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At least 721 records · Page 40Linked to original sources
USGS1975

Abundances of uranium, thorium, and potassium for some Australian crystalline rocks

This report contains a tabulation of the basic radioelement and radiogenic heat data obtained during an Australian National University (ANU) - United States Geological Survey (USGS) heat-flow project, directed jointly by J. C. Jaeger (ANU) and J. H. Sass (USGS). Most samples were collected during the periods June through September, 1971 and 1972. The measurements were made subsequently by two of us (C. M. Bunker and C. A. Bush) using the gamma-ray spec trometric techniques described by Bunker and Bush (1966, 1967). Interpreting the spectra for quantitative analyses of the radioelements was accomplished with an iterative leastsquares computer program modified from one by Schonfeld (1966). Uranium content determined by gamma-ray spectrometry is based on a measurement of the daughter products of 226 Ra. Equilibrium in the uranium-decay series was assumed for these analyses . Throughout the report, when U content is stated, radium-equivalent uranium is implied. The coefficient of variation for the accuracy of the radioelement data, when compared to ana lyses by isotope dilution and flame photometry is about 3 percent for radium-equivalent uranium and thorium and about 1 percent for potassium. These percentages are in addition to minimum standard deviations of about 0.05 ppm for U and Th, and about 0.03 percent for K.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1995

Data on selected herbicides and two triazine metabolites in precipitation of the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, 1990-91

Weekly precipitation (rain and snow) samples were collected from 81 National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network sites in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States for the analysis of herbicides. In addition, five high- elevation background sites along the Rocky Mountains and in Alaska were sampled to provide data on herbicides in precipitation at sites far from the study area. The study began in March 1990 and continued through September 1991. The precipitation samples were shipped to the Central Analytical Laboratory operated by the Illinois State Water Survey for analyses of inorganic compounds. Subsamples of the precipitation were shipped to the U.S. Geological Survey laboratory in Lawrence, Kansas, for the analysis of 11 herbicides and 2 triazines metabolites. This report provides descriptions of the study area, sample-collection methods, laboratory methods, and quality assurance. The report also includes a compilation of herbicide concentration data from both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry methods. Laboratory analyses consisted of 6,230 samples that were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using alachlor and atrazine microtiter plates and 2,341 samples that were confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. Graphical and statistical comparisons of the two analytical methods are given in this report. Data from this study have been useful in determining the spatial and temporal distribution of herbicide concentrations and deposition in precipitation of over a 26-State area of the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. The data also provide evidence of long-range atmospheric transport of herbicides and triazine metabolites.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2021

Landsat 8 thermal infrared sensor scene select mechanism open loop operations

The Landsat 8 (L8) spacecraft and its two instruments, the operational land imager (OLI) and thermal infrared sensor (TIRS), have been consistently characterized and calibrated since its launch in February 2013. These performance metrics and calibration updates are determined through the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat image assessment system (IAS), which has been performing this function since its launch. The TIRS on-orbit geometric calibration procedures in-clude TIRS-to-OLI alignment, TIRS sensor chip assembly (SCA) alignment, and TIRS band align-ment. In December 2014, the TIRS instrument experienced an anomalous condition related to the instrument’s ability to accurately measure the location of the scene select mechanism (SSM). The SSM is a rotating mirror that allows the instrument’s field of view to be pointed at the Earth, for normal imaging, or at either deep space or an onboard black body, for radiometric calibration purposes. This anomalous condition in the SSM’s position sensor made it necessary to implement a new mode of operation for this mirror, termed mode-0. Mode-0 involves operating the mirror in an open-loop control state during normal mission operations when acquiring Earth data. Closed-loop mode-4 is needed for directing the mirror towards the radiometric calibration targets and is used approximately once every two weeks to collect radiometric calibration data. Mode-0 is used for most operational imaging because it does not require SSM encoder data, thereby allowing the SSM en-coder electronics to remain unpowered most of the time, reducing its use throughout the lifetime of the TIRS instrument, thus helping to preserve its nominal behavior during it use. This paper dis-cusses the geometric calibration of the SSM mirror during its current normal mode-0 set of image operations, as its open-loop control allows the mirror to drift over time in its uncontrolled state and its impacts on products. The results shown in this paper demonstrate that the ability to have on-going updates to the modeling of the TIRS SSM mirror model, in both an automated fashion and with a set of more manual operations, allows accuracy that approaches mode-4 results within days from the start of a mode-0 event.

