Early Permian conodont fauna and stratigraphy of the Garden Valley Formation, Eureka County, Nevada
Bruce R. Wardlaw, Dora M. Gallegos, Valery V. Chernykh, Walter S. Snyder
2015, Stratigraphy (12) 197-215
The lower Part of the Garden Valley Formation yields two distinct conodont faunas. One of late Asselian age dominated by Mesogondolella and Streptognathodus and one of Artinskian age dominated by Sweetognathus with Mesogondolella. The Asselian fauna contains the same species as those found in the type area of the Asselian...
Assessment of undiscovered sandstone-hosted uranium resources in the Texas Coastal Plain, 2015
Mark J. Mihalasky, Susan M. Hall, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Kathleen R. Tureck, Mark T. Hannon, George N. Breit, Robert A. Zielinski, Brent Elliott
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3069
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 220 million pounds of recoverable uranium oxide (U3O8 ) remaining as potential undiscovered resources in southern Texas. This estimate used a geology-based assessment method for Tertiary sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain sedimentary strata (fig.1)....
Seismic hazard in the eastern United States
Charles Mueller, Oliver S. Boyd, Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti, Sanaz Rezaeian, Allison Shumway
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) 85-107
The U.S. Geological Survey seismic hazard maps for the central and eastern United States were updated in 2014. We analyze results and changes for the eastern part of the region. Ratio maps are presented, along with tables of ground motions and deaggregations for selected cities. The Charleston fault model was...
Evaluating predictors of local dabbling duck abundance during migration: Managing the spectrum of conditions faced by migrants
Kevin Aagaard, Shawn M. Crimmins, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Brian G. Tavernia, James E. Lyons
2015, Wildfowl (65) 100-120
The development of robust modelling techniques to derive inferences from large-scale migratory bird monitoring data at appropriate scales has direct relevance to their management. The Integrated Waterbird Management and Monitoring programme (IWMM) represents one of the few attempts to monitor migrating waterbirds across entire flyways using targeted local surveys. This...
Seismic hazard in the Nation's breadbasket
Oliver S. Boyd, Kathleen Haller, Nico Luco, Morgan P. Moschetti, Charles Mueller, Mark D. Petersen, Sanaz Rezaeian, Justin L. Rubinstein
2015, Earthquake Spectra (S1) 109-130
The USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps were updated in 2014 and included several important changes for the central United States (CUS). Background seismicity sources were improved using a new moment-magnitude-based catalog; a new adaptive, nearest-neighbor smoothing kernel was implemented; and maximum magnitudes for background sources were updated. Areal source zones...
Categorisation of northern California rainfall for periods with and without a radar brightband using stable isotopes and a novel automated precipitation collector
Tyler B. Coplen, Paul J. Neiman, Allen B. White, F. Martin Ralph
2015, Tellus, Series A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography (67) 1-48
During landfall of extratropical cyclones between 2005 and 2011, nearly 1400 precipitation samples were collected at intervals of 30-min time resolution with novel automated collectors at four NOAA sites in northern California [Alta (ATA), Bodega Bay (BBY), Cazadero (CZD) and Shasta Dam (STD)] during 43 events. Substantial decreases were commonly...
Critical loads of atmospheric deposition to Adirondack lake watersheds: A guide for policymakers
Douglas A. Burns, Timothy J. Sullivan
2015, Report
Acid deposition is sometimes referred to as “acid rain,” although part of the acid load reaches the surface by means other than rainfall. In the eastern U.S., acid deposition consists of several forms of sulfur and nitrogen that largely originate as emissions to the atmosphere from sources such as electricity-generating...
Conodont faunas from a complete basinal succession of the upper part of the Wordian (Middle Permian, Guadalupian, West Texas)
Bruce R. Wardlaw, Merlynd K. Nestell
2015, Micropaleontology (61) 257-292
In the southern part of the Patterson Hills just to the west of the Guadalupe Mountains escarpment ofWest Texas, a 29m outcrop of alternating calcareous siltstone and silty limestone with a few thin fine sandstone interbeds displays the overlap occurrence of a narrowmorphotype of Jinogondolella nankingensis (herein named J. nankingensis...
