modern portrayal of these eruptions on maps and in written sources indicates that the 1832 eruption was from a fissure on the side of the Poliokeawe scarp south of Byron Ledge, the 1868 eruption was from a fissure on the southern wall of Kīlauea Iki Crater and fed a lava flow that covered the bottom of that crater, and the eruption in 1877 occurred on the floor of Keanakākoʻi Crater, as well as from a fissure of uncertain location on the east wall of the caldera below Byron Ledge. New geologic mapping and a review of historical documents and maps contradict these views. We find, instead, that: (1) the 1832 eruption discharged from a fissure on Byron Ledge (not Poliokeawe scarp), from another fissure on the southwestern wall of Kīlauea Iki Crater, and from at least one fissure along the east side of Kīlauea caldera below Byron Ledge; (2) the 1868 lava erupted through the floor of Kīlauea Iki Crater, not from a fissure in its southwestern wall; and (3) the 1877 lava erupted from Kīlauea Iki Crater's mid-wall fissure (until now believed to have opened in 1868), from the fissure previously assigned an 1832 date on Poliokeawe escarpment, and from a precisely relocated vent on the northeastern wall of the caldera. Finally, no conclusive first-hand accounts of the late 19th century eruption in Keanakākoʻi Crater were identified, leaving in doubt the often-inferred 1877 date for this event. Possible alternative dates include 1868, 1879, and 1881.

Hawaii↗
USGS2011

Groupers on the edge: Shelf edge spawning habitat in and around marine reserves of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico

The northeastern Gulf of Mexico contains some of the most diverse and productive marine habitat in the United States. Much of this habitat, located on the shelf edge in depths of 50 to 120 m, supports spawning for many economically important species, including groupers. Here, we couple acoustic surveys with georeferenced videography to describe the primary spatial and geologic features of spawning aggregation sites for four economically important species: gag ( Mycteroperca microlepis ), scamp ( M. phenax ), red grouper ( Epinephelus morio ), and red snapper ( Lutjanus campechanus ), with notes on fish distribution and abundance and spawning activities. We provide information on movement patterns of reef fish determined using acoustic telemetry. Finally, we discuss the possible coupling of geomorphology with hydrographic features to influence the overall productivity of the region and the importance of spatial fishery management in sustaining that productivity.

Northeastern Gulf of Mexico↗
USGS1986

Stratigraphic framework of coal beds underlying the northeastern part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana

The area of investigation is located in the northeast part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation (fig. 1) on the western flank of the Williston Basin. It covers about 450 square miles and is made up of parts of Daniels, Sheridan, and Roosevelt counties. Exploratory drilling for coal and logging of seismograph drill holes in 1978-1981 were done with the support of the Branch of Indian Affairs as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's program to assess coal resources in the reservation (Hardie and Arndt, 1981; Ardnt, Hardie, and Kehn, 1982). From the data generated, selected seismic and coal exploration logs were used in this report to show the stratigraphic framework of lower Fort Union coal beds (fig. 3) and local variations (fig. 2) with particular reference to the Timber Coulee coal zone.

Montana↗
USGS1981

Petrology and petrography for USGS test wells 1, 2, and 3 in the Madison Limestone in Montana and Wyoming

