Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of Libya and Tunisia, 2010
Katherine J. Whidden, Michael Lewan, Christopher J. Schenk, Rondald R. Charpentier, Troy A. Cook, Timothy R. Klett, Janet K. Pitman
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3105
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 3.97 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, 38.5 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, and 1.47 billion barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in two provinces of North Africa....
Aqueous geochemical data from the analysis of stream-water samples collected in June and August 2008—Taylor Mountains 1:250,000- and Dillingham D-4 1:63,360-scale quadrangles, Alaska
Bronwen Wang, Victoria Owens, Elizabeth Bailey, Greg Lee
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1100
We report on the chemical analysis of water samples collected from the Taylor Mountains 1:250,000- and Dillingham D-4 1:63,360-scale quadrangles, Alaska. Reported parameters include pH, conductivity, water temperature, major cation and anion concentrations, and trace-element concentrations. We collected the samples as part of a multiyear U.S. Geological Survey project entitled...
Nutrient and sediment concentrations and corresponding loads during the historic June 2008 flooding in eastern Iowa
L. Hubbard, D.W. Kolpin, S. J. Kalkhoff, Dale M. Robertson
2011, Journal of Environmental Quality (40) 166-175
A combination of above-normal precipitation during the winter and spring of 2007-2008 and extensive rainfall during June 2008 led to severe flooding in many parts of the midwestern United States. This resulted in transport of substantial amounts of nutrients and sediment from Iowa basins into the Mississippi River. Water samples...
Transient surface liquid in Titan's south polar region from Cassini
A. G. Hayes, O. Aharonson, J. I. Lunine, R. L. Kirk, H. A. Zebker, L. C. Wye, R. D. Lorenz, E. P. Turtle, P. Paillou, Giuseppe Mitri, S. D. Wall, E. R. Stofan, K. L. Mitchell, C. Elachi
2011, Icarus (211) 655-671
Cassini RADAR images of Titan’s south polar region acquired during southern summer contain lake features which disappear between observations. These features show a tenfold increases in backscatter cross-section between images acquired one year apart, which is inconsistent with common scattering models without invoking temporal variability. The morphologic boundaries are...
Observations of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Part 1, in-situ measurements of flow dynamics, tracer particle movement and video imagery from the summer of 2009
Scott W. McCoy, Jeffrey A. Coe, Jason W. Kean, Greg E. Tucker, Dennis M. Staley, Thad A. Wasklewicz
2011, Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment 715-726
Debris flows initiated by surface-water runoff during short duration, moderate- to high-intensity rainfall are common in steep, rocky, and sparsely vegetated terrain. Yet large uncertainties remain about the potential for a flow to grow through entrainment of loose debris, which make formulation of accurate mechanical models of debris-flow routing difficult....
Nutrient fluxes and the recent collapse of coastal California salmon populations
Jonathan W. Moore, Sean A. Hayes, Walter Duffy, Sean Gallagher, Cyril J. Michel, David Wright
2011, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (68) 1161-1170
Migratory salmon move nutrients both in and out of fresh waters during the different parts of their life cycle. We used a mass-balance approach to quantify recent changes in phosphorus (P) fluxes in six coastal California, USA, watersheds that have recently experienced dramatic decreases in salmon populations. As adults, semelparous...
Hydrogeologic and geochemical characterization of groundwater resources in Rush Valley, Tooele County, Utah
Philip M. Gardner, Stefan Kirby
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5068
The water resources of Rush Valley were assessed during 2008–2010 with an emphasis on refining the understanding of the groundwater-flow system and updating the groundwater budget. Surface-water resources within Rush Valley are limited and are generally used for agriculture. Groundwater is the principal water source for most other uses including...
