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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
USGS1905

Preliminary report on the geology and underground water resources of the central Great Plains

The area to which this report relates is shown in Pl. II. It comprises the greater portions of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, and the eastern portions of Colorado and of Wyoming, an area of about one-half million square miles. It is the result of my investigations during the past eight years, but includes also all available data from many sources. I have been aided by various field assistants, those deserving special mention being Messrs. C. A. Fisher, C. C. O'Harra, J.E. Todd, the late C. M. Hall, G. B. Eichardson, W. S. Tangier Smith, E. H. Barbour, and the late J. E. Macfarland. On account of its size, the region presents relatively diverse geologic conditions, but comprises comparatively few formations, most of which are widespread. The question of water supply, both overground and underground, is one of great interest to the people in this district, and although considerable progress has been made in some sections in developing well waters, there are vast areas in which the present supplies are inadequate, even for local domestic use. In order to understand the relations of the underground waters it has been necessary to investigate the geology, especially the structure and stratigraphy of the water-bearing and associated formations. This part of the work has required a very large amount of special field study, and the present results show that extended investigation will be required before many important questions of geology can be fully understood.

Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming↗
USGS2022

Paleoseismic investigation of the Taylorsville fault at the Airport East site, West Valley fault zone, Salt Lake County, Utah

The West Valley fault zone (WVFZ) and Salt Lake City segment (SLCS) of the Wasatch fault zone comprise Holoceneactive normal faults that bound an intrabasin graben in northern Salt Lake Valley, Utah. Both fault zones have evidence of recurrent Holocene surface-faulting earthquakes. A topic of recent research is the seismogenic relation of the antithetic (subsidiary) WVFZ to the Wasatch fault zone—specifically, to what degree are WVFZ earthquakes independent of slip on the SLCS, or other adjacent segments, of the Wasatch fault zone. To improve paleoseismic data for the WVFZ and better understand the seismogenic relation between the WVFZ and Wasatch fault zone, we conducted a fault-trench investigation at the Airport East site, developed new earthquake recurrence and fault sliprate estimates for the WVFZ, and compared WVFZ earthquake timing data with data from the Wasatch fault zone. The Airport East site is near the northern end of the easternmost traces of the WVFZ, collectively referred to as the Taylorsville fault. At this site, we excavated two parallel trenches across a small (~0.5-m high) east-facing fault scarp. Shallow groundwater severely limited trench depth, and we were able to expose deposits only as old as mid-Holocene. However, the late Holocene section contained evidence for three surfacefaulting earthquakes on the Taylorsville fault, as well as earthquake-related deformation (liquefaction and folding) from a fourth earthquake that was likely sourced elsewhere. Based on OxCal modeling of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence ages, the most recent earthquake, AE1, occurred at 0.4 ± 0.2 ka (mean modeled time ± 2σ), earthquake AE2 occurred at 0.6 ± 0.2 ka, and earthquake AE3 occurred at 2.0 ± 0.3 ka. Timing data from the Airport East site indicate the liquefaction and folding event (LE1) occurred at 5.1 ± 0.3 ka. Net vertical displacement across the fault is 0.6–1.1 m, and calculations of mean per-event displacement range from 0.20 to 0.37 m. Inter-event recurrence intervals for the Taylorsville fault at the Airport East site vary from 200 to 1400 yr, and the mean late Holocene (post-2 ka) recurrence interval is 800 yr. Paleoseismic (closed-interval) slip rates range from 0.23 to 1.4 mm/yr, and geologic (open-interval) slip rates range from 0.1–0.2 mm/yr over the past ~5000 yr to 0.2–0.4 mm/yr over the past ~2500 yr. Combining our new Airport East data with previous paleoseismic data for the WVFZ shows that during individual late Holocene earthquakes, surface faulting has occurred on either the Taylorsville or Granger fault, but not both faults at the same time (at least not on the parts of the faults that have been trenched). However, five mid- to late Holocene WVFZ earthquakes have mean modeled times that are either very similar or identical to mean modeled times of SLCS and Weber-segment earthquakes, and temporal correlations of two additional late Pleistocene WVFZ earthquakes with SLCS earthquakes cannot be ruled out. When comparing the earthquake chronologies of the WVFZ and Wasatch fault zone, our new data lend support to the idea that, more often than not, some part of the WVFZ moves in response to, and possibly synchronously with, slip on the Wasatch fault zone.

