Minimum distribution of subsea ice-bearing permafrost on the US Beaufort Sea continental shelf
Laura L. Brothers, Patrick E. Hart, Carolyn D. Ruppel
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
Starting in Late Pleistocene time (~19 ka), sea level rise inundated coastal zones worldwide. On some parts of the present-day circum-Arctic continental shelf, this led to flooding and thawing of formerly subaerial permafrost and probable dissociation of associated gas hydrates. Relict permafrost has never been systematically mapped along the 700-km-long...
Fold-to-fault progression of a major thrust zone revealed in horses of the North Mountain fault zone, Virginia and West Virginia, USA
Randall C. Orndorff
2012, Journal of Geological Research (2012)
The method of emplacement and sequential deformation of major thrust zones may be deciphered by detailed geologic mapping of these important structures. Thrust fault zones may have added complexity when horse blocks are contained within them. However, these horses can be an important indicator of the fault development holding information...
Estimating occupancy in large landscapes: evaluation of amphibian monitoring in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem
William R. Gould, Debra A. Patla, Rob Daley, Paul Stephen Corn, Blake R. Hossack, Robert E. Bennetts, Charles R. Peterson
2012, Wetlands (32) 379-389
Monitoring of natural resources is crucial to ecosystem conservation, and yet it can pose many challenges. Annual surveys for amphibian breeding occupancy were conducted in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks over a 4-year period (2006–2009) at two scales: catchments (portions of watersheds) and individual wetland sites. Catchments were selected...
Gypsum
R.D. Crangle Jr.
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 59-59
The United States is the world's fourth leading producer and consumer of gypsum. Production of gypsum in the U.S. during 2011 was estimated to be 9.4 Mt (103 million st), an increase of 6 percent compared with 2010 production. The average price of mined crude gypsum was $7/t ($6.35/st). Synthetic...
Extraordinary distance limits of landslides triggered by the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake
Randall W. Jibson, Edwin L. Harp
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2368-2377
The 23 August 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake (Mw 5.8) was the largest to strike the eastern U.S. since 1897 and was felt over an extraordinarily large area. Although no large landslides occurred, the shaking did trigger many rock and soil falls from steep river banks and natural cliffs in the...
Description of two new gill myxozoans from smallmouth (Micropterus dolomieu) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Heather L. Walsh, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Gavin W. Glenney, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Vicki Blazer
2012, Journal of Parasitology (98) 415-422
Two previously undescribed species of myxozoan parasites were observed in the gills of bass inhabiting the Potomac and James River basins. They are described using morphological characteristics and small-subunit (SSU) rDNA gene sequences. Both were taxonomically identified as new species of Myxobolus; Myxobolus branchiarum n. sp. was found exclusively in...
Constraints on the history and topography of the Northeastern Sierra Nevada from a Neogene sedimentary basin in the Reno-Verdi area, Western Nevada
James Trexler, Patricia Cashman, Michael Cosca
2012, Geosphere (8) 548-561
Neogene (Miocene–Pliocene) sedimentary rocks of the northeastern Sierra Nevada were deposited in small basins that formed in response to volcanic and tectonic activity along the eastern margin of the Sierra. These strata record an early phase (ca. 11–10 Ma) of extension and rapid sedimentation of boulder conglomerates and debrites deposited...
P-T-t conditions, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions and detrital zircon geochronology of the Massabesic Gneiss Complex, New Hampshire: isotopic and metamorphic evidence for the identification of Gander basement, central New England
Michael J. Dorais, Robert P. Wintsch, Michael J. Kunk, John Aleinikoff, William Burton, Christine Underdown, Charles M. Kerwin
2012, American Journal of Science (312) 1049-1097
We present new evidence for the assignment of the Neoproterozoic Massabesic Gneiss Complex of New Hampshire to the Gander terrane rather than the Avalon terrane. The majority of Avalonian (sensu stricto) igneous and meta-igneous rocks as defined in Maritime Canada have positive whole-rock ɛNd compared to more negative values for...
