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At least 1,423 records · Page 79Linked to original sources
USGS1990

Hydrogeology of the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone in the San Juan structural basin, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah

This report is one in a series resulting from the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer System Analysis (RASA) study of the San Juan structural basin that began in October 1984. The purposes of the study (Welder, 1986) are to: (1) Define and evaluate the aquifer system; (2) assess the effects of past, present, and potential ground-water use on aquifers and streams, and (3) determine the availability and quality of ground water. Previous reports in this series describe the hydrogeology of the Dakota Sandstone (Craigg and others, 1989), Gallup Sandstone (Kernodle and others, 1989), Morrison Formation (Dam and others, 1990), Point Lookout Sandstone (Craigg and others, 1990), Kirtland Shale and Fruitland Formation (Kernodle and others, 1990), Menefee Formation (Levings and others, 1990), Cliff House Sandstone (Thorn and others, 1990), and Ojo Alamo Sandstone (Thorn and others, 1990) in the San Juan structural basin. This report summarizes information on the geology and the occurrence and quality of water in the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone, one of the primary water-bearing units in the regional aquifer system. Data used in this report were collected during the RASA study or derived from existing records in the U.S. Geological Survey's computerized National Water Information System (NWIS) data base, the Petroleum Information Corporation's data base, and the Dwight's ENERGYDATA Inc. BRIN database. Although all data available for the Pictured Cliffs Sandstone were considered in formulating the discussions in the text, not all those data could be plotted on the illustrations. The San Juan structural basin in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah has an area of about 21,600 square miles (fig. 1). The structural basin is about 140 miles wide and about 200 miles long. The study area is that part of the structural basin that contains rocks of Triassic and younger age; therefore, the study area is less extensive than the structural basin. Triassic through Tertiary sedimentary rocks are emphasized in this study because these units are the major aquifers in the basin. The study area is about 140 miles wide (about the same as the structural basin), 180 miles long, and has an area of about 19,400 square miles. Altitudes in the study area range from about 4,500 feet in southeastern Utah, to about 11,000 feet in the southeastern part of the basin. The area-weighted mean altitude is about 6,700 feet. Annual precipitation in the high mountainous areas along the north and east margins of the basin is as much as 45 inches, whereas annual precipitation in the lower altitude, central basin is generally less than 8 inches. Mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches. Data obtained from documents published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census (1980 and 1985) were used to calculate the population of the study area. The population in 1970 was calculated to be about 134,000. The population increased to about 194,000 in 1980,212,000 in 1982,221,000 in 1984, and then declined to about 210,000 in 1985. The economy of the basin is supported by exploration and development of natural gas, petroleum, coal, and uranium resources; urban enterprise; farming and ranching tourism, and recreation. The rise and fall in population were related to changes in the economic strength of the minerals, oil, and gas industries, and support services. Uranium-mining and -milling activities underwent rapid growth until the late 1970's when most uranium-mining activity came to an abrupt end. Likewise, the oil and gas industry prospered until about 1983 and then declined rapidly.

Hydrologic Atlas↗
USGS1978

Chabazite in siliceous tuffs of a Pliocene lacustrine deposit near Durkee, Baker County, Oregon

A relatively pure chabazite deposit of at least 75 X 10 6 metric tons occurs near the Durkee type locality of erionite. This erionite is in a welded tuff interbedded with lacustrine rocks- of a closed Pliocene basin. The zeolites, chabazite, erionite, clinoptilolite, and other authigenic silicate minerals are confined to a 27-square-kilometer area of altered rocks enclosed in relatively freshwater lacustrine beds. About 135 meters of the lower part of the 350-m stratigraphic section at the southeastern part of the lake basin contain zeolitic tuff. The chabazite is an early product of the reaction between glass of rhyolitic or dacitic composition and alkaline (pH>9) saline lake waters. Erionite, clinoptilolite, analcime, and potassium feldspar follow chabazite in the paragenetic sequence. At the erionite type locality, chabazite and clinoptilolite form megascopic crystal clusters within fractures and cavities in unaltered welded tuff. Elsewhere in the basin, most zeolite crystals in the altered airfall or reworked tuffs are less than 80 micrometers long. Chemical analyses, unit-cell determinations, and mean indices of refraction show that fine-grained chabazite varies in composition and physical parameters.

