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At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources
USGS2013

Dynamics of land-use change and conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States: environmental and economic implications with linkages to rural community well-being

Rural America has changed dramatically over the last century, from having over half the population living in rural settings to only 20 percent residing in a rural area today, and outmigration of younger populations from rural communities remains a constant issue for local governing officials. A declining tax base and concurrent rising costs for maintenance and repair of aging infrastructure add further challenges to policy decisions. Reduced enrollment has caused school closures or mergers. Farm consolidation and technical advances reduced the demand for local labor. On the positive side, however, record-high commodity prices have amplified farm income to new heights. The increased revenues can lead to farmers spending additional money within the local region, while at the same time increased transportation of products has impacted local infrastructure such as roads and bridges. Such dynamics present challenges for municipal leaders charged with promoting economic development and balanced spending, while at the same time maintaining the way of life and rural character that are so important to area residents. The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States covers much of the Northern Great Plains, including parts of North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and a small part of Montana, and extends across a broad swath of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The region is defined largely by its rural character but has experienced extensive land conversion over the last century, with agricultural areas replacing native prairie habitat. Additional pressures arise from oil and gas development, global markets for agricultural production, and increased demands for biofuel feedstocks. Record-high commodity prices increase pressure on the native prairie as farmers look for new cropland acres. The volatility of commodity prices has raised fears over the intensity of land conversion to row-crop agriculture, the economic health and resiliency of rural communities, and ultimately, population dynamics and outmigration of younger generations. Land-use pressures are increased by the exponential growth of oil and gas production in the region, where some 8,200 wells are now in production within the Williston Basin of North Dakota, accompanied by increased population pressures on housing and municipal services. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)--a cropland retirement program with close to 4.8 million acres enrolled in the PPR--faces uncertainty in upcoming legislative actions, with a large majority of property enrollments scheduled to expire by 2017. The CRP historically has provided improved habitat conditions, reductions of soil damage through erosion and loss of nutrients, and sequestration of millions of tons of atmospheric carbon. In turn, wildlife-related recreation levels have increased in many parts of the PPR, with money spent in local communities. Contemporary resource-management and rural-development planning increasingly emphasize the need for diversification and integration of resource-extractive industries with nonmarket-based recreational and amenity values that tie into quality of life. Ultimately, each community is unique in its environmental, social, economic, and fiscal endowments. One rural-development policy may work better in one community than another. In addition, rural-development issues such as migration, job growth, and taxes are diverse in themselves. The goal of this report is to qualitatively and quantitatively discuss the economic impacts of land-use decisions in rural areas, particularly in the PPR.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2020

Forage and habitat for pollinators in the northern Great Plains—Implications for U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs

Managed and wild pollinators are critical components of agricultural and natural systems. Despite the well-known value of insect pollinators to U.S. agriculture, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758; honey bees) and wild bees currently face numerous stressors that have resulted in declining health. These declines have engendered support for pollinator conservation efforts across all levels of government, private businesses, and nongovernmental organizations. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Geological Survey initiated an interagency agreement to evaluate honey bee forage across multiple States in the northern Great Plains and upper Midwest. The long-term goal of this study was to provide an empirical evaluation of floral resources used by honey bees, and the relative contribution of multiple land covers and USDA conservation programs to bee health and productivity. Our multi-State analysis of land-use change from 2006 to 2016 revealed loss of grassland and increases in corn and soybean area in North and South Dakota, representing a significant loss of bee-friendly land covers in areas that support the highest density of summer bee yards in the entire United States. Our landscape models demonstrate the importance of the Conservation Reserve Program in providing safe locations for beekeepers to keep honey bees during the summer and highlights how land use in the northern Great Plains has a lasting effect on the health of honey bee colonies during almond pollination the subsequent spring. Our multiseason, multi-State genetic analysis of honey bee-collected pollen revealed Melilotus spp., Asteraceae, Trifolium spp., Fabaceae, Sonchus arvensis , Symphyotrichum cordifolium , and Solidago spp. were the top taxa detected; Melilotus spp. represented 42 percent of all detected taxa. Symphyotrichum cordifolium , Solidago spp., and Grindelia spp. were the top native forbs detected in honey bee-collected pollen. We also conducted plant and bee surveys on private lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program. In general, we found significant variability in floral resources and pollinator utilization across USDA programs and practices. On average, greater than 75 percent of honey bee flower observations on private lands enrolled in a USDA conservation program were on non-native forbs, whereas 33 percent of wild bee flower observations were on non-native forbs. Melilotus officinalis and Medicago sativa were the most visited by honey bees, wherease Medicago sativa and Helianthus maximiliani were the most visited by wild bees. Our analysis of nectar dearth periods in June and September for honey bees revealed that although Melilotus officinalis and Medicago sativa were highly visited, less common native forb species such as Ratibida columnifera , Agastache foeniculum , and Gaillardia aristata were preferred species. However, these preferred species were relatively rare on the landscape and are, therefore, unlikely to make up a sizable part of the honey bee diet. In addition to our empirical results, we also showcase how the U.S. Geological Survey Pollinator Library, a decision-support tool for natural resource managers, can be used to design cost-effective seeding mixes for pollinators. Collectively, the results of this research will assist USDA with maximizing the ecological impact and cost-effectiveness of their conservation programs on pollinators in the northern Great Plains.

Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota↗
USGS1978

Summary appraisals of the nation's ground-water resources – Great Lakes region

The Great Lakes Regions, as a whole, has abundant supplies of water. Nearly 805,000 billion cubic feet of water is contained in the Great Lakes. An additional 35,000 billion cubic feet of potable ground water is available from storage in the region. Estimated ground-water discharge to the streams and lakes of the region is 26 billion gallons per day. Despite this abundance of water, the United States part of the Great Lakes basin is faced with many water-related problems, most of which involve water quality and water supply. Other problems concern periods of low flow in streams, preservation of wetlands, detrimental effects of erosion, and flooding. The significance of ground water in these problems is often overlooked. Ground water can be an alternative to surface water as a source of supply, or it can be used conjunctively with surface water to provide flexibility in water-supply management. Ground water supplied approximately 1,800 million gallons per day of the 39,900 million gallons. per day used in the Great Lakes Region in 1970. The ground-water contribution was only 4.5 percent of the water used. Thus, ground water represents a potential source of supply for much of the region. It also can be used, where conditions permit, to maintain lake levels and flow in streams, to dilute poor quality surface water, and to maintain or create wetlands and ponds. In managing water resources, ground water and surface water should be considered parts of a single system. Management includes not only planning and controlling the development but also monitoring the effects of this development. Recent advances in ground-water hydrology have provided methods to resolve some of the development and management questions that formerly slowed the development of ground water. All of the States in the Great Lakes Region have some regulations to control the development or protect the quality of the ground water. These regulations, however, are not as comprehensive as those governing surface water. Future legislation could be designed to encourage the development of ground water and, at the same time, to protect the resource. Efficient development and management of ground-water resources requires a through knowledge of the system. Reports on ground water are available for about 80 percent of tbe Great Lakes Region. Most of these reports, however, are not sufficiently detailed to be useful in comprehensive planning. As ground-water development continues, quantitative groundwater studies, utilizing models as predictive tools, will enable this development to proceed in an efficient manner.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, ↗
USGS1980

On getting involved

The American Ornithologists' Union and its members had an early history of involvement in public affairs and conservation activities. A very active Committee on Bird Protection was among the first of the service committees to be established. In the 1880s it gathered data on the plumage trade and worked for legislation to protect birds, preparing a model law for the protection of nongame birds that was adopted quickly by two states and later by others. As a direct result of action at the 1884 A.O.U. meeting, the forerunner of the present U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was established as a government office. The present National Audubon Society was another outgrowth of the A.O.U.'s early conservation and educational activities. In the 1920s the A.O.U. raised funds to establish a bird sanctuary at Olney, Illinois, in honor of Robert Ridgway.