The need for large quantities of energy has created interest in the Fort Union coal region of the Northern Great Plains. Extensive development of this coal, which may include on-site steam-power generation, gasification, liquefaction, and slurry-pipeline transport of the coal out of the region, would place a heavy demand on the region's limited streamflow. Paleozoic rocks that underlie the Fort Union coal region might supply, at least on a temporary basis, a significant part of the water required for coal development. Paleozoic rocks in the Northern Great Plains are related to the geologic history of the western border of the stable interior of the continent. The central part of the continental interior (Paleozoic craton) was made up of a stable core, the Canadian shield. To the west of the Canadian shield, the broad western flank of the Paleozoic craton made up the Cordilleran shelf, which is the site of the shallow-water marine rocks described in this report. The area of study covers approximately 200,000 square miles, and includes eastern Montana, western North Dakota and South Dakota, northeastern Wyoming, and northwestern Nebraska. The Madison Limestone, or Group, where it is divided, consists of a lower argillaceous limestone (Lodgepole Limestone); a middle unit of fossiliferous carbonate rock (Mission Canyon Limestone); and an upper unit of anhydrite, halite, and interbedded carbonate rock and shale (Charles Formation). The total section is made up of numerous cyclic, marker-defined units. The Madison Limestone was subdivided into units bounded by "marker beds" that consist of thin and widespread shaly carbonate or dark shale recognizable in the subsurface on geophysical logs. The five marker beds used for regional correlation purposes are as follows: M-1 represents the base of the Madison Limestone; M-3 is near the Kinderhookian-Osagean boundary; M-7 and M-8.5 fall within the Osagean; and M-12 is near the Osagean-Meramecian boundary. The top of the Madison Limestone is the Mc marker. Petrology and petrography of the Madison Limestone and associated rocks were studied from cores taken in three test wells of the U.S. Geological Survey. Six major rock types are recognized within cored intervals of the three test wells. Dolomite forms two-thirds of the total and limestone about 20 percent. The remainder consists of anhydrite, carbonate breccia, carbonate mudstone, and chert. Crystalline dolomite is the only abundant rock type in wells 1, 2, and 3 that has high enough porosity and permeability to provide significant yields of water. Crystalline dolomites not associated with evaporites may have formed by some sort of meteoric water-sea water mixing process in the subsurface shoreline environment by recrystallization of mud-rich limestones. Porosity and permeability values of all cored intervals of the Madison Limestone were determined. Mean porosity for the Madison Limestone is 8.4 percent, and mean permeability is 15.8 millidarcies. Because the Madison Limestone is relatively heterogeneous, permeability has a wide range in value.

Montana, Wyoming↗
USGS2023

Geologic carbon management options for the North Atlantic-Appalachian Region

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) North Atlantic-Appalachian Region is developing the regionwide capacity to provide timely science support for decision-makers attempting to enhance carbon removal, sequestration, and emissions mitigation to meet national atmospheric carbon reduction goals. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that in 2021, the fourteen States and the District of Columbia in the northeastern region account about for approximately 18 percent of the total national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This Fact Sheet provides a summary of USGS science information and ongoing and new investigations or data-collection programs that may help the northeastern region decrease the release of carbon-containing GHG to the atmosphere.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachuse↗
USGS1964

Geology and mineral deposits of the Osgood Mountains quadrangle, Humboldt County, Nevada

The Osgood Mountains quadrangle is in north-central Nevada northeast of Winnemucca, the principal town in the region. The quadrangle includes two north-northeast-trending mountain ranges, the Osgood Mountains on the east and the Hot Springs Range on the west, which are separated by a narrow valley and are bounded on the east and west by broad alluviated basins. Large deposits of tungsten and gold have been mined in the northeastern part of the Osgood Mountains; small deposits of quicksilver, lead, zinc, and gold are known in the Hot Springs Range, and some prospecting has been done on barite deposits in the Osgood Mountains. Some quartzite beds are potential sources of silica.

Nevada↗
USGS2005

Precipitation-runoff processes in the Feather River basin, northeastern California, and streamflow predictability, water years 1971-97

