Reducing risk where tectonic plates collide
Joan S. Gomberg, K. A. Ludwig
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3024
Most of the world’s earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are caused by the continuous motions of the many tectonic plates that make up the Earth’s outer shell. The most powerful of these natural hazards occur in subduction zones, where two plates collide and one is thrust beneath another. The...
Groundwater quality in the western San Joaquin Valley, California
Miranda S. Fram
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3028
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to...
Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Heath Formation, central Montana and western North Dakota, 2016
Ronald M. Drake II, Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers, Michael E. Brownfield, Thomas M. Finn, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3032
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 884 million barrels of oil and 106 billion cubic feet of gas in the North-Central Montana and Williston Basin Provinces of central Montana and western North Dakota....
Magnetic monitoring in Saguaro National Park
Jeffrey J. Love, Carol Finn, Yesenia C. Gamez Valdez, Don Swann
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3035
On a sandy, arid plain, near the Rincon Mountain Visitor Center of Saguaro National Park, tucked in among brittlebush, creosote, and other hardy desert plants, is an unusual type of observatory—a small unmanned station that is used for monitoring the Earth’s variable magnetic field. Named for the nearby city of...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Spraberry Formation of the Midland Basin, Permian Basin Province, Texas, 2017
Kristen R. Marra, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Christopher J. Schenk, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Timothy R. Klett, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Thomas M. Finn, Sarah J. Hawkins, Michael E. Brownfield
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3029
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean resources of 4.2 billion barrels of oil and 3.1 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Spraberry Formation of the Midland Basin, Permian Basin Province, Texas....
Assessment of continuous gas resources in the Khorat Plateau Province, Thailand and Laos, 2016
Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Tracey J. Mercier, Thomas M. Finn, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Phuong A. Le, Ronald M. Drake II
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3023
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 2.3 trillion cubic feet of continuous gas in the Khorat Plateau Province of Thailand and Laos....
U.S. Geological Survey Science—Improving the value of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Scott W. Phillips, Kenneth Hyer, Elizabeth Goldbaum
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3031
IntroductionCongress directed the Federal Government to work with States to restore the Nation’s largest estuary.Chesapeake Bay restoration provides important economic and ecological benefits:18 million people live and work in the Bay watershed and enjoy its benefits.3,600 types of fish, wildlife, and plants underpin the economic value of the Bay...
Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units - A model partnership program
Donald E. Dennerline, Dawn E. Childs
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3022
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units (CRU) program is a unique model of cooperative partnership among the USGS, other U.S. Department of the Interior and Federal agencies, universities, State fish and wildlife agencies, and the Wildlife Management Institute. These partnerships are maintained as one of...
Volcanic air pollution hazards in Hawaii
Tamar Elias, A. Jeff Sutton
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3017
Noxious sulfur dioxide gas and other air pollutants emitted from Kīlauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i react with oxygen, atmospheric moisture, and sunlight to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain. Vog can negatively affect human health and agriculture, and acid rain can contaminate household water supplies by...
A groundwater-flow model for the Treasure Valley and surrounding area, southwestern Idaho
James R. Bartolino, Sean Vincent
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3027
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in partnership with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) and Idaho Water Resource Board (IWRB), will construct a numerical groundwater-flow model of the Treasure Valley and surrounding area. Resource managers will use the model to simulate potential anthropogenic and climatic effects on groundwater for...
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Haynesville Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2016
Stanley T. Paxton, Janet K. Pitman, Scott A. Kinney, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Ofori N. Pearson, Katherine J. Whidden, Russell F. Dubiel, Christopher J. Schenk, Lauri A. Burke, Timothy R. Klett, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Tracey J. Mercier, Seth S. Haines, Brian A. Varela, Phuong A. Le, Thomas M. Finn, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Sarah J. Hawkins, Kristen R. Marra, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3016
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 1.1 billion barrels of conventional oil and 195.8 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Upper Jurassic Haynesville Formation in onshore lands and State waters of the U.S. Gulf Coast region....
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Bossier Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast, 2016
Stanley T. Paxton, Janet K. Pitman, Scott A. Kinney, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Ofori N. Pearson, Katherine J. Whidden, Russell F. Dubiel, Christopher J. Schenk, Lauri A. Burke, Timothy R. Klett, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Tracey J. Mercier, Seth S. Haines, Brian A. Varela, Phuong A. Le, Thomas M. Finn, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Sarah J. Hawkins, Kristen R. Marra, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3015
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 2.9 billion barrels of conventional oil and 108.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Upper Jurassic Bossier Formation in onshore lands and State waters of the U.S. Gulf Coast region....
