U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative-2009 Annual Report
Zachary H. Bowen, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Laura R. H. Biewick, Steven W. Blecker, R. Sky Bristol, Natasha B. Carr, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, James E. Diffendorfer, Bradley C. Fedy, Steven L. Garman, Stephen S. Germaine, Richard I. Grauch, JoAnn M. Holloway, Collin G. Homer, Matthew Kauffman, Douglas Keinath, Natalie Latysh, Daniel J. Manier, Robert R. McDougal, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Jessica Montag, Constance J. Nutt, Christopher J. Potter, Hall Sawyer, Spencer Schell, Sarah L. Shafer, David B. Smith, Lisa L. Stillings, Michele L. Tuttle, Anna B. Wilson
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1231
This is the second report produced by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) to detail annual work activities. The first report described work activities for 2007 and 2008; this report covers work activities conducted in 2009. Important differences between the two reports are that...
Carbon dioxide dangers demonstration model
Dina Venezky, Stephen Wessells
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1174
Carbon dioxide is a dangerous volcanic gas. When carbon dioxide seeps from the ground, it normally mixes with the air and dissipates rapidly. However, because carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air, it can collect in snowbanks, depressions, and poorly ventilated enclosures posing a potential danger to people and other...
Caldera demonstration model
Dina Venezky, Stephen Wessells
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1173
A caldera is a large, usually circular volcanic depression formed when magma is withdrawn or erupted from a shallow underground magma reservoir. It is often difficult to visualize how calderas form. This simple experiment using flour, a balloon, tubing, and a bicycle pump, provides a helpful visualization for caldera formation....
The potential influence of changing climate on the persistence of salmonids of the inland west
A.L. Haak, J.E. Williams, D. Isaak, A. Todd, C.C. Muhlfeld, J. L. Kershner, R. E. Gresswell, S. W. Hostetler, H.M. Neville
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1236
The Earth's climate warmed steadily during the 20th century, and mean annual air temperatures are estimated to have increased by 0.6°C (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007). Although many cycles of warming and cooling have occurred in the past, the most recent warming period is unique in its rate and...
Quality of surface water in Missouri, water year 2009
Miya N. Barr
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1233
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, designs and operates a series of monitoring stations on streams throughout Missouri known as the Ambient Water-Quality Monitoring Network. During the 2009 water year (October 1, 2008, through September 30, 2009), data were collected at 75 stations-69...
Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) in southeastern Oregon: A survey of historical localities, 2009
Chistopher A. Pearl, Stephanie K. Galvan, M. J. Adams, Brome McCreary
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1235
The Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) occupies a large range in western North America and is comprised of at least three genetic units. Concern exists regarding the status of the Great Basin populations in Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. We surveyed target and nearby alternate sites on public lands in southeastern...
Monitoring and assessment of ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean-A scoping paper
Lisa L. Robbins, Kimberly K. Yates, Richard Feely, Victoria Fabry
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1227
Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is absorbed at the ocean surface by reacting with seawater to form a weak, naturally occurring acid called carbonic acid. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, the concentration of carbonic acid in seawater also increases, causing a decrease in ocean pH and carbonate mineral saturation...
Database of recent tsunami deposits
Robert Peters, Bruce E. Jaffe
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1172
This report describes a database of sedimentary characteristics of tsunami deposits derived from published accounts of tsunami deposit investigations conducted shortly after the occurrence of a tsunami. The database contains 228 entries, each entry containing data from up to 71 categories. It includes data from 51 publications covering 15 tsunamis...
Otolith analysis of pre-restoration habitat use by Chinook salmon in the delta-flats and nearshore regions of the Nisqually River Estuary
Angie Lind-Null, Kim Larsen
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1238
The Nisqually Fall Chinook population is one of 27 salmon stocks in the Puget Sound (Washington) evolutionarily significant unit listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Extensive restoration of the Nisqually River delta ecosystem is currently taking place to assist in recovery of the stock as juvenile...
Photographic documentation of the evolution of Crater Glacier, Mount St. Helens, Washington, September 2006–November 2009
Joseph S. Walder, Steven P. Schilling, David R. Sherrod, James W. Vallance
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1141
Lava-dome emplacement through a glacier was observed for the first time during the 2004-08 eruption of Mount St. Helens and documented using photography, photogrammetry, and geodetic measurements. Previously published reports present such documentation through September 2006; this report extends that documentation until November 2009....
Description of extreme-wave deposits on the northern coast of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
Steven G. Watt, Bruce E. Jaffe, Robert A. Morton, Bruce M. Richmond, Guy Gelfencaum
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1180
To develop a better understanding of the origins of extreme-wave deposits and to help assess the potential risk of future overwash events, a field mapping survey was conducted in November 2006 on the northern coast of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Deposits were mapped and analyzed to help develop a systematic sedimentological...
Preliminary bedrock geologic map of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, and accompanying conodont data
Alison B. Till, Julie A. Dumoulin, Melanie B. Werdon, Heather A. Bleick
2010, Open-File Report 2009-1254
This 1:500,000-scale geologic map depicts the bedrock geology of Seward Peninsula, western Alaska, on the North American side of the Bering Strait. The map encompasses all of the Teller, Nome, Solomon, and Bendeleben 1:250,000-scale quadrangles, and parts of the Shishmaref, Kotzebue, Candle, and Norton Bay 1:250,000-scale quadrangles (sheet 1; sheet...
Maps and documentation of seismic CPT soundings in the central, eastern, and western United States
Thomas L. Holzer, Thomas E. Noce, Michael J. Bennett
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1136
Nine hundred twenty seven seismic cone penetration tests (CPT) in a variety of geologic deposits and geographic locations were conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) primarily between 1998 and 2008 for the purpose of collecting penetration test data to evaluate the liquefaction potential of different types of surficial geologic...
