Geology Reports⌕ Search

SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Geoenergy Science and Engineering”

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.

1,693 records · Page 77Linked to original sources
USGS2026

Wavelet Inversion for SliP (WISP): Open-source earthquake slip modeling software

Models of the spatiotemporal evolution of earthquake slip, termed finite-fault models, are a critical component of rapid earthquake and tsunami response, earthquake forecasting, seismic ground-motion estimates, and studies of earthquake kinematics. Here, we detail a newly released finite-fault modeling software, Wavelet Inversion for SliP (WISP), in use at the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) and available to the public. WISP version 1.1.0 allows inversion of teleseismic body and surface waves, as well as local strong-motion, static and dynamic Global Navigation Satellite System, and satellite imagery (e.g., Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) observations on single or multiple planar fault segments. The software is used in NEIC rapid response of earthquakes M w ≥ 7, generally resulting in a published model within the first few hours after the event origin time. The rupture location and dimensions are then used as inputs to downstream products to estimate earthquake shaking, predict loss, and model the likelihood of secondary hazards, namely landslides and liquefaction. WISP is also used in research studies to evaluate the characteristics of complex ruptures including multifault ruptures and earthquake doublets, among others. The WISP version 1.1.0 software release is composed of Python-wrapped FORTRAN code to accomplish the inversion procedure. A simple command line interface facilitates ease of use even for those with only a cursory knowledge of Python scripting. WISP version 1.1.0 includes a Jupyter Notebook tutorial demonstrating use of the software for modeling the 2015 M w 8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquake. In parallel with the tutorial, we demonstrate the typical usage of the WISP software using the M w 8.3 Illapel earthquake example here.

Seismological Research Letters↗
USGS2026

Lithium brine potential of North Dakota: Results from the 2025 sampling program

Lithium (Li), classified as a critical mineral and key in energy storage applications because of its high energy density, faces unprecedented demand. This has driven interest in unconventional sources of Li, especially brines from sedimentary basins. Accordingly, the spatial distribution of basinal brinehosted Li resources across North America is becoming better defined, including the Williston Basin underlying Saskatchewan, Canada. This has led to growing investment and exploration by industry throughout the 2020s; however, despite this interest, the Li potential of basinal brines of the Williston Basin in North Dakota remain underexplored. This work presents the results from the 2025 joint brine sampling campaign between the North Dakota Geological Survey, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and The University of Texas at Austin. Twenty-seven fluid samples were collected from producing oil and water source wells from eight stratigraphic intervals across western North Dakota and analyzed for major cation and anion concentrations. Similar to southeastern Saskatchewan, the highest Li concentrations were identified in the Devonian Duperow Formation, with concentrations up to 179 mg/L being observed in a well commingled between the Duperow and Red River Formations. Some samples from the overlying Birdbear Formation exceeded 75 mg/L, whereas Li concentrations were lower in the Madison Group (33-44 mg/L) and the Three Forks (50 mg/L), Dawson Bay (43 mg/L), Winnipegosis (23 mg/L), and Red River (40.0 mg/L) Formations. This work indicates Li resource potential exists across the Williston Basin and advances our understanding of the Li distribution in basinal brines which could provide a new domestic source of this critical mineral.

North Dakota↗
USGS2025

An empirical Green’s function approach for isolating directivity effects in earthquake ground-motion amplitudes

