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At least 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources
USGS2009

Land 3D-seismic data: Preprocessing quality control utilizing survey design specifications, noise properties, normal moveout, first breaks, and offset

The recent proliferation of the 3D reflection seismic method into the near-surface area of geophysical applications, especially in response to the emergence of the need to comprehensively characterize and monitor near-surface carbon dioxide sequestration in shallow saline aquifers around the world, justifies the emphasis on cost-effective and robust quality control and assurance (QC/QA) workflow of 3D seismic data preprocessing that is suitable for near-surface applications. The main purpose of our seismic data preprocessing QC is to enable the use of appropriate header information, data that are free of noise-dominated traces, and/or flawed vertical stacking in subsequent processing steps. In this article, I provide an account of utilizing survey design specifications, noise properties, first breaks, and normal moveout for rapid and thorough graphical QC/QA diagnostics, which are easy to apply and efficient in the diagnosis of inconsistencies. A correlated vibroseis time-lapse 3D-seismic data set from a CO 2 -flood monitoring survey is used for demonstrating QC diagnostics. An important by-product of the QC workflow is establishing the number of layers for a refraction statics model in a data-driven graphical manner that capitalizes on the spatial coverage of the 3D seismic data. ?? China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Springer-Verlag GmbH 2009.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2006

High-resolution geologic mapping of the inner continental shelf: Nahant to Gloucester, Massachusetts

This report presents high-resolution maps of the seafloor offshore of Massachusetts, from Nahant to Gloucester. Approximately 134 km² of the inner shelf were mapped with a focus on the nearshore region in water depths less than 40 m (fig. 1.1). The maps were prepared as part of a cooperative mapping program between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). They are based on marine geophysical data, sediment sampling, and bottom photography obtained on two research cruises carried out in 2003 and 2004. The primary objective of this program is to develop a suite of seafloor maps that provide geologic information for management of coastal and marine resources. Accurate maps of seafloor geology are important first steps toward protecting fish habitat, delineating marine reserves, and assessing environmental changes due to natural or human impacts. The maps also provide a geologic framework for scientific research, industry and the public. The organization of this report is outlined in the navigation bar along the left-hand margin of the page. This is section 1, the introduction. Section 2 briefly describes the mapping products contained in this report and has links to large-format map sheets, that can be viewed on line or downloaded. Section 3 is a description of the data collection, processing, and analysis procedures used to create the map products. Section 4 examines the geologic framework and late Quaternary evolution of the region, and presents two different strategies for mapping the complex seafloor. This report also contains four appendices that include GIS layers of all data collected in this study, and copies of the sample and photographic data used to validate the interpretations.

Massachusetts↗
USGS1982

High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles collected aboard R/V James M. Gilliss Cruise GS-7903-3, over the Atlantic Continental Slope and Rise off New England

During June 1979, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected 4,032 km of single-channel seismic-reflection data from the Atlantic Continental Slope and Rise off New England. The work was conducted aboard R/V JAMES M. GILLISS (cruise GS-7903-3). The purpose of the cruise was to determine the characteristics of mass sediment movement on the Continental Slope, and to study and correlate the stratigraphy of the Jurassic and Cretaceous strata lying north and south of the New England seamount chain. Seismic instrumentation included 40-in 3 , 160-in 3 , and 500-in 3 airguns; a Teledyne 800-joule minisparker system; a 3-5-kHz to 7-kHz, hull-mounted tunable transducer; and a 7-channel analog tape recorder. Navigation control during the cruise was provided by a Western Integrated Navigation System capable of integrating satellite, rho-rho Loran-C, hyperbolic Loran-C, gyro compass, and doppler speed-log position data. The prime navigation sensor was the rho-rho Loran-C automatically recorded at 20-second intervals and manually plotted every 15 minutes, backed up by hyperbolic Loran-C fixes automatically recorded every 5 minutes. Of the 4,032 km of data collected, 3,257 km of 3-5-kHz, minisparker and 40-in 3 airgun were for the sediment-slump studand the other 775 km of 3-5-kHz, minis parker, 160-in 3 air gun and 500-in 3 airgun were for the deep stratigraphy study. Overall, the quality of the data is excellent with good resolution and penetration. The original data may be examined at the U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA 02543. Copies of the data can be purchased only from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, NOAA/EDIS/NGSDC, Code D621, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 (303-497-6338).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1984

Geohydrologic data for test well UE-25p1, Yucca Mountain area, Nye County, Nevada

