Coalbed methane in Hungary, workshop and field trips: September 14 - October 1, 2002
No abstract available.
Open-File Report↗
SEARCH · USGS Science
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Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.
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Deep-ocean macrofaunal assemblages on ferromanganese and phosphorite-rich substrates in the Southern California Borderland
Mineral-rich hardgrounds, such as ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts and phosphorites, occur on seamounts and continental margins, gaining attention for their resource potential due to their enrichment in valuable metals in some regions. This study focuses on the Southern California Borderland (SCB), an area characterized by uneven and heterogeneous topography featuring FeMn crusts, phosphorites, basalt, and sedimentary rocks that occur at varying depths and are exposed to a range of oxygen concentrations. Due to its heterogeneity, this region serves as an optimal setting for investigating the relationship between mineral-rich hardgrounds and benthic fauna. This study characterizes the density, diversity, and community composition of macrofauna (>300 μm) on hardgrounds as a function of substrate type and environment (depth and oxygen ranges). Rocks and their macrofauna were sampled quantitatively using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) during expeditions in 2020 and 2021 at depths above, within, and below the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). A total of 3,555 macrofauna individuals were counted and 416 different morphospecies (excluding encrusting bryozoans and hydrozoans) were identified from 82 rocks at depths between 231 and 2,688 m. Average density for SCB macrofauna was 11.08 ± 0.87 ind. 200 cm −2 and mean Shannon-Wiener diversity per rock (H′ [loge] ) was 2.22 ± 0.07. A relationship was found between substrate type and macrofaunal communities. Phosphorite rocks had the highest H′ of the four substrates compared on a per-rock basis. However, when samples were pooled by substrate, FeMn crusts had the highest H′ and rarefaction diversity. Of all the environmental variables examined, water depth explained the largest variance in macrofaunal community composition. Macrofaunal density and diversity values were similar at sites within and outside the OMZ. This study is the first to analyze the macrofaunal communities of mineral-rich hardgrounds in the SCB, which support deep-ocean biodiversity by acting as specialized substrates for macrofaunal communities. Understanding the intricate relationships between macrofaunal assemblages and mineral-rich substrates may inform effects from environmental disruptions associated with deep-seabed mining or climate change. The findings contribute baseline information useful for effective conservation and management of the SCB and will support scientists in monitoring changes in these communities due to environmental disturbance or human impact in the future.
California↗
Geology and water availability of Dallas County, Alabama
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Alabama↗
Inflation and cooling data from pahoehoe sheet flows on Kilauea volcano
No abstract available.
Open-File Report↗
Identifying precursors and tracking pulses of magma ascent in multidisciplinary data during the 2018–2023 phreatomagmatic eruption at Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska
The 2018–2023 phreatomagmatic eruptions at Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska produced abundant long-period (LP) seismicity, harmonic and broadband tremor, and explosion signals over several well-monitored periods of eruption and quiescence. The corresponding dataset provides an excellent opportunity to investigate precursory and syn -eruptive geophysical signals of long-lived phreatomagmatic eruptions using multiparameter observations. We generated explosion and LP event catalogs through novel implementations of the REDPy ( Hotovec-Ellis, 2024 ) repeating event detector in mid-2021 following a network upgrade and the onset of a new phase of the eruption. The hundreds of detected explosions show a high degree of infrasound waveform similarity over more than a year, indicating a repeating source mechanism likely associated with explosive magma-water interaction. The seismic LP catalog shows that events began over a month prior to renewed explosive activity at the beginning of August 2021, and that lower frequency index (FI) LPs were generated in the week prior to the onset of explosions. We applied a recently developed machine learning tool (VOISS-Net, Tan et al., 2024 ) to catalog abundant broadband and harmonic seismic tremor recorded before and during the renewed explosive activity, along with LPs and explosions. The tremor catalogs complement the LP and explosion catalogs by filling out the seismic sequence with the dominant signal types. Together, these catalogs reveal a seismic sequence of renewed unrest that started with several weeks of LP events, followed by LPs with lower FI values and harmonic tremor in the days prior to explosive activity, and finally the onset of discrete explosions and broadband eruption tremor. We interpret this sequence as the ascent of a new pulse of magma that first interacted with the hydrothermal/groundwater system to produce LPs, followed by harmonic tremor, and that ultimately drove explosive magma-water interactions and periods of continuous ash emissions. The 2021 seismic sequence, in combination with long-term records of satellite SO 2 emissions, deformation from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analysis, ash sample analysis, infrasound, and volcano tectonic seismicity, allows us to interpret the entire 9-year period of unrest and eruption that began with an intrusion and earthquake swarm in 2014.
