SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Research Paper”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,315 records · Page 73Linked to original sources

USGS1977

Ice on rivers and lakes: a bibliographic essay

Ice on rivers and lakes has many important influences on design and construction of structures, operation of shipping, flow and circulation, water quality, and other factors related to the use of the water resources. Human interest in understanding these influences has led to many programs of data collection, research, and investigations for a century or more. The body of literature reporting on these studies includes several thousand items in textbooks, proceedings, journals, and technical reports. By far, the largest part of the studies were in the United States, Canada, and the Soviet Union. For the sake of this bibliography, the literature can be classified as dealing with basic characteristics of ice; freezing and melting processes and their prediction and control on rivers, and on lakes; effects of river and lake ice on navigation, flow, and structures; and influences of ice on chemical, biological, and the thermal characteristics of water quality. This bibliography cites about 750 publications dealing with ice. Literature prior to the mid 1960's is summarized in several earlier bibliographies, and therefore this paper concentrates mainly on work over the past decade or so, plus some background from a few earlier reports. The body of literature is large, and this bibliography is not exhaustive; it does provide, however, a representative cross section of the scope of recent work in the field.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2000

U.S. Geological Survey, remote sensing, and geoscience data: Using standards to serve us all

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) advocates the use of standards with geosciences and remotely sensed data and metadata for its own purposes and those of its customers. In activities that range from archiving data to making a product, the incorporation of standards makes these functions repeatable and understandable. More important, when accepted standards are followed, data discovery and sharing can be more efficient and the overall value to society can be expanded. The USGS archives many terabytes of digital geoscience and remotely sensed data. Several million photographs are also available to the research community. To manage these vast holdings and ensure that strict preservation and high usability criteria are observed, the USGS uses standards within the archival, data management, public access and ordering, and data distribution areas. The USGS uses Federal and international standards in performing its role as the U.S. National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive and in its mission as the long-term archive and production center for aerial photographs and cartographic data covering the United States.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2005

Revised magnitude-bound relation for the Wabash Valley seismic zone of the central United States

Seismic hazard assessment in the central United States, and in particular the Wabash Valley seismic zone of Indiana-Illinois, frequently relies on empirical estimates of paleoearthquake magnitudes ( M ). In large part these estimates have been made using the magnitude-bound method. Existing region-specific magnitude-bound relations rely heavily on only a few historical earthquakes in the central United States and eastern Canada that induced reported liquefaction features. Recent seismological studies have suggested smaller magnitudes than previously presumed for some of these earthquakes, however, and other studies have reinterpreted site-to-source distances to liquefaction features associated with some of these earthquakes. In this paper, we re-examine historical earthquakes ( M > ∼5) that occurred in the central and eastern United States and eastern Canada; some of these earthquakes triggered liquefaction and others did not. Based on our findings, we reinterpret the region-specific magnitude-bound relation for the Wabash Valley. Using this revised magnitude-bound relation, we present magnitude estimates for four prehistoric earthquakes that occurred in the Wabash Valley seismic zone during Holocene time.

Illinois, Indiana↗

USGS1984

MAJOR SOURCE OF NEW RADAR DATA FOR EXPLORATION RESEARCH.

In 1980, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated a program to acquire high-quality, side-looking, airborne-radar (SLAR) imagery of selected areas of the United States. The program goals were to demonstrate the usefulness of SLAR imagery for geologic exploration and geoscience applications and to make radar data readily available to the public for additional research and economic applications. Considerable SLAR imagery has been acquired already since 1980 under a mandate from the U. S. Congress. The U. S. Geological Survey is actively engaged in demonstrating the usefulness of radar imagery, and since 1980 has started more than 50 studies addressing geologic, cartographic, and hydrologic applications. All of the radar-imagery products acquired by the USGS during 1980 and 1982 have been archived and are available for public sale.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2015

Dune management challenges on developed coasts

From October 26-28, 2015, nearly 100 members of the coastal management and research communities met in Kitty Hawk, NC, USA to bridge the apparent gap between the coastal dune research of scientists and engineers and the needs of coastal management practitioners. The workshop aimed to identify the challenges involved in building and managing dunes on developed coasts, assess the extent to which scientific knowledge can be applied to the management community, and identify approaches to provide means to bridge the gap between needs and potential solutions.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2006

Spirit rover localization and topographic mapping at the landing site of Gusev crater, Mars