Correlation of resource plays and biodiversity patterns: accumulation of organic-rich shale tracks taxonomic turnover
Jennifer D. Eoff
2012, GCAGS Journal (1) 1-12
Similar paleogeographic and paleotectonic settings characterize most self-sourced shale hydrocarbon plays. Their deposition occurred within similar orders of magnitude of eustatic events and during geologic periods characterized by “warm” (or transitional) climates and calcitic seas. In addition, the stratigraphic occurrence of shale plays parallels certain historical patterns of marine metazoan...
Holocene behavior of the Brigham City segment: implications for forecasting the next large-magnitude earthquake on the Wasatch fault zone, Utah
Stephen F. Personius, Christopher B. DuRoss, Anthony J. Crone
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2265-2281
The Brigham City segment (BCS), the northernmost Holocene‐active segment of the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ), is considered a likely location for the next big earthquake in northern Utah. We refine the timing of the last four surface‐rupturing (~Mw 7) earthquakes at several sites near Brigham City (BE1, 2430±250; BE2, 3490±180;...
Exploration review
D.R. Wilburn, T.D. Rapstine, E.C. Lee
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 40-60
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2011 draws upon available information from industry sources, published literature and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. This summary provides data on exploration budgets by region and mineral commodity, identifies significant mineral discoveries and areas of mineral exploration, discusses government programs...
Hillslope hydrology and stability
Ning Lu, Jonathan Godt
2012, Book
Landslides are caused by a failure of the mechanical balance within hillslopes. This balance is governed by two coupled physical processes: hydrological or subsurface flow and stress. The stabilizing strength of hillslope materials depends on effective stress, which is diminished by rainfall. This book presents a cutting-edge quantitative approach to...
Pumice and pumicite
R.D. Crangle Jr.
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 85-86
Production of pumice in the United States during 2011 was estimated to be 380 kt (420,000 st), a 3-percent decrease compared with 2010. The unit value of pumice varied by end use in 2011. Pumice used as an abrasive was priced at $10.39/t ($9.30/st), while specialty-grade pumice, used in cosmetics,...
Assessment of modal-pushover-based scaling procedure for nonlinear response history analysis of ordinary standard bridges
E. Kalkan, N. Kwong
2012, Journal of Bridge Engineering (17) 1223-1242
The earthquake engineering profession is increasingly utilizing nonlinear response history analyses (RHA) to evaluate seismic performance of existing structures and proposed designs of new structures. One of the main ingredients of nonlinear RHA is a set of ground motion records representing the expected hazard environment for the structure. When recorded...
Bioenergetic response by steelhead to variation in diet, thermal habitat, and climate in the north Pacific Ocean
Margaret E. Atcheson, Katherine W. Myers, David A. Beauchamp, Nathan J. Mantua
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 1081-1096
Energetic responses of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss to climate-driven changes in marine conditions are expected to affect the species’ ocean distribution, feeding, growth, and survival. With a unique 18-year data series (1991–2008) for steelhead sampled in the open ocean, we simulated interannual variation in prey consumption and growth efficiency of steelhead...
Demand surge following earthquakes
Anna H. Olsen
2012, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (15WCEE), Lisbon, Portugal, September 24-28
Demand surge is understood to be a socio-economic phenomenon where repair costs for the same damage are higher after large- versus small-scale natural disasters. It has reportedly increased monetary losses by 20 to 50%. In previous work, a model for the increased costs of reconstruction labor and materials was developed...
Carbon dioxide stripping in aquaculture. part 1: terminology and reporting
John Colt, Barnaby Watten, Tim Pfeiffer
2012, Aquacultural Engineering (47) 27-37
The removal of carbon dioxide gas in aquacultural systems is much more complex than for oxygen or nitrogen gas because of liquid reactions of carbon dioxide and their kinetics. Almost all published carbon dioxide removal information for aquaculture is based on the apparent removal value after the CO2(aq) + HOH...