Alaska↗
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at De Soto National Memorial, Florida
Introduction National parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resources Preservation Program-funded project during 2021–23, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Park Service, estimated the probability of inundation at De Soto National Memorial, Florida, and several other parks under various sea-level rise scenarios and contemporary high tide flooding thresholds. The maps produced for this effort can be used to assess potential habitat change and explore how infrastructure and cultural resources within the park may be exposed to future flooding-related hazards.
Florida↗
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Introduction National parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resources Preservation Program-funded project during 2021–23, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Park Service, estimated the probability of inundation at Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, and several other parks under various sea-level rise scenarios and contemporary high tide flooding thresholds. The maps produced for this effort can be used to assess potential habitat change and explore how infrastructure and cultural resources within the park may be exposed to future flooding-related hazards.
Florida↗
Bathymetric contour maps, surface area and capacity tables, and bathymetric change maps for selected water-supply lakes in Missouri, 2022–23
Bathymetric data were collected at 13 water-supply lakes around the periphery of Missouri by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and various local agencies, as part of a multiyear effort to establish or update the surface area and capacity tables for the surveyed lakes. Surveys were carried out during the months of April and May in 2022 and 2023. All but two of the lakes had been surveyed previously by the U.S. Geological Survey, and the recent surveys were compared to the earlier surveys to document the changes in the bathymetric surface and capacity of the lake. Bathymetric data were collected using a high-resolution multibeam mapping system mounted on a boat. Supplemental depth data at three of the lakes were collected in shallow areas with an acoustic Doppler current profiler on a remote-controlled boat. Data points from the various sources were exported at a gridded data resolution appropriate to each lake, either 0.82 foot, 1.64 feet, or 3.28 feet. Data outside the multibeam survey extent and greater than the surveyed water-surface elevation were obtained from data collected using aerial light detection and ranging (lidar) point cloud data. A linear enforcement technique was used to add points to the dataset in areas of sparse data (the upper ends of coves where the water was shallow or aquatic vegetation precluded data acquisition) based on surrounding multibeam and upland data values. The various point datasets were used to produce a three-dimensional triangulated irregular network surface of the lake-bottom elevations for each lake. A surface area and capacity table was produced from the three-dimensional surface for each lake showing surface area and capacity at specified lake water-surface elevations. Various quality-assurance tests were conducted to ensure quality data were collected with the multibeam, including beam angle checks and patch tests. Additional quality-assurance tests were conducted on the gridded bathymetric data from the survey, the bathymetric surface created from the gridded data, and the contours created from the bathymetric survey.
