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44 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
USGS2012

Mars global digital dune database: MC-30

The Mars Global Digital Dune Database (MGD 3 ) provides data and describes the methodology used in creating the global database of moderate- to large-size dune fields on Mars. The database is being released in a series of U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Reports. The first report (Hayward and others, 2007) included dune fields from lat 65° N. to 65° S. ( http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1158/ ). The second report (Hayward and others, 2010) included dune fields from lat 60° N. to 90° N. ( http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1170/ ). This report encompasses ~75,000 km 2 of mapped dune fields from lat 60° to 90° S. The dune fields included in this global database were initially located using Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) Infrared (IR) images. In the previous two reports, some dune fields may have been unintentionally excluded for two reasons: (1) incomplete THEMIS IR (daytime) coverage may have caused us to exclude some moderate- to large-size dune fields or (2) resolution of THEMIS IR coverage (100 m/pixel) certainly caused us to exclude smaller dune fields. In this report, mapping is more complete. The Arizona State University THEMIS daytime IR mosaic provided complete IR coverage, and it is unlikely that we missed any large dune fields in the South Pole (SP) region. In addition, the increased availability of higher resolution images resulted in the inclusion of more small (~1 km 2 ) sand dune fields and sand patches. To maintain consistency with the previous releases, we have identified the sand features that would not have been included in earlier releases. While the moderate to large dune fields in MGD 3 are likely to constitute the largest compilation of sediment on the planet, we acknowledge that our database excludes numerous small dune fields and some moderate to large dune fields as well. Please note that the absence of mapped dune fields does not mean that dune fields do not exist and is not intended to imply a lack of saltating sand in other areas. Where availability and quality of THEMIS visible (VIS), Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow angle, Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera, or Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Context Camera and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment images allowed, we classified dunes and included some dune slipface measurements, which were derived from gross dune morphology and represent the approximate prevailing wind direction at the last time of significant dune modification. It was beyond the scope of this report to look at the detail needed to discern subtle dune modification. It was also beyond the scope of this report to measure all slipfaces. We attempted to include enough slipface measurements to represent the general circulation (as implied by gross dune morphology) and to give a sense of the complex nature of aeolian activity on Mars. The absence of slipface measurements in a given direction should not be taken as evidence that winds in that direction did not occur. When a dune field was located within a crater, the azimuth from crater centroid to dune field centroid was calculated, as another possible indicator of wind direction. Output from a general circulation model is also included. In addition to polygons locating dune fields, the database includes ~700 of the THEMIS VIS and MOC images that were used to build the database.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1978

Analyses of rocks and stream sediments of the Superstition Wilderness, Arizona

The geochemical investigation of the Superstition Wilderness, Maricopa, Pinal and Gila Counties, Arizona, consisted of the collection and analyses of 2269 samples. This included 1231 rocks and 1038 stream sediments. All samples were prepared and analyzed on location during two separate field seasons (fall of 1975 and 1976) by mobile laboratories of the U.S. Geological Survey. Sample localities and analytical results are listed in this report. Samples lie within the following U.S.G.S. topographic quadrangles: Goldfield, Mormon Flat Dam, Weavers Needle, Horse Mesa Dam, Iron Mountain, Pinyon Mountain, Haunted Canyon, and Two Bar Mountain. Locations for all samples are in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates, the X coordinate is the northing value, which ranges from 3,693,000 m to 3,720,000 m and the Y coordinate is the casting value, which ranges from 453,500 m to 500,000 m. Because of limitations of the computer program, the initial digit of the northing numbers has been dropped. Data of rocks are listed on Table 1 and stream sediments on Table 2. The analytical and geologic data were entered into a computer storage system (RASS II) by S. K. McDanal and retrievals were handled by T. M. Billings and George VanTrump. Geochemical sampling was carried out during geologic mapping by a U.S. Geological Survey field party consisting of D. W. Peterson, D. L. Gaskill, M. L. Sorenson, and W. E. Yeend, assisted by Kerwin Stark, N. H. Suneson, and G. D. Johnpeer. Analytical support was given by R. N. Babcock and D. G. Murrey.

