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At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources

Effects of grade control structures on fish passage, biological assemblages, and hydraulic environments in western Iowa streams: a multidisciplinary review

Land use changes and channelization of streams in the deep loess region of western Iowa have led to stream channel incision, altered flow regimes, increased sediment inputs, decreased habitat diversity and reduced lateral connectivity of streams and floodplains. Grade control structures (GCSs) are built in streams to prevent further erosion, protect infrastructure and reduce sediment loads. However, GCS can have a detrimental impact on fisheries and biological communities. We review three complementary biological and hydraulic studies on the effects of GCS in these streams. GCS with steep (≥1:4 rise : run) downstream slopes severely limited fish passage, but GCS with gentle slopes (≤1:15) allowed greater passage. Fish assemblages were dominated by species tolerant of degradation, and Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores were indicative of fair or poor biotic integrity. More than 50% of fish species had truncated distributions. After modification of GCS to reduce slopes and permit increased passage, IBI scores increased and several species were detected further upstream than before modification. Total macroinvertebrate density, biomass and taxonomic diversity and abundance of ecologically sensitive taxa were greater at GCS than in reaches immediately upstream, downstream or ≥1 km from GCS. A hydraulic study confirmed results from fish passage studies; minimum depths and maximum current velocities at GCS with gentle slopes (≤1:15) were more likely to meet minimum criteria for catfish passage than GCS with steeper slopes. Multidisciplinary approaches such as ours will increase understanding of GCS-associated factors influencing fish passage, biological assemblage structure and other ecological relationships in streams.

Iowa

Anthropogenic disturbance and environmental associations with fish assemblage structure in two nonwadeable rivers

Nonwadeable rivers are unique ecosystems that support high levels of aquatic biodiversity, yet they have been greatly altered by human activities. Although riverine fish assemblages have been studied in the past, we still have an incomplete understanding of how fish assemblages respond to both natural and anthropogenic influences in large rivers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between fish assemblage structure and reach-scale habitat, dam, and watershed land use characteristics. In the summers of 2011 and 2012, comprehensive fish and environmental data were collected from 33 reaches in the Iowa and Cedar rivers of eastern-central Iowa. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to evaluate environmental relationships with species relative abundance, functional trait abundance (e.g. catch rate of tolerant species), and functional trait composition (e.g. percentage of tolerant species). On the basis of partial CCAs, reach-scale habitat, dam characteristics, and watershed land use features explained 25.0–81.1%, 6.2–25.1%, and 5.8–47.2% of fish assemblage variation, respectively. Although reach-scale, dam, and land use factors contributed to overall assemblage structure, the majority of fish assemblage variation was constrained by reach-scale habitat factors. Specifically, mean annual discharge was consistently selected in nine of the 11 CCA models and accounted for the majority of explained fish assemblage variance by reach-scale habitat. This study provides important insight on the influence of anthropogenic disturbances across multiple spatial scales on fish assemblages in large river systems.

Iowa

Population structure and movement dynamics of Redband Trout in the Kootenai River basin

Redband Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdneri is a species of high conservation concern in the Kootenai River basin, United States and Canada. However, identifying the specific mechanisms influencing Redband Trout is difficult as its life history structure is largely unknown. Using otolith microchemistry analysis, we found that 18.5% ( n = 66) of the fish sampled ( n = 329) were a product of mainstem Kootenai River spawning. The remainder were fish ( n = 264) that originated from one of 31 tributaries throughout the basin. Redband Trout were captured between 0 and 153 km from their assigned natal tributaries. Most migratory fish originated from tributaries in the uppermost portion of the study area and had migratory mothers. However, a diversity of life history types (e.g., multi-year resident, migratory) was observed in the population. Redband Trout were estimated to outmigrate from natal habitats at a variety of ages (0–3 years) and lengths (12–430 mm). Our results highlight diversity in the population structure of Redband Trout and provide information valuable to conservation efforts in the Kootenai River system. Interestingly, several tributaries identified as natal habitats of Redband Trout contain substantial obstacles originally considered barriers to upstream fish passage. In addition, some streams in the lower portion of the Kootenai River basin with degraded habitat that were not expected to contribute Redband Trout had natal assignments. These observations indicate previously unknown sources of Redband Trout and support the notion that improved fish passage in disconnected and degraded streams could increase production of Redband Trout throughout the Kootenai River basin. Restoration efforts in the mainstem that include considerations for spawning and natal habitat may also aid in conservation efforts for Redband Trout. Our research demonstrates the value of microchemistry in planning and evaluating habitat restoration to recover fishes in large rivers.