Oregon↗
USGS1992

A revised configuration of the southern California uplift

Recently recovered archival leveling data from southwestern Arizona and adjacent parts of California compel major revisions in the configuration and interpretation of the southern California uplift, both at its culmination and following its partial collapse. Re-examination of the older vertical-control record indicates that similar modifications may be equally appropriate in any reconsideration of the early-20th-century analogue of the southern California uplift. The impact of these revisions is limited to the southeastern part of the uplift, which is now believed to have projected well into northern Mexico. The chief changes in our earlier reconstructions appear as a sharply diminished isobase gradient south of Cottonwood Pass, dramatically reduced tectonic subsidence centering on the Salton Sea, and short-lived uplift of at least 0.3 m at the latitude of El Centro. A newly refined qualitative interpretation of the data implies contraction and decoupling at the base of the seismogenic zone, in conjunction with right-stepping movement and extension between an en echelon transform pair through the Salton Basin, combining to produce both the regional uplift and concurrently developed and relatively localized differential subsidence within the Salton Trough.

California↗
USGS1993

Channel change on the Santa Cruz River, Pima County, Arizona, 1936-86

The Santa Cruz River, an ephemeral river that drains 8,581 square miles in southeastern Arizona, has a long history of channel instability. Since the late 19th century, lateral channel erosion has caused extensive property damage, particularly in Pima County. During the flood of 1983, about $100 million damage was caused in the Tucson area alone; most damage resulted from bank erosion on the Santa Cruz River and its tributaries. The nature, magni- tude, location, and frequency of channel change on the Santa Cruz River were highly variable in time and space from 1936 through 1986 along a 70-mile reach in Pima County, Arizona. Four mechanisms of lateral channel change--channel migration, avulsion and meander cutoff, channel widening, and arroyo widening--were identified on the Santa Cruz River. The dominant mechanism in a reach depends on channel morphology and flood magnitude. The dominant vertical change has been degradation. The timing and magnitude of channel change at a particular location are controlled primarily by hydroclimatic factors such as magnitude, duration, intensity, and frequency of precipitation and floods. The location of channel change and its magnitude in response to a given discharge are controlled largely by topographic, geologic, hydraulic, and artificial factors. Although much of the present morphology of the Santa Cruz River is the result of recent large floods, a direct link between hydroclimatic con- ditions and channel change is not always evident because resistance of the channel to erosion varies with time. (USGS)

Arizona↗
USGS1985

Maps showing distribution of copper in heavy-mineral concentrates, Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle, Utah

These maps are part of a folio of maps of the Richfield 1° x 2 ° quadrangle, Utah, prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program. Other publications in this folio are listed in the selected references. Located in west-central Utah, the Richfield quadrangle covers the eastern part of the Plioche-Marysvale igneous and mineral belt, which extends from the vicinity of Plioche in southeastern Nevada east-northeastward for 250 km (155 mi) into central Utah. The western two-thirds of the Richfield quadrangle is in the Basin and Range province and the eastern third is in the High Plateaus of Utah, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Bedrock in the northern part of the Richfield quadrangle consists predominantly of latest Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary strata that were thrust eastward during the Sevier orogeny in Cretaceous time onto an autochthon of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the eastern part of the quadrangle. The southern part of the quadrangle is largely underlain by Oligocene and younger volcanic rocks and related intrusions. Extensional tectonism in late Cenozoic time broke the bedrock terrane into a series of north-trending fault blocks; the uplifted mountain areas were deeply eroded and the resulting debris deposited in the adjacent basins. Most of the mineral deposits in the Pioche-Marysvale mineral belt were formed during igneous activity in middle and late Cenozoic time. The regional sampling program was designed to define broad geochemical patterns and trends which can be utilized along with geologic and geophysical data to assess the mineral resource potential for this quadrangle. These maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle show the regional distributions of copper in two fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates of drainage sediments.

