Extraordinary distance limits of landslides triggered by the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake
Randall W. Jibson, Edwin L. Harp
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2368-2377
The 23 August 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake (Mw 5.8) was the largest to strike the eastern U.S. since 1897 and was felt over an extraordinarily large area. Although no large landslides occurred, the shaking did trigger many rock and soil falls from steep river banks and natural cliffs in the...
Earthquake ground motion
Nicolas Luco, Michael Valley, C.B. Crouse
2012, Book chapter, 2009 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions: Design Examples (FEMA P-751)
Most of the effort in seismic design of buildings and other structures is focused on structural design. This chapter addresses another key aspect of the design process—characterization of earthquake ground motion. Section 3.1 describes the basis of the earthquake ground motion maps in the Provisions and in ASCE 7. Section...
Holocene behavior of the Brigham City segment: implications for forecasting the next large-magnitude earthquake on the Wasatch fault zone, Utah
Stephen F. Personius, Christopher B. DuRoss, Anthony J. Crone
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2265-2281
The Brigham City segment (BCS), the northernmost Holocene‐active segment of the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ), is considered a likely location for the next big earthquake in northern Utah. We refine the timing of the last four surface‐rupturing (~Mw 7) earthquakes at several sites near Brigham City (BE1, 2430±250; BE2, 3490±180;...
A terrestrial lidar-based workflow for determining three-dimensional slip vectors and associated uncertainties
Peter O. Gold, Eric Cowgill, Oliver Kreylos, Ryan D. Gold
2012, Geosphere (8) 431-442
Three-dimensional (3D) slip vectors recorded by displaced landforms are difficult to constrain across complex fault zones, and the uncertainties associated with such measurements become increasingly challenging to assess as landforms degrade over time. We approach this problem from a remote sensing perspective by using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and 3D...
Assessing the validity of station location assumptions made in the calculation of the geomagnetic disturbance index, Dst
Jennifer Gannon
2012, Space Weather (10)
In this paper, the effects of the assumptions made in the calculation of the Dst index with regard to longitude sampling, hemisphere bias, and latitude correction are explored. The insights gained from this study will allow operational users to better understand the local implications of the Dst index and will...
Hillslope hydrology and stability
Ning Lu, Jonathan Godt
2012, Book
Landslides are caused by a failure of the mechanical balance within hillslopes. This balance is governed by two coupled physical processes: hydrological or subsurface flow and stress. The stabilizing strength of hillslope materials depends on effective stress, which is diminished by rainfall. This book presents a cutting-edge quantitative approach to...
Demand surge following earthquakes
Anna H. Olsen
2012, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (15WCEE), Lisbon, Portugal, September 24-28
Demand surge is understood to be a socio-economic phenomenon where repair costs for the same damage are higher after large- versus small-scale natural disasters. It has reportedly increased monetary losses by 20 to 50%. In previous work, a model for the increased costs of reconstruction labor and materials was developed...
Abiotic and biotic controls of cryptobenthic fish assemblages across a Caribbean seascape
A.R. Harborne, H.L. Jelks, W. F. Smith-Vaniz, L.A. Rocha
2012, Coral Reefs (31) 977-990
The majority of fish studies on coral reefs consider only non-cryptic species and, despite their functional importance, data on cryptic species are scarce. This study investigates inter-habitat variation in Caribbean cryptobenthic fishes by re-analysing a comprehensive data set from 58 rotenone stations around Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boosted regression...
Impact-based earthquake alerts with the U.S. Geological Survey's PAGER system: what's next?
D.J. Wald, K. S. Jaiswal, K. D. Marano, D. Garcia, E. So, M. Hearne
2012, Conference Paper, The 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering: September 24-28, 2012, Lisbon, Portugal
In September 2010, the USGS began publicly releasing earthquake alerts for significant earthquakes around the globe based on estimates of potential casualties and economic losses with its Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) system. These estimates significantly enhanced the utility of the USGS PAGER system which had been,...
Strontium
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 91-91
In 2011, U.S. apparent consumption of strontium (contained in celestite and manufactured strontium compounds) increased markedly to 18.4 kt (20,300 st) from 10.4 kt (11,500 st) in 2010. Gross weight of imports was 34.4 kt (38,000 st), of which 76 percent originated from Mexico....
Hydrogeomorphology of the hyporheic zone: stream solute and fine particle interactions with a dynamic streambed
J. W. Harvey, J.D. Drummond, R.L. Martin, L.E. McPhillips, A.I. Packman, D.J. Jerolmack, S.H. Stonedahl, A.F. Aubeneau, A.H. Sawyer, L. G. Larsen, C.R. Tobias
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (117)
Hyporheic flow in streams has typically been studied separately from geomorphic processes. We investigated interactions between bed mobility and dynamic hyporheic storage of solutes and fine particles in a sand-bed stream before, during, and after a flood. A conservatively transported solute tracer (bromide) and a fine particles tracer (5 μm...
Bauxite and alumina
E.L. Bray
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 35-36
The United States is import-reliant for nearly all of the bauxite that it consumes. Small amounts of bauxite and bauxitic clays are produced in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia for nonmetallurgical uses. Metallurgical-grade bauxite (crude dry) imports in 2011 totaled 9.54 Mt (10.5 million st), 18 percent more than the quantity...
Industrial sand and gravel
T.P. Dolley
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 65-65
Domestic production of industrial sand and gravel in 2011 was about 30 Mt (33 million st), increasing slightly compared with 2010. Some important end uses for industrial sand and gravel include abrasives, filtration, foundry, glassmaking, hydraulic fracturing sand (frac sand) and silicon metal applications....
