Fundamental questions of earthquake statistics, source behavior, and the estimation of earthquake probabilities from possible foreshocks
Andrew J. Michael
2012, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (102) 2547-2562
Estimates of the probability that an ML 4.8 earthquake, which occurred near the southern end of the San Andreas fault on 24 March 2009, would be followed by an M 7 mainshock over the following three days vary from 0.0009 using a Gutenberg–Richter model of aftershock statistics (Reasenberg and Jones,...
Bathythermal habitat use by strains of Great Lakes- and Finger Lakes-origin lake trout in Lake Huron after a change in prey fish abundance and composition
Roger A. Bergstedt, Ray L. Argyle, Charles C. Krueger, William W. Taylor
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 263-274
A study conducted in Lake Huron during October 1998–June 2001 found that strains of Great Lakes-origin (GLO) lake trout Salvelinus namaycush occupied significantly higher temperatures than did Finger Lakes-origin (FLO; New York) lake trout based on data from archival (or data storage) telemetry tags that recorded only temperature. During 2002...
Fixed recurrence and slip models better predict earthquake behavior than the time- and slip-predictable models 1: repeating earthquakes
Justin L. Rubinstein, William L. Ellsworth, Kate Huihsuan Chen, Naoki Uchida
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (117)
The behavior of individual events in repeating earthquake sequences in California, Taiwan and Japan is better predicted by a model with fixed inter-event time or fixed slip than it is by the time- and slip-predictable models for earthquake occurrence. Given that repeating earthquakes are highly regular in both inter-event time...
Earthquake ground motion
Nicolas Luco, Michael Valley, C.B. Crouse
2012, Book chapter, 2009 NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions: Design Examples (FEMA P-751)
Most of the effort in seismic design of buildings and other structures is focused on structural design. This chapter addresses another key aspect of the design process—characterization of earthquake ground motion. Section 3.1 describes the basis of the earthquake ground motion maps in the Provisions and in ASCE 7. Section...
Breeding season survival and breeding incidence of female Mottled Ducks on the upper Texas gulf coast
Elizabeth A. Rigby, David A. Haukos
2012, Waterbirds (35) 260-269
Previous Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) studies suggested that high female breeding season survival may be caused by low nesting effort, but few breeding season estimates of survival associated with nesting effort exist on the western Gulf Coast. Here, breeding season survival (N = 40) and breeding incidence (N = 39)...
Potash
S.M. Jasinski
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 84-85
In 2011, world potash production consumption and sales increased from those of 2010, exceeding levels recorded before the economic downturn in 2008-2009....
Evidence of local adaptation in westslope cutthroat trout
Daniel P. Drinan, Alexander V. Zale, Molly A.H. Webb, Mark L. Taper, Bradley B. Shepard, Steven T. Kalinowski
2012, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (141) 872-880
An understanding of the process of local adaptation would allow managers to better protect and conserve species. Many salmonids are in need of such efforts, and because they often persist in differing, isolated environments, they are useful organisms for studying local adaptation. In addition, the temperature sensitivity of salmonids provides...
A brief review of the construction aggregates market
Jason Christopher Willett
2012, Stone, Sand & Gravel Review (2012) 25-27
The U.S. Geological Survey defines the construction aggregates industry as those companies that mine and process crushed stone and/or construction sand and gravel. Aggregates have been used from the earliest times of our civilization for a variety of purposes - construction being the major use. As construction aggregates, crushed stone...
Heat flow in vapor dominated areas of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field: implications for the thermal budget of the Yellowstone Caldera
Shaul Hurwitz, Robert Harris, Cynthia Anne Werner, Fred Murphy
2012, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (117)
Characterizing the vigor of magmatic activity in Yellowstone requires knowledge of the mechanisms and rates of heat transport between magma and the ground surface. We present results from a heat flow study in two vapor dominated, acid-sulfate thermal areas in the Yellowstone Caldera, the 0.11 km2 Obsidian Pool Thermal Area...
From Caprio's lilacs to the USA National Phenology Network
Mark D. Schwartz, Julio L. Betancourt, Jake F. Weltzin
2012, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (10) 324-327
Continental-scale monitoring is vital for understanding and adapting to temporal changes in seasonal climate and associated phenological responses. The success of monitoring programs will depend on recruiting, retaining, and managing members of the public to routinely collect phenological observations according to standardized protocols. Here, we trace the development of infrastructure...
Common clay and shale
R.L. Virta
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 45-46
Common clay is a natural, fine-grained material composed of hydrous aluminum silicates. Shale is a laminated sedimentary rock formed by the consolidation of clay, mud and/or silt....
Low genetic diversity and minimal population substructure in the endangered Florida manatee: implications for conservation
Kimberly Pause Tucker, Margaret E. Hunter, Robert K. Bonde, James D. Austin, Ann Marie Clark, Cathy A. Beck, Peter M. McGuire, Madan K. Oli
2012, Journal of Mammalogy (93) 1504-1511
Species of management concern that have been affected by human activities typically are characterized by low genetic diversity, which can adversely affect their ability to adapt to environmental changes. We used 18 microsatellite markers to genotype 362 Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris), and investigated genetic diversity, population structure, and estimated...
Arsenic speciation in food chains from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vents
Vivien F. Taylor, Brian P. Jackson, Matthew R. Siegfried, Jana Navratilova, Kevin A. Francesconi, Julie Kirshtein, Mary Voytek
2012, Environmental Chemistry (9) 130-138
Arsenic concentration and speciation were determined in benthic fauna collected from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents. The shrimp species, Rimicaris exoculata, the vent chimney-dwelling mussel, Bathymodiolus azoricus, Branchipolynoe seepensis, a commensal worm of B. azoricus and the gastropod Peltospira smaragdina showed variations in As concentration and in stable isotope (δ13C...
