Quaternary geologic map of the Glasgow 1° x 2° quadrangle, Montana
David S. Fullerton, Roger B. Colton, Charles A. Bush
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1217
The Glasgow quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km2 (6,210 mi2). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S./Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Boundary Plateau, Peerless Plateau, and Larb Hills. The primary river is the Milk River. The map units are surficial deposits and...
The discourses of incidents: Cougars on Mt. Elden and in Sabino Canyon, Arizona
David J. Mattson, Susan G. Clark
2012, Policy Sciences (45)
Incidents are relatively short periods of intensified discourse that arise from public responses to symbolically important actions by public officials, and an important part of the conflict that increasingly surrounds state wildlife management in the West. In an effort to better understand incidents as a facet of this conflict, we...
Histological observations in the Hawaiian reef coral, Porites compressa, affected by Porites bleaching with tissue loss
M. Sudek, Thierry M. Work, G.S. Aeby, S.K. Davy
2012, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology (111) 121-125
The scleractinian finger coral Porites compressa is affected by the coral disease Porites bleaching with tissue loss (PBTL). This disease initially manifests as bleaching of the coenenchyme (tissue between polyps) while the polyps remain brown with eventual tissue loss and subsequent algal overgrowth of the bare skeleton. Histopathological investigation showed...
Energy density of bloaters in the upper Great Lakes
Steven A. Pothoven, David B. Bunnell, Charles P. Madenjian, Owen T. Gorman, Edward F. Roseman
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 772-780
We evaluated the energy density of bloaters Coregonus hoyi as a function of fish size across Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior in 2008–2009 and assessed how differences in energy density are related to factors such as biomass density of bloaters and availability of prey. Additional objectives were to compare energy...
Hawaiian fissure fountains 1: decoding deposits-episode 1 of the 1969-1974 Mauna Ulu eruption
C.E. Parcheta, Bruce F. Houghton, D. A. Swanson
2012, Bulletin of Volcanology (74) 1729-1743
Deposits from episode 1 of the 1969–1974 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea provide an exceptional opportunity to study processes of low intensity Hawaiian fissure fountains. Episode 1 lava flows passed through dense forest that had little impact on flow dynamics; in contrast, the pattern of spatter preservation was strongly influenced...
Significant earthquakes on the Enriquillo fault system, Hispaniola, 1500-2010: Implications for seismic hazard
William H. Bakun, Claudia H. Flores, Uri S. ten Brink
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 18-30
Historical records indicate frequent seismic activity along the north-east Caribbean plate boundary over the past 500 years, particularly on the island of Hispaniola. We use accounts of historical earthquakes to assign intensities and the intensity assignments for the 2010 Haiti earthquakes to derive an intensity attenuation relation for Hispaniola. The...
Identifying bubble collapse in a hydrothermal system using hiddden Markov models
Phillip B. Dawson, M.C. Benitez, Jacob B. Lowenstern, Bernard A. Chouet
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
Beginning in July 2003 and lasting through September 2003, the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park exhibited an unusual increase in ground temperature and hydrothermal activity. Using hidden Markov model theory, we identify over five million high-frequency (>15 Hz) seismic events observed at a temporary seismic station deployed in...
Computing maximum-likelihood estimates for parameters of the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish
David I. Donato
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1181
This report presents the mathematical expressions and the computational techniques required to compute maximum-likelihood estimates for the parameters of the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish (NDMMF), a statistical model used to predict the concentration of methylmercury in fish tissue. The expressions and techniques reported here were prepared to...
Geomorphic and stratigraphic evidence for an unusual tsunami or storm a few centuries ago at Anegada, British Virgin Islands
Brian F. Atwater, Uri S. ten Brink, Mark Buckley, Robert S. Halley, Bruce E. Jaffe, Alberto M. Lopez-Venegas, Eduard G. Reinhardt, Maritia P. Tuttle, Steve Watt, Yong Wei
2012, Natural Hazards (63) 51-84
Waters from the Atlantic Ocean washed southward across parts of Anegada, east-northeast of Puerto Rico, during a singular event a few centuries ago. The overwash, after crossing a fringing coral reef and 1.5 km of shallow subtidal flats, cut dozens of breaches through sandy beach ridges, deposited a sheet of...