MDPI Remote Sensing↗
USGS2019

Conservation research across scales in a national program: How to be relevant to local management yet general at the same time

Successfully addressing complex conservation problems requires attention to pattern and process at multiple spatial scales. This is challenging from a logistical and organizational perspective. In response to indications of worldwide declines in amphibian populations, the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) of the United States Geological Survey was established in 2000. This national program is unique in its structure, organization, and success in integrating information at multiple scales. ARMI works under the principle that a good study design is tailored to specific questions, but stipulates the use of methods that result in unbiased parameter estimates (e.g., occupancy). This allows studies to be designed to address local questions but also to produce data that can easily be scaled up to accomplish the objectives of a broad-scale monitoring program. Here we describe how the implementation of the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative results in research that is applicable across scales – global, in contributing to the understanding of amphibian decline phenomena; continental, in synthesizing local data to understand large-scale drivers; regional, by characterizing threats and assessing status of species at the range scale; and local, by working with National Park, Wildlife Refuge, and other Federal and State land managers to identify research needs and serve conservation-relevant research results to inform management decisions.

Biological Conservation↗
USGS1998

Effects of landscape composition and wetland fragmentation on frog and toad abundance and species richness in Iowa and Wisconsin, USA [abstract]

We examined the relationships between anuran diversity and landscape features in the Upper Midwestern United States. Anuran relative abundance and species richness were measured using data collected by Wisconsin and Iowa state calling surveys conducted from 1990-1995. Landscape features surrounding survey points were determined using National Wetland Inventory and Wisconsin Wetland Inventory maps. We tested several hypotheses suggested by the literature. We hypothesized that the relative abundance and species richness of anurans that breed in ephemeral wetlands is positively correlated with the surrounding area of temporary wetlands and emergent wetlands. We hypothesized that the relative abundance and species richness of anurans is positively correlated with patch diversity and wetland edges, in the absence of local fragmentation effects. We hypothesized that the relative abundance and species richness of anurans is positively associated with forests but negatively associated with agriculture and urban areas. Our results show that the interspersion of different wetland types and the concomitant increase in wetland edge habitats were generally positive for frogs and toads and anuran abundance and diversity were generally higher in association with forests, especially forested wetlands. The presence of agriculture did not always depress frog and toad populations or diversity; some species were associated with agricultural landscapes. The two states differed in how anurans were associated with landscape features like lakes and permanent wetlands. We found that frog and toad relative abundance and diversity were lower when urban areas were present. Managers can use models like ours, generated from landscape analyses, along with range maps and population trend analyses to get a comprehensive picture of the health of individual species and groups of species. Our models could be applied to the landscape as a whole, and used to predict species relative abundance and richness at new locations. Our work provides a framework for future experimental and intensive research on specific factors affecting the health of amphibians in the Upper Midwest.

Book chapter↗
USGS2005

Historical and simulated changes in channel characteristics of the Kalamazoo River, Plainwell to Otsego, Michigan

In a study to understand the historical effects of the construction and decommissioning of dams on the Kalamazoo River, Plainwell to Otsego, Michigan, and to simulate channel changes that may result if the dams were removed, early to mid-1800s General Land Office surveys and aerial photographs from 1938, 1981, and 1999 were compared in order to identify historical changes in the river’s planform. This analysis of the 80-mile reach from Morrow Dam to the river mouth at Saugatuck provided insight into how susceptible the river has been to channel migration. The comparison showed that changes in channel width and location were caused mainly by construction of dams and subsequent water-level adjustments in the impounded reaches upstream from the dams. Braiding also occurred downstream from one of the dams. Minor changes in channel form that were not caused by the dams, such as the development and cutoff of meander bends, were observed. A more detailed study in a 5-mile reach passing through the Plainwell and Otsego City Dams included compiling existing valley cross section and longitudinal profile data into a database, assessing bank stability, and using a hydrologic model to simulate the channel as if the dams were removed. Fifty-four valley cross sections compiled from United States Geological Survey and consultant data sets were used as a base for a bank-stability assessment and to design a hypothetical stable channel without the two dams. The channel design involved adjusting the slope, hydraulic geometry, and floodplain width to ensure that water could be transferred through the reach without increasing flooding or erosion problems. The bank-stability assessment focused on conditions that are critical to failure. This was accomplished through the use of a two step process. The first involved evaluating the sediment removed from the bank toe when the stage is high. The second involved calculating the factor of safety for the bank based on the water table being elevated higher than the stage, mimicing a bank storage effect. Using these paired proccesses, two scenarios of critical conditions were evaluated: dams present and dams removed. Results of the bank assessments showed that, under both critical-condition scenarios, the streambanks were more susceptible to toe erosion than to block failure. As toe erosion progresses, the banks will eventually collapse as supporting material underneath is removed. Toe erosion for the damsremoved scenario resulted in higher amounts of erosion than for the dams-present scenario, leading to an overall decrease in bank stability. Effects of vegetation on the bank stability were variable; stability for some banks increase if vegetation was present but remain the same for other banks.

