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At least 739 records · Page 41Linked to original sources
USGS2016

Apatite fission-track evidence for regional exhumation in the subtropical Eocene, block faulting, and localized fluid flow in east-central Alaska

The origin and antiquity of the subdued topography of the Yukon–Tanana Upland (YTU), the physiographic province between the Denali and Tintina faults, are unresolved questions in the geologic history of interior Alaska and adjacent Yukon. We present apatite fission-track (AFT) results for 33 samples from the 2300 km2 western Fortymile district in the YTU in Alaska and propose an exhumation model that is consistent with preservation of volcanic rocks in valleys that requires base level stability of several drainages since latest Cretaceous–Paleocene time. AFT thermochronology indicates widespread cooling below ∼110 °C at ∼56–47 Ma (early Eocene) and ∼44–36 Ma (middle Eocene). Samples with ∼33–27, ∼19, and ∼10 Ma AFT ages, obtained near a major northeast-trending fault zone, apparently reflect hydrothermal fluid flow. Uplift and erosion following ∼107 Ma magmatism exposed plutonic rocks to different extents in various crustal blocks by latest Cretaceous time. We interpret the Eocene AFT ages to suggest that higher elevations were eroded during the Paleogene subtropical climate of the subarctic, while base level remained essentially stable. Tertiary basins outboard of the YTU contain sediment that may account for the required >2 km of removed overburden that was not carried to the sea by the ancestral Yukon River system. We consider a climate driven explanation for the Eocene AFT ages to be most consistent with geologic constraints in concert with block faulting related to translation on the Denali and Tintina faults resulting from oblique subduction along the southern margin of Alaska.

Alaska↗
USGS1994

Deep structure beneath Lake Ontario: Crustal-scale Grenville subdivisions

Lake Ontario marine seismic data reveal major Grenville crustal subdivisions beneath central and southern Lake Ontario separated by interpreted shear zones that extend to the lower crust. A shear zone bounded transition between the Elzevir and Frontenac terranes exposed north of Lake Ontario is linked to a seismically defined shear zone beneath central Lake Ontario by prominent aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies, easterly dipping wide-angle reflections, and fractures in Paleozoic strata. We suggest the central Lake Ontario zone represents crustal-scale deformation along an Elzevir–Frontenac boundary zone that extends from outcrop to the south shore of Lake Ontario.Seismic images from Lake Ontario and the exposed western Central Metasedimentary Belt are dominated by crustal-scale shear zones and reflection geometries featuring arcuate reflections truncated at their bases by apparent east-dipping linear reflections. The images show that zones analogous to the interpreted Grenville Front Tectonic Zone are also present within the Central Metasedimentary Belt and support models of northwest-directed crustal shortening for Grenvillian deep crustal deformation beneath most of southeastern Ontario.A Precambrian basement high, the Iroquoian high, is defined by a thinning of generally horizontal Paleozoic strata over a crestal area above the basement shear zone beneath central Lake Ontario. The Iroquoian high helps explain the peninsular extension into Lake Ontario forming Prince Edward County, the occurrence of Precambrian inlier outcrops in Prince Edward County, and Paleozoic fractures forming the Clarendon–Linden structure in New York.

Lake Ontario↗
USGS1999

Taxonomic status of Myotis occultus

The taxonomic status of the Arizona myotis ( Myotis occultus ) is uncertain. Although the taxon was described as a distinct species and currently is regarded as such by some authors, others have noted what they interpreted as intergradation with the little brown bat ( M. lucifugus carissima ) near the Colorado-New Mexico state line. In this study, we used protein electrophoresis to compare bats of these nominal taxa. We examined 20 loci from 142 specimens referable to M. occultus and M. lucifugus from New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Nine of the 20 loci were polymorphic. Results show that there were high similarities among samples, no fixed alleles, and minor divergence from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Our results suggest that the two nominal taxa represent only one species and that M. occultus should be regarded as a subspecies of M. lucifugus .

