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

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At least 847 records · Page 47Linked to original sources
USGS1996

Hydrologic data for the East Poplar oil field, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Northeastern Montana

This report presents selected hydrologic data for the East Poplar oil field, located in the south-central part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana. Data about the occurrence, quantity, and quality of ground and surface water are presented in tabular form. The tables contain records of privately owned wells (active and abandoned), monitoring wells installed by the U.S. Geological Survey and Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, oil wells, and brine-injection wells; lithologic descriptions of drill cuttings and well-completion data from monitoring wells; data from two aquifer tests conducted in Quaternary alluvial and glacial deposits; chemical quality of ground water; and information on the quantity and chemical quality of surface water. Records of electromagnetic geophysical measurements collected throughout an area of about 20 square miles of the study area are compiled and included on a floppy disk. Illustrations in this report contain information about study area location, site- numbering system, general physical and cultural features, and construction of monitoring wells installed by the U.S. Geological Survey. plate-sized map presents additional information about privately owned wells, monitoring wells, oil wells, brine-injections wells, surface-water data-collection sites, and area of electromagnetic data collection. The data presented in this report provide a base with which to better define and interpret the occurrence, quantity, and quality of ground and surface water in the vicinity of the Poplar River Valley in the south-central part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The data can be used to help delineate the occurrence of brine and saline water in Quaternary alluvial and glacial deposits in the East Poplar oil field.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1917

Revision of the Beckwith and Bear River formations of southeastern Idaho

In the detailed geologic mapping of the Wayan and Montpelier quadrangles, in south-eastern Idaho and adjacent territory, it has been found necessary to apply new names to strata hitherto referred to the Beckwith and Bear River formations or to portions of the Laramie as mapped by the Hayden Survey. The two quadrangles are contiguous, and the Montpelier quadrangle lies south of the Wayan. They occupy the corner of the State and include a very narrow strip in northeastern Utah and a somewhat broader strip in western Wyoming.

Idaho↗
USGS2007

Hydrogeologic Appraisal of the Valley-Fill Aquifer in the Port Jervis Trough, Sullivan and Ulster Counties, New York

The nature and extent of valley-fill aquifers in the Port Jervis Trough was evaluated for a 16 mile section of this valley from the Orange-Sullivan County line near Westbrookville to the village of Napanoch in Ulster County as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Detailed Aquifer Mapping Program in New York State. The principal aquifer in the Port Jervis Trough is a 50 feet thick outwash aquifer that extends from the Phillipsport Moraine near Summitville, southward through the study area to Port Jervis, N.Y. Previous studies had estimated as much as 500 feet of saturated drift in parts of the Trough, but new well data show that much of the valley fill consists of fine-grained lacustrine sediments. Drillers' logs show that the outwash aquifer south of Summitville is underlain by as much as 275 feet of lacustrine silt and clay. North of the Phillipsport Moraine, three large glaciolacustrine deltas that were built into Glacial Lake Wawarsing provide some local and discontinuous confined aquifers through their coarser bottomset beds. Elsewhere in the Trough, collapsed and buried portions of kame deltas and terraces provide local confined aquifers. The outwash aquifer appears to be very transmissive, as evidenced by the high specific capacity of 130 gallons per minute per foot [(gal/min)/ft] of a commercial test well screened in the aquifer.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS2007

Altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface in the upper White Clay Creek and lower West Branch Brandywine Creek Basins including portions of Penn, London Grove, New Garden, Londonderry, West Marlborough, Highland, and East Fallowfield Townships and West Grove, Avondale, Modena, and South Coatesville boroughs, Chester County, Pennsylvania, May through July 2006

Since 1984, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been mapping the altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface in Chester County as part of an ongoing cooperative program to measure and describe the water resources of the county. These maps can be used to determine the general direction of ground-water flow and are frequently referenced by municipalities and developers to evaluate ground-water conditions for water supply and resource-protection requirements. For this study, the potentiometric surface was mapped for an area in south-central Chester County. The northern part of the map includes portions of Highland, East Fallowfield, Londonderry, and West Marlborough Townships and South Coatesville and Modena Boroughs. The southern part of the map includes portions of Londonderry, West Marlborough, Penn, London Grove, and New Garden Townships and West Grove and Avondale Boroughs. The study area is mostly underlain by metamorphic rocks of the Glenarm Supergroup including Peters Creek Schist, Octoraro Phyllite, Wissahickon Schist, Cockeysville Mrable, and Setters Quartzite; and by pegmatite, mafic gneiss, felsic gneiss, and diabase. Ground water is obtained from these bedrock formations by wells that intercept fractures. The altitude and configuration of the potentiometric surface was contoured from water levels measured on different dates in available wells during May through July 2006 and from the altitude of springs and perennial streams. Topography was used as a guide for contouring so that the altitude of the potentiometric surface was inferred nowhere to be higher than the land surface. The potentiometric surface shown on this map is an approximation of the water table. The altitude of the actual potentiometric surface may differ from the water table, especially in areas where wells are completed in a semi-confined zone or have long open intervals that reflect the composite hydraulic head of multiple water-yielding fractures. A composite head may differ from the potentiometric-surface altitude, particularly beneath hilltops and valleys where vertical hydraulic gradients are significant.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS2009

