Importance of the Vadose Zone in analyses of unconfined aquifer tests
A.F. Moench
2004, Ground Water (42) 223-233
Analytical models commonly used to interpret unconfined aquifer tests have been based on upper-boundary (water table) conditions that do not adequately address effects of time-varying drainage from the vadose zone. As a result, measured and simulated drawdown data may not agree and hydraulic parameters may be inaccurately estimated. A 72-hour...
Identification of spectrally similar materials using the USGS Tetracorder algorithm: The calcite-epidote-chlorite problem
J.B. Dalton, D. J. Bove, C.S. Mladinich, B.W. Rockwell
2004, Remote Sensing of Environment (89) 455-466
A scheme to discriminate and identify materials having overlapping spectral absorption features has been developed and tested based on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Tetracorder system. The scheme has been applied to remotely sensed imaging spectroscopy data acquired by the Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument. This approach...
Kinematic and dynamic rupture models of the November 3, 2002 Mw7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake
Douglas S. Dreger, D. D. Oglesby, R. Harris, N. Ratchkovski, R. Hansen
2004, Geophysical Research Letters (31)
Regional seismic waveforms, continuous and campaign-mode GPS data, and surface slip measurements were used to obtain a kinematic model of the rupture process of the November 3, 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake. The event initiated as a Mw 7.0 reverse slip event on the north-dipping Susitna Glacier fault with...
Strontium isotope geochemistry of groundwater in the central part of the Dakota (Great Plains) aquifer, USA
D.C. Gosselin, F.E. Harvey, C. Frost, R. Stotler, P. A. Macfarlane
2004, Applied Geochemistry (19) 359-377
The Dakota aquifer of the central and eastern Great Plains of the United States is an important source of water for municipal supplies, irrigation and industrial use. Although the regional flow system can be characterized generally as east to northeasterly from the Rocky Mountains towards the Missouri River, locally the...
Detection of human enteric viruses in stream water with RT-PCR and cell culture
K. Denis-Mize, G.S. Fout, D.R. Dahling, D.S. Francy
2004, Journal of Water and Health (2) 37-47
A multiplex RT-PCR method was used to measure virus occurrence at five stream water sites that span a range of hydroclimatic, water-quality, and land-use characteristics. The performance of the molecular method was evaluated in comparison with traditional cell culture and Escherichia coli membrane filtration assays. The study incorporated multiple quality...
Prospects for quantifying structure, floristic composition and species richness of tropical forests
T.W. Gillespie, J. Brock, C. W. Wright
2004, International Journal of Remote Sensing (25) 707-715
Airborne spectral and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors have been used to quantify biophysical characteristics of tropical forests. Lidar sensors have provided high-resolution data on forest height, canopy topography, volume, and gap size; and provided estimates on number of strata in a forest, successional status of forests, and above-ground...
Origin of the Blue Ridge escarpment along the passive margin of Eastern North America
J.A. Spotila, G.C. Bank, P.W. Reiners, C. W. Naeser, N. D. Naeser, B.S. Henika
2004, Basin Research (16) 41-63
The Blue Ridge escarpment is a rugged landform situated within the ancient Appalachian orogen. While similar in some respects to the great escarpments along other passive margins, which have evolved by erosion following rifting, its youthful topographic expression has inspired proposals of Cenozoic tectonic rejuvenation in eastern North America. To...
Titanic exploration with GIS
J.J. Kerski
2004, GeoSpatial Solutions (14) 32-35
To help teachers and students investigate one of the world's most famous historical events using the geographic perspective and GIS tools and methods, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a set of educational lessons based on the RMS Titanic's April 1912 sailing. With these lessons, student researchers can learn about...
Using fish communities to assess streams in Romania: Initial development of an index of biotic integrity
P. L. Angermeier, G. Davideanu
2004, Hydrobiologia (511) 65-78
Multimetric biotic indices increasingly are used to complement physicochemical data in assessments of stream quality. We initiated development of multimetric indices, based on fish communities, to assess biotic integrity of streams in two physiographic regions of central Romania. Unlike previous efforts to develop such indices for European streams, our metrics...
