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At least 595 records · Page 33Linked to original sources
USGS2012

Water quality and landscape processes of four watersheds in eastern Puerto Rico

Humid tropical regions occupy about a quarter of Earth's land surface, yet they contribute a substantially higher fraction of the water, solutes, and sediment discharged to the world's oceans. Nearly half of Earth's population lives in the tropics, and development stresses can potentially harm soil resources, water quality, and water supply and in addition increase landslide and flood hazards. Owing to Puerto Rico's steep topography, low water storage capacity, and dependence on trade-wind precipitation, the island's people, ecosystems, and water supply are vulnerable to extreme weather such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts. Eastern Puerto Rico offers a natural laboratory for separating geologic and land-cover influences from regional- and global-scale influences because of its various bedrock types and the changing land cover surrounding intact, mature forest of the Luquillo Experimental Forest. Accordingly, a multiyear assessment of hydrological and biogeochemical processes was designed to develop an understanding of the effects of these differences on local climate, streamflow, water quality, and ecosystems, and to form the basis for a long-term and event-based program of climate and hydrologic monitoring. Because infrequent, large storms play a major role in this landscape, we focused on high-runoff events, sampling 263 storms, including all major hurricanes from 1991 through 2005. The largest storms have profound geomorphic consequences, such as landslides, debris flows, deep gullying on deforested lands, excavation and suspension of sediment in stream channels, and delivery of a substantial fraction of annual stream sediment load. Large storms sometimes entrain ocean foam and spray causing high concentrations of seasalt-derived constituents in stream waters during the storm. Past deforestation and agricultural activities in the Cayaguás and Canóvanas watersheds accelerated erosion and soil loss, and this material continues to be remobilized during large storms. Nearly 5,000 routine and event samples were analyzed for parameters that allow determination of denudation rates based on suspended and dissolved loads; 860 of these samples were analyzed for a comprehensive suite of chemical constituents. The rivers studied are generally similar in water-quality characteristics, and windward or leeward aspect appears to exert a stronger influence on water quality than geology or land cover. Of samples analyzed for comprehensive chemistry and for sediment, 543 were collected at runoff rates greater than 1 millimeter per hour, 256 at rates exceeding 10 millimeters per hour, and 3 at rates exceeding 90 millimeters per hour. Streams have rarely been sampled during events with such high runoff rates. Rates of physical and chemical weathering are especially high, and physical denudation rates, forested watersheds included, are considerably greater than is expected for a steady-state system. The elevated physical erosion drives an increased particulate organic carbon flux, one that is large, important to the carbon cycle, and sustainable, because soil-carbon regeneration is rapid. The 15-year Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budget dataset, which includes discharge, field parameters, suspended sediment, major cations and anions, and nutrients, is available from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System (http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis). The dataset provides a baseline for characterizing future environmental change and will improve our understanding of the interdependencies of land, water, and biological resources and their responses to changes in climate and land use. Because eastern Puerto Rico resembles many tropical regions in terms of geology and patterns of development, implications from this study are transferable to other tropical regions facing deforestation, rapid land-use change, and climate change.

Professional Paper↗
USGS2006

Coupling chemical weathering with soil production across soil-mantled landscapes

Soil-covered upland landscapes constitute a critical part of the habitable world. Our understanding of how they evolve as a function of different climatic, tectonic and geological regimes is important across a wide range of disciplines and depends, in part, on understanding the links between chemical and physical weathering processes. Extensive previous work has shown that soil production rates decrease with increasing soil column thickness, but chemical weathering rates were not measured. Here we examine a granitic, soil-mantled hillslope at Point Reyes, California, where soil production rates were determined using in situ produced cosmogenic nuclides ( 10 Be and 26 Al), and we quantify the extent as well as the rates of chemical weathering of the saprolite from beneath soil from across the landscape. We collected saprolite samples from the base of soil pits and analysed them for abrasion pH as well as for major and trace elements by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and for clay mineralogy by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Our results show for the first time that chemical weathering rates decrease with increasing soil thickness and account for 13 to 51 per cent of total denudation. We also show that spatial variation in chemical weathering appears to be topographically controlled: weathering rate decreases with slope across the divergent ridge and increases with upslope contributing area in the convergent swale. Furthermore, to determine the best measure for the extent of saprolite weathering, we compared four different chemical weathering indices – the Vogt ratio, the chemical index of alteration (CIA), Parker's index, and the silicon–aluminium ratio – with saprolite pH. Measurements of the CIA were the most closely correlated with saprolite pH, showing that weathering intensity decreases linearly with an increase in saprolite pH from 4·7 to almost 7. Data presented here are among the first to couple directly rates of soil production and chemical weathering with how topography is likely to control weathering at a hillslope scale.