Michigan↗
USGS1995

Estimated use of water in the New England States, 1990

Data on freshwater withdrawals in 1990 were compiled for the New England States. An estimated 4,160 Mgal/d (million gallons per day) of freshwater was withdrawn in 1990 in the six States. Of this total, 1,430 Mgal/d was withdrawn by public suppliers and delivered to users, and 2,720 Mgal/d was withdrawn by domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, mining, and thermoelectric power-generation users. More than 83 percent of the freshwater was from surface-water sources. Massachusetts, with the largest population, had the largest withdrawals of water. Data on saline water withdraw, and instream flow at hydroelectric plants were also compiled. An estimated 9, 170 Mgal/d of saline water was used for thermoelectric-power generation and industrial use in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Return flow fro public wastewater-treatment plants totaled 1,750 Mgal/d; more than half (55 percent) of this return flow was in Massachusetts. In addition, about 178,000 Mgal/d was used for instream hydroelectric power generation; the largest users were Maine (about 83,000 Mgal/d) and New Hampshire (46,000 Mgal/d). These data, some of which were based on site-specific water-use information and some based on estimation techniques, were compiled through joint efforts by the U.S. Geological Survey and State cooperators for the 1990 national water-use compilation.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2005

External quality-assurance programs managed by the U.S. Geological Survey in support of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network

The U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Quality Systems, operates the external quality-assurance programs for the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN). Beginning in 1978, six different programs have been implemented?the intersite-comparison program, the blind-audit program, the sample-handling evaluation program, the field-audit program, the interlaboratory-comparison program, and the collocated-sampler program. Each program was designed to measure error contributed by specific components in the data-collection process. The intersite-comparison program, which was discontinued in 2004, was designed to assess the accuracy and reliability of field pH and specific-conductance measurements made by site operators. The blind-audit and sample-handling evaluation programs, which also were discontinued in 2002 and 2004, respectively, assessed contamination that may result from sampling equipment and routine handling and processing of the wet-deposition samples. The field-audit program assesses the effects of sample handling, processing, and field exposure. The interlaboratory-comparison program evaluates bias and precision of analytical results produced by the contract laboratory for NADP, the Illinois State Water Survey, Central Analytical Laboratory, and compares its performance with the performance of international laboratories. The collocated-sampler program assesses the overall precision of wet-deposition data collected by NADP/NTN. This report documents historical operations and the operating procedures for each of these external quality-assurance programs. USGS quality-assurance information allows NADP/NTN data users to discern between actual environmental trends and inherent measurement variability.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1885

