USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Chemical Geology”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources

Water resources data for Idaho, water year 1969; Part 2, Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface- and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1969 water year for the quality of surface waters in Idaho are presented in this report. Data for a few water quality stations in bordering States are also included. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of W. L. Burnham, district chief, Boise, Idaho. Water-quality information is presented for chemical quality, water temperatures, and fluvial sediment. Chemical quality includes concentrations of individual dissolved constituents and certain properties or characteristics such as hardness, sodium adsorption ratio, specific conductance, and pH. Water temperature data represent once-daily observations except for stations where a continuous temperature recorder furnishes information from which daily maximums and minimums are obtained. Fluvial-sediment information is given for suspended-sediment discharges and concentrations and for particle size distribution of suspended sediment and bed material. The Geological Survey, from 1941 through 1965, published an annual series of water-supply papers, "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States," which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Idaho are contained in Parts 9-14 of the water-supply paper series. These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water quality records for surface and ground water have been released by the Geological Survey on a state boundary basis. This report is primarily for local and immediate use, and its distribution is limited. These records will be published later in Geological Survey water-supply papers.

Idaho↗

Arsenic in sediments, groundwater, and streamwater of a glauconitic Coastal Plain terrain, New Jersey, USA-Chemical " fingerprints" for geogenic and anthropogenic sources

Glauconite-bearing deposits are found worldwide, but As levels have been determined for relatively few. The As content of glauconites in sediments of the Inner Coastal Plain of New Jersey can exceed 100 mg/kg, and total As concentrations (up to 5.95 μg/L) found historically and recently in streamwaters exceed the State standard. In a major watershed of the Inner Coastal Plain, chemical “fingerprints” were developed for streambed sediments and groundwater to identify contributions of As to the watershed from geologic and anthropogenic sources. The fingerprint for streambed sediments, which included Be, Cr, Fe and V, indicated that As was predominantly of geologic origin. High concentrations of dissolved organic C, nutrients (and Cl − ) in shallow groundwater indicated anthropogenic inputs that provided an environment where microbial activity released As from minerals to groundwater discharging to the stream. Particulates in streamwater during high flow constituted most of the As load; the chemical patterns for these particulates resembled the geologic fingerprint of the streambed sediments. The As/Cr ratio of these suspended particles likely indicates they derived not only from runoff, but from groundwater inputs, because As contributed by groundwater is sequestered on streambed sediments. Agricultural inputs of As were not clearly identified, although chemical characteristics of some sediments indicated vehicle-related inputs of metals. Sediment sampling during dry and wet years showed that, under differing hydrologic conditions, local anthropogenic fingerprints could be obscured but the geologic fingerprint, indicating glauconitic sediments as an As source, was robust.

New Jersey↗

A statistical analysis of the quality of surface water in Nebraska

This report provides descriptive statistics for 29 chemical or biological constituents for 109 stream sites in Nebraska sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey beginning in 1946. Also provided for each site are regression equations relating specific conductance to each of 12 chemical constituents and a regression equation relating specific conductance to stream discharge. The descriptive statistics are presented by river basins. Water leaving these basins that has the lowest mean specific conductance (266 umho/cm) is from the Niobrara River at Verdel, and water that has the highest (1,890 umho/cm) is from the South Platte River at Roscoe. Statewide, the principal cations in streamflow are calcium and sodium, and the principal anions are bicarbonate and sulfate. Calcium and bicarbonate usually predominate where mean specific conductance is less than 1,000 umho/cm, and sodium and sulfate predominate where the mean exceeds 1,000 umho/cm. Based on regression equations, dissolved solids, hardness, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate, with some exceptions, correlate well with specific conductance for all stream sites. Illustrations of how regression equations may be used to estimate water quality of streamflow are given and are compared with values from actual analyses. (USGS)

Nebraska↗

A statistical analysis of the quality of surface water in Nebraska

This report provides descriptive statistics for 29 chemical or biological constituents for 109 stream sites in Nebraska sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey beginning in 1946. Also provided for each site are regression equations relating specific conductance to each of 12 chemical constituents and a regression equation relating specific conductance to stream discharge. The descriptive statistics are presented by river basins. Water leaving these basins that has the lowest mean specific conductance (266 umho/cm) is from the Niobrara River at Verdel, and water that has the highest (1,890 umho/cm) is from the South Platte River at Roscoe. Statewide, the principal cations in streamflow are calcium and sodium, and the principal anions are bicarbonate and sulfate. Calcium and bicarbonate usually predominate where mean specific conductance is less than 1,000 umho/cm, and sodium and sulfate predominate where the mean exceeds 1,000 umho/cm. Based on regression equations, dissolved solids, hardness, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate, with some exceptions, correlate well with specific conductance for all stream sites. Illustrations of how regression equations may be used to estimate water quality of streamflow are given and are compared with values from actual analyses.

