Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado
Anne C. Tillery, Michael J. Darr, Susan H. Cannon, John A. Michael
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1257
In June 2011, the Track Fire burned 113 square kilometers in Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico, and Las Animas County, southeastern Colorado, including the upper watersheds of Chicorica and Raton Creeks. The burned landscape is now at risk of damage from postwildfire erosion, such as that caused by debris flows...
Compilation of watershed models for tributaries to the Great Lakes, United States, as of 2010, and identification of watersheds for future modeling for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
William F. Coon, Elizabeth A. Murphy, David T. Soong, Jennifer B. Sharpe
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1202
As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) during 2009–10, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compiled a list of existing watershed models that had been created for tributaries within the United States that drain to the Great Lakes. Established Federal programs that are overseen by the National Oceanic and...
MODFLOW-CDSS, a version of MODFLOW-2005 with modifications for Colorado Decision Support Systems
Edward R. Banta
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1213
MODFLOW-CDSS is a three-dimensional, finite-difference groundwater-flow model based on MODFLOW-2005, with two modifications. The first modification is the introduction of a Partition Stress Boundaries capability, which enables the user to partition a selected subset of MODFLOW's stress-boundary packages, with each partition defined by a separate input file. Volumetric water-budget components...
Emergency assessment of postwildfire debris-flow hazards for the 2011 Motor Fire, Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests, California
Susan H. Cannon, John A. Michael
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1251
This report presents an emergency assessment of potential debris-flow hazards from basins burned by the 2011 Motor fire in the Sierra and Stanislaus National Forests, Calif. Statistical-empirical models are used to estimate the probability and volume of debris flows that may be produced from burned drainage basins as a function...
Temporal and spatial distribution of landslides in the Redwood Creek Basin, Northern California
Mary Ann Madej
C. Nicholas Medley, Glenn Patterson, Melanie J. Parker, editor(s)
2011, Conference Paper, Observing, studying, and managing for change: Proceedings of the Fourth Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds (SIR 2011-5169)
Mass movement processes are a dominant means of supplying sediment to mountainous rivers of north coastal California, but the episodic nature of landslides represents a challenge to interpreting patterns of slope instability. This study compares two major landslide events occurring in 1964-1975 and in 1997 in the Redwood Creek basin...
Range-wide assessment of livestock grazing across the sagebrush biome
Kari E. Veblen, David A. Pyke, Christopher A. Jones, Michael L. Casazza, Timothy J. Assal, Melissa A. Farinha
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1263
Domestic livestock grazing occurs in virtually all sagebrush habitats and is a prominent disturbance factor. By affecting habitat condition and trend, grazing influences the resources required by, and thus, the distribution and abundance of sagebrush-obligate wildlife species (for example, sage-grouse Centrocercus spp.). Yet, the risks that livestock grazing may pose...
Undiscovered petroleum resources for the Woodford Shale and Thirteen Finger Limestone-Atoka Shale assessment units, Anadarko Basin
Debra K. Higley
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1242
In 2010 the U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered oil and gas resources for the Anadarko Basin Province of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The assessment included three continuous (unconventional) assessment units (AU). Mean undiscovered resources for the (1) Devonian Woodford Shale Gas AU are about 16 trillion cubic feet of...
Probability and volume of potential postwildfire debris flows in the 2011 Indian Gulch burn area, near Golden, Colorado
Barbara C. Ruddy
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1248
This report presents an assessment of the debris-flow hazards from drainage basins burned in 2011 by the Indian Gulch wildfire near Golden, Colorado. Empirical models derived from statistical evaluation of data collected from recently burned drainage basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability of...
Ni-Co laterite deposits
Erin E. Marsh, Eric D. Anderson
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1259
Nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co) laterite deposits are an important source of nickel (Ni). Currently, there is a decline in magmatic Ni-bearing sulfide lode deposit resources. New efforts to develop an alternative source of Ni, particularly with improved metallurgy processes, make the Ni-Co laterites an important exploration target in anticipation of the future...
Carbonatite and alkaline intrusion-related rare earth element deposits–A deposit model
Philip L. Verplanck, Bradley S. Van Gosen
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1256
The rare earth elements are not as rare in nature as their name implies, but economic deposits with these elements are not common and few deposits have been large producers. In the past 25 years, demand for rare earth elements has increased dramatically because of their wide and diverse use...
PCB-induced changes of a benthic community and expected ecosystem recovery following in situ sorbent amendment
Elisabeth M.-L. Janssen, Janet K. Thompson, Samuel N. Luoma, Richard G. Luthy
2011, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (30) 1819-1826
The benthic community was analyzed to evaluate pollution-induced changes for the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated site at Hunters Point (HP) relative to 30 reference sites in San Francisco Bay, California, USA. An analysis based on functional traits of feeding, reproduction, and position in the sediment shows that HP is depauperate in...
Hydrogeologic framework of the Johns Creek subbasin and vicinity, Mason County, Washington
Wendy B. Welch, Mark E. Savoca
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5168
This report describes the hydrogeologic framework of the groundwater-flow system in the Johns Creek subbasin and vicinity. The study area covers 97 square miles in southeastern Mason County, Washington, and includes the Johns Creek subbasin, which drains an area of about 11 square miles. The study area extends beyond the...