Inter-laboratory calibration of natural gas round robins for δ2H and δ13C using off-line and on-line techniques
Jinxing Dai, Xinyu Xia, Zhisheng Li, Dennis D. Coleman, Robert F. Dias, Ling Gao, Jian Li, Andrei Deev, Jin Li, Daniel Dessort, Dominique Duclerc, Liwu Li, Jinzhong Liu, Stefan Schloemer, Wenlong Zhang, Yunyan Ni, Guoyi Hu, Xiaobo Wang, Yongchun Tang
2012, Chemical Geology (310-311) 49-55
Compound-specific carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of three natural gas round robins were calibrated by ten laboratories carrying out more than 800 measurements including both on-line and off-line methods. Two-point calibrations were performed with international measurement standards for hydrogen isotope ratios (VSMOW and SLAP) and carbon isotope ratios (NBS 19...
History and progress of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project, 2001-2010
David B. Smith, William F. Cannon, Laurel G. Woodruff, Francisco Moreira Rivera, Andrew N. Rencz, Robert G. Garrett
2012, Earth Science Frontiers (19) 19-32
In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the Mexican Geological Survey initiated a low-density (1 site per 1600 km2, 13323 sites) geochemical and mineralogical survey of North American soils (North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project). Sampling and analytical protocols were developed at a series of...
A horizon scanning assessment of current and potential future threats to migratory shorebirds
William J. Sutherland, José A. Alves, Tatsuya Amano, Charlotte H. Chang, Nicholas C. Davidson, C. Max Finlayson, Jennifer A. Gill, Robert E. Gill Jr., Patricia M. González, Tomas Gretar Gunnarsson, David Kleijn, Chris J. Spray, Tamás Székely, Des B.A. Thompson
2012, Ibis (154) 663-679
We review the conservation issues facing migratory shorebird populations that breed in temperate regions and use wetlands in the non-breeding season. Shorebirds are excellent model organisms for understanding ecological, behavioural and evolutionary processes and are often used as indicators of wetland health. A global team of experienced shorebird researchers identified...
Kinetics of uncatalyzed thermochemical sulfate reduction by sulfur-free paraffin
Tongwei Zhang, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Qisheng Ma, Alon Amrani, Yongchun Tang
2012, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (96) 1-17
To determine kinetic parameters of sulfate reduction by hydrocarbons (HC) without the initial presence of low valence sulfur, we carried out a series of isothermal gold-tube hydrous-pyrolysis experiments at 320, 340, and 360 °C under a constant confined pressure of 24.1 MPa. The reactants used consisted of saturated HC (sulfur-free)...
Development of polysomic microsatellite markers for characterization of population structuring and phylogeography in the shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)
Anne P. Henderson, Tim L. King
2012, Conservation Genetics Resources (4) 853-859
Shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum is an endangered polyploid fish species for which no nuclear DNA markers previously existed. To address this need, 86 polysomic loci were developed and characterized in 20 A. brevirostrum from five river systems and eight members (parents and six progeny) of a captive-bred family. All markers...
Geomagnetic detection of the sectorial solar magnetic field and the historical peculiarity of minimum 23-24
Jeffrey J. Love, J. Rigler
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
[1] Analysis is made of the geomagnetic-activityaaindex covering solar cycle 11 to the beginning of 24, 1868–2011. Autocorrelation shows 27.0-d recurrent geomagnetic activity that is well-known to be prominent during solar-cycle minima; some minima also exhibit a smaller amount of 13.5-d recurrence. Previous work has shown that the recent solar...
John B. "Jack" Townshend (1927-2012)
Jeffrey J. Love, Carol A. Finn
2012, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (93) 524-525
Jack Townshend, geophysicist and dedicated public servant, died on 13 August 2012 in Fairbanks, Alaska. He was 85. Jack's career with the federal government, most of it with the national magnetic observatory program, spanned more than six solar cycles of time, and he retired only days before his death. The...
Developing ShakeCast statistical fragility analysis framework for rapid post-earthquake assessment
K.-W. Lin, D.J. Wald
2012, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering (15WCEE), Lisbon, Portugal, September 24-28
When an earthquake occurs, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap estimates the extent of potentially damaging shaking and provides overall information regarding the affected areas. The USGS ShakeCast system is a freely-available, post-earthquake situational awareness application that automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from ShakeMap, compares intensity measures against users’...