Terrestrial Ecosystems - Land Surface Forms of the Conterminous United States

As part of an effort to map terrestrial ecosystems, the U.S. Geological Survey has generated land surface form classes to be used in creating maps depicting standardized, terrestrial ecosystem models for the conterminous United States, using an ecosystems classification developed by NatureServe . A biophysical stratification approach, developed for South America and now being implemented globally, was used to model the ecosystem distributions. Since land surface forms strongly influence the differentiation and distribution of terrestrial ecosystems, they are one of the key input layers in this biophysical stratification. After extensive investigation into various land surface form mapping methodologies, the decision was made to use the methodology developed by the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership (MoRAP). MoRAP made modifications to Hammond's land surface form classification, which allowed the use of 30-meter source data and a 1-km2 window for analyzing the data cell and its surrounding cells (neighborhood analysis). While Hammond's methodology was based on three topographic variables, slope, local relief, and profile type, MoRAP's methodology uses only slope and local relief. Using the MoRAP method, slope is classified as gently sloping when more than 50 percent of the area in a 1-km2 neighborhood has slope less than 8 percent, otherwise the area is considered moderately sloping. Local relief, which is the difference between the maximum and minimum elevation in a neighborhood, is classified into five groups: 0-15 m, 16-30 m, 31-90 m, 91-150 m, and >150 m. The land surface form classes are derived by combining slope and local relief to create eight landform classes: flat plains (gently sloping and local relief =< 15 m), smooth plains (gently sloping and 15 m < local relief =< 30 m), irregular plains (gently sloping and 30 m < local relief =< 90 m), escarpments (gently sloping and local relief > 90 m), low hills (not gently sloping and local relief =< 30 m), hills (not gently sloping and 30 m < local relief =< 90 m), breaks/foothills (not gently sloping and 90 m < local relief =< 150 m), and low mountains (not gently sloping and local relief > 150 m). However, in the USGS application of the MoRAP methodology, an additional local relief group was used (> 400 m) to capture additional local topographic variation. As a result, low mountains were redefined as not gently sloping and 151 m < local relief < 400 m, and a new land surface form class, high mountains/deep canyons, was identified as not gently sloping and local relief > 400 m. The final application of the MoRAP methodology was implemented using the USGS 30-meter National Elevation Dataset and an existing USGS slope dataset that had been derived by calculating the slope from the NED in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates in each UTM zone, and then combining all of the zones into a national dataset. This map shows a smoothed image of the nine land surface form classes based on MoRAP's methodology. Additional information about this map and any data developed for the ecosystems modeling of the conterminous United States is available online at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/ecosystems/.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS2009

Terrestrial Ecosystems - Topographic Moisture Potential of the Conterminous United States