Journal of Mammalogy↗
USGS1996

Movement patterns of wintering lesser scaup in Grand Calumet River - Indiana Harbor Canal, Indiana

Lesser scaup ( Aythya affinis ) winter in the Grand Calumet River—Indiana Harbor Canal (GCR-IHC) drainage into southern Lake Michigan, a polluted oasis in the highly urban and industrial corridor of northern Illinois and Indiana. The GCR-IHC is an important wintering area for lesser scaup in northwestern Indiana, especially after Lake Michigan freezes, because of the lack of other wildlife habitat in the area. We investigated the feeding and movement patterns of these wintering lesser scaup to better understand the ecological significance of this area to wintering waterfowl and to interpret contaminant levels in these lesser scaup. We implanted radio transmitters in 20 individuals in January 1994 and tracked them until early March 1994. Four lesser scaup disappeared and four died within the first 2 weeks after implantation; 12 lesser scaup remained in the GCR-IHC for the next 6–7 weeks. Individual radio-marked scaup (n = 12) were located in the GCR-IHC on an average of 62.2% (extreme values = 25–87%) of the searches. No radio-marked lesser scaup were located outside the GCR-IHC. Lesser scaup were feeding during 23% of the radio fixes.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗
USGS2012

Reference hydrologic networks I. The status and potential future directions of national reference hydrologic networks for detecting trends

Identifying climate-driven trends in river flows on a global basis is hampered by a lack of long, quality time series data for rivers with relatively undisturbed regimes. This is a global problem compounded by the lack of support for essential long-term monitoring. Experience demonstrates that, with clear strategic objectives, and the support of sponsoring organizations, reference hydrologic networks can constitute an exceptionally valuable data source to effectively identify, quantify and interpret hydrological change—the speed and magnitude of which is expected to a be a primary driver of water management and flood alleviation strategies through the future—and for additional applications. Reference hydrologic networks have been developed in many countries in the past few decades. These collections of streamflow gauging stations, that are maintained and operated with the intention of observing how the hydrology of watersheds responds to variations in climate, are described. The status of networks under development is summarized. We suggest a plan of actions to make more effective use of this collection of networks.

Hydrological Sciences Journal↗
USGS2012

Diversity of nitrogen isotopes and protein status in caribou: implications for monitoring northern ungulates

Nutritional condition is an important determinant of productivity and survival in caribou (Rangifer tarandus). We used samples of excreta (n = 1,150) to estimate diet composition from microhistology and 2 isotopic proxies of protein status for 2 ecotypes of caribou in 4 herds in late winter (2006–2008). Isotopes of nitrogen (δ 15 N in parts per thousand [‰]) from excreta samples (urea, diet, and body N) were used to estimate indexes of protein status: the proportion of urea N derived from body N (p-UN) and the difference between the δ15N of the body and urinary urea (Δbody-urea). We examined dietary and terrain characteristics, δ 15 N, p-UN, and Δ body-urea by ecotype, herd, year, and foraging site. Multiple regression and an information-theoretic approach were used to evaluate correlates of protein status at each foraging site. The dietary and terrain characteristics of foraging sites did not vary by ecotype or herd (P > 0.108); diets were dominated by lichens (68% ± 14.1% SD). The δ 15 N of urea, diet, body N, p-UN, and Δ body-urea varied among foraging sites within each herd (P < 0.001). Although highly variable, the δ 15 N of urinary urea was typically low (−4.68‰ ± 2.67‰ SD). Dietary N also had low δ 15 N (−4.18‰ ± 0.92‰ SD), whereas body N was generally heavier in 15 N (2.20‰ ± 1.56‰ SD) than urinary urea or the diet. Both measures of protein status were similarly diverse between ecotypes and among herds, which limited their applicability to monitor protein status at the population level. Although we observed limitations to interpreting estimates of p-UN from highly vagile ungulates, the Δbody-urea may prove to be a useful index of protein status at smaller spatial and temporal scales. Indeed, a portion of the observed variance (r 2 = 0.26) in Δbody-urea at each foraging site was explained by the proportion of shrubs in the winter diet. There remains potential in using δ 15 N in excreta as a noninvasive tool for evaluating protein status in northern ungulates; however, considerable analytical and sampling challenges remain for applying these isotopic approaches at large scales.

