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At least 685 records · Page 38Linked to original sources
USGS1915

Guidebook of the western United States: Part A - The northern Pacific route, with a side trip to Yellowstone Park

The United States of America comprise an area so vast in extent and so diverse in natural features as well as in characters due to human agency that the American citizen who knows thoroughly his own country must have traveled widely and observed wisely. To 'know America first' is a patriotic obligation, but to meet this obligation the railroad traveler needs to have his eyes directed toward the more important or essential things within his field of vision and then to have much that he sees explained by what is unseen in the swift passage of the train. Indeed, many things that attract his attention are inexplicable except as the story of the past is available to enable him to interpret the present. Herein lie the value and the charm of history, whether human or geologic. The present stimulus given to travel in the home country will encourage many thousands of Americans to study geography at first hand. To make this study most profitable the traveler needs a handbook that will answer the questions that come to his mind so readily along the way. Furthermore, the aim of such a guide should be to stimulate the eye in the selection of the essentials in the scene that so rapidly unfolds itself in the crossing of the continent. In recognition of the opportunity afforded in 1915 to render service of this kind to an unusually large number of American citizens, as well as to visitors from other countries, the United States Geological Survey has prepared a series of guidebooks covering four of the older railroad routes west of the Mississippi. These books are educational in purpose, but the method adopted is to entertain the traveler by making more interesting what he sees from the car window. The plan of the series is to present authoritative information that may enable the reader to realize adequately the scenic and material resources of the region he is traversing, to comprehend correctly the basis of its development, and above all to appreciate keenly the real value of the country he looks out upon, not as so many square miles of territory represented on the map in a railroad folder by meaningless spaces, but rather as land - real estate, if you please - varying widely in present appearance because differing largely in its history, and characterized by even greater variation in values because possessing diversified natural resources. One region may be such as to afford a livelihood for only a pastoral people; another may present opportunity for intensive agriculture; still another may contain hidden stores of mineral wealth that may attract large industrial development; and, taken together, these varied resources afford the promise of long-continued prosperity for this or that State. Items of interest in civic development or references to significant epochs in the record of discovery and settlement may be interspersed with explanations of mountain and valley or statements of geologic history. In a broad way the story of the West is a unit, and every chapter should be told in order to meet fully the needs of the tourist who aims to understand all that he sees. To such a traveler-reader this series of guidebooks is addressed. To this interpretation of our own country the United States Geological Survey brings the accumulated data of decades of pioneering investigation, and the present contribution is only one type of return to the public which has supported this scientific work under the Federal Government.

Bulletin↗
USGS1915

Guidebook of the western United States: Part B - The overland route, with a side trip to Yellowstone Park

The United States of America comprise an area so vast in extent and so diverse in natural features as well as in characters due to human agency that the American citizen who knows thoroughly his own country must have traveled widely and observed wisely. To 'know America first' is a patriotic obligation, but to meet this obligation the railroad traveler needs to have his eyes directed toward the more important or essential things within his field of vision and then to have much that he sees explained by what is unseen in the swift passage of the train. Indeed, many things that attract his attention are inexplicable except as the story of the past is available to enable him to interpret the present. Herein lie the value and the charm of history, whether human or geologic. The present stimulus given to travel in the home country will encourage many thousands of Americans to study geography at first hand. To make this study most profitable the traveler needs a handbook that will answer the questions that come to his mind so readily along the way. Furthermore, the aim of such a guide should be to stimulate the eye in the selection of the essentials in the scene that so rapidly unfolds itself in the crossing of the continent. In recognition of the opportunity afforded in 1915 to render service of this kind to an unusually large number of American citizens as well as to visitors from other countries, the United States Geological Survey has prepared a series of guidebooks covering four of the older railroad routes west of the Mississippi. These books are educational in purpose, but the method adopted is to entertain the traveler by making more interesting what he sees from the car window. The plan of the series is to present authoritative information that may enable the reader to realize adequately the scenic and material resources of the region he is traversing, to comprehend correctly the basis of its development, and above all to appreciate keenly the real value of the country he looks out upon, not as so many square miles of territory represented on the map in a railroad folder by meaningless spaces, but rather as land - real estate, if you please - varying widely in present appearance because differing largely in its history and characterized by even greater variation in values because possessing diversified natural resources. One region may be such as to afford a livelihood for only a pastoral people; another may present opportunity for intensive agriculture; still another may contain hidden stores of mineral wealth that may attract large industrial development; and taken together these varied resources afford the promise of long-continued prosperity for this or that State. Items of interest in civic development or references to significant epochs in the record of discovery and settlement may be interspersed with explanations of mountain and valley or statements of geologic history. In a broad way, the story of the West is a unit, and every chapter should be told in order to meet fully the needs of the tourist who aims to understand all that he sees. To such a traveler-reader this series of guidebooks is addressed. To this interpretation of our own country the United States Geological Survey brings the accumulated data of decades of pioneering investigation, and the present contribution is only one type of return to the public which has supported this scientific work under the Federal Government. In preparing the description of the country traversed by the Overland Route the geographic and geologic information already published as well as unpublished material in the possession of the Geological Survey has been utilized, but to supplement this material Messrs. Lee, Stone, and Gale made a field examination of the entire route in 1914, Mr. Lee working between Omaha and Ogden, Mr. Stone between Ogden and Yellowstone, and Mr. Gale between Ogden and San Francisco. Information has been furnished by Profs. J. C. Merriam a