Noise suppression in surface microseismic data
Farnoush Forghani-Arani, Mike Batzle, Jyoti Behura, Mark Willis, Seth S. Haines, Michael Davidson
2012, The Leading Edge (31) 1496-1501
We introduce a passive noise suppression technique, based on the τ − p transform. In the τ − p domain, one can separate microseismic events from surface noise based on distinct characteristics that are not visible in the time-offset domain. By applying the inverse τ − p transform to the separated microseismic event,...
Temporal variations of geyser water chemistry in the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, USA
Shaul Hurwitz, Andrew G. Hunt, William C. Evans
2012, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (13)
Geysers are rare features that reflect a delicate balance between an abundant supply of water and heat and a unique geometry of fractures and porous rocks. Between April 2007 and September 2008, we sampled Old Faithful, Daisy, Grand, Oblong, and Aurum geysers in Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin and...
Evaluation of water-quality characteristics and sampling design for streams in North Dakota, 1970–2008
Joel M. Galloway, Aldo V. Vecchia, Kevin C. Vining, Brenda K. Densmore, Robert F. Lundgren
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5216
In response to the need to examine the large amount of historic water-quality data comprehensively across North Dakota and evaluate the efficiency of the State-wide sampling programs, a study was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the North Dakota State Water Commission and the North Dakota Department...
United States Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Response
Rynn M. Lamb, Brenda K. Jones
2012, Fact Sheet 2012-3061
The primary goal of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Natural Hazards Response is to ensure that the disaster response community has access to timely, accurate, and relevant geospatial products, imagery, and services during and after an emergency event. To accomplish this goal, products and services provided by the National Geospatial Program...
Flood-inundation maps for the White River at Newberry, Indiana
Kathleen K. Fowler, Moon H. Kim, Chad D. Menke
2012, Scientific Investigations Map 3231
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 4.9-mile reach of the White River at Newberry, Indiana (Ind.), were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The inundation maps, which can be accessed through the USGS Flood Inundation Mapping Science Web site...
Waste rice seed in conventional and stripper-head harvested fields in California: Implications for wintering waterfowl
Joseph P. Fleskes, Brian J. Halstead, Michael L. Casazza, Peter S. Coates, Jeffrey D. Kohl, Daniel A. Skalos
2012, Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management (3) 266-275
Waste rice seed is an important food for wintering waterfowl and current estimates of its availability are needed to determine the carrying capacity of rice fields and guide habitat conservation. We used a line-intercept method to estimate mass-density of rice seed remaining after harvest during 2010 in the Sacramento Valley...
Geology and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the medium- to high-K Tanaga volcanic cluster, western Aleutians
Brian R. Jicha, Michelle L. Coombs, Andrew T. Calvert, Brad S. Singer
2012, Geological Society of America Bulletin (124) 842-856
We used geologic mapping and geochemical data augmented by 40Ar/39Ar dating to establish an eruptive chronology for the Tanaga volcanic cluster in the western Aleutian arc. The Tanaga volcanic cluster is unique in comparison to other central and western Aleutian volcanoes in that it consists of three closely spaced, active,...
Geologic map of Kalaupapa Peninsula, Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i, USA
Chris H. Okubo
2012, Journal of Maps (8) 267-270
Kalaupapa Peninsula, along the northern coast of East Moloka‘i volcano, is a remarkably well-preserved example of rejuvenated-stage volcanism from a Hawaiian volcano. Mapping of lava flows, vents and other volcanic constructs reveals a diversity of landforms on this small monogenetic basaltic shield. The late-stage lava distributary system of this shield...