Alaska↗
USGS2018

Using geologic structures to constrain constitutive laws not accessible in the laboratory

In this essay, we explore a central problem of structural geology today, and in the foreseeable future, which is the determination of constitutive laws governing rock deformation to produce geologic structures. Although laboratory experiments provide much needed data and insights about constitutive laws, these experiments cannot cover the range of conditions and compositions relevant to the formation of geologic structures. We advocate that structural geologists address this limitation by interpreting natural experiments, documented with field and microstructural data, using continuum mechanical models that enable the deduction of constitutive laws. To put this procedure into a historical context, we review the founding of structural geology by James Hutton in the late 18th century, and the seminal contributions to continuum mechanics from Newton to Cauchy that provide the tools to model geologic structures. The procedure is illustrated with two examples drawn from recent and on-going field investigations of crustal and mantle lithologies . We conclude by pointing to future research opportunities that will engage structural geologists in the pursuit of constitutive laws during the 21st century.

Journal of Structural Geology↗
USGS2011

The use of historical imagery in the remediation of an urban hazardous waste site

The information derived from the interpretation of historical aerial photographs is perhaps the most basic multitemporal application of remote-sensing data. Aerial photographs dating back to the early 20th century can be extremely valuable sources of historical landscape activity. In this application, imagery from 1918 to 1927 provided a wealth of information about chemical weapons testing, storage, handling, and disposal of these hazardous materials. When analyzed by a trained photo-analyst, the 1918 aerial photographs resulted in 42 features of potential interest. When compared with current remedial activities and known areas of contamination, 33 of 42 or 78.5% of the features were spatially correlated with areas of known contamination or other remedial hazardous waste cleanup activity.

IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth O↗
USGS2024

Deformation-induced graphitization and muscovite recrystallization in a ductile fault zone

A suite of slate samples collected along a 2 km transect crossing the Lishan fault in central Taiwan were evaluated to assess the role of ductile deformation in natural graphitization at lower greenschist facies metamorphic conditions. The process of natural aromatization, or graphitization, of an organic precursor is well established as a thermally driven process; however, experimental studies have shown that the energy provided by deformation can substantially reduce the activation energy required for graphitization. This study provides a natural example of deformation-induced graphitization. A strain gradient approaching the Lishan fault was established by scanning electron microscope imaging and X-ray diffraction analysis of phyllosilicates and quartz that showed an increase in the strength of slaty cleavage development via dissolution-precipitation processes. Thermal conditions were constrained to be near isothermal using calcite-dolomite geothermometry. Raman spectroscopic results from carbonaceous material, including D1-full width-at-half-maximum (FWHM), G-FWHM, Raman band separation (RBS), and a lesser-known vibrational mode B 2g -FWHM, showed robust linear trends across the same sampling transect. However, the G-FWHM parameter showed a trend opposite of that expected from thermally driven graphitization. The Raman results are interpreted to reflect a strain-driven reduction in graphite crystallite size (decrease in G-FWHM) but improvement in structural ordering in individual coherent domains. A multiple linear regression with an R 2 value of 0.92 predicts the graphite D1-FWHM values from the XRD-derived ratio of muscovite populations and muscovite microstrain, demonstrating the concomitant recrystallization of silicates and carbonaceous material across the strain gradient, despite the disparate processes accommodating the deformation. This study demonstrates the role of deformation in natural graphitization and provides a new perspective on the use of graphite as a geothermometer in strongly deformed greenschist facies rocks.

