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At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources

Twenty-First Annual report of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, 1899-1900: Part VII - Texas

Area treated. —The Black and Grand prairies of Texas and southern Indian Territory comprise about 50,000 square miles (see Pl. LXV, in pocket)—an area equal to that of fifty of the quadrangles mapped and described by the United States Geological Survey in its Geologic Atlas of the United States. The accompanying general geologic map (Pl. LXVI, in pocket) is a condensed presentation of the geology usually shown on that number of atlas sheets as published in folio form. Most of these quadrangles have been studied by the writer and his former assistants. Sources of data. —An entirely satisfactory presentation of these results is still impossible by reason of the lack of adequate maps. The topographic maps of the United States Geological Survey, which cover 24 of the 50 units of area, were made in the earlier years of the Survey and with a contour interval insufficient for the expression of the geology. For the remaining portion of the area it was necessary to use as a base the Land Office maps of the State of Texas. The conclusions herein presented, often condensed in a short paragraph, are founded upon a large amount of paleontologic, stratigraphic, and topographic data. The results, so far as they refer to the Black and Grand prairies, are the outcome of studies made by the writer since 1882, sometimes independently, sometimes with the assistance of the United States Geological Survey, and during two years in connection with the Texas Geological Survey. In times past he has been assisted in this work by his former students, C. C. McCulloch, now captain, U. S. A.; Messrs. Wilson T. Davidson and L. T. Dashiel; Mr. Joseph A. Taff, now of the United States Geological Survey; Dr. J. W. Stone, Mr. N. F. Drake, and Mr. G. H. Ragsdale. Inasmuch as the details which these gentlemem worked out were problems of the writer's suggestion, he has incorporated them into this paper, and here acknowledges indebtedness therefor. Upon the writer's retirement from the Texas Survey, Mr. Taff continued the work of mapping the region. He published two reports, which have been freely used and which have been of great assistance in the preparation of this paper. Importance of paleontology. —In addition to the collection of the data which appear in the text and illustrations, much paleontologic research has been necessary in order to classify the formations. Paleontology is the most reliable guide in determining the position of any bed in the geologic series with a view to ascertaining the depth, from any particular portion of the surface, of the underground waters in the Cretaceous regions of Texas. If a few species of fossils, such as can be found in any locality, be sent to one familiar with the sequence of the beds, he can predict within a few feet the depth below the surface of any particular water-bearing stratum in the series. It was a labor of years to disentangle the preexisting confusion concerning the occurrence and succession of these fossils and their bearings upon the determination and definition of the strata. Their further consideration has been left to Mr. T. W. Stanton, who, it is presumed, will make final publication of the descriptions and the scientific results. This is not a final and complete report. Detailed field work is desirable in many localities. Chemical analyses of water and illustrations of typical scenery should be more complete, but these were not obtainable with the means and time at the writer's disposal. When appreciation of geologic investigation shall have been awakened in Texas and the region under discussion shall have been studied more closely by resident students, in the manner now common in other parts of the United States, the data here presented will be largely increased and refined, and the conclusions will doubtless be correspondingly amended and rectified.

Texas↗

Annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet interpolated from historical and newly compiled observation data

The estimation of ice/snow accumulation is of great significance in quantifying the mass balance of ice sheets and variation in water resources. Improving the accuracy and reducing uncertainty has been a challenge for the estimation of annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet. In this study, we kriged and analyzed the spatial pattern of accumulation based on an observation data series including 315 points used in a recent research, plus 101 ice cores and snow pits and newly compiled 23 coastal weather station data. The estimated annual accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet is 31.2 g cm −2 yr −1 , with a standard error of 0.9 g cm −2 yr −1 . The main differences between the improved map developed in this study and the recently published accumulation maps are in the coastal areas, especially southeast and southwest regions. The analysis of accumulations versus elevation reveals the distribution patterns of accumulation over the Greenland ice sheet.