Utah↗
USGS1985

Maps showing distribution of lead in heavy-mineral concentrates, Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle, Utah

These maps are part of a folio of maps of the Richfield 1° x 2 ° quadrangle, Utah, prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program. Other publications in this folio are listed in the selected references. Located in west-central Utah, the Richfield quadrangle covers the eastern part of the Plioche-Marysvale igneous and mineral belt, which extends from the vicinity of Plioche in southeastern Nevada east-northeastward for 250 km (155 mi) into central Utah. The western two-thirds of the Richfield quadrangle is in the Basin and Range province and the eastern third is in the High Plateaus of Utah, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Bedrock in the northern part of the Richfield quadrangle consists predominantly of latest Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary strata that were thrust eastward during the Sevier orogeny in Cretaceous time onto an autochthon of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the eastern part of the quadrangle. The southern part of the quadrangle is largely underlain by Oligocene and younger volcanic rocks and related intrusions. Extensional tectonism in late Cenozoic time broke the bedrock terrane into a series of north-trending fault blocks; the uplifted mountain areas were deeply eroded and the resulting debris deposited in the adjacent basins. Most of the mineral deposits in the Pioche-Marysvale mineral belt were formed during igneous activity in middle and late Cenozoic time. The regional sampling program was designed to define broad geochemical patterns and trends which can be utilized along with geologic and geophysical data to assess the mineral resource potential for this quadrangle. These maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle show the regional distributions of copper in two fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates of drainage sediments.

Utah↗
USGS1985

Maps showing distribution of thorium in heavy-mineral concentrates, Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle, Utah

These maps are part of a folio of maps of the Richfield 1° x 2 ° quadrangle, Utah, prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program. Other publications in this folio are listed in the selected references. Located in west-central Utah, the Richfield quadrangle covers the eastern part of the Plioche-Marysvale igneous and mineral belt, which extends from the vicinity of Plioche in southeastern Nevada east-northeastward for 250 km (155 mi) into central Utah. The western two-thirds of the Richfield quadrangle is in the Basin and Range province and the eastern third is in the High Plateaus of Utah, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Bedrock in the northern part of the Richfield quadrangle consists predominantly of latest Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary strata that were thrust eastward during the Sevier orogeny in Cretaceous time onto an autochthon of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the eastern part of the quadrangle. The southern part of the quadrangle is largely underlain by Oligocene and younger volcanic rocks and related intrusions. Extensional tectonism in late Cenozoic time broke the bedrock terrane into a series of north-trending fault blocks; the uplifted mountain areas were deeply eroded and the resulting debris deposited in the adjacent basins. Most of the mineral deposits in the Pioche-Marysvale mineral belt were formed during igneous activity in middle and late Cenozoic time. The regional sampling program was designed to define broad geochemical patterns and trends which can be utilized along with geologic and geophysical data to assess the mineral resource potential for this quadrangle. These maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle show the regional distributions of copper in two fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates of drainage sediments.

Utah↗
USGS1985

Maps showing distribution of tin in heavy-mineral concentrates, Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle, Utah

These maps are part of a folio of maps of the Richfield 1° x 2 ° quadrangle, Utah, prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program. Other publications in this folio are listed in the selected references. Located in west-central Utah, the Richfield quadrangle covers the eastern part of the Plioche-Marysvale igneous and mineral belt, which extends from the vicinity of Plioche in southeastern Nevada east-northeastward for 250 km (155 mi) into central Utah. The western two-thirds of the Richfield quadrangle is in the Basin and Range province and the eastern third is in the High Plateaus of Utah, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Bedrock in the northern part of the Richfield quadrangle consists predominantly of latest Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary strata that were thrust eastward during the Sevier orogeny in Cretaceous time onto an autochthon of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the eastern part of the quadrangle. The southern part of the quadrangle is largely underlain by Oligocene and younger volcanic rocks and related intrusions. Extensional tectonism in late Cenozoic time broke the bedrock terrane into a series of north-trending fault blocks; the uplifted mountain areas were deeply eroded and the resulting debris deposited in the adjacent basins. Most of the mineral deposits in the Pioche-Marysvale mineral belt were formed during igneous activity in middle and late Cenozoic time. The regional sampling program was designed to define broad geochemical patterns and trends which can be utilized along with geologic and geophysical data to assess the mineral resource potential for this quadrangle. These maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle show the regional distributions of copper in two fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates of drainage sediments.