British Columbia, Idaho, Montana

High-resolution thermal imagery reveals how interactions between crown structure and genetics shape plant temperature

Understanding interactions between environmental stress and genetic variation is crucial to predict the adaptive capacity of species to climate change. Leaf temperature is both a driver and a responsive indicator of plant physiological response to thermal stress, and methods to monitor it are needed. Foliar temperatures vary across leaf to canopy scales and are influenced by genetic factors, challenging efforts to map and model this critical variable. Thermal imagery collected using unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) offers an innovative way to measure thermal variation in plants across landscapes at leaf-level resolutions. We used a UAS equipped with a thermal camera to assess temperature variation among genetically distinct populations of big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ), a keystone plant species that is the focus of intensive restoration efforts throughout much of western North America. We completed flights across a growing season in a sagebrush common garden to map leaf temperature relative to subspecies and cytotype, physiological phenotypes of plants, and summer heat stress. Our objectives were to (1) determine whether leaf-level stomatal conductance corresponds with changes in crown temperature; (2) quantify genetic (i.e., subspecies and cytotype) contributions to variation in leaf and crown temperatures; and (3) identify how crown structure, solar radiation, and subspecies-cytotype relate to leaf-level temperature. When considered across the whole season, stomatal conductance was negatively, non-linearly correlated with crown-level temperature derived from UAS. Subspecies identity best explained crown-level temperature with no difference observed between cytotypes. However, structural phenotypes and microclimate best explained leaf-level temperature. These results show how fine-scale thermal mapping can decouple the contribution of genetic, phenotypic, and microclimate factors on leaf temperature dynamics. As climate-change-induced heat stress becomes prevalent, thermal UAS represents a promising way to track plant phenotypes that emerge from gene-by-environment interactions.

Idaho

A multifaceted reconstruction of the population structure and life history expressions of a remnant metapopulation of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout: Implications for maintaining intermittent connectivity

Fishes that evolutionarily demonstrated a fluvial life history expression and migrated to spawning and rearing habitat by using lotic corridors are increasingly impacted by fragmentation. The overall goal of this study was to identify the contemporary importance of main-stem connectivity and tributaries for maintaining life history expression, population structure, and viability of a large metapopulation of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii utah persisting in the highly fragmented Weber River, Utah. We used a multifaceted approach, including active sampling, mark–recapture, passive PIT tag detection, otolith microchemistry, and genetics. We collected BCT in all tributaries and the main stem, encountering age-0 fish in three tributaries, indicating successful reproduction. In tributaries, the size structure was bimodal and consisted of smaller fish that were classified as resident and larger fish that were deemed to be fluvial, whereas all sizes and ages (age ≥ 1) were present in the main stem. We identified up to eight age-classes; tributaries were dominated by ages 2 and 8, and the main stem was dominated by ages 2, 5, 6, and 7. Tributary BCT had lower growth rates than BCT in the main stem. We observed a surprising degree of fluvial life history expression, and fish also demonstrated very complex movement patterns across their life span. Average apparent survival (33%) was within the range estimated in similar studies for BCT, and the resight rate was best explained by angler management regulations. The fact that BCT in the Weber River and tributaries still reproduce successfully in most years and are still able to grow into large, fluvial fish suggests that connectivity must be occasionally available despite considerable fragmentation. Therefore, this metapopulation may need little further human intervention if barriers to fish passage can be removed, thereby improving connectivity, and it represents a high-priority metapopulation for conservation, thus highlighting the utility of our approach.

