Vermont landslide map, digital version computer file : a digital data set for IBM PC and compatible microcomputers, Part A
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Open-File Report↗
SEARCH · Geology Reports
Results for “Open File Map”
Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Digital geologic map of the Thirsty Canyon NW quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada
This digital geologic map compilation presents new polygon (i.e., geologic map unit contacts), line (i.e., fault, fold axis, dike, and caldera wall), and point (i.e., structural attitude) vector data for the Thirsty Canyon NW 7 1/2' quadrangle in southern Nevada. The map database, which is at 1:24,000-scale resolution, provides geologic coverage of an area of current hydrogeologic and tectonic interest. The Thirsty Canyon NW quadrangle is located in southern Nye County about 20 km west of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and 30 km north of the town of Beatty. The map area is underlain by extensive layers of Neogene (about 14 to 4.5 million years old [Ma]) mafic and silicic volcanic rocks that are temporally and spatially associated with transtensional tectonic deformation. Mapped volcanic features include part of a late Miocene (about 9.2 Ma) collapse caldera, a Pliocene (about 4.5 Ma) shield volcano, and two Pleistocene (about 0.3 Ma) cinder cones. Also documented are numerous normal, oblique-slip, and strike-slip faults that reflect regional transtensional deformation along the southern part of the Walker Lane belt. The Thirsty Canyon NW map provides new geologic information for modeling groundwater flow paths that may enter the map area from underground nuclear testing areas located in the NTS about 25 km to the east. The geologic map database comprises six component ArcINFO map coverages that can be accessed after decompressing and unbundling the data archive file (tcnw.tar.gz). These six coverages (tcnwpoly, tcnwflt, tcnwfold, tcnwdike, tcnwcald, and tcnwatt) are formatted here in ArcINFO EXPORT format. Bundled with this database are two PDF files for readily viewing and printing the map, accessory graphics, and a description of map units and compilation methods.
Nevada↗
Report on drilling activities in the Thar Desert, Sindh Province, Pakistan
Coal test drilling in the Thar Desert of southeast Pakistan was conducted as part of the Coal Exploration and Assessment Program (COALREAP) involving the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP), and the U.S. Geological Survey. Drilling was performed in the Thar Desert, or Great Indian Desert, approximately 175 km northeast of Karachi. Twenty five exploration holes were drilled between January 1992 and May 1994. Drill core was described by geologists of the Pakistan Geological Survey and coal samples were analyzed in both the United States and Pakistan. U.S. Geological Survey geologists offered technical assistance, trained GSP personnel, and managed the drilling program according to an agreement with USAID under the Energy Planning and Development Project. Drilling was performed by the Geological Survey of Pakistan. During drilling, the first 50 m was rotary drilled and cuttings collected every 2 m for examination. Average depth for all coal beds is 214 m with a total average thickness of 10 m of coal per drill hole. Core was described, boxed, and stored at the Geological Survey of Pakistan core library at Sonda, near Hyderabad. Approximately 6,412 m of Paleocene to Eocene rock was drilled of which 3,990 m was cored and 1,113 m was rotary drilled. There was 1,309 m of core loss. Geophysical logging of each drill hole permitted detailed thicknesses of coal to be determined. Analysis of the coal indicated a rank of lignite B with an as-received heating value over 5,000 Btu. This report presents data collected at the drill sites and should be used in conjunction with the published interpretive report (Fassett and Durrani, 1994) and the USGS Open-File Report 94-167, which contains analysis of the coal samples. Tables provide quick reference to numeric data and results. Detailed index maps and specific data, for each drill hole are included. This report covers drill holes TP-5 to TP-31. Drill holes TP-16, 17, 21, 26, 27, and 29 were planned but not drilled due to time restraints and (or) a determination that those drill sites were not needed to effectively delineate the coal deposit. The basic data for drill holes TP-1 through TP-4 are included in SanFilipo and others, 1994 however, some data for these drill holes are included for consistency.