Precipitation-runoff processes in the Feather River Basin of northern California determine short- and long-term streamflow variations that are of considerable local, State, and Federal concern. The river is an important source of water and power for the region. The basin forms the headwaters of the California State Water Project. Lake Oroville, at the outlet of the basin, plays an important role in flood management, water quality, and the health of fisheries as far downstream as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Existing models of the river simulate streamflow in hourly, daily, weekly, and seasonal time steps, but cannot adequately describe responses to climate and land-use variations in the basin. New spatially detailed precipitation-runoff models of the basin have been developed to simulate responses to climate and land-use variations at a higher spatial resolution than was available previously. This report characterizes daily rainfall, snowpack evolution, runoff, water and energy balances, and streamflow variations from, and within, the basin above Lake Oroville. The new model's ability to predict streamflow is assessed. The Feather River Basin sits astride geologic, topographic, and climatic divides that establish a hydrologic character that is relatively unusual among the basins of the Sierra Nevada. It straddles a north-south geologic transition in the Sierra Nevada between the granitic bedrock that underlies and forms most of the central and southern Sierra Nevada and volcanic bedrock that underlies the northernmost parts of the range (and basin). Because volcanic bedrock generally is more permeable than granitic, the northern, volcanic parts of the basin contribute larger fractions of ground-water flow to streams than do the southern, granitic parts of the basin. The Sierra Nevada topographic divide forms a high altitude ridgeline running northwest to southeast through the middle of the basin. The topography east of this ridgeline is more like the rain-shadowed basins of the northeastern Sierra Nevada than the uplands of most western Sierra Nevada river basins. The climate is mediterranean, with most of the annual precipitation occurring in winter. Because the basin includes large areas that are near the average snowline, rainfall and rain-snow mixtures are common during winter storms. Consequently, the overall timing and rates of runoff from the basin are highly sensitive to winter temperature fluctuations. The models were developed to simulate runoff-generating processes in eight drainages of the Feather River Basin. Together, these models simulate streamflow from 98 percent of the basin above Lake Oroville. The models simulate daily water and heat balances, snowpack evolution and snowmelt, evaporation and transpiration, subsurface water storage and outflows, and streamflow to key streamflow gage sites. The drainages are modeled as 324 hydrologic-response units, each of which is assumed homogeneous in physical characteristics and response to precipitation and runoff. The models were calibrated with emphasis on reproducing monthly streamflow rates, and model simulations were compared to the total natural inflows into Lake Oroville as reconstructed by the California Department of Water Resources for April-July snowmelt seasons from 1971 to 1997. The models are most sensitive to input values and patterns of precipitation and soil characteristics. The input precipitation values were allowed to vary on a daily basis to reflect available observations by making daily transformations to an existing map of long-term mean monthly precipitation rates that account for altitude and rain-shadow effects. The models effectively simulate streamflow into Lake Oroville during water years (October through September) 1971-97, which is demonstrated in hydrographs and statistical results presented in this report.

Northeastern California↗
USGS2014

Volcanic activity on Umnak and Great Sitkin Islands, 1946–1948

As part of the United States Geological Survey's volcano program in the Aleutian volcanic arc during 1946–1948, the volcanoes and thermal areas on Umnak and Great Sitkin Islands were studied. In addition to observation of the volcanoes, temperatures of fumaroles were measured and some products of the volcanic activity were collected and analyzed. After an eruption in 1945, Cone A in Okmok Caldera on northeastern Umnak Island remained relatively quiet during the period 1946–1948. The fumarole gases contained water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. The incrustations associated with the sulfur dioxide fumaroles are the sulfate minerals halotrichite, gypsum, and soda alum. Temperatures of lava fumaroles at the source of the December, 1945 lava flow from Cone A dropped from an average of 320°C on July 19, 1946, to 90°C on September 5, 1946. With exception of the large central fumarole which reached red heat in 1947, the extra crater fumaroles of Cone A ranged from 96° to 98° C in temperature Cone C, another cone in Okmok Caldera was in the solfataric stage and emitted water vapor, hydrogen sulfide, and probably carbon dioxide. Incrustations associated with fumaroles on this cone consisted of sulfur, pyrite, and aragonite. The temperatures of the fumaroles ranged from 95° to 96°C and were probably kept within this narrow range partly by the heat supplied during condensation of steam. Sixteen large thermal springs emerging from the base of Cone D in Okmok Caldera had an aggregate discharge of approximately 115 cfs and gave off approximately 21,000 kcal of heat per second on September 7, 1946. Water samples of thermal springs on Umnak Island contained as high as 159 ppm of boron expressed as B 2 0 3 and a few parts per million of arsenic and antimony. Several of the thermal springs in southwestern Umnak Island were slightly superheated with respect to the boiling point of water and behaved as small geysers. As has been found elsewhere, the discharge, temperature, and composition of the emanations from a spring is modified by surface conditions of topography and drainage. Thermal springs and fumaroles on Great Sitkin Island occurred at an altitude of about 2000 ft near the head of the west fork of Big Fox Creek. All the fumaroles were at or near a temperature of 100°C. The large crater fumarole in the center of the 1945 crater dome was unapproachable. No change in the activity of Great Sitkin volcano was observed between 1946 and August 1948.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Groundwater and surface-water data from the C-aquifer monitoring program, Northeastern Arizona, 2012–2019