Earth Surface Processes and Landforms↗
USGS1966

Salt-water encroachment in southern Nassau and southeastern Queens Counties, Long Island, New York

Test drilling, extraction of water from cores, electric logging, water sampling, and water-level measurements from 1958 to 1961 provided a suitable basis for a substantial refinement in the definition of the positions, chloride concentrations, and rates of movement of salty water in the intermediate and deep deposits of southern Nassau County and southeastern Queens County. Filter-press, centrifugal, and dilution methods were used to extract water from cores for chloride analysis at the test-drilling sites. Chloride analysis of water extracted by these methods, chloride analyses of water from wells, and the interpretation of electric logs helped to define the chloride content of the salty water. New concepts of environmental-water head and zerovels, developed during the investigation, proved useful for defining hydraulic gradients and ratee of flow in ground water of variable density in a vertical direction and in horizontal and inclined planes, respectively. Hydraulic gradients in and between fresh and salty water were determined from water levels from data at individual and multiple-observation wells. Salty ground water occurs in southern Nassau and southeastern Queens Counties as three wedgelike extensions that project landward in unconsolidated deposits from a main body of salty water that lies seaward of the barrier beaches in Nassau County and of Jamaica Bay in Queens County. Salty water occurs not only in permeable deposits but also in the shallow and deep clay deposits. The highest chloride content of the salty ground water in the main body and the wedges is about 16,000 ppm, which is about 1,000 to 2,000 ppm less than the chloride content of ocean water. The shallow salty water in the Pleistocene and Recent deposits is connected freely with the bays, tidal estuaries, and ocean. The intermediate wedge is found only in the southwestern part of Nassau County in the upper part of the Magothy (?) Formation, in the Jamneco Gravel, and in the overlying clay deposits. It extends from the seaward areas inland about 2 miles into Island Park. The deep wedge extends into southeastern Queens County and southern Nassau County principally in the deeper parts of the Magothy (?) Formation and in the underlying clay member of the Raritan Formation. The leading edge of the deep wedge is at the base of the Magothy (?) Formation. This edge is apparently at the shoreline east of Lido Beach and extends inland about 4 miles to Woodmere and about 7 miles to South Ozone Park. Zones of diffusion as much as 6 miles wide and about 500 feet thick were delineated in the frontal part of the salty-water wedges. These thick and broad zones of diffusion were probably formed during the past 1,000 or more years in heterogeneous unconsolidated deposits by long- and short-term changes in sea level and in fresh-water outflow to the sea and by dispersion caused by the movements of the water and its salt mass. Changes in sea level and fresh-water outflow together produced appreciable advances and recessions of the salt-water front. The chemical compositions of the diffused water in all wedges are modified to some extent by base exchange and other physical and chemical processes and also by diffusion. The intermediate wedge of salty water is moving landward at a rate of less than 20 feet a year in the vicinity of Island Park and, thus, has moved less than 1,000 feet since 1900. The leading edge of the deep wedge has advanced landward at about 300 feet a :ear in Woodmere in southwestern Nassau County and about 160 feet a year at South Ozone Park in southeastern Queens County, principally under the influence of local withdrawals near the toe of the wedge. Between Hewlett and Lido Beach, the deep wedge is moving inland at the rate of about 10 feet a year under the influence of regional withdrawals in inland areas. Regional encroachment of the deep wedge is apparently retarded appreciably by cyclic flow, that is, by the return seaward in the upper