Arizona↗
USGS1983

Petroleum potential of wilderness lands in the Western United States

In 1982-83, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted an investigation of the oil and gas potential of the designated and proposed Wilderness Lands in the Western United States. The scope of this study was limited to the assessment of conventional recoverable petroleum resources occurring in the designated and proposed Wilderness Lands of the Western United States that are administered under four Federal agencies: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The total area of the study included approximately 74 million acres of Wilderness Lands in these 11 Western States: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The 74 million acres represent 31 percent of the total Federal lands within these 11 Western States. Approximately 49 percent of all the lands in these States are federally owned. The objective of this study was to assemble through various means all the available pertinent information that could be brought together within the USGS and integrate these data into a computer-based digital cartographic data system that was focused upon the single issue of reviewing the known geological and geophysical data to determine the geologic characteristics favorable or unfavorable for the occurrence of petroleum resources in these Wilderness Lands. In a joint effort in the USGS between the Geologic Division (GD) and the National Mapping Division (NMD) all of the mappable information used in this study was prepared and processed by using digital cartographic techniques. These include digitizing the location and boundaries of the Wilderness Lands; acreage calculations; the boundaries of the USGS petroleum provinces; and the geologic and tectonic boundaries within each petroleum province and State. In addition, searches were conducted on well data files which provided the locations and geologic information on over 5,000 wells drilled within or immediately adjacent to the Wilderness Lands. An analysis of all the geologic characteristics favorable or unfavorable for petroleum occurrence in conjunction with the geologic settings for the Wilderness Lands scattered within the framework of the petroleum provinces was performed by a team of geologists on each of the wilderness tracts. The geologic characteristics reviewed for each tract included the presence or absence of the following: adequate source beds and reservoir rocks; adequate trapping mechanisms; favorable thermal and maturation histories; presence of petroleum seeps or adjacent wells with shows or production; and the presence of favorable sedimentary rock sections underlying volcanic terrane or faulted and overthrust areas. A description of the geology and geologic framework is provided for each State along with an explanation of the interpretative geology and evaluation of the petroleum potential within the locale of each of the wilderness tracts. The assessment of the petroleum resources on the Wilderness Lands was completed in two separate stages. In the first stage the geologists evaluated the geological characteristics for the favorability or lack of favorability for the occurrence of oil and natural gas within each wilderness tract and assigned a qualitative rating for each tract's potential for the occurrence of recoverable oil and gas resources. In the second stage in evaluating the petroleum potential for the wilderness tracts, an effort was made to arrive at a quantitative assessment within the framework of the USGS's latest published resource estimates which are made on a province basis. The geologic characteristics evaluated for the favorability of petroleum occurrence within each of the clusters of wilderness tracts were the determining factors for the subjective assessments of the petroleum potential for each wilderness tract occurring within the respective basin or province. The quantitative resource assessments are subjectively determined as to the richness and potential of the wilderness tracts relative to the total petroleum potential for the respective petroleum province within which they occur. The results of the qualitative analysis of the petroleum potential of the Wilderness Lands are tabulated by total acreages for each wilderness tract as classified by its potential rating. These tabulations are made for the Wilderness Lands by petroleum province, by State, and for the total Wilderness Lands in the 11 Western States. A summary is provided of the petroleum potential by acreage for all the Wilderness Lands in the Western United States by State and for the total 11 States. At least 34 percent of the total acreage for Wilderness Lands, or approximately 25 million acres, may have the geologic characteristics necessary for the occurrence of petroleum resources in varying amounts (high, medium, and low potential). An additional 33 percent of the Wilderness Lands may have some limited potential where small sedimentary areas are mixed within igneous and metamorphic terranes, but are more likely to fall in the low to zero potential. Finally, 33 percent of the Wilderness Lands probably have no petroleum potential because they are located in terranes with predominantly igneous and (or) metamorphic rocks that are unfavorable for the occurrence of petroleum. The quantitative petroleum assessments for the Wilderness Lands in the Western United States represent a part of the total estimate of the remaining undiscovered oil and natural gas for the 38 petroleum provinces, as defined by Dolton and others in USGS Circular 860 in 1981, within which the Wilderness Lands occur. The undiscovered recoverable oil for the Wilderness Lands in the Western States is estimated to range from 0.555 to 1.490 billion barrels with a mean estimate of 0.834 billion barrels. The undiscovered recoverable natural gas is estimated to range from 5.536 to 16.639 trillion cubic feet with a mean estimate of 9. 729 trillion cubic feet. Each range corresponds to the 95 and 5 percent probabilities of more than the respective amounts. The estimates reported at the 95 percent and 5 percent probabilities and the mean estimates for oil and gas are summarized for the separate States and the aggregated totals. A series of printed maps, one for each Western State, accompanies this report (Miscellaneous Investigations Series Maps I-1537-I-1547, in press) and shows in color the location and qualitative petroleum potential of the Wilderness Lands studied, with BLM identification of tracts; the boundary locations of all major Federal and Indian lands; the boundaries and identification of the USGS petroleum provinces; and other base information. A pamphlet will accompany each State map describing the geology of the State and the local geology relative to the position of the wilderness tracts and their petroleum potential. These maps were compiled by using traditional cartographic techniques from digitally produced graphics and are published as separate sheets for each State at a scale of 1:1,000,000.

