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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
USGS2011

Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

In June 2011, the Track Fire burned 113 square kilometers in Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico, and Las Animas County, southeastern Colorado, including the upper watersheds of Chicorica and Raton Creeks. The burned landscape is now at risk of damage from postwildfire erosion, such as that caused by debris flows and flash floods. This report presents a preliminary hazard assessment of the debris-flow potential from basins burned by the Track Fire. A pair of empirical hazard-assessment models developed using data from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability of debris-flow occurrence and volume of debris flows at the outlets of selected drainage basins within the burned area. The models incorporate measures of burn severity, topography, soils, and storm rainfall to estimate the probability and volume of post-fire debris flows following the fire. In response to a design storm of 38 millimeters of rain in 30 minutes (10-year recurrence-interval), the probability of debris flow estimated for basins burned by the Track fire ranged between 2 and 97 percent, with probabilities greater than 80 percent identified for the majority of the tributary basins to Raton Creek in Railroad Canyon; six basins that flow into Lake Maloya, including the Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins; two tributary basins to Sugarite Canyon, and an unnamed basin on the eastern flank of the burned area. Estimated debris-flow volumes ranged from 30 cubic meters to greater than 100,000 cubic meters. The largest volumes (greater than 100,000 cubic meters) were estimated for Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins, which drain into Lake Maloya. The Combined Relative Debris-Flow Hazard Ranking identifies the Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins as having the highest probability of producing the largest debris flows. This finding indicates the greatest post-fire debris-flow impacts may be expected to Lake Maloya. In addition, Interstate Highway 25, Raton Creek and the rail line in Railroad Canyon, County road A-27, and State Highway 526 in Sugarite Canyon may also be affected where they cross drainages downstream from recently burned basins. Although this assessment indicates that a rather large debris flow (approximately 42,000 cubic meters) may be generated from the basin above the City of Raton (basin 9) in response to the design storm, the probability of such an event is relatively low (approximately 10 percent). Additional assessment is necessary to determine if the estimated volume of material is sufficient to travel into the City of Raton. In addition, even small debris flows may affect structures at or downstream from basin outlets and increase the threat of flooding downstream by damaging or blocking flood mitigation structures. The maps presented here may be used to prioritize areas where erosion mitigation or other protective measures may be necessary within a 2- to 3-year window of vulnerability following the Track Fire.

Colorado;New Mexico↗
USGS2013

Postwildfire debris-flow hazard assessment of the area burned by the 2013 West Fork Fire Complex, southwestern Colorado

This report presents a preliminary emergency assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned by the 2013 West Fork Fire Complex near South Fork in southwestern Colorado. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability of debris-flow occurrence, potential volume of debris flows, and the combined debris-flow hazard ranking along the drainage network within and just downstream from the burned area, and to estimate the same for 54 drainage basins of interest within the perimeter of the burned area. Input data for the debris-flow models included topographic variables, soil characteristics, burn severity, and rainfall totals and intensities for a (1) 2-year-recurrence, 1-hour-duration rainfall, referred to as a 2-year storm; (2) 10-year-recurrence, 1-hour-duration rainfall, referred to as a 10-year storm; and (3) 25-year-recurrence, 1-hour-duration rainfall, referred to as a 25-year storm. Estimated debris-flow probabilities at the pour points of the 54 drainage basins of interest ranged from less than 1 to 65 percent in response to the 2-year storm; from 1 to 77 percent in response to the 10-year storm; and from 1 to 83 percent in response to the 25-year storm. Twelve of the 54 drainage basins of interest have a 30-percent probability or greater of producing a debris flow in response to the 25-year storm. Estimated debris-flow volumes for all rainfalls modeled range from a low of 2,400 cubic meters to a high of greater than 100,000 cubic meters. Estimated debris-flow volumes increase with basin size and distance along the drainage network, but some smaller drainages also were predicted to produce substantial debris flows. One of the 54 drainage basins of interest had the highest combined hazard ranking, while 9 other basins had the second highest combined hazard ranking. Of these 10 basins with the 2 highest combined hazard rankings, 7 basins had predicted debris-flow volumes exceeding 100,000 cubic meters, while 3 had predicted probabilities of debris flows exceeding 60 percent. The 10 basins with high combined hazard ranking include 3 tributaries in the headwaters of Trout Creek, four tributaries to the West Fork San Juan River, Hope Creek draining toward a county road on the eastern edge of the burn, Lake Fork draining to U.S. Highway 160, and Leopard Creek on the northern edge of the burn. The probabilities and volumes for the modeled storms indicate a potential for debris-flow impacts on structures, reservoirs, roads, bridges, and culverts located within and immediately downstream from the burned area. U.S. Highway 160, on the eastern edge of the burn area, also is susceptible to impacts from debris flows.