In this study, we apply an empirical Green’s function (eGf) method within a ground‐motion modeling framework to mitigate trade‐offs between source, path, and site effects. Many physical processes contribute to spatial variations in observed ground motions, including earthquake radiation pattern, directivity, variable path attenuation, and site effects. Current nonergodic ground‐motion models use spatially varying coefficients for path and site effects, but they do not address trade‐offs with complex earthquake source effects. To quantify the influence of directivity on ground‐motion amplitudes, we use records from multiple smaller earthquakes with epicenters near that of a larger event. We use these small magnitude events as eGfs and estimate repeatable path and site effects at individual stations, assuming that the average adjustments are not controlled by directivity. We adjust residuals from the larger earthquake using the eGf terms, isolating effects related to the rupture. This method clearly enhances the observed broadband directivity observed in the 2022 M 5.1 and 2007 M 5.4 Alum Rock earthquake ground motions, reinforcing the conclusion that their ruptures were unilateral. For the 2004 M 6.0 Parkfield earthquake, we find a bilateral rupture model better fits the data because variations in rupture velocity, slip rate, and slip distribution seem to have a stronger effect on the ground motions than rupture direction alone. Applying eGf adjustments reduces the standard deviation of the rupture models over the three earthquakes by 32% on average and by up to 57% for the 2022 Alum Rock earthquake, confirming we have effectively removed repeatable effects related to the wave propagation path and site response. We propose a novel measure of the frequency‐dependent directivity amplification strength as the reduction in ground‐motion residual variability gained by fitting a directivity model; for the three earthquakes considered, this parameter varies between 25% and 75%, indicating that directivity can strongly influence ground motions and should be considered in ground‐motion modeling.

California↗
USGS2026

Preface to the focus section on intraplate earthquakes

More than a half century after plate tectonics provided an overarching framework to explain earthquakes along active plate boundaries, numerous theories have been proposed to explain where, why, and how often earthquakes occur well away from active plate boundaries, but a paradigm remains elusive. Even the classification of earthquakes away from active plate boundaries as "intraplate" raises issues, with potentially important distinctions between Stable Continental Regions and more actively deforming regions including passive margins and failed rifts. Some of the largest known intraplate earthquakes themselves remain enigmatic, having occurred before the modern instrumental era. Hazard assessments are often data-limited: low fault-slip rates relative to landscape modification rates result in poor discoverability of fault sources, challenging the characterization of source zones and earthquake recurrence; the completeness and homogenization of instrumental earthquake catalogs using uncertain magnitude conversions can lead to uncertainties in earthquake recurrence; and, limited strong-motion observations for large-magnitude events at near-source distances leads to uncertainties in the selection and development of ground-motion models for seismic hazard studies. Data from recent intraplate earthquakes around the world—from the moment magnitude M 7.7 2001 Bhuj, India, earthquake 25 years ago to the 2024 M 4.8 Tewksbury, New Jersey earthquake—have yielded both new insights and new questions. The papers in this special focus discuss many of the long-standing challenges involved with intraplate earthquake investigations and provide a snapshot of the state of the art with current research to advance our understanding.

Seismological Research Letters↗
USGS2024

Vulnerability assessment of groundwater influenced ecosystems in the Northeastern United States

Groundwater-influenced ecosystems (GIEs) are increasingly vulnerable due to groundwater extraction, land-use practices, and climate change. These ecosystems receive groundwater inflow as a portion of their baseflow or water budget, which can maintain water levels, water temperature, and chemistry necessary to sustain the biodiversity that they support. In some systems (e.g., springs, seeps, fens), this connection with groundwater is central to the system’s integrity and persistence. Groundwater management decisions for human use often do not consider the ecological effects of those actions on GIEs. This disparity can be attributed, in part, to a lack of information regarding the physical relationships these systems have with the surrounding landscape and climate, which may influence the environmental conditions and associated biodiversity. We estimate the vulnerability of areas predicted to be highly suitable for the presence of GIEs based on watershed (U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Unit Code 12 watersheds: 24–100 km 2 ) and pixel (30 m × 30 m pixels) resolution in the Atlantic Highlands and Mixed Wood Plains EPA Level II Ecoregions in the northeastern United States. We represent vulnerability with variables describing adaptive capacity (topographic wetness index, hydric soil, physiographic diversity), exposure (climatic niche), and sensitivity (aquatic barriers, proportion urbanized or agriculture). Vulnerability scores indicate that ~26% of GIEs were within 30 m of areas with moderate vulnerability. Within these GIEs, climate exposure is an important contributor to vulnerability of 40% of the areas, followed by land use (19%, agriculture or urbanized). There are few areas predicted to be suitable for GIEs that are also predicted to be highly vulnerable, and of those, climate exposure is the most important contributor to their vulnerability. Persistence of GIEs in the northeastern United States may be challenged as changes in the amount and timing of precipitation and increasing air temperatures attributed to climate change affect the groundwater that sustains these systems.

Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine↗
USGS2024

Perspectives on transportable array Alaska background noise levels

Background seismic noise fundamentally sets a lower bound on our ability to record signals arising from earthquakes. The background noise spectrum at a station is a combination of cultural noise, ocean-generated microseism noise, intrinsic instrument self-noise, and the sensitivity of the instrument to nonseismic noise sources. The USArray-Transportable Array Alaska deployed 195 stations across Alaska and parts of Canada (Yukon, British Columbia, and Northwest Territories). These stations were all installed using similar techniques and made use of instruments with similar self-noise levels. As such, this network provides an opportunity to look at how geographic location influences seismic background. Using these broadband stations, we report background noise levels from 0.2 to 75 s period in six discrete bands. By constructing “noise maps,” we depict both spatial and temporal changes in the background noise field. Using these maps, combined with targeted analysis, we infer sources and contributing factors to noise levels in these different period bands. These include cultural noise, the formation of sea ice, seasonal changes in permafrost and wave activity in the Gulf of Alaska, and magnetic field variability. We use this study as an opportunity to review several previous studies examining seismic noise in Arctic regions.

Book chapter↗
USGS2025

Solution-collapse breccia pipe uranium deposits of the southern Colorado Plateau, northwestern Arizona, USA

Some of the highest-grade uranium deposits in the United States occur in breccia pipes that formed by solution and collapse of sedimentary strata, which occur in the southern portion of the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona. The host breccia pipes are up to 1200 m in vertical extent, average about 90 m in diameter, and can cross-cut strata from their base in the Mississippian Redwall Limestone to as stratigraphically high on some plateaus as the Triassic Chinle Formation. These uranium-base metal deposits are up to 600 m thick and formed within the breccia pipes where they transect the Permian Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Formation, and the Esplanade Sandstone. Of the hundreds of breccia pipes identified across this region, only a small percentage are known to contain mineralization. The main uranium ore mineral is uraninite that is intergrown with at least 20 base-metal sulfide minerals, which contribute Fe, Cu, Co, As, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Ag to the deposits. This study considered regional stratigraphy, sulfur isotope systematics, mineralogy, in situ dating, and compilation and analysis of previous work on the deposits. A comprehensive deposit model has not been published for these deposits. This analysis identified new additions to update the deposit model for these unusual, possibly unique deposits. Proposed modifications to the model include: (1) the source, mechanisms, timing of the base-metal sulfide mineral assemblages, and (2) the source, mechanism, and timing of the uranium mineralization. Sulfide and uranium deposition are shown to be separate mineralization events. The study proposes the possible role of gypsum as a source of sulfur for the sulfide minerals in the deposits. Groundwaters carrying uranium encountered the preexisting sulfides in breccia pipes, reducing the uranyl ions, and precipitating U oxide (as uraninite). Analysis of the regional stratigraphy recognized that numerous beds of gypsum are in the strata that lie only tens of meters above the breccia pipe deposits. In the breccia pipe region, if these stratigraphic units (Toroweap and Kaibab Formations) do not contain gypsum layers then the underlying pipes are not mineralized; where these Permian gypsum layers do occur, breccia pipes can host mineralization. This new understanding should be useful in identifying the prospective region for mineralized pipes.