Bulletin↗
USGS1994

Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program of the U.S. Geological Survey, 1978-1992

The major ground-water systems of the United States have been investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) through its Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) Program. During the first 15 years of the program (1978-92), 25 regional aquifer systems, including the most heavily pumped aquifers in the Nation, were intensively studied. As of mid-1992, 18 of the regional aquifer studies are completed or nearly so; 7 of the regional aquifer studies are ongoing, and compilation of a national ground-water atlas is in progress. This report summarizes the status of each RASA study and briefly describes the hydrology of the 25 regional aquifer systems. Important study results and examples of applications of study results are presented for some of the completed RASA investigations. The major contributions of the RASA Program are (1) assembly of data from numerous local studies and long-time data collections into systematic regional data bases; (2) comprehensive descriptions of the geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical characteristics of the regional aquifer systems; and (3) an understanding of how the regional ground-water-flow systems function under natural (predevelopment) and current (developed) conditions. To provide the comprehensive system descriptions, many of the RASA studies present, for the first time, maps depicting the hydrogeologic frameworks, water chemistry, potentiometric surfaces, and other aspects of entire regional aquifer systems. To provide an understanding of how the flow systems function, several of the completed RASA studies provide, for the first time, hydrologic budgets for both predevelopment and developed conditions. The results of the RASA Program are contained in nearly 900 reports published by the USGS, as well as various State and local agencies, and in articles published in scientific journals. A series of U.S. Geological Survey Professional Papers are being published to summarize and synthesize the results of each RASA study.

Circular↗
USGS1999

Historical Mapping

Maps become out of date over time. Maps that are out of date, however, can be useful to historians, attorneys, environmentalists, genealogists, and others interested in researching the background of a particular area. Local historians can compare a series of maps of the same area compiled over a long period of time to learn how the area developed. A succession of such maps can provide a vivid picture of how a place changed over time.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS1966

Developing a state water plan: Ground-water conditions in Utah, spring of 1966

This report is the third in a series of annual reports that describe ground-water conditions in Utah. Reports in this series are prepared cooperatively by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Utah Water and Power Board and are designed to provide data to enable interested parties such as legislators, administrators, and planners to keep abreast of changing ground-water conditions. This report, like the first two (Arnow and others, 1964, 1965), contains information on well construction, ground-water withdrawals, water-level changes, and related changes in precipitation and streamflow. It also contains supplementary data that are related to ground-water use in some individual areas. In reports of this series, the inclusion of such supplementary data as graphs showing chemical quality of water and maps showing water-table slope is intended only for those years or areas for which applicable data are available and are important to a discussion of changing ground-water conditions. The report includes individual discussions of the most important areas of ground-water withdrawal in the State for the calendar year 1965. Water-level fluctuations, however, are described for the period spring 1965 through spring 1966. Many of the data used in the report were collected by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the Utah State Engineer.

Utah↗
USGS2022

Revisiting the 1899 earthquake series using integrative geophysical analysis in Yakutat Bay, Alaska