Utah↗
USGS1985

Maps showing distribution of tungsten in heavy-mineral concentrates, Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle, Utah

These maps are part of a folio of maps of the Richfield 1° x 2 ° quadrangle, Utah, prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program. Other publications in this folio are listed in the selected references. Located in west-central Utah, the Richfield quadrangle covers the eastern part of the Plioche-Marysvale igneous and mineral belt, which extends from the vicinity of Plioche in southeastern Nevada east-northeastward for 250 km (155 mi) into central Utah. The western two-thirds of the Richfield quadrangle is in the Basin and Range province and the eastern third is in the High Plateaus of Utah, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Bedrock in the northern part of the Richfield quadrangle consists predominantly of latest Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary strata that were thrust eastward during the Sevier orogeny in Cretaceous time onto an autochthon of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the eastern part of the quadrangle. The southern part of the quadrangle is largely underlain by Oligocene and younger volcanic rocks and related intrusions. Extensional tectonism in late Cenozoic time broke the bedrock terrane into a series of north-trending fault blocks; the uplifted mountain areas were deeply eroded and the resulting debris deposited in the adjacent basins. Most of the mineral deposits in the Pioche-Marysvale mineral belt were formed during igneous activity in middle and late Cenozoic time. The regional sampling program was designed to define broad geochemical patterns and trends which can be utilized along with geologic and geophysical data to assess the mineral resource potential for this quadrangle. These maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle show the regional distributions of copper in two fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates of drainage sediments.

Utah↗
USGS1985

Maps showing distribution of zinc in heavy-mineral concentrates, Richfield 1° by 2° quadrangle, Utah

These maps are part of a folio of maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle, Utah, prepared under the Coterminous United States Mineral Assessment Program. Other publications in this folio are listed in the selected references. Located in west-central Utah, the Richfield quadrangle covers the eastern part of the Plioche-Marysvale igneous mineral belt, which extends from the vicinity of Plioche in southeastern Nevada east-northeastward for 250 km (155 mi) into central Utah. The western two-thirds of the Richfield quadrangle is in the Basin and Range province and the eastern third is in the High Plateaus of Utah, a subprovince of the Colorado Plateau. Bedrock in the northern part of the Richfield quadrangle consists predominantly of latest Precambrian and Paleozoic sedimentary strata that were thrust eastward during the Sevier orogeny in Cretaceous time onto an autochthon of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the eastern part of the quadrangle. The southern part of the quadrangle is largely underlain by Oligocene and younger volcanic rocks and related instrusions. Extensional tectonism in late Cenozoic time broke the bedrock terrane into a series of north-trending fault blocks; the uplifted mountain areas were deeply eroded and the resulting debris deposited in the adjacent basins. Most of the mineral deposits in the Pioche-Marysvale mineral belt were formed during igneous activity in middle and late Cenozoic time. The regional sampling program was designed to define broad geochemical patterns and trends which can be utilized along with geologic and geophysical data to assess the mineral resource potential for this quadrangle. These maps of the Richfield 1° x 2° quadrangle show the regional distributions of zinc in two fractions of heavy-mineral concentrates of drainage sediments.

Utah↗
USGS2020

Low streamflow trends at human-impacted and reference basins in the United States

We present a continent-scale exploration of trends in annual 7-day low streamflows at 2482 U.S. Geological Survey streamgages across the conterminous United States over the past 100, 75, and 50 years (1916–2015, 1941–2015 and 1966–2015). We used basin characteristics to identify subsets of study basins representative of reference basins with streamflow relatively free from human effects (n = 259), and predominantly agricultural basins (n = 78), regulated basins (n = 220), and urban basins (n = 121). Trend significance was computed using the Mann-Kendall test considering short- and long-term persistence. Lag-one autocorrelation tests of detrended 7-day low streamflows for all gage classes show that time-series independence is not an appropriate assumption for annual low streamflow data at many basins. Among all study gages, upward trends (wetter conditions) in 7-day low streamflows outnumbered downward trends (drier conditions) approximately 2–1 for the 75- and 100-year trend periods—50-year trends indicated roughly equal numbers of increases and decreases. Increases in 7-day low streamflow were consistently observed for all time periods throughout much of the northeastern quadrant of the conterminous U.S. including western New England and the Mid-Atlantic, the southeastern Great Lakes basin, northern Ohio River basin, and the Upper Mississippi River and eastern Missouri River basins. Decreases in 7-day low streamflow were consistently observed for all time periods at many gages in the southeastern U.S. and in the northwestern U.S. in much of Idaho and northwestern Washington. Overall, we observed greater percentages of statistically significant trends at gages with human-induced influences than at reference gages. Low-flow trends at agricultural gages were regionally consistent with trends at reference gages. Regulated basins had many statistically significant upward trends for all three time periods tested, which may be attributed in part to substantial increases in dam-related storage prior to 1970. Urban gages had the greatest percentage of significant decreases in 7-day low flows compared to all other gage classes even though most urban gages saw upward trends in mean annual flows. Urban gages also had the greatest percentage of significant increases in low flows second only to regulated gages, highlighting that urban development can increase or decrease low streamflows depending on the basin-specific development.