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2003

Modeling hyporheic zone processes

Stream biogeochemistry is influenced by the physical and chemical processes that occur in the surrounding watershed. These processes include the mass loading of solutes from terrestrial and atmospheric sources, the physical transport of solutes within the watershed, and the transformation of solutes due to biogeochemical reactions. Research over the last two decades has identified the hyporheic zone as an important part of the stream system in which these processes occur. The hyporheic zone may be loosely defined as the porous areas of the stream bed and stream bank in which stream water mixes with shallow groundwater. Exchange of water and solutes between the stream proper and the hyporheic zone has many biogeochemical implications, due to differences in the chemical composition of surface and groundwater. For example, surface waters are typically oxidized environments with relatively high dissolved oxygen concentrations. In contrast, reducing conditions are often present in groundwater systems leading to low dissolved oxygen concentrations. Further, microbial oxidation of organic materials in groundwater leads to supersaturated concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide relative to the atmosphere. Differences in surface and groundwater pH and temperature are also common. The hyporheic zone is therefore a mixing zone in which there are gradients in the concentrations of dissolved gasses, the concentrations of oxidized and reduced species, pH, and temperature. These gradients lead to biogeochemical reactions that ultimately affect stream water quality. Due to the complexity of these natural systems, modeling techniques are frequently employed to quantify process dynamics.

Advances in Water Resources↗
USGS2008

Nitrogen fluxes through unsaturated zones in five agricultural settings across the United States

The main physical and chemical controls on nitrogen (N) fluxes between the root zone and the water table were determined for agricultural sites in California, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, and Washington from 2004 to 2005. Sites included irrigated and nonirrigated fields; soil textures ranging from clay to sand; crops including corn, soybeans, almonds, and pasture; and unsaturated zone thicknesses ranging from 1 to 22 m. Chemical analyses of water from lysimeters and shallow wells indicate that advective transport of nitrate is the dominant process affecting the flux of N below the root zone. Vertical profiles of (i) nitrogen species, (ii) stable isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen, and (iii) oxygen, N, and argon in unsaturated zone air and correlations between N and other agricultural chemicals indicate that reactions do not greatly affect N concentrations between the root zone and the capillary fringe. As a result, physical factors, such as N application rate, water inputs, and evapotranspiration, control the differences in concentrations among the sites. Concentrations of N in shallow lysimeters exhibit seasonal variation, whereas concentrations in lysimeters deeper than a few meters are relatively stable. Based on concentration and recharge estimates, fluxes of N through the deep unsaturated zone range from 7 to 99 kg ha −1 yr −1 Vertical fluxes of N in ground water are lower due to spatial and historical changes in N inputs. High N fluxes are associated with coarse sediments and high N application rates.

Journal of Environmental Quality↗
USGS2012

Metal dispersion resulting from mining activities in coastal environments: A pathways approach

Acid rock drainage (ARD) and disposal of tailings that result from mining activities impact coastal areas in many countries. The dispersion of metals from mine sites that are both proximal and distal to the shoreline can be examined using a pathways approach in which physical and chemical processes guide metal transport in the continuum from sources (sulfide minerals) to bioreceptors (marine biota). Large amounts of metals can be physically transported to the coastal environment by intentional or accidental release of sulfide-bearing mine tailings. Oxidation of sulfide minerals results in elevated dissolved metal concentrations in surface waters on land (producing ARD) and in pore waters of submarine tailings. Changes in pH, adsorption by insoluble secondary minerals (e.g., Fe oxyhydroxides), and precipitation of soluble salts (e.g., sulfates) affect dissolved metal fluxes. Evidence for bioaccumulation includes anomalous metal concentrations in bivalves and reef corals, and overlapping Pb isotope ratios for sulfides, shellfish, and seaweed in contaminated environments. Although bioavailability and potential toxicity are, to a large extent, functions of metal speciation, specific uptake pathways, such as adsorption from solution and ingestion of particles, also play important roles. Recent emphasis on broader ecological impacts has led to complementary methodologies involving laboratory toxicity tests and field studies of species richness and diversity.