Colorado↗
USGS2006

The 1906 earthquake and a century of progress in understanding earthquakes and their hazards

The 18 April 1906 San Francisco earthquake killed nearly 3000 people and left 225,000 residents homeless. Three days after the earthquake, an eight-person Earthquake Investigation Commission composed of 25 geologists, seismologists, geodesists, biologists and engineers, as well as some 300 others started work under the supervision of Andrew Lawson to collect and document physical phenomena related to the quake . On 31 May 1906, the commission published a preliminary 17-page report titled "The Report of the State Earthquake Investigation Commission". The report included the bulk of the geological and morphological descriptions of the faulting, detailed reports on shaking intensity, as well as an impressive atlas of 40 oversized maps and folios. Nearly 100 years after its publication, the Commission Report remains a model for post-earthquake investigations. Because the diverse data sets were so complete and carefully documented, researchers continue to apply modern analysis techniques to learn from the 1906 earthquake. While the earthquake marked a seminal event in the history of California, it served as impetus for the birth of modern earthquake science in the United States.

GSA Today↗
USGS2023

Compost, plants and endophytes versus metal contamination: Choice of a restoration strategy steers the microbiome in polymetallic mine waste

Finding solutions for the remediation and restoration of abandoned mining areas is of great environmental importance as they pose a risk to ecosystem health. In this study, our aim was to determine how remediation strategies with (i) compost amendment, (ii) planting a metal-tolerant grass Bouteloua curtipendula , and (iii) its inoculation with beneficial endophytes influenced the microbiome of metal-contaminated tailings originating from the abandoned Blue Nose Mine, SE Arizona, near Patagonia (USA). We conducted an indoor microcosm experiment followed by a metataxonomic analysis of the mine tailings, compost, and root samples. Our results showed that each remediation strategy promoted a distinct pattern of microbial community structure in the mine tailings, which correlated with changes in their chemical properties. The combination of compost amendment and endophyte inoculation led to the highest prokaryotic diversity and total nitrogen and organic carbon, but also induced shifts in microbial community structure that significantly correlated with an enhanced potential for mobilization of Cu and Sb. Our findings show that soil health metrics (total nitrogen, organic carbon and pH) improved, and microbial community changed, due to organic matter input and endophyte inoculation, which enhanced metal leaching from the mine waste and potentially increased environmental risks posed by Cu and Sb. We further emphasize that because the initial choice of remediation strategy can significantly impact trace element mobility via modulation of both soil chemistry and microbial communities, site specific, bench-scale preliminary tests, as reported here, can help determine the potential risk of a chosen strategy.

Environmental Microbiome↗
USGS2011

Seismic zonation of Port-Au-Prince using pixel- and object-based imaging analysis methods on ASTER GDEM

We report about a preliminary study to evaluate the use of semi-automated imaging analysis of remotely-sensed DEM and field geophysical measurements to develop a seismic-zonation map of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. For in situ data, V S 30 values are derived from the MASW technique deployed in and around the city. For satellite imagery, we use an ASTER GDEM of Hispaniola. We apply both pixel- and object-based imaging methods on the ASTER GDEM to explore local topography (absolute elevation values) and classify terrain types such as mountains, alluvial fans and basins/near-shore regions. We assign NEHRP seismic site class ranges based on available V S 30 values. A comparison of results from imagery-based methods to results from traditional geologic-based approaches reveals good overall correspondence. We conclude that image analysis of RS data provides reliable first-order site characterization results in the absence of local data and can be useful to refine detailed site maps with sparse local data.