Geografiska Annaler, Series A: Physical Geography↗

Geographical and Topographical Atlas accompanying the report of the Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, made by authority of the Hornorable Secretary of War, under the direction of Brig. and Bvt. Major General A. A. Humphreys, Chief of Engineers

Contains a title, legend, and 11 folio maps in the folio. Contains a topographic (shaded) map of Cordilleran region, limiting meridians 104° and 124°; limiting parallels 29° and 50°. Scale, 60 miles to the inch. Also contains four geologic and four topographic (shaded) maps, on scale of 4 miles to the inch, of the following areas: Sheet I. Longitude, 104° 30'-107° 37'; latitude, 40° 20'-41° 54'. Sheet II. Longitude, 107° 37'-110° 43'; latitude, 40° 16'-41° 50'. Sheet III. Longitude, 110° 43'-113° 50'; latitude, 40° 13'-41° 46'. Sheet IV. Longitude, 113° 50'-116° 56'; latitude, 39° 55'-41° 29'.

Atlas↗

Glacial landforms on German Bank, Scotian Shelf: evidence for Late Wisconsinan ice-sheet dynamics and implications for the formation of De Geer moraines

The extent and behaviour of the southeast margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in Atlantic Canada is of significance in the study of Late Wisconsinan ice sheet-ocean interactions. Multibeam sonar imagery of subglacial, ice-marginal and glaciomarine landforms on German Bank, Scotian Shelf, provides evidence of the pattern of glacial-dynamic events in the eastern Gulf of Maine. Northwest-southeast trending drumlins and megaflutes dominate northern German Bank. On southern German Bank, megaflutes of thin glacial deposits create a distinct northwest-southeast grain. Lobate regional moraines (>10km long) are concave to the northwest, up-ice direction and strike southwest-northeast, normal to the direction of ice flow. Ubiquitous, overlying De Geer moraines (<10 km long) also strike southwest-northeast. The mapped pattern of moraines implies that, shortly after the last maximum glaciation, the tidewater ice sheet began to retreat north from German Bank, forming De Geer moraines at the grounding line with at least one glacial re-advance during the general retreat. The results indicate that the Laurentide Ice Sheet extended onto the continental shelf.

Nova Scotia↗

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Northern Ross Ice Shelf Area, Antarctica: 1962-2004

Changes in the area and volume of polar ice sheets are intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting changes in sea level could severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet would cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m). The potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire Antarctic ice sheet is estimated to be 65 m (Lythe and others, 2001) to 73 m (Williams and Hall, 1993). The mass balance (the net volumetric gain or loss) of the Antarctic ice sheet is highly complex, responding differently to different conditions in each region (Vaughan, 2005). In a review paper, Rignot and Thomas (2002) concluded that the West Antarctic ice sheet is probably becoming thinner overall; although it is thickening in the west, it is thinning in the north. Thomas and others (2004), on the basis of aircraft and satellite laser altimetry surveys, believe the thinning may be accelerating. Joughin and Tulaczyk (2002), on the basis of analysis of ice-flow velocities derived from synthetic aperture radar, concluded that most of the Ross ice streams (ice streams on the east side of the Ross Ice Shelf) have a positive mass balance, whereas Rignot and others (2004) infer even larger negative mass balance for glaciers flowing northward into the Amundsen Sea, a trend suggested by Swithinbank and others (2003a,b; 2004). The mass balance of the East Antarctic ice sheet is thought by Davis and others (2005) to be strongly positive on the basis of the change in satellite altimetry measurements made between 1992 and 2003. Measurement of changes in area and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was given a very high priority in recommendations by the Polar Research Board of the National Research Council (1986), in subsequent recommendations by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) (1989, 1993), and by the National Science Foundation?s (1990) Division of Polar Programs. On the basis of these recommendations, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) decided that the archive of early 1970s Landsat 1, 2, and 3 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images of Antarctica and the subsequent repeat coverage made possible with Landsat and other satellite images provided an excellent means of documenting changes in the coastline of Antarctica (Ferrigno and Gould, 1987). The availability of this information provided the impetus for carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the glaciological features of the coastal regions and changes in ice fronts of Antarctica (Swithinbank, 1988; Williams and Ferrigno, 1988). The project was later modified to include Landsat 4 and 5 MSS and Thematic Mapper (TM) images (and in some areas Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus [ETM+] images), RADARSAT images, and other data where available, in order to compare changes that occurred during a 20- to 25- or 30-year time interval (or longer where data were available, as in the Antarctic Peninsula). The results of the analysis are being used to produce a digital database and a series of USGS Geologic Investigations Series Maps (I?2600) (Williams and others, 1995; Williams and Ferrigno, 1998; Ferrigno and others, 2002) (available online at http://www.glaciers.er.usgs.gov).

