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At least 955 records · Page 53Linked to original sources
USGS2018

Determination of representative uranium and selenium concentrations from groundwater, 2016, Homestake Mining Company Superfund site, Milan, New Mexico

In 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, collected data on isotopes, age dating, and geochemistry including aqueous uranium concentrations of samples from 20 locations in the vicinity of the Homestake Mining Company Superfund site near Milan, New Mexico. The 20 sampled locations include 19 groundwater wells and 1 treatment plant for water used for injection into aquifers. At 6 of the 19 wells, multiple samples were collected by several different sampling methods, including passive, micropurge, and volumetric methods. Aqueous uranium concentrations were adjusted on the basis of comparisons between three sampling methods (called sample adjustments). These adjustments were specific to passive sample results because they underestimated uranium concentrations compared with results from purge samples (micropurge and volumetric). Sample adjustments were also made on aqueous selenium concentrations from previously published data for passive sampler results following a similar procedure. Aqueous uranium concentrations in dissolved and total form were adjusted from the original analytical values (called laboratory analytical adjustments) on the basis of a rigorous comparison to several external tests, including reruns and analysis by a different laboratory after accuracy issues were identified in data from the original laboratory. The original laboratory analytical results were found to be two to five times greater than historical concentrations at the same locations, which prompted further evaluation, as described in this report.

New Mexico↗
USGS2023

The value of scientific information — An overview

Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides reliable science, data, information, and models (hereafter collectively referred to as “information”) to describe and understand the Earth. This information is used to minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect quality of life. USGS science informs public and private decisions, operations, and risk management in all major United States economic sectors, as defined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and provides critical information for natural resource and natural hazard management and stewardship decisions. Understanding the value of scientific information supports applications of USGS science in land- and water-management decisions, and better informs the public about the return on investment of USGS programs. USGS economists, social scientists, and physical scientists are engaged in collaborative efforts to advance methods to estimate the value of information (VOI) produced by the USGS. These efforts involve collaborating with an international community to develop and refine estimation methods, establish best practices to determine VOI, develop a study repository, and conduct projects to assess the VOI of specific information products and their application. This report focuses on economic valuation conducted by USGS specifically, although the methodology has much broader applicability within the U.S. government, academia, and beyond. Noneconomic valuation techniques for assessing the VOI also exist but are not addressed in this report.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2024

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) best practices for remote sensing system evaluation and reporting

Executive Summary The Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) partnership consists of six agencies representing the U.S. Government’s commitment to promoting the use of high-quality remotely sensed data to meet scientific and other Federal needs. These agencies are large consumers of remotely sensed data and bring extensive experience in the assessment and use of these data. The six agencies are as follows: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Reconnaissance Office. JACIE was formed in 2001 to assess the quality of data from the nascent commercial high-resolution satellite industry. Since then, JACIE has expanded its purview to include data at various resolutions, including commercial and civil. The processes and techniques used by the JACIE agencies to assess data quality have been compiled within this report to share them across the agencies and with others who want to assess remotely sensed imagery data or understand how data are assessed and reported by JACIE.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1950

Ground-water data collected in the Missouri River basin units in Kansas during 1949

Ground-water studies in the Missouri River Basin were begun by the United States Geological Survey during the fall of 1945 as a part of the program for development of the resources of the basin by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and other Federal Agencies. The studies of the ground-water resources in the part of Kansas that lies within the Basin have been coordinated with the cooperative program of ground-water studies already being carried on in Kansas by the Federal Geological Survey and the State Geological Survey of Kansas with the cooperation of the Division of Sanitation of the Kansas State Board of Health and the Division of Water Resources of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture. Areas in which ground-water data have been collected under the Missouri Basin program include the Almena Unit in Norton and Phillips Counties; the Bostwick Unit in Jewell, Republic, and Cloud Counties; the Cedar Bluff Unit in Ellis, Rush, and Trego Counties; the Glen Elder Unit in Mitchell County; the Webster Unit in Osborne County; and the Wilson Unit in Lincoln County. Most of the ground-water data presented in this report were collected during 1949. Most of the data collected in these areas prior to the end of 1947 were presented in a report that was mimeographed in September 1948 and most of the data collected during 1948 were presented in a report that was mimeographed in November 1949. This report is the third of a series of annual reports on ground-water data collected in the Missouri Basin units in Kansas. These annual reports are a means of more promptly releasing for administrative use the data collected each year. Data that are included in the annual reports for a given area will be assembled later in a report on the geology and hydrology of that area. An index of the data collected and presented in the 1947, 1948, and 1949 reports is given in table 1.