Assessment of conservation practices in the Fort Cobb Reservoir watershed, southwestern Oklahoma
Carol Becker
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5257
The Fort Cobb Reservoir watershed encompasses about 813 square kilometers of rural farm land in Caddo, Custer, and Washita Counties in southwestern Oklahoma. The Fort Cobb Reservoir and six stream segments were identified on the Oklahoma 1998 303(d) list as not supporting designated beneficial uses because of impairment by nutrients,...
Conceptual model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system
Victor M. Heilweil, Lynette E. Brooks, editor(s)
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2010-5193
A conceptual model of the Great Basin carbonate and alluvial aquifer system (GBCAAS) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for a regional assessment of groundwater availability as part of a national water census. The study area is an expansion of a previous USGS Regional Aquifer Systems Analysis (RASA)...
The future of rare earth elements—will these high-tech industry elements continue in short supply?
Keith R. Long
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1189
* REE will continue to find increasing use due to their unique properties. * There is a realistic possibility around 2015-2016 of sufficient REE capacity to meet demand under conditions of healthy price competition. * REE supplies will be tight and prices high for a few years. * There is...
Land-cover change research at the U.S. Geological Survey-assessing our nation's dynamic land surface
Tamara S. Wilson
2011, Fact Sheet 2011-3080
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an unprecedented, 27-year assessment of land-use and land-cover change for the conterminous United States. For the period 1973 to 2000, scientists generated estimates of change in major types of land use and land cover, such as development, mining, agriculture, forest, grasslands, and wetlands....
Four studies on effects of environmental factors on the quality of National Atmospheric Deposition Program measurements
Gregory A. Wetherbee, Natalie E. Latysh, Christopher M.B. Lehmann, Mark F. Rhodes
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1170
Selected aspects of National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) protocols are evaluated in four studies. Meteorological conditions have minor impacts on the error in NADP/NTN sampling. Efficiency of frozen precipitation sample collection is lower than for liquid precipitation samples. Variability of NTN measurements is higher for relatively...
Groundwater-quality data in the northern Coast Ranges study unit, 2009: Results from the California GAMA Program
Timothy M. Mathany, Barbara J. Dawson, Jennifer L. Shelton, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Data Series 609
Groundwater quality in the 633-square-mile Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from June to November 2009, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program's Priority Basin Project (PBP) and the U.S. Geological...
Site-specific seismic-hazard maps and deaggregation in the western United States using the NGA models for ground-motion prediction
Stephen Harmsen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1218
The 2008 National Seismic Hazard Mapping Project (NSHMP) update for the conterminous United States employs several new ground-motion prediction equations which include modern empirical models of linear and nonlinear site response to local and regional earthquakes. The recent availability of attenuation functions incorporating site conditions via Vs30 values permits the...
An inventory and monitoring plan for a Sonoran Desert ecosystem; Barry M. Goldwater Range-West
Miguel L. Villarreal, Charles van Riper III, Robert E. Lovich, Robert L. Palmer, Travis Nauman, Sarah E. Studd, Sam Drake, Abigail S. Rosenberg, Jim Malusa, Ronald L. Pearce
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1232
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma manages the Barry M. Goldwater Range-West, which encompasses approximately 2,800 square kilometers of Sonoran Desert habitat in southwestern Arizona. The Barry M. Goldwater Range is a major U.S. military installation designed as an air combat training location for the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air...
Liquefaction hazard for the region of Evansville, Indiana
Jennifer S. Haase, Yoon S. Choi, Robert L. Nowack, Chris H. Cramer, Oliver S. Boyd, Robert A. Bauer
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1203
We calculated liquefaction potential index for a grid of sites in the Evansville, Indiana area for two scenario earthquakes-a magnitude 7.7 in the New Madrid seismic zone and a M6.8 in the Wabash Valley seismic zone. For the latter event, peak ground accelerations range from 0.13 gravity to 0.81 gravity,...
An analysis of spatial relation predicates in U.S. Geological Survey feature definitions
Holly K. Caro, Dalia E. Varanka
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1235
The Semantic Web uses a data model called a triple, which consists of a subject -predicate - object structure. When represented as triples, geospatial data require a spatial relation term to serve as the predicate linking two spatial features. This document summarizes the approaches and procedures used during the identification...