By sol 440, the Spirit rover has traversed a distance of 3.76 km (actual distance traveled instead of odometry). Localization of the lander and the rover along the traverse has been successfully performed at the Gusev crater landing site. We localized the lander in the Gusev crater using two-way Doppler radio positioning and cartographic triangulations through landmarks visible in both orbital and ground images. Additional high-resolution orbital images were used to verify the determined lander position. Visual odometry and bundle adjustment technologies were applied to compensate for wheel slippage, azimuthal angle drift, and other navigation errors (which were as large as 10.5% in the Husband Hill area). We generated topographic products, including 72 ortho maps and three-dimensional (3-D) digital terrain models, 11 horizontal and vertical traverse profiles, and one 3-D crater model (up to sol 440). Also discussed in this paper are uses of the data for science operations planning, geological traverse surveys, surveys of wind-related features, and other science applications.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

USGS1998

High-resolution Monte Carlo simulation of flow and conservative transport in heterogeneous porous media: 1. Methodology and flow results

In this, the first of two papers concerned with the use of numerical simulation to examine flow and transport parameters in heterogeneous porous media via Monte Carlo methods, various aspects of the modelling effort are examined. In particular, the need to save on core memory causes one to use only specific realizations that have certain initial characteristics; in effect, these transport simulations are conditioned by these characteristics. Also, the need to independently estimate length scales for the generated fields is discussed. The statistical uniformity of the flow field is investigated by plotting the variance of the seepage velocity for vector components in the x , y , and z directions. Finally, specific features of the velocity field itself are illuminated in this first paper. In particular, these data give one the opportunity to investigate the effective hydraulic conductivity in a flow field which is approximately statistically uniform; comparisons are made with first- and second-order perturbation analyses. The mean cloud velocity is examined to ascertain whether it is identical to the mean seepage velocity of the model. Finally, the variance in the cloud centroid velocity is examined for the effect of source size and differing strengths of local transverse dispersion.

Water Resources Research↗

USGS1968

Disposable syringe techniques for obtaining small quantities of pore water from unconsolidated sediments

Disposable plastic syringes, fitted with screen discs and circles of filter paper, can be used to extract small amounts of pore water from unconsolidated sediments. A wooden screw frame or large C clamp supplies pressure for field use. Supplementary techniques enable small volumes of fluid to be recovered and handled easily. The Goldberg compensating refractometer provides a useful companion tool for field studies. It can determine, in less than a minute, total dissolved solids in brackish to salt waters to an accuracy of 0.5 parts per thousand on a drop of fluid.

Journal of Sedimentary Research↗

USGS1997

U.S. Geological Survey studies of water co-produced with oil and gas: Implications for future petroleum resource development

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting research on the impacts of produced waters on petroleum resource development and the environment. Ongoing multidisciplinary investigations are focused on the 1) quantity and quality of current water production, 2) geologic and geochemical parameters that influence the viability of injection wells, and 3) processes that affect the dispersion of inorganic and organic constituents of produced water that are released into the surface and near-surface environment.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2008

Improvements in the use of aquatic herbicides and establishment of future research directions

Peer-reviewed literature over the past 20 years identifies significant changes and improvements in chemical control strategies used to manage nuisance submersed vegetation. The invasive exotic plants hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata L.f. Royle) and Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) continue to spread and remain the plant species of greatest concern for aquatic resource managers at the national scale. Emerging exotic weeds of regional concern such as egeria (Egeria densa Planch.), curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus L.), and hygrophila (Hygrophila polysperma (Roxb.) T. Anders), as well as native plants such as variable watermilfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum Michx), and cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana Gray) are invasive outside their home ranges. In addition, there is always the threat of new plant introductions such as African elodea (Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss) or narrow-leaf anacharis (Egeria najas Planchon). The registration of the bleaching herbicide fluridone in the mid 1980s for whole-lake and large-scale management stimulated numerous lines of research involving reduction of use rates, plant selectivity, residue monitoring, and impacts on fisheries. In addition to numerous advances, the specificity of fluridone for a single plant enzyme led to the first documented case of herbicide resistance in aquatic plant management. The resistance of hydrilla to fluridone has stimulated a renewed interest by industry and others in the registration of alternative modes of action for aquatic use. These newer chemistries tend to be enzyme-specific compounds with favorable non-target toxicity profiles. Registration efforts have been facilitated by increased cooperation between key federal government agencies that have aquatic weed control and research responsibilities, and regulators within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). We reviewed past and current research efforts to identify areas in need of further investigation and to establish priorities for future research directions in chemical management of submersed plants. The priorities we identified include: (A) improving methods for evaluating non-target impacts of herbicides with an emphasis on threatened and endangered species, or species of special concern; (B) improving herbicide performance in flowing-water environments, including irrigation canals; (C) screening and developing new herbicides to supplement fluridone for large-scale or whole-lake management approaches; (D) screening and developing new organic algaecides to supplement the use of copper-based compounds; (E) developing risk assessment tools to educate the public on the risks of invasive species and chemical management options; (F) increasing cooperative research with ecologists and fisheries scientists to evaluate the long-term impacts of invasive species introductions and herbicide programs on native plant assemblages, water quality, and fish populations; and (G) improving the integration of chemical control technology with other aquatic plant management disciplines. While circumstances may dictate setting new priorities or dropping current ones, the list we have generated represents our vision of the needs that will require the greatest focus over the next several years.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2017

