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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

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At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources
USGS1977

Petrology of basalt from the East Pacific Rise near 21 degrees North latitude

Four dredge hauls of fresh tholeiitic basalt lava were recovered from a 3.3-kilometer-wide zone at the axis of the East Pacific Rise. Petrologic and major-element chemical studies indicate that the basalt ranges from moderately fractionated varieties to one sample enriched in iron and titanium. The four samples show no symmetrical compositional zonation across the ridge axis, but the two least fractionated and youngest samples occur on the east side of the ridge axis.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Heat capacities of gibbsite, Al(OH)3, between 13 and 480 K and magnesite, MgCO3, between 13 and 380 K and their standard entropies at 289.15 K, and the heat capacities of Calorimetry Conference benzoic acid between 12 and 316 K

The heat capacities of gibbsite and magnesite were measured between 13 and 380 K by means of an adiabatic calorimeter. The heat capacity of gibbsite was measured continuously between 340 and 480 K by means of a differential scanning calorimeter. Tables of the thermodynamic functions C° P , (H° T –H° O )/T ,– (G° T –H° O )/T , and S° T –S° O are presented for these phases at integral temperatures. S° T –S° O are 68.44±0.14 J/(K•mol) and 65.09±0.13 J/(K•mol) at 298.15 K for gibbsite and magnesite, respectively. The heat capacities of Calorimetry Conference benzoic acid have been remeasured between 12 and 316 K.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Derivation of solute-transport equations for a turbulent natural-channel flow

The continuity equation of water and the convection-diffusion equation for a solute are derived by use of an orthogonal curvilinear (natural) coordinate system, which follows the meandering and irregular pattern of natural channel geometry. The solute is assumed to be neutrally buoyant, conservative, and passive. The three-, two-, and one-dimensional equations derived herein represent one of the most satisfactory descriptions of solute transport by turbulent flow in a natural channel.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Measuring total antimony in geothermal waters by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A flame atomic absorption procedure utilizing an electrodeless discharge lamp is described for determining total solute antimony in silica-rich geothermal waters. Following NaNO 2 oxidation of Sb +3 , SbCl 5 is extracted from 6 N HCl solution by using MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone) ; silica in the organic layer is removed by centrifugation. The analytical detection limit for antimony is about 6 micrograms per liter in the original sample; the coefficient of variation is 4 percent at the 250 μ g/L Sb level. Comparable total antimony levels were found in sample splits which had been either filtered and acidified (to pH less than 1.5) with HNO 3 or left untreated at the time of sample collection.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Streamflow characteristics related to channel geometry in the Missouri River basin

The relation of flood-frequency characteristics and mean annual runoff values to active-channel and depositional-bar geometry are presented for six regions in the Missouri River basin. Equations were derived by regression analyses based on the correlation of flow characteristics with the dimensions of the channel geometry. The flow characteristics also were related to the drainage area and a precipitation parameter for comparison. Data for continuous-record gaging stations were used in the derivation. The standard errors for the equations relating either active-channel or depositional-bar widths to mean annual runoff ranged from 26 to 53 percent. The equations relating either active-channel or depositional-bar widths to the flood-frequency discharges of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 years had standard errors ranging from 29 to 84 percent.

Alberta, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missou↗
USGS1977

Accuracy of channel measurements and the implications in estimating streamflow characteristics

Regional relations between flow characteristics and stream-channel size offer a promising alternative to available methods of estimating flow characteristics for ungauged sites, particularly in semiarid regions. The reliability of such relations and of flow estimates made from them is partly dependent on the user's ability to recognize a suitable reach and the reference levels in that reach. A test was made in northern Wyoming to determine how consistently trained individuals could measure channel size for three different reference levels. Seven participants independently visited 22 sites and measured channel dimensions in sections of their choosing. Assuming that the functional relation between a discharge characteristic ( Q ) and channel width ( W ) is log Q=f(1.5 log W ) and that the average log W from seven measurements is the best estimate of log W at a site, an average standard error for discharge of about 30 percent was attriluted to differences in width measurements alone.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Solution of water-table and anisotropic flow problems by using the strongly implicit procedure