Avian botulism and avian chlamydiosis in wild water birds, Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA
Douglas E. Docherty, J. Christian Franson, Roger E. Brannian, Renee R. Long, Craig A. Radi, David Krueger, Robert F. Johnson
2012, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (43) 885-888
In 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, conducted a diagnostic investigation into a water bird mortality event involving intoxication with avian botulism type C and infection with avian chlamydiosis at the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Montana, USA. Of 24 carcasses necropsied, 11...
Biogeochemistry: unexpected uptake
Jayne Belnap
2012, Nature Geoscience (5) 443-444
Lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses and algae coat many terrestrial surfaces. These biological covers turn out to play an important role in the global cycling of carbon and nitrogen....
Resolving hyporheic and groundwater components of streambed water flux
Aditi S. Bhaskar, Judson W. Harvey, Eric J. Henry
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Hyporheic and groundwater fluxes typically occur together in permeable sediments beneath flowing stream water. However, streambed water fluxes quantified using the thermal method are usually interpreted as representing either groundwater or hyporheic fluxes. Our purpose was to improve understanding of co-occurring groundwater and hyporheic fluxes using streambed temperature measurements and...
History and progress of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project, 2001-2010
David B. Smith, William F. Cannon, Laurel G. Woodruff, Francisco Moreira Rivera, Andrew N. Rencz, Robert G. Garrett
2012, Earth Science Frontiers (19) 19-32
In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the Mexican Geological Survey initiated a low-density (1 site per 1600 km2, 13323 sites) geochemical and mineralogical survey of North American soils (North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project). Sampling and analytical protocols were developed at a series of...
A new basaltic glass microanalytical reference material for multiple techniques
Steve Wilson, Alan Koenig, Heather Lowers
2012, Microscopy Today (20) 12-16
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been producing reference materials since the 1950s. Over 50 materials have been developed to cover bulk rock, sediment, and soils for the geological community. These materials are used globally in geochemistry, environmental, and analytical laboratories that perform bulk chemistry and/or microanalysis for instrument calibration...
Impacts of rural development on Yellowstone wildlife: linking grizzly bear Ursus arctos demographics with projected residential growth
Charles C. Schwartz, Patricia H. Gude, Lisa Landenburger, Mark A. Haroldson, Shannon Podruzny
2012, Wildlife Biology (18) 246-257
Exurban development is consuming wildlife habitat within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with potential consequences to the long-term conservation of grizzly bears Ursus arctos. We assessed the impacts of alternative future land-use scenarios by linking an existing regression-based simulation model predicting rural development with a spatially explicit model that predicted bear...
An exploration hydrogeochemical study at the giant Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Alaska, USA, using high-resolution ICP-MS
Robert G. Eppinger, David L. Fey, Stuart A. Giles, Karen D. Kelley, Steven M. Smith
2012, Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis (12) 211-226
A hydrogeochemical study using high resolution ICP-MS was undertaken at the giant Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit and surrounding mineral occurrences. Surface water and groundwater samples from regional background and the deposit area were collected at 168 sites. Rigorous quality control reveals impressive results at low nanogram per litre (ng/l) levels....
Alaska's rare earth deposits and resource potential
James C. Barker, Bradley S. Van Gosen
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 20-32
Alaska’s known mineral endowment includes some of the largest and highest grade deposits of various metals, including gold, copper and zinc. Recently, Alaska has also been active in the worldwide search for sources of rare earth elements (REE) to replace exports now being limitedby China. Driven by limited supply of...
Evidence of autumn spawning in Suwannee River Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi (Vladykov, 1955)
M.T. Randall, K. J. Sulak
2012, Journal of Applied Ichthyology (28) 489-495
Evidence of autumn spawning of Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi in the Suwannee River, Florida, was compiled from multiple investigations between 1986 and 2008. Gulf sturgeon are known from egg collections to spawn in the springtime months following immigration into rivers. Evidence of autumn spawning includes multiple captures of sturgeon...
Assessing California groundwater susceptibility using trace concentrations of halogenated volatile organic compounds
Daniel A. Deeds, Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2012, Environmental Science & Technology (46) 13128-13135
Twenty-four halogenated volatile organic compounds (hVOCs) and SF6 were measured in groundwater samples collected from 312 wells across California at concentrations as low as 10–12 grams per kilogram groundwater. The hVOCs detected are predominately anthropogenic (i.e., “ahVOCs”) and as such their distribution delineates where groundwaters are impacted and susceptible to...
Glass wool filters for concentrating waterborne viruses and agricultural zoonotic pathogens
Hana T. Millen, Jordan C. Gonnering, Ryan K. Berg, Susan K. Spencer, William E. Jokela, John M. Pearce, Jackson S. Borchardt, Mark A. Borchardt
2012, Journal of Visualized Experiments (61)
The key first step in evaluating pathogen levels in suspected contaminated water is concentration. Concentration methods tend to be specific for a particular pathogen group, for example US Environmental Protection Agency Method 1623 for Giardia and Cryptosporidium1, which means multiple methods are required if the sampling program is targeting more...
Habitat use and movement patterns of Northern Pintails during spring in northern Japan: the importance of agricultural lands
Noriyuki M. Yamaguchi, Jerry W. Hupp, Paul L. Flint, John M. Pearce, Yusuke Shigeta, Tetsuo Shimada, Emiko N. Hiraoka, Hiroyoshi Higuchi
2012, Journal of Field Ornithology (83) 141-153
From 2006 to 2009, we marked 198 Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) with satellite transmitters on their wintering areas in Japan to study their migration routes and habitat use in spring staging areas. We hypothesized that the distribution of pintails during spring staging was influenced by patterns of land use and...