An open-water electrical geophysical tool for mapping sub-seafloor heavy placer minerals in 3D and migrating hydrocarbon plumes in 4D
Jefferey C. Wynn, Scott Urquhart, Mike Williamson, John B. Fleming
2011, Conference Paper, OCEANS '11 MTS/IEEE Kona
A towed-streamer technology has been developed for mapping placer heavy minerals and dispersed hydrocarbon plumes in the open ocean. The approach uses induced polarization (IP), an electrical measurement that encompasses several different surface-reactive capacitive and electrochemical phenomena, and thus is ideally suited for mapping dispersed or disseminated targets. The application...
Numerical simulation of groundwater flow for the Yakima River basin aquifer system, Washington
D.M. Ely, M.P. Bachmann, J. J. Vaccaro
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5155
A regional, three-dimensional, transient numerical model of groundwater flow was constructed for the Yakima River basin aquifer system to better understand the groundwater-flow system and its relation to surface-water resources. The model described in this report can be used as a tool by water-management agencies and other stakeholders to quantitatively...
Phreatophytic land-cover map of the northern and central Great Basin Ecoregion: California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming
Amy M. Mathie, Toby L. Welborn, David D. Susong, Mary L. Tumbusch
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3169
Increasing water use and changing climate in the Great Basin of the western United States are likely affecting the distribution of phreatophytic vegetation in the region. Phreatophytic plant communities that depend on groundwater are susceptible to natural and anthropogenic changes to hydrologic flow systems. The purpose of this report is...
Effectiveness of post-fire seeding at the Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Land Ecology Reserve, Washington
Troy A. Wirth, David A. Pyke
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1241
In August 2007, the Milepost 17 and Wautoma fires burned a combined total of 77,349 acres (31,302 hectares) of the Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Land Ecology Reserve (ALE), part of the Hanford Reach National Monument administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. In 2009, the USFWS...
Assessment of coal geology, resources, and reserves in the Southwestern Powder River Basin, Wyoming
Lee M. Osmonson, David C. Scott, Jon E. Haacke, James A. Luppens, Paul E. Pierce
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1134
The availability of abundant new borehole data from recent coal bed natural gas development was utilized by the U.S. Geological Survey for a comprehensive evaluation of coal resources and reserves in the southwestern part of the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. This report on the Southwestern Powder River Basin assessment...
Summary of inorganic compositional data for groundwater, soil-water, and surface-water samples collected at the Headgate Draw subsurface drip irrigation site, Johnson County, Wyoming
Nicholas J. Geboy, Mark A. Engle, Karl T. Schroeder, John W. Zupancic
2011, Data Series 619
As part of a 5-year project on the impact of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) application of coalbed-methane (CBM) produced waters, water samples were collected from the Headgate Draw SDI site in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA. This research is part of a larger study to understand short- and long-term...
Objectives, priorities, reliable knowledge, and science-based management of Missouri River interior least terns and piping plovers
Mark Sherfy, Michael J. Anteau, Terry Shaffer, Marsha Sovada, Jennifer Stucker
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1236
Supporting recovery of federally listed interior least tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos; tern) and piping plover (Charadrius melodus; plover) populations is a desirable goal in management of the Missouri River ecosystem. Many tools are implemented in support of this goal, including habitat management, annual monitoring, directed research, and threat mitigation. Similarly,...
Meteoric precipitation at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Chemical and stable isotope analyses, 2006-09
Richard J. Moscati, Kevin M. Scofield
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5140
Meteoric precipitation samples collected in 2006-09 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, were analyzed for chemistry and stable isotope composition. Precipitation is the major source of infiltration to the unsaturated zone and of recharge to the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain. On February 28, 2005, seepage of water was observed about 40 to...