Utah

Broadscale population structure and hatchery introgression of Midwestern brook trout: Midwestern brook trout population genetics

Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis have faced significant declines throughout their native range and have been stocked in Midwestern waters since the late 1800s to offset such losses. Several studies have investigated the genetic effects of these stockings, but these efforts have been confined to relatively small spatial scales. In this study, we compiled 8,454 Brook Trout microsatellite genotypes from 188 wild Midwestern populations and 26 hatchery strains to provide novel insights of broadscale population structure, regional patterns of genetic diversity, and estimates of hatchery introgression for inland Wisconsin populations. Our results indicate high levels of differentiation among our study populations, a lack of hydrological population structuring, lower estimates of genetic diversity in the Driftless Area, and that hatchery introgression has been largely confined to regions of inland Wisconsin that have been heavily affected by anthropogenic disturbances (i.e., the Driftless Area). We also provide evidence that populations may be able to purge hatchery‐derived alleles, discuss possible mechanisms behind this phenomenon, and consider their relevance to accurate estimation of hatchery introgression. Collectively, these results summarize the genetic effects of over a century of anthropogenic disturbance on native Brook Trout populations and emphasize the importance of integrating historical data into contemporary genetic research of intensively managed species.

Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Population reproductive structure of Rainbow Trout determined by histology and advancing methods to assign sex and assess spawning capability

Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss have been intensively studied and gametogenesis has been described, but the use of reproductive indices in field studies has not been widely applied when assessing variability in growth or recruitment dynamics. We integrated descriptions for gametogenesis within the framework of standardized terminology for reproductive development in teleosts to develop sex-specific criteria for assignment of reproductive phases. We used these descriptions and histological analysis of gonad tissue collected from Rainbow Trout in the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam to quantify season-, size-, and sex-specific variation in population reproductive structure. The accuracy of nonlethal methods (manual expression and ultrasonography) was evaluated for assigning sex by comparing estimates with those determined by histology. Rainbow Trout were sampled through an annual spawning cycle from October 2018 to April 2019. Spawning capable males were available across the entire period, with a higher proportion earlier in the season compared to later. Females were spawning capable in October, with a peak in February; by April, they were in the early developing phase, indicating that spawning had ended. Elevated levels of atresia (19% for fall spawners) and evidence for delayed maturation were identified, suggesting energetic limitations on the reproductive potential of the population. For both sexes, the probability of being spawning capable increased with fork length, with minimum sizes of ≥283 mm for females and ≥187 mm for males. Sex assignment using ultrasonography was more accurate (46%) than manual expression of gametes (9%), as only a small proportion of males and females expressed gametes. Probabilities of correct sex assignment using ultrasonography were strongly influenced by reproductive phase, with spawning capable fish (females: 100%; males: 77%) having significantly higher probabilities of correct sex assignment compared to immature fish. Furthermore, probabilities of correct sex assignment increased with fish size and were higher for females than for males. Results provide a framework for quantifying spawning capability and population reproductive structure in ongoing research to better understand the drivers of recruitment variability in aquatic ecosystems.

Arizona

Using structured decision making to manage disease risk for Montana wildlife

We used structured decision-making to develop a 2-part framework to assist managers in the proactive management of disease outbreaks in Montana, USA. The first part of the framework is a model to estimate the probability of disease outbreak given field observations available to managers. The second part of the framework is decision analysis that evaluates likely outcomes of management alternatives based on the estimated probability of disease outbreak, and applies managers' values for different objectives to indicate a preferred management strategy. We used pneumonia in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) as a case study for our approach, applying it to 2 populations in Montana that differed in their likelihood of a pneumonia outbreak. The framework provided credible predictions of both probability of disease outbreaks, as well as biological and monetary consequences of management actions. The structured decision-making approach to this problem was valuable for defining the challenges of disease management in a decentralized agency where decisions are generally made at the local level in cooperation with stakeholders. Our approach provides local managers with the ability to tailor management planning for disease outbreaks to local conditions. Further work is needed to refine our disease risk models and decision analysis, including robust prediction of disease outbreaks and improved assessment of management alternatives.