Missouri↗
Description and effects of 1988 drought on ground-water levels, streamflow, and reservoir levels in Indiana
Documentation of the 1988 drought in Indiana was undertaken to aid water-management agencies and planners concerned with periods of below-normal precipitation and their effect on commercial, agricultural, and residential water use. Precipitation, temperature, Palmer Drought Severity Indices, and ground- and surface-water levels from water years 1988 and 1989 were compared to the historical record to evaluate severity, extent, and duration of the 1988 drought in Indiana. Three types of drought-climatological, hydrologic, and agricultural--occurred in most of Indiana during water years 1988 and 1989. The drought began toward the end of calendar year 1987 as annual precipitation decreased to 4.6 inches below the long term mean. By the end of September 1988, statewide precipitation deficits had increased to almost 8 inches below normal. High temperatures during the summer months increased the stress on crops, livestock, and people. Northwest Indiana experienced the second warmest June-August on record. Palmer Drought Severity Indices indicated that a moderate-to-severe drought had occurred in Indiana during most of 1988. Ground-water levels were affected substantially in many areas of the State. Record low-water levels were observed at 12 of the 20 monitoring wells included in this report. A go-day ground-water emergency was declared in parts of northwestern Indiana. Streamflow throughout the State was affected to varying degrees by the drought. Annual mean discharge in some rivers was only slightly less than the mean annual discharge, while others flowed at less than half that value. The effects of low streamflows were felt by many as electric power plants reduced or ceased production and public-water utilities requested conservation measures by their customers. Major reservoirs in the State approached or reached record low levels, causing water supplies as well as recreational activities to be diminished. Most major crops produced in Indiana were affected by the dry conditions. Average yields in 1988 ranged from 50 to 86 percent of 1987 yields.
Indiana↗
The effects of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater on the geological framework and correlation of hydrogeologic units of the lower York-James Peninsula, Virginia
This report documents the highly variable structure, stratigraphy, and buried topography of the outer rim of the Chesapeake Bay impact crater created by its impact and burial. Lithologies of cores are correlated with borehole geophysical logs to characterize the physical properties of the stratigraphic units and their geophysical signatures. The correlation between cores, well cuttings, and borehole geophysical logs is augmented with seismic-reflection data, and these data are compiled into a lithostratigraphic cross section that illustrates the geological framework of the lower York-James Peninsula and immediate surrounding areas.
Virginia↗
Satellite time series analysis to quantify changing climax ciénegas using a state and transition model approach
Ciénegas are rare wetlands in arid landscapes of the North American Southwest, historically providing critical ecological and hydrological functions but increasingly threatened by changing climate and land use pressures. This study quantifies changes in ciénega condition and floodplain dynamics using a state-and-transition model (STM) informed by expert knowledge and remote sensing. Key factors include woody plant encroachment, water availability, and soil aggradation. We mapped 31 ciénegas with high-resolution imagery and analyzed Landsat data (1985–2023) to assess vegetation health and moisture using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII). Results show substantial interannual variability in phenology, water stress, and soil moisture, with regional drying and elevation strongly influencing ciénega resilience. We classified ciénegas into three functional states—healthy, desiccated, and dormant—and mapped their 2023 condition. Trend analyses indicate most ciénegas exhibit greening despite drought, though localized variability underscores the need for site-specific management. None are in a stable climax (reference) state; rather, they transition among states in response to external drivers. Increasing woody plant cover and surface drying, likely linked to declining regional water tables, favor deep-rooted species over wetland grasses—a pattern mirrored in adjacent control plots. Spatially explicit analysis revealed intra-ciénega variability often masked by aggregated data, highlighting the importance of high-resolution monitoring. Seasonal and long-term trends provide context for understanding ciénega dynamics, including degradation and restoration pathways. This study emphasizes the importance of groundwater conservation and demonstrates how remote sensing supports long-term monitoring. The STM framework offers a practical tool for adaptive management to sustain freshwater resources in arid environments.
Arizona, New Mexico↗
Jupyter notebooks for parameter estimation, uncertainty analysis, and optimization with the PEST++
No abstract available.
Groundwater↗
Collision structures of the Prince William terrane and Chugach terrane docking along the Shumagin and Unimak convergent margins, Alaska, USA
Western Alaska’s convergent margins are composed of tectonostratigraphic terranes. On land, terrane assembly is recognized along boundaries or sutures between neighboring geologic elements with distinctly different origins. In marine areas where rock outcrops are covered by sediment, recognizing terrane sutures is problematic. A fault in seismic dip line 5 of the ALEUT project has been interpreted as a terrane suture. It is imaged intermittently down to the 30+-km-deep plate interface. Processing of ALEUT strike line 7 revealed the suture at ~18 km depths extending 300 km along the margin. Upper structures in line 5 are like the structures of adjacent seismic transects where imaging is only 8−10 km deep. They were previously not recognized as the upper reaches of terrane sutures and show structural details obscured at greater depths. The composite data are the basis for a simple tectonic model of terrane docking.