Oceanography↗
USGS1999

Pesticides in streams in New Jersey and Long Island, New York, and relation to land use

Pesticide compounds were detected in all 50 water samples collected from streams in New Jersey and Long Island, New York, during June 9-18, 1997. Samples were analyzed for 47 compounds, of which 25 were detected. The number of pesticides detected at each site ranged from 1 to 14. The seven most frequently detected pesticides were atrazine (in 93 percent of samples), metolachlor (86 percent), prometon (84 percent), desethyl-atrazine (78 percent), simazine (78 percent), carbaryl (44 percent), and diazinon (44 percent). All pesticide concentrations were within both U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and State maximum contaminant levels (MCL?s) for drinking water and USEPA lifetime health advisory levels (HAL?s). Concentrations of dieldrin and methylazinphos at one or more sites, however, equaled or exceeded a Federal or State water-quality criterion for aquatic life. The pesticides detected in a stream were related to the land-use composition of the basin. Detection frequencies of 14 of the 25 pesticides detected were highest at agricultural sites; acetochlor, azinphos-methyl, carbofuran, and pebulate were detected only at agricultural sites. Seven compounds were detected most frequently at urban sites; trifluralin, dieldrin, napropamide, and benfluralin were detected only at urban sites. Four compounds were detected most frequently at sites draining areas of mixed land use. No pesticides were detected most frequently at sites draining forested areas. The median concentration and the detection frequency of a given pesticide always were highest in samples from sites in the same land-use category.The median concentrations of seven pesticides at the agricultural sites were at least twice as high as the median concentrations at sites in other land-use categories. The median concentrations of the seven compounds detected most frequently at urban sites were equal to or only slightly higher than the median concentrations at sites in other land-use categories. The median total-pesticide concentration was highest at agricultural sites (0.2 mg/L (micrograms per liter)) and lowest at forested sites (0.025 mg/L). Total-pesticide concentrations varied most at agricultural sites and least at forested sites. Total-pesticide concentration and number of pesticides detected at a site increased as the percentage of agricultural land in the basin increased and decreased as the percentage of undeveloped land increased. Only three of the seven most frequently detected compounds?atrazine, metolachlor, and carbaryl?are among the seven most heavily applied pesticides in New Jersey. This is because detection frequencies are the result of physical and chemical properties of the pesticide compounds as well as application rates. Water solubility and soil-adsorption coefficients appear to be the two physical properties of pesticides that most influence their presence in streams.

New Jersey, New York↗
USGS1989

Chemical hydrogeology in natural and contaminated environments

Chemical hydrogeology, including organic and inorganic aspects, has contributed to an increased understanding of groundwater flow systems, geologic processes, and stressed environments. Most of the basic principles of inorganic-chemical hydrogeology were first established by investigations of organic-free, regional-scale systems for which simplifying assumptions could be made. The problems of groundwater contamination are causing a shift of emphasis to microscale systems that are dominated by organic-chemical reactions and that are providing an impetus for the study of naturally occurring and manmade organic material. Along with the decrease in scale, physical and chemical heterogeneity become major controls. Current investigations and those selected from the literature demonstrate that heterogeneity increases in importance as the study site decreases from regional-scale to macroscale to microscale. Increased understanding of regional-scale flow systems is demonstrated by selection of investigations of carbonate and volcanic aquifers to show how applications of present-day concepts and techniques can identify controlling chemical reactions and determine their rates; identify groundwater flow paths and determine flow velocity; and determine aquifer characteristics. The role of chemical hydrogeology in understanding geologic processes of macroscale systems is exemplified by selection of investigations in coastal aquifers. Phenomena associated with the mixing zone generated by encroaching sea water include an increase in heterogeneity of permeability, diagenesis of minerals, and formation of geomorphic features, such as caves, lagoons, and bays. Ore deposits of manganese and uranium, along with a simulation model of ore-forming fluids, demonstrate the influence of heterogeneity and of organic compounds on geochemical reactions associated with genesis of mineral deposits. In microscale environments, importance of heterogeneity and consequences of organic reactions in determining the distribution and concentrations cf. constituents are provided by several studies, including infiltration of sewage effluent and migration of creosote in coastal plain aquifers. These studies show that heterogeneity and the dominance of organically controlled reactions greatly increase the complexity of investigations.Current investigations and those selected from the literature demonstrate that heterogeneity increases in importance as the study site decreases from regional-scale to macroscale to microscale. Increased understanding of regional-scale flow systems is demonstrated by selection of investigations of carbonate and volcanic aquifers to show how application of present-day concepts and techniques can identify controlling chemical reactions and determine their rates; identify groundwater flow paths and determine flow velocity; and determine aquifer characteristics. The role of chemical hydrogeology in understanding geologic processes of macroscale systems is exemplified by selection of investigations in coastal aquifers. Ore deposits of manganese and uranium, along with a simulation model of ore-forming fluids, demonstrate the influence of heterogeneity and of organic compounds on geochemical reactions associated with genesis of mineral deposits. In microscale environments, importance of heterogeneity is illustrated by studies of infiltration of sewage effluent and migration of creosote in coastal plain aquifers.