This report presents the following data for test well UE-25p 1 in Nye County, Nevada: drilling operations, lithology, availability of borehole geophysical logs, water levels, future availability of core analyses, water chemistry, pumping tests, borehole-flow surveys, and packer-injection tests. The well is one of a series of test wells drilled in and near Yucca Mountain adjacent to the Nevada Test Site in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy. These investigations are part of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations to identify suitable sites for underground storage of high-level radioactive wastes. Test well UE-25p 1 was the first in the Yucca Mountain area to penetrate rocks of Paleozoic age. To a depth of 1,244 meters, the rocks are predominantly ash-flow tuffs of Tertiary age. From 1,244 meters to a total depth of 1,805 meters, the rock is dolomite of Paleozoic age. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1989

Geologic and hydrologic data for the Rustler Formation near the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, southeastern New Mexico

The U.S. Geological Survey is investigating the geohydrology in the vicinity of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeastern New Mexico. Data presented were compiled in support of a regional groundwater flow model. The data include water level measurements obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey 's Groundwater Site-Inventory and OMNIANA data bases and stratigraphic information interpreted from commercial geophysical logs. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1999

Digital data for the geologic framework of the Alaska Peninsula, southwest Alaska, and the Alaska Peninsula terrane

These digital databases are the result of the compilation and reinterpretation of published and unpublished 1:250,000- and 1:63,360-scale mapping. The map area covers approximately 62,000 sq km (23,000 sq mi) in land area and encompasses much of 13 1:250,000-scale quadrangles on the Alaska Peninsula in southwestern Alaska. The compilation was done as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment project (AMRAP), whose goal was create and assemble geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and other data in order to perform mineral resource assessments on a quadrangle, regional or statewide basis. The digital data here was created to assist in the completion of a regional mineral resource assessment of the Alaska Peninsula. Mapping on the Alaska Peninsula under AMRAP began in 1977 in the Chignik and Sutwik Island 1:250,000 quadrangles (Detterman and others, 1981). Continued mapping in the Ugashik, bristol bay, and northwestern Karluk quadrangles (Detterman and others, 1987) began in 1979, followed by the Mount Katmai, eastern Naknek, and northwestern Afognak quadrangles (Riehle and others, 1987; Riehle and others, 1993), the Port Moller, Stepovak bay, and Simeonof Island quadrangles (Wilson and others, 1995) beginning in 1983. Work in the Cold bay and False Pass quadrangles (Wilson and others, 1992 [Superseded by Wilson and others 1997, but not incorporated herein]) began in 1986. The reliability of the geologic mapping is variable, based, in part, on the field time spent in each area of the map, the available support, and the quality of the existing base maps. In addition, our developing understanding of the geology of the Alaska Peninsula required revision of earlier maps, such as the Chignik and Sutwik Island quadrangles map (Detterman and others, 1981) to reflect this new knowledge. We have revised the stratigraphic nomenclature (Detterman and others, 1996) and our assignment of unit names to some rocks has been changed. All geologic maps on which this compilation is based were published using the Universal Transverse Mercator projection (UTM; Zones 3, 4, and 5). because of the distortions use of the UTM projection would produce on a map of small scale and large area, the plot and graphics files derived from this data are plotted using a more appropriate Albers Equal-area projection for publication.

Alaska↗
USGS1999

McVCO handbook 1999

McVCO is a microcontroller-based frequency generator that replaces the voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) used in the analog telemetry of seismic data. It accepts low-level signals from a seismometer and produces a frequency modulated subcarrier suitable for radio or telephone links to a data collection site. McVCO was designed for the purpose of improving the analog telemetry of signals within the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network (PNSN). Its development received support from the University of Washington Geophysics Program, and both the Volcano Hazards and Earthquake Hazards programs of the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This handbook covers operation of McVCO, provides a technical reference for those who require a closer look at how McVCO works, and covers a collection of topics that need explicit treatment or that spring from deployment of the instrument.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2009

The Longview/Lakeview barite deposits, southern National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA) — Potential-field models and preliminary size estimates

