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At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources
USGS1982

Mineral resource potential map of the Troublesome Roadless Area, McCreary County, Kentucky

A geologic and geochemical investigation and a survey of existing mines and prospects have been conducted to determine the mineral resource potential of the Troublesome Roadless Area, McCreary County, Ky. The study area comprises six tracts totaling about 2,943 acres in the Daniel Boone National Forest. It is in the Cumberland Plateau section of the Appalachian Plateaus Province. All surface and mineral rights are federally owned. Limestone and shale units of Mississippian age and overlying sandstone, shale, and coal beds of Pennsylvanian age comprise the bedrock exposed in the Troublesome Roadless Area. Coal, sandstone, and shale are the principal mineral resources in the study area. Coal has been mined near the roadless area from at least two coal beds. Available data indicate that coal reserves do not underlie the area. Coal resources totalling 7 4 7,000 short tons in the Stearns No. 1112 (?) coal bed and 166,000 short tons in the Barren Fork(?) coal bed are contained in the Troublesome Roadless Area. Possible uses for sandstone units include silica sand, construction sand, and dimension stone. Shale may be suitable for structural clay products. Commercial quantities of oil and gas may be present at shallow depth in rocks of Mississippian age. A stream-sediment geochemical survey failed to recognize anomalies that would suggest mineralization, and the metallic mineral potential of the study area appears limited.

Kentucky↗
USGS1983

Mineral resource potential map of the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Study Area, Huerfano and Las Animas counties, Colorado

A geologic and geochemical investigation and a survey of mines and prospects have been conducted to evaluate the mineral resource potential of the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Study Area, Huerfano and Las Animas Counties, in south-central Colorado. The·study area is underlain by sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic to Tertiary age (Johnson, 1969). Stocks and dikes were emplaced between 20 and 25 m.y. ago (Smith, 1979) forming East and West Spanish Peaks and the White Peaks. Most of the study area lacks significant geochemical anomalies and has a low mineral potential. Anomalous concentrations of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc in the rocks and drainage basins in the vicinity of the old mines and prospects on West Spanish Peak indicate a moderate potential for small mineralized veins in this area. Ore-bearing veinlets have been worked in the past, primarily for silver and lead; however, the sparsity, small size, and low grade of the veins diminish their significance. The depth of several thousand feet at which coal may underlie the surface rocks of the study area makes it a resource with little likelihood of development. The potential for oil and gas appears low because of the apparent lack of structural traps and the intense igneous activity in the area.

Colorado↗
USGS1985

Maps showing anomaly patterns for silver, molybdenum, lead, and zinc in altered rocks and soils, Williams Fork and St. Louis Peak Roadless Areas, Clear Creek, Grand, and Summit counties, Colorado

The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S Bureau of Mines conducted field studies from 1979 through 1982 to assess the mineral resource potential of the Williams Fork and St. Louis Peak Roadless Areas and the Vasquez Peak Wilderness Study Area. Included were geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and investigation of known prospects and mines by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The area of study is located in the Arapaho National Forest, nort of Interstate Highway 70, west of U.S. Highway 40, and east of the Blue River, on the west side of the Front Range (fig. 1).

Colorado↗
USGS1985

Map showing the distribution of selected mineral assemblages in nonmagnetic heavy-mineral concentrates from stream sediments from the Vasquez Peak Wilderness Study Area, and the Williams Fork and St. Louis Peak Roadless Areas, Clear Creek, Grand, and Summit counties, Colorado

The U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted field studies from 1979 through 1983 to assess the mineral resource potential of the Vasquez Peak Wilderness Study Area (acreage: 16,000), the Williams Fork Roadless Area (acreage: 74,820), and the St. Louis Peak Roadless Area (acreage: 12,800). Included were geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and investigation of known prospects and mines by the U.S. Bureau of Mines.