The Auk↗
USGS2010

Groundwater sampling

Groundwater is protected in most areas as it is a primary source of drinking water. In the United States, 50% of the population relies on groundwater supplies (Reilly et al., 2008). Groundwater sampling in the United States became commonplace in the 20th century as contaminated water resources became apparent and a growing public concern emerged to protect water resources. In response to this concern, the U.S. government mandated a study in which scientists identified six categories of groundwater contaminant sources (OTA, 1984): Category 1-sources designed to discharge substances (e.g., injection well) Category 2-sources designed to store, treat, and/or dispose of substances; discharge through unplanned release (e.g., landfills) Category 3-sources designed to retain substances during transport or trans-mission (e.g., pipelines) Category 4-sources discharging as consequence of other planned activities (e.g., pesticide application) Category 5-sources providing conduit or inducing discharge through altered flow patterns (e.g., construction excavation) Category 6-naturally occurring sources whose discharge is created and/or exacerbated by human activity (e.g., salt water intrusion).

Book chapter↗
USGS2003

Geothermal energy: clean power from the Earth's heat

Societies in the 21st century require enormous amounts of energy to drive the machines of commerce and to sustain the lifestyles that many people have come to expect. Today, most of this energy is derived from oil, natural gas, and coal, supplemented by nuclear power. Local exceptions exist, but oil is by far the most common source of energy worldwide. Oil resources, however, are nonrenewable and concentrated in only a few places around the globe, creating uncertainty in long-term supply for many nations. At the time of the Middle East oil embargo of the 1970s, about a third of the United States oil supply was imported, mostly from that region. An interruption in the flow of this import disrupted nearly every citizen’s daily life, as well as the Nation’s economy. In response, the Federal Government launched substantial programs to accelerate development of means to increasingly harness “alternative energies”—primarily biomass, geothermal, solar, and wind. The new emphasis on simultaneously pursuing development of several sources of energy recognized the timeless wisdom found in the proverb of “not putting all eggs in one basket.” This book helps explain the role that geothermal resources can play in helping promote such diversity and in satisfying our Nation’s vast energy needs as we enter a new millennium. For centuries, people have enjoyed the benefits of geothermal energy available at hot springs, but it is only through technological advances made during the 20th century that we can tap this energy source in the subsurface and use it in a variety of ways, including the generation of electricity. Geothermal resources are simply exploitable concentrations of the Earth’s natural heat (thermal energy). The Earth is a bountiful source of thermal energy, continuously producing heat at depth, primarily by the decay of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes—principally of uranium, thorium, and potassium—that occur in small amounts in all rocks. This heat then rises to and through the Earth’s surface, where it escapes into the atmosphere. The amount of heat that flows annually from the Earth into the atmosphere is enormous—equivalent to ten times the annual energy consumption of the United States and more than that needed to power all nations of the world, if it could be fully harnessed. Even if only 1 percent of the thermal energy contained within the uppermost 10 kilometers of our planet could be tapped, this amount would be 500 times that contained in all oil and gas resources of the world. How might we benefit from this vast amount of thermal energy beneath our feet? Where, by what means, and how much of the Earth’s natural heat can be usefully harnessed? These are especially important questions to contemplate, because global population is expected to soon exceed seven billion and many scientists believe that the world’s fossilfuel resources may be substantially depleted within this century. Faced with such prospects, both the public and private sectors are working toward more fully utilizing the Earth’s abundant thermal energy and other alternative energy resources. A skeptic might question the wisdom of devoting much national effort to geothermal energy development, especially because many experts think that geothermal heat can contribute at most about 10 percent to the Nation’s energy supply using current technologies. However, ongoing advances in exploration and heat-extraction technologies are improving our ability to use the resource and may substantially increase the geothermal contribution to the Nation’s energy supply. In an attempt to help national planners and average citizens alike understand the nature and energy potential of geothermal resources, this book (1) describes the distribution and nature of geothermal energy, (2) reviews the common types of geothermal systems that provide useful energy with current technology, (3) considers potential geothermal resources that might someday be tapped with developing technologies, and (4) summarizes the role of earth-science information in assessing and harnessing geothermal resources wherever they occur worldwide. The predecessor to this book (Tapping the Earth’s Natural Heat, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1125, published in 1994) summarized the situation in the early 1990s. In an effort to support national energy planners, this new circular incorporates more recent advances in geothermal science and technology.