Circular↗
USGS1986

Evapotranspiration estimates using remote-sensing data, Parker and Palo Verde Valleys, Arizona and California

In 1981 the U.S. Geological Survey established an experimental project to assess the possible and practical use of remote sensing data to estimate evapotranspiration as an approximation of consumptive use in the lower Colorado River flood plain. The project area was in Parker Valley, Arizona. The approach selected was to measure the areas covered by each type of vegetation using remote sensing data in various types of analyses and to multiply each area by a predetermined water use rate. Two calibration and six remote sensing methods of classifying crop types were compared for cost, accuracy, consistency, and labor requirements. Included were one method each for field reconnaissance using 1982 data, low altitude (< than 5,000 ft) aerial photography using 1982 data, and visual photointerpretation of Landsat satellite images using 1981 and 1982 data; two methods for medium-altitude (15,000-18,000 ft) aerial photography using 1982 data; and three methods for digital Landsat satellite images using 1981 data. A test of the most promising digital processing method, which used three image dates, was made in part of Palo Verde Valley, California, where 1981 crop data were more complete than in Parker Valley. Of the eight methods studied, the three-date digital processing method was the most consistent and least labor-intensive; visual photointerpretation of Landsat images was the least expensive. Evapotranspiration estimates from crop classifications by all methods differed by a maximum of 6%. Total evapotranspiration calculated from crop data and phreatophyte maps in 1981 ranged from 12% lower in Palo Verde Valley to 17% lower in Parker Valley than consumptive use calculated by water budgets. The difference was greater in Parker Valley because the winter crop data were not included. (Author 's abstract)

Arizona, California↗
USGS1978

Porphyry copper exploration model for northern Sonora, Mexico

The regional tectonic pattern of the porphyry copper province of northern Sonora, Mexico, is similar to, but more complex than, the Colorado mineral belt. Four northeast-trending shear zones, spaced at 30- to 50-kilometer intervals from Hermosillo, Mexico, north to Nogales, Mexico, are interpreted from analysis of lineament data from Landsat-1 images. From comparison with other areas, these zones are believed to have Precambrian ancestry. North-northwest-trending lineaments, which commonly occur along range fronts, are interpreted to be the principal basin and range faults. North-south- and west-northwest-trending lineaments are believed to be related to lesser faults and fractures. Areas of hydrothermal alteration have been mapped on a regional scale by use of digital image-processing techniques. These altered areas occur on the flanks of the northeast-trending shear zones, generally near intersections with north-northwest-trending lineaments. This tectonic framework with associated alteration is similar to patterns in the Colorado Plateau, the porphyry copper province of Arizona, and central Mexico and is supported by relationships found in limited local mapping. The pattern of northeast-trending shear zones and north-northwest-trending faults in northern Sonora closely resembles the tectonic framework of the Colorado mineral belt. The younger sedimentary and volcanic cover, however, has not been eroded in Sonora as it has been in the Colorado mineral belt. This comparison with the Colorado mineral belt suggests that mineral deposits are most likely to be found in altered areas where a northeast-trending shear zone is intersected by north-northwest-trending faults. Seven areas with these characteristics have been defined in Sonora and are being evaluated by means of regional geophysical and geochemical data.

Sonora↗
USGS1989

Evapotranspiration estimates using remote-sensing data, Parker and Palo Verde valleys, Arizona and California

