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At least 757 records · Page 42Linked to original sources
USGS2017

Characterization of peak streamflows and flood inundation of selected areas in Louisiana from the August 2016 flood

Heavy rainfall occurred across Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi in August 2016 as a result of a slow-moving area of low pressure and a high amount of atmospheric moisture. The storm caused major flooding in the southern portions of Louisiana including areas surrounding Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Flooding occurred along the rivers such as the Amite, Comite, Tangipahoa, Tickfaw, Vermilion, and Mermentau Rivers. Over 31 inches of rain was reported in the city of Watson, 20 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, La., over the duration of the event. Streamflow-gaging stations operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded peak streamflows of record at 10 locations, and 7 other locations experienced peak streamflows ranking in the top five for the duration of the period of record. In August 2016, USGS hydrographers made 50 discharge measurements at 21 locations on streams in Louisiana. Many of those discharge measurements were made for the purpose of verifying the accuracy of stage-streamflow relations at gaging stations operated by the USGS. Following the storm event, USGS hydrographers recovered and documented 590 high-water marks, noting location and height of the water above land surface. Many of these high-water marks were used to create 12 flood-inundation maps for selected communities of Louisiana that experienced flooding in August 2016. Digital datasets of the inundation area, modeling boundary, water depth rasters, and final map products are available online.

Louisiana↗
USGS2026

The development of long-term mean annual total nitrogen and total phosphorus load models for Mississippi, U.S., using RSPARROW

Water-quality degradation from nutrient pollution remains a major challenge for resource managers. Developing effective strategies requires tools to characterize nutrient sources and transport. This study used the RSPARROW framework to develop and assess new, smaller-scale models for Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) transport across Mississippi (MS). These state-level models were built using 15 years (2005–2020) of observation data and considered variables including multiple nutrient sources, land characteristics, and attenuation processes. The MS models demonstrated comparable accuracy to larger regional SPARROW models, validating the use of smaller-scale models for local management. Results showed agricultural sources are the major contributors to TN, dominated by fertilizer in northern MS and livestock manure in the south. Urban land cover also significantly influenced TN and was the second most significant source of TP, following geologic material (background P). Fertilizer and manure were also important TP sources. This study provides valuable, spatially explicit data on nutrient distribution in MS streams, supporting the state’s nutrient reduction planning. It concludes by highlighting the need for future model improvements via updated source data and mean annual flow estimates.

Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Ca↗
USGS2011

Geologic map of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas

The Chisos Mountains form some of the highest ground in Texas, second only to Guadalupe Peak near the New Mexico border. The northern half of the range is mostly above 5,500 feet with Emory Peak the high point at 7,825 feet. The mountains are centrally located in Big Bend National Park between Panther Junction and Punta de la Sierra. Big Bend National Park lies near the diffuse border between the Great Plains Province to the northeast and the Sonoran section of the Basin-and-Range structural province to the west and southwest. These geologically unique regions are distinguished from one another by large differences in their landscape and by the amount and style of internal structural deformation. The Great Plains Province is characterized by flat-lying or gently dipping sedimentary strata, low topographic relief, shallow stream valleys, and by a general lack of faulting. Very little active deposition is occurring on the plains, except in the bottoms of active stream valleys. In southwestern Texas the plains stand at average elevations of 2,000 to 3,300 feet and slope gently east toward the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Plains have remained relatively unchanged for the last 65 million years, except that they have been uplifted to their present height from lower elevations probably in the last 5 million years. The Basin-and-Range province is characterized by linear parallel mountain ranges, deep sediment-filled valleys, and high structural and topographic relief. The eastern part of the province is at a slightly higher average elevation than the plains. The province is known for its complex patterns of Cenozoic faulting. Today it bears little resemblance to the way it was during the Paleocene when the entire Trans-Pecos region was a simple lowland that was near or slightly below sea level.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS1995

Hydrogeology, ground-water quality, and source of ground water causing water-quality changes in the Davis well field at Memphis, Tennessee