The use of the strongly implicit procedure (SIP) with an additional iteration parameter, β , to scale the residual vector is advantageous to the solution of some ground-waterflow problems. For steady-state water-table problems plagued by excessive elimination of grid blocks during the iteration process, selection of β <1 can be effective in limiting the deletion of blocks to a reasonable number. Also, a linear problem characterized by large anisotropy and layers of contrasting hydraulic conductivity was solved more efficiently with β =1.5. Effective values of β are generally in the range 0< β <2 and are easily determined by trial. Use of a β parameter in the SIP algorithm provides an effective solution technique for a class of ground-water-flow problems that previously was burdened by significant computational difficulty.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Quality of storm-water runoff from a residential area, Broward County, Florida

Rainfall, runoff, and water-quality information were collected in a 19.2-hectare single-family residential area in Broward County, Fla., between April 1974 and September 1975. During this period, 231 rainfall periods were recorded; 106 were large enough to produce runoff, and 30 were sampled for chemical analyses. The fraction of rainfall that runs off is low, usually 5 to 10 percent. Several factors which combine to reduce runoff are the large area of pervious lawns (61 percent), the gentle slope of the area, and the use of grassy swales for routing storm water. Bulk precipitation (rainfall plus dry fallout) quality is good by comparison to that of other metropolitan areas. As a consequence of the low runoff and the low concentrations of the bulk precipitation, loads for this residential area are small. Estimated annual load for chemical oxygen demand was 22.5 kilograms per hectare; total residue, 85.3 kg/ha; total nitrogen, 1.48 kg/ha; and total phosphorus, 0.21 kg/ha.

Florida↗
USGS1977

Routing of stormwater flows through storm drains

Storm-drain flow-routing methods based on kinematic-wave routing and storage-routing methods are compared with the MLSR (multiple-linearization storm-drain routing) method for hypothetical circular pipe problems. The MLSR method, based on a diffusion-wave routing concept, is shown to give very good results without incurring the numerical solution or damping problems of other methods.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Analysis of the recharge potential of storm-water basins on Long Island, New York

Many of the more than 2,200 storm-water basins on Long Island, N.Y., are potential sites for infiltration of large volumes of reclaimed water (highly treated domestic and industrial sewage). By use of a finite-difference method of calculation, changes in basin storage during idealized high-intensity storms were determined for the North Massapequa basin, a typical basin on Long Island. Calculations for a 100- year storm, in which a runoff coefficient of 20 percent was used but in which infiltration rate, storm intensity, storm duration, and return period were varied, indicate that this test basin would not overflow even if the infiltration rate declined from its present 1.5 feet per hour (0.46 meter per hour) to about 0.03 ft/h (0.009 m/h). The large reserve capacity of the test basin and similar basins on Long Island demonstrates the feasibility of using storm-water basins for infiltration of a supplemental water supply (supplemental recharge). If reclaimed water were ponded to a depth of 4 ft (1.2 m) in the test basin and if water application were alternated for equal periods between the test basin and a nearby basin with similar characteristics, the volume of infiltration would be slightly more than two million gallons per day (0.09 cubic meters per second) at an infiltration rate of 1.5 ft/h (0.46 m/h). With supplemental recharge, 60 percent of available storage capacity would be used during a 10-yr storm, and 80 percent would be used during a 100-yr storm, using a runoff coefficient of 20 percent.

New York↗
USGS1977

Hydration dating of volcanism at Newberry Crater, Oregon

Obsidian hydration dating of pumice and obsidian from Newberry Crater, Oreg., shows that the postcaldera activity began about 6700 yr ago and that the latest major eruptive event occurred about 1400 yr B.P. Two of the hydration dates correlate with 14 C-dated pumice eruptions.