Circular↗
USGS2003

Hydrogeologic factors that influence ground water movement in the desert southwest United States

A project to study ground-water and surface-water interactions in the desert southwestern United States was initiated in 2001 by the Tucson, Arizona office of the Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). One of the goals of the Southwest Ground-water Resources Project was to develop a regional synthesis that includes the use of available digital geologic data, which is growing rapidly due to the increasing use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Included in this report are the digital maps and databases of geologic information that should have a direct impact on the studies of ground-water flow and surface-water interaction. Ground-water flow is governed by many geologic factors or elements including rock and soil permeability, stratigraphy and structural features. These elements directly influence ground-water flow, which is key to understanding the possible inter-connectivity of aquifer systems in desert basins of the southwestern United States. We derive these elements from the evaluation of regional geology and localized studies of hydrogeologic basins. These elements can then be applied to other unstudied areas throughout the desert southwest. This report presents a regional perspective of the geologic elements controlling ground-water systems in the desert southwest that may eventually lead to greater focus on smaller sub-regions and ultimately, to individual ground-water basins.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New ↗
USGS2015

Final project memorandum: sea-level rise modeling handbook: resource guide for resource managers, engineers, and scientists

Coastal wetlands of the Southeastern United States are undergoing retreat and migration from increasing tidal inundation and saltwater intrusion attributed to climate variability and sea-level rise. Much of the literature describing potential sea-level rise projections and modeling predictions are found in peer-reviewed academic journals or government technical reports largely suited to reading by other Ph.D. scientists who are more familiar or engaged in the climate change debate. Various sea-level rise and coastal wetland models have been developed and applied of different designs and scales of spatial and temporal complexity for predicting habitat and environmental change that have not heretofore been synthesized to aid natural resource managers of their utility and limitations. Training sessions were conducted with Federal land managers with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserves as well as state partners and nongovernmental organizations across the northern Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas to educate and to evaluate user needs and understanding of concepts, data, and modeling tools for projecting sea-level rise and its impact on coastal habitats and wildlife. As a result, this handbook was constructed from these training and feedback sessions with coastal managers and biologists of published decision-support tools and simulation models for sea-level rise and climate change assessments. A simplified tabular context was developed listing the various kinds of decision-support tools and ecological models along with criteria to distinguish the source, scale, and quality of information input and geographic data sets, physical and biological constraints and relationships, datum characteristics of water and land elevation components, utility options for setting sea-level rise and climate change scenarios, and ease or difficulty of storing, displaying, or interpreting model output. The handbook is designed to be a primer to understanding sea-level rise and a practical synthesis of the current state of knowledge and modeling tools as a resource guide for DOl land management needs and facilitating Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) research and conservation initiatives.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2012

Frictional properties of saponite-rich gouge from a serpentinite-bearing fault zone along the Gokasho-Arashima Tectonic Line, central Japan

