Bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, and seafloor character of Farallon Escarpment and Rittenburg Bank, northern California
Peter Dartnell, Guy R. Cochrane, David P. Finlayson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1234
In 2011, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coastal and Marine Geology Program acquired bathymetry and acoustic-backscatter data along the upper slope of the Farallon Escarpment and Rittenburg Bank within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary offshore of the San Francisco Bay area. The surveys were funded by...
Core data from offshore Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Shannon K. Hoy, Jason D. Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1227
In 2008, as a collaborative effort between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Geological Survey, 20 giant gravity cores were collected from areas surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The regions sampled have had many large earthquake and landslide events, some of which are believed to have...
Conservation buffer distance estimates for Greater Sage-Grouse: a review
Daniel J. Manier, Zachary H. Bowen, Matthew L. Brooks, Michael L. Casazza, Peter S. Coates, Patricia A. Deibert, Steven E. Hanser, Douglas H. Johnson
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1239
This report was prepared at the request of the U.S. Department of the Interior and is a compilation and summary of published scientific studies that evaluate the influence of anthropogenic activities and infrastructure on Greater Sage-Grouse(Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations. The purpose of this report is to provide a convenient...
Population viability and connectivity of the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolus)
Jared S. Laufenberg, Joseph D. Clark
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1228
In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) granted Ursus americanus luteolus (Louisiana black bear) threatened status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973, listing loss and fragmentation of habitat as the primary threats. A study was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the University of Tennessee,...
Stochastic modeling of a lava-flow aquifer system
Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff, Geoffrey A. Phelps
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1179
This report describes preliminary three-dimensional geostatistical modeling of a lava-flow aquifer system using a multiple-point geostatistical model. The purpose of this study is to provide a proof-of-concept for this modeling approach. An example of the method is demonstrated using a subset of borehole geologic data and aquifer test data from...
Evaluation of the Raven sUAS to detect and monitor greater sage-grouse leks within the Middle Park population
Leanne Hanson, Christopher L. Holmquist-Johnson, Michelle L. Cowardin
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1205
Staff from the U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Hot Sulphur Springs Office began discussions in 2011 for a proof of concept study to test the Raven RQ-11A small Unmanned Aircraft System (Raven sUAS) for its suitability to detect and monitor greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus...
Digital Mapping Techniques '11–12 workshop proceedings
David R. Soller
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1167
The Digital Mapping Techniques '11 (DMT'11) workshop was hosted by Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources and The College of William & Mary, and coordinated by the National Geologic Map Database project. Conducted May 22-25 on the campus of The College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia, it...
World-Wide Standardized Seismograph Network: a data users guide
Jon R. Peterson, Charles R. Hutt
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1218
The purpose of this report, which is based on an unpublished draft prepared in the 1970s, is to provide seismologists with the information they may need to use the WWSSN data set as it becomes available in a more easily accessible and convenient format on the Internet. The report includes...
A ground-based magnetic survey of Frenchman Flat, Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada: data release and preliminary interpretation
Jeffrey D. Phillips, Bethany L. Burton, Erika Curry-Elrod, Sigmund Drellack
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1187
The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS, formerly the Nevada Test Site) is located in southern Nevada approximately 105 kilometers (km) (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas. Frenchman Flat is a sedimentary basin located on the eastern edge of NNSS and extending eastward into the adjacent Nevada Test and Training Range...
Water quality and algal conditions in the North Umpqua River, Oregon, 1995-2007, and their response to Diamond Lake restoration
Kurt D. Carpenter, Chauncey W. Anderson, Mikeal E. Jones
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1098
The Wild and Scenic North Umpqua River is one of the highest-quality waters in the State of Oregon, supporting runs of wild salmon, steelhead, and trout. For many years, blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae in Diamond and Lemolo Lakes have threatened water quality, fisheries, and public health. The blooms...
Surface wave site characterization at 27 locations near Boston, Massachusetts, including 2 strong-motion stations
Eric M. Thompson, Bradley A. Carkin, Laurie G. Baise, Robert E. Kayen
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1232
The geotechnical properties of the soils in and around Boston, Massachusetts, have been extensively studied. This is partly due to the importance of the Boston Blue Clay and the extent of landfill in the Boston area. Although New England is not a region that is typically associated with seismic hazards,...
Effects of human disturbance on waterbird nesting and reproductive success at restoration pond SF2, south San Francisco Bay, California
Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Christopher A. Hartman
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1223
To offset for the loss of managed pond habitat during restoration of wetlands to tidal marsh, the South Bay Salt Pond (SBSP) Restoration Project is enhancing some of the remaining ponds by constructing islands for roosting and nesting waterbirds. Among these wetland habitats, the SBSP Restoration Project also is installing...
Earthquake catalog for estimation of maximum earthquake magnitude, Central and Eastern United States: Part B, historical earthquakes
Russell L. Wheeler
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1025-B
Computation of probabilistic earthquake hazard requires an estimate of Mmax: the moment magnitude of the largest earthquake that is thought to be possible within a specified geographic region. The region specified in this report is the Central and Eastern United States and adjacent Canada. Parts A and B of this...
Ecological implications of Laurel Wilt infestation on Everglades Tree Islands, southern Florida
James R. Snyder
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1225
There is a long history of introduced pests attacking native forest trees in the United States (Liebhold and others, 1995; Aukema and others, 2010). Well-known examples include chestnut blight that decimated the American chestnut (Castanea dentata), an extremely important tree in the eastern United States, both as a food source...