IMAP↗

Coastal-Change and Glaciological Map of the Palmer Land Area, Antarctica: 1947-2009

Reduction in the area and volume of the two polar ice sheets is intricately linked to changes in global climate, and the resulting rise in sea level could severely impact the densely populated coastal regions on Earth. Antarctica is Earth's largest reservoir of glacial ice. Melting of the West Antarctic part alone of the Antarctic ice sheet would cause a sea-level rise of approximately 6 meters (m), and the potential sea-level rise after melting of the entire Antarctic ice sheet is estimated to be 65 m (Lythe and others, 2001) to 73 m (Williams and Hall, 1993). The mass balance (the net volumetric gain or loss) of the Antarctic ice sheet is highly complex, responding differently to different climatic and other conditions in each region (Vaughan, 2005). In a review paper, Rignot and Thomas (2002) concluded that the West Antarctic ice sheet is probably becoming thinner overall; although it is known to be thickening in the west, it is thinning in the north. The mass balance of the East Antarctic ice sheet is thought by Davis and others (2005) to be positive on the basis of the change in satellite-altimetry measurements made between 1992 and 2003. Measurement of changes in area and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet was given a very high priority in recommendations by the Polar Research Board of the National Research Council (1986), in subsequent recommendations by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) (1989, 1993), and by the National Science Foundation's (1990) Division of Polar Programs. On the basis of these recommendations, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) decided that the archive of early 1970s Landsat 1, 2, and 3 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) images of Antarctica and the subsequent repeat coverage made possible with Landsat and other satellite images provided an excellent means of documenting changes in the cryospheric coastline of Antarctica (Ferrigno and Gould, 1987). The availability of this information provided the impetus for carrying out a comprehensive analysis of the glaciological features of the coastal regions and changes in ice fronts of Antarctica (Swithinbank, 1988; Williams and Ferrigno, 1988). The project was later modified to include Landsat 4 and 5 MSS and Thematic Mapper (TM) images (and in some areas Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images), RADARSAT images, aerial photography, and other data where available, to compare changes that occurred during a 20- to 25- or 30-year time interval (or longer where data were available, as in the Antarctic Peninsula). The results of the analysis are being used to produce a digital database and a series of USGS Geologic Investigations Series Maps (I-2600) (Williams and others, 1995; Swithinbank and others, 2003a,b, 2004; Ferrigno and others, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and in press; and Williams and Ferrigno, 2005) (available online at http://www.glaciers.er.usgs.gov).

IMAP↗

Greenland ice sheet surface temperature, melt and mass loss: 2000-06

A daily time series of 'clear-sky' surface temperature has been compiled of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) using 1 km resolution moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) land-surface temperature (LST) maps from 2000 to 2006. We also used mass-concentration data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to study mass change in relationship to surface melt from 2003 to 2006. The mean LST of the GIS increased during the study period by ???0.27??Ca-1. The increase was especially notable in the northern half of the ice sheet during the winter months. Melt-season length and timing were also studied in each of the six major drainage basins. Rapid (<15 days) and sustained mass loss below 2000 m elevation was triggered in 2004 and 2005 as recorded by GRACE when surface melt begins. Initiation of large-scale surface melt was followed rapidly by mass loss. This indicates that surface meltwater is flowing rapidly to the base of the ice sheet, causing acceleration of outlet glaciers, thus highlighting the metastability of parts of the GIS and the vulnerability of the ice sheet to air-temperature increases. If air temperatures continue to rise over Greenland, increased surface melt will play a large role in ice-sheet mass loss.

Journal of Glaciology↗

Maps showing generalized structure contours on the tops of the Wasatch and Green River Formations, geologic sections, and contours of thickness of the Green River Formation, southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado

These maps were prepared as part of a hydrologic investigation in the southeastern Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado. (See index map.) Most of the study area of 2,350 square miles is underlain by consolidated rocks of Tertiary age – the Wasatch, Green River, and Uinta Formations. The Green River Formation contains thick beds of oil shale, which are of considerable economic importance as a potential source of petroleum products. Cashion (1967, pl. 1) showed detailed structure contours on the top of the thickest of the oil-shale beds – the Mahogany bed. The generalized structure contours shoe=wn on sheet 1 for the tops of the Wasatch and Green River Formations were prepared to serve as a guide to further data acquisition. Structural high or low areas, which could affect the direction of ground-water movement, would be considered in planning future test wells. The generalized map of the Green River formation (sheet 2) could be an indication of changes in aquifer thickness, and this would also serve as a guide for future test drilling.