Journal of Hydrology↗
USGS2025

Quality of groundwater used for domestic supply in the Gilroy-Hollister basin and surrounding areas, California, 2022

More than 2 million Californians rely on groundwater from domestic wells for drinking-water supply. This report summarizes a 2022 California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) water-quality survey of 33 domestic and small-system drinking-water supply wells in the Gilroy-Hollister Valley groundwater basin and the surrounding areas, where more than 20,000 residents are estimated to utilize privately owned domestic wells. The study area includes the Llagas subbasin in the north, the North San Benito subbasin in the south, and the surrounding uplands. The study was focused on groundwater resources used for domestic drinking-water supply, which are mostly drawn from shallower parts of aquifer systems rather than those of groundwater resources used for public drinking-water supply in the same area. This assessment characterized the quality of ambient groundwater in the aquifer before filtration or treatment, rather than the quality of drinking water delivered to the tap. To provide context, the measured concentrations of constituents in groundwater were compared to Federal and California State regulatory and non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. A grid-based method was used to estimate the areal proportions of groundwater resources used for domestic drinking wells that have water-quality constituents present at high concentrations (above the benchmark), moderate concentrations (between one-half of the benchmark and the benchmark for inorganic constituents, or between one-tenth of the benchmark and the benchmark for organic constituents), and low concentrations (less than one-half or one-tenth the benchmark for inorganic and organic constituents, respectively). This method provides statistically representative results at the study-area scale and permits comparisons to other GAMA-PBP study areas. In the study area, inorganic constituents in groundwater were greater than regulatory benchmarks (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] or State of California maximum contaminant levels [MCLs]) for public drinking-water quality in 24 percent of domestic groundwater resources. The inorganic constituents present at concentrations greater than MCLs for drinking water were nitrate (as nitrogen), barium, chromium, and selenium. Total dissolved solids (TDS) or manganese were present at concentrations greater than the secondary maximum contaminant levels (SMCLs) that the State of California uses as aesthetic-based benchmarks in 48 percent of domestic groundwater resources. No volatile organic compounds or pesticide constituents were present at concentrations greater than regulatory benchmarks. Total coliform bacteria and enterococci were detected in 4 percent of domestic groundwater resources. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were detected in 19 percent of domestic groundwater resources, and 10 percent had concentrations greater than recently enacted (April 2024) EPA MCLs. Physical and chemical factors from natural and anthropogenic sources that could affect the groundwater quality were evaluated using results from statistical testing of associations between constituent concentrations and potential explanatory variables. In this study, relevant physical factors include well construction characteristics, groundwater age, site proximity to groundwater recharge or discharge zones, and potential sources of contamination. Relevant chemical factors include the initial chemistry of the recharge water, the mineralogy of the aquifer sediments, and the subsequent shifts in chemistry as biologic and geologic reactions alter groundwater in the subsurface. Nitrate concentrations were correlated to agricultural land use, distance from the boundary of the Gilroy-Hollister Valley groundwater basin, and the proportion of modern (post-1950s) water captured by the well. Denitrification under anoxic redox conditions can mitigate some nitrate derived from fertilizer application. Total dissolved solids primarily were derived from water-rock interactions with soils and aquifer materials in the study area, but there were high concentrations where agricultural practices contributed additional TDS. Mineralogy of aquifer sediments and rocks also affect barium, selenium, boron, and chromium concentrations in the Gilroy-Hollister Valley groundwater basin. PFAS were positively correlated with urban land use and the proportion of modern water captured by the well.