Utah↗
USGS1972

Orbital-science investigation: Part O: regional variations in the magnitude of heiligenschein and causal connections

Approximately 35 reasonably good candidates for specialized photometric studies were found during a thorough examination of the frames exposed by the Apollo 15 metric camera. Of these, the majority was of value in heiligenschein studies (refs. 25-36 to 25-38). A few were of value for limited-interval delineation of the photometric functions of crater walls, wherein it is now known from past Apollo Program studies that younger craters have walls much more Lambertian in reflective properties than those of the standard lunar surface (ref. 25-39). It has now become apparent that some difficulty exists in such crater-wall studies with regard to varying the domain of mathematical definition over which such photometric functions are delineated to encompass much more of phase-angle-brightness-longitude space than has already been carried out Nearer to zero-phase angle, the brightness of the illuminated wall becomes so intense compared with the general luminance of the surrounding lunar terrain that it approaches the saturated region of the D /log E curve of the photograph where D is density and E is exposure. Conversely, for phase angles approaching 180°, most of the illuminated wall is seen so obliquely that the image size is small and reliable photometry is difficult. Also, difficulties inherent in the methodology exist—the descriptive geometry used to extract configurations begins to fail as craters become either too old or are imaged too near a vertical view Nevertheless, some useful candidates for crater-wall studies have been found in the Apollo 15 data, although their analysis is too lengthy for incorporation in this preliminary report.

Book chapter↗
USGS2012

Late Holocene earthquake history of the Brigham City segment of the Wasatch fault zone at the Hansen Canyon, Kotter Canyon, and Pearsons Canyon trench sites, Box Elder County, Utah

Of the five central segments of the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ) having evidence of recurrent Holocene surface-faulting earthquakes, the Brigham City segment (BCS) has the longest elapsed time since its most recent surface-faulting event (~2.1 kyr) compared to its mean recurrence time between events (~1.3 kyr). Thus, the BCS has the highest time-dependent earthquake probability of the central WFZ. We excavated trenches at three sites––the Kotter Canyon and Hansen Canyon sites on the north-central BCS and Pearsons Canyon site on the southern BCS––to determine whether a surface-faulting earthquake younger than 2.1 ka occurred on the BCS. Paleoseismic data for Hansen Canyon and Kotter Canyon confirm that the youngest earthquake on the north-central BCS occurred before 2 ka, consistent with previous north-central BCS investigations at Bowden Canyon and Box Elder Canyon. At Hansen Canyon, the most recent earthquake is constrained to 2.1–4.2 ka and had 0.6–2.5 m of vertical displacement. At Kotter Canyon, we found evidence for two events at 2.5 ± 0.3 ka and 3.5 ± 0.3 ka, with an average displacement per event of 1.9–2.3 m. Paleoseismic data from Pearsons Canyon, on the previously unstudied southern BCS, indicate that a post-2 ka earthquake ruptured this part of the segment. The Pearsons Canyon earthquake occurred at 1.2 ± 0.04 ka and had 0.1–0.8 m of vertical displacement, consistent with our observation of continuous, youthful scarps on the southern 9 km of the BCS having 1–2 m of late Holocene(?) surface offset. The 1.2-ka earthquake on the southern BCS likely represents rupture across the Weber–Brigham City segment boundary from the penultimate Weber-segment earthquake at about 1.1 ka. The Pearsons Canyon data result in a revised length of the BCS that has not ruptured since 2 ka (with time-dependent probability implications), and provide compelling evidence of at least one segment-boundary failure and multi-segment rupture on the central WFZ. Our paleoseismic investigations of the BCS clarify the timing, displacement, and extent of late Holocene earthquakes on the segment, and importantly, confirm the long elapsed time since the most recent earthquake on most of the BCS.