Conterminous United States↗
USGS2009

Postimpact deposition in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Variations in eustasy, compaction, sediment supply, and passive-aggressive tectonism

The Eyreville and Exmore, Virginia, core holes were drilled in the inner basin and annular trough, respectively, of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure, and they allow us to evaluate sequence deposition in an impact crater. We provide new high-resolution geochronologic (<1 Ma) and sequence-stratigraphic interpretations of the Exmore core, identify 12 definite (and four possible) postimpact depositional sequences, and present comparisons with similar results from Eyreville and other mid- Atlantic core holes. The concurrence of increases in ?? 18 O with Chesapeake Bay impact structure sequence boundaries indicates a primary glacioeustatic control on deposition. However, regional comparisons show the differential preservation of sequences across the mid-Atlantic margin. We explain this distribution by the compaction of impactites, regional sediment-supply changes, and the differential movement of basement structures. Upper Eocene strata are thin or missing updip and around the crater, but they thicken into the inner basin (and offshore to the southeast) due to rapid crater infilling and concurrent impactite compaction. Oligocene sequences are generally thin and highly dissected throughout the mid-Atlantic region due to sediment starvation and tectonism, except in southeastern New Jersey. Regional tectonic uplift of the Norfolk Arch coupled with a southward decrease in sediment supply resulted in: (1) largely absent Lower Miocene sections around the Chesapeake Bay impact structure compared to thick sections in New Jersey and Delaware; (2) thick Middle Miocene sequences across the Delmarva Peninsula that thin south of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure; and (3) upper Middle Miocene sections that pinch out just north of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure. Conversely, the Upper Miocene-Pliocene section is thick across Virginia, but it is poorly represented in New Jersey because of regional variations in relative subsidence.

Chesapeake Bay↗
USGS1979

Bedrock aquifers in the lower Dirty Devil River Basin area, Utah, with special emphasis on the Navajo sandstone

The lower Dirty Devil River basin area in southeastern Utah has an area of about 4,300 square miles (11,1140 square kilometers) and ranges in altitude from about 3,700 to more than 11,000 feet (1,130 to 3,350 meters) above mean sea level. Precipitation, the main source of water in the area, ranges from slightly less than 6 inches (152 millimeters) per year in the lowlands to more than 30 inches per year (762 millimeters) in the Henry Mountains and along the western boundary. Rocks that crop out in or underlie the area range from the Precambrian to the Holocene in age. The thickness of the composite section of sedimentary rocks ranges from about 7,300 feet (2,200 meters) to about 23,000 feet (7,000 meters). The Entrada, Navajo, Wingate, and Coconino Sandstones and rocks of Mississippian age are considered major aquifers because of their large areal extent or thickness or their known locally large yields to wells. The chemical quality of the water in these aquifers ranges from fresh to briny. The permeability of the aquifers in the area is affected by folding, faulting, and igneous intrusion. These geologic processes have locally enhanced ground-water circulation by fracturing or impeded circulation by offsetting permeable beds or sealing some zones with rocks of lower permeability. The total hydrologic system in the lower Dirty Devil River basin has estimated long-term average annual inflow and outflow of about 1.6 million acre-feet (1,970 cubic hectometers), of which about 1.55 million acre-feet (1,910 cubic hectometers) is derived from precipitation. An estimated 96 percent of the water available to the area is consumed by evapotranspiration. The estimated gross annual average ground-water recharge is 34,000 acre-feet (42 cubic hectometers), of which 5,000 acre-feet (6.2 cubic hectometers) recharges the Navajo Sandstone. Recoverable fresh to moderately saline water stored in the Navajo, Wingate, and Coconino Sandstones is estimated to be 210 million acre-feet (259,000 cubic hectometers), of which 89 million acre-feet (110,000 cubic hectometers) is stored in the Navajo alone. Long-term large withdrawals from the Navajo Sandstone are feasible. Withdrawal of 12,000 gallons per minute (757 liters per second) over a period of about 36 years probably would diminish the amount of water in storage by less than 1 percent. The withdrawals, would eventually diminish the average annual discharge of the Dirty Devil River by possibly as much as 13 cubic feet per second (0.37 cubic meter per second). A change of this magnitude on the flow of the Colorado River would be too small to measure.