Assessing survival of Mid-Columbia River released juvenile salmonids at McNary Dam, Washington, 2008-09
Scott D. Evans, Christopher E. Walker, Scott J. Brewer, Noah S. Adams
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1237
Few studies have evaluated survival of juvenile salmon over long river reaches in the Columbia River and information regarding the survival of sockeye salmon at lower Columbia River dams is lacking. To address these information gaps, the U.S. Geological Survey was contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers...
Stratiform chromite deposit model
Ruth F. Schulte, Ryan D. Taylor, Nadine M. Piatak, Robert R. Seal II
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1232
Stratiform chromite deposits are of great economic importance, yet their origin and evolution remain highly debated. Layered igneous intrusions such as the Bushveld, Great Dyke, Kemi, and Stillwater Complexes, provide opportunities for studying magmatic differentiation processes and assimilation within the crust, as well as related ore-deposit formation. Chromite-rich seams within...
Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks-A preliminary report
J. F. Slack, J. D. Causey, R. G. Eppinger, J. E. Gray, C. A. Johnson, K.I. Lund, K. J. Schulz
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1212
A compilation of data on global Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks refines previous descriptive models for their occurrence and provides important information for mineral resource assessments and exploration programs. This compilation forms the basis for a new classification of such deposits, which is speculative at this early stage of research....
Streamflow, suspended-sediment, and soil-erosion data from Kaulana and Hakioawa watersheds, Kaho'olawe, Hawai'i, 2006 to 2010
Scot K. Izuka, Lyman L. Abbott
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1182
Various events over the last two centuries have destroyed the vegetation and caused rapid soil erosion on large areas of the small, arid, windy tropical shield-volcano island of Kaho`olawe, Hawai`i. These activities were largely halted in the 1990s, and efforts have been made to restore the island's vegetation in order...
Coast Salish and U.S. Geological Survey 2009 Tribal Journey water quality project
Sarah K. Akin, Eric E. Grossman
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1143
The Salish Sea, contained within the United States and British Columbia, Canada, is the homeland of the Coast Salish Peoples and contains a diverse array of marine resources unique to this area that have sustained Coast Salish cultures and traditions for millennia. In July 2009, the Coast Salish People and...
Surface-wave site characterization at 52 strong-motion recording stations affected by the Parkfield, California, M6.0 earthquake of 28 September 2004
Eric M. Thompson, Robert E. Kayen, Brad Carkin, Hajime Tanaka
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1168
We present one-dimensional shear-wave velocity (VS) profiles at 52 strong-motion sites that recorded the 28 September 2004 Magnitude 6.0 Parkfield, Calif., earthquake. We estimate the VS profiles with the Spectral Analysis of Surface-Waves (SASW) method. The SASW method is a noninvasive method that indirectly estimates the VS at depth from variations in the Rayleigh...
Effects of the 2008 high-flow experiment on water quality in Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam releases, Utah-Arizona
William S. Vernieu
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1159
Under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey‘s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) conducted a high-flow experiment (HFE) at Glen Canyon Dam (GCD) from March 4 through March 9, 2008. This experiment was conducted under enriched sediment conditions in the Colorado River within...
U.S. Geological Survey Rewarding Environment Culture Study, 2002
Janis C. Nash, Carol A. Paradise-Tornow, Vicki K. Gray, Sarah P. Griffin-Bemis, Pamela R. Agnew, Nicole M. Bouchet
2010, Open-File Report 2006-1192
In its 2001 review of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Research Council (NRC, p. 126) cautioned that ?high-quality personnel are essential for developing high-quality science information? and urged the USGS to ?devote substantial efforts to recruiting and retaining excellent staff.? Recognizing the importance of the NRC recommendation, the USGS...
Megascopic lithologic studies of coals in the Powder River basin in Wyoming and in adjacent basins in Wyoming and North Dakota
Michael H. Trippi, Gary D. Stricker, Romeo M. Flores, Ronald W. Stanton, Lora A. Chiehowsky, Timothy A. Moore
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1114
Between 1999 and 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigated coalbed methane (CBM) resources in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin. The study also included the CBM resources in the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin of North Dakota and the Wyoming portion of the Green River...
USGS exploration geochemistry studies at the Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Alaska— Pdf of presentation
Robert G. Eppinger, Karen D. Kelley, David L. Fey, Stuart A. Giles, Burke J. Minsley, Steven M. Smith
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1225
From 2007 through 2010, scientists in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have been conducting exploration-oriented geochemical and geophysical studies in the region surrounding the giant Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit in southwestern Alaska. The Cretaceous Pebble deposit is concealed under tundra, glacial till, and Tertiary cover rocks, and is undisturbed except...
Chemical analyses in the World Coal Quality Inventory
Susan J. Tewalt, Harvey E. Belkin, John R. SanFilipo, Matthew D. Merrill, Curtis A. Palmer, Peter D. Warwick, Alexander W. Karlsen, Robert B. Finkelman, Andy J. Park
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1196
The main objective of the World Coal Quality Inventory (WoCQI) was to collect and analyze a global set of samples of mined coal during a time period from about 1995 to 2006 (Finkelman and Lovern, 2001). Coal samples were collected by foreign collaborators and submitted to country specialists in the...
Accuracy of EAARL lidar ground elevations using a bare-earth algorithm in marsh and beach grasses on the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
Kara S. Doran, Asbury H. Sallenger Jr., Billy J. Reynolds, C. Wayne Wright
2010, Open-File Report 2010-1163
The NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Lidar (EAARL) is an airborne lidar (light detection and ranging) instrument designed to map coastal topography and bathymetry. The EAARL system has the capability to capture each laser-pulse return over a large signal range and can digitize the full waveform of the backscattered energy. Because...