Notes on the stratigraphy of California

A complete examination of the Coast Ranges of California can hardly be undertaken by the Geological Survey for some years to come, consistently with the plans at present formed. The detailed study of certain small areas in these ranges, however, raised a number of questions as to the age and stratigraphical relations of the various series of beds, which it seemed necessary to answer as well as circumstances permitted. Having reached certain conclusions, for the most part on structural grounds, it became indispensable for me to obtain the co-operation of an expert paleontologist. At my solicitation, and with the approval of the director, Dr. C. A. White consented to visit the field with me. He passed several months of the summer of 1884 in studying my collections and the occurrence of fossils in place with reference to the points at issue. His results appear in Bulletin No. 15, that and this being complementary to one another. I had the great satisfaction of finding that Dr. White was led from a purely paleontological position to conclusions entirely accordant with those at which I had already arrived on structural grounds. His long experience as a general geologist also made his agreement with me as to the structural indications a welcome confirmation of my opinions. These studies, in conjunction with many observations made by earlier workers on the Pacific Coast, particularly those of the State Geological Survey of California, under Prof. J. D. Whitney, have led to some seemingly well established general conclusions of interest. The more purely geological results will be presented in the following pages, in the imperfect form in which alone it will be possible to give them until an immense amount of additional work shall have been done.

California↗
USGS2014

Brood surveys and hunter observations used to predict gobbling activity wild turkeys in Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks utilize data from turkey hunter observations and brood surveys from across the state to manage wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo populations. Since 1995, hunters have collected gobbling and jake observation data, while the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks' personnel and cooperating wildlife managers of several natural resource agencies throughout the state have collected brood survey data. Both sources of data serve to forecast poult recruitment and gobbling activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate if these data can serve as a viable predictor of gobbling activity. We used three mixed models to investigate the relationship between the number of jakes observed per hour of hunting 1 y prior and the total number of poults per hens 2 y prior (model 1), number of gobblers heard per hour of hunting and the number of jakes observed per hour of hunting 1 y prior (model 2), the number of gobblers heard per hour of hunting and the total number poults per total hens observed 2 y prior (model 3) using data from 1995 to 2008 among five wild turkey management regions encompassing the state. We incorporated region as a random effect to account for spatial variation. We found the number of jakes observed per hour of hunting 1 y prior correlated with the total number of poults per total hens observed 2 y prior. We also found the number of gobblers heard per hour of hunting correlated with the number of jakes observed per hour of hunting 1 y prior. Additionally, we found that the total poults per total hens observed 2 y prior was correlated to the number of gobblers heard per hour of hunting. Our results show promise for using indices of gobbling activity, jake observations, and brood surveys to estimate gobbling activity.

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management↗
USGS2023

Stratigraphic Notes

Welcome to the resurrected series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports on stratigraphy entitled “Stratigraphic Notes.” For several decades, until the mid-1990s, the USGS published volumes of short papers that highlighted stratigraphic studies, changes in stratigraphic nomenclature, and explanations of stratigraphic names and concepts used on published geologic maps. The purpose was to encourage formal documentation on these topics. Today (2023) the need for such documentation has become especially important because of the increasing number of informal reports that use new or updated stratigraphic nomenclature. Because the North American Stratigraphic Code does not recognize informal reports as proper publications to formalize stratigraphic studies, a report series such as “Stratigraphic Notes” is needed to bridge this gap. “Stratigraphic Notes” is a long-term (multiyear), multivolume publication containing articles that address updates or revisions to stratigraphic nomenclature (and whose content ultimately will be incorporated into Geolex, https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/ ). The papers in “Stratigraphic Notes” are meant to be an outlet to communicate changes in stratigraphic nomenclature, to support geologic map publications, and to facilitate compilation of new geologic maps and their databases. The goal is to publish a new volume each year, each of which will contain papers that present results of stratigraphic studies drawn from scientific interpretations of stratigraphic and biostratigraphic changes related to changes in environments of deposition and facies, as well as interpretations of igneous and metamorphic units. We welcome papers for the “Stratigraphic Notes” series from geoscientists of the USGS, of State Geological Surveys, and from academicians. Papers can be submitted for publication in “Stratigraphic Notes” by contacting the USGS Geologic Names Committee ( gnc@usgs.gov ). As new “Stratigraphic Notes” volumes are published, links to the volumes will be posted here at https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1879 .