Sindh Province↗
Fifty-Year Flood-Inundation Maps for Santa Rosa de Aguan, Honduras
After the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, maps of the areas and depths of the 50-year-flood inundation at 15 municipalities in Honduras were prepared as a tool for agencies involved in reconstruction and planning. This report, which is one in a series of 15, presents maps of areas in the coastal municipality of Santa Rosa de Aguan that are prone to oceanic storm-surge flooding and wave action. The 50-year flood on the Rio Aguan (4,270 cubic meters per second), would inundate most of the area surveyed for this municipality and beyond. Therefore a detailed numerical hydraulic model was not developed for this municipality as it was for the others. The 50-year storm surge would likely produce higher water levels than the 50-year flood on the river during normal astronomical tides. The elevation of the 50-year storm surge was estimated to be 4.35 meters above normal sea level, based on hurricane probabilities and published storm-surge elevations associated with various hurricane categories. Flood-inundation maps, including areas of wave-action hazard and a color-shaded elevation map, were created from the available data and the estimated 50-year storm tide. Geographic Information System (GIS) coverages of the hazard areas are available on a computer in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Aguan as part of the Municipal GIS project and on the Internet at the Flood Hazard Mapping Data Web page (http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/projects/floodhazard.html). These coverages allow users to view the maps in much more detail than is possible using the maps in this report.
Santa Rosa de Aguan↗
Texture, Carbonate Content, and Preliminary Maps of Surficial Sediments of the Flower Garden Banks Area, Northwestern Gulf of Mexico Outer Shelf
The purpose of this report is to release texture and carbonate content analyses of 107 seafloor sediments collected within and near the East and West Flower Garden Banks areas of the Sanctuary and to show relationships between these data and existing bathymetric data. The sediment data, in conjunction with previously collected geological, geophysical and biological data were used to construct a reconnaissance-scale map of the distribution of seafloor sediment types. This map will be useful for resource managers and can be used, with additional data, as a basis for future habitat mapping.
Open-File Report↗
Digital Map of Water-Level Changes in the High Plains Aquifer in Parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming, 1980 to 1997
This data set consists of digital water-level-change contours for the High Plains aquifer in the central United States, 1980 to 1997. The High Plains aquifer extends from south of 32 degrees to almost 44 degrees north latitude and from 96 degrees 30 minutes to 104 degrees west longitude. The aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. This digital data set was created from 5,233 wells measured in both 1980 and 1997. The water-level-change contours were drawn manually on mylar at a scale of 1:1,000,000. The contours then were converted to a digital map.
Open-File Report↗
Alabama-Mississippi coastal classification maps - Perdido Pass to Cat Island
The primary purpose of the USGS National Assessment of Coastal Change Project is to provide accurate representations of pre-storm ground conditions for areas that are designated high-priority because they have dense populations or valuable resources that are at risk from storm waves. Another purpose of the project is to develop a geomorphic (land feature) coastal classification that, with only minor modification, can be applied to most coastal regions in the United States. A Coastal Classification Map describing local geomorphic features is the first step toward determining the hazard vulnerability of an area. The Coastal Classification Maps of the National Assessment of Coastal Change Project present ground conditions such as beach width, dune elevations, overwash potential, and density of development. In order to complete a hazard vulnerability assessment, that information must be integrated with other information, such as prior storm impacts and beach stability. The Coastal Classification Maps provide much of the basic information for such an assessment and represent a critical component of a storm-impact forecasting capability. The map above shows the areas covered by this web site. Click on any of the location names or outlines to view the Coastal Classification Map for that area.