Impact disruption and recovery of the deep subsurface biosphere
Charles S. Cockell, Mary A. Voytek, Aaron L. Gronstal, Kai Finster, Julie D. Kirshtein, Kieren Howard, Joachim Reitner, Gregory S. Gohn, Ward E. Sanford, J. Wright Horton Jr., Jens Kallmeyer, Laura Kelly, David S. Powars
2012, Astrobiology (12) 231-246
Although a large fraction of the world's biomass resides in the subsurface, there has been no study of the effects of catastrophic disturbance on the deep biosphere and the rate of its subsequent recovery. We carried out an investigation of the microbiology of a 1.76 km drill core obtained from the...
Evolution of the chemistry of Fe bearing waters during CO2 degassing
J.N. Geroni, C.A. Cravotta III, D.J. Sapsford
2012, Applied Geochemistry (27) 2335-2347
The rates of Fe(II) oxidation and precipitation from groundwater are highly pH dependent. Elevated levels of dissolved CO2 can depress pH and cause difficulty in removing dissolved Fe and associated metals during treatment of ferruginous water. This paper demonstrates interdependent changes in pH, dissolved inorganic C species, and Fe(II) oxidation...
Directional connectivity in hydrology and ecology
Laurel G. Larsen, Jungyill Choi, Martha K. Nungesser, Judson W. Harvey
2012, Ecological Applications (22) 2204-2220
Quantifying hydrologic and ecological connectivity has contributed to understanding transport and dispersal processes and assessing ecosystem degradation or restoration potential. However, there has been little synthesis across disciplines. The growing field of ecohydrology and recent recognition that loss of hydrologic connectivity is leading to a global decline in biodiversity underscore...
Advances in carbonate exploration and reservoir analysis
J. Garland, J.E. Neilson, S.E. Laubach, Katherine J. Whidden, editor(s)
2012, Book
Carbonate reservoirs contain an increasingly important percentage of the world’s hydrocarbon reserves. This volume presents key recent advances in carbonate exploration and reservoir analysis. As well as a comprehensive overview of the trends in carbonate over the years, the volume focuses on four key areas: (1) emerging plays and techniques with...
Fire clay
R.L. Virta
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 50-51
Five companies mined fire clay in four states in 2011. Production, based on a preliminary survey of the fire clay industry, was estimated to be 240 kt (265,000 st), valued at $7.68 million, an increase from 216 kt (238,000 st), valued at $6.12 million in 2010. Missouri was the leading...
Evidence of late-summer mating readiness and early sexual maturation in migratory tree-roosting bats found dead at wind turbines
P.M. Cryan, J.W. Jameson, E.F. Baerwald, C.K.R. Willis, R.M.R. Barclay, E.A. Snider, E.G. Crichton
2012, PLoS ONE (7)
Understanding animal mating systems is an important component of their conservation, yet the precise mating times for many species of bats are unknown. The aim of this study was to better understand the details and timing of reproductive events in species of bats that die most frequently at wind turbines...
Crotalus oreganus concolor (midget faded rattlesnake) nursery aggregation
J.M. Parker, S.F. Spear, S. Oyler-McCance
2012, Herpetological Review (43) 658-659
Estimating the benefits of land imagery in environmental applications: a case study in nonpoint source pollution of groundwater
Richard L. Bernknopf, William M. Forney, Ronald P. Raunikar, Shruti K. Mishra
Ramanan Laxminarayan, Molly K. Maccauley, editor(s)
2012, Book chapter, The value of information
Moderate-resolution land imagery (MRLI) is crucial to a more complete assessment of the cumulative, landscape-level effect of agricultural land use and land cover on environmental quality. If this improved assessment yields a net social benefit, then that benefit reflects the value of information (VOI) from MRLI. Environmental quality and the...
Fragilariopsis diatom evolution in Pliocene and Pleistocene Antarctic shelf sediments
Charlotte Sjunneskog, Christina Riesselman, Diane Winter, Reed Scherer
2012, Micropaleontology (58) 273-289
The late Pliocene – early Pleistocene sediment record in the AND-1B core from the McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea, Antarctica, displays a rich diversity and high abundance of diatoms, including several new morphologies within the genus Fragilariopsis. These new morphologies exhibit similarities to the extinct late Miocene/early Pliocene species Fragilariopsis aurica...
Mineral resource of the month: rhenium
Desiree E. Polyak
2012, Earth (57) 25-25
Rhenium, a silvery-white, heat resistant metal, has increased significantly in importance since its discovery in 1925. First isolated by a team of German chemists studying platinum ore, the mineral was named for the Rhine River. From 1925 until the 1960s, only two metric tons of rhenium were produced worldwide. Since...
Late Pleistocene Colus stimpsoni (Mörch, 1868) (Gastropoda: Buccinidae) from a seabed core (2520 m) in the western North Atlantic
Michael Rex, Jason D. Chaytor, Carol Stuart
2012, The Nautilus (126) 86-87
Identifying potential areas for biofuel production and evaluating the environmental effects: a case study of the James River Basin in the Midwestern United States
Yiping Wu, Shu-Guang Liu, Zhengpeng Li
2012, GCB Bioenergy (4) 875-888
Biofuels are now an important resource in the United States because of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Both increased corn growth for ethanol production and perennial dedicated energy crop growth for cellulosic feedstocks are potential sources to meet the rising demand for biofuels. However, these measures may...