Arizona↗
USGS2024

Utility of an instantaneous salt dilution method for measuring streamflow in headwater streams

Streamflow records are biased toward large streams and rivers, yet small headwater streams are often the focus of ecological research in response to climate change. Conventional flow measurement instruments such as acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs) do not perform well during low-flow conditions in small streams, truncating the development of rating curves during critical baseflow conditions dominated by groundwater inflow. We revisited an instantaneous solute tracer injection method as an alternative to ADVs based on paired measurements to compare their precision, efficiency, and feasibility within headwater streams across a range of flow conditions. We show that the precision of discharge measurements using salt dilution by slug injection and ADV methods were comparable overall, but salt dilution was more precise during the lowest flows and required less time to implement. Often, headwater streams were at or below the depth threshold where ADV measurements could even be attempted and transects were complicated by coarse bed material and cobbles. We discuss the methodological benefits and limitations of salt dilution by slug injection and conclude that the method could facilitate a proliferation of streamflow observation across headwater stream networks that are highly undersampled compared to larger streams.

Virginia↗
USGS2025

RioM-1: A new calcite reference material for U-Pb LA-ICP-MS geochronology

Determining absolute ages of carbonate diagenesis, faulting, fossil formation, speleothem growth, carbonate-hosted hydrocarbon deposits, vein mineralisation and hydrothermal alteration has become increasingly accessible through LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of calcite, complementing traditional isotope dilution methods still applicable to certain materials (e.g., speleothems via micro-drilling). However, well-calibrated reference materials for LA-ICP-MS calcite geochronology remain scarce. Here, we characterise the Rio Maior calcite, designated ‘RioM-1’, as a potential reference material for U-Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS. Fragments (0.1 to 1 cm 3 ) from a single scalenohedral crystal were analysed by ID-TIMS (U-Pb), LA-ICP-MS (U-Pb and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr), and SIMS (O isotopes). RioM-1 displays high U mass fraction and low, though variable, proportions of common Pb. Combined ID-TIMS analyses from two independent laboratories yielded a Tera-Wasserburg lower intercept date of 63.93 ± 0.11 Ma (2 s , MSWD = 1.3, n = 16). LA-ICP-MS U-Pb data from three independent laboratories are concordant with the TIMS age, producing a pooled date of 64.10 ± 0.12/1.2 Ma (2 s , MSWD = 7.7, n = 708) and an initial 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ratio of 0.85 ± 0.01. Other calcite reference materials, when normalised to RioM-1, yielded dates within uncertainty of their published values. SIMS measurements returned a mean 18 O/ 16 O of 0.002044450 ± 181 (1 s ) and δ 18 O SMOW of 19.57 ± 0.92‰ (1 s ), while LA-ICP-MS strontium isotope measurement yielded a mean 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of 0.708177 ± 9 (2 s ).

Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research↗
USGS2023

Overview of the Cenozoic geology of the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Harrat Rahat volcanic field, located in the west-central part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is one of the larger Cenozoic harrats among the more than 17 harrats situated upon the Arabia Plate. The map plate contained herein shows, at a scale of 1:100,000, the mapped volcanic geology of northern Harrat Rahat, which consists of the northernmost one-fifth of Harrat Rahat. Northern Harrat Rahat has an area of about 3,340 square kilometers (km 2 ), of which 2,567 km 2 is covered by Harrat Rahat volcanic rocks and deposits, and it encompasses more than 900 exposed vents (that is, craters, cryptodomes, maars, and scoria cones), 289 of which are isolated by younger volcanic deposits and have not been correlated with the 234 volcanic rock units distinguished by geologic mapping. Northern Harrat Rahat is of special interest owing to its proximity to the city of Al Madinah al Munawwarah, which sits within, and is continuing to expand southward over, the north end of the volcanic field. Al Madinah is home to an expanding population, currently at more than 2 million residents, together with the intermittent addition of approximately 3 million pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah (religious visitations). The center of Al Madinah is less than 8 km from lava flows of the only confirmed historically documented eruption, which occurred in 1256 C.E. (654 A.H.). Earlier prehistoric lava flows also encroached into the area of the present-day city limits, as demonstrated by volcanic rocks exposed widely throughout the city in roadcuts, parks, and excavations for new buildings, although no evidence has been found of any other than the 1256 C.E. lava having reached that area during times of human habitation. Geologic mapping was undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey in collaboration with the Saudi Geological Survey. The features of primary interest within the map area are scoria cones, lava flows, lava domes, craters, and pyroclastic deposits from the Quaternary, which have compositions of basalt, hawaiite, mugearite, benmoreite, and trachyte. The geologic mapping was published by Downs and others (2019) on a single sheet at 1:75,000 scale and two detailed sheets at 1:25,000 scale, accompanied by detailed explanations of the geology. This report presents the geology on a single sheet at 1:100,000 scale and provides condensed geologic explanations for the convenience of readers of this volume. Some minor errors of nomenclature and lava source regions that do not change fundamental interpretations have been corrected herein.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2025