Journal of Metamorphic Geology↗
USGS2012

Compositional variations on the Moon: Recalibration of Galileo solid‐state imaging data for the Orientale region and farside

Updated radiometric calibration and systematic processing procedures for Galileo solid‐state imaging (SSI) data from the first (1990) Earth‐Moon encounter are presented. These procedures were applied to a whole‐disk imaging sequence of the Moon centered near Mare Orientale, called Lunmap 14 (L14). Processing of L14 data included radiometric calibration, subpixel coregistration, scattered light removal, geometric control and reprojection, photometric normalization, and calibration to Earth‐based spectra. Coregistration and scattered‐light removal procedures are improvements over the initial calibration of the SSI mosaics. The effects of scattered light correction are best seen using a whole‐Moon view such as L14; resolution of the debated amounts of light scattering from within or outside the camera field of view is not necessary. Scattered light removal particularly affects the 1‐μm spectral region and has implications for interpretation of mafic mineral signatures in mare deposits of the lunar limb and farside. Recalibrated spectra indicate that mare ponds of the limb show moderately deep 1‐μm absorptions, and thus mafic mineral contents, comparable to those of other nearside basalts. Mafic mineral contents of Schiller‐Shickard cryptomaria are higher than previously thought and are similar to some low‐Ti nearside basalts. Many of the recalibrated spectra from South Pole/Aitken are similar to those of Schiller‐Schickard cryptomaria, suggesting that many of these soils represent a mixed mare/highland lithology. The hypothesis that there is an olivine enrichment in southern South Pole/Aitken basin is not supported strongly by spectra shown here.

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets↗
USGS1997

Contrasts within an outlier-reef system: Evidence for differential quaternary evolution, south Florida windward margin, U.S.A.

Closely spaced, high-resolution, seismic-reflection profiles acquired off the upper Florida Keys (i.e., north) reveal a platform-margin reef-and-trough system grossly similar to, yet quite different from, that previously described off the lower Keys (i.e., south). Profiles and maps generated for both areas show that development was controlled by antecedent Pleistocene topography (presence or absence of an upper-slope bedrock terrace), sediment availability, fluctuating sea level, and coral growth rate and distribution. The north terrace is sediment-covered and exhibits linear, buried, low-relief, seismic features of unknown character and origin. The south terrace is essentially sediment-free and supports multiple, massive, high-relief outlier reefs. Uranium disequilibrium series dates on outlier-reef corals indicate a Pleistocene age (~83-84 ka). A massive Pleistocene reef with both aggradational (north) and progradational (south) aspects forms the modern margin escarpment landward of the terrace. Depending upon interpretation (the north margin-escarpment reef may or may not be an outlier reef), the north margin is either more advanced or less advanced than the south margin. During Holocene sea-level rise, Pleistocene bedrock was inundated earlier and faster first to the north (deeper offbank terrace), then to the south (deeper platform surface). Holocene overgrowth is thick (8 m) on the north outer-bank reefs but thin (0.3 m) on the south outlier reefs. Differential evolution resulted from interplay between fluctuating sea level and energy regime established by prevailing east-southeasterly winds and waves along an arcuate (ENE-WSW) platform margin.

Journal of Coastal Research↗
USGS2012

Correlation of clayey gouge in a surface exposure of the San Andreas fault with gouge at depth from SAFOD: Implications for the role of serpentinite in fault mechanics

Magnesium-rich clayey gouge similar to that comprising the two actively creeping strands of the San Andreas Fault in drill core from the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) has been identified in a nearby outcrop of serpentinite within the fault zone at Nelson Creek. Each occurrence of the gouge consists of porphyroclasts of serpentinite and sedimentary rocks dispersed in a fine-grained, foliated matrix of Mg-rich smectitic clays. The clay minerals in all three gouges are interpreted to be the product of fluid-assisted, shear-enhanced reactions between quartzofeldspathic wall rocks and serpentinite that was tectonically entrained in the fault from a source in the Coast Range Ophiolite. We infer that the gouge at Nelson Creek connects to one or both of the gouge zones in the SAFOD core, and that similar gouge may occur at depths in between. The special significance of the outcrop is that it preserves the early stages of mineral reactions that are greatly advanced at depth, and it confirms the involvement of serpentinite and the Mg-rich phyllosilicate minerals that replace it in promoting creep along the central San Andreas Fault.