An investigation was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey from 1992 to 1994 to collect and interpret hydrogeologic and water-quality data to determine the source of ground water causing water-quality changes in water from wells screened in the Memphis aquifer in the Davis well field at Memphis, Tennessee. Water-quality changes in aquifers used for water supply are of concern because these changes can indicate a potential for contamination of the aquifers by downward leakage from near-surface sources. The water-quality changes at the Davis well field were detected by Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division, which has periodically sampled and analyzed water from many of the 14 production wells since the well field began operation in 1971. Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division analyzed the water samples primarily for hardness, alkalinity, chloride, ulfate, and iron. Results of the e analy es and results of more recent (1992) analyse of water samples by the U.S. Geological Survey indicate that the quality of water from eight of the production wells has changed since the well field began operation. For example, from 1972 to 1991, hardness of water from one well has increased from 90 to 292 milligrams per liter (224 percent). The confining unit, which separates the fluvial deposits aquifer from the Memphis aquifer in the area of the well field, is relatively thick and contains many clay layers. However, a test hole drilled for one of five shallow wells installed in the alluvial aquifer in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain just west of the well field indicated that the confining unit separating the alluvial aquifer from the Memphis aquifer locally is absent. Differences in hydrauLic head between the alluvial and fluvial deposits aquifers and the Memphis aquifer favor downward leakage of ground water. Thus, the absence of the confining unit beneath the Mississippi Alluvial Plain just west of the well field provides a direct pathway for water in the alluvial aquifer to enter the Memphis aquifer. Comparison of selected water-quality properties and major inorganic and trace element constituent concentrations in samples from the alluvial, fluvial deposits, and Memphis aquifers indicates that the source of ground water causing waterquality changes at the Davis well field is the alluvial aquifer west of the well field . The presence of tritium and chlorofluorocarbons in water from wells screened in the Memphis aquifer in the western part of the well field indicates that relatively young (post-1940) water from the alluvial aquifer has entered the Memphis aquifer. NETPATH geochemical model code was used to mix waters from the alluvial aquifer with water from the Memphis aquifer using chloride as a conservative tracer. The resulting models indicated that a mixture containing 3 percent alluvial aquifer water mixed with 97 percent unaffected Memphis aquifer water would produce the chloride concentration measured in water from the Memphis aquifer well most affected by water-quality changes. NETPATH also was used to calculate mixing percentages of alluvial and Memphis aquifer Abstract waters based on changes in the concentrations of selected dissolved major inorganic and trace element constituents that define the dominant reactions that occur during mixing. These models indicated that a mixture containing 18 percent alluvial aquifer water and 82 percent unaffected Memphis aquifer water would produce the major constituent and trace element concentrations measured in water from the Memphis aquifer well most affected by water-quality changes. However, these model simulations predicted higher dissolved methane concentrations than were measured in water samples from the Memphis aquifer wells.

Tennessee↗
USGS1962

Tuscaloosa formation in Tennessee

Late Cretaceous Tuscaloosa Formation occurs as discontinuous remnants that cap many of the ridges in the Western Highland Rim. Typically the formation consists of well-rounded, poorly sorted chert gravel which is trimodal in size distribution. The gravel fraction (mode 15 to 40+ mm) consists of Devonian and Mississippian chert and a small percentage of sandstone pebbles. The medium sand fraction (mode 0.5 mm) consists mainly of angular to well-rounded chert grains developed by attrition during transport. Well-rounded and frosted quartz grains also are present. The fine fraction (mode 0.15 mm) consists of clay, authi-genic (?) mica, and quartz. At its eastern limit the Tuscaloosa is locally well sorted and contains quartz pebbles and a large proportion of quartz sand. Also present in the same area are well-sorted, heavy-mineral-bearing sands and bimodal (0.04, 0.2 mm) siltstone, which contains sand-sized pellet aggregates and fragmentary plant fossils. The finest fraction (less than 0.044 mm) of both eastern and western facies of the Tuscaloosa consists of 60-80 per cent quartz, 5-30 per cent kaolin, and 5-30 per cent montmorillonite, all of which are present in Devonian and Mississippian bedrock. Minor exotic constituents include volcanic(?) glass and heavy minerals. The Mississippian chert gravel in the Tuscaloosa is of local origin, but the Devonian chert was transported from a western source. Other components from a western source are sandstone pebbles and frosted sand grains, both of which probably were derived from Cambrian or Ordovician formations that cropped out on the Pascola arch, an eastward-sloping extension of the Ozark dome. Quartz pebbles, heavy minerals, and some of the angular quartz sand present at the eastern edge of the Tuscaloosa may have been derived from Pennsylvanian sandstone and conglomerates that cropped out north and south of the Pascola arch. Most of the Tuscaloosa Formation is believed to be of nonmarine origin, deposited on the eastward-sloping flank of the Pascola arch. The eastern facies of the Tuscaloosa is believed to be partly marine in origin, the exotic components having been swept in by longshore currents. During deposition of the Tuscaloosa , the Ozark dome and the Cincinnati arch were connected by the Pascola arch, which is now deeply buried beneath the Mississippi Embayment, At that time the Pascola arch stood structurally about 3000 feet higher than at present, and its structural shape and dimensions were comparable to the present Nashville dome. During deposition of the Tuscaloosa the Nashville dome was structurally about 1000 feet lower than at present, and its crest probably was submerged beneath the sea.