Roost habitat of Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the canyonlands of Utah
David W. Willey, Charles van Riper III
2015, Wilson Journal of Ornithology (127) 690-696
In large portions of their geographic range, Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) roost in forest-dominated environments, but in some areas the owls use relatively arid rocky canyonlands. We measured habitat characteristics at 133 male roosts (n = 20 males) during 1992-95, and 56 female roosts (n = 13 females)...
Influence of grazing and land use on stream-channel characteristics among small dairy farms in the Eastern United States
Genevieve Brand, Bruce C. Vondracek, Nicholas R. Jordan
2015, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (30) 524-536
Rotational grazing (RG) is a livestock management practice that rotates grazing cattle on a scale of hours to days among small pastures termed paddocks. It may beneficially affect stream channels, relative to other livestock management practices. Such effects and other beneficial effects on hydrology are important to RG's potential to...
Ground motion models used in the 2014 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps
Sanaz Rezaeian, Mark D. Petersen, Morgan P. Moschetti
2015, Earthquake Spectra (31) S59-S84
The National Seismic Hazard Maps (NSHMs) are an important component of seismic design regulations in the United States. This paper compares hazard using the new suite of ground motion models (GMMs) relative to hazard using the suite of GMMs applied in the previous version of the maps. The new source...
Flooding in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins in eastern Colorado, September 9–18, 2013
Robert A. Kimbrough, Robert R. Holmes Jr.
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5119
On September 9, 2013, rain began to fall in eastern Colorado as a large low-pressure system pulled plumes of tropical moisture northward from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. By September 16, 2013, as much as 12 to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the foothills of...
Disparity between state fish consumption advisory systems for methylmercury and US Environmental Protection Agency recommendations: A case study of the South Central United States
Kimberly Adams, Ray W. Drenner, Matthew M. Chumchal, David I. Donato
2015, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (35) 247-251
Fish consumption advisories are used to inform citizens in the United States about noncommercial game fish with hazardous levels of methylmercury (MeHg). The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) suggests issuing a fish consumption advisory when concentrations of MeHg in fish exceed a human health screening value of 300 ng/g. However, states...
Persistent U(IV) and U(VI) following in-situ recovery (ISR) mining of a sandstone uranium deposit, Wyoming, USA
Tanya J. Gallegos, Kate M. Campbell, Robert A. Zielinski, P.W. Reimus, J.T. Clay, N. Janot, J. J. Bargar, William Benzel
2015, Applied Geochemistry (63) 222-234
Drill-core samples from a sandstone-hosted uranium (U) deposit in Wyoming were characterized to determine the abundance and distribution of uranium following in-situ recovery (ISR) mining with oxygen- and carbon dioxide-enriched water. Concentrations of uranium, collected from ten depth intervals, ranged from 5 to 1920 ppm. A...
Groundwater/surface-water interactions in the Bad River Watershed, Wisconsin
Andrew T. Leaf, Michael N. Fienen, Randall J. Hunt, Cheryl A. Buchwald
2015, Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5162
A groundwater-flow model was developed for the Bad River Watershed and surrounding area by using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finite-difference code MODFLOW-NWT. The model simulates steady-state groundwater-flow and base flow in streams by using the streamflow routing (SFR) package. The objectives of this study were to: (1) develop an...
Factors controlling Li concentration and isotopic composition in formation waters and host rocks of Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin
Thai T. Phan, Rosemary C Capo, Brian W. Stewart, Gwen Macpherson, Elisabeth L. Rowan, Richard W. Hammack
2015, Chemical Geology (420) 162-179
In this study, water and whole rock samples from hydraulically fractured wells in the Marcellus Shale (Middle Devonian), and water from conventional wells producing from Upper Devonian sandstones were analyzed for lithium concentrations and isotope ratios (δ7Li). The distribution of lithium concentrations in different mineral groups was determined using...
Development of an Assessment Tool for Agricultural Best Management Practice Implementation in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Priority Watersheds—Upper East River, Tributary to Green Bay, Wisconsin
Katherine R. Merriman
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3065
Introduction The Great Lakes face a number of serious challenges that cause damage to water quality, habitat, ecology, and coastal health. Excess nutrients from point and nonpoint sources have a history of causing harmful algal blooms (HABs); since the late 1990s, a resurgence of HABs have forced beach closures and resulted...