Montana

Design considerations for estimating survival rates with standing age structures

Survival rate estimates are critical to understanding the dynamics and status of a population, and they are often inferred from samples of the population’s age structure. A recently developed method uses time series of standing age-structure data with information about population growth rate or fecundity to provide explicit maximum likelihood estimators of age-specific survival rates, without assuming population stability or stationarity. We explored properties of these estimators and determined sample size requirements for the estimators to achieve desired levels of precision, limit bias, and limit the probability a rate will be inestimable or its estimate inadmissible (>1).We show that estimating combined rates for adjacent age classes is an effective method of overcoming sensitivity to sampling noise in situations where collecting a larger sample of data is not feasible.

Wildlife Society Bulletin

On the use of attractor dimension as a feature in structural health monitoring

Recent works in the vibration-based structural health monitoring community have emphasised the use of correlation dimension as a discriminating statistic in seperating a damaged from undamaged response. This paper explores the utility of attractor dimension as a 'feature' and offers some comparisons between different metrics reflecting dimension. This focus is on evaluating the performance of two different measures of dimension as damage indicators in a structural health monitoring context. Results indicate that the correlation dimension is probably a poor choice of statistic for the purpose of signal discrimination. Other measures of dimension may be used for the same purposes with a higher degree of statistical reliability. The question of competing methodologies is placed in a hypothesis testing framework and answered with experimental data taken from a cantilivered beam.

Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing

Participatory modeling and structured decision making

Structured decision making (SDM) provides a framework for making sound decisions even when faced with uncertainty, and is a transparent, defensible, and replicable method used to understand complex problems. A hallmark of SDM is the explicit incorporation of values and science, which often includes participation from multiple stakeholders, helping to garner trust and ultimately result in a decision that is more likely to be implemented. The core steps in the SDM process are used to structure thinking about natural resources management choices, and include: (1) properly defining the problem and the decision context, (2) determining the objectives that help describe the aspirations of the decision maker, (3) devising management actions or alternatives that can achieve those objectives, (4) evaluating the outcomes or consequences of each alternative on each of the objectives, (5) evaluating trade-offs, and (6) implementing the decision. Participatory modeling for SDM includes engaging stakeholders in some or all of the steps of the SDM process listed above. In addition, participatory modeling often is crucial for creating qualitative and quantitative models of how the system works, providing data for these models, and eliciting expert opinion when data are unavailable. In these ways, SDM provides a framework for decision making in natural resources management that includes participation from stakeholder groups throughout the process, including the modeling phase.

Book chapter

Introduction to the Wetland Book 1: Wetland structure and function, management, and nethods

The Wetland Book 1 is designed as a ‘first port-of-call’ reference work for information on the structure and functions of wetlands, current approaches to wetland management, and methods for researching and understanding wetlands. Contributions by experts summarize key concepts, orient the reader to the major issues, and support further research on such issues by individuals and multidisciplinary teams. The Wetland Book 1 is organized in three parts - Wetland structure and function; Wetland management ; and Wetland methods - each of which is divided into a number of thematic sections. Each section starts with one or more overview chapters, supported by chapters providing further information and case studies on different aspects of the theme.

Book chapter

Deep drilling at the Siljan Ring impact structure: oxygen-isotope geochemistry of granite