Professional Paper↗
USGS2023

Macroscale analyses suggest invasive plant impacts depend more on the composition of invading plants than on environmental context

Aim Native biodiversity is threatened by the spread of non-native invasive species. Many studies demonstrate that invasions reduce local biodiversity but we lack an understanding of how impacts vary across environments at the macroscale. Using ~11,500 vegetation surveys from ecosystems across the United States, we quantified how the relationship between non-native plant cover and native plant diversity varied across different compositions of invading plants (measured by non-native plant richness and evenness) and environmental contexts (measured by productivity and human activity). Location Continental United States. Time Period Surveys from 1990s-present. Major Taxa Studied Terrestrial plant communities. Methods We fit mixed effects models to understand how native plant richness, diversity and evenness varied with non-native cover. We tested how this relationship varied when non-native cover interacted with non-native plant richness and evenness, and with productivity and human activity. Results Across the United States, communities with greater cover of non-native plants had lower native plant richness and diversity but higher evenness, suggesting rare native plants can be lost while dominant plants decline in abundance. The relationship between non-native cover and native community diversity varied with non-native plant richness and evenness but was not associated with productivity and human activity. Negative associations were strongest in areas with low non-native richness and evenness, characterizing plant communities that were invaded by a dominant non-native plant. Main Conclusions Non-native plant cover provides a first approximation of invasion impacts on native community diversity, but the magnitude of impact depended on non-native plant richness and evenness. Relationships between non-native cover and native diversity were consistent in strength across continental scale gradients of productivity and human activity. Therefore, at the macroscale, invasive plant impacts on native plant communities likely depend more on the characteristics of the invading plants, that is the presence of a dominant invader, than on the environmental context.

Global Ecology and Biogeography↗
USGS1926

Ore deposits of the Jerome and Bradshaw Mountains quadrangles, Arizona

In the summer of 1922, at the request of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, I undertook an examination of the ore deposits in the Jerome and Bradshaw Mountains quadrangles, Ariz. (See fig. 1.) The object of this work was not a detailed investigation of each deposit but rather a coordination and classification of the occurrences and an attempt to ascertain their origin and economic importance. Almost all the deposits occur in pre-Cambrian rocks or in rocks that are not readily differentiated from the pre-Cambrian. In the northern part of the Jerome quadrangle there are large areas of almost horizontal Paleozoic beds, and in both quadrangles there are also large areas of lava flows of Tertiary age. Finally there are wide spaces occupied by Tertiary tuff and limestone, or by Tertiary and Quaternary wash filling the valleys between the mountain ranges. But all these rocks except the pre-Cambrian are practically barren of ore deposits, and the problem therefore narrowed itself to an examination of the pre-Cambrian areas. This task was greatly facilitated by the careful work of Jaggar and Palache, set forth in the Bradshaw Mountains folio,l in which the southern quadrangle of the two under present consideration is mapped geologically and described, and which also includes a comprehensive though brief discussion of the mineral deposits. There is no published geologic map of the Jerome quadrangle, but I had the opportunity through the courtesy of Dr. G. M. Butler, Director of the Arizona Bureau of Mines, to use a manuscript map of this area prepared for the State by Mr. L. E. Reber, jr., and Mr. Olaf Jenkins.

Arizona↗
USGS2024

A methodology to estimate CO2 and energy gas storage resources in depleted conventional gas reservoirs

Depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs are subsurface geological structures capable of sequestering vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as well as storing other energy gases for later usage, such as natural gas, and potentially hydrogen (H 2 ). Here we outline a methodology to quantify multi-gas storage resources in depleted conventional gas reservoirs for usage in assessments by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at the scale of sedimentary basins. The methodology consists first of quantifying accessible pore volume in a depleted reservoir for natural gas storage using up to three equations. Input data are derived from commonly reported or estimated reservoir parameters and natural gas production volumes, and equations may be combined in linear models to improve pore volume estimates. Storage estimates from these equations are tested and validated for 31 reservoirs in the Michigan Basin Province, USA that were previously converted to underground gas storage facilities and have known (federally reported) natural gas storage capacities. Secondly, natural gas storage capacities can be transformed via fluid substitution calculations to estimate the storage resources for non-native fluids, applied here for, CO 2 , H 2 , and methane-H 2 blends, accounting for molecule-specific deviations from ideal gas behavior at reservoir pressures and temperatures as well as differing storage efficiencies. Importantly, the storage of non-native fluids may not be appropriate in all depleted gas reservoir settings due to potential risks like leakage, in particular in the case of H 2 storage, requiring additional knowledge of caprock sealing capacity. Given this caveat, we demonstrate the fluid substitution method for natural gas reservoirs of the Northern Niagaran Reef and Southern Niagaran Reef USGS plays in the Michigan Basin Province, as these trends of Silurian pinnacle reefs are capped with tight-sealing evaporite facies. The deterministic equations outlined from this methodology can be incorporated into future probabilistic USGS gas storage assessments for CO 2 , H 2 , and natural gas resources in the United States.