Nebraska↗

A statistical analysis of the quality of surface water in Nebraska

This report provides descriptive statistics for 29 chemical or biological constituents for 109 stream sites in Nebraska sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey beginning in 1946. Also provided for each site are regression equations relating specific conductance to each of 12 chemical constituents and a regression equation relating specific conductance to stream discharge. The descriptive statistics are presented by river basins. Water leaving these basins that has the lowest mean specific conductance (266 umho/cm) is from the Niobrara River at Verdel, and water that has the highest (1,890 umho/cm) is from the South Platte River at Roscoe. Statewide, the principal cations in streamflow are calcium and sodium, and the principal anions are bicarbonate and sulfate. Calcium and bicarbonate usually predominate where mean specific conductance is less than 1,000 umho/cm, and sodium and sulfate predominate where the mean exceeds 1,000 umho/cm. On the basis of regression equations, dissolved solids, hardness, calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate, with some exceptions, correlate well with specific conductance of all stream sites. Illustrations of how regression equations may be used to estimate water quality of streamflow are given and are compared with values from actual analyses.

Water Supply Paper↗

Field Reconnaissance Geologic Mapping of the Columbia Hills, Mars: Results from MER Spirit and MRO HiRISE Observations

Chemical, mineralogic, and lithologic ground truth was acquired for the first time on Mars in terrain units mapped using orbital Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (MRO HiRISE) image data. Examination of several dozen outcrops shows that Mars is geologically complex at meter length scales, the record of its geologic history is well exposed, stratigraphic units may be identified and correlated across significant areas on the ground, and outcrops and geologic relationships between materials may be analyzed with techniques commonly employed in terrestrial field geology. Despite their burial during the course of Martian geologic time by widespread epiclastic materials, mobile fines, and fall deposits, the selective exhumation of deep and well-preserved geologic units has exposed undisturbed outcrops, stratigraphic sections, and structural information much as they are preserved and exposed on Earth. A rich geologic record awaits skilled future field investigators on Mars. The correlation of ground observations and orbital images enables construction of a corresponding geologic reconnaissance map. Most of the outcrops visited are interpreted to be pyroclastic, impactite, and epiclastic deposits overlying an unexposed substrate, probably related to a modified Gusev crater central peak. Fluids have altered chemistry and mineralogy of these protoliths in degrees that vary substantially within the same map unit. Examination of the rocks exposed above and below the major unconformity between the plains lavas and the Columbia Hills directly confirms the general conclusion from remote sensing in previous studies over past years that the early history of Mars was a time of more intense deposition and modification of the surface. Although the availability of fluids and the chemical and mineral activity declined from this early period, significant later volcanism and fluid convection enabled additional, if localized, chemical activity.

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets↗

Preliminary geologic map of the Mount Hood 30- by 60-minute Quadrangle, Northern Cascade Range, Oregon

This map shows the geology of the central and eastern parts of the Cascade Range in northern Oregon. The Quaternary andesitic stratovolcano of Mount Hood dominates the northwest quarter of the quadrangle, but nearly the entire area is underlain by arc-related volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of the Cascade Range. Most stratigraphic units were emplaced since middle Miocene time, and all are Oligocene or younger. Despite the proximity of the map area to the Portland metropolitan area, large parts remained virtually unstudied or known only from limited reconnaissance until the late 1970s. A notable exception is the area surrounding Mount Hood, where mapping and chemical analyses by Wise (1969) provided a framework for geologic interpretation. Mapping since 1975 was conducted first to understand the stratigraphy and structure of the Columbia River Basalt Group (Anderson, 1978; Vogt, 1981; J.L. Anderson, in Swanson and others, 1981; Vandiver-Powell, 1978; Burck, 1986) and later to examine the geothermal potential of Mount Hood (Priest and others, 1982). Additional mapping was completed in 1985 for a geologic map of the Cascade Range in Oregon (Sherrod and Smith, 1989). From 1987 to 1990, detailed mapping was conducted in three 15-minute quadrangles on a limited basis (D.R. Sherrod, unpublished mapping) (see fig. 1 for index to mapping). An ongoing volcanic hazards study of Mount Hood by the U.S. Geological Survey (Scott and others, 1994) has provided the catalyst for completing the geologic map of the Mount Hood 30-minute by 60-minute quadrangle. As of June 1994, only two broad areas still remain largely unmapped. One of these areas, labeled 'unmapped' on the geologic map, lies in the Salmon River valley south of Zigzag along the west margin of the quadrangle. Although strata of the Columbia River Basalt Group in the Salmon River valley were mapped in detail by Burck (1986), the overlying middle and upper(?) Miocene lava flows, volcaniclastic strata, and intrusions have never been studied. The other poorly known area, the Mutton Mountains in the southeastern part of the map area, consists of Oligocene and lower Miocene volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. Overlying lava flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group were mapped in some detail by Anderson (in Swanson and others, 1981).