Structural analysis of brittle-plastic shear zones in the Sangre de Cristo Range, southern Colorado USA: Superposition of Rio Grande rift extension on Laramide contraction

The Sangre de Cristo Range in southern Colorado exposes some of the deepest Cenozoic structural levels in the Rocky Mountain region, including mylonitic shear zones associated with both the Laramide orogeny and Rio Grande rift. We investigated the relation between Laramide contraction and Rio Grande rift extension with detailed geologic mapping, kinematic analysis, and geochronometry in a 50 km 2 area centered on the Independence Mine shear zone (IMSZ). The 15−100-m-thick IMSZ is one of several shallowly to moderately (∼45° ± 20°) W-SW−dipping brittle-plastic shear zones along the western flank of the range. These shear zones display microstructural evidence of initiation as top-NE contractional mylonite zones, consistent with regional Laramide kinematics, which have been pervasively overprinted by shear fabrics indicating top-SW extensional reactivation. Both top-NE and top-SW shear fabrics involve cataclasis and quartz dislocation creep, although top-SW shear is more commonly localized along phyllosilicate-lined shear bands. Shear zones are hosted predominately within Proterozoic gneiss, and contain abundant chlorite and white mica derived from alteration of hornblende and feldspar, which indicates that weakening driven by fluid reactions played an important role in localizing strain. Extensional overprinting appears to be most pervasive along more steeply dipping portions of shear zones and where secondary phyllosilicates form an interconnected weak phase, which suggests that reactivation was primarily controlled by geometry and rheological contrasts inherited from contraction. One top-SW shear zone adjacent to the IMSZ cuts a late Oligocene gabbro stock, and monazite grains synkinematic with top-SW shear in the IMSZ yielded late Oligocene to Early Miocene U-Th-Pb dates that correspond with initiation of the Rio Grande rift. Reactivation of weak reverse faults may represent an important structural control during initial extension in the middle crust, prior to slip along the high-angle Sangre de Cristo normal fault system.

Colorado↗
USGS2026

Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the northern Appalachian orogen, USA

Lithium demand is projected to increase more than 48 times by 2040 due to electric vehicle production and other energy storage needs. Most lithium production is outside of the USA, thereby increasing supply chain vulnerability. The combined end use importance and heightened supply risk of lithium make this lightest metallic element a critical commodity to the USA. To mitigate this supply risk, the US Geological Survey is actively assessing lithium deposits in the USA. Herein, we detail an assessment for lithium-mineralized pegmatites in the US northern Appalachian Mountains. Permissive tracts were generated by cross-referencing tectonic and geologic maps and mineral occurrence data with mappable criteria derived from generalized and region-specific lithium pegmatite ore deposit models; tracts were then ranked as having high, medium, or low permissibility. Available geophysical and geochemical data were found to be of minimal utility for this deposit type at the scale of the assessment. The number of undiscovered deposits were estimated and integrated into probabilistic simulations, which included an expanded and updated global grade and tonnage model of pegmatite-hosted lithium ore. The estimated total amount of undiscovered resources for the northern Appalachian Orogen has a median value of 1,410,000 metric tons of Li 2 O when considering moderate correlation across sub-regions. At a confidence level of 90%, a resource of at least 90,000 metric tons of Li 2 O remains undiscovered, and at a 10% confidence level, a resource of as much as 7,380,000 metric tons Li 2 O remains undiscovered. After applying an up-to-date economic filter to convert median contained lithium to recoverable material, a correlated total of 900,000 metric tons of Li 2 O may be economically extractable, equating to enough Li 2 O to provide the current annual US lithium supply deficit (presently obtained through net imports) for 127 years at 2025 rates of apparent consumption. This period of provision will inevitably shorten with projected increasing consumption rates, emphasizing that further research could be completed to better delineate regions of high lithium resource potential and support exploration and domestic production.

Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New H↗
USGS2025

The feasibility of using lidar-derived digital elevation models for gravity data reduction

Gravity data require submeter elevation accuracy for data processing, and differential global navigation satellite system (dGNSS) equipment is commonly used to acquire three-dimensional positional data to achieve such accuracy. However, lidar (light detection and ranging) data are commonly used to develop digital elevation models (DEMs) of Earth’s surface. Therefore, using elevations from lidar-derived DEMs for gravity-data acquisition and reduction may improve field efficiency and reduce cost. This study examines the feasibility of using DEMs for gravity-data reduction by comparing dGNSS elevation data from 435 gravity stations in Michigan, Wyoming, and Colorado with their respective DEM elevations. The results show that the average difference between DEM and dGNSS elevations is 13 centimeters (cm) and that 93 percent of those differences are less than 50 cm, even in areas with steep terrain. Because an elevation discrepancy of 50 cm corresponds to an error of roughly 0.1 milligals (mGal) in the simple Bouguer gravity anomaly, the results suggest that lidar-derived DEMs are a viable source for acquiring the elevation data needed to process gravity data, thus improving both the cost and efficiency of data collection for regional surveys where an accuracy of less than 1.0 mGal is desired.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2026

Multi-site evaluation of a postfire debris-flow runout forecast method

Postfire debris flows pose a hazard to human life, property, and infrastructure when they travel from steep source areas to urbanized alluvial fans or other developed areas. Existing methods for rapid (<1 week) postfire debris-flow hazard assessment document the increase in the likelihood and size of debris flows as the magnitude of high-intensity rain necessary to initiate debris flows increases but do not indicate the extent of downstream debris-flow runout. Although many models for the simulation of debris-flow motion are available, there is no established approach for using these models to delineate locations susceptible to postfire debris-flow runout that (a) is feasible to use at the spatial scale of an entire fire; (b) is appropriate for runout onto unconfined areas; (c) reproduces observed relations between runout and rainfall intensity; and (d) characterizes inherent uncertainty in runout, even without spatiotemporally variable rainfall. We propose and evaluate a method for generating postfire debris-flow runout hazard maps that has all the above qualities. Selection of case studies prioritized events triggered by a range of rainfall intensities, locations within and outside of southern California, and observed runout onto unconfined topography. Qualitative and quantitative assessment of performance for four events indicate that simulation results broadly match observations albeit with some discrepancies at a scale larger than structure or land parcel level (approximately 20-m by 20-m). The method may be used to identify potentially hazardous areas immediately following a fire and to provide approximate runout forecasts when a storm is imminent.

Arizona, California↗
USGS2026

Use of precariously balanced rocks to constrain postglacial earthquake magnitudes in New England, United States

We use the age and fragility of 13 precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southwestern Maine to evaluate the estimated probabilistic seismic hazard (PSH) from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), and also develop a map of maximum postglacial earthquake magnitudes in the region. The PBRs are erratic boulders left behind by the retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet between 13 and 18 ka, and published ice retreat maps are used to estimate their fragility ages. The fragilities and ages of the rocks appear to be consistent with the NSHM, in that the estimated earthquake magnitudes and resulting ground motions that would topple them are only expected on timescales longer than their fragility ages. This result, on the North American passive margin, contrasts with PBR studies at active plate boundaries, where the PBR constraints imply large reductions to estimated PSH. It may be that the PBRs are not old enough in the eastern United States to reveal the same PSH modeling issues as those revealed in the plate boundary settings. The study provides constraints on maximum magnitudes of postglacial earthquakes across much of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southwestern Maine, with the constraints limited to the ages of the PBRs.