Port-au-Prince↗
USGS1957

Flame photometric determination of strontium in water

Preliminary search of reported methods of Sr analysis revealed several investigations which have been made for the determination of Sr with the flame photometer, both at relatively low concentrations (0 to 50 ppm Sr) and at higher concentrations. Generally the procedures described involved measurement of Sr emission at either 460.7 mu or at 681 mu. There is disagreement among those reporting methods for Sr as to the preference of the one wavelength over the other. The 681 line (or band) seems to be preferred because of its greater reproducibility and relative freedom from interference. The 460.7 mu line, however, lies in the region of greater sensitivity of the photomultiplier tube, and hence for this reason is preferred by some. This is an advantage, of course, when determining Sr at very low concentrations. This investigation is concerned with determining the optimum conditions for the determination of Sr at low concentration levels in water samples. Early experimental work indicated a greater sensitivity for the 460.7 mu (hereafter designated as 461 mu) Sr line. Therefore, most of the subsequent work was based on a study of the effects of various other materials and conditions on the emission of Sr at this wavelength.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1952

Stratigraphic sections of the Phosphoria formation in Idaho, 1947-48, Part I

The Permian Phosphoria formation of the western states contains one of the world's largest reserves of phosphate. Although previous investigations (see especially Mansfield, 1927), including reconnaissance geologic mapping and sampling, established the location of most of the important deposits and their quality of scattered localities, they were not sufficiently detailed to permit a comparison of the merits of individual deposits or an appraisal of the reserves of phosphate rock that might be available under present economic conditions. Because the growing importance of the western phosphate deposits requires a better, more detailed understanding of their distribution and quality, the Geological Survey began in 1947 a comprehensive investigation, including (1) reconnaissance geologic mapping, mostly in Montana, of areas in which the Phosphoria formation could occur but where it had not previously been looked for or found; (2) geologic mapping, mostly in Montana, at a scale no smaller than 1:62,500, of several areas known to contain the Phosphoria formation but not previously mapped except in reconnaissance fashion; (3) geologic and topographic mapping, at a scale of 1:12,000, of some of the richest, thickest, and most accessible deposits; (4) measuring, describing, and sampling all beds of the phosphatic and shaly parts, and in some places the full thickness, of the Phosphoria formation and its stratigraphic equivalents at one or two localities per township over the entire field; (5) chemical and spectrographic analysis of the samples for phosphate, fluorine, minor metals, oil, and rock-forming constituents; and (6) petrologic and geochemical studies of the rocks and minerals of the formation. These studies are designed to define the regional and local geologic structures in which the phosphate bed lie, to provide a basis for the estimation of reserves of the inferred class over the entire region, and to determine the origin of the rocks and the elements contained in them. The data collected are not of the detail required to plan actual mining operations, but it is hoped they will guide industry in the selection of individual deposits worthy of further exploration. Most of the field work contemplated as a part of this investigation is now completed. Although the data will not be compiled or published in final form for some years to come, segments of the data, accompanied by little or no interpretation, will be published as preliminary maps or reports as they are assembled. The present report is the first of a series presenting in abbreviated form the description and analyses of the beds measured and sampled at various localities in southeastern Idaho (pl. 1). Companion reports presenting segments of the data from Montana, Wyoming, and Utah (Swanson and others, 1952, and McKelvey and others, 1952a and 1952b) are being released at the same time as this report, and others are in preparation.

Idaho↗
USGS1980

Mapping the Galilean satellites of Jupiter with Voyager data.

The four Galilean satellites of Jupiter are being mapped using image data from the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. The maps are published at several scales and in several versions. Preliminary maps at 1:25,000,000-required for mission planning and preliminary science reports-were compiled within three weeks of data acquisition and have been published. Later maps incorporate Rand Corporation photogrammetric triangulations. - from Authors

Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing↗
USGS2019

From Manitoba to Texas: A study of the population genetic structure of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

In the taxonomic world, the oaks are known as a rambunctious group, notorious for hybridizing. In this report, we present preliminary information to address the question of how much hybridization is occurring between bur oak and white oaks with which it is sympatric, through rangewide sampling of bur oak and five co-occurring species: white oak ( Q. alba L. ), swamp white oak ( Q. bicolor Willd. ), post oak ( Q. stellata Wangenh. ), chinkapin oak ( Q. muehlenbergii Engelm. ), and overcup oak ( Q. lyrata Walter ). Bur oak is known to hybridize with all of these species (Hardin 1975). Using our multilocus dataset, we find that despite apparent introgression, these oak species are genetically cohesive.

