Reconnaissance soil geochemistry at the Riverton Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Site, Fremont County, Wyoming
David B. Smith, Michael J. Sweat
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1257
Soil samples were collected and chemically analyzed from the Riverton Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Site, which lies within the Wind River Indian Reservation in Fremont County, Wyoming. Nineteen soil samples from a depth of 0 to 5 centimeters were collected in August 2011 from the site. The samples were...
Computing maximum-likelihood estimates for parameters of the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish
David I. Donato
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1181
This report presents the mathematical expressions and the computational techniques required to compute maximum-likelihood estimates for the parameters of the National Descriptive Model of Mercury in Fish (NDMMF), a statistical model used to predict the concentration of methylmercury in fish tissue. The expressions and techniques reported here were prepared to...
Producing fractional rangeland component predictions in a sagebrush ecosystem, a Wyoming sensitivity analysis
George Xian, Collin G. Homer, Brian Granneman, Debra K. Meyer
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1239
Remote sensing information has been widely used to monitor vegetation condition and variations in a variety of ecosystems, including shrublands. Careful application of remotely sensed imagery can provide additional spatially explicit, continuous, and extensive data on the composition and condition of shrubland ecosystems. Historically, the most widely available remote sensing...
Gold deposits of the Carolina Slate Belt, southeastern United States--Age and origin of the major gold producers
Nora K. Foley, Robert A. Ayuso
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1179
Gold- and iron sulfide-bearing deposits of the southeastern United States have distinctive mineralogical and geochemical features that provide a basis for constructing models of ore genesis for exploration and assessment of gold resources. The largest (historic) deposits, in approximate million ounces of gold (Moz Au), include those in the Haile...
Geomorphic analysis of the river response to sedimentation downstream of Mount Rainier, Washington
Jonathan A. Czuba, Christopher S. Magirl, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher A. Curran, Kenneth H. Johnson, Theresa D. Olsen, Halley K. Kimball, Casey C. Gish
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1242
A study of the geomorphology of rivers draining Mount Rainier, Washington, was completed to identify sources of sediment to the river network; to identify important processes in the sediment delivery system; to assess current sediment loads in rivers draining Mount Rainier; to evaluate if there were trends in streamflow or...
Simulation of groundwater flow in the shallow aquifer system of the Delmarva Peninsula, Maryland and Delaware
Ward E. Sanford, Jason P. Pope, David L. Selnick, Ryan F. Stumvoll
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1140
Estimating future loadings of nitrogen to the Chesapeake Bay requires knowledge about the groundwater flow system and the traveltime of water and chemicals between recharge at the water table and the discharge to streams and directly to the bay. The Delmarva Peninsula has a relatively large proportion of its land...
Streamflow statistics for selected streams in North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan
Tara Williams-Sether
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1147
Statistical summaries of streamflow data for the periods of record through water year 2009 for selected active and discontinued U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan were compiled. The summaries for each streamflow-gaging station include a brief station description, a graph of the annual peak...
Linking physical monitoring to coho and Chinook salmon populations in the Redwood Creek Watershed, California—Summary of May 3–4, 2012 Workshop
Mary Ann Madej, Alicia A. Torregrosa, Andrea Woodward
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1245
On Thursday, May 3, 2012, a science workshop was held at the Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP) office in Arcata, California, with researchers and resource managers working in RNSP to share data and expert opinions concerning salmon populations and habitat in the Redwood Creek watershed. The focus of the...
Hydrostratigraphic interpretation of test-hole and surface geophysical data, Elkhorn and Loup River Basins, Nebraska, 2008 to 2011
Christopher M. Hobza, Paul A. Bedrosian, Benjamin R. Bloss
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1227
The Elkhorn-Loup Model (ELM) was begun in 2006 to understand the effect of various groundwater-management scenarios on surface-water resources. During phase one of the ELM study, a lack of subsurface geological information was identified as a data gap. Test holes drilled to the base of the aquifer in the ELM...
Soil data for a collapse-scar bog chronosequence in Koyukuk Flats National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2008
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Jennifer W. Harden, Kristen L. Manies, M. Torre Jorgenson
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1230
Peatlands in the northern permafrost region store large amounts of organic carbon, most of which is currently stored in frozen peat deposits. Recent warming at high-latitudes has accelerated permafrost thaw in peatlands, which will likely result in the loss of soil organic carbon from previously frozen peat deposits to the...
Preliminary catalog of the sedimentary basins of the United States
James L. Coleman Jr., Steven M. Cahan
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1111
One hundred forty-four sedimentary basins (or groups of basins) in the United States (both onshore and offshore) are identified, located, and briefly described as part of a Geographic Information System (GIS) data base in support of the Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration National Assessment Project (Brennan and others, 2010). This catalog...
Temporal and spatial trends of chloride and sodium in groundwater in New Hampshire, 1960–2011
Laura Medalie
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1236
Data on concentrations of chloride and sodium in groundwater in New Hampshire were assembled from various State and Federal agencies and organized into a database. This report provides documentation of many assumptions and limitations of disparate data that were collected to meet wide-ranging objectives and investigates temporal and spatial trends...
Proceedings of the workshop on alternative futures: Accounting for growth in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Peter R. Claggett, Renee L. Thompson, editor(s)
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1216
This workshop provided a forum for identifying and discussing policies and assumptions for use in creating regionally consistent alternative future land-use scenarios. The alternative scenarios will help to inform how planning can potentially be used as a primary Best Management Practice by identifying land-use policies and other planning actions that...
Determination of selenium in fish from designated critical habitat of the Gunnison River, Colorado, summer 2011
Thomas W. May, Michael J. Walther
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1235
This report presents results for the summer 2011 sampling of muscle plugs from common carps (Cyprinus Linnaeus), roundtail chub (Gila robusta), and bonytail chub (Gila elegans) inhabiting critical habitat in the Gunnison River in Western Colorado. Total selenium in fish muscle plugs was determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Total...