A series of large earthquakes in 1899 affected southeastern Alaska near Yakutat and Disenchantment Bays. The largest of the series, a M W 8.2 event on 10 September 1899, generated an ~12-m-high tsunami and as much as 14.4 m of coseismic uplift in Yakutat Bay, the largest coseismic uplift ever measured. Several complex fault systems in the area are associated with the Yakutat terrane collision with North America and the termination of the Fairweather strike-slip system, but because faults local to Yakutat Bay have been incompletely or poorly mapped, it is unclear which fault system(s) ruptured during the 10 September 1899 event. Using marine geophysical data collected in August 2012, we provide an improved tectonic framework for the Yakutat area, which advances our understanding of earthquake hazards. We combined 153 line km of 2012 high-resolution multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data with compressed high-intensity radar pulse (Chirp) profiles, basin-scale MCS data, 2018 seafloor bathymetry, published geodetic models and thermochronology data, and previous measurements of coseismic uplift to better constrain fault geometry and subsurface structure in the Yakutat Bay area. We did not observe any active or concealed faults crossing Yakutat Bay in our high-resolution data, requiring faults to be located entirely onshore or nearshore. We interpreted onshore faults east of Yakutat Bay to be associated with the transpressional termination of the Fairweather fault system, forming a series of splay faults that exhibit a horsetail geometry. Thrust and reverse faults on the west side of the bay are related to Yakutat terrane underthrusting and collision with North America. Our results include an updated fault map, structural model of Yakutat Bay, and quantitative assessment of uncertainties for legacy geologic coseismic uplift measurements. Additionally, our results indicate the 10 September 1899 rupture was possibly related to stress loading from the earlier Yakutat terrane underthrusting event of 4 September 1899, with the majority of 10 September coseismic slip occurring on the Esker Creek system on the northwest side of Yakutat Bay. Limited (~2 m) coseismic or postseismic slip associated with the 1899 events occurred on faults located east of Yakutat Bay.

Alaska↗
USGS1999

Maps Showing Locations of Damaging Landslides Caused by El Nino Rainstorms, Winter Season 1997-98, San Francisco Bay Region, California

Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. Reports of landsliding began in early January 1998 and continued throughout the winter and spring. On February 9, President Clinton declared all 10 counties eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance. In April and May of 1998, personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a field reconnaissance in the area to provide a general overview of landslide damage resulting from the 1997-98 sequence of El Nino-related storms. Seven scientists from the USGS Landslide Hazards Program based in Reston, Virginia; Golden, Colorado; and Menlo Park, California; and five scientists from the USGS Geologic Mapping Program?s San Francisco Bay Mapping Team based in Menlo Park, California, cooperated in the landslide-damage assessments. The assessments were done for 10 counties in the Bay area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma. USGS Maps in this series include: MF-2325-A (Napa County), MF-2325-B (Alameda County), MF-2325-C (Marin County), MF-2325-D (Santa Cruz County), MF-2325-E (Contra Costa County), MF-2325-F (Sonoma County), MF-2325-G (San Francisco City and County), MF-2325-H (San Mateo County), MF-2325-I (Solano County), MF-2325-J (Santa Clara County). In addition to USGS scientists providing data from the field evaluation, each of the counties, many consultants, and others cooperated fully in providing the landslide-damage information compiled here.

Miscellaneous Field Studies Map↗
USGS2009

Examining Submarine Ground-Water Discharge into Florida Bay by using 222Rn and Continuous Resistivity Profiling

Estimates of submarine ground-water discharge (SGD) into Florida Bay remain one of the least understood components of a regional water balance. To quantify the magnitude and seasonality of SGD into upper Florida Bay, research activities included the use of the natural geochemical tracer, 222Rn, to examine potential SGD hotspots (222Rn surveys) and to quantify the total (saline + fresh water component) SGD rates at select sites (222Rn time-series). To obtain a synoptic map of the 222Rn distribution within our study site in Florida Bay, we set up a flow-through system on a small boat that consisted of a Differential Global Positioning System, a calibrated YSI, Inc CTD sensor with a sampling rate of 0.5 min, and a submersible pump (z = 0.5 m) that continuously fed water into an air/water exchanger that was plumbed simultaneously into four RAD7 222Rn air monitors. To obtain local advective ground-water flux estimates, 222Rn time-series experiments were deployed at strategic positions across hydrologic and geologic gradients within our study site. These time-series stations consisted of a submersible pump, a Solinist DIVER (to record continuous CTD parameters) and two RAD7 222Rn air monitors plumbed into an air/water exchanger. Repeat time-series 222Rn measurements were conducted for 3-4 days across several tidal excursions. Radon was also measured in the air during each sampling campaign by a dedicated RAD7. We obtained ground-water discharge information by calculating a 222Rn mass balance that accounted for lateral and horizontal exchange, as well as an appropriate ground-water 222Rn end member activity. Another research component utilized marine continuous resistivity profiling (CRP) surveys to examine the subsurface salinity structure within Florida Bay sediments. This system consisted of an AGI SuperSting 8 channel receiver attached to a streamer cable that had two current (A,B) electrodes and nine potential electrodes that were spaced 10 m apart. A separate DGPS continuously sent position information to the SuperSting. Results indicate that the 222Rn maps provide a useful gauge of relative ground-water discharge into upper Florida Bay. The 222Rn time-series measurements provide a reasonable estimate of site- specific total (saline and fresh) ground-water discharge (mean = 12.5+-11.8 cm d-1), while the saline nature of the shallow ground-water at our study site, as evidenced by CPR results, indicates that most of this discharge must be recycled sea water. The CRP data show some interesting trends that appear to be consistent with subsurface geologic and hydrologic characterization. For example, some of the highest resistivity (electrical conductivity-1) values were recorded where one would expect a slight subsurface freshening (for example bayside Key Largo, or below the C111 canal).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1984