We studied a serpentinite-bearing fault zone in Gokasho-Arashima Tectonic Line, Mie Prefecture, central Japan, characterizing its internal structures, mineral assemblage, permeability, and frictional properties. The fault core situated between the serpentinite breccia and the adjacent sedimentary rocks is characterized by a zone locally altered to saponite. The clayey gouge layer separates fault rocks of serpentinite origin containing talc and tremolite from fault rocks of sedimentary origin containing chlorite but no quartz. The minerals that formed within the fault are the products of metasomatic reaction between the serpentinite and the siliceous rocks. Permeability measurements show that serpentinite breccia and fault gouge have permeability of 10 −14 –10 −17 m 2 and 10 −15 –10 −18 m 2 , respectively, at 5–120 MPa confining pressure. Frictional coefficient of the saponite-rich clayey fault gouge ranged between 0.20 and 0.35 under room-dry condition, but was reduced to 0.06–0.12 when saturated with water. The velocity dependence of friction was strongly positive, mostly ranging between 0.005 and 0.006 in terms of a–b values. The governing friction law is not constrained yet, but we find that the saponite-rich gouge possesses an evolutional behavior in the opposite direction to that suggested by the rate and state friction law, in addition to its direct velocity dependence.

Journal of Structural Geology↗
USGS2014

Some general observations of physiographic and climatic influences on floods

The magnitude of flood‐runoff and the degree to which it concentrates in river‐channels with respect to time is known to vary within wide limits. To a considerable extent these variations relate to the physiographic and edaphlc features of the drainage‐basins as they have been developed by the geologic and climatic history of the particular province in which they are located. Although storms of high intensity occur throughout the United States, the runoff therefrom has been observed to have certain inherent characteristics in wet or humid areas that are different from those in arid or semiarld regions even though the laws governing the flow of water either over ground or in river‐channels are universal in application. Essential features of flood‐behavior in wet or humid areas where stream‐flow is sustained throughout the year and river‐channels and valleys are comparatively well defined and permanent, differ from those in arid or semiarld regions where stream‐flow is very erratic and flashy and the channels are formed largely by occasional intense runoff rather than the slow and orderly development by the continuous occupancy by flowing water. Moreover the flood‐problem in areas where a part of the precipitation occurs as snow differs from that in areas where all the precipitation occurs as rain. Furthermore, in areas where snow does occur there seems to be a wide range in flood‐runoff characteristics depending upon the temperature in and altitude of the particular zone. Some of the different flood‐characteristics as they relate to total runoff and the concentration thereof are described herein and possible reasons therefor are related to conditions which seem to be more or less inherent in particular physiographic and climatic provinces.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS1975

Aluminum resources of Brazil

Large deposits of bauxite, the principal ore of aluminum, occur at several places in Brazil. The largest deposits now undergoing extensive exploration and development are in the eastern Amazon Basin. Most of these deposits are in the State of Para, but some are in Amazonas and Maranhao. Discovery of large-scale resources of bauxite in the Amazon Region is so recent that mining has not begun, but government geologists estimate the total resources in aluminum deposits in the lower Amazon to be in the multibillion ton range. The annual production rate of bauxite ore in Brazil, much of it from Pops de Caldas in Minas Gerais, is about 760,000 metric tons of ore from which about 100,000 tons of aluminum metal is produced, most of which is consumed by Brazilian industry. The Amazon bauxite deposits are on terraces formed on sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age; in Minas Gerais the deposits are formed on Precambrian metasedimentary rock, and at Poos de Caldas on a circular alkalic pluton of Cretaceous age.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2000

Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1997

The eight papers that follow continue the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports on investigations in the geologic sciences in Alaska. The series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. Reports presented in Geologic Studies in Alaska cover a broad spectrum of topics from all parts of the State (fig. 1), which serves to emphasize the diversity of USGS efforts to meet the Nation's needs for earth-science information in Alaska. The papers in this volume are organized under the topics Resources, Geologic Framework, and Environment and Climate. Such an organization is intended to reflect the scope and objectives of USGS programs currently active in Alaska. Resource papers include one that presents detailed observations from a Mississippian Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag occurrence in the Brooks Range (Werdon). Mineralogic, chemical, and isotopic data provide the basis for a proposed relationship between this vein-breccia deposit and the shale-hosted massive sulfide deposit type, which includes the active Red Dog mine in the western Brooks Range. Also included under the topic of Resources is a paper that presents geochemical and isotopic data from the Greens Creek and Woewodski Island volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in southeastern Alaska (Newberry and Brew). The depositional environment and sedimentological setting of Tertiary coal beds in the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys is the focus of a third paper under the topic of Resources (Flores and others). Geologic Framework studies provide background information that is the scientific basis for present and future studies of the environment, mineral and energy resources, paleoclimate, and hazards in Alaska. One paper presents the results of sedimentologic and paleontologic comparisons of lower Paleozoic, deep-water-facies rock units in central Alaska (Dumoulin and others). The authors show which of these units are likely to correlate with one another, suggest likely source regions, and provide a structural restoration of units that have been fragmented by large fault motions. A second framework paper provides a map, rock descriptions, and chemical compositions of volcanic rocks in a newly recognized, geologically young volcanic center in the Aleutian volcanic arc (Hildreth and others). A third paper presents an interesting summary of gravity changes that occurred in south-central Alaska during the great earthquake of 1964 and for the following 25 years (Barnes). Gravity changes correlate with land-elevation changes in some cases, but not in others, which means that different processes are responsible for the gravity changes.

Alaska↗
USGS2000

Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1998

The 14 papers that follows continue the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports on investigations in the geologic sciences in Alaska. The series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. Reports presented in Geologic Studies in Alaska cover a broad spectrum of topics from all parts of the State (fig. 1), which serves to emphasize the diversity of USGS efforts to meet the Nation’s needs for earth-science information in Alaska.

Alaska↗
USGS2001

Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1999

The collection of nine papers that follow continue the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigative reports in Alaska under the broad umbrella of the geologic sciences. The series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. Reports presented in Geologic Studies in Alaska cover a broad spectrum of topics from various parts of the State (fig. 1), serving to emphasize the diversity of USGS efforts to meet the Nation's needs for earth-science information in Alaska. The papers in this volume are organized under the topics: Hazards, Geologic Framework, Environment and Climate, and Resources. This organization is intended to reflect the scope and objectives of USGS geologic programs currently active in Alaska. The two Hazards studies discuss volcano-related topics in the seismically active southcentral Alaska region. The first paper revisits the eruptive events of Redoubt Volcano that occurred more than a decade ago and the subsequent development of the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO). This treatise documents the historic impact of this eruption and briefly summarizes the state of our knowledge of the other Cook Inlet, Alaska Peninsula, and Aleutian Island volcanoes. Finally, it discusses the recent role that AVO has had in seismic station installation and hazard assessment at volcanically active sites throughout the world. The second paper discusses the eruptive history of Snowy Mountain in the upper Alaska Peninsula. Because subsets of its 25-30 lava flows erupted as packages in short episodes, calculation of the volcano's lifetime average volumetric eruption rate is problematic. A portion of the cone was hydrothermally weakened and collapsed in the late Holocene producing a 22-km2 debris avalanche. Geologic Framework studies provide background information that is the scientific basis for present and future earth science investigations. The first paper compares and contrasts the Insular-Intermontane suture zone (IISZ) of southeast Alaska with the Adria-Europe suture zone (AESZ) of Switzerland and Hungary. The study develops the hypothesis that the zones have distinct differences as well as similarities and neither is a simple lithotectonic terrane boundary. The second paper discusses the relation among volcanic, glacial, and tectonic activity in the Cold Bay and False Pass 1 :250,000-scale quadrangles on the Alaska Peninsula. During Pleistocene time, continental-shelf glaciations and two massive volcanic centers were the dominant controls over landscape development. The third paper gives detailed geologic information for Paleozoic rocks within the Taylor Mountains D-1 quadrangle portion of the Holitna Lowland of southwestern Alaska. Because of the excellent preservation of megafossils, these Silurian and Ordovician strata lend themselves to detailed statigraphic investigations. Further, low thermal alteration indices of this area have made them a potential target of petroleum exploration. The final report in this section discusses the development of a new spectral enhancement approach for interpreting Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite images. This technique enhances the use of remote sensing data in identifying geologic units in areas that have been poorly investigated. This study used this technique to better define the distribution of a JMtu (mafic, ultramafic, and sedimentary) unit and a PzZrqs (pelitic and quartzitic schist) unit. Environment and climate studies are the emphasis of two papers. One presents the first radiocarbon-dated postglacial vegetation history of the Kenai Mountains of southcentral Alaska. This reconstruction is the result of the analysis of pollen assemblages and peat from sediments collected in Tern Lake and presents a minimum age for deglaciation of these interior valleys at 9,31 0±200 yr B .P. Current vegetation, however, developed within the past ca. 2,500 years. A second study discusses the cycling of arsenic and cadmium in sub-arctic boreal forest ecosystems typical of interior Alaska and defines the importance of various natural (geogenic) sources. The transport and uptake into vegetation of these elements from soils developed from loess as well as soils developed from the major rock units is presented. The bioaccumulation of cadmium in willow (Salix sp.) and its potential consequence to the health of browsing animals is discussed. Papers related to resource issues comprise the topic of the final report. This paper presents a brief statistical summary of the geochemistry of rock samples collected in the east-central portion of the Eagle 1 :250,000-scale quadrangle. This study helps define the rock unit source of both resource- and environmental-based chemical elements of interest in the Fortymile mining district. Two bibliographies at the end of the volume list reports covering Alaska earth science topics in USGS publications during 1999 and reports about Alaska by USGS authors in non-USGS publications during the same period.