Tennessee↗
USGS2023

Applications of natural language processing to geoscience text data and prospectivity modelling

Geological maps are powerful models for visualizing the complex distribution of rock types through space and time. However, the descriptive information that forms the basis for a preferred map interpretation is typically stored in geological map databases as unstructured text data that are difficult to use in practice. Herein we apply natural language processing (NLP) to geoscientific text data from Canada, the U.S., and Australia to address that knowledge gap. First, rock descriptions, geological ages, lithostratigraphic and lithodemic information, and other long-form text data are translated to numerical vectors, i.e., a word embedding, using a geoscience language model. Network analysis of word associations, nearest neighbors, and principal component analysis are then used to extract meaningful semantic relationships between rock types. We further demonstrate using simple Naive Bayes classifiers and the area under receiver operating characteristics plots (AUC) how word vectors can be used to: (1) predict the locations of “pegmatitic” (AUC = 0.962) and “alkalic” (AUC = 0.938) rocks; (2) predict mineral potential for Mississippi-Valley-type (AUC = 0.868) and clastic-dominated (AUC = 0.809) Zn-Pb deposits; and (3) search geoscientific text data for analogues of the giant Mount Isa clastic-dominated Zn-Pb deposit using the cosine similarities between word vectors. This form of semantic search is a promising NLP approach for assessing mineral potential with limited training data. Overall, the results highlight how geoscience language models and NLP can be used to extract new knowledge from unstructured text data and reduce the mineral exploration search space for critical raw materials.

Natural Resources Research↗
USGS2010

Geochemical data for core and bottom-sediment samples collected in 2007 from Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, northeast Oklahoma

Grand Lake O' the Cherokees is a large reservoir in northeast Oklahoma, below the confluence of the Neosho and Spring Rivers, both of which drain the Tri-State Mining District to the north. The Tri-State district covers an area of 1,200 mi 2 (3,100 km 2 ) and comprises Mississippi Valley-type lead-zinc deposits. A result of 120 years of mining activity is an estimated 75 million tons of processed mine tailings (chat) remaining in the district. Concerns of sediment quality and the possibility of human exposure to cadmium and lead through eating fish have led to several studies of the sediments in the Tri-State district. In order to record the transport and deposition of metals from the Tri-State district by the Spring and Neosho Rivers into Grand Lake O' the Cherokees, the U.S. Geological Survey collected 11 sediment cores and 15 bottom-sediment samples in September 2007. Subsamples from five selected cores and the bottom-sediment samples were analyzed for major and trace elements and forms of carbon. The sediment samples collected from the sediment-water interface had larger average concentrations of zinc, cadmium, and lead than local background. The core collected from the Spring River had the largest concentrations of mining-related elements. A core collected just south of Twin Bridges State Park, at the confluence of the Spring and Neosho Rivers, showed a mixing zone with more mining-related elements coming from the Spring River side. The element zinc showed the most definitive patterns in graphs depicting concentration-versus-depth profiles. A core collected from the main body of the reservoir showed affected sediment down to a depth of 85 cm (33 in). This core and two others appear to have penetrated to below mining-affected sediment.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2017

Comparison of oyster populations, shoreline protection service, and site characteristics at seven created fringing reefs in Louisiana: Key parameters and responses to consider

Coastal erosion threatens many low-lying areas around the globe. Rising sea levels from climate change are expected to increase coastal erosion and exacerbate flooding and storm surges. This is particularly true in low-lying coastal Louisiana, which developed as the Mississippi River changed course (delta switching) over the past 7000 years. Periods of land loss and gain resulted in an intricate coastal environment composed of shallow water areas with wetlands, swamps, barrier islands, and ridges (Day et al. 2007). This complex habitat sustains high economic and biological productivity, supporting the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 states, providing habitat for important species of fish and wildlife, mitigating storm surge, and delivering protection for oil and gas production facilities, including five of the nation’s largest ports. Because of past and ongoing geological and physical processes, such as subsidence, sea level rise, tropical cyclonic activity, and direct human activities (Barras 2009; Chmura et al. 1992; Georgiou et al. 2005), coastal Louisiana is estimated to have lost an area almost the size of Delaware (4877 km2) between 1932 and 2010, with recent analyses indicating losses averaging 42.9 km2/year (Couvillion et al. 2011).