Index for reports released through the Department of Energy, DOE National Uranium Resource Evaluation Program, and Atomic Energy Commission

The U.S. Government's National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Program commenced in 1974 and was last comprehensively reported on in An Assessment Report on Uranium in the United States of America , GJO-111(80), dated October 1980. During the seven years of the NURE Program, an unprecedented quantity of geoscience information was gathered throughout the conterminous United States and Alaska. The resulting data bases in geology, geophysics, and geochemistry are substantial and can be applied to the search for many mineral resource commodities other than uranium. This paper describes briefly what data are available, where the data are located, and how they can be obtained by the public. These data fall into seven major categories: Geologic Quadrangle Maps, Radiometric Data from Aerial Surveys, Magnetic Data from Aerial Surveys, Geochemical Data from Waters and Sediments, Radiometric Data from Borehole Logging, Mineralogic Data from Rock Sample Analysis, Evaluation Data for Resource Estimates. Nearly all the NURE data were acquired, are organized, and can be accessed by National Topographic Map Series (NTMS) 1:250,000-scale quadrangle. Figures 1 and 2 show the distribution of these quadrangles throughout the lower 48 states and Alaska, respectively. Listed below are the 20 repositories scattered across the country where the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has placed most of the information on open-file.

Report↗
USGS1978

Planning report for the southeastern limestone regional aquifer system analysis

The southeastern limestone aquifer system is one of the major sources of ground water in the United States. Over 3 billion gallons of water are pumped daily making the aquifer the principal source of municipal, industrial, and agricultural water supply in large parts of Florida and Georgia and to a lesser extent in South Carolina, and Alabama. Another important use is the disposal of industrial wastes and treated sewage into parts of the limestone system containing saline water. A variety of problems have developed in the aquifer in recent years, principally declining water levels, saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, water-quality degradation, and inadequate supplies of fresh ground water locally. In 1978 the U.S. Geological Survey began a study whose goal is to provide a complete description of the hydrogeologic framework, geochemistry, and regional flow system of the limestone aquifer. A 4-year effort is planned that will include: (1) synthesis of all existing data and presentation on a series of regional hydrogeological and geochemical maps; (2) obtaining new hydrogeological information to fill data voids -- particularly where ongoing State and Federal programs are not likely to generate such data; and (3) design and calibration of a regional digital model of the aquifer system and detailed models of problem areas. Computer simulation will be used extensively to assess the effects of large withdrawals of ground water and waste injection into the aquifer.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina↗
USGS1981

Mars: Paleostratigraphic restoration of buried surfaces in Tharsis Montes

Volcanism in the Tharsis province of Mars occurred in several different areas and was generally continuous without large time intervals between eruptive episodes. Major lava flow units are numerous and extensive, but relatively thin. In many places, impact craters on buried surfaces project above younger flows that overlie them. A new application of crater dating methods has been developed to aid in the identification of these buried surfaces and to determine their lateral extent. The technique is especially adaptable to the Tharsis region where the stratigraphic succession of major flow units has been established by detailed geologic mapping. Knowledge of the overall stratigraphy allows correlations to be made between known and unknown surfaces by comparing their crater frequencies at diameters large enough to insure their recognition on the buried unit. The method has been applied to aid in the restoration of buried rock units and to construct a series of paleostratigraphic maps showing the sequence of major eruptive events in the Tharsis region.