California↗
USGS1989

Streamflow and stream quality in the coal-mining region, Patoka River basin, southwestern Indiana, 1983-85

Streamflow and stream-quality data were collected for surface water in the coal-mining region of the Patoka River basin. Data were collected primarily in Pike County. Data were collected 4 times at 29 surface-water sites during different seasons and conditions of Streamflow. Data were collected August 1983, July 1984, December 1984, and February through March 1985. Six sites were on the Patoka River. Although the percentage of drainage from coal-mined lands increases from the upstream to the downstream sites, the major land use for all sites on the Patoka River is agriculture. Ten sites were on 8 tributaries to the Patoka River (excluding the South Fork Patoka River), 3 sites were on the South Fork Patoka River (the largest tributary to the Patoka River), and 10 sites were on 10 tributaries to the South Fork Patoka River. The major land use for these sites is coal mining. Data obtained at the sites included instantaneous Streamflow, pH, specific conductance, dissolved-oxygen concentration, water temperature and concentrations of alkalinity and hot acidity. Water samples were collected and analyzed to determine the concentrations of dissolved sulfate; dissolved, suspended, and total recoverable iron and manganese; dissolved solids; suspended sediment; and suspended sediment finer than 0.0625-millimeter diameter. Streamflow in the Patoka River has been regulated since 1978 by Patoka Lake. Flow-duration analyses indicate that flow regulation by Patoka Lake generally has increased low streamflows and decreased high streamflows in the Patoka River. When compared to sites on the tributaries, sites on the Patoka River generally had smaller values for specific conductance and concentrations of chemical constituents. Sites on the tributaries to the Patoka River (including the South Fork Patoka and its tributaries) had larger values due to the physical and chemical weathering of coal-mined material in their basins. Generally, for sites on the Patoka River, values of specific conductance and concentrations of dissolved sulfate and dissolved, suspended, and total recoverable manganese increased from the upstream to the downstream sites. For the tributary sites, pH was near neutral at 11 sites (median pH value of 7.3 for all samplings), pH was low at 8 sites (median pH value of 3.7 for all samplings), and pH was variable at 3 sites depending on Streamflow. At sites where pH was near neutral, when compared with sites where pH was low, specific conductance and concentrations of alkalinity, dissolved sulfate, suspended iron, suspended manganese, dissolved solids, and suspended sediment generally were larger, and concentrations of acidity, dissolved iron, total recoverable iron, dissolved manganese, and total manganese generally were smaller. At those sites where pH varied with streamflow, concentrations of chemical constituents also varied. For sites on the Patoka River, loads of dissolved sulfate, total recoverable manganese, and dissolved solids generally increased from the upstream to the downstream sites; loads of total recoverable iron were variable. Generally, there was an inverse relation of streamflow to concentrations of chemical constituents the greater the streamflow, the smaller the concentrations. For sites on the tributaries, there was an inverse relation of streamflow to specific conductance and to concentrations of alkalinity, acidity, dissolved sulfate, and dissolved solids and a direct relation of streamflow to concentrations of dissolved, suspended, and total iron. Data collected from 1965 through 1968 and during May and October 1979 were compared with data collected during the time of the study (1983-85). Few historical data were available, and those that were available were only for selected sites. Data for pH, alkalinity, acidity, and dissolved sulfate indicate minimal or no change in these constituents.

Indiana↗
USGS2017

Challenges in recovering resources from acid mine drainage

Metal recovery from mine waters and effluents is not a new approach but one that has occurred largely opportunistically over the last four millennia. Due to the need for low-cost resources and increasingly stringent environmental conditions, mine waters are being considered in a fresh light with a designed, deliberate approach to resource recovery often as part of a larger water treatment evaluation. Mine water chemistry is highly dependent on many factors including geology, ore deposit composition and mineralogy, mining methods, climate, site hydrology, and others. Mine waters are typically Ca-Mg-SO4±Al±Fe with a broad range in pH and metal content. The main issue in recovering components of these waters having potential economic value, such as base metals or rare earth elements, is the separation of these from more reactive metals such as Fe and Al. Broad categories of methods for separating and extracting substances from acidic mine drainage are chemical and biological. Chemical methods include solution, physicochemical, and electrochemical technologies. Advances in membrane techniques such as reverse osmosis have been substantial and the technique is both physical and chemical. Biological methods may be further divided into microbiological and macrobiological, but only the former is considered here as a recovery method, as the latter is typically used as a passive form of water treatment.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1891