Alabama, Mississippi, Florida↗
The contribution of geomagnetic observatories and magnetic models to the study of secular variation and jerks in Antarctica
Some of the most interesting features of the geomagnetic field and its time variations are displayed in polar areas. Observatory monthly means usually provide an excellent opportunity to study the temporal changes of the magnetic field at a given location. Unfortunately, on the Antarctic continent the distribution of the permanent ground- based observatories does not permit a uniform coverage of the examined area. Furthermore, the magnetic records are characterized by intense external disturbances and noise that make the analysis of the magnetic field difficult. To improve our knowledge of the secular variation and detect the presence of secular variation impulses (geomagnetic jerks) in Antarctica, we use both observatory data and the CM4 quiet time magnetic field model. In particular CM4 improves our knowledge of geomagnetic jerks over Antarctica through the study of the sign changes of the secular acceleration maps.
Open-File Report↗
Provisional zircon and monazite uranium-lead geochronology for selected rocks from Vermont
This report presents the results of zircon and monazite uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronologic analyses of 24 rock samples. The samples in this study were collected from mapped exposures identified while conducting either new, detailed (1:24,000-scale) geologic quadrangle mapping or reconnaissance mapping, both of which were used for compilation of the bedrock geologic map of Vermont. All of the collected samples were judged to be igneous rocks (either intrusive or extrusive) on the basis of field relations and geochemistry. The one exception is the Okemo Quartzite on Ludlow Mountain. These geochronologic data were used to supplement regional correlations between igneous suites on the basis of similar geochemistry and geologic mapping.
Open-File Report↗
Bathymetric surveys of selected lakes in Missouri--2000-2008
Years of sediment accumulation and abnormally dry conditions in the Midwest in 1999 and 2000 led to the water level decline of many water-supply lakes in Missouri, and caused renewed interest in modernizing outdated area/volume tables for these lakes. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, surveyed the bathymetry of 51 lakes in Missouri from July 2000 to May 2008. The data were used to provide water managers with area/volume tables and bathymetric maps of the lakes at the time of the surveys. In 50 of the lakes, bathymetric surveys were made using a boat-mounted single-beam survey-grade fathometer. In Clearwater Lake, bathymetric data were collected primarily using a boat-mounted survey-grade multibeam fathometer, and some bathymetric data were collected using a single-beam fathometer in areas of the lake that were inaccessible to the multibeam fathometer. Data processing, area/volume table computation, and bathymetric map production were completed for each lake.
Missouri↗
A satellite model of Southwestern Willow Flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus ) breeding habitat and a simulation of potential effects of tamarisk leaf beetles ( Diorhabda spp.), southwestern United States
Executive Summary The study described in this report represents the first time that a satellite model has been used to identify potential Southwestern Willow Flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus ) (hereinafter referred to as “flycatcher”) breeding habitat rangewide for 2013–15. Fifty-seven Landsat scenes were required to map the entire range of the flycatcher, encompassing parts of six States and more than 1 billion 30-meter pixels. Predicted flycatcher habitat was summarized in a hierarchical fashion from largest to smallest: regionwide, State, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) management unit, 7.5-minute quadrangle, and critical-habitat reach. The term “predicted habitat” is used throughout this report to distinguish areas the satellite model predicts as suitable flycatcher habitat from what may actually exist on the ground. A rangewide accuracy assessment was done with 758 territories collected in 2014, and change detection was done with yearly habitat maps to identify how and where habitat changed over time. Additionally, effects of tamarisk leaf beetles ( Diorhabda spp.) on flycatcher habitat were summarized for the lower Virgin River from 2010 to 2015, and simulations of how tamarisk leaf beetles may affect flycatcher habitat in the lower Colorado and upper Gila Rivers were done for 2015. Model