Overview of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission collaborative research program to assess tsunami hazard for nuclear power plants on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts

In response to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) initiated a long-term research program to improve understanding of tsunami hazard levels for nuclear facilities in the United States. For this effort, the US NRC organized a collaborative research program with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with a goal of assessing tsunami hazard on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. Necessarily, the US NRC research program includes both seismic- and landslide-based tsunamigenic sources in both the near and the far fields. The inclusion of tsunamigenic landslides, an important category of sources that impact tsunami hazard levels for the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts is a key difference between this program and most other tsunami hazard assessment programs. The initial phase of this work consisted of collection, interpretation, and analysis of available offshore data, with significant effort focused on characterizing offshore near-field landslides and analyzing their tsunamigenic potential and properties. In the next phase of research, additional field investigations will be conducted in key locations of interest and additional analysis will be undertaken. Simultaneously, the MOST tsunami generation and propagation model used by NOAA will first be enhanced to include landslide-based initiation mechanisms and then will be used to investigate the impact of the tsunamigenic sources identified and characterized by the USGS. The potential for probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment will also be explore in the final phases of the program.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2002

Rangeland health attributes and indicators for qualitative assessment

Panels of experts from the Society for Range Management and the National Research Council proposed that status of rangeland ecosystems could be ascertained by evaluating an ecological site's potential to conserve soil resources and by a series of indicators for ecosystem processes and site stability. Using these recommendations as a starting point, we developed a rapid, qualitative method for assessing a moment-in-time status of rangelands. Evaluators rate 17 indicators to assess 3 ecosystem attributes (soil and site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity) for a given location. Indicators include rills, water flow patterns, pedestals and terracettes, bare ground, gullies, wind scour and depositional areas, litter movement, soil resistance to erosion, soil surface loss or degradation, plant composition relative to infiltration, soil compaction, plant functional/structural groups, plant mortality, litter amount, annual production, invasive plants, and reproductive capability. In this paper, we detail the development and evolution of the technique and introduce a modified ecological reference worksheet that documents the expected presence and amount of each indicator on the ecological site. In addition, we review the intended applications for this technique and clarify the differences between assessment and monitoring that lead us to recommend this technique be used for moment-in-time assessments and not be used for temporal monitoring of rangeland status. Lastly, we propose a mechanism for adapting and modifying this technique to reflect improvements in understanding of ecosystem processes. We support the need for quantitative measures for monitoring rangeland health and propose some measures that we believe may address some of the 17 indicators.

Journal of Range Management↗

USGS2019

Seismic and acoustic signatures of surficial mass movements at volcanoes

Surficial mass movements, such as debris avalanches, rock falls, lahars, pyroclastic flows, and outburst floods, are a dominant hazard at many volcanoes worldwide. Understanding these processes, cataloging their spatio-temporal occurrence, and detecting, tracking, and characterizing these events would advance the science of volcano monitoring and help mitigate hazards. Seismic and acoustic methods show promise for achieving these objectives: many surficial mass movements generate observable seismic and acoustic signals, and many volcanoes are already monitored. Significant progress has been made toward understanding, modeling, and extracting quantitative information from seismic and infrasonic signals generated by surficial mass movements. However, much work remains. In this paper, we review the state of the art of the topic, covering a range of scales and event types from individual rock falls to sector collapses. We consider a full variety of volcanic settings, from submarine to subaerial, shield volcano to stratovolcano. Finally, we discuss future directions toward operational seismo-acoustic monitoring of surficial mass movements at volcanoes.

Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research↗

USGS2012

Fuel treatment impacts on estimated wildfire carbon loss from forests in Montana, Oregon, California, and Arizona

Using forests to sequester carbon in response to anthropogenically induced climate change is being considered across the globe. A recent U.S. executive order mandated that all federal agencies account for sequestration and emissions of greenhouse gases, highlighting the importance of understanding how forest carbon stocks are influenced by wildfire. This paper reports the effects of the most common forest fuel reduction treatments on carbon pools composed of live and dead biomass as well as potential wildfire emissions from six different sites in four western U.S. states. Additionally, we predict the median forest product life spans and uses of materials removed during mechanical treatments. Carbon loss from modeled wildfire-induced tree mortality was lowest in the mechanical plus prescribed fire treatments, followed by the prescribed fire-only treatments. Wildfire emissions varied from 10–80 Mg/ha and were lowest in the prescribed fire and mechanical followed by prescribed fire treatments at most sites. Mean biomass removals per site ranged from approximately 30–60 dry Mg/ha; the median lives of products in first use varied considerably (from <10 to >50 years). Our research suggests most of the benefits of increased fire resistance can be achieved with relatively small reductions in current carbon stocks. Retaining or growing larger trees also reduced the vulnerability of carbon loss from wildfire. In addition, modeled vulnerabilities to carbon losses and median forest product life spans varied considerably across our study sites, which could be used to help prioritize treatment implementation.

California, Oregon, Montana, Arizona↗

USGS2002

U.S. Geological Survey spatial data access

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has done a progress review on improving access to its spatial data holdings over the Web. The USGS EROS Data Center has created three major Web-based interfaces to deliver spatial data to the general public; they are Earth Explorer, the Seamless Data Distribution System (SDDS), and the USGS Web Mapping Portal. Lessons were learned in developing these systems, and various resources were needed for their implementation. The USGS serves as a fact-finding agency in the U.S. Government that collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific information about natural resource conditions and issues. To carry out its mission, the USGS has created and managed spatial data since its inception. Originally relying on paper maps, the USGS now uses advanced technology to produce digital representations of the Earth’s features. The spatial products of the USGS include both source and derivative data. Derivative datasets include Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQ), Digital Elevation Models, Digital Line Graphs, land-cover Digital Raster Graphics, and the seamless National Elevation Dataset. These products, created with automated processes, use aerial photographs, satellite images, or other cartographic information such as scanned paper maps as source data. With Earth Explorer, users can search multiple inventories through metadata queries and can browse satellite and DOQ imagery. They can place orders and make payment through secure credit card transactions. Some USGS spatial data can be accessed with SDDS. The SDDS uses an ArcIMS map service interface to identify the user’s areas of interest and determine the output format; it allows the user to either download the actual spatial data directly for small areas or place orders for larger areas to be delivered on media. The USGS Web Mapping Portal provides views of national and international datasets through an ArcIMS map service interface. In addition, the map portal posts news about new map services available from the USGS, many simultaneously published on the Environmental Systems Research Institute Geography Network. These three information systems use new software tools and expanded hardware to meet the requirements of the users. The systems are designed to handle the required workload and are relatively easy to enhance and maintain. The software tools give users a high level of functionality and help the system conform to industry standards. The hardware and software architecture is designed to handle the large amounts of spatial data and Internet traffic required by the information systems. Last, customer support was needed to answer questions, monitor e-mail, and report customer problems.