California↗
USGS2007

Three-dimensional P wave velocity model for the San Francisco Bay region, California

[1] A new three-dimensional P wave velocity model for the greater San Francisco Bay region has been derived using the double-difference seismic tomography method, using data from about 5,500 chemical explosions or air gun blasts and approximately 6,000 earthquakes. The model region covers 140 km NE-SW by 240 km NW-SE, extending from 20 km south of Monterey to Santa Rosa and reaching from the Pacific coast to the edge of the Great Valley. Our model provides the first regional view of a number of basement highs that are imaged in the uppermost few kilometers of the model, and images a number of velocity anomaly lows associated with known Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins in the study area. High velocity ( V p > 6.5 km/s) features at ∼15-km depth beneath part of the edge of the Great Valley and along the San Francisco peninsula are interpreted as ophiolite bodies. The relocated earthquakes provide a clear picture of the geometry of the major faults in the region, illuminating fault dips that are generally consistent with previous studies. Ninety-five percent of the earthquakes have depths between 2.3 and 15.2 km, and the corresponding seismic velocities at the hypocenters range from 4.8 km/s (presumably corresponding to Franciscan basement or Mesozoic sedimentary rocks of the Great Valley Sequence) to 6.8 km/s. The top of the seismogenic zone is thus largely controlled by basement depth, but the base of the seismogenic zone is not restricted to seismic velocities of ≤6.3 km/s in this region, as had been previously proposed.

California↗
USGS2012

Hydrologic effects on water level changes associated with episodic fault creep near Parkfield, California

As part of the Parkfield, California, earthquake prediction experiment, water level is monitored in a well 460 m from the main trace of the San Andreas fault on Middle Mountain, in the preparation zone of the anticipated Parkfield earthquake. The well configuration allows water level to be monitored in two fluid reservoirs at depths of 85 and 250 m below land surface. During 1987, water level changes were recorded during 12 of the 18 episodes of accelerated fault creep detected by a creep meter spanning the fault trace 750 m northwest of the well. The creep-related water level changes in the shallow reservoir have durations of less than 1 day, whereas in the deeper reservoir the changes persist for as long as 2 months. These data suggest that the transient nature of the water level changes in the shallow interval is due to vertical flow to the water table and is not evidence that creep events propagate past the well. Phase leads of earth tidal constituents in the water level data from the shallow interval relative to the same constituents in the local volume strain tide support the interpretation of significant flow to the water table at periods of 1 day or less. The form of the water level changes in the deep interval is affected by horizontal flow to the well bore. This effect can be removed from the water level records using a theoretical response curve constrained by the phases of earth tidal constituents in the deep interval relative to the local volume strain tide. For the events where the signal in the shallow interval has been large enough to measure, the sizes of the simultaneous water level changes in the two reservoirs are consistent with the same amounts of volume strain occurring at both depths.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗
USGS2002

Proterozoic metamorphism and uplift history of the north-central Laramie Mountains, Wyoming, USA