results indicated that the largest areas of predicted flycatcher habitat at elevations below 1,524 meters were in New Mexico and Arizona, areas followed in descending order by California, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. By FWS management unit, the largest area of flycatcher habitat during all 3 years were the Middle Rio Grande (New Mexico), followed by the Upper Gila (Arizona and New Mexico) and Middle Gila/San Pedro (Arizona) management units. The area of predicted flycatcher habitat varied considerably in 7.5-minute quadrangles, ranging from 0 to1,398 hectares (ha). Averaged across 3 years, the top three producing quadrangles were Paraje Well (New Mexico), San Marcial (New Mexico), and San Carlos Reservoir (Arizona). The top three FWS critical-habitat reaches in 2015 were Rio Grande-middle (9,544 ha), San Pedro River (1,779 ha), and Gila River-mid San Carlos (1,356 ha); this ranking did not change in 2013 or 2014. Change detection among years showed a large shift in predicted flycatcher habitat influenced by drought patterns, with California habitat decreasing and New Mexico habitat increasing. An accuracy assessment indicated that 88 percent of territories were correctly classified at a 40 percent probability threshold, with an exponential relationship between territory densities and five probability classes. A spatially explicit analysis indicated that beetles decreased predicted flycatcher habitat 94.2 percent from 2010 to 2015 along the lower Virgin River, with only 5.8 percent persisting. In contrast, beetle simulations indicated that 64.1 percent of habitat will persist along the lower Colorado River and 45 percent will persist along the upper Gila River. This project shows that the satellite model adequately predicts flycatcher habitat rangewide, but it lacks the ability to predict which patches will be occupied in a given year. The next logical step is the development of an occupancy model that ties the habitat predictions of the satellite model to patch occupancy so managers can better allocate their resources for survey and restoration activities. Finally, the methods presented in this report seem well suited for automated mapping applications and cloud-based resources.
Open-File Report↗
Modified mercalli intensities for nine earthquakes in central and western Washington between 1989 and 1999
We determine Modified Mercalli (Seismic) Intensities (MMI) for nine onshore earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and larger that occurred in central and western Washington between 1989 and 1999, on the basis of effects reported in postal questionnaires, the press, and professional collaborators. The earthquakes studied include four earthquakes of M 5 and larger: the M 5.0 Deming earthquake of April 13, 1990, the M 5.0 Point Robinson earthquake of January 29, 1995, the M 5.4 Duvall earthquake of May 3, 1996, and the M 5.8 Satsop earthquake of July 3, 1999. The MMI are assigned using data and procedures that evolved at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its Department of Commerce predecessors and that were used to assign MMI to felt earthquakes occurring in the United States between 1931 and 1986. We refer to the MMI assigned in this report as traditional MMI, because they are based on responses to postal questionnaires and on newspaper reports, and to distinguish them from MMI calculated from data contributed by the public by way of the internet. Maximum traditional MMI documented for the M 5 and larger earthquakes are VII for the 1990 Deming earthquake, V for the 1995 Point Robinson earthquake, VI for the 1996 Duvall earthquake, and VII for the 1999 Satsop earthquake; the five other earthquakes were variously assigned maximum intensities of IV, V, or VI. Starting in 1995, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) published MMI maps for four of the studied earthquakes, based on macroseismic observations submitted by the public by way of the internet. With the availability now of the traditional USGS MMI interpreted for all the sites from which USGS postal questionnaires were returned, the four Washington earthquakes join a rather small group of earthquakes for which both traditional USGS MMI and some type of internet-based MMI have been assigned. The values and distributions of the traditional MMI are broadly similar to the internet-based PNSN intensities; we discuss some differences in detail that reflect differences in data-sampling procedure, differences in the procedure used to assign intensity numbers from macroseismic observations, and differences in how intensities are mapped.
