Aquifer response to stream-stage and recharge variations. II. Convolution method and applications
P. M. Barlow, L.A. DeSimone, A.F. Moench
2000, Journal of Hydrology (230) 211-229
In this second of two papers, analytical step-response functions, developed in the companion paper for several cases of transient hydraulic interaction between a fully penetrating stream and a confined, leaky, or water-table aquifer, are used in the convolution integral to calculate aquifer heads, streambank seepage rates, and bank storage that...
Variability of site response in Seattle, Washington
S. Hartzell, D. Carver, E. Cranswick, A. Frankel
2000, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (90) 1237-1250
Ground motion from local earthquakes and the SHIPS (Seismic Hazards Investigation in Puget Sound) experiment is used to estimate site amplification factors in Seattle. Earthquake and SHIPS records are analyzed by two methods: (1) spectral ratios relative to a nearby site on Tertiary sandstone, and (2) a source/site spectral inversion...
Kansas coal distribution, resources, and potential for coalbed methane
L. L. Brady
2000, The Compass: Earth Science Journal of Sigma Gamma Epsilon (75) 122-133
100 ft (>30 m)] determined from 32 different coal beds. Strippable coal resources at a depth <...
Early Agriculture in the eastern Grand Canyon of Arizona, USA
S.W. Davis, M. E. Davis, I. Lucchitta, R. Finkel, M. Caffee
2000, Geoarchaeology - An International Journal (15) 783-798
Abandoned fields in Colorado River alluvium in the eastern Grand Canyon show signs of primitive agriculture. Presence of maize pollen in association with buried soils near Comanche Creek suggests that farming began prior to 3130 yr B.P. Cotton pollen, identified in buried soils near Nankoweap Creek, dates to 1310 yr...
Reproductive ecology of the Maui Parrotbill
John C. Simon, Thane K. Pratt, Kim E. Berlin, James R. Kowalsky
2000, The Wilson Bulletin (112) 482-490
The endangered Maui Parrotbill (Pseudonestor xanthophrys) is an excavating, insectivorous Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the high elevation rain forests of east Maui, Hawaii. From March 1994 to June 1997, we studied various aspects of their breeding ecology. We color-banded 18 individuals, located and monitored 9 active nests, and...
Debris-flow hazards in the Blue Ridge of central Virginia
G. F. Wieczorek, B. A. Morgan, R. H. Campbell
2000, Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (6) 3-23
The June 27, 1995, storm in Madison County, Virginia produced debris flows and floods that devastated a small (130 km 2 ) area of the Blue Ridge in the eastern United States. Although similar debris-flow inducing storm events may return only approximately once every two thousand years to the same given locale,...
On the modified Mercalli intensities and magnitudes of the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes
S. E. Hough, J.G. Armbruster, L. Seeber, J.F. Hough
2000, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (105) 23839-23864
We reexamine original felt reports from the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes and determine revised isoseismal maps for the three principal mainshocks. In many cases we interpret lower values than those assigned by earlier studies. In some cases the revisions result from an interpretation of original felt reports with an appreciation...
A volcano in North Carolina? A closer look at a tall tale
Susan E. Hough
2000, Seismological Research Letters (71) 704-705
The legacy of the 1811-1812 New Madrid, Central United States, earthquakes is one of tremendous enigma. We are left with just enough contemporary information to provide a measure of constraint on the isoseismal contours and therefore magnitudes of the three principal events (Nuttli, 1973; <a class="link...
Morphology and processes in Lake Tahoe (California-Nevada)
J.V. Gardner, L. A. Mayer, Clarke J.E. Hughs
2000, Geological Society of America Bulletin (112) 736-746
Lake Tahoe was surveyed using a state-of-the-art, high-resolution, multibeam mapping system to provide an accurate base map for the myriad of ongoing environmental studies in and around the lake. The newly defined basin morphology shows steep basin margins on the northern, eastern, and western sides and a gentle margin on...
Sedimentary record of the 1872 earthquake and "Tsunami" at Owens Lake, southeast California
J. P. Smoot, R. J. Litwin, J. L. Bischoff, S. J. Lund
2000, Sedimentary Geology (135) 241-254
In 1872, a magnitude 7.5-7.7 earthquake vertically offset the Owens Valley fault by more than a meter. An eyewitness reported a large wave on the surface of Owens Lake, presumably initiated by the earthquake. Physical evidence of this event is found in cores and trenches from Owens Lake, including soft-sediment...
Climatic variability in the eastern United States over the past millennium from Chesapeake Bay sediments
Thomas M. Cronin, Debra A. Willard, A. Karlsen, S. Ishman, S. Verardo, John McGeehin, R. Kerhin, C. Holmes, S. Colman, A. Zimmerman
2000, Geology (28) 3-6
Salinity oscillations caused by multidecadal climatic variability had major impacts on the Chesapeake Bay estuarine ecosystem during the past 1000 yr. Microfossils from sediments dated by radiometry (14C, 137Cs, 210Pb) and pollen stratigraphy indicate that salinity in mesohaline regions oscillated 10-15 ppt during periods of extreme drought (low fresh-water discharge)...
Contaminant distribution and accumulation in the surface sediments of Long Island Sound
E.L. Mecray, Marilyn R. Buchholtz ten Brink
2000, Journal of Coastal Research (16) 575-590
The distribution of contaminants in surface sediments has been measured and mapped as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study of the sediment quality and dynamics of Long Island Sound. Surface samples from 219 stations were analyzed for trace (Ag, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, V, Zn and...
Bed material transport in the Virgin River, Utah
E.D. Andrews
2000, Water Resources Research (36) 585-596
Detailed information concerning the rate and particle size distribution of bed material transport by streamflows can be very difficult and expensive to obtain, especially where peak streamflows are brief and bed material is poorly sorted, including some very large boulders. Such streams, however, are common in steep, arid watersheds. Any...