Report of work done in the division of chemistry and physics, mainly during the fiscal year 1889-90

This bulletin, like the bulletins issued in previous years and numbered 9, 27, 42, 55, 60, and 64, contains a partial record of work completed in the chemical and physical laboratories of the Survey Turing one tiscAl year. It represents, however, only a portion of the whole work done, for various investigations, begun during the year 1859—'90, are still unfinished; many analyses are reserved for publication in other reports; and certain of the larger researches, notably the physical studies of Dr. Barns, will appear in independent form as separate bulletins. In the annual reports of the Director of the Survey a tolerably complete summary of the work done in the Division of Chemistry and Physics is always given, and such summaries, taken in connection with these bulletins, convey.a fair idea of the amount of ground actually covered.

Bulletin↗
USGS2024

Zeolites in Eocene basaltic pillow lavas of the Siletz River Volcanics, Central Coast Range, Oregon

Zeolites and associated minerals occur in a tholeiitic basaltic pillow lava sequence that makes up part of the Eocene Siletz River Volcanics in the central Coast Range, Oregon. Regional zoning of zeolite assemblages is not apparent; the zeolites formed in joints, fractures, and interstices, although most occur in central cavities of basalt pillows. The zeolites and associated minerals identified, in general order of paragenetic sequence, are smectite, pyrite, calcite (small spheres), thomsonite, natrolite, analcime, scolecite, mesolite, stilbite, heulandite, apophyllite, chahazite, mordenite, calcite (scalenohedra and twinned rhombohedra), laumontite, and amethystine quartz. Common three-mineral assemblages are: natrolite-analcime-sfilbite, stilbite-heulandite-chabazite, stilbite-apophyllie-chabazite, and natrolite-mesolite-laumontite. Alteration of basaltic glass, which was initially abundant, appears to have been an important factor in formation of the zeolites. Isotopic data suggest that zeolitization occurred during a low-temperature (60 ~ 70°C submarine hydrothermal event, or by reactions of cold (~ 10°C meteoric water with basalt over a long time. The occurrence of different mineral assemblages in cavities of adjacent basalt pillows indicates that these minerals crystallized in dosed systems that were isolated as fractures and joints were sealed by deposition of smectite and early zeolites. Although the total chemical composition of the mineral assemblages in cavities is similar, different mineral species formed because of the sensitivity of zeolite minerals to slight variations in physical and chemical conditions within individual cavities.

Clays and Clay Minerals↗
USGS1950

Progress report: chemical character of surface waters in the Devils Lake Basin, North Dakota

Devils Lake in northeastern North Dakota was at one time the most popular summer resort in the state. With decline in lake level the lake has become a shallow body pf vary saline water, which scenic value and recreational appeal completely destroyed. Under the Missouri River development program, it is proposed to restore the lake level to an altitude of 1,425 feet by diversion of Missouri River water. The chemical character of the water in Devils Lake and in other surface bodies in Devils Lake Basin is determined from the analyses of 95 samples. The physical and chemical properties of lake bed deposits are also shown. Lake water in the basin vary considerable in both concentration and composition, ranging from fresh bicarbonate waters of 300 parts per million dissolved solids to sulfate waters of over 100,000 parts per million of soluble salts. Twenty-four samples indicates the chemical character of water in the Red River of the North and its tributaries. The probable concentration of dissolved solids in water of Devils Lake at altitude 1,425 feet has been estimated as ranging from 3,000 to 7,600 parts per million. Final concentration will largely depend upon the percentage of deposited salts reentering solution and the quality of the inflow water. The possible effects of lake effluents on downstream developments, with particular reference to sanitation and pollution problems, are also discussed in this report.