As part of an effort to map terrestrial ecosystems, the U.S. Geological Survey has generated topographic moisture potential classes to be used in creating maps depicting standardized, terrestrial ecosystem models for the conterminous United States, using an ecosystems classification developed by NatureServe. A biophysical stratification approach, developed for South America and now being implemented globally, was used to model the ecosystem distributions. Substrate moisture regimes strongly influence the differentiation and distribution of terrestrial ecosystems, and therefore topographic moisture potential is one of the key input layers in this biophysical stratification. The method used to produce these topographic moisture potential classes was based on the derivation of ground moisture potential using a combination of computed topographic characteristics (CTI, slope, and aspect) and mapped National Wetland Inventory (NWI) boundaries. This method does not use climate or soil attributes to calculate relative topographic moisture potential since these characteristics are incorporated into the ecosystem model though other input layers. All of the topographic data used for this assessment were derived from the USGS 30-meter National Elevation Dataset (NED ) including the National Compound Topographic Index (CTI). The CTI index is a topographically derived measure of slope for a raster cell and the contributing area from upstream raster cells, and thus expresses potential for water flow to a point. In other words CTI data are 'a quantification of the position of a site in the local landscape', where the lowest values indicate ridges and the highest values indicate stream channels, lakes and ponds. These CTI values were compared to independent estimates of water accumulation by obtaining geospatial data from a number of sample locations representing two types of NWI boundaries: freshwater emergent wetlands and freshwater forested/shrub wetlands. Where these shorelines (the interface between the NWI wetlands and adjacent land) occurred, the CTI values were extracted and a histogram of their statistical distributions was calculated. Based on an evaluation of these histograms, CTI thresholds were developed to separate periodically saturated or flooded land, mesic uplands (moderately moist), and uplands. After the range of CTI values for these three different substrate moisture regimes was determined, the CTI values were grouped into three initial topographic moisture potential classes. As a final step in the generation of this national data layer, the uplands classification was subdivided into either very dry uplands or dry uplands. Very dry uplands were defined as uplands with relatively steep, south-facing slopes, and identification of this class was based on the slope and aspect datasets derived from the NED. The remaining uplands that did not meet these additional criteria were simply re-classified as dry uplands. The final National Topographic Moisture Potential dataset for the conterminous United States contains four classes: periodically saturated or flooded land (CTI = 18.5), mesic uplands (12 =< CTI < 18.5), dry uplands (CTI < 12), and very dry uplands (CTI < 12, Slope > 24 degrees and 91 degrees =< Aspect =< 314 degrees). This map shows a smoothed and generalized image of the four topographic moisture potential classes. Additional information about this map and any of the data developed for the ecosystems modeling of the conterminous United States is available online at http://rmgsc.cr.usgs.gov/ecosystems/.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS2018

Delineation of selected lithologic units using airborne electromagnetic data near Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Cedar Rapids, began a study in 2013 to better understand the effects of drought stress on the Cedar River alluvial aquifer. After an evaluation of the existing groundwater-flow models for the alluvial aquifer, a plan was begun to construct an updated groundwater-flow model capable of evaluating the effect of prolonged drought and increased demand. As part of the effort to update the existing groundwater-flow model, data were collected during an airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey in May 2017. The study area for the AEM survey encompasses about 53 square kilometers of the Cedar River Basin, west of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and includes a 19-kilometer reach of the Cedar River. The AEM survey of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer and adjacent areas was completed to characterize the subsurface geology of the area to refine a lithologic framework. The collected AEM data were postprocessed by numerical inversion using the program EM1DFM to produce subsurface apparent resistivity cross sections. Changes observed in resistivity profile values with depth were used to infer lithologic changes and delineate three of the four lithologic units designated in the lithologic framework for this area: alluvial deposits, glacial till, and bedrock; hereafter referred to as the “lithologic framework.” The fourth unit, composed of surficial eolian sediments, was not delineated in these profiles because these units are thin and discontinuous and are not reliably distinguishable from flood plain alluvial deposits. For the purposes of delineating lithologic units using the AEM data, bedrock was assumed to be the lowest unit in a profile, glacial till was deposited on a bedrock surface, and alluvium was deposited on erosional till or bedrock surfaces. A three-dimensional fence diagram was created as part of the lithologic framework to further define the extent and thickness of the lithologic units near the Cedar River alluvial aquifer. The fence diagram shows a three-dimensional perspective of unit thickness, extent, and orientation of the delineated lithologic framework. A lithologic framework, by design, is intended to represent a simplification of a more complex natural system through data interpolation between known points, which usually are lithologic logs. The resistivity profiles produced from the AEM survey allow for continuous mapping and accurate interpolation of lithology between lithologic logs; however, the apparent resistivity value may reflect several characteristics of subsurface materials including variations in lithology, porosity, water quality, grain sorting, and degree of saturation. In this study, the only variables considered were those related to changes in the subsurface material.

Iowa↗
USGS2017

Hydrogeology and water quality of sand and gravel aquifers in McHenry County, Illinois, 2009–14, and comparison to conditions in 1979