Utah↗
USGS1983

Preliminary appraisal of the hydrology of the Stigler area, Haskell County, Oklahoma

Bed rock in the Stigler area of southeastern Oklahoma consists principally of shale, siltstone, and sandstone of the McAlester, Savanna, and Boggy Formations of Pennsylvanian age. These rocks have been folded to form the Stigler syncline on the north and the Antioch anticline on the south. An area of several square miles is underlain by terrace deposits, mostly sandy silt, as much as 25 feet thick. Alluvium along the streams is 5 to 10 feet thick and consists mainly of sandy silt. Neither the terrace deposits nor the alluvium are hydrologically significant. Water in the bedrock is under artesian conditions. Well depths range from 34 to 235 feet and average 95 feet. The water level in most wells is less than 30 feet below the land surface. Because the rocks have minimal permeability, well yields probably are less than 5 gallons per minute. Much of the area is provided with water by a rural water district. Based on specific-conductance measurements, dissolved-solids concentrations in ground water are estimated to range from 200 to 2,500 milligrams per liter. Nor relationship between variations in specific conductance and well depth, geographic distribution, or geologic formation is apparent. Streams in the area are ephemeral and extended periods of no flow can be expected. During much of the period of record, streamflow in Taloka Creek was maintained by water pumped from an active coal mine. Water upstream from the mine area had a mean dissolved-solids concentration of 72 milligrams per liter whereas water downstream from the mine area had a mean concentration of 1,323 milligrams per liter. At times, downstream concentrations of some toxic metals exceeded the standards for drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Samples of water collected from Taloka Creek since mining ceased did not have excessive concentrations of toxic metals. Maximum suspended-sediment discharge of Taloka Creek was about 1,660 tons per day. Silt-clay particles (diameters less than 0.062 millimeter) were the dominant grain size. Observed and measured effects of surface mining for coal on the hydrologic system include (1) creation of additional water storage in the surface mine pond, (2) disruption of drainage in an area of about 1 square mile, and (3) increased mineralization of water in Taloka Creek. Other possible effects include (4) changes in permeability and storage of water in mine spoil, (5) minor changes in streamflow and runoff characteristics, and (6) temporary increase in the sediment load of Taloka Creek.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1979

Clay mineralogy, fine-grained sediment dispersal, and inferred current patterns, lower Cook Inlet and Kodiak shelf, Alaska

Because lower Cook Inlet and Kodiak shelf are being explored and developed for their petroleum resources, it is essential for environmental reasons to understand the sediment dispersal routes and current patterns. The Susitna River flows into upper Cook Inlet and is the source of clay minerals in Holocene deposits found in western lower Cook Inlet. The Copper River, in the northern Gulf of Alaska, provides clay minerals to the Kodiak shelf and southeastern lower Cook Inlet. In addition, crosion of local bedrock outcrops on the shelf produces some clays that are deposited on the Kodiak shelf. Current patterns can be inferred from the clay-mineral distribution pattern. This is true even if the clay-size fraction is a minor sediment component, and in areas where coarse-grained relict deposits occur. Some potential dangers from offshore petroleum development include: (1) rapid and complete mixing of Cook Inlet waters, (2) adsorption of pollutants by clay deposited in quiet bays, and (3) ion-exchange and adsorption of chemical pollutants on clays that are part of the suspended sediment load in lower Cook Inlet.

Alaska↗
USGS2018

Status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas, 2018

Since the early 1900s, most of the groundwater withdrawals in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, have been from the three primary aquifers that compose the Gulf Coast aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. Withdrawals from these aquifers are used for municipal supply, industrial, and irrigation purposes. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports depicting the status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region. This report contains regional-scale maps depicting approximate 2018 groundwater-level altitudes (represented by measurements made during December 2017 through March 2018) and long-term groundwater-level changes for the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. In 2018, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Chicot aquifer ranged from 200 feet (ft) below the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (hereinafter referred to as “datum”) to 200 ft above datum. The 1977–2018 groundwater-level-change contours for the Chicot aquifer depict a large area of decline in groundwater-level altitudes (120 ft) in northwestern Harris County. The largest rise in groundwater-level altitudes in the Chicot aquifer from 1977 to 2018 (180 ft) was in southeastern Harris County. Groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Evangeline aquifer ranged from 250 ft below datum to 200 ft above datum in 2018. The 1977–2018 groundwater-level-change contours for the Evangeline aquifer depict broad areas where groundwater-level altitudes either declined or rose. The largest decline in groundwater-level altitudes (320 ft) was in southern Montgomery County. The largest rise in groundwater-level altitudes in the Evangeline aquifer from 1977 to 2018 (240 ft) was in southeastern Harris County. In 2018, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Jasper aquifer ranged from 200 ft below datum to 200 ft above datum. The 2000–18 groundwater-level-change contours for the Jasper aquifer depict groundwater-level declines throughout most of the study area where groundwater-level-altitude data from the Jasper aquifer were collected, with the largest decline (200 ft) in southern Montgomery County.

