Geology topics
Publications and source records attributed to Members of the Engineering Geology and Ground Water Branches, U.S. Geological Survey.
A new seismic source generator has been invented at the U. S. Geological Survey. Using kinetic energy stored by a flywheel, the truck-mounted source transfers this energy, by impulses, into the ground. Both longitudinal (P) and shear (S) waves can be generated, the latter in 12 directions, without moving the vehicle.
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The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seeks partnerships with innovative companies who possess the technical expertise and resources to facilitate the USGS's transition to print-on-demand technologies. The USGS requires the hardware/ software and technical expertise to integrate print -on-demand capabilities in solving three problems with its current printing process.
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No abstract available.
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The South Florida wetlands ecosystem is an environment of great size and ecological diversity (figs. 1 and 2). The landscape diversity and subtropical setting of this ecosystem provide a habitat for an abundance of plants and wildlife, some of which are unique to South Florida. South Florida wetlands are currently in crisis, however, due to the combined effects of agriculture, urbanization, and nearly 100 years of water management. Serious problems facing this ecosystem include (1) phosphorus contamination producing nutrient enrichment, which is causing changes in the native vegetation, (2) methylmercury contamination of fish and other wildlife, which poses a potential threat to human health, (3) changes in the natural flow of water in the region, resulting in more frequent drying of wetlands, loss of organic soils, and a reduction in freshwater flow to Florida Bay, (4) hypersalinity, massive algal blooms, and seagrass loss in parts of Florida Bay, and (5) a decrease in wildlife populations, especially those of wading birds. This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project focuses on the role of organic-rich sediments (peat) of South Florida wetlands in regulating the concentrations and impact of important chemical species in the environment. The cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur in peat is an important factor in the regulation of water quality in the South Florida wetlands ecosystem. These elements are central to many of the contamination issues facing South Florida wetlands, such as nutrient enrichment, mercury toxicity, and loss of peat. Many important chemical and biological reactions occur in peat and control the fate of chemical species in wetlands. Wetland scientists often refer to these reactions as biogeochemical processes, because they are chemical reactions usually mediated by microorganisms in a geological environment. An understanding of the biogeochemical processes in peat of South Florida wetlands will provide a basis for evaluating the effects on water quality of (1) constructing buffer wetlands to alleviate nutrient contamination and (2) replumbing the ecosystem to restore natural water flow. The results may also suggest new approaches for solving problems of contamination and water quality in these wetlands. A second focus of this project will be on the geochemical history of the South Florida ecosystem. Peat is a repository of the history of past environmental conditions in the wetland. Before effective action can be taken to correct many of the problems facing these wetlands, we must first study the biogeochemistry of the peat at depth in order to understand whether current problems are the result of recent human activity or are part of a long-term natural cycle. Coordination with other (USGS) projects for South Florida is ongoing. These projects are studying the biological history of the ecosystem by using pollen and shells buried in the peat, together with procedures for dating the peat at various depths, to develop an overall ecosystem history model, with emphasis on the last 100 years.
Background Advisories warning against the eating of game fish due to high concentrations (0.5 to 1.5 parts per million) of mercury are common in areas of Florida. When concentrations of mercury in fish are reported, it is primarily the compound methylmercury (MeHg), a neurotoxin, that is assumed present. MeHg has caused neurological damage in people in Japan and Iraq who ate food tainted with mercury. The goal of this project is to answer the question, "How does mercury produced in the aquatic environment of south Florida enter the food chain and become part of the body burden of animals such as game fish"? This project is part of the South Florida Ecosystems Program. As part of the mercury studies in the Florida Everglades element, the findings of this project will contribute to an understanding of the processes that cause mercury bioaccumulation.
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The Mapping Applications Center (MAC), National Mapping Division (NMD), is the eastern regional center for coordinating the production, distribution, and sale of maps and digital products of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It is located in the John Wesley Powell Federal Building in Reston, Va. The MAC's major functions are to (1) establish and manage cooperative mapping programs with State and Federal agencies; (2) perform new research in preparing and applying geospatial information; (3) prepare digital cartographic data, special purpose maps, and standard maps from traditional and classified source materials; (4) maintain the domestic names program of the United States; (5) manage the National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP); (6) coordinate the NMD's publications and outreach programs; and (7) direct the USGS mapprinting operations.
Experience shows that initial estimates of the size of newly discovered oil or gas fields are usually too low. As years pass, successive estimates of the ultimate recovery of fields tend to increase. The term "reserve growth" refers to the typical increases in estimated ultimate recovery that occur as oil or gas fields are developed and produced (Arrington, 1960; Attanasi and Root, 1994). An example for a particular field helps explain the nature of reserve growth. Figure 1 (63k GIF). shows ultimate recovery for a large natural-gas field in Texas as estimated in each year from 1977 through 1991. This gas field was discovered in the mid-1940's. In 1977, its ultimate recovery was estimated to be 2.1 trillion cubic feet of gas (tcfg). One might think that after some 30 years of development and production, the resource potential of a field would be well understood. However, by 1991 the estimated ultimate recovery of this field had increased to 3.1 tcfg. Reserve growth over the 15-year period totaled 1.0 tcfg and shows no signs of stopping.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) publishes land characteristics data on CD-ROM. The following lists the types of products and their contents and specifications. The discs cost $32 each, plus a $5.00 handling fee per order mailed.
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