Icarus↗
USGS1953

Iron deposits of the congonhas district, minas Gerais, Brazil

Various origins have been proposed for the itabirite and associated hematite ores of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Brazilian Departamento Nacional da Produqao Mineral, has undertaken a comprehensive program of mapping of these Precambrian deposits, which bear many similarities to other Precambrian iron formations. Itabirite is a finely laminated quartz-iron oxide rock with more or less dolomite, corresponding to James's oxide facies. It occurs principally in the middle group of the Minas series-a eugeosynclinal assemblage of quartzite, schist, chemical precipitates, graywacke, and volcanic rocks. Iron and silica were precipitated rhythmically in a shallow restricted basin under somewhat acid conditions that inhibited the precipitation of carbonates. Erosion of moderately deformed rocks of the Minas series furnished sediments for the overlying conglomeratic Itacolumi series. Severe post-Itacolumi deformation folded and thrust-faulted rocks of both series; the accompanying regional metamorphism recrystallized the chert and iron oxide to quartz, specular hematite, and minor amounts of magnetite. Ultramafic intrusions antedate this diastrophism; granodiorites and various basic dike rocks are younger. Hydrothermal replacement of breccia zones in itabirite and of dolomitic beds associated with the iron formation produced high-grade specular hematite ore nearly free of impurities. The areal distribution of the deposits indicates that the solutions followed fault zones. Heated meteoric water may have been responsible for the replacement, as minerals of obvious magmatic origin are absent. Since early Tertiary time the area has been uplifted several thousand feet. Leaching and cementation related to the present surface have modified both the iron formation and the hematite deposits, giving rise to various types of commercial ore. © 1953 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Economic Geology↗
USGS2004

Predicted seafloor facies of Central Santa Monica Bay, California

Summary -- Mapping surficial seafloor facies (sand, silt, muddy sand, rock, etc.) should be the first step in marine geological studies and is crucial when modeling sediment processes, pollution transport, deciphering tectonics, and defining benthic habitats. This report outlines an empirical technique that predicts the distribution of seafloor facies for a large area offshore Los Angeles, CA using high-resolution bathymetry and co-registered, calibrated backscatter from multibeam echosounders (MBES) correlated to ground-truth sediment samples. The technique uses a series of procedures that involve supervised classification and a hierarchical decision tree classification that are now available in advanced image-analysis software packages. Derivative variance images of both bathymetry and acoustic backscatter are calculated from the MBES data and then used in a hierarchical decision-tree framework to classify the MBES data into areas of rock, gravelly muddy sand, muddy sand, and mud. A quantitative accuracy assessment on the classification results is performed using ground-truth sediment samples. The predicted facies map is also ground-truthed using seafloor photographs and high-resolution sub-bottom seismic-reflection profiles. This Open-File Report contains the predicted seafloor facies map as a georeferenced TIFF image along with the multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data used in the study as well as an explanation of the empirical classification process.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Geochemical maps showing the distribution and abundance of tin in the Tanacross Quadrangle, Alaska

This series of geochemical maps shows the distribution of tin in three sample media: (A) the oxide residue (the oxalic-acid-leachable fraction) of the stream sediment, (B) the minus-80-mesh stream sediment, and (C) the ash of aquatic bryophytes (mosses). The geochemical data are plotted on a base map that shows generalized geology and the drainage pattern. The map symbols show the sample sites and ranges of values in the following manner: (1) open symbols denote background, (2) small black symbols represent weakly anomalous values, and (3) large black symbols denotes strongly anomalous values. Because the small black symbols represent weakly anomalous values, they are considered to be significant only where they correlate with strongly anomalous metal values either in the same or other sample media. The ranges of values were determined from the histograms and other statistical data shown for each of the sample media. An explanation of sampling, preparation, and analytical procedures is given in Circular 734, which accompanies this folio. Complete analytical data for geochemical samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Tanacross quadrangle are available in a U.S. Geological Survey open-file report (O'Leary and others, 1976).

Alaska↗
USGS1976

Geochemical maps showing the distribution and abundance of beryllium in the Tanacross Quadrangle, Alaska

This series of geochemical maps shows the distribution of beryllium in three sample media: (A) the oxide residue (the oxalic-acid-leachable fraction) of the stream sediment, (B) the minus-80-mesh stream sediment, and (C) the ash of aquatic bryophytes (mosses). The geochemical data are plotted on a base map that shows generalized geology and the drainage pattern. The map symbols show the sample sites and ranges of values in the following manner: (1) open symbols denote background, (2) small black symbols represent weakly anomalous values, and (3) large black symbols denotes strongly anomalous values. Because the small black symbols represent weakly anomalous values, they are considered to be significant only where they correlate with strongly anomalous metal values either in the same or in other sample media. The ranges of values represented by the map symbols are shown on the histograms that accompany the geochemical maps. An explanation of sampling, preparation, and analytical procedures is given in Circular 734, which accompanies this folio. Complete analytical data for geochemical samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Tanacross quadrangle are available in a U.S. Geological Survey open-file report (O'Leary and others, 1976).