Utah↗
USGS2022

Ground motion selection for nonlinear response history analyses of concrete dams

Evaluating the seismic performance of a 3D concrete dam using nonlinear response history analysis (NLRHA) requires three orthogonal components of ground acceleration histories, or ground motions (GMs) for brevity. Although much progress has been made for the topic of ground motion selection and modification (GMSM) in the context of multistory buildings, NLRHA of dams requires at least two additional considerations: (i) accounting for multiple modes of vibration and (ii) including three orthogonal components of GMs. To convey the key ideas in developing an ensemble of multicomponent GMs for this context, the fundamentals of GMSM are first briefly reviewed using a case study. Then, special considerations for concrete dams are highlighted. Finally, a practical method for developing target spectra and selecting multicomponent GMs is presented.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2001

Diets of nesting laughing gulls (Larus atricilla) at the Virginia Coast Reserve: observations from stable isotope analysis

Food web studies often ignore details of temporal, spatial, and intrapopulation dietary variation in top-level consumers. In this study, intrapopulation dietary variation of a dominant carnivore, the Laughing Gull ( Larus atricilla ), was examined using carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope analysis of gull tissues as well as their prey (fish, invertebrates, and insects) from the Virginia Coast Reserve estuarine system. As earlier traditional diet studies found evidence of individual dietary specialization within gull populations, this study used stable isotope analysis to assess specialization in a coastal Laughing Gull population. Specifically, blood, muscle, and feather isotope values indicated significant intrapopulation dietary specialization. Some gulls relied more heavily on estuarine prey (mean blood δ 13 C = -17.5, δ 15 N = 12.6, and δ 34 S = 9.3), whereas others appeared to consume more foods of marine origin (mean blood δ 13 C = -19.4, δ 15 N = 14.8, and δ 34 S = 10.4). It is important to account for such dietary variability when assessing trophic linkages in dynamic estuarine systems.

Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies↗
USGS2015

Breeding ecology of Wandering Tattlers Tringa incana: a study from south-central Alaska

Montane-nesting shorebirds are arguably the least studied of the Charadriiformes, owing in part to the remoteness of their breeding areas, low nesting densities, and specialized behaviors. We studied a marked population of the Wandering Tattler Tringa incana, during a three-year period (1997–1999) on nesting grounds in south-central Alaska. Two aspects of our results stand out. First is the previously undescribed preference for tattlers to nest several kilometers removed from pre-nesting feeding areas, mostly in association with both small (kettle) lakes and running water (near small distributaries of major drainages). Second is the apparent use of the study area by cohorts of birds of different breeding status, including (1) local breeders, which defended pre-breeding foraging areas, (2) local non-breeding birds, which remained on the area but were not territorial, and (3) transients that were captured later in the season, but not seen again on the area during the season of capture. We also found that (1) birds tended to nest in clusters despite what appeared to be the ample availability of nesting habitat, (2) they employed an inconspicuous’ nesting strategy whereby neither member of a pair betrayed its presence on the nesting area, and (3) females departed the area during early chick-rearing, leaving males to tend broods.

Alaska↗
USGS2014

Suggestions as to future research in ground‐water hydrology

Determination of the ground‐water supply available from any aquifer or in any specified area requires not merely the application of specific quantitative methods but also a broad and accurate knowledge of the geologic, hydrologlc, and geochemical factors that are involved, and consideration of the economic and legal limitations. Further research is needed as to geologic texture and structure in relation to the occurrence and movement of the water; the precise nature of specific yield, which determines the effective storage capacities of the aquifers; the molecular physics involved in the downward and upward movement of water in the zone of aeration, and quantitative evaluation of ground‐water recharge and discharge; the hydraulics of ground water, as studied by pumping test methods, with special reference to boundary conditions; studies of perennial yield of aquifers of low permeability; the genesis of the mineral contents of ground water as determined through appropriate geologic, hydrologlc, and chemical studies; and methods of geophysical exploration and well logging for determining the occurrence of ground water. Serious study is also needed as to practicable methods of implementing the recently developed principles and methods of ground‐water hydrology in the production of water supplies and the economic and legal problems involved.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS1985