The Coconino aquifer (C aquifer) is a regionally extensive multiple-aquifer system supplying water for municipal, agricultural, and industrial use in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. This report focuses on the C aquifer in the arid to semi-arid area between St. Johns, Ariz., and Flagstaff, Ariz., along the Interstate-40 corridor where an increase in groundwater withdrawals coupled with ongoing drought conditions increase the potential for substantial water-level decline within the aquifer. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) C-aquifer Monitoring Program began in 2005 to establish baseline groundwater and surface-water conditions and to quantify physical and water-chemistry responses to pumping stresses and climate. This report presents data previously reported in Brown and Macy (2012) that extend back as far as the 1950s, along with new data collected from the USGS C-aquifer Monitoring Program since that publication, from water years 2012 to 2019. Water levels in 17 wells are measured quarterly as part of the C-aquifer Monitoring Program, and five of those are continuously monitored at 15-minute intervals. Water levels in an additional 18 wells in the study area are measured periodically by the USGS or other agencies. The largest historical change in water level in the study area was a decrease of 81.20 feet in Lake Mary 1 Well near Flagstaff between 1962 and 2018. Changes in water levels were greatest around major pumping centers and in the eastern extent of the study area. Surface-water water-quality parameters (pH, water temperature, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen) and streamflow discharge measurements were collected and analyzed along perennial, groundwater-fed reaches of Clear Creek, Chevelon Creek, and the Little Colorado River during nine baseflow investigations of varying extent between 2005 and 2019. Both Clear Creek and Chevelon Creek gain in flow from the beginning of their perennial reaches to their outflow into the Little Colorado River. The Little Colorado River has relatively steady streamflow in the reach between where the two tributaries enter the river. Chevelon Creek showed an increase in median specific conductance during all baseflow investigations of nearly 4,000 microsiemens per centimeter (μS/cm) from near the headwaters to the confluence with the Little Colorado River; Clear Creek also showed an increase in median specific conductance of almost 5,000 μS/cm from headwaters to confluence. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH do not show substantial trends along the reaches of Clear Creek, Chevelon Creek, or the Little Colorado River.

Arizona↗
USGS1988

Hydrogeologic framework of the Virginia coastal plain

This report defines the hydrogeologic framework of the Virginia Coastal Plain and is a product of a comprehensive regional study to define the geology, hydrology, and geochemistry of the northern Atlantic Coastal Plain aquifer system extending from North Carolina to Long Island, New York. The Virginia Coastal Plain consists of an eastward-thickening wedge of generally unconsolidated, interbedded sands and clays, ranging in age from Early Cretaceous to Holocene. These sediments range in thickness from more than 6,000 feet beneath the northeastern part of the Eastern Shore Peninsula to nearly 0 feet along the Fall Line. Eight confined aquifers, eight confining units, and an uppermost water table aquifer are delineated as the hydrogeologic framework of the Coastal Plain sediments in Virginia. The nine regional aquifers, from oldest to youngest, are lower, middle, and upper Potomac, Brightseat, Aquia, Chickahominy-Piney Point, St. Marys-Choptank, Yorktown-Eastover, and Columbia. The Brightseat is a newly identified and correlated aquifer of early Paleoceneage. This study is one of other, similar studies of the Coastal Plain areas in North Carolina, Maryland-Delaware, New Jersey, and Long Island, New York. These combined studies provide a system of hydrogeologic units that can be identified and correlated throughout the northern Atlantic Coastal Plain. Data for this study were collected and analyzed from October 1979 to May 1983. The nine aquifers and eight confining units are identified and delineated by use of geophysical logs, drillers' information, and stratigraphic and paleontologic data. By correlating geophysical logs with hydrologic, stratigraphic, and paleontologic data throughout the Coastal Plain, a comprehensive multilayered framework of aquifers and confining units, each with distinct lithologic properties, was developed. Cross sections show the stratigraphic relationships of aquifers and confining units in the hydrogeologic framework of the Virginia Coastal Plain. Maps show confining-unit thicknesses and altitudes of aquifer tops, provide the basis for assigning aquifers to screened intervals of observation and production wells, and are used for the development of a comprehensive observation-well network in the Virginia Coastal Plain.

