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At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
USGS1977

Nevada test site craters used for astronaut training

Craters produced by chemical and nuclear explosives at the Nevada Test Site were used to train astronauts before their lunar missions. The craters have characteristics suitable for reconnaissance-type field investigations. The Schooner test produced a crater about 300 m across and excavated more than 72 m of stratigraphic section deposited in a fairly regular fashion so that systematic observations yield systematic results. Other features common on the Moon, such as secondary craters and glass-coated rocks, are present at Schooner crater. Smaller explosive tests on Buckboard Mesa excavated rocks from three horizontal alteration zones within basalt flows so that the original sequence of the zones could be determined. One crater illustrated the characteristics of craters formed across vertical boundaries between rock units. Although the exercises at the Nevada Test Site were only a small part of the training of the astronauts, voice transcripts of Apollo missions 14, 16, and 17 show that the exercises contributed to astronaut performance on the Moon.

Nevada↗
USGS1977

Lower Tertiary biostratigraphy of the northern Santa Lucia Range, California

Lower Tertiary strata in .the northern Santa Lucia Range of California are correlated by means of planktonic and benthonic foraminifers. Benthonic foraminiferal assemblages from eight stratigraphic sections range in age from Ynezian to possible basal Refugian. The Paleocene mudstone contains a Ynezian benthonic foraminiferal assemblage. The Ulatisian benthonic assemblage of the Lucia Mudstone and the Penutian to Ulatisian benthonic assemblages of the Eocene sandstone and rnudstone unit are associated with planktonic foraminifers referable to Zones P 7-P 8 and P 9. The Church Creek Formation is characterized by a Narizian to possibly Refugian benthonic assemblage. Two questionable associations of early Eocene planktonic foraminifers with Narizian benthonic foraminifers occur near Arroyo Seco Creek. No -age-diagnostic foraminifers were found in The Rocks Sandstone. Data from previous studies, along with our data, suggest a Ulatisian to Narizian age for this unit. Paleoenvironments interpreted from foraminiferal assemblages suggest a general shoaling from lower bathyal or deeper water depths in the middle Paleocene and early Eocene to bathyal water depths during the middle Eocene. In addition, the Ulatisian water depths deepen across the Santa Lucia Range from east to west.

California↗
USGS1977

Tertiary and Quaternary deposits at The Palisades, central Alaska

The Palisades of the Yukon River, located near the geographic center of Alaska, has long been an attraction to people traveling along the river. Numerous scientific field parties have viewed or visited the locality and published short accounts of their observations. The river bluffs are as much as 90 meters high and are composed of Tertiary lignite-rich sedimentary rocks and frozen Quaternary sand, silt, and gravel. Resampling and analysis of pollen show that the Tertiary rocks are Miocene rather than Miocene and Pliocene as previously thought. The Miocene flora, possessing a number of conifer and hardwood-tree types, was more varied than the present vegetation and indicates a warmer and wetter climate than at present. The area is frequently referred to as the boneyard because of the common occurrence of large bones of Pleistocene mammals within the frozen silts.

Alaska↗
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

Geology of the gabbroic complex along the northern border of the Josephine Peridotite, Vulcan Peak area, southwestern Oregon

The terrane bordering the alpine-type Josephine Peridotite on the north in the Vulcan Peak area, southwestern Oregon, is composed of intrusive hornblende gabbro (Middle Jurassic) and scattered remnants of clinopyroxene-bearing ultramafic rocks and amphibolite. The amphibolite, which preliminary analyses suggest is of andesitic composition, has undergone regional metamorphism to the amphibolite facies and three episodes of plastic folding. The ultramafic rocks overlie the amphibolite with a possible magmatic sedimentary contact, although the contact is not entirely clear and a fault cannot be ruled out. The ultramafic rocks are partially recrystallized owing to the gabbro intrusion and later partially serpentinized; they have undergone two episodes of plastic folding, the second of which correlates with the third in the amphibolite. The intrusion of the gabbro began as early as the second folding episode in the amphibolite and probably continued at least intermittently throughout the third episode of folding and possibly later. After the high-temperature deformation, the Josephine Peridotite was thrust northward over the gabbroic complex along an east-striking south-dipping thrust fault, after which both of these terranes were thrust westward over the Upper Jurassic Dothan Formation along a major north-striking east-dipping thrust fault. The nature of the ultramaflc rocks, their association with an extensive gabbro terrane, and the proximity of a large alpine-type peridotite suggest that the gabbroic and ultramafic complexes are part of an ophiolite sequence. However, if the ultramaflc rocks are cumulates and were deposited on the amphibolite terrane, then the gabbroic complex is somewhat different from the ideal ophiolite model.

Oregon↗
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

A reconnaissance investigation of a large meromictic lake in southeastern Alaska

Redoubt Lake is one of the largest documented meromictic lakes in North America. The chemocline extends in depth from 80 to 100 m (meters) and the steepest gradient is between 98 and 100 m. The monimolimnion is anoxic, contains hydrogen sulflde, and has a salinity about two-thirds that of seawater. Turnover appears to introduce additional sodium chloride from the chemocline to the mixolimnion, but diffusion is probably the dominant mixing mechanism. Vertical profiles show a dichothermic temperature curve. A minimum temperature of 3°C in the chemocline is unexplained, but higher temperatures in the monimolimnion may be a result of solar radiation. At the lower limit of the chemocline there is a sharp decrease in pH, which could be due to bacterial action. Redoubt Lake is probably a relict fiord. The data presented herein support the hypothesis that the lake was gradually isolated from the sea by uplift. While seawater was entering the lake, it probably mixed with the freshwater in the mixolimnion and therefore the monimolimnion is less saline than seawater. Geologic and geophysical evidence support the speculation that significant amounts of saltwater inflow probably ceased about 650-800 years before the present.

Alaska↗
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

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↗