Geomorphic and hydrologic study of peak-flow management on the Cedar River, Washington
Christopher S. Magirl, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Christiana R. Czuba, Christopher P. Konrad, Mathieu D. Marineau
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1240
Assessing the linkages between high-flow events, geomorphic response, and effects on stream ecology is critical to river management. High flows on the gravel-bedded Cedar River in Washington are important to the geomorphic function of the river; however, high flows can deleteriously affect salmon embryos incubating in streambed gravels. A geomorphic...
Assessment of photographs from wildlife monitoring cameras in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore, California
William A. Lellis, Carrie J. Blakeslee, Laurie K. Allen, Bruce F. Molnia, Susan D. Price, R. Sky Bristol, Brent Stewart
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1249
Between 2007 and 2010, National Park Service (NPS) staff at the Point Reyes National Seashore, California, collected over 300,000 photographic images of Drakes Estero from remotely operated wildlife monitoring cameras. The purpose of the systems was to obtain photographic data to help understand possible relationships between anthropogenic activities and Pacific...
Landscape consequences of natural gas extraction in Greene and Tioga Counties, Pennsylvania, 2004-2010
E.T. Slonecker, L.E. Milheim, C.M. Roig-Silva, G.B. Fisher
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1220
Increased demands for cleaner burning energy, coupled with the relatively recent technological advances in accessing unconventional hydrocarbon-rich geologic formations, have led to an intense effort to find and extract natural gas from various underground sources around the country. One of these sources, the Marcellus Shale, located in the Allegheny Plateau,...
Effects of catastrophic floods and debris flows on the sediment retention structure, North Fork Toutle River, Washington
Roger P. Denlinger
2012, Open-File Report 2011-1317
The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 produced a debris avalanche that flowed down the upper reaches of the North Fork Toutle River in southwestern Washington, clogging this drainage with sediment. In response to continuous anomalously high sediment flux into the Toutle and Cowlitz Rivers resulting from this avalanche...
Phase 1 freshwater mussel survey and comparison to historical surveys at the Pond Eddy bridge, Delaware River, New York and Pennsylvania
Heather S. Galbraith
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1224
A qualitative freshwater mussel survey was conducted in a section of the main stem Delaware River near the Pond Eddy Bridge site, New York and Pennsylvania, during summer 2011 to assess population levels of state and Federal threatened and endangered species. Historical data that were collected at this site were...
Early Tertiary exhumation of the flank of a forearc basin, southwest Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska
Heather A. Bleick, Alison B. Till, Dwight Bradley, Paul O’Sullivan, Joe L. Wooden, Dan B. Bradley, Theresa A. Taylor, Sam B. Friedman, Chad P. Hults
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1232
New geochronologic and thermochronologic data from rocks near Hatcher Pass, southwest Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska, record earliest Paleocene erosional and structural exhumation on the flank of the active Cook Inlet forearc basin. Cretaceous plutons shed sediments to the south, forming the Paleocene Arkose Ridge Formation. A Paleocene(?)-Eocene detachment fault juxtaposed ~60...
Southwest Washington littoral drift restoration—Beach and nearshore morphological monitoring
Andrew W. Stevens, Guy Gelfenbaum, Peter Ruggiero, George M. Kaminsky
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1175
A morphological monitoring program has documented the placement and initial dispersal of beach nourishment material (280,000 m3) placed between the Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR) North Jetty and North Head, at the southern end of the Long Beach Peninsula in southwestern Washington State. A total of 21 topographic surveys...
Digital Mapping Techniques '10-Workshop Proceedings, Sacramento, California, May 16-19, 2010
David R. Soller
David R. Soller, editor(s)
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1171
The Digital Mapping Techniques '10 (DMT'10) workshop was attended by 110 technical experts from 40 agencies, universities, and private companies, including representatives from 19 State geological surveys (see Appendix A). This workshop, hosted by the California Geological Survey, May 16-19, 2010, in Sacramento, California, was similar in nature to the...
Predicting sea-level rise vulnerability of terrestrial habitat and wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Michelle H. Reynolds, Paul Berkowitz, Karen N. Courtot, Crystal M. Krause
Michelle H. Reynolds, Paul Berkowitz, Karen N. Courtot, Crystal M. Krause, editor(s)
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1182
If current climate change trends continue, rising sea levels may inundate low-lying islands across the globe, placing island biodiversity at risk. Recent models predict a rise of approximately one meter (1 m) in global sea level by 2100, with larger increases possible in areas of the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Islands...
Tohoku-Oki Earthquake Tsunami Runup and Inundation Data for Sites Around the Island of Hawaiʻi
Frank A. Trusdell, Amy Chadderton, Graham Hinchliffe, Andrew Hara, Brent Patenge, Tom Weber
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1229
At 0546 U.t.c. March 11, 2011, a Mw 9.0 ("great") earthquake occurred near the northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan, generating a large tsunami that devastated the east coast of Japan and impacted many far-flung coastal sites around the Pacific Basin. After the earthquake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued...
Digital geologic map of the Redding 1° x 2° quadrangle, Shasta, Tehama, Humboldt, and Trinity Counties, California
Luis A. Fraticelli, John P. Albers, William P. Irwin, Milton C. Blake, Carl M. Wentworth
2012, Open-File Report 2012-1228
The Redding 1° x 2° quadrangle in northwestern California transects the Franciscan Complex and southern Klamath Mountains province as well as parts of the Great Valley Complex, northern Great Valley, and southernmost Cascades volcanic province. The tectonostratigraphic terranes of the Klamath province represent slices of oceanic crust, island arcs, and...