Kansas↗
USGS1975

Selected stratigraphic sections of Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas

Information from 68 surface localities that I visited was used in the preparation of a report on the Cambrian and Ordovician rocks of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas (Hayes, 1975). Descriptions of the stratigraphic sequence at many of these localities have been published in various reports and a majority of those descriptions are reasonably good if not excellent. The rocks at some other localities are either so poorly exposed or faulted or altered that neither useful nor trustworthy sections are measurable there. Included herein are descriptions of part or all of the Cambrian and Ordovician sequence at three localities where the sections have not been described previously in the literature, at two localities whose excellent sections have previously been presented only in generalized graphic form, and at five localities whose previously published descriptions are at considerable variance with my observations in some way (fig. 1). It is doubtful if interest in any of these sections is sufficiently widespread at this time to justify formal publication of these descriptions but they are presented here for those few persons who may have special interest in them. Enclosed in parentheses following the name of each section is the locality number used in my published report (Hayes, 1975). Color terminology for the rocks are adapted from the Rock Color Chart. Bedding thicknesses, when not given in inches, are approximately as follows: thin-bedded for beds up to 6 inches thick, medium-bedded for beds 6 inches to 2 feet thick, thick-bedded for beds 2-5 feet thick; massive for beds more than 5 feet thick. All the sections in this report were measured with the capable assistance of George C. Cone. Fossil collections referred to in this report are described in Hayes (1975).

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas↗
USGS1976

Heat flow near Charleston, South Carolina

As part of a study of the geology and geophysics of the Charleston, South Carolina, area, thermal conductivity, thermal gradient, and heat flow were determined in a 742 meter, continuously cored, test hole. The hole is located 41 km west-northwest of Charleston near Clubhouse Corners, Figure 1, directly over a gravity and magnetic high and the possible hypocenter of the 1889 Charleston earthquake. Drilling began January 13, 1975, and the hole penetrated 750 meters of Cenozoic and Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks finally bottoming in 42 meters of amygdaloidal basalts. Core recovery was 70% in sedimentary formations and 100% in the basalts. Detailed systematic studies of the core and the area surrounding the borehole were presented at the Symposium: Geology and Geophysics of Charleston, South Carolina, Area, held at the annual meeting of the Northeastern and Southeastern sections of the Geological Society of America during the week of March 25-27, 1976. Results from the thermal study are summarized in this report.

South Carolina↗
USGS1978

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey in Wyoming, fiscal year 1978

This report contains lists of streamflow and reservoir stations, peak-flow partial-record stations, chemical-quality stations, sediment stations, and observation wells where water levels are measured in Wyoming. The locations of the basic-data sites are shown on maps. Thirty-two water-resources appraisal projects in Wyoming are also described, including many that are related to the development of energy resources. The general locations of the projects are shown on maps. The report serves as an annual progress report to cooperators and the public.

Wyoming↗
USGS1978

Urban storm-water-quality data, Portland, Oregon, and vicinity

Urban storm-water-quality characteristics in the metropolitan area of Portland, Oreg., and Vancouver, Wash., were determined for eight drainage basins with varying drainage areas, basin slopes, impervious areas, and land uses. Automatic water-quality samplers, rain gages, and stream gages were installed in each basin. From September 1, 1975, to June 3, 1977, data were collected to determine rainfall intensities and define discharge hydrographs. Data from almost 650 samples show variation in concentration for about 20 parameters. This report contains data collected between May 1, 1976, and June 3, 1977. Data on the first 500 samples collected before May 1, 1976, are reported by McKenzie and Miller (1976).

Oregon↗
USGS1979

Gazetteer of coastal and offshore features of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc

This gazetteer presents the names of seafloor and coastal features of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc. It is the second of three gazetteers that cover the offshore and coastal features of Alaska. Alaska was divided into three major regions - the Gulf of Alaska (Gerin and Molnia, 1978), the Bering Sea and Aleutian Arc, and the Arctic Seas. (Fig. 1) The Bering Sea was divided further into subregions, and the named features are grouped together by subregions. The subregions for the Bering Sea are: 1) the Aleutian Islands from Unimak to Attu, including the features of the store and trench; 2) the Bering Sea coast from Isanotski Strait on the Alaska Peninsula north to the Bering Strait, including Nunivak and Saint Lawrence Islands; and 3) the Bering Sea, offshore features from the Aleutian Islands to the Bering Strait. (Fig. 2) The purpose of the gazetteer is to serve as a collection of named features of the region, both current and new names. This gazetteer provides a single source of names for coastal and offshore features rather than separate land and sea references. With the increased activity of offshore exploration there is an increased use of current and new names in reports and maps of the Bering Sea.

Alaska↗
USGS1979

Hydrologic data for urban studies in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area, 1977

Hydrologic investigations of urban watersheds in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. Studies are now in progress in Austin, Dallas and Dallas County, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the city of Houston, began studies in the Houston metropolitan area in 1964. The program was expanded in 1968 to include collection of water-quality data. The objectives of the Houston urban hydrology study are as follows:1. To determine, on the basis of historical data and hydrologic analyses, the magnitude and frequency of flood peaks and flood volume; 2. To determine the effect of urban development on flood peaks and volume; 3. To ascertain the variation in water quality for different flow conditions and different seasons. This report, the fourteenth in a series of reports to be published annually, is primarily applicable to objective 2. The report presents the basic hydrologic data collection in the Houston urban area for the1977 water year (October 1976 to September 1977). A previous report by Johnson and Sayre (April 1973) utilized records collected from 1965 to 1969 to make a study of the effects of urbanization on floods in the Houston area. The report also summarizes various basin parameters.