Virginia↗
USGS2008

Determination of Organic and Inorganic Percentages and Mass of Suspended Material at Four Sites in the Illinois River in Northwestern Arkansas and Northeastern Oklahoma, 2005-07

The Illinois River located in northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma is influenced by point and nonpoint sources of nutrient enrichment. This has led to increased algal growth within the stream, reducing water clarity. Also, sediment runoff from fields, pastures, construction sites, and other disturbed areas, in addition to frequent streambank failure, has increased sedimentation within the stream and decreased water clarity. A study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to characterize the increased turbidity by determining the organic and inorganic composition and mass of suspended material in the Illinois River from August 2005 through July 2007. Water-quality samples were collected at four sites on the Illinois River (listed in downstream order): near Viney Grove, Arkansas; at Savoy, Arkansas; south of Siloam Springs, Arkansas; and near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In general, turbidity, total suspended solids, suspended-sediment concentration, organic material concentration (measured as volatile suspended solids and ash-free dry mass), and chlorophyll a concentration were the greatest in samples collected from the Illinois River at Savoy and the least in samples from the most upstream Illinois River site (near Viney Grove) and the most downstream site (near Tahlequah) from August 2005 through July 2007. For example, the suspended-sediment concentration at the Illinois River at Savoy had a median of 15 milligrams per liter, and the total suspended solids had a median of 12 milligrams per liter. The Illinois River near Tahlequah had the least suspended-sediment concentration with a median of 10 milligrams per liter and the least total suspended solids with a median of 6 milligrams per liter. The turbidity, total suspended solids, suspended-sediment concentration, organic material concentration, and chlorophyll a concentration in samples collected during high-flow events were greater than in samples collected during base-flow conditions at the Illinois River at Savoy, south of Siloam Springs, and near Tahlequah. For example, the median turbidity for the Illinois River at Savoy was 3 nephelometric turbidity ratio units during base-flow conditions and 52 nephelometric turbidity ratio units during high-flow conditions. Organic material in the Illinois River generally composed between 13 and 47 percent of the total suspended material in samples collected from August 2005 through July 2007. Therefore, most of the suspended material in samples collected from the sites was inorganic material. Overall, the highest percentage of organic material was found at the Illinois River near Viney Grove and at the Illinois River near Tahlequah. The Illinois River south of Siloam Springs had the lowest percentage of organic material among the four sites. In general, the percentage of organic material was greater in samples collected during base-flow conditions compared to samples collected during high-flow conditions. The mean seasonal concentrations and percentages of organic material were the least in the fall (September through November) in samples collected from August 2005 to July 2007 from the four Illinois River sites, while the greatest concentrations and percentages of organic material occurred at various times of the year depending on the site. The greatest concentrations of organic material occurred in the summer (June through August) in samples from sites on the Illinois River near Viney Grove, at Savoy and south of Siloam Springs, but in the spring (March through May) in samples from the Illinois River near Tahlequah. The greatest percentages of organic material (least percentages of inorganic material) occurred in the summer in samples from the site near Viney Grove, the winter and summer at the site at Savoy, in the spring, fall, and winter (December through February) at the site south of Siloam Springs, an

Scientific Investigations Report↗