Longview and Lakeview are two of the larger stratiform barite deposits hosted in Mississippian Akmalik Chert in the Cutaway Basin area (Howard Pass C-3 quadrangle) of the southern National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA). Geologic studies for the South NPRA Integrated Activity Plan and Environmental Impact Statement process included an attempt to evaluate the possible size of barite resources at Longview and Lakeview by using potential-field geophysical methods (gravity and magnetics). Gravity data from 227 new stations measured by the U.S. Geological Survey, sparse regional gravity data, and new, high-resolution aeromagnetic data were forward modeled simultaneously along seven profiles perpendicular to strike and two profiles along strike of the Longview and Lakeview deposits. These models indicate details of the size and shape of the barite deposits and suggest thicknesses of 15 to 24 m, and 9 to 24 m for the Longview and Lakeview deposits, respectively. Two groups of outcrops span 1.8 km of strike length and are likely connected below the surface by barite as much as 10 m thick. Barite of significant thickness (>-5 m) is unlikely to occur north of the presently known exposures of the Longview deposit. The barite bodies have irregular (nonplanar) bases suggestive of folding; northwest-trending structures of small apparent offset cross strike at several locations. Dip of the barite is 10 to 25 degrees to the southeast. True width of the bodies (the least certain dimension) is estimated to be 160 to 200 m for Longview and 220 to 260 m for Lakeview. The two bodies contain a minimum of 4.5 million metric tons of barite and more than 38 million metric tons are possible. Grades of the barite are relatively high, with high specific gravities and low impurities. The potential for the Cutaway Basin to host economically minable quantities of barite is uncertain. Heavy-mineral concentrate samples from streams in the area, trace-element analyses, and physicalproperty measurements of bulk samples derived from trenching or drilling would be valuable for future assessment work.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

Hydrogeology of the Lake Tahoe Basin, California and Nevada

Ground water in the Lake Tahoe basin is the primary source of domestic and municipal water supply and an important source of inflow to Lake Tahoe. Over the past 30-40 years, Federal, State, and local agencies, and research institutions have collected hydrologic data to quantify the ground-water resources in the Lake Tahoe basin. These data are dispersed among the various agencies and institutions that collected the data and generally are not available in a format suitable for basin-wide assessments. To successfully and efficiently manage the ground-water resources throughout the Lake Tahoe basin, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) compiled and evaluated the pertinent geologic, geophysical, and hydrologic data, and built a geodatabase incorporating the consolidated and standardized data for the Lake Tahoe basin that is relevant for examining the extent and characteristics of the hydrogeologic units that comprise the aquifers.

California, Nevada↗
USGS2019

Optimizing an inner-continental shelf geologic framework investigation through data repurposing and machine learning

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have collected approximately 5,400 km2 of geophysical and hydrographic data on the Atlantic continental shelf between Delaware and Virginia over the past decade and a half. Although originally acquired for different objectives, the comprehensive coverage and variety of data (bathymetry, backscatter, imagery and physical samples) presents an opportunity to merge collections and create high-resolution, broad-scale geologic maps of the seafloor. This compilation of data repurposes hydrographic data, expands the area of geologic investigation, highlights the versatility of mapping data, and creates new geologic products that would not have been independently possible. The data are classified using a variety of machine learning algorithms, including unsupervised and supervised methods. Four unique classes were targeted for classification, and source data include bathymetry, backscatter, slope, curvature, and shaded-relief. A random forest classifier used on all five source data layers was found to be the most accurate method for these data. Geomorphologic and sediment texture maps are derived from the classified acoustic data using over 200 groundtruth samples. The geologic data products can be used to identify sediment sources, inform resource management, link seafloor environments to sediment texture, improve our understanding of seafloor structure and sediment pathways, and demonstrate how ocean mapping resources can be useful beyond their original intent to maximize the footprint and scientific impact of a study.

Delaware, Maryland, Virginia↗
USGS2023

Beyond conductive targets: Characterizing lithium-prospective lacustrine evaporite mineral systems of North America’s Basin and Range Province with regional-scale AEM

The Basin and Range province of North America hosts substantial lacustrine evaporite mineral systems prospective for lithium, a critical mineral currently listed for mineral resource assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys are being conducted to support these assessments by identifying shallow clays and brines, as well as through improving the shallow subsurface geologic framework of the regional fluid flow system. In 2022-2023, three focus areas with proven lithium resources or considered highly prospective for lithium are being surveyed. Results from this effort can help to improve our understanding of the geologic conditions and geophysical signatures associated with known resource regions and benefit future lithium resource assessments by identifying regions with similar geophysical and geologic characteristics.

Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah↗
USGS2014

Capacitively coupled and direct-current resistivity surveys of selected reaches of Cozad, Thirty-Mile, Orchard-Alfalfa, Kearney, and Outlet Canals in Nebraska, 2012-13