Colorado, Utah↗

Geologic map of northwestern Seattle (part of the Seattle North 7.5' x 15' quadrangle), King County, Washington

This map is the first of four new geologic maps covering the city of Seattle that are based on field exposures and an extensive database of subsurface geologic explorations. The landforms and near-surface deposits here record a relatively brief, recent period in the geologic history of the region that was dominated by the last advance of the continental ice sheet that covered the region about 17,000 years ago. Beneath the deposits of this ice sheet is a complex succession of older sediments that extends far below sea level across most of the map area. These older sediments are now exposed where modern erosion and landslides have sliced through the edge of the upland, most notably in coastal bluffs along Puget Sound.

Washington↗

Availability of groundwater data for California, water year 2010

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the groundwater resources of California each water year (October 1-September 30). These data constitute a valuable database for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. This Fact Sheet serves as an index to groundwater data for Water Year 2010. It contains a map of California showing the number of wells (by county) with available water-level or water-quality data for Water Year 2010 (fig. 1) and instructions for obtaining this and other groundwater information contained in the databases of the U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center. From 1985 to 1993, data were published in the annual report "Water Resources Data for California, Volume 5. Ground-Water Data"; prior to 1985, the data were published in U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Papers.

California↗

U.S. Geological Survey STATEMAP Program—Geologic mapping for the public good

As of 2020, STATEMAP has invested more than $150 million in 48 State geological surveys, matched dollar for dollar, to complete geologic mapping projects crucial to the health and security of State natural resources and residents. For more information about STATEMAP and other geologic mapping efforts supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, visit https://ncgmp.usgs.gov .

Fact Sheet↗

Geology of the Santa Monica and San Pedro basins, California continental borderland

In the period 1964 to 1974, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted various seismic reflection and rock-sampling cruises in the continental borderland of southern California. This map report, on two near-shore basins, the Santa Monica and the San Pedro (sheet 1, figs. 1 and 2), is based on data obtained during these surveys. The tracklines in these basins are shown on sheet 1, fig. 3. H. G. Greene, D. S. McCulloch, J. G. Vedder, R. F. Yerkes, and especially G. W. Moore kindly made available all seismic and sample data obtained on their cruises aboard the M/V OIL CITY, R/V POLARIS and R/V G. B. KELEZ during this period. The assistance of Capt. J. M. Cox on several cruises of the R/V KELEZ was particularly noteworthy. Micropaleontological determinations on offshore U.S. Geological Survey samples were made by David Bukry and R. E. Arnal. D. S. Mc-Culloch and J. G. Vedder made many helpful suggestions.

California↗

Stratigraphy, structure, and geomorphology of the central Appalachians across the North Mountain fault zone near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA

This field trip focuses on the geology of the central Appalachian Valley and Ridge province near Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. Recent geologic mapping utilizing 1-m resolution lidar data has revealed new insights into the Paleozoic stratigraphy, structural geology, and Neogene landscape evolution of the region. The detailed mapping reveals the presence of the Big Spring Station Member and multiple thrombolite zones in the Cambrian Conococheague Formation extending as far south as the Briery Branch 7.5 min quadrangle, providing insights into Late Cambrian sea-level fluctuations. Multiple outcrop exposures in the study area of this guidebook confirm recent work in Pennsylvania, USA, showing that the Ordovician Reedsville Shale overlies the Martinsburg Formation and that the two are distinct and mappable as separate formations rather than laterally equivalent units as previously interpreted. Our work extends the Silurian Williamsport Sandstone into Shenandoah County, Virginia, and describes its facies relationships with the Bloomsburg Formation along strike and across the Adams Run anticline. Mapping within the thick Devonian siliciclastic sequence reveals the presence of the Mahantango Formation on the western limb of Supin Lick syncline and illustrates its complex facies relationship with the Millboro Shale. In addition, we highlight new mapping criteria for the Brallier and Foreknobs Formations and demonstrate how the specific changes to the placement of the contact between them addresses previous challenges in their differentiation. We present cosmogenic burial ages of broad alluvial fan sediments in the Shenandoah Valley near Timberville and Briery Branch, Virginia, and erosion rates estimated for the Briery Branch stream basin. Both analyses provide new constraints on the timing of landscape evolution and karst development since the middle Pliocene. This field guide also highlights some significant structural features within the North Mountain fault zone, such as evidence of imbricated thrust sheets cut by cross-strike faults that have been exploited by Eocene igneous intrusions. Map-scale horses of Silurian and Ordovician rocks hold up ridges that are oblique to the regional strike. Deformation internal to one of these horse blocks is shown to be non-coaxial with respect to the main regional northwest directed transport.