Alaska↗
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at Biscayne National Park, Florida
Introduction National parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resources Preservation Program-funded project during 2021–23, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Park Service, estimated the probability of inundation at Biscayne National Park, Florida, and several other parks under various sea-level rise scenarios and contemporary high tide flooding thresholds. The maps produced for this effort can be used to assess potential habitat change and explore how infrastructure and cultural resources within the park may be exposed to future flooding-related hazards.
Florida↗
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico
Introduction National parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resources Preservation Program-funded project during 2021–23, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Park Service, estimated the probability of inundation at San Juan National Historic Site, Puerto Rico, and several other parks under various sea-level rise scenarios and contemporary high tide flooding thresholds. The maps produced for this effort can be used to assess potential habitat change and explore how infrastructure and cultural resources within the park may be exposed to future flooding-related hazards.
San Juan National Historic Site↗
Recharge rates and aquifer hydraulic characteristics for selected drainage basins in middle and east Tennessee
Quantitative information concerning aquifer hydrologic and hydraulic characteristics is needed to manage the development of ground-water resources. These characteristics are poorly defined for the bedrock aquifers in Middle and East Tennessee where demand for water is increasing. This report presents estimates of recharge rate, storage coefficient, diffusivity, and transmissivity for representative drainage basins in Middle and East Tennessee, as determined from analyses of stream-aquifer interactions. The drainage basins have been grouped according to the underlying major aquifer, then statistical descriptions applied to each group, in order to define area1 distribution of these characteristics. Aquifer recharge rates are estimated for representative low, average, and high flow years for 63 drainage basins using hydrograph analysis techniques. Net annual recharge during average flow years for all basins ranges from 4.1 to 16.8 in/yr (inches per year), with a mean value of 7.3 in. In general, recharge rates are highest for basins underlain by the Blue Ridge aquifer (mean value11.7 in/yr) and lowest for basins underlain by the Central Basin aquifer (mean value 5.6 in/yr). Mean recharge values for the Cumberland Plateau, Highland Rim, and Valley and Ridge aquifers are 6.5, 7.4, and 6.6 in/yr, respectively. Gravity drainage characterizes ground-water flow in most surficial bedrock aquifer in Tennessee. Accordingly, a gravity yield analysis, which compares concurrent water-level and streamflow hydrographs, was used to estimate aquifer storage coefficient for nine study basins. The basin estimates range from 0.002 to 0.140; however, most estimates are within a narrow range of values, from 0.01 to 0.025. Accordingly, storage coefficient is estimated to be 0.01 for all aquifers in Middle and East Tennessee, with the exception of the aquifer in the inner part of the Central Basin, for which storage coefficient is estimated to be 0.002. Estimates of aquifer hydraulic diffusivity are derived from estimates of the streamflow recession index and drainage density for 75 drainage basins; values range from 3,300 to 130,000 ft^2/d (feet squared per day). Basin-specific and site-specific estimates of transmissivity are computed from estimates of hydraulic diffusivity and specific-capacity test data, respectively. Basin-specific, or areal, estimates of transmissivity range from 22 to 1,300 ft^2/d, with a mean of 240 ft^2/d In general, areal transmissivity is highest for basins underlain by the Cumberland Plateau aquifer (mean value 480 ft^2/d) and lowest for basins underlain by the Central Basin aquifer (mean value 79 ft^2/d). Mean transmissivity values for the Highland Rim, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge aquifer are 320,140, and 120 ft^2/d respectively. Site-specific estimates of transmissivity, computed from specific-capacity data from 118 test wells in Middle and East Tennessee range from 2 to 93,000 ft^2/d with a mean of 2,600 ft^2/d Mean transmissivity values for the Cumberland Plateau, Highland Rim, Central Basin, Valley and Ridge, and Blue Ridge aquifers are 2,800,1,200, 7,800, 390, and 65Oft Id, respectively.