International Oaks↗
USGS2009

Preliminary vitrinite and bitumen reflectance, total organic carbon, and pyrolysis data for samples from Upper and Lower Cretaceous strata, Maverick Basin, south Texas

The Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation, a regionally occurring limestone and shale interval of 500-600-ft maximum thickness (Rose, 1986), is being evaluated as part of an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in onshore Lower Cretaceous strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of this report is to release preliminary vitrinite and bitumen reflectance, total organic carbon, and pyrolysis data for Pearsall Formation, Glen Rose Formation, Hosston Formation, Austin Group, and Eagle Ford Group samples from the Maverick Basin in south Texas in order to aid in the characterization of these strata in this area. The preliminary nature of this report and the data contained herein reflect that the assessment and characterization of these samples is a work currently in progress. Pearsall Formation subdivisions are, in ascending stratigraphic order, the Pine Island Shale, James Limestone, and Bexar Shale Members (Loucks, 2002). The Lower Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation is also part of the USGS Lower Cretaceous assessment and produces oil in the Maverick Basin (Loucks and Kerans, 2003). The Hosston Formation was assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources in 2006 (Dyman and Condon, 2006), but not in south Texas. The Upper Cretaceous Austin Group is being assessed as part of the USGS assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in the Upper Cretaceous strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico and, along with the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group, is considered to be an important source rock in the Smackover-Austin-Eagleford Total Petroleum System (Condon and Dyman, 2006). Both the Austin Group and the Eagle Ford Group are present in the Maverick Basin in south Texas (Rose, 1986).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Progress report on geology of the Edwards aquifer, San Antonio area, Texas, and preliminary interpretation of borehole geophysical and laboratory data on carbonate rocks

This report describes the geology and porosity of the rocks of the Edwards aquifer, with particular attention to the eastern half of the San Antonio area. The data were obtained from geologic and geophysical studies of nine cored test holes, from laboratory analyses of samples of the aquifer materials, and from recent stratigraphic studies by other investigators. The Georgetown Formation and the Edwards Group or their equivalent stratigraphic units are extensively exposed in central Texas and they occur in the subsurface throughout southern Texas. They consist of a complex sequence of carbonate rocks deposited during Early Cretaceous time under different depositional conditions. Within the study area, the thickness of the carbonate rocks ranges from less than 400 feet (122 m) in the eastern part of the area to more than 600 feet (183 m) in the southwestern part. The depositional environments significantly affected the texture and the composition of the sediments. The Maverick Basin in the southwestern part of the study area was a euxinic basin surrounded by a barrier rudistid reef. Fine-grained carbonates and some associated evaporites occur within this basin. The San Marcos Platform in the eastern part of the study area was intermittently submerged by a transgressing continental sea. Much of the sediments are extensively reworked and burrowed by marine organisms. Several thick sequences of dolomites, evaporites, and associated collapsed deposits occur on the San Marcos Platform. The carbonates of the San Marcos Platform are extensively dissolved within the fresh-water zone. Much of the dissolution is selective of beds containing evaporites or porous dolomites. The dominant structural feature of the study area is a broad homocline that extends from nearly flat-lying beds on the Edwards Plateau to steeply dipping beds of the deep subsurface of the Gulf Coastal Plain. The homocline is interrupted by the Balcones Fault Zone, which is a zone of normal faults that extend across the study area. The intensity and complexity of faulting increases eastward as part of a progression from gentle flexures in the southwestern part of the study area to a complex pattern of tilted fault blocks on the San Marcos Platform.

Texas↗
USGS2007

Preliminary Geologic Map of the Lake Mead 30' X 60' Quadrangle, Clark County, Nevada, and Mohave County, Arizona

Introduction The geologic map of the Lake Mead 30' x 60' quadrangle was completed for the U.S. Geological Survey's Las Vegas Urban Corridor Project and the National Parks Project, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. Lake Mead, which occupies the northern part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), mostly lies within the Lake Mead quadrangle and provides recreation for about nine million visitors annually. The lake was formed by damming of the Colorado River by Hoover Dam in 1939. The recreation area and surrounding Bureau of Land Management lands face increasing public pressure from rapid urban growth in the Las Vegas area to the west. This report provides baseline earth science information that can be used in future studies of hazards, groundwater resources, mineral and aggregate resources, and of soils and vegetation distribution. The preliminary report presents a geologic map and GIS database of the Lake Mead quadrangle and a description and correlation of map units. The final report will include cross-sections and interpretive text. The geology was compiled from many sources, both published and unpublished, including significant new mapping that was conducted specifically for this compilation. Geochronologic data from published sources, as well as preliminary unpublished 40Ar/39Ar ages that were obtained for this report, have been used to refine the ages of formal Tertiary stratigraphic units and define new informal Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic units.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2015

