USGS

Land Subsidence in the United States

by  Devin Galloway, David R. Jones, and S.E. Ingebritsen

U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1182

We have an html version of the abstract and table of contents below.  The full report is available in pdf.  Links to the pdf.

Abstract

Land subsidence is a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface owing to subsurface movement of earth materials. Subsidence is a global problem and, in the United States, more than 17,000 square miles in 45 States, an area roughly the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined, have been directly affected by subsidence. The principal causes are aquifer-system compaction, drainage of organic soils, underground mining, hydrocompaction, natural compaction, sinkholes, and thawing permafrost (National Research Council, 1991). More than 80 percent of the identified subsidence in the Nation is a consequence of our exploitation of underground water, and the increasing development of land and water resources threatens to exacerbate existing land-subsidence problems and initiate new ones. In many areas of the arid Southwest, and in more humid areas underlain by soluble rocks such as limestone, gypsum, or salt, land subsidence is an often- overlooked environmental consequence of our land- and water- use practices.

 

If you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, you may view and/or print the PDF version of this report. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you may download it here.

 

We have 2 sets of pdf files--one is individual files and the other is a combination of files.

 

Contents

Foreword--pdf--581KB

Acknowledgments--pdf--20KB

Introduction--pdf--945KB

PART I--Mining Ground Water--Introduction--pdf--945KB

Santa Clara Valley, California--pdf--4,302KB

San Joaquin Valley, California--pdf--5,471KB

Houston-Galveston, Texas--pd--6,040KB

Las Vegas, Nevada--pdf--5,434KB

South-Central Arizona--pdf--9,175KB

PART II--Drainage of Organic Soils--Introduction--pdf--576KB

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California--7,448KB

Florida Everglades--pdf--6,704KB

PART III--Collapsing Cavities--Introduction--pdf--1,409KB

The Retsof Salt Mine Collapse--pdf--4,252KB

Sinkholes, West-Central Florida--pdf--9,070KB

The Role of Science--pdf--7,616KB

Glossary--pdf--63KB

References--pdf--141KB

 

Cover, title page, back of title page, Foreword, Acknowledgments--pdf--7,125KB

Part1-Introduction; Santa Clara Valley, California; San Joaquin Valley, California--pdf--10,716KB

Part 1 (continued) Houston-Galveston, Texas--pdf--6,040KB

Part 1 (continued) Las Vegas, Nevada, South-Central Arizona--pdf--14,571KB

Part II-Introduction; Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta California; Florida Everglades--pdf--14,590KB

Part III-Introduction; The Retsof Salt Mine Collapse; Sinkholes West-Central Florida--pdf--14,713KB

The Role of Science, Glossary, References--pdf--7,818KB

Errata Sheet (html)

Errata Sheet (pdf)

 


A printed bound report available at no cost from:
USGS Information Services (Map and Book Sales)
Box 25286
Denver Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225


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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
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Last modified: Friday, January 11 2013, 12:26:10 PM

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