Texas↗
USGS1979

Catalog of Oroville, California, earthquakes; June 7, 1975 to July 31, 1976

On August 1, 1975, at 2020 GMT a magnitude 5.7 (ML) earthquake occurred 15 km south of Oroville, California, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It was preceded by 61 foreshocks that began on June 7, 1975, and was followed by thousands of aftershocks. Several studies have reported locations or analyses of various subsets of the Oroville sequence, including Morrison and others (1975), Savage and others (1975), Lester and others (1975), Toppozada and others (1975), Ryall and others (1975), Bufe and others (1976), Morrison and others (1976), and Lahr and others (1976). In this report arrival time data have been compiled from the original records at several institutions to produce a single catalog of the Oroville sequence from June 7, 1975, through July 31, 1976. This study has four objectives: to compile a list of earthquakes in the Oroville sequence that is as complete as possible above the minimum magnitude threshold of approximately 1.0; to determine accurate and uniform hypocentral coordinates for the earthquakes; to determine reliable and consistent magnitude values for the sequence; and to provide a statistically uniform basis for further investigation of the physical processes involved in the Oroville sequence as revealed by the parameters of the foreshocks and aftershocks. The basis and procedures for the data analysis are described in this report.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1982

Hydrologic monitoring in the area of the proposed Yazoo River navigation project, west-central Mississippi, 1978-80

The ground—water level data presented in this report were collected in conjunction with a study of the Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer in part of the Yazoo River Basin. Funding for the collection of water—level data was provided by the Vicksburg District, Corps of Engineers, who also drilled the observation wells and surveyed elevations of the top of the casing of each well. The wells were drilled to obtain data on seasonal changes in ground—water levels, areas of recharge and/or discharge, and on direction of movement of water in the alluvial aquifer. This report is intended to document the data.

Mississippi↗
USGS1987

Selected ground-water data in the upper Mongaup River basin, Sullivan County, New York

A set of four adjoining 7.5-minute quadrangle sheets that together depict the upper Mongaup River Basin in Sullivan County , N.Y., at 1:24,000 scale show the location, well yield, depth, water use, ownership, and date of ownership of wells, test holes , and springs. Most wells that tap stratified-drift deposits have high yields (50 to 300 gal/min) and are used for public supply. Bedrock wells have smaller yields and are generally used for domestic supply. The data were compiled from a previous U.S. Geological Survey, countywide, groundwater resources report and from unpublished data. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1987

Water-resources activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in North Dakota, fiscal year 1986

This report was prepared to inform interested Federal, State, and local agencies and private individuals of the activities of the Water Resources Division in the State. All ongoing water-resources projects in North Dakota in fiscal year 1986 are listed. Information on each project includes objectives, approach, progress in 1985, plans for 1986, completed and planned report products, and the name of the project chief.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1991

Water-resources activities, North Dakota District, fiscal year 1990

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, is to provide the hydrologic information and understanding needed for the optimum utilization and management of the Nation's water resources for the overall benefit of the people of the United States. This report describes waterresources activities of the Water Resources Division in North Dakota in fiscal year 1990. Information on each project includes objectives, approach, progress in fiscal year 1990, plans for fiscal year 1991, completed and planned report products, and the name of the project chief.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1993

Water Use in Wisconsin, 1990

INTRODUCTION As part of the National Water-Use Information Program, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stores water-use data in standardized format for different categories of water use. The data base (Site Specific Water Use Data System) is updated annually or as more current water-use information becomes available. Information about amounts of water withdrawn, sources of water, how the water was used, and how much water was returned is available to those involved in establishing water-resource policy and to those managing water resources. In 1978, the USGS entered into a cooperative program with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to inventory water use in Wisconsin. Since that time, two reports that summarize water use have been published (Lawrence and Ellefson, 1982; Ellefson and others, 1987). Ellefson and others (1987) present 1985 water-use data in a map and graph format. Because water use changes with time, an update report is periodically required. This report presents 1990 data in the same format as that of the 1987 report.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1993

Activities of the Water Resources Division, California District, fiscal year 1992

This report summarizes the progress of water- resources studies in California by the U.S. Geological Survey during fiscal year 1992. Much of the work was done in cooperation with State and local agencies. Additional supporting funds were transferred from other Federal agencies or appropriated directly to the Geological Survey. The water-resources program in California consisted of 41 projects. This report includes a brief discussion of each project and also contains a brief description of the origin of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Water Resources Division's basic mission, an abbreviated organizational structure of the California District, sources of funding, and a summary of water conditions. Also included is a listing of reports published during fiscal year 1992.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1994

Activities of the Water Resources Division, California District, fiscal year 1993

This report summarizes the progress of water- resources studies in California by the U.S. Geological Survey during fiscal year 1993. Much of the work was done in cooperation with State and local agencies. Additional supporting funds were transferred from other Federal agencies or appropriated directly to the U.S. Geological Survey. The water-resources program in California consisted of 41 projects. This report includes a brief discussion of each project and also contains a brief description of the origin of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Water Resources Division's basic mission, an abbreviated organizational structure of the California District, sources of funding, and a summary of water condition. Also included is a listing of reports published during fiscal year 1993.

Open-File Report↗