Texas↗
USGS2019

Status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas, 2019

Since the early 1900s, most of the groundwater withdrawals in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, have been from the three primary aquifers that compose the Gulf Coast aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. Withdrawals from these aquifers are used for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports depicting the status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region. This report contains regional-scale maps depicting approximate 2019 groundwater-level altitudes (represented by measurements made during December 2018 through March 2019) and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. In 2019, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Chicot aquifer ranged from 200 feet (ft) below the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (hereinafter referred to as “datum”) to 200 ft above datum. The 1977–2019 groundwater-level-change contours for the Chicot aquifer depict a large area of decline in groundwater-level altitudes (100 ft) in northwestern Harris County. The largest rise in groundwater-level altitudes in the Chicot aquifer from 1977 to 2019 (200 ft) was in southeastern Harris County. In 2019, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Evangeline aquifer ranged from 300 ft below datum to 200 ft above datum. The 1977–2019 groundwater-level-change contours for the Evangeline aquifer depict broad areas where groundwater-level altitudes either declined or rose. The largest decline in groundwater-level altitudes (280 ft) was in southern Montgomery and northern Harris Counties. The largest rise in groundwater-level altitudes in the Evangeline aquifer from 1977 to 2019 (240 ft) was in southeastern Harris County. In 2019, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Jasper aquifer ranged from 200 ft below datum to 250 ft above datum. The 2000–19 groundwater-level-change contours for the Jasper aquifer depict groundwater-level declines throughout most of the study area where groundwater-level-altitude data from the Jasper aquifer were collected, with the largest decline (200 ft) in southern Montgomery County.

Texas↗
USGS2020

Status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers, Houston-Galveston region, Texas, 2020

Since the early 1900s, most of the groundwater withdrawals in the Houston-Galveston region, Texas, have been from the three primary aquifers that compose the Gulf Coast aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. Withdrawals from these aquifers are used for municipal supply, commercial and industrial use, and irrigation. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City of Houston, Fort Bend Subsidence District, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, and Brazoria County Groundwater Conservation District, is one in an annual series of reports depicting the status of groundwater-level altitudes and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers in the Houston-Galveston region. This report contains regional-scale maps depicting approximate 2020 groundwater-level altitudes (represented by measurements made during December 2019 through March 2020) and long-term groundwater-level changes in the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers. In 2020, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Chicot aquifer ranged from 150 feet (ft) below the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (hereinafter referred to as “datum”) to 200 ft above datum. The 1977–2020 groundwater-level-change contours for the Chicot aquifer depict a large area of decline in groundwater-level altitudes (120 ft) in northwestern Harris County. The largest rise in groundwater-level altitudes in the Chicot aquifer from 1977 to 2020 (200 ft) was in southeastern Harris County. In 2020, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Evangeline aquifer ranged from 250 ft below datum to 200 ft above datum. The 1977–2020 groundwater-level-change contours for the Evangeline aquifer depict broad areas where groundwater-level altitudes either declined or rose. The largest decline in groundwater-level altitudes (280 ft) was in southern Montgomery and northern Harris Counties. The largest rise in groundwater-level altitudes in the Evangeline aquifer from 1977 to 2020 (240 ft) was in southeastern Harris County. In 2020, groundwater-level-altitude contours for the Jasper aquifer ranged from 200 ft below datum to 250 ft above datum. The 2000–20 groundwater-level-change contours for the Jasper aquifer depict groundwater-level declines throughout most of the study area where groundwater-level-altitude data from the Jasper aquifer were collected, with the largest decline (220 ft) in southern Montgomery County.

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