Book chapter↗
USGS2017

Discriminating between natural vs induced seismicity from long-term deformation history of intraplate faults

To assess whether recent seismicity is induced by human activity or is of natural origin, we analyze fault displacements on high-resolution seismic reflection profiles for two regions in the central United States (CUS): the Fort Worth Basin (FWB) of Texas, and the northern Mississippi embayment (NME). Since 2009 earthquake activity in the CUS has increased dramatically, and numerous publications suggest that this increase is primarily due to induced earthquakes caused by deep-well injection of wastewater, both flowback water from hydrofracturing operations and produced water accompanying hydrocarbon production. Alternatively, some argue that these earthquakes are natural, and that the seismicity increase is a normal variation that occurs over millions of years. Our analysis shows that within the NME, faults deform both Quaternary alluvium and underlying sediments dating from Paleozoic through Tertiary, with displacement increasing with geologic unit age, documenting a long history of natural activity. In the FWB, a region of ongoing wastewater injection, basement faults show deformation of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic units, but little or no deformation of younger strata. Specifically, vertical displacements in the post-Pennsylvanian formations, if any, are below the resolution (~15 m) of the seismic data, far less than expected had these faults accumulated deformation over millions of years. Our results support the assertion that recent FWB earthquakes are of induced origin; this conclusion is entirely independent of analyses correlating seismicity and wastewater injection practices. To our knowledge this is the first study to discriminate natural and induced seismicity using classical structural geology analysis techniques.

Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Tenness↗
USGS2008

Geometry of the neoproterozoic and paleozoic rift margin of western Laurentia: Implications for mineral deposit settings

The U.S. and Canadian Cordilleran miogeocline evolved during several phases of Cryogenian-Devonian intracontinental rifting that formed the western mangin of Laurentia. Recent field and dating studies across central Idaho and northern Nevada result in identification of two segments of the rift margin. Resulting interpretations of rift geometry in the northern U.S. Cordillera are compatible with interpretations of northwest- striking asymmetric extensional segments subdivided by northeast-striking transform and transfer segments. The new interpretation permits integration of miogeoclinal segments along the length of the western North American Cordillera. For the U.S. Cordillera, miogeoclinal segments include the St. Mary-Moyie transform, eastern Washington- eastern Idaho upper-plate margin, Snake River transfer, Nevada-Utah lower-plate margin, and Mina transfer. The rift is orthogonal to most older basement domains, but the location of the transform-transfer zones suggests control of them by basement domain boundaries. The zigzag geometry of reentrants and promontories along the rift is paralleled by salients and recesses in younger thrust belts and by segmentation of younger extensional domains. Likewise, transform transfer zones localized subsequent transcurrent structures and igneous activity. Sediment-hosted mineral deposits trace the same zigzag geometry along the margin. Sedimentary exhalative (sedex) Zn-Pb-Ag ??Au and barite mineral deposits formed in continental-slope rocks during the Late Devonian-Mississippian and to a lesser degree, during the Cambrian-Early Ordovician. Such deposits formed during episodes of renewed extension along miogeoclinal segments. Carbonate-hosted Mississippi Valley- type (MVT) Zn-Pb deposits formed in structurally reactivated continental shelf rocks during the Late Devonian-Mississippian and Mesozoic due to reactivation of preexisting structures. The distribution and abundance of sedex and MVT deposits are controlled by the polarity and kinematics of the rift segment. Locally, discrete mineral belts parallel secondary structures such as rotated crustal blocks at depth that produced sedimentary subbasins and conduits for hydrothermal fluids. Where the miogeocline was overprinted by Mesozoic and Cenozoic deformation and magmatism, igneous rock-related mineral deposits are common. ??2008 Geological Society of America.