Open-File Report↗

Marion Peak quadrangle, Fresno County, California— Analytic data

The Marion Peak 15-minute quadrangle includes about 620 km2 on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada in Fresno County, California, between 36°45' and 37°00' N. latitude and 118°30' and 118°45 W. longitude. This report supplements the geologic map of the Marion Peak quadrangle by providing modal and chemical analyses of the granitic and volcanic rock samples. Granitic rocks of the batholith underlie 95 percent of the quadrangle area. Most of the remaining area is underlain by septa of pre-batholithic metamorphosed sediments and volcanic rocks which occur between the individual granitic masses. Cenozoic volcanic rocks underlie a small area, and they include an eroded dacitic volcanic center and scattered erosional remnants of basaltic lava flows. About 300 samples of typical plutonic and volcanic rocks were collected during the course of geologic mapping; of these, 30 granitic, 2 metavolcanic, and 9 Cenozoic volcanic rocks were chemically analyzed for their major elements, and most were also analyzed for selected trace elements. In addition, 178 samples of granitic rocks were analyzed modally for the volume percent of their constituent minerals. Measurements of specific gravity and magnetic susceptibility are also included. The average chemical composition of the granitic rocks in the quadrangle, estimated from the analyzed samples, is a silicic granodiorite that contains 69.2 weight percent SiO 2 .

California↗

Evaluation of nutrient, alkalinity, and acid-neutralizing capacity stabilities in water samples analyzed by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory, 2023–24

The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the stability of water-sample chemical analysis of nutrient, alkalinity, and acid-neutralizing capacity constituents with respect to the duration between sample collection and laboratory analysis, also known as the sample holding time. A study began in the spring of 2023 to evaluate the sample stability, between 2 and 180 days after sample collection, of the chemical properties and chemical constituents of alkalinity as calcium carbonate, filtered; acid-neutralizing capacity as calcium carbonate, unfiltered; total ammonia as nitrogen, filtered; total ammonia plus organic nitrogen as nitrogen, filtered and unfiltered; nitrite as nitrogen, filtered; nitrate plus nitrite as nitrogen, filtered; total nitrogen, filtered and unfiltered; orthophosphate as phosphorous, filtered; and total phosphorus as phosphorus (filtered and unfiltered) in water. Both surface water and groundwater matrices were represented. Sample instability varied by observed property and matrix; therefore, providing general guidance for sample holding time is not possible based on matrices alone. No correlations between field measurements of sample characteristics and sample instability were observed. Although observations for some properties indicate sample stability that exceeds the recognized U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory method holding times, this is not necessarily the case for matrices and seasonal characteristics that were not investigated. Based on the limited number of six sample sources used in this study, some patterns emerge for the 12 observed properties studied. Five observed properties generally indicate stability for as many as 180 days after sampling (total nitrogen as nitrogen, both filtered and unfiltered; orthophosphate as phosphorus, filtered; and phosphorus as phosphorus, both filtered and unfiltered). Other observed properties indicate stability for as many as 180 days for some matrices, but not for others. Finally, some observed properties indicate instability well before 180 days.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