Baseline conditions for the sand and gravel aquifers (groundwater) in McHenry County, Illinois, were assessed using data from a countywide network of 44 monitoring wells collecting continuous water-level data from 2009–14. In 2010, water-quality data were collected from 41 of the monitoring wells, along with five additional monitoring wells available from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment Program. Periodic water-quality data were collected from 2010–14 from selected monitoring wells. The continuous water-level data were used to identify the natural and anthropogenic factors that influenced the water levels at each well. The water-level responses to natural influences such as precipitation, seasonal and annual variations, barometric pressure, and geology, and to anthropogenic influences such as pumping were used to determine (1) likely hydrogeologic setting (degree of aquifer confinement and interconnections) that, in part, are related to lithostratigraphy; and (2) areas of recharge and discharge related to vertical flow directions. Water-level trends generally were determined from the 6 years of data collection (2009–14) to infer effects of weather variability (drought) on recharge. Precipitation adds an estimated 2.4 inches per year of recharge to the aquifer. Some of this recharge is subsequently discharged to streams and some is discharged to supply wells. A few areas in the eastern half of the county had higher average recharge rates, indicating a need for adequate protection of these recharge areas. Downward vertical flow gradients in upland areas indicate that recharge to the confined aquifer units occurs near upland areas. Upward vertical flow gradients in lowland areas indicate discharge at locations of surface water and groundwater interaction (wetlands, ponds, and streams). Monitoring wells were sampled for major and minor ions, metals, and nutrients and a subset of wells was sampled for trace elements, dissolved gases, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds. The results were compared to health ‑ based and aesthetically based standards, which include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maximum Contaminant Level (EPA MCL), and EPA Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCL), as well as EPA Health-based Standards Drinking Water Advisories. Health‑based standards were exceeded for arsenic in 22 percent, sodium in 20 percent, and nitrates in 2 percent of the monitoring wells sampled. Aesthetically based standards were exceeded for total dissolved solids in 33 percent, chloride in 11 percent, iron in 85 percent, and manganese in 30 percent of the wells sampled. Many of these same constituents, such as arsenic, iron, and manganese, are naturally occurring but become elevated in areas that have anoxic, mixed, and suboxic conditions. Some areas of potential vulnerability to anthropogenic-sourced constituents in the sand and gravel aquifers were evidenced by trace amounts of volatile organic compounds and pesticides detected in water-quality samples from shallow wells (total depth less of than 46 feet below land surface) near urban settings, and by the detection of elevated major ions (chloride, sodium, magnesium, and calcium) associated, in part, with road-salt applications. Source analysis for chloride indicates mixtures of road salt, water softeners, and sewage. Continuously measured specific conductance values were used as a surrogate for continuously measured chloride concentrations in the groundwater. The estimated chloride concentrations generally were highest in spring and lowest in summer, and occasionally peak during spring melt. Overall, the range of concentrations varied depending on the local thickness and hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. Water levels and water quality from the countywide groundwater monitoring network were compared to water levels and water-quality results in 1979 from a previous U.S. Geological Survey study. Potentiometric surface maps show areas with inferred decreases of water levels near the southern and southeastern areas of McHenry County. Significant increases were noted for total dissolved solids and specific conductance. Chloride concentrations increased as much as 521 percent in three of six wells resampled in 2015 from the previous study.

Illinois↗
USGS1951

Apache Trail uranium prospect, White Signal district, Grant County, New Mexico

The Apache Trail uranium prospect in the White Signal district, Grant County. N. Mex., was mapped by the Geological Survey in May 1950. Pre-Cambrian granite is cut by a diabase dike and a parallel quartz-hematite vein, both of which strike easterly and dip 60 to 65 degrees north. Small quantities of copper carbonates and bismuth-gold ore have been mined. The quartz-hematite vein is moderately radioactive and, although no uranium minerals were seen, two samples contained about 0.01 percent uranium. The diabase dike locally contains torbernite. Two samples of diabase contained about 0.04 percent uranium.