Oregon↗
USGS1977

Borehole geophysical investigations in the south Texas uranium district

Contrasts of electrical properties between uranium deposits and their host rocks in South Texas are subtle. In places where deposits are small or deep, conventional geophysical well-logging techniques and hole-to-hole measurements may be the only practical method to detect changes in rock properties associated with the occurrence of uranium ore deposits. Two separate ore-producing areas in South Texas were chosen for studying borehole geophysical techniques applied to uranium-exploration problems. Extensive measurements of physical properties were made on cores and taken from holes where electrical-resistivity, induced-polarization and gamam-ray logs were run. These analyses show that: (1) induced-polarization anomalies are caused by a change in pyrite content and clay-sized material content and (2) resistivity anomalies are associated with a change in clay-sized material content and cementation. In addition to conventional borehole techniques, hole-to-hole induced-polarization and resistivity tests were made in South Texas. These measurements were made by placing a current source down one hole and a receiver cable down an adjacent hole whose separation ranged from 30 to 300 m and hole depths varied from 80 to 270 m. These tests show that hole-to-hole measurements can be used to detect changes in physical properties, associated with uranium ore, that occur between boreholes. Hole-to-hole measurements provide a link between surface measurements and well logs and can minimize the amount of drilling needed to locate an ore deposit. Accordingly, borehole geophysics will become an increasingly important evaluation tool as mineral exploration goes deeper.

Texas↗
USGS1977

Gravitational spreading of steep-sided ridges ("sackung") in Colorado

Large-scale gravitational spreading and fracturing of steep-sided ridges in the mountainous area of Colorado are characterized by horizontal linear fissures, trenches, and uphill-facing scarps on tops and sides of ridges. A pronounced north-trending cleft and several minor scarps have split a ridge extending northward from Dolores Peak in the San Miguel Mountains of southwestern Colorado. This ridge is capped by granogabbro of a Tertiary laccolith that intruded the Cretaceous Mancos Shale. Numerous active landslides in shale mantle the once glaciated lower slopes. Trenches in the granogabbro probably originated after glacial ice melted, leaving steep sides of the ridge unsupported. The soft Mancos shale moved outward toward the direction of least stress, placing the overlying granogabbro under tension. A ridge that extends southwest from Bald Eagle Mountain, north of Mount Massive in central Colorado, is marked by a graben on the top and several trenches on the northwest side, parallel to the long axis of the ridge. Rock exposed in graben and trenches is the Precambrian St. Kevin Granite, which includes some schist and migmatite. Gravitational movement probably took place after steepening of the valley sides by glacial erosion and melting of the glaciers. Movement followed preexisting discontinuities in the rock. A survey course approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long has been placed across .the fractured ridge. It will be monitored periodically to determine whether movement is continuing, and if so, at what rate.

Colorado↗
USGS1977

Depositional environments as a guide to uranium mineralization in the Chinle Formation, San Rafael Swell, Utah

Uranium deposits in the San Rafael Swell are related to sedimentary depositional environments in the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation. The sedimentary textures resulting from depositional processes operating in low-energy environments appear to have influenced uranium mineralization. The Ohinle consists of three fining-upward, fluvial-lacustrine sequences. Uranium minerals are concentrated in the lower part of the lowest sequence in areas where sediments of low-energy environments are complexly interbedded with sediments of other environments. Areas favorable for uranium exploration exist in the subsurface to the north, west, and south of the Chinle outcrop in the Swell. This determination is based on the spatial distribution of depositional environments and the pattern of Chinle deposition through time.

Utah↗
USGS1977

Distribution of some biostratigraphically diagnostic ostracodes in the Pliocene and lower Pleistocene of Virginia and northern North Carolina

Ostracodes are abundant and diverse in Pliocene and lower Pleistocene deposits of Virginia and North Carolina. Many readily identified species are short ranging or have well-defined beginning and (or) end points to their stratigraphic range. These microscopic crustaceans, therefore, are very useful in zonation and correlation in the region. In this paper, 54 particularly useful species are illustrated, and their ranges are indicated graphically. The range zones, concurrent range zones, and local range zones of these forms allow the recognition of the chronozones of previously proposed ostracode assemblage zones in Virginia and North Carolina as well as in other regions.