In 1981 the U.S. Geological Survey established an experimental project to assess the possible and practical use of remote-sensing data to estimate evapotranspiration as an approximation of consumptive use of water in the lower Colorado River flood plain. The project area was in Parker Valley, Arizona. The approach selected was to measure the areas covered by each type of vegetation, using remote-sensing data in various types of analyses, and to multiply each area by a predetermined water-use rate. Two calibration and six remote-sensing methods of classifying crop types were compared for cost, accuracy, consistency, and labor requirements. Included were one method each for field reconnaissance using 1982 data, low-altitude (less than 5,000 feet) aerial photography using 1982 data, and visual photointerpretation of Landsat satellite images using 1981 and 1982 data; two methods for medium-altitude (15,000-18,000 feet) aerial photography using 1982 data; and three methods for digital Landsat satellite images using 1981 data. A test of the most promising digital-processing method, which used three image dates, was made in part of Palo Verde Valley, California, where 1981 crop data were more complete than in Parker Valley. Of the eight methods studied, the two-date digital-processing method was the most consistent and least labor intensive for identifying two or three major crops; visual photointerpretation of Landsat images was the least expensive. Evapotranspiration estimates from crop classifications by all methods differed by a maximum of 6 percent. Total evapotranspiration calculated from crop data and phreatophyte maps in 1981 ranged from 11 percent lower in Palo Verde Valley to 17 percent lower in Parker Valley than consumptive use calculated by water budgets. The difference was greater in Parker Valley because the winter crop data were not included.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2008

A Vegetation Database for the Colorado River Ecosystem from Glen Canyon Dam to the Western Boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A vegetation database of the riparian vegetation located within the Colorado River ecosystem (CRE), a subsection of the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and the western boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, was constructed using four-band image mosaics acquired in May 2002. A digital line scanner was flown over the Colorado River corridor in Arizona by ISTAR Americas, using a Leica ADS-40 digital camera to acquire a digital surface model and four-band image mosaics (blue, green, red, and near-infrared) for vegetation mapping. The primary objective of this mapping project was to develop a digital inventory map of vegetation to enable patch- and landscape-scale change detection, and to establish randomized sampling points for ground surveys of terrestrial fauna (principally, but not exclusively, birds). The vegetation base map was constructed through a combination of ground surveys to identify vegetation classes, image processing, and automated supervised classification procedures. Analysis of the imagery and subsequent supervised classification involved multiple steps to evaluate band quality, band ratios, and vegetation texture and density. Identification of vegetation classes involved collection of cover data throughout the river corridor and subsequent analysis using two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN). Vegetation was classified into six vegetation classes, following the National Vegetation Classification Standard, based on cover dominance. This analysis indicated that total area covered by all vegetation within the CRE was 3,346 ha. Considering the six vegetation classes, the sparse shrub (SS) class accounted for the greatest amount of vegetation (627 ha) followed by Pluchea (PLSE) and Tamarix (TARA) at 494 and 366 ha, respectively. The wetland (WTLD) and Prosopis-Acacia (PRGL) classes both had similar areal cover values (227 and 213 ha, respectively). Baccharis-Salix (BAXX) was the least represented at 94 ha. Accuracy assessment of the supervised classification determined that accuracies varied among vegetation classes from 90% to 49%. Causes for low accuracies were similar spectral signatures among vegetation classes. Fuzzy accuracy assessment improved classification accuracies such that Federal mapping standards of 80% accuracies for all classes were met. The scale used to quantify vegetation adequately meets the needs of the stakeholder group. Increasing the scale to meet the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-National Park Service (NPS)National Mapping Program's minimum mapping unit of 0.5 ha is unwarranted because this scale would reduce the resolution of some classes (e.g., seep willow/coyote willow would likely be combined with tamarisk). While this would undoubtedly improve classification accuracies, it would not provide the community-level information about vegetation change that would benefit stakeholders. The identification of vegetation classes should follow NPS mapping approaches to complement the national effort and should incorporate the alternative analysis for community identification that is being incorporated into newer NPS mapping efforts. National Vegetation Classification is followed in this report for association- to formation-level categories. Accuracies could be improved by including more environmental variables such as stage elevation in the classification process and incorporating object-based classification methods. Another approach that may address the heterogeneous species issue and classification is to use spectral mixing analysis to estimate the fractional cover of species within each pixel and better quantify the cover of individual species that compose a cover class. Varying flights to capture vegetation at different times of the year might also help separate some vegetation classes, though the cost may be prohibitive. Lastly, photointerpretation instead of automated mapping could be tried. Photointerpretation would likely not improve accuracies in this case, howev

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Hydrogeologic framework refinement, ground-water flow and storage, water-chemistry analyses, and water-budget components of the Yuma area, southwestern Arizona and southeastern California