The Siljan Ring is a 362-Ma-old impact structure formed in 1700-Ma-old I-type granites. A 6.8-km-deep borehole provides a vertical profile through granites and isolated horizontal diabase sills. Fluid-inclusion thermometry, and oxygen-isotope compositions of vein quartz, granite, diabase, impact melt, and pseudotachylite, reveal a complex history of fluid activity in the Siljan Ring, much of which can be related to the meteorite impact. In granites from the deep borehole, ??18O values of matrix quartz increase with depth from near 8.0 at the surface to 9.5??? at 5760 m depth. In contrast, feldspar ??18O values decrease with depth from near 10 at the surface to 7.1??? at 5760 m, forming a pattern opposite to the one defined by quartz isotopic compositions. Values of ??18O for surface granites outside the impact structure are distinct from those in near-surface samples from the deep borehole. In the deep borehole, feldspar coloration varies from brick-red at the surface to white at 5760 m, and the abundances of crack-healing calcite and other secondary minerals decrease over the same interval. Superimposed on the overall decrease in alteration intensity with depth are localized fracture zones at 4662, 5415, and 6044 m depth that contain altered granites, and which provided pathways for deep penetration of surface water. The antithetic variation of quartz and feldspar ??18O values, which can be correlated with mineralogical evidence of alteration, provides evidence for interaction between rocks and impact-heated fluids (100-300?? C) in the upper 2 km of the pluton. Penetration of water to depths below 2 km was restricted by a general decrease in impact-fracturing with depth, and by a 60-m-thick diabase sill at 1500 m depth that may have been an aquitard. At depths below 4 km in the pluton, where water/rock ratios were low, oxygen isotopic compositions preserve evidence for limited high-temperature (>500?? C) exchange between alkali feldspar and fluids. The high-temperature exchange may have been a post-impact event involving impact-heated fluids, or a post-magmatic event. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology

Mechanical twinning in diopside Ca(Mg,Fe)Si2O6: Structural mechanism and associated crystal defects

iopside twins mechanically on two planes, (100) and (001), and the associated macroscopic twinning strains are identical (Raleigh and Talbot, 1967). An analysis based on crystal structural arguments predicts that both twin mechanisms involve shearing of the (100) octahedral layers (containing Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and Fe 2+ ions) by a magnitude of c /2. Small adjustments or shuffles occur in the adjacent layers containing the [SiO 4 ] 4− tetrahedral chains. While the (100) twins are conventional with shear parallel to the composition plane, this analysis predicts that (001) twins form by a mechanism closely related to kinking. A polycrystalline diopside specimen was compressed 8% at a temperature of 400° C, a pressure of 16 kilobars, and a compressive strain rate of about 10 −4 /s. Transmission electron microscopy on this specimen has revealed four basic lamellar features: 1) (100) mechanical twin lamellae; 2) (100) glide bands containing unit dislocations; 3) (001) twin lamellae; 4) (101) lamellar features, not as yet identified. The (001) twins often contain remnant (100) lamellae of untwinned host. Twinning dislocations occur in these (100) lamellae and in the (001) twin boundaries with very high densities. Diffraction contrast experiments indicate that the twinning dislocations associated with both twin laws glide on (100) with Burgers vector b = X [001] where X is probably equal to 1/2 on the basis of the structural analysis. Parallels are drawn between mechanical twinning in clinopyroxenes and clinoamphiboles. The exclusive natural occurrence of basal twins in shock-loaded clinopyroxenes and of analogous ( 1 ¯ "> 1 ¯ 1¯ 01) twins in clinoamphiboles is given a simple explanation in terms of the relative difficulty of the “kinking” mechanism as compared to direct glide parallel to the composition plane.

Physics and Chemistry of Minerals

The composition, structure, and stability of guinier-preston zones in lunar and terrestrial orthopyroxene

Lunar and terrestrial orthopyroxenes (Mg,Fe,Ca)2Si2O6 contain varying abundances of coherent, Ca-enriched Guinier-Preston (G.P.) zones. G.P. zones 5-6 unit cells thick have been found in one lunar sample whereas all other examples (lunar and terrestrial) are only one unit-cell-thick. Electron diffraction maxima from the larger lunar G.P. zones indicate that d100=18.52 A?? whereas, d100=18.2 A?? for the host. This increase in the a direction corresponds to an increase in calcium content in the G.P. zones over that of the host of ???25 mol% Ca2Si2O6. Diffraction patterns of the hk0 net from an area containing G.P. zones show extra spots (h=2 n+1) not observed in the host orthopyroxene (Pbca), that violate the a-glide of the host. The G.P. zones, therefore, have space group Pbc21 if it is assumed that the c-glide of pyroxene is retained and the space group of the G.P. zone is a subgroup of Pbca. The loss of the a-glide in the G.P. zones results in 4 distinct silica chains and 4 distinct cation sites M1A, M1B, M2A, M2B; by symmetry, equivalent M2A or M2B sites are clustered together in only one-half of the unit cell. As one-fourth of the divalent cations in the G.P. zones are calcium, ordering of Ca on M2A or M2B would produce a zone 9 A?? thick extended parallel to (100) with the composition of Ca(Mg,Fe)Si2O6, but constrained by the host to the structure of orthopyroxene. This zone and the Ca-poor half-unit-cell then constitute an 18 A?? thick G.P. zone. Heating experiments of varying duration indicate that the zones become unstable with respect to the host orthopyroxene at ???950??C for Wo0.6 and ???1,050??C for Wo2.5. The zones are interpreted in terms of the pyroxene subsolidus as a metastable phase having either a solvus relationship with orthopyroxene or originating as a distinct phase. The size, distribution, composition and structure of G.P. zones may be an important indicator of the low-temperature thermal history of orthopyroxene. ?? 1980 Springer-Verlag.