Cost-effectiveness of the U.S. Geological Survey's stream-gaging programs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island

The report documents the results of a study of the cost-effectiveness of the U.S. Geological Survey 's continuous-record stream-gaging programs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Data uses and funding sources were identified for 91 gaging stations being operated in Massachusetts are being operated to provide data for two special purpose hydrologic studies, and they are planned to be discontinued at the conclusion of the studies. Cost-effectiveness analyses were performed on 63 continuous-record gaging stations in Massachusetts and 15 stations in Rhode Island, at budgets of $353,000 and $60,500, respectively. Current operations policies result in average standard errors per station of 12.3% in Massachusetts and 9.7% in Rhode Island. Minimum possible budgets to maintain the present numbers of gaging stations in the two States are estimated to be $340,000 and $59,000, with average errors per station of 12.8% and 10.0%, respectively. If the present budget levels were doubled, average standards errors per station would decrease to 8.1% and 4.2%, respectively. Further budget increases would not improve the standard errors significantly. (USGS)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS1949

Summary of microfossil investigations, April 1948 to April 1949 with special reference to the south Barrow and Simpson areas

This report summarizes the results of microfossil investigations for he past year. It includes the microfossil data from the two South Barrow Test Wells and studies of samples from outcrop material an from seismograph shot holes. In addition, new information bearing on the special study of microfossils from the Cape Simpson area is presented. The ostracoda that have been recently studies are discussed in a separate report by Professor R. M. Swain.

Alaska↗
USGS2010

XANES evidence for rapid arsenic(III) oxidation at magnetite and ferrihydrite surfaces by dissolved O2 via Fe2+-mediated reactions

To reduce the adverse effects of arsenic on humans, various technologies are used to remove arsenic from groundwater, most relying on As adsorption on Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides and concomitant oxidation of As(III) by dissolved O 2 . This reaction can be catalyzed by microbial activity or by strongly oxidizing radical species known to form upon oxidation of Fe(II) by dissolved O 2 . Such catalyzed oxidation reactions have been invoked to explain the enhanced kinetics of As(III) oxidation in aerated water, in the presence of zerovalent iron or dissolved Fe(II). In the present study, we used arsenic K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to investigate the role of Fe(II) in the oxidation of As(III) at the surface of magnetite and ferrihydrite under oxygenated conditions. Our results show rapid oxidation of As(III) to As(V) upon sorption onto magnetite under oxic conditions at neutral pH. Moreover, under similar oxic conditions, As(III) oxidized upon sorption onto ferrihydrite only after addition of Fe(II) aq within the investigated time frame of 24 h. These results confirm that Fe(II) is able to catalyze As(III) oxidation in the presence of dissolved O 2 and suggest that oxidation of As(III) upon sorption on magnetite under oxic conditions can be explained by an Fe 2+ -mediated Fenton-like reactions. Thus, the present study shows that magnetite might be an efficient alternative to the current use of oxidants and Fe(II) to remove As from aerated water. In addition, this study emphasizes that special care is needed to preserve arsenic oxidation state during laboratory sorption experiments as well as in collecting As-bearing samples from natural environments.