North Dakota↗
USGS1978

Impacts of vehicles on natural terrain at seven sites in the San Francisco Bay area

The impacts of off-road vehicles on vegetation and soil were investigated at seven representative sites in the San Francisco Bay area. Plant cover of grass and chaparral (with shrubs to 4 m tall) have been stripped by the two- and four-wheel vehicles in use. Impacts on loamy soils include increased surface strength (as much as 275 bars), increased bulk density (averaging 18%) to depths of 90 cm or more, reduction of soil moisture by an average 43% to 30 cm depths, greatly reduced infiltration, extension of the diurnal temperature range by as much as 12??C, and reduction of organic carbon by an average 33% in exposed soils. Very sandy soils respond similarly to vehicular use except that moisture is increased and surface strength of beach sand is decreased. These physical and chemical impacts reduce the land's capability of restoring its vegetative cover, which in turn adversely affects animal populations. Both the loss of plant cover and the physical changes caused by vehicles promote erosion. Measured soil and substrate losses from vehicular use zones range from 7 to 1180 kg/m2. The estimated erosion rate of the Chabot Park site exceeds the rate of erosion considered a serious problem by a factor 30, it exceeds United States Soil Conservation Service tolerance values by a factor of 46, and it exceeds average San Francisco Bay area erosion rates by a factor of 17. The resulting soil losses are effectively permanent. Neither the increased sediment yield nor the increased runoff is accomodated on the sites of use, and both are causing adverse effects to neighboring properties. ?? 1978 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

Environmental Geology↗
USGS1985

GELIFICATION OF WOOD DURING COALIFICATION.

Coalified wood was examined by SEM and CPMAS**1**3C NMR to delineate chemical and physical alterations responsible for gelification. Early coalification selectively degrades cellulosic components, preserving lignin-like components that are eventually transformed to coal. Cellular morphology persists until the chemical composition becomes uniform, at which point the cells coalesce under compaction and gelify.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2011

Strong climate and tectonic control on plagioclase weathering in granitic terrain

Investigations to understand linkages among climate, erosion and weathering are central to quantifying landscape evolution. We approach these linkages through synthesis of regolith data for granitic terrain compiled with respect to climate, geochemistry, and denudation rates for low sloping upland profiles. Focusing on Na as a proxy for plagioclase weathering, we quantified regolith Na depletion, Na mass loss, and the relative partitioning of denudation to physical and chemical contributions. The depth and magnitude of regolith Na depletion increased continuously with increasing water availability, except for locations with mean annual temperature < 5 °C that exhibited little Na depletion, and locations with physical erosion rates < 20 g m − 2 yr − 1 that exhibited deep and complete regolith Na depletion. Surface Na depletion also tended to decrease with increasing physical erosion. Depth-integrated Na mass loss and regolith depth were both three orders of magnitude greater in the fully depleted, low erosion rate sites relative to other locations. These locations exhibited strong erosion-limitation of Na chemical weathering rates based on correlation of Na chemical weathering rate to total Na denudation. Sodium weathering rates in cool locations with positive annual water balance were strongly correlated to total Na denudation and precipitation, and exhibited an average apparent activation energy ( Ea ) of 69 kJ mol − 1 Na. The remaining water-limited locations exhibited kinetic limitation of Na weathering rates with an Ea of 136 kJ mol − 1 Na, roughly equivalent to the sum of laboratory measures of Ea and dissolution reaction enthalpy for albite. Water availability is suggested as the dominant factor limiting rate kinetics in the water-limited systems. Together, these data demonstrate marked transitions and nonlinearity in how climate and tectonics correlate to plagioclase chemical weathering and Na mass loss.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗
USGS2009

Vadose water

Vadose water is subsurface water between the land surface and the saturated zone below the water table. The vadose (or unsaturated) zone includes soil water, which is immediately available to the biosphere. It acts as a controlling agent in the transmission of water and other substances between various components of the earth system: aquifers, land surface, bodies of water, atmosphere, and so on. As an accessible body of material near the earth's surface, the vadose zone is a focus of much human activity, including agriculture, mining, construction, and waste disposal. Thus, it is affected by anthropogenic modifications of its chemical and physical components. Modern hydrology must consider interactions not only among the natural constituents, but also with a wide variety of contaminants, including pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation wastewater, sewage, toxic chemicals, radioactive substances, bacteria, mine wastes, and organic liquids.

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