Michigan↗
USGS2019

Results from the Department of the Interior Strategic Sciences Group Technical Support for the 2018 Kīlauea Eruption

On May 3, 2018 Hawai'i’s Kīlauea volcano erupted, ultimately covering 35 square kilometers (13.5 square miles) of land in lava, destroying over 700 homes in multiple subdivisions, and displacing over 2500 residents in the Puna District on the southeast flank of the volcano. Simultaneously, Kīlauea’s summit experienced its largest collapse in 200 years, with a total of 500 meters (1,640 feet) subsidence and tens of earthquakes each day rattling surrounding communities. These simultaneous events impacted residential, agricultural, business, tourist, and scientific areas. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park closed, slowing tourism and the local economy. The building housing the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Hawai'ian Volcano Observatory also closed, displacing scientists responsible for monitoring the erupting volcano. The eruption lasted 107 days, one of the longest eruptions in recent history in lower Puna. Throughout the eruption, uncertainty regarding the duration of the event, its extent, and total damage remained high. This uncertainty led to social tensions and fatigue across the affected community, responders, and local officials. At the direction of the USGS Director, serving as the Science Advisor to the Secretary of the of the Interior, the Department of the Interior (DOI, hereafter also referred to as “the Department”) Strategic Sciences Group (SSG) convened a multidisciplinary group of 13 experts in Hilo, Hawai'i, on July 17-19, 2018. The SSG was charged with considering the cascading short- and long-term social, economic, and environmental consequences of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption to DOI resources, employees, and facilities as well as to the surrounding communities. Established in 2012, the SSG is designed to complement ongoing response efforts by providing strategic science to identify potential social, environmental, and economic consequences and potential interventions during a crisis event affecting Departmental resources. This activation of the SSG was funded by the USGS. It was the first official activation of the SSG since it supported Hurricane Sandy recovery in 2013 and provided the unique opportunity to test new methods, including bolstering the social science expertise on the team and interacting directly with stakeholders before, during, and after deployment. The SSG Kīlauea Team developed three scenarios focused on 1) the impacts of continued seismicity and deformation at the summit; 2) vog (volcanic smog); and 3) the eruption in the lower East Rift Zone. Across all scenarios, areas of concern included human health (physical and mental); biosecurity (for example, protecting threatened and endangered species); infrastructure (impacts caused by seismic activity, vog, and lava); communications (internal and public-facing); long-term planning (related to tourism, access, housing); and ongoing needs for community engagement and empowerment. The SSG Kīlauea Team identified 59 potential actions for mitigation. Highlights of these actions were delivered to stakeholders during briefings in August and September 2018. Examples of potential actions included: ● Seize opportunities to develop new partnerships within and outside of DOI to address facilities issues caused by seismic damage and park closure. ● Educate community members and new workers to increase early detection of invasive species and establish new wash stations to address biosecurity threats to the park posed by more frequent commuting from new temporary Hilo locations. ● Create a "vog officer" position to ensure coordination and consistency in communication about vog hazards across federal, state, and county agencies. It is important to note that the potential actions are suggestions and are not intended to be prescriptive. The SSG uses “blue sky thinking” when developing these potential actions to encourage creative approaches to problem solving. In some cases, some of the suggested potential actions derived by the SSG are actions that were already underway, or already under consideration and helped to affirm 3 activities by different stakeholders. In other cases, the actions may be new ideas. Some were applicable to immediate response, while others are more relevant to long-term recovery. This report details the results from the July 2018 activation of the SSG. It includes background on Kīlauea and the 2018 eruption, an overview of SSG methodology, and a complete list of the potential actions to mitigate cascading consequences identified by the SSG. Importantly, Appendix 4 includes several rapidly assembled “issue papers” on a variety of topics for consideration for recovery and future preparedness and response activities. This report is designed to be used by both the Department and more broadly by partners, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hawai'i County, Hawai'i Department of Health, and the Hawai'i Emergency Management Agency.