Summary of hydrologic conditions in Kansas, water year 2016
Justin M. Louen
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3020
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, maintains a long-term network of hydrologic monitoring sites in Kansas. Real-time data are collected at 216 streamgage sites and are verified throughout the year with regular measurements of streamflow made by USGS personnel. Annual assessments of hydrologic...
Assessment of Permian tight oil and gas resources in the Junggar basin of China, 2016
Christopher J. Potter, Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Timothy R. Klett, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Thomas M. Finn, Michael E. Brownfield, Janet K. Pitman, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Ronald M. Drake II
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 764 million barrels of oil and 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in tight reservoirs in the Permian Lucaogou Formation in the Junggar basin of northwestern China....
Twenty years of water-quality studies in the Cheney Reservoir Watershed, Kansas, 1996-2016
Jennifer L. Graham, Guy M. Foster, Ariele R. Kramer
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3019
Since 1996, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the City of Wichita, has done studies in the Cheney Reservoir watershed to understand environmental effects on water-quality conditions. Early studies (1996–2001) determined subwatershed sources of contaminants, nutrient and sediment loading to Cheney Reservoir, changes in reservoir sediment quality over...
U.S. Geological Survey distribution of European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 data
Renee L. Pieschke
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3026
A partnership established between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) allows for USGS storage and redistribution of images acquired by the MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) on the European Union's Sentinel-2 satellite mission. The MSI data are acquired from a pair of satellites, Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B, which...
Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources of the Maracaibo Basin Province of Venezuela and Colombia, 2016
Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Phoung A. Le, Janet K. Pitman, Michael E. Brownfield, Sarah J. Hawkins, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Thomas M. Finn, Timothy R. Klett
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3011
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean continuous resources of 656 million barrels of oil and 5.7 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Maracaibo Basin Province, Venezuela and Colombia....
Assessment of conventional oil resources of the East African Rift Province, East Africa, 2016
Michael E. Brownfield, Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Tracey J. Mercier, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Thomas M. Finn, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3006
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 13.4 billion barrels of oil and 4.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in the East African Rift Province of east Africa....
Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources of Solimões, Amazonas, and Parnaíba Basin Provinces, Brazil, 2016
Christopher J. Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Timothy R. Klett, Thomas M. Finn, Tracey J. Mercier, Sarah J. Hawkins, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Kristen R. Marra, Michael E. Brownfield, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3009
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean continuous resources of 5 billion barrels of oil and 47 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Paleozoic Solimões, Amazonas, and Parnaíba Basin Provinces, Brazil. ...
The Upper Mississippi River System—Topobathy
Jayme M. Stone, Jenny L. Hanson, Stephanie R. Sattler
2017, Fact Sheet 2016-3097
The Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS), the navigable part of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, is a diverse ecosystem that contains river channels, tributaries, shallow-water wetlands, backwater lakes, and flood-plain forests. Approximately 10,000 years of geologic and hydrographic history exist within the UMRS. Because it maintains crucial wildlife and...
The U.S. Geological Survey Monthly Water Balance Model Futures Portal
Andy Bock
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3002
Simulations of future climate suggest profiles of temperature and precipitation may differ significantly from those in the past. These changes in climate will likely lead to changes in the hydrologic cycle. As such, natural resource managers are in need of tools that can provide estimates of key components of the...
The California stream quality assessment
Peter C. Van Metre, Amanda L. Egler, Jason T. May
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3014
In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project is assessing stream quality in coastal California, United States. The USGS California Stream Quality Assessment (CSQA) will sample streams over most of the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains ecoregion (modified from Griffith and others, 2016), where rapid...
Landsat eyes help guard the world's forests
Jon Campbell
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3018
SummaryThe Landsat program is a joint effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), but the partner agencies have distinct roles. NASA develops remote-sensing instruments and spacecraft, launches satellites, and validates their performance in orbit. The USGS owns and operates Landsat satellites in...
Geospatial analysis identifies critical mineral-resource potential in Alaska
Susan M. Karl, Keith A. Labay
Katherine Jacques, Claire Landowski, editor(s)
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3012
Alaska consists of more than 663,000 square miles (1,717,000 square kilometers) of land—more than a sixth of the total area of the United States—and large tracts of it have not been systematically studied or sampled for mineral-resource potential. Many regions of the State are known to have significant mineral-resource potential, and there are currently six operating mines...
Water resources of the Southern Hills regional aquifer system, southeastern Louisiana
Vincent E. White
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3010
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of groundwater in the 10 parishes overlying the Southern Hills regional aquifer system of Louisiana (fig. 1) is critical for water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, residents, and others for...
