New insights into the Edwards Aquifer—Brackish-water simulation, drought, and the role of uncertainty analysis
Linzy K. Foster, Jeremy T. White
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3002
The Edwards aquifer is an important water resource in south-central Texas, providing water for residents, businesses, and ecosystems. The aquifer is a highly complex karst system characterized by areas of rapid groundwater flow, faulted and fractured Cretaceous-age rocks, and multiple water-quality zones. Karst aquifer systems include soluble rocks such as...
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources of the Thrace Basin, Turkey, 2015
Christopher J. Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Janet K. Pitman, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Tracey J. Mercier, Kristen R. Marra, Sarah J. Hawkins, Michael E. Brownfield
2016, Fact Sheet 2016-3001
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 787 billion cubic feet of conventional gas and 1,630 billion cubic feet of unconventional gas in the Thrace Basin, Turkey....
Innovation in monitoring: The U.S. Geological Survey Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, California, flow-station network
Jon Burau, Cathy Ruhl, Paul A. Work
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3061
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed the first gage to measure the flow of water into California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta from the Sacramento River in the late 1800s. Today, a network of 35 hydro-acoustic meters measure flow throughout the delta. This region is a critical part of California’s freshwater...
Assessment of unconventional tight-gas resources of the Magallanes Basin Province, Chile, 2015
Christopher J. Schenk, Ronald R. Charpentier, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kristen R. Marra
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3085
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed a technically recoverable mean resource of 8.3 trillion cubic feet of unconventional tight gas in the Zona Glauconitica of the Magallanes Basin Province, Chile....
Assessment of undiscovered continuous gas resources of the Ordos Basin Province, China, 2015
Ronald R. Charpentier, Timothy R. Klett, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael E. Brownfield, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3087
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean resources of 28 trillion cubic feet of tight gas and 5.6 trillion cubic feet of coalbed gas in upper Paleozoic rocks in the Ordos Basin Province, China....
Sustainable groundwater management in California
Steven P. Phillips, Laurel Lynn Rogers, Claudia C. Faunt
2016, Fact Sheet 2015-3084
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses data collection, modeling tools, and scientific analysis to help water managers plan for, and assess, hydrologic issues that can cause “undesirable results” associated with groundwater use. This information helps managers understand trends and investigate and predict effects of different groundwater-management strategies....
The 3D Elevation Program: summary for Hawaii
William J. Carswell Jr.
2016, Fact Sheet 2014-3079
Elevation data are essential to a broad range of applications, including forest resources management, wildlife and habitat management, national security, recreation, and many others. For the State of Hawaii, elevation data are critical for infrastructure and construction management, flood risk management, geologic resource assessment and hazard mitigation, natural resources conservation,...
Scanning and georeferencing historical USGS quadrangles (ver. 2.0, May 2015)
Larry R. Davis, William J. Carswell Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2011-3009-(version 2.0)
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geospatial Program is scanning published USGS 1:250,000-scale and larger topographic maps printed between 1884, the inception of the topographic mapping program, and 2006. The goal of this scanning, which started in 2011, is to provide a digital repository of USGS topographic maps, available to...
Assessment of undiscovered shale gas and shale oil resources in the Mississippian Barnett Shale, Bend Arch–Fort Worth Basin Province, North-Central Texas
Kristen R. Marra, Ronald R. Charpentier, Christopher J. Schenk, Michael D. Lewan, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Timothy R. Klett, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Phuong A. Le, Tracey J. Mercier, Janet K. Pitman, Marilyn E. Tennyson
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3078
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of 53 trillion cubic feet of shale gas, 172 million barrels of shale oil, and 176 million barrels of natural gas liquids in the Barnett Shale of the Bend Arch–Fort Worth Basin Province of Texas....
Desert wetlands—Archives of a wetter past
Jeffery S. Pigati, Kathleen B. Springer, Craig R. Manker
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3077
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are finding evidence of a much wetter past in the deserts of the American Southwest using a most unlikely source—wetlands. Wetlands form in arid environments where water tables approach or breach the ground surface. Often thought of as stagnant and unchanging, new evidence...
Comparison of U.S. net import reliance for nonfuel mineral commodities—A 60-year retrospective (1954–1984–2014)
Steven M. Fortier, DeYoung Jr., Elizabeth S. Sangine, Emily K. Schnebele
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3082
Introduction The economic vitality and national security of the United States depend on the reliable supply of numerous nonfuel mineral commodities. Over the past six decades, many of these commodities have been sourced increasingly from outside the United States. The mix of commodities for which the United States is import dependent...
Shift in Global Tantalum Mine Production, 2000–2014
Donald I. Bleiwas, John F. Papp, Thomas R. Yager
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3079
Introduction Tantalum has a unique set of properties that make it useful in a number of diverse applications. The ability of the metal to store and release electrical energy makes it ideally suited for use in certain types of capacitors that are widely used in modern electronics. Approximately 60 percent of...
Assessment of undiscovered sandstone-hosted uranium resources in the Texas Coastal Plain, 2015
Mark J. Mihalasky, Susan M. Hall, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Kathleen R. Tureck, Mark T. Hannon, George N. Breit, Robert A. Zielinski, Brent Elliott
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3069
The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 220 million pounds of recoverable uranium oxide (U3O8 ) remaining as potential undiscovered resources in southern Texas. This estimate used a geology-based assessment method for Tertiary sandstone-hosted uranium deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain sedimentary strata (fig.1)....