Environmental Science and Technology↗
USGS2005

Historical statistics for mineral and material commodities in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides information to the public and to policy-makers concerning the current use and flow of minerals and materials in the United States economy. The USGS collects, analyzes, and disseminates minerals information on most nonfuel mineral commodities. This USGS digital database is an online compilation of historical U.S. statistics on mineral and material commodities. The database contains information on approximately 90 mineral commodities, including production, imports, exports, and stocks; reported and apparent consumption; and unit value (the real and nominal price in U.S. dollars of a metric ton of apparent consumption). For many of the commodities, data are reported as far back as 1900. Each commodity file includes a document that describes the units of measure, defines terms, and lists USGS contacts for additional information. End-use tables complement these statistics by supplying, for most of these commodities, information about the distribution of apparent consumption. This publication draws on more than 125 years of minerals information experience. At the request of the 47th Congress of the United States (1882; 22 Stat. 329), the U.S. Government began the collection and public distribution of these types of data. The Federal agencies responsible for the collection of the data have changed through time. For the years 1882-1924, the USGS collected and published these data; the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) performed these tasks from 1925-95; and in 1996, the responsibilities once again passed to the USGS (following the closure of the USBM) (Mlynarski, 1998). The USGS collects data on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual, and annual basis from more than 18,000 minerals-related producer and consumer establishments that cooperate with the USGS. These companies voluntarily complete about 40,000 canvass forms that survey production, consumption, recycling, stocks, shipments, and other essential information. Data are also gathered from site visits, memberships on domestic and international minerals-related committees, and coordination with other government organizations and trade associations. The USGS makes this information available through published products, including monthly, quarterly, and annual Mineral Industry Surveys, the annual Minerals Yearbook (MYB), the annual Mineral Commodity Summaries (MCS), and special mineral commodity studies, including the history of metal prices and materials flow studies.

Data Series↗
USGS2016

GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for critical minerals in six selected groups of deposit types in Alaska

Alaska has considerable potential for undiscovered mineral resources. This report evaluates potential for undiscovered critical minerals in Alaska. Critical minerals are those for which the United States imports more than half of its total supply and which are largely derived from nations that cannot be considered reliable trading partners. In this report, estimated resource potential and certainty for the state of Alaska are analyzed and mapped for the following six selected mineral deposit groups that may contain one or more critical minerals: (1) rare earth elements-thorium-yttrium-niobium(-uranium-zirconium) [REE-Th-Y-Nb(-U-Zr)] deposits associated with peralkaline to carbonatitic igneous intrusive rocks; (2) placer and paleoplacer gold (Au) deposits that in some places might also produce platinum group elements (PGE), chromium (Cr), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), silver (Ag), or titanium (Ti); (3) platinum group elements(-cobalt-chromium-nickel-titanium-vanadium) [PGE(-Co-Cr-Ni-Ti-V)] deposits associated with mafic to ultramafic intrusive rocks; (4) carbonate-hosted copper(-cobalt-silver-germanium-gallium) [Cu(-Co-Ag-Ge-Ga)] deposits; (5) sandstone-hosted uranium(-vanadium-copper) [U(-V-Cu)] deposits; and (6) tin-tungsten-molybdenum(-tantalum-indium-fluorspar) [Sn-W-Mo(-Ta-In-fluorspar)] deposits associated with specialized granites. This study used a data-driven, geographic information system (GIS)-implemented method to identify areas that have mineral resource potential in Alaska. This method systematically and simultaneously analyzes geoscience data from multiple geospatially referenced datasets and uses individual subwatersheds (12-digit hydrologic units) as the spatial unit of classification. The final map output uses a red, yellow, green, and gray color scheme to portray estimated relative potential (High, Medium, Low, Unknown) for each of the six groups of mineral deposit types, and it indicates the relative certainty (High, Medium, Low) of that estimate for each 12-digit hydrologic unit through color shading. Accompanying tables describe the data layers employed to score favorability for the presence of each mineral deposit group, the values assigned for specific analysis parameters, and the relative weighting of each data layer that contributes to estimated measures of potential and certainty . Core datasets used include the Alaska Geochemical Database, Version 2.0 (AGDB2); the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS) web-based geochemical database; the digital “Geologic Map of Alaska;” the Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF); and aerial gamma-ray surveys flown as part of the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Program by the U.S. Department of Energy. Maps accompanying this report illustrate the scores for estimated mineral resource potential for the six deposit groups for the state of Alaska. Areas that have known potential, as well as new areas that were not previously known to have potential, for the targeted minerals and deposit groups are identified and described. Numerous areas in Alaska, some of them large, have high potential for one or more of the selected groups of deposit types within Alaska. Contributors Matthew Granitto, Timothy S. Hayes, James V. Jones, III, Susan M. Karl, Keith A. Labay, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Jeanine M. Schmidt, Nora B. Shew, Erin Todd, Bronwen Wang, Melanie B. Werdon, and Douglas B. Yager