Colorado↗
USGS1987

Map showing geochemical data for panned stream sediments from the Bread Loaf Further Planning Area, Addison and Washington counties, Vermont

A geochemical survey of bedrock samples in the Bread Loaf Roadless Area (index map; fig. 1) was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during October, 1981 in order to outline areas that may contain undiscovered mineral deposits. This report describes the results of a geochemical analysis of panned concentrates collected from stream sediments, and complements other geologic and geochemical investigations of the area (Slack and Bitar, 1983). The present study has offered us a chance to identify sampling media and a technique most appropriate for the enhancement of certain metallic elements in samples of panned concentrate. This study is important to the resource evaluation of the Bread Loaf Roadless Area because it reveals that geochemical anomalies produced by this technique are not evident in the standard magnetic and nonmagnetic fractions of panned concentrates.

Vermont↗
USGS2000

Transport of suspended and bedload sediment at eight stations in the Coeur d'Alene River basin, Idaho

The Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency within the Spokane River Basin of northern Idaho and eastern Washington included extensive data-collection activities to determine the nature and extent of trace-element contamination within the basin. As part of the investigation, the U.S. Geological Survey designed and implemented a sampling program to assess sediment transport in the Coeur d’Alene River Basin. Suspended and bedload sediments were sampled at four stations at or near base flow and at eight stations during low, moderate, and high discharge conditions between February 1999 and April 2000. The concentrations and loads of suspended and bedload sediment at all stations were directly related to stream discharge. To quantify these relationships, a power function was used to develop sediment-transport curves at all stations. Although the transport curves for most of the stations indicate a good log-log relationship between stream discharge and suspended- and bedload-sediment discharge, there was a fair amount of scatter about the best-fit regression at most stations. For suspended-sediment discharge, the scatter can be primarily attributed to a hysteresis effect in the concentration of suspended sediment as stream discharge rises and falls. The effects of hysteresis on bedload-sediment discharge were difficult to assess because of a paucity of samples collected over the stream hydrograph. At most of the stations, and at the stream discharges sampled, the transport characteristics for fine- and sand-sized suspended sediment were similar. However, at the two main-stem Coeur d’Alene River stations, Rose Lake and Harrison, the suspended-sediment load was primarily composed of fine-grained sediment at stream discharges of less than 15,000 cubic feet per second. These two stations are characterized by relatively slow water velocities, which appear to be insufficient to transport sand-sized sediment at lower stream discharge. At most of the stations, and at the stream discharges sampled, the bedload was primarily composed of material greater than 2 millimeters in diameter, the break between sand and gravel. A predominance of sand-sized bedload was noted at only a few stations, and generally only during low stream discharge. The particle-size distribution of bedload sediment at most stations became proportionately coarser as stream discharge increased. During the peak of snowmelt runoff for water years 1999 and 2000, gravel-sized material between 2 and 64 millimeters in diameter comprised more than 70 percent of the bedload transport at most stations. However, at the station on the Coeur d’Alene River at Rose Lake, the bedload was predominantly composed of fine-grained material of less than 1 millimeter in diameter for all measured stream discharges. The slow water velocities at Rose Lake accounted for the predominance of fine-grained sediment transport.

Idaho↗
USGS2000

Mapping Typha Domingensis in the Cienega de Santa Clara Using Satellite Images, Global Positioning System, and Spectrometry

The Cienega de Santa Clara, Sonora, Mexico, a brackish wetland area created near the delta of the Colorado River from drainage effluent flowing from the United States since 1977, may undergo changes owing to the operation of the Yuma Desalting Plant in the United States. This has become the largest wetland in the delta region containing rare and endangered species, yet little is known about the environmental impact of these changes. The water quality of the marsh is of growing concern to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) which operates the Desalting Plant. Consequently, the BOR solicited the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate the limits and usefulness of satellite, global positioning system (GPS), and spectra data to map the Typha domingensis (cattail) of the Cienega de Santa Clara. Typha domingensis was selected by the BOR as the Cienega de Santa Clara indicator species to best predict the environmental effects of effl uent from the Yuma Desalting Plant. The successful base mapping of Typha domingensis will provide a viable tool for long-term monitoring and stress detection in the Cienega de Santa Clara.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Major Crustal Fault Zone Trends and Their Relation to Mineral Belts in the North-Central Great Basin, Nevada