Hawaii↗
USGS1939

Geological report on water conditions at Platt National Park, Oklahoma

Platt National Park, located in southern Oklahoma, containing 842 acres, was established by Acts of Congress in 1902, 1904, and 1906. The reason for the setting aside of this area was the presence in the area of some 30 'mineral' springs, the water from which contains sulphur, bromide, salt, and other minerals, which are believed to possess medicinal qualities. For many generations the sulphur springs of the Chickasaw Nation had been known for their reputed healing qualities. It had long been the custom for families to come from considerable distances on horseback and in wagons and camp near the springs, in order to drink the water. In course of time a primitive town, known as Sulphur Springs, grew up near a group of springs known since as Pavilion Springs at the mouth of Sulphur Creek, now known as Travertine Creek. This town was still in existence at the time of my first visit to the locality in July, 1901. At this time, in company with Joseph A. Taff, of the United States Geological Survey, I spent a week riding over the country making a preliminary survey looking toward the setting aside of the area for a National Park. After the establishment of the National Park, the old town of Sulphur Springs was abandoned, and when the present boundaries of the park had been established the present town of Sulphur, now county seat of Murray County, grew up. In July 1906, on request of Superintendent Joseph F. Swords, I visited the park and made an examination of the various springs and submitted a report, dated August 15, 1906, to Secretary of the Interior E.A. Hitchcock. Copies of this report are on file in the Regional Office and at Platt National Park. In this report I set forth the approximate amount of flow of the various springs, the character of the water in each, and the conditions of the springs as of that date. I also made certain recommendations regarding proposed improvements of each spring. In this report I say: 'In the town of Sulphur, four wells have been drilled to a depth of between 450 and 500 feet in which artesian water has been secured. These wells are said to flow 200,000 gallons each per day.' I also say: 'From a study of the log of one of these wells, it appears that the artesian water is derived from the upper part of the Simpson sandstone. It is very probable that the water of the springs is derived from the same source.' This early was recognized the relation between the water from the mineral springs and that from the artesian wells. As the years have passed, other wells have been drilled in the town of Sulphur, chiefly to supply water for mineral baths and for swimming pools, so that to date more than 30 wells have been drilled. The exact number is not known. The custom has usually been to turn the wells loose and permit them to flow at full capacity, although some of the wells have been 'valved in' and the flow reduced. An estimate furnished me by the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in 1937, referred to later in this report, indicated that at that time 16 wells were flowing approximately 28,800,000 gallons of water per day, practically all of which ran to waste. For many years geologists in Oklahoma and elsewhere have watched this unrestricted waste of water from the artesian wells at Sulphur with growing concern. Remembering the history of other artesian basins throughout the world, these geologists believed that in all probability it was only a question of time until the water in the Sulphur artesian basin would begin to fail. On two different occasions the State Geologist of Oklahoma, bearing these conditions in mind, has prepared and had introduced into the State Legislature a bill which, if enacted into law, would have regulated the flow of water in artesian wells throughout the State. Both bills died in committee. Partly on account of the drought of the past three years, the matter has been brought to a head. In September 1938, Buffalo and Antelope Springs at the hea