Virginia↗

Provenance of Des Moines lobe till records ice-stream catchment evolution during Laurentide deglaciation

Mapping and analysis of deposits of the Des Moines lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, active after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), reveal several texturally and lithologically distinct tills within what had been considered to be a homogeneous deposit. Although the differences between tills are subtle, minor distinctions are predictable and mappable, and till sheets within the area covered by the lobe can be correlated for hundreds of kilometres parallel to ice flow. Lateral till‐sheet contacts are abrupt or overlap in a narrow zone, coincident with a geomorphic discontinuity interpreted to be a shear margin. Till sheets 10 to 20 m thick show mixing in their lower 2 to 3 m. We suggest that: (i) lithologically distinct till sheets correspond to unique ice‐stream source areas; (ii) the sequence of tills deposited by the Des Moines lobe was the result of the evolution and varying dominance of nearby and competing ice streams and their tributaries; and (iii) in at least one instance, more than one ice stream simultaneously contributed to the lobe. Therefore the complex sequence of tills of subtly different provenances, and the unconformities between them record the evolution of an ice‐catchment area during Laurentide Ice Sheet drawdown. Till provenance data suggest that, after till is created in the ice‐stream source area, the subglacial conditions required for transporting till decline and incorporation of new material is limited.

Boreas↗

Map Scales

The proportion chosen for a particular map is its scale. Selecting the appropriate scale depends on the size of the sheet of paper and the accurate placement of features. Ground area, rivers, lakes, roads, distances between features, and so on must be shown proportionately smaller than they really are.

Fact Sheet↗

Recent scientific contributions by the U.S. Geological Survey in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Introduction The San Francisco Bay and Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta Estuary (hereafter, Bay-Delta) is the largest estuary on the West Coast of the United States. The Bay-Delta covers more than 1,600 square miles and drains a watershed of more than 75,000 square miles, which is greater than 40 percent of California. The region surrounding the Bay-Delta is home to about 10 million people, and its habitats (fig. 1) support more than 800 plant and animal species. The waterways of the Bay-Delta are the central hub of California’s extensive freshwater delivery system, supplying water to more than 27 million Californians and 4 million acres of farmland in the Central Valley. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the primary science agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, providing a broad range of Earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to inform natural resource management across the country. This fact sheet focuses on research conducted by the USGS in the Bay-Delta region, mostly within the past 5 years. The fact sheet is organized across five major themes: water flow and water quality, fish and wildlife, wetland restoration, invasive species, and hazards. In each of these areas, the USGS works closely with Federal, State, and local agencies; academia; and non-governmental organizations to provide objective, evidence-based science. The data and knowledge gained from USGS research and monitoring are publicly available and are routinely used by agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Water Resources, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Water Resources Control Board, Delta Stewardship Council, and many additional organizations and stakeholders to inform management of the Bay-Delta region and its resources.

California↗

Geologic map of the Mount Trumbull 30' X 60' quadrangle, Mohave and Coconino Counties, northwestern Arizona