Physics and Chemistry of Minerals

The effects of meiofauna on settling macrofauna: meiofauna may structure macrofaunal communities

When macrofaunal larvae and juveniles recruit into the benthos, they are in the same size category as the meiofauna. These small size classes have been consistently ignored in macrofaunal studies despite the increasingly accepted idea that communities are structured not only by interactions between adults, but also by interactions which occurred when the animals were young and in the meiofaunal size category. I have tested the effects of turbellarians and other meiofauna on settling macrofaunal larvae and young juveniles in a one-week field experiment. Increased densities of both turbellarians and other meiofauna (tested separately) significantly reduced densities of juvenile spionids and deposit feeders. Syllid abundances increased in high density turbellarian treatments. Nereid polychaete, other predatory polychaete, and bivalve densities showed no significant differences among treatments. By both altering densities and acting selectively on various groups of macrofaunal juveniles, meiofauna may significantly affect the structure of macrofaunal communities.

Oecologia

Effect of anelastic and scattering structures of the lithosphere on the shape of local earthquake coda

A simple model of single acoustic scattering is used to study the dependence of the shape of local earthquake coda on the anelastic and scattering structures of the lithosphere. The model is applied to the coda of earthquakes located near Stone Canyon, central California, and provides an explanation for the features observed in the data, which include an interesting temporal variation in the coda shape. A surficial layer with a Q of 50 and thickness of 10 or 25 km underlain by a zone with a Q of 1000 extending to the bottom of the lithosphere, together with a scattering scale length, a, that varies with depth z according to the relation a=0.3 exp[-(z/45)2] are found to constitute the simplest structure of the medium compatible with the coda data and with body and surface wave attenuation data. The profile of heterogeneity sizes implies that the scattering strength increases strongly with depth, a constraint required by the necessity to boost the energy of the later coda without forcing the intrinsic Q to be excessively high in the uppermost mantle. This constraint is viewed as an artifact of the single scattering model which overstimates the scattering coefficient due to the neglect of multiple scattering. The observed temporal variation of the signal is difficult to explain by a simple change of the intrinsic Q at some depth. Rather, it is suggested that the scattering properties at depth changed with time through a variation of the fractional rms velocity fluctuation on the order of one percent. ?? 1990 Birkha??user Verlag.

Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH

The Bumpus house sparrow data: A reanalysis using structural equation models

We analysed the data of H.C. Bumpus on the survival of house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) using structural equation modelling techniques. Using data on seven morphological variables measured by Bumpus, we tested and confirmed a three-factor model that characterized physical attributes for general size, leg size and head size. Although males were physically larger than females, we found no difference between males and females in the physical attributes as measured by the three factors. Survival increased significantly with increasing general size and was unrelated to leg size and head size. Wing length, independent of its relationship to the general size factor, was also significantly related to survival. Higher survival was found among birds with short wings. Males had a higher survival compared to females. Their higher survival was mediated, to a lesser extent indirectly, through greater size and, to a greater extent directly, through effects of unknown origin. We favour the use of structural equation modelling methods in studies of selection because of their ability to test and confirm or disconfirm hypotheses related to selection events.

Evolutionary Ecology