Alaska↗
USGS1976

Maps showing mineralogical and geochemical data for heavy-mineral concentrates in the Tanacross quadrangle, Alaska

This series of maps showing the following data for heavy mineral concentrates: distribution and abundance of selected ore-related minerals, distribution and abundance of copper in the magnetic fraction, and distribution and abundance of lead, copper, tin, beryllium, tungsten and bismuth in the nonmagnetic fraction. The data are plotted on base maps showing generalized geology, base metal prospects in the Yukon-Tanana Upland, and the drainage pattern. The distribution and abundance of ore-related minerals (fig. A) were obtained by microscopic examination of the heavy-mineral concentrates. The number of mineral grains observed is shown in the map explanation. Figures B through H are geochemical maps showing the distribution and abundance of metals as determined by six-step semi-quantitative emission spectrography. The geochemical map symbols show sample sites and the actual values for the element in the sample as determined by spectrography. An explanation of sampling, preparation, and analytical procedure is given in Circular 734 which accompanies this folio. Complete analytical data for geochemical samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Tanacross quadrangle are available in an open-file report (O'Leary and others, 1976).

Alaska↗
USGS1982

Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the Sprout and Fishkill creeks area, Dutchess County, New York

This report is the fifth in a series of 11 map sets depicting geohydrologic conditions in selected aquifers in upstate New York. Geohydrologic data are compiled on six maps at 1:24,000 scale. Together the maps provide a comprehensive overview of a major valley-fill aquifer in southwestern Dutchess County and a small part of Putnan County. The maps include surficial geology, geologic sections, water-infiltration potential of soil zone, aquifer thickness, water-table elevations and land use. The valley-fill deposits consist of alluvial silt and sand, glacial-outwash (sand and gravel), ice-contact sand and gravel, till, and lacustrine silt and clay. The sand and gravel have relatively high permeabilities whereas the till, silt and clay deposits have relatively low permeabilities. Saturated layers of sand and gravel underlie confining layers of silt and clay, and also underlie confining till. The water-infiltration potential of the soil zone of the valley-fill varies widely. Aquifer thickness data is sparse, especially data on the lower confined aquifer layers. Water-table elevations within the surface aquifer are gently sloping, directing ground-water flow towards streams into which discharge occurs. The use of land overlying the aquifer is predominantly agricultural and residential, with lesser amounts of commercial and industrial uses. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗
USGS2022

Ungulate migrations of the western United States, volume 3

Ungulates (hooved mammals) have a broad distribution across the western United States and play an important role in maintaining predator-prey dynamics, affecting vegetation communities, and providing economic benefits to regional communities through tourism and hunting. Throughout the diverse landscapes they occupy, many ungulate populations undertake seasonal migrations to exploit spatially and temporally variable resources and to avoid predation or other threats. As the human footprint continues to expand across the western United States, ungulates increasingly face more obstacles on their migratory journeys. These obstacles threaten the long-term persistence of existing migrations. As a result, wildlife management agencies across the western United States have worked to identify and protect (or enhance) ungulate migration corridors and seasonal ranges identified from global positioning system (GPS) collar data. These efforts garnered additional support through the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretarial Order (SO) 3362, which was initiated in 2018 and provided Federal support for enhancing habitat quality of big-game winter ranges and migration corridors across the western states. Further, SO 3362 prompted the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to establish the Corridor Mapping Team (CMT): a collaboration between USGS and participating State and Federal wildlife management agencies, as well as numerous Tribal Nations. The CMT works collaboratively to map ungulate migrations and seasonal ranges throughout the western United States within the Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States report series. Volume 1 of the series was published in 2020 and contained migrations and winter ranges from 42 herds across 5 states. Volume 2 was published in 2022 and contained migrations and seasonal ranges from an additional 65 herds. This report, Volume 3 in the series, details migrations and seasonal ranges from an additional 45 herds throughout most western states. In aggregate, the report series has detailed and mapped the migrations and seasonal ranges of 152 ungulate herds and serves as a map-based inventory of the documented ungulate migrations across the western United States. The data layers for most of the herds included in the report series are also available to the public by the USGS. In addition to the included herd maps, this volume provides an overview of the many ways the mapping efforts associated with the CMT are being integrated into local conservation, management, and policy throughout the western United States.

Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Or↗