Ground-water and stream-water interaction in the Owl Creek basin, Wyoming

Understanding of the interaction of ground-water and surface-water resources is vital to water management when water availability is limited.Inflow of ground water is the primary source ofwater during stream base flow. The water chemistry of streams may substantially be affected by that inflow of ground water. This report is part of a study to examine ground-water and surface-water interaction in the Owl Creek Basin, Wyoming, completed by the U.S. Geological Survey incooperation with the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Shoshone Tribe. During a low flow period between November\x1113 - 17, 1991, streamflowmeasurements and water-quality samples were collected at 16 selected sites along major streams and tributaries in the Owl Creek Basin,Wyoming. The data were used to identify stream reaches receiving ground-water inflow and to examine causes of changes in stream chemistry.Streamflow measurements, radon-222 activity load, and dissolved solids load were used to identified stream reaches receiving ground-water inflow.Streamflow measurements identified three stream reaches receiving ground-water inflow. Analysis of radon-222 activity load identified five stream reaches receiving ground-water inflow. Dissolvedsolids load identified six stream reaches receiving ground-water inflow. When these three methods were combined, stream reaches in two areas, theEmbar Area and the Thermopolis Anticline Area, were identified as receiving ground-water inflow.The Embar Area and the Thermopolis Anticline Area were then evaluated to determine the source of increased chemical load in stream water. Three potential sources were analyzed: tributary inflow, surficial geology, and anticlines. Two sources,tributary inflow and surficial geology, were related to changes in isotopic ratios and chemical load in the Embar Area. In two reaches in the Embar Area, isotopic ratios of 18O/16O, D/H, and 34S/32S indicated that tributary inflow affected stream-water chemistry. Increased chemical load of dissolved solids and dissolved sulfate in North Fork andSouth Fork Owl Creek appear to be related to the percentage of unconsolidated Quaternary deposits and of Cretaceous-Jurassic deposits in the drainage area. In the Thermopolis Anticline Area, changes in water chemistry in Owl Creek were not related to tributary inflow, surficial geology, or anticlines.The three tributaries that flow into Owl Creek in the Thermopolis Anticline Area did not substantially affect the isotopic ratios or contribute to the chemical load. Changes in the chemical load were not associated with changes in the surficial geologybetween the stream-water sampling sites. Water levels and chemical ratios indicate no ground-water inflow from the Thermopolis Anticline geothermal system to Owl Creek.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

Water resources data for Arizona, water year 1971: Part 1. Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface- and ground- water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1971 water year for the quality of surface waters in Arizona are presented in this report. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of H. M. Babcock, district chief. The Geological Survey published the annual series of watersupply papers, "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States, " from 1941 through 1965, which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Arizona are contained in part 9 of the water-supply paper series. (See table 4.) These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water-quality records for sur face water obtained by the Geological Survey have been published in a series of annual releases on a State boundary basis. These reports are primarily for local and immediate use, and their distribution is limited. The records also will be published in Geological Survey watersupply papers.

Arizona↗

Quantifying components of the hydrologic cycle in Virginia using chemical hydrograph separation and multiple regression analysis

This study by the U.S. Geological Survey, prepared in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, quantifies the components of the hydrologic cycle across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Long-term, mean fluxes were calculated for precipitation, surface runoff, infiltration, total evapotranspiration (ET), riparian ET, recharge, base flow (or groundwater discharge) and net total outflow. Fluxes of these components were first estimated on a number of real-time-gaged watersheds across Virginia. Specific conductance was used to distinguish and separate surface runoff from base flow. Specific-conductance data were collected every 15 minutes at 75 real-time gages for approximately 18 months between March 2007 and August 2008. Precipitation was estimated for 1971–2000 using PRISM climate data. Precipitation and temperature from the PRISM data were used to develop a regression-based relation to estimate total ET. The proportion of watershed precipitation that becomes surface runoff was related to physiographic province and rock type in a runoff regression equation. Component flux estimates from the watersheds were transferred to flux estimates for counties and independent cities using the ET and runoff regression equations. Only 48 of the 75 watersheds yielded sufficient data, and data from these 48 were used in the final runoff regression equation. The base-flow proportion for the 48 watersheds averaged 72 percent using specific conductance, a value that was substantially higher than the 61 percent average calculated using a graphical-separation technique (the USGS program PART). Final results for the study are presented as component flux estimates for all counties and independent cities in Virginia.

Virginia↗

Ground Water Atlas of the United States: Introduction and national summary

The Ground Water Atlas of the United States provides a summary of the most important information available for each principal aquifer, or rock unit that will yield usable quantities of water to wells, throughout the 50 States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Atlas is an outgrowth of the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a program that investigated 24 of the most important aquifers and aquifer systems of the Nation and one in the Caribbean Islands (fig. 1). The objectives of the RASA program were to define the geologic and hydrologic frameworks of each aquifer system, to assess the geochemistry of the water in the system, to characterize the ground-water flow system, and to describe the effects of development on the flow system. Although the RASA studies did not cover the entire Nation, they compiled much of the data needed to make the National assessments of ground-water resources presented in the Ground Water Atlas of the United States. The Atlas, however, describes the location, extent, and geologic and hydrologic characteristics of all the important aquifers in the United States, including those not studied by the RASA program. The Atlas is written so that it can be understood by readers who are not hydrologists. Simple language is used to explain technical terms. The principles that control the presence, movement, and chemical quality of ground water in different climatic, topographic, and geologic settings are clearly illustrated. The Atlas is, therefore, useful as a teaching tool for introductory courses in hydrology or hydrogeology at the college level and as an overview of ground-water conditions for consultants who need information about an individual aquifer. It also serves as an introduction to regional and National ground-water resources for lawmakers, personnel of local, State, or Federal agencies, or anyone who needs to understand ground-water occurrence, movement, and quality. The purpose of the Ground Water Atlas of the United States is to summarize, in one publication with a common format, the most important ground-water information that has been collected over many years by the USGS, other Federal agencies, and State and local water management agencies. The purpose of this introductory chapter is to describe the content of the Atlas; to discuss the characteristics, use, and limitations of the maps and other types of illustrations used in the different chapters of the book; to summarize the locations of the principal aquifers on a Nationwide map; and to give an example of an aquifer in each principal hydrogeologic setting.