Petrology and reservoir quality of the Gaikema Sandstone: Initial impressions

The Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) and Division of Oil & Gas (DOG) are currently conducting a study of the hydrocarbon potential of Cook Inlet basin (LePain and others, 2011). The Tertiary stratigraphic section of the basin includes coal-bearing units that are prolific gas reservoirs, particularly the Neogene sandstones. The Paleogene sandstones are locally prolific oil reservoirs that are sourced largely from the underlying Middle Jurassic Tuxedni Group. Several large structures act as hydrocarbon traps and the possibility exists for stratigraphic traps although this potential has not been fully exploited. As part of this study a significant number of Tertiary sandstones from the basin have been already collected and analyzed (Helmold and others, 2013). Recent field programs have shifted attention to the Mesozoic stratigraphic section to ascertain whether it contains potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. During the 2013 Cook Inlet field season, two days were spent on the Iniskin Peninsula examining outcrops of the Middle Jurassic Gaikema Sandstone along the south shore of Chinitna Bay (fig. 7-1). A stratigraphic section approximately 34 m in thickness was measured and a detailed description was initiated (Stanley and others, 2015), but due to deteriorating weather it was not possible to complete the description. During the 2014 field season two additional days were spent completing work on the Gaikema section. Analyses of thin sections from six of the samples collected in 2013 are available for incorporation in this report (table 7-1). Data from samples collected during the 2014 field season will be included in future reports.

Alaska↗
USGS2012

Olympic Fisher Reintroduction Project: Progress report 2008-2011

This progress report summarizes the final year of activities of Phase I of the Olympic fisher restoration project. The intent of the Olympic fisher reintroduction project is to reestablish a self-sustaining population of fishers on the Olympic Peninsula. To achieve this goal, the Olympic fisher reintroduction project released 90 fishers within Olympic National Park from 2008 to 2010. The reintroduction of fishers to the Olympic Peninsula was designed as an adaptive management project, including the monitoring of released fishers as a means to (1) evaluate reintroduction success, (2) investigate key biological and ecological traits of fishers, and (3) inform future reintroduction, monitoring, and research efforts. This report summarizes reintroduction activities and preliminary research and monitoring results completed through December 2011. The report is non-interpretational in nature. Although we report the status of movement, survival, and home range components of the research, we have not completed final analyses and interpretation of research results. Much of the data collected during the monitoring and research project will be analyzed and interpreted in the doctoral dissertation being developed by Jeff Lewis; the completion of this dissertation is anticipated prior to April 2013. We anticipate that this work, and analyses of other data collected during the project, will result in several peer-reviewed scientific publications in ecological and conservation journals, which collectively will comprise the final reporting of work summarized here. These publications will include papers addressing post-release movements, survival, resource selection, food habits, and age determination of fishers.

Report↗
USGS1985

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF LANDSAT-4 THEMATIC MAPPER DATA FOR THEIR GEOMETRIC AND RADIOMETRIC ACCURACIES.

This report describes results of some preliminary analyses of Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper data for the NASA Landsat Image Quality Analysis program. The work is being done under interagency agreement S-12407-C between the U. S. Geological Survey and NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Landsat-4 TM scenes for Washington, D. C. Macon, Georgia (40050-15333, September 4, 1982) and Cape Canaveral, Florida have been examined to determine their geometric and radiometric accuracy. In addition, parts of these scenes are also being analyzed to determine the ability to identify specific rock types with the added near-infrared TM bands.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2005

Sharpening advanced land imager multispectral data using a sensor model

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) instrument on NASA's Earth Observing One (EO-1) satellite provides for nine spectral bands at 30m ground sample distance (GSD) and a 10m GSD panchromatic band. This report describes an image sharpening technique where the higher spatial resolution information of the panchromatic band is used to increase the spatial resolution of ALI multispectral (MS) data. To preserve the spectral characteristics, this technique combines reported deconvolution deblurring methods for the MS data with highpass filter-based fusion methods for the Pan data. The deblurring process uses the point spread function (PSF) model of the ALI sensor. Information includes calculation of the PSF from pre-launch calibration data. Performance was evaluated using simulated ALI MS data generated by degrading the spatial resolution of high resolution IKONOS satellite MS data. A quantitative measure of performance was the error between sharpened MS data and high resolution reference. This report also compares performance with that of a reported method that includes PSF information. Preliminary results indicate improved sharpening with the method reported here.

Conference Paper↗