New Mexico↗
USGS2019

US Topo Product Standard

This document defines a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital topographic map. This map product series, named “US Topo,” is modeled on the now historical USGS 7.5-minute (1:24,000 scale) topographic map series produced and printed by the USGS from 1947 to 2006. US Topo maps have the same extent, scale, and general layout as the historical topographic maps. US Topo maps incorporate an orthorectified image (hereinafter referred to as “orthoimage”) and shaded relief image along with a selection of data that were included in the historical 7.5-minute topographic maps. Between June and September of 2017, the USGS transitioned the format of US Topo maps to be published, by using a geospatial extension, in an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 32000-compliant Adobe® portable document format (PDF) that is called a “geospatial PDF.” Previously, US Topo maps were published, by using geospatial extensions patented by TerraGo® Technologies, in PDF in a format called a “GeoPDF®.” The geospatial PDF design allows a user to zoom in and out in a georeferenced environment, turn layers on and off, view or print any combination of layers, and print any portion of the map at the published scale. US Topo maps are intended to serve conventional map users by providing geographic information system (GIS) information in symbolized form in the customary topographic map layout. The maps are not intended for advanced GIS analysis applications. These products are built on standard coordinate systems and include full U.S. National Grid (USNG) lines, making US Topo maps particularly useful for emergency first-response operations. These maps are also used by traditional topographic map users, such as resource managers, planners, and recreational users who continue to have a need for the symbolized feature data contained in the 7.5-minute quadrangle maps. Full-size style sheet templates in PDF defining the placement of map elements, marginalia, and font sizes and styles accompany this standard. US Topo maps published as geospatial PDFs are fashioned to conform to these style sheets so that a user can print out a map at the 1:24,000, 1:25,000, or 1:20,000 scale using the dimensions of the traditional standard 7.5-minute quadrangle. Symbology and type specifications for feature content and detailed requirements for geospatial content will be published separately. This document is an update of the US Topo Product Standard published in 2011 (Cooley and others, 2011). It is applicable to all US Topo maps. Updates in this version include the introduction of an ISO 32000-compliant geospatial PDF as a new file format for published maps; new style sheet templates for 1:24,000-scale maps (conterminous United States and Hawaii), 1:25,000-scale maps (Alaska), and 1:20,000-scale maps (Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands); an updated US Topo Map Symbol attachment; minor updates to text, including changes to the features and layers included in the US Topo product and the sheet size of the US Topo maps; updated figures demonstrating the US Topo product; an updated metadata file containing map-specific information.

Techniques and Methods↗
USGS1901

Profiles of rivers in the United States

The profiles here represented are derived from various sources and differ from one another greatly in accuracy. Many of them are drawn from the annual reports of the Chief of Engineers, U.S.A., under which are included the reports of the Mississippi and Missouri River commissions. The heights thus obtained are those of the level of water in the rivers at certain stages, and may be regarded as of great accuracy. Others have been obtained from railroad profiles, being the level of the rivers at points where the railroads touch or cross them. Still others have been taken from the atlas sheets of the United States Geological Survey and from other maps. In most such cases the points at which the contours cross the rivers upon the maps have been taken. These again differ in point of accuracy with the means adopted for the location of the contours. Where the spirit level was used in locating contours it may be assumed that the determinations are fairly good, but where the barometer was used the probable error may be of considerable magnitude. Such elevations are, however, mainly in the mountainous parts of the country, where the fall of the streams is great, and where, therefore, errors of considerable magnitude may be tolerated, as affecting but little the form of the profile.

Water Supply Paper↗
USGS2025

VIPER site analysis

We needed to evaluate available orbital data of NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission area in order to derive a variety of maps to help the science team identify scientifically interesting places for the rover to visit and to provide scientific context for our mission. Some of these maps also fulfilled engineering and mission design needs to enable safe and efficient landing and roving. We incorporated data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, the Lunar Orbital Laser Altimeter, the Mini-RF instrument, the Chandrayaan-2 Orbital High Resolution Camera, the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter’s Shadowcam, the Kaguya Spectral Profiler and Multiband Imager, and the Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper. We used a variety of techniques to build these maps, including stereogrammetry, shape-from-shading, ice stability depth and surface temperature calculations, and the horizon method for solar illumination and direct-to-Earth communications maps. Altogether, these maps allowed us to survey for boulders, evaluate features in permanently shadowed regions that VIPER might explore, provide mineralogic context for what VIPER’s instruments may learn, estimate the ages and radar properties of craters in the VIPER mission area, and evaluate the potential for gravity traverses with the rover. These data and techniques provided a rich set of information from which both the VIPER science team and engineering teams were able to draw in order to plan a safe landing and to plan a VIPER surface mission that will be both scientifically valuable and robust from an operational perspective.

The Planetary Science Journal↗
USGS2007

USGS QA Plan: Certification of digital airborne mapping products

To facilitate acceptance of new digital technologies in aerial imaging and mapping, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners have launched a Quality Assurance (QA) Plan for Digital Aerial Imagery. This should provide a foundation for the quality of digital aerial imagery and products. It introduces broader considerations regarding processes employed by aerial flyers in collecting, processing and delivering data, and provides training and information for US producers and users alike.

GIM International↗
USGS1967

Surveying the earth's resources from space

Two developments, aerial photography and airborne geophysical surveying techniques, have already increased the rate at which new knowledge of the world's resources can be acquired. But even with far wider use of the tools and techniques already available, the problems that face us are greater than our current ability to solve them. Fortunately, some of the further acceleration required can be obtained through use of remote-sensing devices mounted in high-flying aircraft and earth-orbiting satellites.

Surveying and Mapping↗