Alaska↗
USGS1906

Report on the operations of the coal-testing plant of the United States Geological Survey at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, Saint Louis, Missouri, 1904: Part I.--Field work, classification of coals, chemical work

The authority for conducting at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition an investigation of the coals and lignites of the United States is contained in the act of Congress providing for the urgent deficiencies in the appropriations for the fiscal year 1905, and approved February 18, 1904, as follows: For analyzing and testing. at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition the coals and lignites of the United States, in order to determine their fuel values mid the most economical method for their utilization for different purposes, under the supervision of the Director of the United States Geological Survey, thirty thousand dollars, to be available until expended: Provided, That all testing machinery and all coals and lignites to be tested shall be contributed without charge to the Government. In the general deficiency bill approved April 27, 1904, an additional appropriation of $30,000 was provided, making the total sum appropriated for this work $60,000. For carrying out the provisions of these acts the Director of the Geological Survey appointed a committee, consisting of Edward W. Parker, Joseph A. Holmes, and Marius R. Campbell, to direct the construction and operation of the plant. It will be observed that under the law authorizing this work all of the testing machinery and all of the coals to be tested had to be furnished to the Government free of charge. Under these conditions it was not possible to equip an ideal testing plant, and the assembling and construction of such equipment as conld be obtained under these provisions entailed some annoying delays in the completion of the plant. In addition to this, the delivery of a considerable quantity of operating and conveying apparatus purchased from the Link Belt Machinery Company, of Chicago, was delayed by a strike in the works of that company. As a result of these combined influences the plant was not put in operation until the 1st of September. Notwithstanding these delays, the committee feels that through the hearty and patriotic cooperation of a large number of manufacturers of apparatus and machinery it was able to collect and install, within a notably short time, a testing plant that was well suited for such pioneer work.