The Great Basin physiographic province covers a large part of the western United States and contains one of the world's leading gold-producing areas, the Carlin Trend. In the Great Basin, many sedimentary-rock-hosted disseminated gold deposits occur along such linear mineral-occurrence trends. The distribution and genesis of these deposits is not fully understood, but most models indicate that regional tectonic structures play an important role in their spatial distribution. Over 100 magnetotelluric (MT) soundings were acquired between 1994 and 2001 by the U.S. Geological Survey to investigate crustal structures that may underlie the linear trends in north-central Nevada. MT sounding data were used to map changes in electrical resistivity as a function of depth that are related to subsurface lithologic and structural variations. Two-dimensional (2-D) resistivity modeling of the MT data reveals primarily northerly and northeasterly trending narrow 2-D conductors (1 to 30 ohm-m) extending to mid-crustal depths (5-20 km) that are interpreted to be major crustal fault zones. There are also a few westerly and northwesterly trending 2-D conductors. However, the great majority of the inferred crustal fault zones mapped using MT are perpendicular or oblique to the generally accepted trends. The correlation of strike of three crustal fault zones with the strike of the Carlin and Getchell trends and the Alligator Ridge district suggests they may have been the root fluid flow pathways that fed faults and fracture networks at shallower levels where gold precipitated in favorable host rocks. The abundant northeasterly crustal structures that do not correlate with the major trends may be structures that are open to fluid flow at the present time.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2008

Preliminary Geologic Map of the North-Central Part of the Alamosa 30' x 60' Quadrangle, Alamosa, Conejos and Costilla Counties, Colorado

This geologic map presents new polygon (geologic map unit contacts) and line (terrace and lacustrine spit/barrier bar) vector data for a map comprised of four 7.5' quadrangles in the north-central part of the Alamosa, Colorado, 30' x 60' quadrangle. The quadrangles include Baldy, Blanca, Blanca SE, and Lasauses. The map database, compiled at 1:50,000 scale from new 1:24,000-scale mapping, provides geologic coverage of an area of current hydrogeologic, tectonic, and stratigraphic interest. The mapped area is located primarily in Costilla County, but contains portions of Alamosa and Conejos Counties, and includes the town of Blanca in its northeastern part. The map area is mainly underlain by surficial geologic materials (fluvial and lacustrine deposits, and eolian sand), but Tertiary volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks crop out in the San Luis Hills, which are in the central and southern parts of the mapped area. The surficial geology of this area has never been mapped at any scale greater than 1:250,000 (broad reconnaissance), so this new map provides important data for ground-water assessments, engineering geology, and the Quaternary geologic history of the San Luis Basin. Newly discovered shoreline deposits are of particular interest (sands and gravels) that are associated with the high-water stand of Lake Alamosa, a Pliocene to middle Pleistocene lake that occupied the San Luis basin prior to its overflow and cutting of a river gorge through the San Luis Hills. After the lake drained, the Rio Grande system included Colorado drainages for the first time since the Miocene (>5.3 Ma). In addition, Servilleta Basalt, which forms the Basaltic Hills on the east margin of the map area, is dated at 3.79+or-0.17 Ma, consistent with its general age range of 3.67-4.84 Ma. This map provides new geologic information for better understanding ground-water flow paths in and adjacent to the Rio Grande system. The map abuts U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2005-1392 (a map of the northwestern part of the Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangle map) to the west and U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 2965 (Fort Garland 7.5' quadrangle) to the east.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2010

The Limit of Inundation of the September 29, 2009, Tsunami on Tutuila, American Samoa

U.S. Geological Survey scientists investigated the coastal impacts of the September 29, 2009, South Pacific tsunami in Tutuila, American Samoa in October and November 2009, including mapping the alongshore variation in the limit of inundation. Knowing the inundation limit is useful for planning safer coastal development and evacuation routes for future tsunamis and for improving models of tsunami hazards. This report presents field data documenting the limit of inundation at 18 sites around Tutuila collected in the weeks following the tsunami using Differential GPS (DGPS). In total, 15,703 points along inundation lines were mapped. Estimates of DGPS error and uncertainty in interpretation of the inundation line are provided as electronic files that accompany this report.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2010

Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2007, Kuril-Kamchatka arc and vicinity

This map shows details of the Kuril-Kamchatka arc not visible in an earlier publication, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3064. The arc extends about 2,100 km from Hokkaido, Japan, along the Kuril Islands and the pacific coast of the Kamchatka, Russia, peninsula to its intersection with the Aleutian arc near the Commander Islands, Russia. It marks the region where the Pacific plate subducts into the mantle beneath the Okhotsk microplate, a part of the larger North America plate. This subduction is responsible for the generation of the Kuril Islands chain and the deep offshore Kuril-Kamchatka trench. Relative to a fixed North America plate, the Pacific plate is moving northwest at a rate that decreases from 83 mm per year at the arc's southern end to 75 mm per year near its northern edge.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2010

Seismicity of the Earth 1900-2007, Japan and vicinity

This map shows details of Japan and vicinity not visible in an earlier publication, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3064. Japan and its island possessions lie across four major tectonic plates: Pacific plate, North America plate; Eurasia plate; and Philippine Sea plate. The Pacific plate is subducted into the mantle, beneath Hokkaido and northern Honshu, along the eastern margin of the Okhotsk microplate, a proposed subdivision of the North America plate (Bird, 2003). Farther south, the pacific plate is subducted beneath volcanic islands along the eastern margin of the Philippine Sea plate. This 2,200 km-long zone of subduction of the Pacific plate is responsible for the creation of the deep offshore Ogasawara and Japan trenches as well as parallel chains of islands and volcanoes, typical of the Circumpacific island arcs. Similarly, the Philippine Sea plate is itself subducting under the Eurasia plate along a zone, extending from Taiwan to southern Honshu, that comprises the Ryuku Islands and the Nansei-Shonto trench.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2010

Megascopic lithologic studies of coals in the Powder River basin in Wyoming and in adjacent basins in Wyoming and North Dakota

Between 1999 and 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigated coalbed methane (CBM) resources in the Wyoming portion of the Powder River Basin. The study also included the CBM resources in the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin of North Dakota and the Wyoming portion of the Green River Basin of Wyoming. This project involved the cooperation of the State Office, Reservoir Management Group (RMG) of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Casper, Wyo., and 16 independent gas operators in the Powder River, Williston, and Green River Basins. The USGS and BLM entered into agreements with these CBM operators to supply samples for the USGS to analyze and provide the RMG with rapid, timely results of total gas desorbed, coal quality, and high-pressure methane adsorption isotherm data. This program resulted in the collection of 963 cored coal samples from 37 core holes. This report presents megascopic lithologic descriptive data collected from canister samples extracted from the 37 wells cored for this project.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2015

Field observations of artificial sand and oil agglomerates

Oil that comes into the surf zone following spills, such as occurred during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon ( DWH ) blowout, can mix with local sediment to form heavier-than-water sand and oil agglomerates ( SOAs ), at times in the form of mats a few centimeters thick and tens of meters long. Smaller agglomerates that form in situ or pieces that break off of larger mats, sometimes referred to as surface residual balls ( SRBs ), range in size from sand-sized grains to patty-shaped pieces several centimeters ( cm ) in diameter. These mobile SOAs can cause beach oiling for extended periods following the spill, on the scale of years as in the case of DWH . Limited research, including a prior effort by the U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) investigating SOA mobility, alongshore transport, and seafloor interaction using numerical model output, focused on the physical dynamics of SOAs . To address this data gap, we constructed artificial sand and oil agglomerates ( aSOAs ) with sand and paraffin wax to mimic the size and density of genuine SOAs . These aSOAs were deployed in the nearshore off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida, during a field experiment to investigate their movement and seafloor interaction. This report presents the methodology for constructing aSOAs and describes the field experiment. Data acquired during the field campaign, including videos and images of aSOA movement in the nearshore (1.5-meter and 0.5-meter water depth) and in the swash zone, are also presented in this report.