The geologic map of the Mount Trumbull 30' x 60' quadrangle is a cooperative product of the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management that provides geologic map coverage and regional geologic information for visitor services and resource management of Grand Canyon National Park, Lake Mead Recreational Area, and Grand Canyon Parashant National Monument, Arizona. This map is a compilation of previous and new geologic mapping that encompasses the Mount Trumbull 30' x 60' quadrangle of Arizona. This digital database, a compilation of previous and new geologic mapping, contains geologic data used to produce the 100,000-scale Geologic Map of the Mount Trumbull 30' x 60' Quadrangle, Mohave and Coconino Counties, Northwestern Arizona. The geologic features that were mapped as part of this project include: geologic contacts and faults, bedrock and surficial geologic units, structural data, fold axes, karst features, mines, and volcanic features. This map was produced using 1:24,000-scale 1976 infrared aerial photographs followed by extensive field checking. Volcanic rocks were mapped as separate units when identified on aerial photographs as mappable and distinctly separate units associated with one or more pyroclastic cones and flows. Many of the Quaternary alluvial deposits that have similar lithology but different geomorphic characteristics were mapped almost entirely by photogeologic methods. Stratigraphic position and amount of erosional degradation were used to determine relative ages of alluvial deposits having similar lithologies. Each map unit and structure was investigated in detail in the field to ensure accuracy of description. Punch-registered mylar sheets were scanned at the Flagstaff Field Center using an Optronics 5040 raster scanner at a resolution of 50 microns (508 dpi). The scans were output in .rle format, converted to .rlc, and then converted to ARC/INFO grids. A tic file was created in geographic coordinates and projected into the base map projection (Polyconic) using a central meridian of -113.500. The tic file was used to transform the grid into Universal Transverse Mercator projection. The linework was vectorized using gridline. Scanned lines were edited interactively in ArcEdit. Polygons were attributed in ArcEdit and all artifacts and scanning errors visible at 1:100,000 were removed. Point data were digitized onscreen. Due to the discovery of digital and geologic errors on the original files, the ARC/INFO coverages were converted to a personal geodatabase and corrected in ArcMap. The feature classes which define the geologic units, lines and polygons, are topologically related and maintained in the geodatabase by a set of validation rules. The internal database structure and feature attributes were then modified to match other geologic map databases being created for the Grand Canyon region. Faults were edited with the downthrown block, if known, on the 'right side' of the line. The 'right' and 'left' sides of a line are determined from 'starting' at the line's 'from node' and moving to the line's end or 'to node'.

Arizona↗

Geologic map of the Buckner 7.5-Minute quadrangle, Louisa County, Virginia

The Buckner 7.5-minute quadrangle straddles three terrane boundaries in the Piedmont Physiographic Province in central Virginia: the Chopawamsic terrane, the Elk Hill Complex, and the Goochland terrane. In much of the map area, the Elk Hill Complex separates the Chopawamsic and Goochland terranes. Rocks of the Chopawamsic terrane include Ordovician metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks of the Chopawamsic Formation, Ordovician to Silurian granodiorite sheet intrusions, and Paleozoic mafic intrusions. Silurian to Devonian rocks of the Quantico Formation, mostly garnet-mica schist, crop out in the northwesternmost part of the map area, and are in unconformable contact with rocks of the Chopawamsic Formation on the southeastern limb of the Quantico synclinorium. The main map unit in the Elk Hill Complex is Neoproterozoic mica gneiss, which is in pre-metamorphic fault contact with rocks of the Chopawamsic Formation to the west. The main map unit of the Goochland terrane is the Maidens Gneiss. Except for Jurassic diabase dikes, all rocks on the Buckner 7.5-minute quadrangle were metamorphosed to amphibolite facies during the Alleghanian orogeny and preserve multiple compositional and phyllosilicate penetrative foliations. Evidence of amphibolite-facies metamorphism during the Taconic orogeny is preserved in rocks of the Elk Hill Complex. The entire width of the Maidens Gneiss on the Buckner 7.5-minute quadrangle is within the Spotsylvania high-strain zone and amphibolite-facies mylonitic textures are pervasive. Quartz veins and Jurassic diabase dikes crosscut all older rocks of the quadrangle. Multiple levels of terrace deposits are present along and near the major streams of the quadrangle. The lower terrace deposits are likely remnants of former positions of the Little River on the landscape, whereas higher deposits may be remnants of former deposits of the Atlantic Coastal Plain that covered this portion of the Piedmont Province. A linear cluster of aftershocks from the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that occurred near Mineral, Virginia, in 2011 defines the Fredericks Hall fault, which is at depth on the Buckner quadrangle. Most of the aftershocks occurred in the core of the Elk Creek antiform and have no relation to faults mapped at the surface. Several abandoned crushed stone and building stone quarries, as well as a mica prospect, exist in the quadrangle.

Virginia↗