Overview of the Cenozoic geology of the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Joel E. Robinson, Drew T. Downs
2023, Professional Paper 1862-R
The Harrat Rahat volcanic field, located in the west-central part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is one of the larger Cenozoic harrats among the more than 17 harrats situated upon the Arabia Plate. The map plate contained herein shows, at a scale of 1:100,000, the mapped volcanic geology of...
Probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis for the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ryota Kiuchi, Walter D. Mooney, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-Q
We present a probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis (PSHA) for the west-central part of the Arabian Peninsula. Our study area includes the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field and the nearby city of Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This young, active volcanic field experienced one historical eruption in 1256 C.E. (654 in...
Seismic hazard assessment for areas of volcanic activity in western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Hani M. Zahran, Vladimir Sokolov, Ian C. F. Stewart
2023, Professional Paper 1862-P
Earthquake swarms caused by volcanic activity, tectonic stresses, or industrial operations (oil and gas production) can pose considerable risk for nearby settlements. As a rule, a probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) that is based on time-independent earthquakes does not take into account earthquake swarms because of their statistically time-dependent nature....
Ground-motion prediction equations for the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ryota Kiuchi, Walter D. Mooney, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-O
Ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for the western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are developed by employing a mixed-effects regression model to modify the Boore and others (2014) Next Generation Attenuation-West2 (NGA-West2) project GMPEs. NGA-West2 addressed several key issues concerning GMPEs for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regions. However, the NGA-West2...
Ambient seismic noise tomography of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Francesco Civilini, Walter D. Mooney, Martha K. Savage, John Townend
2023, Professional Paper 1862-N
Harrat Rahat is a Cenozoic volcanic field in the west-central part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 150 kilometers east of the Red Sea, and is the site of the most recent eruption in the country (1256 C.E.; 654 in the year of the Hijra). The city of Al Madīnah...
Thickness of the Saudi Arabian crust
Alexander R. Blanchette, Simon L. Klemperer, Walter D. Mooney, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-M
As part of a joint Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project, we analyzed P-wave receiver functions from seismic stations covering most of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to map the thickness of the crust across the Arabia Plate. We present an update of crustal-thickness estimates and...
Magnetotelluric investigation of northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Jared R. Peacock, Paul A. Bedrosian, Maher K. Al-Dhahry, Adel Shareef, Daniel W. Feucht, Cliff D. Taylor, Benjamin Bloss, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-L
Volcanism within the harrats (Arabic for “volcanic field”) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia includes at least one historical eruption occurring close to the holy city of Al Madīnah in 1256 C.E. As part of a volcanic- and seismic-hazard assessment of northern Harrat Rahat, magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected to...
Depth to basement and crustal structure of the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from gravity and aeromagnetic data
Victoria E. Langenheim, Brent T. Ritzinger, Hani M. Zahran, Adel Shareef, Maher K. Al-Dhahry
2023, Professional Paper 1862-K
New gravity data reveal a prominent negative anomaly along the main vent axis of the northern Harrat Rahat volcanic field in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The gravity low continues north of the volcanic field onto exposures of Proterozoic rocks, indicating that the low is caused not only by the...
Isotopic and geochemical evidence for the source of volcanism at Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Vincent J.M. Salters, Afi Sachi-Kocher, Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Thomas W. Sisson
2023, Professional Paper 1862-J
Pleistocene and Holocene basalts, hawaiites, mugearites, benmoreites, and trachytes from the northern part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were analyzed for Sr, Nd, Hf, and Pb isotopic compositions. Evolved trachytes with Mg number <0.1 (Mg# = Mg/[Mg+Fe2+], molar) have relatively radiogenic Sr isotopic compositions indicating...
Mantle origin and crustal differentiation of basalts and hawaiites of northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thomas W. Sisson, Drew T. Downs, Andrew T. Calvert, Hannah R. Dietterich, Gail A. Mahood, Vincent J.M. Salters, Mark E. Stelten, Jamal Shawali
2023, Professional Paper 1862-I
Quaternary volcanic rocks of northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are chiefly alkali basalts with subordinate transitional basalts, hawaiites, mugearites, benmoreites, and trachytes. Geochemical and isotopic results indicate that crystallization-differentiation, mixing, and cumulate reassimilation within the magmatic system produced most of its compositional diversity, with only minor involvement of...