Oregon, Washington↗
Modeled inundation limits of potential lahars from Mount Adams in the White Salmon River Valley, Washington
Lahars large enough to reach populated areas are a hazard at Mount Adams, a massive volcano in the southern Cascade Range of Washington State (fig. 1). It is considered to be still active and has the potential to erupt again. By definition, lahars are gravity-driven flows of water-saturated mixtures of mud and rock (plus or minus ice, wood, and other debris), which originate from volcanoes and have a variety of potential triggering mechanisms (Vallance, 2000; Vallance and Iverson, 2015). Flowing mixtures can range in fluid consistency from something like a milkshake to something more like wet concrete, and they behave like flash floods, in that they can appear suddenly in river channels with little warning and commonly have boulder- or log-choked flow fronts. Lahars are hazardous because they can flow rapidly in confined valleys (commonly 20–35 miles per hour [mph] or 9–16 meters per second [m/s]), can travel more than 100 miles (mi) (161 kilometers [km]) from a source volcano, and can move with incredible destructive force, carrying multi-ton boulders and logs that can act as battering rams (Pierson, 1998). The biggest threats from lahars to downstream communities are present during eruptive activity, and impacts to communities can be dire. For example, a very large eruption-triggered lahar in Colombia in 1985 surprised and killed more than 20,000 people in a large town located about 45 mi (72 km) downstream and out of sight of the volcano that produced it (Pierson and others, 1990). Mount Adams, one of the largest volcanoes in the Cascade Range, is a composite stratocone composed primarily of andesite lava flows. It has been the most continuously active volcano within the 480-mi 2 Mount Adams volcanic field—a region covering parts of Klickitat, Skamania, Yakima, andLewis Counties and part of the Yakama Nation Reservation in Washington State (Hildreth and Fierstein,1995, 1997). About 500,000 years in age, Mount Adams reached its present size by about 15,000 years ago, primarily through the episodic effusion of lava flows; it has not had a history of major explosive eruptions like Mount St. Helens, its neighbor to the west. Timing of the most recent eruptive activity (recorded by four thin tephra layers) is on the order of 1,000 years ago; the tephras are bracketed by 2,500-year-old and 500-year-old ash layers from Mount St. Helens (Hildreth and Fierstein, 1995, 1997). Mount Adams currently shows no signs of renewed unrest. Eruptive history does not tell us everything we need to know about hazards at Mount Adams, however, which are fully addressed in the volcano hazard assessment for Mount Adams (W.E. Scott and others, 1995). This volcano has had a long-active hydrothermal system that circulated acidic hydrothermal fluids, formed by the solution of volcanic gases in heated groundwater, through fractures and permeable zones into upper parts of the volcanic cone. Acid sulfate leaching of rocks in the summit area may still be occurring, but chemical and thermal evidence suggests that the main hydrothermal system is no longer active at Mount Adams (Nathenson and Mariner, 2013). However, these rock-weakening chemical reactions have operated long enough to change about 0.4 cubic miles (mi 3 ) (1.7 cubic kilometers [km 3 ]) of the hard lava rock in the volcano’s upper cone to a much weaker clay-rich rock, thus significantly reducing rock strength and thereby slope stability in parts of the cone (Finn and others, 2007). The two largest previous lahars from Mount Adams were triggered by landslides of hydrothermally altered rock from the upper southwestern flank of the cone, and any future large lahars are likely to be triggered by the same mechanism. Mount Rainier also has had extensive hydrothermal alteration of rock in its upper edifice, and it also has a history of large landslides that transform into lahars (K.M. Scott and others, 1995; Vallance and Scott, 1997; Reid and others, 2001). The spatial depiction of modeled lahar inundation zones accompanying this report, shown in two different map perspectives, is intended to augment (not replace) the existing hazard maps for Mount Adams (W.E. Scott and others, 1995; Vallance, 1999). The maps in this report show potential areas of inundation by lahars of different initial volumes, which are determined by a computer model, LAHARZ (Iverson and others, 1998; Schilling, 1998). One map sheet presents LAHARZ-determined inundation areas on a normal plan-view shaded-relief map of the study area; the other gives an oblique perspective of the landscape with raised topography, as if one were viewing the landscape at an angle from an aircraft (Jenny and Patterson, 2007). LAHARZ was developed after the original hazard maps (based only on mapping of geologic deposits) were made. Predicted inundation zones on these maps provide an alternative approach to estimation of areas that could be inundated as lahars of different volumes pass through the valley. However, there is considerable uncertainty in the exact location of the hazard-zone boundaries shown on these maps, as well as on earlier maps.