Journal of Geospatial Engineering↗

USGS2005

The manly map: the English construction of gender in early modern cartography

Questions of gender in cartography most often focus on the sex of people involved in the cartographic process. These areas of research include the history of women cartographers (Tyner 1997: 46; Ritzlin 1989: 5; Hudson 1989: 29), the cartography of issues centered on women (Seager and Olson 1986; Seager et al. 1997; Rocheleau et al. 1995: 62), and women in the cartographic labor force (McHaffie 1996). Such studies examine the experiences of men and women in map-making, but not the map itself. When studies have addressed gender and contemporary map design qualities, the focus has been on cognitive aspects of and potential differences between the sexes in the cartographic process of making, analyzing, or reading maps (Golledge and Gilmartin 1986; Gilmartin and Patton 1984). Such studies tend to polarize the experience of gender in cartography as either male or female, when in fact people display properties of both genders. This paper examines facets of the historical basis of contemporary cartographic design principles, especially where these principles are gendered. By examining gender as social constructions of femininity and masculinity and how they have been incorporated into mapping, instead of as the interaction of individuals with maps (although sexual stereotypes act predominantly on individuals on the basis of their sex), we more closely approach the complex array of skills and relationships within which people live, while gaining insight into the stereotypical experiences of individuals. The premise is that early modern map design was not gender neutral in terms of broader social forces shaping gender identity. Historical evidence suggests that modern cartographic design principles originated along the lines of ideals of masculinity.

Book chapter↗

USGS2002

Mars Geodesy/Cartography Working Group recommendations on Mars cartographic constants and coordinate systems

NASA's Mars Geodesy/Cartography Working Group (MGCWG), established in 1998 and chaired since 2000 by one of us (TCD), consists of leading researchers in planetary geodesy and cartography at such diverse institutions as JPL, NASA Ames and Goddard Centers, Purdue and Ohio State Universities, Malin Space Science Systems, the German Center for Aerospace Research DLR, and the US Geological Survey, as well as representatives of the current and future Mars mission teams that are the customers for Mars maps. The purpose of the group is the coordinate the activities of the many agencies active in Mars geodesy and cartography in order to minimize redundant effort and ensure that the products needed by mission customers are generated. A specific objectives has been to avoid repeating the experience of the 1970s-80s, when competing researchers produced geodetic control solutions and maps of Mars that were mutually inconsistent. To this end, the MGCWG has recently assembled a set of preferred values for Mars cartographic constants, based on the best available data. These values have been transmitted to the International Astronomical Union and appear in the report of the IAU/IAG Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements of the Planets and Satellites as the officially recommended constants for Mars (Seidelmann et al., 2002). The MGCWG has also recommended to NASA that the USGS adopt the IAU-approved coordinate system of planetocentric latitude and east longitude for future maps of Mars, in the place of the (also IAU-approved) planetographic system with west longitude positive. This recommendation has recently been approved by NASA. In this paper we present the preferred values for Mars cartographic constants with discussion of the process by which they were derived, then discuss the rationale and implications of the use of east/planetocentric coordinates in future Mars maps.

Conference Paper↗

USGS1993

The role of acoustic emission in the study of rock fracture

The development of faults and shear fracture systems over a broad range of temperature and pressure and for a variety of rock types involves the growth and interaction of microcracks. Acoustic emission (AE), which is produced by rapid microcrack growth, is a ubiquitous phenomenon associated with brittle fracture and has provided a wealth of information regarding the failure process in rock. This paper reviews the successes and limitations of AE studies as applied to the fracture process in rock with emphasis on our ability to predict rock failure. Application of laboratory AE studies to larger scale problems related to the understanding of earthquake processes is also discussed. In this context, laboratory studies can be divided into the following categories. 1) Simple counting of the number of AE events prior to sample failure shows a correlation between AE rate and inelastic strain rate. Additional sorting of events by amplitude has shown that AE events obey the power law frequency-magnitude relation observed for earthquakes. These cumulative event count techniques are being used in conjunction with damage mechanics models to determine how damage accumulates during loading and to predict failure. 2) A second area of research involves the location of hypocenters of AE source events. This technique requires precise arrival time data of AE signals recorded over an array of sensors that are essentially a miniature seismic net. Analysis of the spatial and temporal variation of event hypocenters has improved our understanding of the progression of microcrack growth and clustering leading to rock failure. Recently, fracture nucleation and growth have been studied under conditions of quasi-static fault propagation by controlling stress to maintain constant AE rate. 3) A third area of study involves the analysis of full waveform data as recorded at receiver sites. One aspect of this research has been to determine fault plane solutions of AE source events from first motion data. These studies show that in addition to pure tensile and double couple events, a significant number of more complex event types occur in the period leading to fault nucleation. 4) P and S wave velocities (including spatial variations) and attenuation have been obtained by artificially generating acoustic pulses which are modified during passage through the sample. ?? 1993.

International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining↗