Paleomagnetism of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—Geologic unit correlations and geomagnetic cryptochron identifications
Duane E. Champion, Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Joel E. Robinson, Thomas W. Sisson, Jamal Shawali, Khalid Hassan, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-H
Paleomagnetic rock samples were collected from 173 drill sites in the Quaternary alkali basaltic volcanic field of northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Laboratory measurements on these samples established that lava flows and vent complexes—identified and mapped from field characteristics, rock types, and compositions as products of single or...
Explosive trachyte eruptions from the Al Efairia volcanic center in northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Hannah R. Dietterich, Duane E. Champion, Gail A. Mahood, Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert, Jamal Shawali
2023, Professional Paper 1862-G
Harrat Rahat is an alkali basalt, continental, intraplate volcanic field located within the central-western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The northern quarter of Harrat Rahat contains evolved volcanic products that achieve trachyte compositions (>60 weight percent SiO2). Within the Al Efairia volcanic center, pyroclastic-flow and -surge deposits that...
The duration and characteristics of magmatic differentiation from basalt to trachyte within the Matan volcanic center, northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mark E. Stelten, Drew T. Downs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Gail A. Mahood, Andrew T. Calvert, Thomas W. Sisson, Molly R. Witter, Hani M. Zahran, Jamal Shawali
2023, Professional Paper 1862-F
A fundamental goal of igneous petrology is to quantify the durations required to produce evolved magmas following influx of basalt into the crust. However, in many cases, complex field relations and (or) the presence of a long-lived magmatic system make it difficult to assess how basaltic inputs relate to more...
Lava flow emplacement in Harrat Rahat with implications for eruptions in mafic volcanic fields
Hannah R. Dietterich, Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten
2023, Professional Paper 1862-E
Mafic volcanic fields are widespread, but few have erupted in historical times, providing limited observations of the magnitudes, dynamics, and timescales of lava flow emplacement in these settings. The Harrat Rahat volcanic field in western Saudi Arabia offers a good opportunity to study eruptions in such a setting, with a...
Eruptive history of northern Harrat Rahat—Volume, timing, and composition of volcanism over the past 1.2 million years
Mark E. Stelten, Drew T. Downs, Duane E. Champion, Hannah R. Dietterich, Andrew T. Calvert, Thomas W. Sisson, Gail A. Mahood, Hani M. Zahran
2023, Professional Paper 1862-D
Harrat Rahat, one of several large, basalt-dominated volcanic fields in the western part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is a prime example of continental, intraplate volcanism. Excellent exposure makes this an outstanding site to investigate changing volcanic flux and composition through time. We present 93 40Ar/39Ar ages and 6...
Eruptive history within the vicinity of Al Madīnah in northern Harrat Rahat, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Drew T. Downs, Mark E. Stelten, Duane E. Champion, Hannah R. Dietterich, Khalid Hassan, Jamal Shawali
2023, Professional Paper 1862-C
The northernmost part of the Harrat Rahat volcanic field contains early Pleistocene to Holocene mafic eruptive products within the vicinity of the city of Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A detailed geologic investigation into the eruptive history of a 570 square kilometer (km2) area covering Al Madīnah and the...
Cenozoic tectonics of the western Arabia Plate related to harrat magmatism near Al Madīnah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Andrew T. Calvert, Thomas W. Sisson
2023, Professional Paper 1862-B
Sprawling volcanic fields, or harrats, in western Saudi Arabia have been emplaced during the past 30 million years following effusions of flood basalts in Ethiopia and Yemen. Although broadly associated with volcanism in three rift valleys (Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and East African Rift Zone) radiating from the Afar...
The Saudi Geological Survey-U.S. Geological Survey northern Harrat Rahat project—Styles, rates, causes, and hazards of volcanism near Al Madīnah al Munawwarah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert, Walter D. Mooney
2023, Professional Paper 1862-A
Active volcanic systems pose serious hazards to people and property including inundation and incineration by lava, blanketing by tephra (volcanic ash), exposure to noxious volcanic gases, and damage from shallow earthquakes triggered by ascending molten material (magma). To improve understanding of volcanism and associated seismicity on the western Arabia Plate,...