Development of a grid-cell topographic surface for Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia
Cynthia S. Loftin, Wiley Rasberry, Wiley M. Kitchens
2000, Wetlands (20) 487-499
The Okefenokee Swamp is a 160,000 ha freshwater wetland in Southeast Georgia, USA that developed in a landscape basin. Hydrologic variability across the swamp suggests that water-surface elevations are not uniform across the swamp. The topographic surface map discussed herein was developed to describe the swamp topography at local to...
Problems associated with estimating ground water discharge and recharge from stream-discharge records
K. J. Halford, G.C. Mayer
2000, Ground Water (38) 331-342
Ground water discharge and recharge frequently have been estimated with hydrograph-separation techniques, but the critical assumptions of the techniques have not been investigated. The critical assumptions are that the hydraulic characteristics of the contributing aquifer (recession index) can be estimated from stream-discharge records; that periods of exclusively ground water discharge...
Dating of major normal fault systems using thermochronology: An example from the Raft River detachment, Basin and Range, western United States
M.L. Wells, L.W. Snee, A.E. Blythe
2000, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (105) 16303-16327
Application of thermochronological techniques to major normal fault systems can resolve the timing of initiation and duration of extension, rates of motion on detachment faults, timing of ductile mylonite formation and passage of rocks through the crystal-plastic to brittle transition, and multiple events of extensional unroofing. Here we determine the...
Arsenic in ground water of the United States: occurrence and geochemistry
Alan H. Welch, D.B. Westjohn, Dennis R. Helsel, Richard B. Wanty
2000, Ground Water (38) 589-604
Concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic in ground water vary regionally due to a combination of climate and geology. Although slightly less than half of 30,000 arsenic analyses of ground water in the United States were 1 μg/L, about 10% exceeded 10 μg/L....
Isotopic evidence for the sources of Cretaceous and tertiary granitic rocks, east-central Alaska: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the Yukon-Tanana terrane
J. N. Aleinikoff, G. L. Farmer, R. O. Rye, W. J. Nokleberg
2000, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (37) 945-956
Magnetotelluric traverses across the southern Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTT) reveal the presence of a thick conductive layer (or layers) beneath Paleozoic crystalline rocks. These rocks have been interpreted to be flysch of probable Mesozoic age, on the basis of the occurrence of Jurassic-Cretaceous flysch in the Kahiltna assemblage and Gravina-Nutzotin belt...
A comparison of delta change and downscaled GCM scenarios for three mountainous basins in the United States
L.E. Hay, R.L. Wilby, G.H. Leavesley
2000, Journal of the American Water Resources Association (36) 387-397
Simulated daily precipitation, temperature, and runoff time series were compared in three mountainous basins in the United States: (1) the Animas River basin in Colorado, (2) the East Fork of the Carson River basin in Nevada and California, and (3) the Cle Elum River basin in Washington State. Two methods...
Crustal deformation associated with glacial fluctuations in the eastern Chugach Mountains, Alaska
Jeanne Sauber, George Plafker, Bruce F. Molnia, Mark A. Bryant
2000, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (105) 8055-8077
The changes of the solid Earth in south central Alaska in response to two major glacial fluctuations on different temporal and spatial scales have been estimated and we evaluated their influence on the stress state and ongoing tectonic deformation of the region. During the recent (1993–1995) Bering Glacier surge, a...
Risk factors associated with capture-related death in eastern wild turkey hens
D.S. Nicholson, R.L. Lochmiller, M.D. Stewart, R.E. Masters, David M. Leslie Jr.
2000, Journal of Wildlife Diseases (36) 308-315
Capture-related mortality has been a notable risk in the handling of eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris). Our objective was to evaluate how environmental factors influence risk and identify physiological correlates that could be used to identify susceptible birds. During winter (January–March) 1995–97, 130 eastern wild turkey hens were captured...
Seasonal movements and pelagic habitat use of Murres and Puffins determined by satellite telemetry
Scott A. Hatch, P.M. Meyers, D.M. Mulcahy, David C. Douglas
2000, Condor (102) 145-154
We tracked the movements of Common Murres (Uria aalge), Thick-billed Murres (U. lomvia), and Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) using surgically implanted satellite transmitters. From 1994–1996, we tagged 53 birds from two colonies in the Gulf of Alaska (Middleton Island and Barren Islands) and two colonies in the Chukchi Sea (Cape...
Geology in the 1996 USGS seismic-hazard maps, central and eastern United States
R. L. Wheeler, A. Frankel
2000, Seismological Research Letters (71) 273-282
The current (1996) national probabilistic seismic-hazard maps utilize information about geologic structure and tectonics of the central and eastern U.S. to compensate for uncertainty that arises from the short seismicity record. Geology was incorporated into the maps mainly as seven source zones that are delineated in three distinct ways. The...
Modeling annual mallard production in the prairie-parkland region
M.W. Miller
2000, Journal of Wildlife Management (64) 561-575
Biologists have proposed several environmental factors that might influence production of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) nesting in the prairie-parkland region of the United States and Canada. These factors include precipitation, cold spring temperatures, wetland abundance, and upland breeding habitat. I used long-term historical data sets of climate, wetland numbers, agricultural land...
Sequence stratigraphy of the Aux Vases Sandstone: A major oil producer in the Illinois basin
H.E. Leetaru
2000, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin (84) 399-422
The Aux Vases Sandstone (Mississippian) has contributed between 10 and 25% of all the oil produced in Illinois. The Aux Vases is not only an important oil reservoir but is also an important source of groundwater, quarrying stone, and fluorspar. Using sequence stratigraphy, a more accurate stratigraphic interpretation of this...