U.S. Geological Survey National Water Census: Colorado River Basin Geographic Focus Area Study
Breton W. Bruce, David W. Clow, Molly A. Maupin, Matthew P. Miller, Gabriel B. Senay, Graham A. Sexstone, David D. Susong
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3080
Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) concept of a national census (or accounting) of water resources has evolved over the last several decades as the Nation has experienced increasing concern over water availability for multiple competing uses. The implementation of a USGS National Water Census was described in the USGS 2007...
Landsat—Earth observation satellites
U.S. Geological Survey
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3081
Since 1972, Landsat satellites have continuously acquired space-based images of the Earth’s land surface, providing data that serve as valuable resources for land use/land change research. The data are useful to a number of applications including forestry, agriculture, geology, regional planning, and education. Landsat is a joint effort of the...
NEXRAD quantitative precipitation estimates, data acquisition, and processing for the DuPage County, Illinois, streamflow-simulation modeling system
Terry W. Ortel, Ryan R. Spies
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3076
Next-Generation Radar (NEXRAD) has become an integral component in the estimation of precipitation (Kitzmiller and others, 2013). The high spatial and temporal resolution of NEXRAD has revolutionized the ability to estimate precipitation across vast regions, which is especially beneficial in areas without a dense rain-gage network. With the improved precipitation...
Development of an Assessment Tool for Agricultural Best Management Practice Implementation in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Priority Watersheds—Eagle Creek, Tributary to Maumee River, Ohio
Katherine R. Merriman
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3066
Introduction The Great Lakes face a number of serious challenges that cause damage to water quality, habitat, ecology, and coastal health. Excess nutrients from point and nonpoint sources have a history of causing harmful algal blooms (HABs); since the late 1990s, a resurgence of HABs have forced beach closures and resulted...
Development of an Assessment Tool for Agricultural Best Management Practice Iimplementation in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Priority Watersheds—Alger Creek, Tributary to Saginaw River, Michigan
Katherine R. Merriman
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3067
The Great Lakes face a number of serious challenges that cause damage to water quality, habitat, ecology, and coastal health. Excess nutrients from point and nonpoint sources have a history of causing harmful algal blooms (HABs); since the late 1990s, a resurgence of HABs have forced beach closures and resulted...
Development of an Assessment Tool for Agricultural Best Management Practice Implementation in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Priority Watersheds—Upper East River, Tributary to Green Bay, Wisconsin
Katherine R. Merriman
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3065
Introduction The Great Lakes face a number of serious challenges that cause damage to water quality, habitat, ecology, and coastal health. Excess nutrients from point and nonpoint sources have a history of causing harmful algal blooms (HABs); since the late 1990s, a resurgence of HABs have forced beach closures and resulted...
Assessment of shale-oil resources of the Central Sumatra Basin, Indonesia, 2015
Christopher J. Schenk, Ronald R. Charpentier, Timothy R. Klett, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Michael E. Brownfield, Janet K. Pitman, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3072
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 459 million barrels of shale oil, 275 billion cubic feet of associated gas, and 23 million barrels of natural gas liquids in the Central Sumatra Basin, Indonesia....
Conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo—Gold supply chain
Micheal W. George
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3075
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) analyzes mineral and metal supply chains to identify and describe major components of material flows from ore extraction, through intermediate forms, to a final product. Supply chain analyses may be used to identify risks to the United States associated with the supply of critical and...
The Chesapeake Bay impact structure
David S. Powars, Lucy E. Edwards, Gregory S. Gohn, J. Wright Horton Jr.
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3071
About 35 million years ago, during late Eocene time, a 2-mile-wide asteroid or comet smashed into Earth in what is now the lower Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The oceanic impact vaporized, melted, fractured, and (or) displaced the target rocks and sediments and sent billions of tons of water, sediments, and...
Investigación del USGS sobre el ecosistema de arrecifes de coral en el Atlántico
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Kimberly K. Yates, David G. Zawada, Julie N. Richey, Christina A. Kellogg, Lauren T. Toth, Legna M. Torres-Garcia
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3074
Información General Los arrecifes de coral son estructuras sólidas, biomineralizadas que protegen comunidades costeras actuando como barreras protectoras de peligros tales como los huracanes y los tsunamis. Estos proveen arena a las playas a través de procesos naturales de erosión, fomentan la industria del turismo, las actividades recreacionales y proveen hábitats...
USGS research on Atlantic coral reef ecosystems
Ilsa B. Kuffner, Kimberly K. Yates, David G. Zawada, Julie N. Richey, Christina A. Kellogg, Lauren T. Toth
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3073
Overview Coral reefs are massive, biomineralized structures that protect coastal communities by acting as barriers to hazards such as hurricanes and tsunamis. They provide sand for beaches through the natural process of erosion, support tourism and recreational industries, and provide essential habitat for fisheries. The continuing global degradation of coral reef...
myScience—Engaging the public in U.S. Geological Survey science
Sally Holl
2015, Fact Sheet 2015-3070
myScience (http://txpub.usgs.gov/myscience/) is a Web application developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Texas Water Science Center through a partnership with the USGS Community for Data Integration to address the need for increasing public awareness and participation in existing USGS citizen science projects. The myScience application contains data...