Understanding the influence of predation on introduced fishes on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River Basin: Closing some knowledge gaps. Late summer and fall diet and condition of smallmouth bass, walleye, and channel catfish in the middle Columbia River, USA. Interim Report of Research 2011.
Brien P. Rose, Gabriel S. Hansen, Michele Weaver Michele, David Ayers, Erick S. Van Dyke, Matthew G. Mesa
2012, Report
American shad Alosa sapidissima in the middle Columbia River (MCR)—a high energy food available in the summer and fall—may be contributing to the increased growth and enhanced condition of nonnative piscivores. To test this hypothesis we quantified the late summer and autumn diets of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, walleye...
Approaches to the simulation of unconfined flow and perched groundwater flow in MODFLOW
Vivek Bedekar, Richard G. Niswonger, Kenneth Kipp, Sorab Panday, Matthew Tonkin
2012, Ground Water (50) 187-198
Various approaches have been proposed to manage the nonlinearities associated with the unconfined flow equation and to simulate perched groundwater conditions using the MODFLOW family of codes. The approaches comprise a variety of numerical techniques to prevent dry cells from becoming inactive and to achieve a stable solution focused on...
Producing fractional rangeland component predictions in a sagebrush ecosystem, a Wyoming sensitivity analysis
George Xian, Collin G. Homer, Brian Granneman, Debra K. Meyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1239
Remote sensing information has been widely used to monitor vegetation condition and variations in a variety of ecosystems, including shrublands. Careful application of remotely sensed imagery can provide additional spatially explicit, continuous, and extensive data on the composition and condition of shrubland ecosystems. Historically, the most widely available remote sensing...
One year of migration data for a western yellow-billed cuckoo
Juddson D. Sechrist, Eben H. Paxton, Darrell D. Ahlers, Robert H. Doster, Vicky M. Ryan
2012, Western Birds (43) 2-11
In 2009, we studied the migration of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo by capturing 13 breeding birds on the middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, and attaching a 1.5-g Mk 14-S British Antarctic Survey geolocator to each bird. In 2010, we recaptured one of the cuckoos, enabling us to download its geolocation...
Role of surface-water and groundwater interactions on projected summertime streamflow in snow dominated regions : An integrated modeling approach
Justin L. Huntington, Richard G. Niswonger
2012, Water Resources Research (48)
Previous studies indicate predominantly increasing trends in precipitation across the Western United States, while at the same time, historical streamflow records indicate decreasing summertime streamflow and 25th percentile annual flows. These opposing trends could be viewed as paradoxical, given that several studies suggest that increased annual precipitation will equate to...
A barrier to upstream migration in the fish passage of Itaipu Dam (Canal da Piracema), Paraná River basin
Theodore R. Castro-Santos, Helio Martins Fontes, Sergio Makrakis, Luiz Carlos Gomes, Joao Dirco Latini
2012, Neotropical Ichthyology (10) 697-704
The majority of the fish passages built in the Neotropical region are characterised by low efficiency and high selectivity; in many cases, the benefits to fish populations are uncertain. Studies conducted in the Canal da Piracema at Itaipu dam on the Parana River indicate that the system component designated as...
Characterization of the hydrologic resources of San Miguel County, New Mexico, and identification of hydrologic data gaps, 2011
Anne Marie Matherne, Anne M. Stewart
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5238
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with San Miguel County, New Mexico, conducted a study to assess publicly available information regarding the hydrologic resources of San Miguel County and to identify data gaps in that information and hydrologic information that could aid in the management of available water resources....
Water-level altitudes and continuous and discrete water quality at and near an aquifer storage and recovery site, Bexar, Atascosa, and Wilson Counties, Texas, June 2004-September 2011
Cassi L. Crow
2012, Scientific Investigations Report 2012-5260
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), collected data during 2004–11 to characterize the quality of native groundwater from the San Antonio segment of the Edwards aquifer (hereinafter, Edwards aquifer) and preinjection and postinjection water from the Carrizo aquifer (informal name commonly applied...