Understanding the spatial characteristics of leakage from canals is critical to effectively managing and utilizing water resources for irrigation and hydroelectric purposes. Canal leakage in some parts of Nebraska is the primary source of water for groundwater recharge and helps maintain the base flow of streams. Because surface-water supplies depend on the streamflow of the Platte River and the available water stored in upstream reservoirs, water managers seek to minimize conveyance losses, which can include canal leakage. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Central Platte Natural Resources District and Nebraska Public Power District, used capacitively coupled (CC) and direct-current (DC) resistivity techniques for continuous resistivity profiling to map near-surface lithologies near and underlying the Cozad, Thirty-Mile, Orchard-Alfalfa, Kearney, and Outlet Canals. Approximately 84 kilometers (km) of CC-resistivity data were collected along the five canals. The CC-resistivity data were compared with results from continuous sediment cores and electrical conductivity logs. Generally, the highest resistivities were recorded at the upstream reaches of the Cozad, Thirty-Mile, and Orchard-Alfalfa canals where flood-plain deposits of silt and clay mantle coarser channel deposits of sand and gravel. The finer grained deposits gradually thicken with increasing distance away from the Platte River. Consequently, for many surveyed reaches the thickness of fine-grained deposits exceeded the 8-meter depth of investigation. A detailed geophysical investigation along a 5-km reach of the Outlet Canal southwest of North Platte, Nebraska, used CC and DC resistivity to examine the condition of a compacted-core bank structure and characterized other potential controls on areas of focused seepage. CC-resistivity data, collected along the 5-km study reach, were compared with continuous sediment cores and DC-resistivity data collected near a selected seep near Outlet Canal mile post 15.55 along 5 separate profiles. DC-resistivity results were compared to a schematic cross section of the Outlet Canal north embankment that include the original surfaces and modifications to the compacted-core bank structure. Along the canal road south line, there is a transition from high resistivity at land surface to much lower resistivity near the estimated depth of the northern slope of the original compacted-core bank; however, the surveyed elevation of the water surface in the canal also is at this elevation. Along the canal road north line, there is a transition from high resistivity near land surface to lower resistivity at depth. Although the transition is rapid near the estimated depth of the first-modified bank slope, it also is coincident with the groundwater level measured in piezometer PZ-4. Currently (2013), it is unknown if the indicated changes in resistivity at these elevations was the effect of saturation of the underlying sediments or caused by the compacted-core bank.

Nebraska↗
USGS2010

Geophysical Logs, Specific Capacity, and Water Quality of Four Wells at Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) Property, North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, 2006-07

As part of technical assistance to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in the remediation of properties on the North Penn Area 6 Superfund Site in Lansdale, Pa., the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2006-07 collected data in four monitor wells at the Rogers Mechanical (former Tate Andale) property. During this period, USGS collected and analyzed borehole geophysical and video logs of three new monitor wells (Rogers 4, Rogers 5, and Rogers 6) ranging in depth from 80 to 180 feet, a borehole video log and additional heatpulse-flowmeter measurements (to quantify vertical borehole flow) in one existing 100-foot deep well (Rogers 3S), and water-level data during development of two wells (Rogers 5 and Rogers 6) to determine specific capacity. USGS also summarized results of passive-diffusion bag sampling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the four wells. These data were intended to help understand the groundwater system and the distribution of VOC contaminants in groundwater at the property.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2026

Monitoring reservoir processes at The Geysers geothermal field: Joint time-lapse acquisition and cooperative joint inversion of passive seismic and magnetotelluric data

To monitor time-lapse changes in reservoir water and steam concentrations, as well as subsurface flow in the geysers geothermal field in California, we implemented a multi-physics geophysical imaging approach. This approach utilized continuously monitored microseismic events coupled with repeat magnetotelluric (MT) observations. Travel time data from microseismic events recorded at surface stations were collected over an area of approximately 75 km² continuously from 2018 to 2023, alongside three repeat MT surveys conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The resulting seismic and MT data were inverted both separately and jointly to generate time-lapse images of geophysical properties that correspond to temporal changes in water and steam saturation within the reservoir, as well as flow paths and barriers. By correlating the geophysical images with known water injection and steam production volumes, we were able to calibrate the data and gain confidence in the results, which can now be applied throughout the reservoir where borehole data are unavailable. The joint imaging results, combined with reservoir data derived from borehole observations, allow for the interpretation of temporal changes in the reservoir. This enables the operator to optimize reservoir management and their drilling program.