Washington↗
Mapping Phragmites australis live fractional cover in the lower Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana
In response to a co-occurring non-native scale infestation and Phragmites australis dieback in southeast Louisiana, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite mapping was implemented to track P. australis condition in the lower Mississippi River Delta. While the NDVI mapping successfully documented relative condition changes, identification of cause required a quantitative-biophysical metric directly related to P. australis marsh live vegetation proportion. During this study, a satellite mapping tool that quantified P. australis live fraction cover (LFC) magnitude was designed and implemented. The key to development of the quantitative LFC mapping was the field to satellite calibration design. The calibration of P. australis marsh LFC to optical satellite image data combined field and near-in-time satellite data collections in the fall of 2018 and summer of 2019. Basing the field-NDVI to field-LFC calibrations and the satellite-NDVI to field-NDVI calibrations on combined pre-senescence and peak-growth period data offers nearly year-round LFC mapping. The utility of the developed P. australis marsh LFC mapping tool was demonstrated by the creation of a yearly suite of Mississippi River Delta LFC status and change maps extending from 2009 to 2019. P. australis marsh LFC mapping relies on Sentinel-2 for current to future mapping and relies on Landsat for historical mapping.
Louisiana↗
Descriptive logs of exploratory holes drilled during 1952 by the U.S. Geological Survey in Dubuque County, Iowa
The exploratory holes were drilled as part of a larger geologic investigation, the objective of which is to determine in the Dubuque, Iowa, area the probable occurrence of zinc and lead ore stratigraphically lower than that which has been mined. The primary purpose of the drilling was to supply information required for geologic mapping in upland areas where bedrock exposures are sparse or absent. Where possible, the doles were located also on the extension of known mineralized trends. Seven holes aggregating 1,687 feet were drilled with cable tools. Descriptive logs, prepared by A. E. Flint and C. E. Brown frog binocular microscope study of cuttings that were recovered from the drilling, are accompanied by assay values of significant mineralized samples. Index maps show hole locations.
Iowa↗
Geologic map of the Fra Mauro region of the Moon-- Apollo 13
The accompanying map shows the geology of the Fra Mauro site- the proposed landing site for the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon. This site lies about 80 km north of the ancient crater Fra Mauro, in a north-south belt of predominantly hummocky uplands terrain geologically distinct from the mare terrains of the earlier Apollo landing sites. The geologic outline of the front face of the Moon is shown by Wilhelms and McCauley (1969); the regional setting around the Fra Mauro site is presented on a 1:250,000-scale map by Eggleton (1970). Detailed geology around the proposed landing ellipse is shown on a 1:5,000 scale map by Offield (1970).
Open-File Report↗
Analyses of native water and dredged material from southern Louisiana waterways, 1975-76
From June 1975 to July 1976 the U.S. Geological Survey conducted nine dredging and seven postdredging studies related to water quality in selected reaches of major navigable waterways of southern Louisiana. Samples were collected from the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, Mississippi River at Southwest Pass, Mississippi River at New Orleans, Bayou Rigaud near Grand Isle, Barataria Bay and Waterway, Bayou La Carpe near Houma, Atchafalaya Bay (Ship Channel), Lower Atchafalaya River area, Intracoastal Waterway near Calumet, Intracoastal Waterway (Port Allen to Morgan City), Petite Anse area, and Calcasieu River and Ship Channel. These studies were conductd to determine potential environmental effects of dredging activities in the waterways. The Geological survey collected, treated, and analyzed 383 water and water-sediment mixture samples from 85 dredging sites and 142 postdredging samples (72 sites). Water samples were collected 100 yards upstream and downstream from the dredge effluent, from the disposal area, and from the effluent outfall during the dredge phase of the study; samples were collected at former dredge sites during the postdredging phase. Samples were analyzed for selected metals, pesticides, nutrients, and organic constituents. The analytical data are presented in tables. Sampling sites are shown on maps. (Woodard-USGS)
Open-File Report↗