Short-term occupancy and abundance dynamics of the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) across its core range
M. J. Adams, Christopher A. Pearl, Brome McCreary, Stephanie Galvan
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1230
The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) occupies only a fraction of its original range and is listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We surveyed 93 sites in a rotating frame design (2010–13) in the Klamath and Deschutes Basins, Oregon, which encompass most of the species’ core extant range....
Geologic and geophysical data for wells drilled at Raft River Valley, Cassia County, Idaho, in 1977-1978 and data for wells drilled previously
Manuel Nathenson, Thomas C. Urban, Harry R. Covington
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1201
In order to better define the size of the thermal anomaly in the Raft River Valley, Idaho, the U.S. Geological Survey drilled a series of intermediate-depth (nominal 500-ft depth) wells in 1977 and 1978. This report presents geologic, geophysical, and temperature data for these drill holes, along with data for...
Water-quality characteristics indicative of wastewater in selected streams in the upper Neuse River Basin, Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina, from 2004 to 2013
Gloria M. Ferrell, Matthew S. Yearout, Barbara H. Grimes, Alexandria K. Graves, Sharon A. Fitzgerald, Michael T. Meyer
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1215
Data were collected during three time periods to assess the effects of wastewater treatment and disposal practices on the occurrence of selected contaminants indicative of wastewater in the upper Neuse River Basin, North Carolina. The first phase of data collection, December 2004 to June 2005, and the second phase, April...
Bull trout in the Boundary System: managing connectivity and the feasibility of a reintroduction in the lower Pend Oreille River, northeastern Washington
Jason B. Dunham, Eric B. Taylor, Fred W. Allendorf
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1229
Many of the World’s rivers are influenced by large dams (>15 m high) most of which have fragmented formerly continuous habitats, and significantly altered fish passage, natural flow, temperature, and sediment fluxes (Nilsson and others, 2005; Arthington, 2012; Liermann and others, 2012). In the Pacific Northwest, dams on major rivers...
Low-head hydropower assessment of the Brazilian State of São Paulo
Guleid A. Artan, W. Matthew Cushing, Melissa L. Mathis, Larry L. Tieszen
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1206
This study produced a comprehensive estimate of the magnitude of hydropower potential available in the streams that drain watersheds entirely within the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Because a large part of the contributing area is outside of São Paulo, the main stem of the Paraná River was excluded from...
Long Valley Caldera 2003 through 2014: Overview of low level unrest in the past decade
Stuart K. Wilkinson, David P. Hill, John O. Langbein, Michael Lisowski, Margaret T. Mangan
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1222
Long Valley Caldera is located in California along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada Range. The caldera formed about 760,000 years ago as the eruption of 600 km3 of rhyolite magma (Bishop Tuff) resulted in collapse of the partially evacuated magma chamber. Resurgent doming in the central part of...
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources: Williston Basin, Central Montana Basins, and Montana Thrust Belt study areas
Marc L. Buursink, Matthew D. Merrill, William H. Craddock, Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Sean T. Brennan, Madalyn S. Blondes, P.A. Freeman, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Celeste D. Lohr
Peter D. Warwick, M.D. Corum, editor(s)
2014, Open-File Report 2012-1024-J
The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2). The methodology used by the USGS for the national CO2 assessment follows that of previous USGS work. This methodology is non-economic and is...
Water-quality modeling of Klamath Straits Drain recirculation, a Klamath River wetland, and 2011 conditions for the Link River to Keno Dam reach of the Klamath River, Oregon
Annett B. Sullivan, I. Ertugrul Sogutlugil, Michael L. Deas, Stewart A. Rounds
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1185
The upper Klamath River and adjacent Lost River are interconnected basins in south-central Oregon and northern California. Both basins have impaired water quality with Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) in progress or approved. In cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Watercourse Engineering, Inc., have...
Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Cameron, Clarion, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, and Warren Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004-2010
L. E. Milheim, E. T. Slonecker, C. M. Roig-Silva, S. G. Winters, J. R. Ballew
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1152
Increased demands for cleaner burning energy, coupled with the relatively recent technological advances in accessing hydrocarbon-rich geologic formations, have led to an intense effort to find and extract unconventional natural gas from various underground sources around the country. One of these sources, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Allegheny Plateau,...
Temporal changes in lithology and radiochemistry from the back-barrier environments along the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana: March 2012-July 2013
Marci E. Marot, C. Scott Adams, Kathryn A. Richwine, Christopher G. Smith, Lisa E. Osterman, Julie Bernier
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1079
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a time-series collection of shallow sediment cores from the back-barrier environments along the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana from March 2012 through July 2013. The sampling efforts were part of a larger USGS study to evaluate effects on...
Use of acoustic backscatter to estimate continuous suspended sediment and phosphorus concentrations in the Barton River, northern Vermont, 2010-2013
Laura Medalie, Ann T. Chalmers, Richard G. Kiah, Benjamin Copans
2014, Open-File Report 2014-1184
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, investigated the use of acoustic backscatter to estimate concentrations of suspended sediment and total phosphorus at the Barton River near Coventry, Vermont. The hypothesis was that acoustic backscatter—the reflection of sound waves off objects back to the...