North Carolina, Virginia↗
USGS1977

A new method for determining the solubility of salts in aqueous solutions at elevated temperatures

A new method for measuring the solubility of simple salts in water at elevated temperatures involves heating assemblages of salt crystals plus solution vapor at a constant rate in a platinum-lined bomb. The dissolution of the last salt crystal is evidenced by a distinct discontinuity in the pressure-temperature curve. Studies of the solubilities of NaCl and of KC1 in water yielded equations expressing the solubility as functions of temperature, t in °C, at the vapor pressure of the solutions as follows: weight percent NaCl=26.218+0.0072 t +0.000106 t 2 ±0.05 weight percent NaCl weight percent KCl=27.839+0.0794 t +0.000027 t 2 ±0.10 weight percent KCl The NaCl and KC1 data were measured over the temperature range 148° to 425°C and 148° to 371°C, respectively. However, the equation for NaCl appears to be valid over the range 0° to 800°C, and the KC1 equation appears valid over the range 100° to 450°C.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1977

Determination of 22 minor and trace elements in 8 new USGS standard rocks by instrumental activation analysis with epithermal neutrons

Epithermal neutron-activation analyses results of the 8 new USGS standard rocks are compared with results by spectrographic, X-ray fluorimetric, atomic absorption, radiochemical neutron-activation, instrumental neutron-activation (thermal neutrons), isotope-dilution mass spectrometric, spectrofluorimetric, radioisotopic dilution and delayed-neutron techniques for 22 elements. Results indicate the technique to be useful and dependable especially for Ni, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ba, Tm, Ta, Th and U.

Journal of Research of the U.S. Geological Survey↗
USGS1998

Analysis of simulated advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection (ASTER) radiometer data of the Iron Hill, Colorado, study area for mapping lithologies

The advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection (ASTER) radiometer was designed to record reflected energy in nine channels with 15 or 30 m resolution, including stereoscopic images, and emitted energy in five channels with 90 m resolution from the NASA Earth Observing System AMI platform. A simulated ASTER data set was produced for the Iron Hill, Colorado, study area by resampling calibrated, registered airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) data, and thermal infrared multispectral scanner (TIMS) data to the appropriate spatial and spectral parameters. A digital elevation model was obtained to simulate ASTER-derived topographic data. The main lithologic units in the area are granitic rocks and felsite into which a carbonatite stock and associated alkalic igneous rocks were intruded; these rocks are locally covered by Jurassic sandstone, Tertiary rhyolitic tuff, and colluvial deposits. Several methods were evaluated for mapping the main lithologic units, including the unsupervised classification and spectral curve-matching techniques. In the five thermalinfrared (TIR) channels, comparison of the results of linear spectral unmixing and unsupervised classification with published geologic maps showed that the main lithologic units were mapped, but large areas with moderate to dense tree cover were not mapped in the TIR data. Compared to TIMS data, simulated ASTER data permitted slightly less discrimination in the mafic alkalic rock series, and carbonatite was not mapped in the TIMS nor in the simulated ASTER TIR data. In the nine visible and near-infrared channels, unsupervised classification did not yield useful results, but both the spectral linear unmixing and the matched filter techniques produced useful results, including mapping calcitic and dolomitic carbonatite exposures, travertine in hot spring deposits, kaolinite in argillized sandstone and tuff, and muscovite in sericitized granite and felsite, as well as commonly occurring illite/muscovite. However, the distinction made in AVIRIS data between calcite and dolomite was not consistently feasible in the simulated ASTER data. Comparison of the lithologie information produced by spectral analysis of the simulated ASTER data to a photogeologic interpretation of a simulated ASTER color image illustrates the high potential of spectral analysis of ASTER data to geologic interpretation.

Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres↗