California↗
USGS2010

Spatial Databases of Geological, Geophysical, and Mineral Resource Data Relevant to Sandstone-Hosted Copper Deposits in Central Kazakhstan

Central Kazakhstan is host to one of the world's giant sandstone-hosted copper deposits, the Dzhezkazgan deposit, and several similar, smaller deposits. The United Stated Geological Survey (USGS) is assessing the potential for other, undiscovered deposits of this type in the surrounding region of central Kazakhstan. As part of this effort, Syusyura compiled and partially translated an array of mostly unpublished geologic, geophysical, and mineral resource data for this region in digital format from the archives of the former Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (of which Kazakhstan was one of the member republics until its dissolution in 1991), as well as from later archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan or of the Kazakhstan consulting firm Mining Economic Consulting (MEC). These digital data are primarily map-based displays of information that were transmitted either in ESRI ArcGIS, georeferenced format, or non-georeferenced map image files. Box and Wallis reviewed all the data, translated Cyrillic text where necessary, inspected the maps for consistency, georeferenced the unprojected map images, and reorganized the data into the filename and folder structure of this publication.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2017

Sediment data collected in 2014 and 2015 from around Breton and Gosier Islands, Breton National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Breton Island, located at the southern end of the Chandeleur Islands, supports one of Louisiana’s largest historical brown pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) nesting colonies. Although the brown pelican was delisted as an endangered species in 2009, nesting areas are threatened by continued land loss and are extremely vulnerable to storm impacts. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to restore Breton Island to pre-Hurricane Katrina conditions through rebuilding the shoreface, dune, and back-barrier marsh environments. Prior to restoration, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Geologic and Morphologic Evolution of Coastal Margins project collected high-resolution geophysical (topography, bathymetry, and sub-bottom profiles) and sedimentologic data from around Breton Island to characterize the geologic framework of the island platform, nearshore, and shelf environments. These data will be used to characterize the geologic framework around Breton Island, identify potential borrow areas for restoration efforts, quantify seafloor change, and provide information for sediment transport and morphologic change models to assess island response to restoration and natural processes. This report, along with the accompanying USGS data release, serves as an archive of sediment data from vibracores, push cores, and submerged grab samples collected from around Breton and Gosier Islands, Louisiana, during two surveys conducted in July 2014 and January 2015 (USGS Field Activity Numbers 2014–314–FA and 2014–336–FA, respectively). Sedimentologic and stratigraphic metrics (for example, sediment texture or unit thicknesses) derived from these data can be used to ground-truth the geophysical data and characterize potential sand resources or can be incorporated into sediment transport or morphologic change models. Data products, including sample location tables, descriptive core logs, core photographs and x-radiographs, results of sediment grain-size analyses, and geographic information system data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata can be downloaded from the accompanying data release.

Louisiana↗
USGS1988

Geophysical logs and hydrologic data for eight wells in the Coyote Spring Valley area, Clark and Lincoln counties, Nevada

Geophysical logs, drilling operations, pump-test data, and water quality determinations are presented for eight wells in the Coyote Spring Valley area of southeastern Nevada. The wells are in an area where thick units of Paleozoic carbonate rock are overlain by Tertiary semiconsolidated basin-fill deposits and Quaternary alluvial deposits. Data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey were augmented with data from previous investigations; however, complete sets of logs and other data are not available for all eight wells. Geophysical data presented included natural-gamma, neutron, gamma-gamma density, caliper, temperature, acoustic, single-point resistance, long- and short-natural resistivity, and spontaneous-potential logs. Drilling penetration rates, lithologic columns, and well construction are also summarized and presented. Measurements of drawdown and recovery during and after constant-discharge pumping periods are also included. Also presented are results of chemical and physical analyses for major-ion chemistry, trace constituents, stable and radioactive isotopes, temperature, pH, specific conductance, and dissolved oxygen. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS1994

Map showing seismicity and sandblows in the vicinity of New Madrid, Missouri

This is one of a series of five seismotectic maps of the seismically active New Madrid, Missouri, area (table 1; Wheeler and others, 1992). The map area centers near the sites of three great earthquakes that struck during the winter of 1811-12 (Fuller, 1912; Nuttli, 1973). These earthquakes and continuing subsequent seismicity rank the New Madrid area with Cherlevoix, Quebec, as the two most seismically active areas in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The threat posed by New Madrid seismicity to the central United States makes the area the focus of many investigations (for examples, Heyl and McKeown, 1978; McKeown and Pakiser, 1982; Algemissen and Hopper, 1984; Hamilton and Johnston, 1990; Applied Technology Council, 1991; Johnston and others, 1992). The map area includes the most intense seismic activity in the New Madrid region. A seismotectic map shows some of the geologic and geophysical information needed to assess seismic hazard (Hadley and Devine, 1974; Pavoni, 1985). A previous seismotectonic map of the central Mississippi River valley (Heyl and McKeown, 1978) has had wide use for planning field surveys, as a base map for plotting data collected during single investigations, and for compiling a range of information. Since 1978 numcrous researchers have greatly advanced our knowledge of the geology and geophysics of the central Mississippi Valley. The New Madrid seismotectonic map folio updates approximately the south-central sixth of the central Mississippi Valley seismotectonic map of Heyl and McKeown (1978).

Missouri↗