The Laramie Mountains of south-eastern Wyoming contain two metamorphic domains that are separated by the 1.76 Ga. Laramie Peak shear zone (LPSZ). South of the LPSZ lies the Palmer Canyon block, where apatite U-Pb ages are c. 1745 Ma and the rocks have undergone Proterozoic kyanite-grade Barrovian metamorphism. In contrast, in the Laramie Peak block, north of the shear zone, the U-Pb apatite ages are 2.4-2.1 Ga, the granitic rocks are unmetamorphosed and supracrustal rocks record only low-T amphibolite facies metamorphism that is Archean in age. Peak mineral assemblages in the Palmer Canyon block include (a) quartz-biotite-plagioclase-garnet-staurolite-kyanite in the pelitic schists; (b) quartz-biotite-plagioclase-low-Ca amphiboles-kyanite in Mg-Al-rich schists, and locally (c) hornblende-plagioclase-garnet in amphibolites. All rock types show abundant textural evidence of decompression and retrograde re-equilibration. Notable among the texturally late minerals are cordierite and sapphirine, which occur in coronas around kyanite in Mg-Al-rich schists. Thermobarometry from texturally early and late assemblages for samples from different areas within the Palmer Canyon block define decompression from > 7 kbar to < 3 kbar. The high-pressure regional metamorphism is interpreted to be a response to thrusting associated with the Medicine Bow orogeny at c. 1.78-1.76 Ga. At this time, the north-central Laramie Range was tectonically thickened by as much as 12 km. This crustal thickening extended for more than 60 km north of the Cheyenne belt in southern Wyoming. Late in the orogenic cycle, rocks of the Palmer Canyon block were uplifted and unroofed as the result of transpression along the Laramie Peak shear zone to produce the widespread decompression textures. The Proterozoic tectonic history of the central Laramie Range is similar to exhumation that accompanied late-orogenic oblique convergence in many Phanerozoic orogenic belts.

Journal of Metamorphic Geology↗
USGS1997

Variability in perceived satisfaction of reservoir management objectives

Fuzzy set theory provides a useful model to address imprecision in interpreting linguistically described objectives for reservoir management. Fuzzy membership functions can be used to represent degrees of objective satisfaction for different values of management variables. However, lack of background information, differing experiences and qualifications, and complex interactions of influencing factors can contribute to significant variability among membership functions derived from surveys of multiple experts. In the present study, probabilistic membership functions are used to model variability in experts' perceptions of satisfaction of objectives for hydropower generation, fish habitat, kayaking, rafting, and scenery preservation on the Green River through operations of Flaming Gorge Dam. Degree of variability in experts' perceptions differed among objectives but resulted in substantial uncertainty in estimation of optimal reservoir releases.

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management↗
USGS2022

One Health in action: Flea control and interpretative education at Badlands National Park

One Health involves interdisciplinary collaboration to improve, protect, and preserve the health of humans, wildlife, and ecosystems, and advocates for unified approaches to One Health challenges (Buttke et al. 2015). Here, we focus on a One Health challenge of nearly global distribution: Yersinia pestis , the flea-borne bacterial agent of plague. The bacterium poses a significant risk to humans and wildlife, causing social strife in some regions and transforming ecosystems (Eads and Biggins 2015). The conservation implications are profound in the western United States, where Y. pestis was first introduced in 1900. Considerable effort is devoted to plague mitigation, sometimes for human or wildlife health purposes separately. We present a synergy between plague mitigation for human and wildlife health.

South Dakota↗
USGS1977

Electrical soundings near Yellow Creek, Rio Blanco County, Colorado

Ten vertical electrical soundings were made in the Piceance Creek Basin in October 1974-5 along Yellow Creek, 2 in Big Duck Creek, and 1 each along Corral Gulch, on the hill in sec. 20, 1 kilometre northwest of 84 Ranch, and along the White River between the mouths of Yellow and Piceance Creeks. Interpretations of these soundings indicate that the anisotropy of the upper oil shales decreases from 2 in the basin center to 1 at a location on its flank. This decrease could result from a greater number of vertical water-filled fractures in the upper shales near the edge of the basin. On the other hand, the anisotropy coefficient for the lower shales increases from 2 to around 9 along the same section, indicating the presence of an increasing number of isolated horizontal aquifers in the lower shales on the basin flank. It is speculated that this trend for the lower shales reverses nearer the basin edge in the area of recharge of these splintered horizontal aquifers.

Colorado↗