Missouri↗
USGS1957

Ground-water geology of the Bruneau–Grand View area, Owyhee County, Idaho

The Bruneau-Grand View area is part of an artesian basin in northern Owyhee County, Idaho. The area described in this report comprises about 600 square miles, largely of undeveloped public domain, much of which is open, or may be opened, for desert-entry filing. Many irrigation-entry applications to the Federal Government are pending, and information about ground-water geology is needed by local citizens and well drillers, by Federal agencies that have custody of the land, and by local and State agencies that administer water rights. The areal geology and ground-water conditions in the Bruneau-Grand View area seemingly typify several basins in southwestern Idaho, and this study is a step toward definition and analysis of regional problems in ground-water geology and the occurrence and availability of ground water for irrigation or other large-scale uses. Owyhee County is subdivided physiographically into a plateau area, the Owyhee uplift, and the Snake River valley. The Bruneau-Grand View area is largely within the Snake River valley. The climate is arid and irrigation is essential for stable agricultural development. Nearly all usable indigenous surface water in the area is appropriated, including freshet flow in the Bruneau River, which is used for power generation at the C. J. Strike Dam. However, with storage facilities additional land could be irrigated, and some land may be irrigated with Snake River water if suitable reclamation projects are constructed. Sedimentary and igneous rocks exposed in the area range in age from Miocene to Recent. The igneous rocks include silicic and basic intrusive and extrusive bodies, and the sedimentary rocks are compacted stream and lake sediments. The rocks contain economically important artesian aquifers; the principal ones are volcanic rocks in which ground water is imperfectly confined beneath sediments of the Idaho formation, thus forming a leaky artesian system. The altitude of the piezometric surface of the artesian water does not exceed about 2,700 feet above mean sea level. In some areas, where the land surface is below that altitude, the artesian system discharges water through springs and seeps and locally causes waterlogging and development of alkali soil. In chemical quality much of the water is unsuitable for irrigation and domestic use. The water contains a relatively moderate amount of dissolved solids, but the percent sodium and the concentration of fluoride are excessive for some uses. The quality of the water for irrigation ranges from excellent in the southern part of the artesian system to unsuitable in the northern part. All the artesian ground water that was sampled contained excessive amounts of fluoride. There is a substantial supply of undeveloped artesian water in the area, but sustained use of the water for irrigation may not be feasible unless provisions can be made for adequate soil drainage and soil amendment, because of the high percentage of sodium in the water. Detailed hydrologic and geologic study of the area should precede development.

Idaho↗
USGS1980

The role of remote sensing in the Department of Interior

Since its creation in 1849, USDI has faced the challenging mission of being custodian of the Nation's natural resources. USDI is directly responsible for management of 30 % of the United State's land area, including administration of more than 600 million acres of Federal land and 300 million acres of subsurface lands where mineral rights have been retained by the Federal Government.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2020

Vegetation responses to Quaternary volcanic and hydrothermal disturbances in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (USA)

Volcanic and hydrothermal processes produce disturbances by diverse mechanisms and ecological responses are varied. New and published pollen records from the Northern Rocky Mountains and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem document the response of vegetation to three different types of volcanic and hydrothermal disturbances: (1) Pleistocene rhyolite lava flows in the central Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem created infertile landscapes that have shaped vegetation since rhyolite emplacement. Nutrient-poor, well-drained soils that developed on these flows supported low-diversity grassland during late-glacial time and Pinus contorta forests in interglacial periods. (2) Ash layers from eruptions of Pacific Northwest stratovolcanoes are commonly preserved in lake-sediment records in the Northern Rocky Mountains, and associated pollen records show enhancement of steppe vegetation for years to decades. (3) Local hydrothermal explosions have resulted in vegetation changes in hydrothermal areas that indicate tree mortality following deposition of explosion debris, followed by recovery in years. Thus, the type and duration of the vegetation response to volcanic and hydrothermal disturbances are highly contextual and governed by the antecedent plant communities and the magnitude and mechanism of the volcanic or hydrothermal disturbance. Vegetation resilience varied between disturbances, ranging from enduring ecosystem parameter changes to short-lived state changes in resilient plant communities.

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming↗