Maine. Massachusetts, New Hampshire↗
USGS2025

Long-term trends in microseismicity during operational shut-ins at the Coso Geothermal Field, California

Pausing injection and production can lead to induced seismicity in a variety of settings, with some of the largest events occurring during these so-called shut-ins. In geothermal fields, shut-ins are periodically conducted for maintenance on wells and surface infrastructure, thereby offering recurring means of estimating stress changes in the subsurface that lead to increased seismicity rates. Here, we examine daily production and microseismicity data from the Coso Geothermal Field (CGF) in California between 1996 and 2010 to investigate the repetitive trends of operational shut-in microseismicity. Using 24 local seismic stations, we first analyze spatial and temporal trends of over 60,000 earthquakes with magnitudes between -0.4 to 3.8. We find that the northern region exhibits no significant seismicity changes during shut-ins, whereas the rest of the field experiences induced seismicity during almost every shut-in with an increasing intensity towards the southern and eastern portions of the field, highlighting local differences in stress within the CGF. Additionally, we cluster the seismicity using waveform cross-correlation, revealing several earthquake clusters primarily occurring during shut-in periods. These observations suggest that certain fracture and fault sections respond quicker to changes in pore pressure and poroelastic stresses within the geothermal system, possibly highlighting main fluid pathways.

California↗
USGS2024

U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Climate Response Network—2023

As of October 2023, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operated more than 660 sites across the United States and its territories as part of the Groundwater Climate Response Network (CRN). The CRN is comprised of wells and springs selected to monitor the effects of climate variability, such as droughts, on groundwater levels and spring discharge nationwide. The CRN includes more than 550 locations with realtime data and more than 100 sites with non-real-time data available to the public on the CRN web mapper and the USGS National Water Dashboard.

General Information Product↗
USGS1997

An optimized network for phosphorus load monitoring for Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Phosphorus load data were evaluated for Lake Okeechobee, Florida, for water years 1982 through 1991. Standard errors for load estimates were computed from available phosphorus concentration and daily discharge data. Components of error were associated with uncertainty in concentration and discharge data and were calculated for existing conditions and for 6 alternative load-monitoring scenarios for each of 48 distinct inflows. Benefit-cost ratios were computed for each alternative monitoring scenario at each site by dividing estimated reductions in load uncertainty by the 5-year average costs of each scenario in 1992 dollars. Absolute and marginal benefit-cost ratios were compared in an iterative optimization scheme to determine the most cost-effective combination of discharge and concentration monitoring scenarios for the lake. If the current (1992) discharge-monitoring network around the lake is maintained, the water-quality sampling at each inflow site twice each year is continued, and the nature of loading remains the same, the standard error of computed mean-annual load is estimated at about 98 metric tons per year compared to an absolute loading rate (inflows and outflows) of 530 metric tons per year. This produces a relative uncertainty of nearly 20 percent. The standard error in load can be reduced to about 20 metric tons per year (4 percent) by adopting an optimized set of monitoring alternatives at a cost of an additional $200,000 per year. The final optimized network prescribes changes to improve both concentration and discharge monitoring. These changes include the addition of intensive sampling with automatic samplers at 11 sites, the initiation of event-based sampling by observers at another 5 sites, the continuation of periodic sampling 12 times per year at 1 site, the installation of acoustic velocity meters to improve discharge gaging at 9 sites, and the improvement of a discharge rating at 1 site.

Florida↗