Geosphere↗
USGS1984

U-Th-Pb isotope chronology of sulfide ores and rocks in the early Proterozoic metavolcanic belt of northern Wisconsin

Lead was probably derived from 3.7-b.y.-old source material about 1.8 to 1.9 b.y. ago. Data on metavolcanic and granitic rocks from the belt show that the U-Th-Pb systems in most were reset about 1.6 b.y. ago; a time of shearing and retrogressive metamorphism. A concordia plot of the whole-rock lead data shows that many of the rocks lost lead relative to uranium and thorium during the interval 200 to 400 m.y. ago. Similar ores might be sought between the northern Wisconsin metavolcanic belt and the Upper Mississippi Valley because the lead lost from the basement there might be available for ore formation in overlying units. The lead in the early Proterozoic metavolcanic belt of northern Wisconsin seems to have been derived from the same mantle parent as the late Archean metavolcanic belts of northeastern Minnesota and southern Ontario.

Economic Geology↗
USGS2008

Vegetation Types in Coastal Louisiana in 2007

During the summer and fall of 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Fur and Refuge Division jointly completed an aerial survey to collect data on 2007 vegetation types in coastal Louisiana. The current map presents the data collected in this effort. The 2007 aerial survey was conducted by using techniques developed over the last thirty years while conducting similar vegetation surveys. Transects flown were oriented in a north-south direction and spaced 1.87 mi (3 km) apart and covered coastal marshes from the Texas State line to the Mississippi State line and from the northern extent of fresh marshes to the southern end of saline (saltwater) marshes on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico or of coastal bays. Navigation along these transects and to each sampling site was accomplished by using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and geographic information system (GIS) software. As the surveyors reached each sampling station, observed areas of marsh were assigned as fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline (saltwater) types, and dominant plant species were listed and ranked according to abundance. Delineations of marsh boundaries usually followed natural levees, bayous, or other features that impede or restrict water flow.

Louisiana↗
USGS1991

Fluid inclusion gas chemistry as a potential minerals exploration tool: Case studies from Creede, CO, Jerritt Canyon, NV, Coeur d'Alene district, ID and MT, southern Alaska mesothermal veins, and mid-continent MVT's

Recent advances in instrumentation now permit quantitative analysis of gas species from individual fluid inclusions. Fluid inclusion gas data can be applied to minerals exploration empirically to establish chemical (gas composition) signatures of the ore fluids, and conceptually through the development of genetic models of ore formation from a framework of integrated geologic, geochemical, and isotopic investigations. Case studies of fluid inclusion gas chemistry from ore deposits representing a spectrum of ore-forming processes and environments are presented to illustrate both the empirical and conceptual approaches. We consider epithermal silver-gold deposits of Creede, Colorado, Carlin-type sediment-hosted disseminated gold deposits of Jerritt Canyon, Nevada, metamorphic silver-base-metal veins of the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho and Montana, gold-quartz veins in accreted terranes of southern Alaska, and the mid-continent base-metal sulfide deposits of Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT's). Variations in gas chemistry determine the redox state of the ore fluids, provide compositional input for gas geothermometers, characterize ore fluid chemistry (e.g., CH 4 CO 2 , H 2 SSO 2 , CO 2 /H 2 S, organic-rich fluids, gas-rich and gas-poor fluids), identify magmatic, meteoric, metamorphic, shallow and deep basin fluids in ore systems, locate upwelling plumes of magmatic-derived volatiles, zones of boiling and volatile separation, interfaces between contrasting fluids, and important zones of fluid mixing. Present techniques are immediately applicable to exploration programsas empirical studies that monitor fluid inclusion gas threshold concentration levels, presence or absence of certain gases, or changes in gas ratios. We suggest that the greater contribution of fluid inclusion gas analysis is in the integrated and comprehensive chemical dimension that gas data impart to genetic models, and in the exploration concepts based on processes and environments of ore formation derived from these genetic models.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗
USGS1994

Neogene and Quaternary foraminifera and paleoenvironments of a corehole from Horn Island, Mississippi

The only semipermanent surface water available on the Southern High Plains plateau of Texas and New Mexico is contained in saline lakes and in the playa lakes that form in shallow depressions, called playa basins, following heavy rainfall. The playas generally are accepted as the main source of recharge to the underlying High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer of the region, and they constitute the major wildlife habitat on the Southern High Plains. Their use as water sources, holding ponds, and waste-disposal sites by agricultural and industrial operations may potentially lead to ground-water contamination and habitat degradation. Therefore, playa lakes will play an essential role in the collection of surface-water quality and ecological data for the Southern High Plains study unit of the National Water-Quality Assessment program of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2026