Active volcanism on the Arabian Shield—Geology, volcanology, and geophysics of northern Harrat Rahat and vicinity, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Thomas W. Sisson, Andrew T. Calvert, Walter D. Mooney, editor(s)
2023, Professional Paper 1862
Active volcanic systems pose serious hazards to people and property including inundation and incineration by lava, blanketing by tephra (volcanic ash), exposure to noxious volcanic gases, and damage from shallow earthquakes triggered by ascending molten material (magma). To improve understanding of volcanism and associated seismicity on the western Arabia Plate,...
Ancient infrastructure offers sustainable agricultural solutions to dryland farming
Matthew C. Pailes, Laura M. Norman, Christopher H. Baisan, David Meko, Nicolas E. Gauthier, Jose Villanueva-Diaz, Jeff Dean, Jupiter Martinez, Nicholas V Kessler, Ron Towner
Rattan Lal, editor(s)
2023, Book chapter, Soil and drought: Basic processes
For 1000 years, human populations in dryland regions of the North American Southwest (NAS) extensively constructed diverse forms of agricultural infrastructure, including canals, linear rock alignments, check dams, stock ponds, and other earthworks and rock structures. The long-term hydrological impacts of these and the demographic and socio-political drivers of construction...
The haunting raptor: Yellowstone’s golden eagles
David B. Haines, Douglas W. Smith, Todd E. Katzner, Victoria J. Dreitz
2023, Book chapter, Yellowstone's Birds- Diversity and Abundance in the World's First National Park
For many who live in North America, when picturing an eagle, the image of a large magnificent bird with a distinct white head and tail comes to mind. Rightfully, the bald eagle has garnered much attention as a national symbol of the United States (US), nearly brought to extinction from...
Evaluation of stream capture related to groundwater pumping, Lower Humboldt River Basin, Nevada
Cara A. Nadler, Susan C. Rybarski, Hai Pham
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5110
The Humboldt River Basin is the only river basin that is contained entirely within the State of Nevada. The effect of groundwater pumping on the Humboldt River is not well understood. Tools are needed to determine stream capture and manage groundwater pumping in the Humboldt River Basin. The objective of...
Groundwater discharge by evapotranspiration from the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River and contributing areas, Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California
Michael T. Pavelko, Nancy A. Damar
2023, Scientific Investigations Report 2023-5106
The Amargosa Wild and Scenic River, located in the southwestern Mojave Desert in Inyo and San Bernardino Counties, California, is a Federally protected waterway that supports the biodiversity of the region. Water in the river primarily comes from interbasin groundwater flow that originates as precipitation in the Spring Mountains. The...
Evaluating growth rates of captive, wild, and reintroduced populations of the imperiled Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)
Houston C. Chandler, David Steen, Jack Blue, James E. Bogan, M. Rebecca Bolt, Tony Brady, David R. Breininger, Jorge Buening, Matt Elliott, James Godwin, Craig Guyer, Robert L. Hill, Michelle Hoffman, Natalie L. Hyslop, Christopher L. Jenkins, Chris Lechowicz, Matt Moore, Robert A. Moulis, Sara Piccolomini, Robert Redmond, Frankie H. Snow, Benjamin S. Stegenga, Dirk J. Stevenson, James Stiles, Sierra Stiles, Mark Wallace, Jimmy Waters, Michael Wines, Javan Mathias Bauder
2023, Herpetologica (79) 220-230
Reintroduction of species at sites where populations have been extirpated has become a common technique in wildlife conservation. To track progress towards reintroduction success, effective postrelease monitoring is needed to document vital rates of individuals and the corresponding impact on population trajectories. We assessed growth and body size in Eastern...
Atmospheric correction intercomparison of hyperspectral and multispectral imagery over agricultural study sites
Brian T. Lamb, W. Dean Hively, Jyoti Jennewein, Alison Thieme, Alexander M. Soroka
2023, Conference Paper, International Symposium on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (IGARSS): Conference Proceedings
In this research effort we assess the performance of atmospheric correction-based surface reflectance (SR) retrievals from two satellite image sources, one with very high spatial resolution (VHR) (<5-m) and the other high spectral resolution (~10-nm). The VHR images are from MAXARs WorldView-3 (WV3) satellite and the high spectral resolution images...