Investigation of the potential for concealed base-metal mineralization at the Drenchwater Creek Zn-Pb-Ag occurrence, northern Alaska, using geology, reconnaissance geochemistry, and airborne electromagnetic geophysics
Garth E. Graham, Maria Deszcz-Pan, Jared E. Abraham, Karen D. Kelley
2011, Professional Paper 1784-B
In 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, and State of Alaska cooperated on an investigation of the mineral potential of a southern part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, Howard Pass quadrangle, to provide background information for future land-use decisions. The investigation incorporated an airborne electromagnetic...
Hydrography of and biogeochemical inputs to Liberty Bay, a small urban embayment in Puget Sound, Washington
Renee K. Takesue
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5152
This multi-chapter report describes scientific and logistic understanding gained from a 2 year proof-of-concept study in Liberty Bay, a small urban embayment in central Puget Sound, Washington. The introductory chapter describes the regional and local setting, the high-level study goals, the site-specific urban stressors, and the interdisciplinary study approach. Subsequent...
Differential survival among sSOD-1* genotypes in Chinook Salmon
Michael C. Hayes, Reginald R. Reisenbichler, Stephen P. Rubin, Lisa A. Wetzel, Anne R. Marshall
2011, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (140) 1305-1316
Differential survival and growth were tested in Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha expressing two common alleles, *–100 and *–260, at the superoxide dismutase locus (sSOD-1*). These tests were necessary to support separate studies in which the two alleles were used as genetic marks under the assumption of mark neutrality. Heterozygous adults...
Deposit model for volcanogenic uranium deposits
George N. Breit, Susan M. Hall
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1255
Volcanism is a major contributor to the formation of important uranium deposits both close to centers of eruption and more distal as a result of deposition of ash with leachable uranium. Hydrothermal fluids that are driven by magmatic heat proximal to some volcanic centers directly form some deposits. These fluids...
Flood-frequency analyses from paleoflood investigations for Spring, Rapid, Boxelder, and Elk Creeks, Black Hills, western South Dakota
Tessa M. Harden, Jim E. O'Connor, Daniel G. Driscoll, John F. Stamm
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5131
Flood-frequency analyses for the Black Hills area are important because of severe flooding of June 9-10, 1972, that was caused by a large mesoscale convective system and caused at least 238 deaths. Many 1972 peak flows are high outliers (by factors of 10 or more) in observed records that date...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Santa Clara River Valley, 2007-California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Carmen A. Burton, Joseph Montrella, Matthew K. Landon, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5052
Groundwater quality in the approximately 460-square-mile Santa Clara River Valley study unit was investigated from April through June 2007 as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration...
Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins, 2005-California GAMA Priority Basin Project
Justin T. Kulongoski, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Scientific Investigations Report 2011-5058
Groundwater quality in the approximately 1,000 square mile (2,590 km2) Monterey Bay and Salinas Valley Basins (MS) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is located in central California in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and...
Geologic map of Big Bend National Park, Texas
Kenzie J. Turner, Margaret E. Berry, William R. Page, Thomas M. Lehman, Robert G. Bohannon, Robert B. Scott, Daniel P. Miggins, James R. Budahn, Roger W. Cooper, Benjamin J. Drenth, Eric D. Anderson, Van S. Williams
2011, Scientific Investigations Map 3142
The purpose of this map is to provide the National Park Service and the public with an updated digital geologic map of Big Bend National Park (BBNP). The geologic map report of Maxwell and others (1967) provides a fully comprehensive account of the important volcanic, structural, geomorphological, and paleontological features...
Sampling large landscapes with small-scale stratification-User's Manual
Jonathan Bart
2011, Open-File Report 2011-1247
This manual explains procedures for partitioning a large landscape into plots, assigning the plots to strata, and selecting plots in each stratum to be surveyed. These steps are referred to as the "sampling large landscapes (SLL) process." We assume that users of the manual have a moderate knowledge of ArcGIS...
Occupancy and abundance of wintering birds in a dynamic agricultural landscape
Mark W. Miller, Elise V. Pearlstine, Robert M. Dorazio, Frank J. Mazzotti
2011, Journal of Wildlife Management (75) 836-847
Assessing wildlife management action requires monitoring populations, and abundance often is the parameter monitored. Recent methodological advances have enabled estimation of mean abundance within a habitat using presence–absence or count data obtained via repeated visits to a sample of sites. These methods assume populations are closed and intuitively assume habitats...
Occurrence and concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds in groundwater used for public drinking-water supply in California
Miranda S. Fram, Kenneth Belitz
2011, Science of the Total Environment (409) 3409-3417
Pharmaceutical compounds were detected at low concentrations in 2.3% of 1231 samples of groundwater (median depth to top of screened interval in wells = 61 m) used for public drinking-water supply in California. Samples were collected statewide for the California State Water Resources Control Board's Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program....
Energy and conservation benefits from managed prairie biomass
Jacob M. Jungers, Jared J. Trost, Clarence L. Lehman, David Tilman
Elaine Booth, editor(s)
2011, Conference Paper, Biomass and energy crops IV
Marginally productive land, such as that enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), may provide acreage and economic incentives for cellulosic energy production. Improving the yields from these lands will help establish a biomass producer's position in the marketplace. The effects of water and nitrogen on biomass yields were investigated...
A geographic information system tool for aquatic resource conservation in the Red and Sabine River Watersheds of the southeast United States
J. A. Jenkins, S. B. Hartley, J. Carter, D. J. Johnson, J. B. Alford
2011, Article
Our goal was to build a geographic information system (GIS) tool to enhance modeling and hypothesis testing relevant to watersheds and fish fauna of the Red and Sabine Rivers in the southeastern United States. Species of concern were identified from wildlife action plans and Web sites. Spatial distributions of fish...