Acoustic and optical borehole-wall imaging for fractured-rock aquifer studies
J.H. Williams, C. D. Johnson
2004, Journal of Applied Geophysics (55) 151-159
Imaging with acoustic and optical televiewers results in continuous and oriented 360° views of the borehole wall from which the character, relation, and orientation of lithologic and structural planar features can be defined for studies of fractured-rock aquifers. Fractures are more clearly defined under a wider range of conditions...
Exploring behavior of an unusual megaherbivore: A spatially explicit foraging model of the hippopotamus
R.L. Lewison, J. Carter
2004, Ecological Modelling (171) 127-138
Herbivore foraging theories have been developed for and tested on herbivores across a range of sizes. Due to logistical constraints, however, little research has focused on foraging behavior of megaherbivores. Here we present a research approach that explores megaherbivore foraging behavior, and assesses the applicability of foraging theories developed on...
Geochemical discrimination of five pleistocene lava-dam outburst-flood deposits, western Grand Canyon, Arizona
C.R. Fenton, R.J. Poreda, B.P. Nash, R. H. Webb, T.E. Cerling
2004, Journal of Geology (112) 91-110
Pleistocene basaltic lava dams and outburst‐flood deposits in the western Grand Canyon, Arizona, have been correlated by means of cosmogenic 3He (3Hec) ages and concentrations of SiO2, Na2O, K2O, and rare earth elements. These data indicate that basalt clasts and vitroclasts in a given outburst‐flood deposit came from a common source,...
Multiple-Aquifer Characterization from Single Borehole Extensometer Records
J.P. Pope, T. J. Burbey
2004, Ground Water (42) 45-58
Measurement and analysis of aquifer-system compaction have been used to characterize aquifer and confining unit properties when other techniques such as flow modeling have been ineffective at adequately quantifying storage properties or matching historical water levels in environments experiencing land subsidence. In the southeastern coastal plain of Virginia, high-sensitivity borehole...
Habitat use and preferences of breeding female wood ducks
Kevin M. Hartke, Gary R. Hepp
2004, Journal of Wildlife Management (68) 84-93
Female wood ducks (Aix sponsa) feed primarily on plant foods in the prelaying period and switch to a diet of mostly invertebrates during egg production. If nutrient acquisition is habitat-specific, then selection and use of habitats may differ between these reproductive stages. A better understanding of these processes is needed...
Magmatic intrusion west of Three Sisters, central Oregon, USA: The perspective from spring geochemistry
William C. Evans, M.C. van Soest, Robert H. Mariner, S. Hurwitz, S. E. Ingebritsen, C.W. Wicks Jr., M.E. Schmidt
2004, Geology (32) 69-72
A geochemical investigation of springs near Three Sisters volcanoes was conducted in response to the detection of crustal uplift west of the peaks. Dilute, low-temperature springs near the center of uplift show 3He/4He ratios ≥7RA (RA is the ratio in air), and transport in total ∼16...
Application of ground-penetrating radar, digital optical borehole images, and cores for characterization of porosity hydraulic conductivity and paleokarst in the Biscayne aquifer, southeastern Florida, USA
K.J. Cunningham
2004, Journal of Applied Geophysics (55) 61-76
This paper presents examples of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data from two study sites in southeastern Florida where karstic Pleistocene platform carbonates that comprise the unconfined Biscayne aquifer were imaged. Important features shown on resultant GPR profiles include: (1) upward and lateral qualitative interpretative distribution of porosity and hydraulic conductivity; (2)...
Organic and inorganic species in produced water: Implications for water reuse
Yousif K. Kharaka, Cynthia A. Rice
2004, Conference Paper, Proceedings - Natural gas technologies II: Ingenuity and innovation
Currently 20-30 billion barrels of formation water are co-produced annually in the USA with conventional oil and natural gas. The large database on the geochemistry of this produced water shows salinities that vary widely from ~5,000 to >350,000 mg/L TDS. Chloride, Na and Ca are generally the dominant ions, and...