Alaska↗
USGS1955

Ground-water-supply possibilities in parts of Bear Lake and Caribou Counties, Idaho

Ground-water possibilities in parts of Bear Lake and Caribou counties, Idaho, were studied briefly, with special reference to the vicinities of Dingle and Montpelier and to the availability of ground water for expected industrial developments. The work was part of the ground-water investigations by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the state of Idaho. Most of the factual information herein was obtained from well drillers, farmers, and municipal water engineers. Geological examination was made of apparently favorable areas and water samples were collected from wells at Dingle Station and south of Wardboro.

Idaho↗
USGS1998

Military geology unit of the U.S. Geological Survey during World War II

On June 24, 1942, the temporary Military Geology Unit of the U.S. Geological Survey was formalized after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested them to prepare terrain intelligence studies to meet wartime priorities. The entire Military Geology Unit wartime roster was 114 professionals, including 88 geologists, 11 soil scientists, and 15 other specialists; 14 were women. Assisting staff (illustrators, typists, photographers, and others) totaled 43. The unit produced 313 studies, including 140 major terrain folios, 42 other major special reports, and 131 minor studies. These reports contain about 5,000 maps, 4,000 photographs and figures, 2,500 large tables, and 140 terrain diagrams. Most products were designed in the beginning for general strategic planning in Washington and later for detailed strategic planning overseas; they utilized graphics and nontechnical, telegraphic-style tabular texts. The Military Geology Unit's principal effort was the preparation of the terrain folios titled Strategic Engineering Studies. They varied somewhat in content and format, but the key components usually were introduction, terrain appreciation, rivers, road and airfield construction, construction materials, and water resources. The folios, produced at an average rate of about one per week and at an average cost of $2,500, were compiled from scientific journals, books, maps, and photographs available in the Washington area by a team of 3 to 8 scientists; 8 to 12 teams might be working concurrently. MGU personnel took great pride in never having missed a delivery deadline.

Book chapter↗
USGS2013

Obligate brood parasites show more functionally effective innate immune responses: an eco-immunological hypothesis

Immune adaptations of obligate brood parasites attracted interest when three New World cowbird species (Passeriformes, Icteridae, genus Molothrus) proved unusually resistant to West Nile virus. We have used cowbirds as models to investigate the eco-immunological hypothesis that species in parasite-rich environments characteristically have enhanced immunity as a life history adaptation. As part of an ongoing program to understand the cowbird immune system, in this study we measured degranulation and oxidative burst, two fundamental responses of the innate immune system. Innate immunity provides non-specific, fast-acting defenses against a variety of invading pathogens, and we hypothesized that innate immunity experiences particularly strong selection in cowbirds, because their life history strategy exposes them to diverse novel and unpredictable parasites. We compared the relative effectiveness of degranulation and oxidative burst responses in two cowbird species and one related, non-parasitic species. Both innate immune defenses were significantly more functionally efficient in the two parasitic cowbird species than in the non-parasitic red-winged blackbird (Icteridae, Agelaius phoeniceus). Additionally, both immune defenses were more functionally efficient in the brown-headed cowbird (M. ater), an extreme host-generalist brood parasite, than in the bronzed cowbird (M. aeneus), a moderate host-specialist with lower exposure to other species and their parasites. Thus the relative effectiveness of these two innate immune responses corresponds to the diversity of parasites in the niche of each species and to their relative resistance to WNV. This study is the first use of these two specialized assays in a comparative immunology study of wild avian species.

Evolutionary Biology↗