Tennessee↗
Connecting flood-related fluvial erosion and deposition with vulnerable downstream road-stream crossings
Fluvial erosion is increasingly responsible for infrastructure and building damages associated with floods as the intensity of extreme rainfalls hit rural and urban rivers in a variety of climate settings across the United States. Extreme floods in 2016 and 2018 caused widespread culvert blockages and road failures, including extensive damage along steep tributaries and ravines in the Marengo River, Wisconsin, watershed during 2016 and 2018. A study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA), Ashland County, and the Northwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NWRPC) investigated the special concern of fluvial erosion hazards (FEHs) associated with gullying, streamside landslides, and the loss of wetland storage in headwaters. In 2019, a pilot study was begun to map and classify ephemeral and perennial streams and wetlands in terms of their sensitivity to FEHs. This study combined data from field-based rapid geomorphic assessments (RGAs) coupled with a stream network-wide geographic information system (GIS) approach for mapping stream segments, referred to as fluvial process zones (FPZ), sensitive to erosion, deposition, and channel change. The GIS approach used nationally available 10-meter (m) resolution topology and an extended stream network to map FPZs based on Strahler stream order, stream power, channel slope, presence of adjacent steep valley sides and headwater flats, and adjacent landform setting. Bankfull channel widths derived from RGA-based hydraulic geometry curves combined with drainage areas, an estimate of bankfull flow, and channel slope were used to calculate specific stream power for the FPZs. Lastly, the FPZs were characterized by their location within three major landform settings that affect erosion potential. The resulting vulnerability maps provided a screening framework to identify FPZs that are sensitive to incision, gullying and mass wasting along steep headwater ephemeral channels, as well as downstream perennial channels that have the potential for valley-side landslides, coarse sediment deposition, and channel change. Lastly, each FPZ was characterized in terms of hydrologic alteration associated with ditching. The vulnerability mapping products and rankings of sensitivity of FPZs will ultimately be used by Ashland County and their collaborators to prioritize natural flood management projects that mitigate FEHs, restore hydrology, and reconnect channels with adjacent wetlands and floodplains.
Wisconsin↗
The 2025 Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model Update: Ground motion model selection and comparison
We evaluate, select, and describe the ground-motion models (GMMs) used in the 2025 update of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI). We identify the most appropriate models that align with GMM selection criteria for use in the PRVI region to improve the accuracy of seismic hazard assessments. The update incorporates globally applicable GMMs suited for the active crustal and subduction earthquakes in the region. We include region-specific adjustments to these GMMs derived from local site response analyses derived from ground motion records. The unadjusted and regionally-corrected GMMs are combined to create a robust model for predicting median ground motion. The model integrates epistemic uncertainty through a median ground motion logic tree that accounts for variations in magnitude and distance. This study compares the GMMs selected for the 2025 PRVI NSHM, including both as-provided and regionally adjusted NGA-West2 and NGA-Subduction models, with those used in the 2003 PRVI NSHM. We evaluate how changes in model selection, weighting, aleatory variability, and epistemic uncertainty influence seismic hazard estimates. Trends with distance, magnitude, and spectral period are analyzed to evaluate how the scaling behavior of the newer GMMs differs from that of earlier models. Relative to the GMMs used in the 2003 NSHM for this region, the 2025 models generally predict lower ground motions. Comparisons with additional GMMs indicate that the adjustments applied for PRVI are consistent with regional-specific modifications developed elsewhere globally. The increase in aleatory variability and epistemic uncertainty in the 2025 update results in a notable increase in hazard levels from these wider uncertainty bounds. These changes can result in as much as a 10%–20% variation in probabilistic ground motion at the 2% in 50 years exceedance level for hazard maps computed across the region for representative site classes and periods.
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands↗