Fat, weather, and date affect migratory songbirds’ departure decisions, routes, and time it takes to cross the Gulf of Mexico
Jill L. Deppe, Michael P. Ward, Rachel T. Bolus, Robert H. Diehl, A. Celis-Murillo, Theodore J. Zenzal, Frank R. Moore, Thomas J. Benson, Jaclyn A. Smolinsky, Lynn N. Schofield, David A. Enstrom, Eben H. Paxton, Gil Bohrer, Tara A. Beveroth, Arlo Raim, Renee L. Obringer, David Delaney, William W. Cochran
2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (112) E6331-E6338
Approximately two thirds of migratory songbirds in eastern North America negotiate the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), where inclement weather coupled with no refueling or resting opportunities can be lethal. However, decisions made when navigating such features and their consequences remain largely unknown due to technological limitations of tracking small animals...
Karst mapping in the United States: Past, present and future
David J. Weary, Daniel H. Doctor
2015, GSA Special Papers (516) 177-211
The earliest known comprehensive karst map of the entire USA was published by Stringfield and LeGrand (1969), based on compilations of William E. Davies of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Various versions of essentially the same map have been published since. The USGS recently published new digital maps and databases...
Experimental infection of snakes with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola causes pathological changes that typify snake fungal disease
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Katrien Werner, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Kevin McCurley, David S. Blehert
2015, mBio (6)
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging skin infection of wild snakes in eastern North America. The fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola is frequently associated with the skin lesions that are characteristic of SFD, but a causal relationship between the fungus and the disease has not been established. We experimentally infected captive-bred corn...
California State Waters map series — Offshore of Scott Creek, California
Guy R. Cochrane, Peter Dartnell, Samuel Y. Johnson, H. Gary Greene, Mercedes D. Erdey, Bryan E. Dieter, Nadine E. Golden, Charles A. Endris, Stephen R. Hartwell, Rikk G. Kvitek, Clifton W. Davenport, Janet Watt, Lisa M. Krigsman, Andrew C. Ritchie, Ray W. Sliter, David P. Finlayson, Katherine L. Maier
Guy R. Cochrane, Susan A. Cochran, editor(s)
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1191
Introduction In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed seafloor maps through collection, integration,...
Case Study, California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis corturniculus): Science Foundation Chapter 5, Appendix 5.1 in The Baylands and climate change: What can we do?
Jules G. Evens, Karen M. Thorne
2015, Report, The Baylands and climate change: What can we do? Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals science update 2015
The Black Rail is the smallest member of the avian family Rallidae and has a wide-ranging but highly scattered distribution throughout the New World. Of five subspecies, two occur in North America—the Eastern Black Rail (L.j. jamaicensis) and the California Black Rail (L.j. coturniculus). Throughout its range, the Black Rail...
Comment on "Donders, T.H. 2014. Middle Holocene humidity increase in Florida: climate or sea-level? Quaternary Science Reviews 103:170-174."
Paul H. Glaser, Barbara CS Hansen, Joseph J. Donovan, Thomas J. Givnish, Craig A. Stricker, John C. Volin
2015, Quaternary Science Reviews (128) 138-141
Donders (2014) has recently proposed that the climate of Florida became progressively wetter over the past 5000 years in response to a marked strengthening of the El Niño regime. This reconstruction is largely based on a re-analysis of pollen records from regions north of Lake Okeechobee (<span...
Lava lake level as a gauge of magma reservoir pressure and eruptive hazard
Matthew R. Patrick, Kyle R. Anderson, Michael P. Poland, Tim R. Orr, Donald A. Swanson
2015, Geology (43) 831-834
Forecasting volcanic activity relies fundamentally on tracking magma pressure through the use of proxies, such as ground surface deformation and earthquake rates. Lava lakes at open-vent basaltic volcanoes provide a window into the uppermost magma system for gauging reservoir pressure changes more directly. At Kīlauea Volcano (Hawaiʻi, USA) the surface...
Groundwater quality in the Chemung River, Eastern Lake Ontario, and Lower Hudson River Basins, New York, 2013
Tia-Marie Scott, Elizabeth A. Nystrom, James E. Reddy
2015, Open-File Report 2015-1168
In a study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, water samples were collected from 4 production wells and 4 domestic wells in the Chemung River Basin, 8 production wells and 7 domestic wells in the Eastern Lake Ontario...