The saline groundwater legacy of a large buried coastal paleo-estuary

Elevated groundwater salinity in coastal regions threatens the beneficial use of fresh groundwater. Coastal groundwater management typically focuses on preventing intrusion from modern sources of seawater; however, past geological processes can also leave a legacy of saline groundwater now hidden in the subsurface. Here, multiple extensive airborne electromagnetic surveys provide detailed evidence of residual salinity from a paleo-estuary filling a late Pleistocene incised valley impacting more than 10,000 km 2 that is now hidden beneath coastal Louisiana’s deltaic plain. Our results show that the three-dimensional pattern of saline groundwater beneath Louisiana mimics that of near-surface aquifers surrounding the modern Delaware Bay estuary, fingerprinting the signature of the past drowning of a large, incised valley of the Mississippi River following post-glacial sea-level rise. These findings demonstrate a new framework for understanding legacy sources of saltwater critical for managing stressed water resources along global coastlines.

Louisiana↗
USGS2020

Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP): User guide for the Gulf Coast Monitoring and Assessment Portal

The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act Final Rule at 31 C.F.R. Part 34) was signed into law on July 6, 2012. The RESTORE Act calls for a regional approach to restoring the long-term health of the valuable natural ecosystem and economy of the Gulf Coast region. The RESTORE Act dedicates 80 percent of civil and administrative penalties paid under the Clean Water Act, after the date of enactment, by the responsible parties in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund) for ecosystem restoration, economic recovery, and tourism promotion in the Gulf Coast region. In addition to creating the Trust Fund, the RESTORE Act established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council or Council). The Council includes the Governors of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Army, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Council plays a key role in developing strategies and implementing projects that help ensure the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources are sustainable and available for future generations. The Council Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP) was approved as a Gulf-wide investment by the Council in the 2015 Initial Funded Priorities List and is administered jointly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Funded activities include the organization of basic, foundational components for a Gulf-wide monitoring network to measure the efficacy of investments in Gulf restoration by the Council. The program, in coordination with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) and through collaboration with the Gulf States, federal and local partners, academia, non-governmental organizations, and business and industry, has leveraged existing resources, capacities, and expertise and built on existing monitoring programs and their data.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi,↗
USGS1997

Seismic evidence of Quaternary faulting in the Benton Hills area, southeast Missouri

Two reflection seismic profiles at English Hill, across the southern edge of the Benton Hills escarpment, southeast Missouri, establish that geologic structures at English Hill are of tectonic origin. The lowland area to the south of the escarpment is relatively undisturbed. The geology at English Hill is structurally complex, and reflection seismic and geologic data indicate extensive and episodic faulting of Paleozoic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, and Quaternary strata. The individual faults have near-vertical fault surfaces with maximum vertical separations on the order of 15 m. They appear to be clustered in north-northeast trending zones that essentially parallel one of the dominant Benton Hills structural trends. These observations suggest that previously mapped Quaternary faults at English Hill are deep-seated and tectonic in origin. This paper documents recent faulting at English Hill and is the first time late Quaternary, surface-rupture faulting has been recognized in the middle Mississippi River Valley region outside of the New Madrid seismic zone. This has important implications for earthquake assessment in the midcontinent.

Missouri↗
USGS2014

Topographic lidar survey of the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, February 6, 2012

This Data Series Report contains lidar elevation data collected February 6, 2012, for Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. Point cloud data in lidar data exchange format (LAS) and bare earth digital elevation models (DEMs) in ERDAS Imagine raster format (IMG) are available as downloadable files. The point cloud data—data points described in three dimensions—were processed to extract bare earth data; therefore, the point cloud data are organized into the following classes: 1– and 17–unclassified, 2–ground, 9–water, and 10–breakline proximity. Digital Aerial Solutions, LLC, (DAS) was contracted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to collect and process these data. The lidar data were acquired at a horizontal spacing (or nominal pulse spacing) of 0.5 meters (m) or less. The USGS conducted two ground surveys in small areas on the Chandeleur Islands on February 5, 2012. DAS calculated a root mean square error (RMSEz) of 0.034 m by comparing the USGS ground survey point data to triangulated irregular network (TIN) models built from the lidar elevation data. This lidar survey was conducted to document the topography and topographic change of the Chandeleur Islands. The survey supports detailed studies of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama barrier islands that resolve annual and episodic changes in beaches, berms and dunes associated with processes driven by storms, sea-level rise, and even human restoration activities. These lidar data are available to Federal, State and local governments, emergency-response officials, resource managers, and the general public.

Louisiana↗