The ground-water and surface-water system in the Yuma area in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California is managed intensely to meet water-delivery requirements of customers in the United States, to manage high ground-water levels in the valleys, and to maintain treaty-mandated water-quality and quantity requirements of Mexico. The following components in this report, which were identified to be useful in the development of a ground-water management model, are: (1) refinement of the hydrogeologic framework; (2) updated water-level maps, general ground-water flow patterns, and an estimate of the amount of ground water stored in the mound under Yuma Mesa; (3) review and documentation of the ground-water budget calculated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior (Reclamation); and (4) water-chemistry characterization to identify the spatial distribution of water quality, information on sources and ages of ground water, and information about the productive-interval depths of the aquifer. A refined three-dimensional digital hydrogeologic framework model includes the following hydrogeologic units from bottom to top: (1) the effective hydrologic basement of the basin aquifer, which includes the Pliocene Bouse Formation, Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and pre-Tertiary metamorphic and plutonic rocks; (2) undifferentiated lower units to represent the Pliocene transition zone and wedge zone; (3) coarse-gravel unit; (4) lower, middle, and upper basin fill to represent the upper, fine-grained zone between the top of the coarse-gravel unit and the land surface; and (5) clay A and clay B. Data for the refined model includes digital elevation models, borehole lithology data, geophysical data, and structural data to represent the geometry of the hydrogeologic units. The top surface of the coarse-gravel unit, defined by using borehole and geophysical data, varies similarly to terraces resulting from the down cutting of the Colorado River. Clay A is nearly the same as the previous conceptual hydrogeologic model definition (Olmsted and others, 1973), except for a minor westward extension from the city of Yuma. Clay B is extended to the southerly international boundary and increased in areal extent by about two-thirds of the original extent (Olmsted and others, 1973). The other hydrogeologic units generally are the same as in the previous conceptual hydrogeologic model. Before development, the Colorado and Gila Rivers were the sources of nearly all the ground water in the Yuma area through direct infiltration of water from river channels and annual overbank flooding. After construction of upstream reservoirs and clearing and irrigation of the floodplains, the rivers now act as drains for the ground water. Ground-water levels in most of the Yuma area are higher now than they were in predevelopment time. A general gradient of ground-water flow toward the natural discharge area south of the Yuma area still exists, but many other changes in flow are evident. Ground water in Yuma Valley once flowed away from the Colorado River, but now has a component of flow towards the river and Mexicali Valley. A ground-water mound has formed under Yuma Mesa from long-term surface-water irrigation; about 600,000 to 800,000 acre-ft of water are stored in the mound. Ground-water withdrawals adjacent to the southerly international boundary have resulted in water-level declines in that area. The reviewed and documented water budget includes the following components: (1) recharge in irrigated areas, (2) evapotranspiration by irrigated crops and phreatophytes, (3) ground-water return flow to the Colorado River, and (4) ground-water withdrawals (including those in Mexicali Valley). Recharge components were calculated by subtracting the amount of water used by crops from the amount of water delivered. Evapotranspiration rates were calculated on the basis of established methods, thus were appropriate for input to the ground-water flow model developed by the Bureau of Reclamation (William Greer, hydrologist, Bureau of Reclamation, written commun., 2005). Evapotranspiration by crops and phreatophytes were calculated by using crop coefficient methods and meteorological data. Other methods of calculating evapotranspiration rates by using combinations of satellite imagery and ground-based data could be used for higher spatial and temporal resolution. Ground-water return flow during years of low flow on the Colorado River (1972–82, 1987–92, and 1994–96) averaged 79,000 acre-ft per year. Ground-water withdrawal data for 1970–99 were similar to other estimates made by the U.S. Geological Survey for the Yuma area. New water-chemistry data were collected in 12 wells and 8 canals/drains to characterize spatial patterns in chemical constituents, determine isotopic ages of water, infer possible sources of ground water, and locate the vertical intervals of the aquifer that contribute most water to wells. Depth-dependent samples were collected at one of the wells (YM-10). A large quantity of water-quality data were compiled from Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Geological Survey records and merged into the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System database. New samples were analyzed for major ions, nutrients, stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen, tritium ( 3 H), and carbon-14 ( 14 C) (along with C 13 /C 12 ratios). Light values of oxygen-18 ( 18 O) and deuterium ( 2 H, D) in well 242-2 indicate recharge from the Colorado River. Heavy water samples from wells 242-22, CADC, and Mesa del Sol indicate local recharge sources. Tritium data indicate there is young water in wells in the valleys and near the edge of Yuma Mesa, while older water is found far from the Colorado River. 14 C data indicate that water from wells near the southerly international boundary is at least several thousand years old.

Arizona, California↗