Hydrologic Atlas↗

Water resources data for Arizona, 1969: Part 2. Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface- and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1969 water year for the quality of surface waters in Arizona are presented in this report. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of H. M. Babcock, district chief. The Geological Survey published the annual series of water-supply papers, "Quality of Surface Waters of the United States, " from 1941 through 1965, which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Arizona are contained in part 9 of the water-supply paper series. (See table 4.) These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water-quality records for surface water obtained by the Geological Survey have been published in a series of annual releases on a State boundary basis. These reports are primarily for local and immediate use, and their distribution is limited. The records also will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers.

Arizona↗

Water resources data for Arizona, 1970: Part 2. Water quality records

Water-resources investigations of the U.S. Geological Survey include the collection of water-quality data on the chemical and physical characteristics of surface and ground-water supplies of the Nation. These data for the 1970 water year for the quality of surface waters in Arizona are presented in this report. The data were collected by the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey under the direction of H. M. Babcock, district chief. The Geological Survey published the annual series of water-supply papers, ''Quality of Surface Waters of the United States,'' from 1941 through 1965, which contained the chemical-quality, temperature, and suspended-sediment data of the water. Each volume covered an area whose boundaries coincided with those of certain natural drainage areas. The records for Arizona are contained in part 9 of the water-supply paper series. (See table 4.) These publications are available in most public libraries. Beginning with the 1964 water year, water-quality records for surface water obtained by the Geological Survey have been published in a series of annual releases on a State boundary basis. These reports are primarily for local and immediate use, and their distribution is limited. The records also will be published in Geological Survey water-supply papers.

Arizona↗

Genesis of sediment-hosted disseminated-gold deposits by fluid mixing and sulfidization: chemical-reaction-path modeling of ore- depositional processes documented in the Jerritt Canyon district, Nevada

Integrated geologic, geochemical, fluid-inclusion, and stableisotope studies of the gold deposits in the Jerritt Canyon district, Nevada, provide evidence that gold deposition was a consequence of both fluid mixing and sulfidization of host-rock iron. Chemical-reaction-path models of these ore-depositional processes confirm that the combination of fluid mixing, including simultaneous cooling, dilution, and oxidation of the ore fluid, and wall-rock reaction, with sulfidization of reactive iron in the host rock, explains the disseminated nature and small size of the gold and the alteration zonation, mineralogy, and geochemistry observed at Jerritt Canyon and at many other sediment-hosted disseminated gold deposits.

Geology↗

Water-Quality and Fish-Community Data for the Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska, 2003-05

In 1991, a 76-mile reach of the Niobrara River in north-central Nebraska was designated as a National Scenic River (NSR). This reach of the river hosts a unique ecosystem that provides habitat for a diverse fish and wildlife population that include several threatened and endangered species. The Niobrara NSR also is a popular destination for campers, canoeists, kayakers, and tubers. Changes in surface-water quality, related to recreation, industrial and municipal discharge, and agricultural activities in the region have the potential to affect fish and wildlife populations within the Niobrara NSR. Additionally, water users may be at risk if elevated concentrations of chemical or biological contaminants are present in the waterway. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service (NPS) began a 3-year cooperative study of water-quality characteristics in Niobrara NSR in 2003. During the study, water samples were collected for analysis of a suite of physical, chemical, and biological indicators of water quality in the Niobrara River. The resulting data have been published previously (Hitch and others, 2004; Hitch and others, 2005) and included: major ions, nutrients, trace elements, pesticides, organic (wastewater) compounds, bacteria, and suspended sediment. In addition to water-quality sampling, fish communities were sampled to identify the presence and diversity of species at selected sites (data available online in Annual Water Data Reports). These water-quality and fish-community data are summarized in this report. The data were collected to provide baseline information that will help NPS managers determine if changes in recreational activities, land-use practices, and other factors are affecting the Niobrara River.

Fact Sheet↗