Open-File Report↗
USGS1902

Fossil flora of the John Day basin, Oregon

For a number of years I have been gradually accumulating material for a thorough revision of the Tertiary floras of the Pacific slope. Fossil plants are known to occur at numerous points within this area, and their study and identification has already furnished valuable data bearing on the geological history of the region, and when still further exploited it is confidently expected that they will afford more exact data for the use of geologists. This investigation is progressing satisfactorily, and at no distant day it is hoped to have it in form for final publication. From time to time various members of the United States Geological Survey, as well as others not connected with this organization, have sent in small collections of fossil plants for determination. These have been studied and reported upon as fully as the condition of the problem permitted, so that the determinations could be immediately available to geologists, but with the reservation that none of the questions could be fully settled until all known material had been studied and properly correlated. The rich fossil plant deposits in the John Day Basin, as set forth more fully in the historical account which follows, have been known for a period of nearly fifty years, but their study has been carried on in a more or less desultory manner. There has also been considerable confusion as to the horizons whence these plants came. As various species of plants described originally from the John Day region were detected in various other localities in Oregon, and in surrounding areas, as central Washington, western Idaho, and northern California, it became more than ever apparent that a thorough study of all material obtainable from this type area would be necessary before any definite or satisfactory conclusions could be reached. The immediate incentive for this revision was furnished by the receipt of a considerable collection of plants, made by Dr. John C. Merriam in 1900 while he was in charge of an expedition into this region made under the auspices of the University of California. When these plants were submitted to me for study, it was thought possible to present their description, together with a revision of our knowledge of the previously known forms, within a space sufficiently small to permit the publication of the matter as an appendix to a paper on the general geology of the area, then in preparation by Dr. Merriam. But it soon became apparent that this could not be adequately done within the space available, and a short preliminary report was prepared for and published by Dr. Merriam. The results of a complete restudy of all available fossil plant material from the John Day Basin are now presented. I wish to record my great indebtedness to Dr. Merriam, who not only accompanied me at a considerable personal sacrifice on a trip through the region in 1901, but placed unreservedly at my disposal all material bearing in any way on the problem then in the paleontological museum of the University of California. To Dr. Arthur Hollick I am indebted for the loan of all material from the John Day region belonging to Columbia University, and now deposited in the New York Botanical Garden at Bronx Park. This material, together with the rich collections belonging to the United States National Museum, represents practically all now known to have come from the John Day Basin.

Oregon↗
USGS1996

City of Flagstaff Project: Ground Water Resource Evaluation, Remote Sensing Component

Many regions, cities, and towns in the Western United States need new or expanded water resources because of both population growth and increased development. Any tools or data that can help in the evaluation of an area's potential water resources must be considered for this increasingly critical need. Remotely sensed satellite images and subsequent digital image processing have been under-utilized in ground water resource evaluation and exploration. Satellite images can be helpful in detecting and mapping an area's regional structural patterns, including major fracture and fault systems, two important geologic settings for an area's surface to ground water relations. Within the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Flagstaff Field Center, expertise and capabilities in remote sensing and digital image processing have been developed over the past 25 years through various programs. For the City of Flagstaff project, this expertise and these capabilities were combined with traditional geologic field mapping to help evaluate ground water resources in the Flagstaff area. Various enhancement and manipulation procedures were applied to the digital satellite images; the results, in both digital and hardcopy format, were used for field mapping and analyzing the regional structure. Relative to surface sampling, remotely sensed satellite and airborne images have improved spatial coverage that can help study, map, and monitor the earth surface at local and/or regional scales. Advantages offered by remotely sensed satellite image data include: 1. a synoptic/regional view compared to both aerial photographs and ground sampling, 2. cost effectiveness, 3. high spatial resolution and coverage compared to ground sampling, and 4. relatively high temporal coverage on a long term basis. Remotely sensed images contain both spectral and spatial information. The spectral information provides various properties and characteristics about the surface cover at a given location or pixel (that is, vegetation and/or soil type). The spatial information gives the distribution, variation, and topographic relief of the cover types from pixel to pixel. Therefore, the main characteristics that determine a pixel's brightness/reflectance and, consequently, the digital number (DN) assigned to the pixel, are the physical properties of the surface and near surface, the cover type, and the topographic slope. In this application, the ability to detect and map lineaments, especially those related to fractures and faults, is critical. Therefore, the extraction of spatial information from the digital images was of prime interest in this project. The spatial information varies among the different spectral bands available; in particular, a near infrared spectral band is better than a visible band when extracting spatial information in highly vegetated areas. In this study, both visible and near infrared bands were analyzed and used to extract the desired spatial information from the images. The wide swath coverage of remotely sensed satellite digital images makes them ideal for regional analysis and mapping. Since locating and mapping highly fractured and faulted areas is a major requirement for ground water resource evaluation and exploration this aspect of satellite images was considered critical; it allowed us to stand back (actually up about 440 miles), look at, and map the regional structural setting of the area. The main focus of the remote sensing and digital image processing component of this project was to use both remotely sensed digital satellite images and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to extract spatial information related to the structural and topographic patterns in the area. The data types used were digital satellite images collected by the United States' Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and French Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de laTerre (SPOT) imaging systems, along with a DEM of the Flagstaff region. The USGS Mini Image Processing Sy

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