Florida↗
USGS2015

Preliminary estimates of annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 2013

Summary This report provides preliminary estimates of annual agricultural use of 387 pesticide compounds in counties of the conterminous United States in 2013, compiled by means of methods described in Thelin and Stone (2013) and Baker and Stone (2015). U.S. Department of Agriculture county-level data for harvested-crop acreage were used in conjunction with proprietary Crop Reporting District-level pesticide-use data to estimate county-level pesticide use. Where Crop Reporting District data were not available or were incomplete, estimated pesticide use values were calculated with two different methods, resulting in a low and a high estimate based on different assumptions about missing survey data (Thelin and Stone, 2013). Preliminary estimates in this report are expected to be revised upon availability of updated crop acreages in the 2017 Agricultural Census, to be published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2019. Estimates of annual agricultural pesticide use are provided as downloadable, tab-delimited files, which are organized by compound, year, state Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, county Federal Information Processing Standard code, and amount in kilograms (kg). The files, listed below, are a continuation of the 1992–2009 and 2008–2012 pesticide-use estimates reported by Stone (2013) and Baker and Stone (2015), respectively: High estimates of county pesticide use, arranged by pesticide name: Table 1. 1-Methyl Cyclopropene through Chlorantraniliprole Table 2. Chlorethoxyfos through Diflufenzopyr Table 3. Dimethenamid through Gibberellic Acid Table 4. Glufosinate through Metiram Table 5. Metolachlor through Propazine Table 6. Propiconazole through Triasulfuron Table 7. Tribenuron Methyl through Zoxamide Low estimates of county pesticide use, arranged by pesticide name: Table 8. 1-Methyl Cyclopropene through Chlorantraniliprole Table 9. Chlorethoxyfos through Diflufenzopyr Table 10. Dimethenamid through Gibberellic Acid Table 11. Glufosinate through Metiram Table 12. Metolachlor through Propazine Table 13. Propiconazole through Triasulfuron Table 14. Tribenuron Methyl through Zoxamide References Cited Baker, N.T., and Stone, W.W., 2015, Estimated annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 2008–12: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 907, 9 p., accessed July, 12, 2015, at http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds907. Stone, W.W., 2013, Estimated annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 1992–2009: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 752, 1 p., 14 tables Thelin, G.P., and Stone, W.W., 2013, Estimation of annual agricultural pesticide use for counties of the conterminous United States, 1992–2009: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5009, 54 p.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2017

Field manual for identifying and preserving high-water mark data

This field manual provides general guidance for identifying and collecting high-water marks and is meant to be used by field personnel as a quick reference. The field manual describes purposes for collecting and documenting high-water marks along with the most common types of high-water marks. The manual provides a list of suggested field equipment, describes rules of thumb and best practices for finding high-water marks, and describes the importance of evaluating each high-water mark and assigning a numeric uncertainty value as part of the flagging process. The manual also includes an appendix of photographs of a variety of high-water marks obtained from various U.S. Geological Survey field investigations along with general comments about the logic for the assigned uncertainty values.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2018

Chronic wasting disease—Status, science, and management support by the U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) investigates chronic wasting disease (CWD) at multiple science centers and cooperative research units across the Nation and supports the management of CWD through science-based strategies. CWD research conducted by USGS scientists has three strategies: (1) to understand the biology, ecology, and causes and distribution of CWD; (2) to assess and predict the spread and persistence of CWD in wildlife and the environment; and (3) to develop tools for early detection, diagnosis, surveillance, and control of CWD.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1955

Ground-water-supply possibilities in parts of Bear Lake and Caribou Counties, Idaho

Ground-water possibilities in parts of Bear Lake and Caribou counties, Idaho, were studied briefly, with special reference to the vicinities of Dingle and Montpelier and to the availability of ground water for expected industrial developments. The work was part of the ground-water investigations by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the state of Idaho. Most of the factual information herein was obtained from well drillers, farmers, and municipal water engineers. Geological examination was made of apparently favorable areas and water samples were collected from wells at Dingle Station and south of Wardboro.

Idaho↗