Comparison of USGS and DLR topographic models of Comet Borrelly and photometric applications
Randolph L. Kirk, Elpitha Howington-Kraus, Laurence A. Soderblom, Bernd Giese, Jurgen Oberst
2004, Icarus (167) 54-69
Stereo analysis of images obtained during the 2001 flyby of Comet Borrelly by NASA's Deep Space 1 (DS1) probe allows us to quantify the shape and photometric behavior of the nucleus. The shape is complex, with planar facets corresponding to the dark, mottled regions of the surface whereas the bright, smooth regions are convexly curved. The...
Comparison of some sediment-hosted, stratiform barite deposits in China, the United States, and India
S. H. B. Clark, F. G. Poole, Z. Wang
2004, Ore Geology Reviews (24) 85-101
Shifts in world barite production since the 1980s have resulted in China becoming the world's largest barite-producing country followed by the US and India. Most barite produced for use in drilling fluids is derived from black shale- and chert-hosted, stratiform marine deposits. In China, Late Proterozoic to Early Cambrian marine...
Late Quaternary stratigraphy and geochronology of the western Killpecker Dunes, Wyoming, USA
J. H. Mayer, S. A. Mahan
2004, Quaternary Research (61) 72-84
New stratigraphic and geochronologic data from the Killpecker Dunes in southwestern Wyoming facilitate a more precise understanding of the dune field's history. Prior investigations suggested that evidence for late Pleistocene eolian activity in the dune field was lacking. However, luminescence ages from eolian sand of ???15,000 yr, as well as...
A Complex Systems Model Approach to Quantified Mineral Resource Appraisal
M. E. Gettings, M.W. Bultman, F. S. Fisher
2004, Environmental Management (33) 87-98
For federal and state land management agencies, mineral resource appraisal has evolved from value-based to outcome-based procedures wherein the consequences of resource development are compared with those of other management options. Complex systems modeling is proposed as a general framework in which to build models that can evaluate outcomes. Three...
Baseline practices and user needs for Web dissemination of geotechnical data
L.L. Turner, M.P. Brown, D. Chambers, C.A. Davis, J. Diehl, C.S. Hitchcock, T.L. Holzer, R.L. Nigbor, C. Plumb, C. Real, M. Reimer, J.H. Steidl, J.I. Sun, J. C. Tinsley, D. Vaughn
Yegian M.K.Kavazanjian E., editor(s)
2004, Conference Paper, Geotechnical Special Publication
This paper presents the findings and recommendations of the User Scenario Work Group (USWG) in identifying a baseline of current practices within the geo-professional community and prioritizing desired functional requirements in the development of a comprehensive geotechnical information management system. This work was conducted as an initial phase of a...
Landsat-7 ETM+ on-orbit reflective-band radiometric characterization
P. L. Scaramuzza, B. L. Markham, J. A. Barsi, E. Kaita
2004, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (42) 2796-2809
The Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) has been and continues to be radiometrically characterized using the Image Assessment System (IAS), a component of the Landsat-7 Ground System. Key radiometric properties analyzed include: overall, coherent, and impulse noise; bias stability; relative gain stability; and other artifacts. The overall instrument noise...
Development of regional liquefaction-induced deformation hazard maps
A. Rosinski, Kathy L. Knudsen, J. Wu, R.B. Seed, C.R. Real
Yegian M.K.Kavazanjian E., editor(s)
2004, Conference Paper, Geotechnical Special Publication
This paper describes part of a project to assess the feasibility of producing regional (1:24,000-scale) liquefaction hazard maps that are based-on potential liquefaction-induced deformation. The study area is the central Santa Clara Valley, at the south end of San Francisco Bay in Central California. The information collected and used includes:...
Study on geophone coupling and attenuating compensatory of low-depression velocity layer in desert area
Z. Shi, G. Tian, S. Dong, J. Xia, H. He
Chen C.Xia J., editor(s)
2004, Conference Paper, Progress in Environmental and Engineering Geophysics: Proceedings of the International Conference on Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, ICEEG 2004
In a desert area, it is difficult to couple geophones with dry sands. A low and depression velocity layer can seriously attenuate high frequency components of seismic data. Therefore, resolution and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of seismic data deteriorate. To enhance resolution and S/N ratio of seismic data, we designed a...
