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USGS2025

Assimilation of reduced carbon triggers platinum alloy saturation in mafic and ultramafic magmas

It is generally observed that magmatic sulfide ores have higher ratios of Pd/Pt than the mantle-like values of their parental magmas. This discrepancy has defied simple explanation because the partitioning behavior of both elements between sulfide and silicate liquids is very similar. Assimilation of sulfur- and carbon-rich country rocks by mafic and ultramafic magmas is considered a critical, if not essential, step in the formation of magmatic base metal sulfide deposits. Although there is general consensus that the assimilation of external sulfur and carbon promotes sulfide saturation, the effect of carbon assimilation on the solubilities of platinum-group elements in natural S-bearing silicate melt has been overlooked. In this study, we investigate the variations of platinum and palladium solubilities during assimilation of graphite and methane through thermodynamic modeling, in comparison with data from an array of highly distinctive magmatic sulfide ore systems representing ages from Archean to Paleozoic, melt compositions from komatiite to basalt, and magmatic settings including lavas, hypabyssal intrusions, plutonic continental arc roots, and plutonic layered intrusions, namely: Raglan, Norilsk-Talnakh, Lac des Iles, and the J-M Reef of the Stillwater Complex. We model assimilation-fractional crystallization processes to estimate the reduction of oxygen fugacity ( ⁠fO2⁠ ) of the melt due to incorporation of graphite and methane. The simulations show that although Pd remains highly soluble during the progressive assimilation of reduced carbon, Pt solubility decreases significantly as the silicate melt becomes increasingly reduced. With less than 8 % of sediment assimilation, Pt alloy may saturate and then deviate from sulfide-undersaturated silicate melts, concomitantly increasing the Pd/Pt value of the remaining melts of the Raglan and Norilsk-Talnakh systems. For the Lac des Iles and Stillwater systems, a higher extent of assimilation is needed to reach Pt saturation because of the relatively carbon-poor nature of the lower crustal rocks. The assimilation of methane volatiles is shown to be more effective than graphite assimilation, and it provides a pathway to Pt alloy fractionation in the absence of detectable amounts of bulk host-rock assimilation. High Pd/Pt values have been documented in many world-class magmatic sulfide deposits whose parental magmas have demonstrably experienced crustal contamination. Our model suggests that although anomalous Pd/Pt values may be explained by other mechanisms such as incongruent melting of preexisting sulfide or differences in the diffusivities of the metals within achieving equilibration, the assimilation of graphite or methane may play an important role in the global occurrence of magmatic sulfide ores with elevated Pd/Pt values.

Economic Geology↗
USGS2026

Evidence for a biological origin of uranium-rich carbon masses within the Ediacaran Salt Range Formation of Pakistan

Thucholites are unique organic structures found in igneous and sedimentary rocks composed of a U-C-rich interior enclosed by an organic outer shell. Their formation and occurrence have perplexed scientists for over 100 years. Typically, thucholites are sparse in sedimentary rocks but where found in abundance, they may be the result of rapid paleoecological disruptions, e.g., volcanic ashfall. Here, we evaluated thucholites from the Ediacaran Salt Range Formation of the Indus Basin in Pakistan using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectroscopy (NanoSIMS) to propose a two-stage mechanism for thucholite development. NanoSIMS results suggest organic matter in thucholite cores formed by biological fractionation (represented by the presence of lighter 13 C/ 12 C and 34 S/ 32 S) while the outer organic mantle formed via radiolysis-induced polymerization. FESEM elemental analysis confirms compositional differences between the two thucholite components (core and mantle), further implying their contrasting origins. Dimensional comparison of thucholite cores and their U-bearing mineral morphologies to ancient and modern U-biomineralized microbes suggests that the thucholite cores formed from metal-biological interactions. The presence of volcanogenic biotite, alkali feldspar, and clay spherules (interpreted as devitrified volcanic glass) with thucholite suggests that the thucholite cores in the Salt Range Formation are biological responses to rapid paleoenvironmental change from volcanic eruption which preserved the fossilized morphologies of Proterozoic microorganisms.

Salt Range↗
USGS2025

A time-space model of graphite mineral systems

Increasing demand for graphite in energy storage systems warrants review of graphite ore genesis in a mineral systems framework. Orogenic graphite encompasses the metamorphic and orogenic mineral systems that produce flake graphite and hydrothermal vein (lump and chip) graphite deposits, respectively. A common feature of orogenic graphite deposits is an association with upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies metasedimentary rocks in continent-continent or continent-island arc collisional orogens. Orogenic flake graphite deposits form primarily through graphitization of organic carbon during regional metamorphism, but strain localization and partial melting of pelitic protoliths are likely important processes for graphite grade and quality enrichment. Orogenic vein graphite deposits precipitate from hydrothermal fluids, possibly derived from metamorphism or anatexis at depth. Decarbonation reactions in mixed calcareous-carbonaceous metasedimentary sequences are the most likely carbon sources for the veins. In contrast, intrusion-related graphite includes magmatic-hydrothermal and metamorphic mineral systems that form primarily in continental arc settings via the interaction of magmas with carbonaceous sedimentary packages. Magmatic-hydrothermal flake graphite deposits are hosted in plutonic and volcanic rocks, and result from the exsolution of CO 2 -CH 4 -rich fluids from melts contaminated by such packages. Contact metamorphism of carbonaceous sedimentary rocks by plutons produces some microcrystalline (amorphous) graphite deposits, including many in China. Compilation of geologic data from known graphite deposits globally suggests that pulses of carbon deposition in the Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic provided source carbon material. Subsequent supercontinent orogenesis at ca. 2,100 to 1,700 Ma (Columbia), ca. 1,300 to 1,000 Ma (Rodinia), and ca. 650 to 500 Ma (Gondwana) resulted in the genesis of orogenic flake and vein graphite deposits, where favorable geologic components overlapped with organic ± carbonate carbon-rich strata. Cryogenian deposition of graphite protoliths and Cryogenian – Cambrian metamorphic mineralization account for nearly 75% of all known resources globally and coincide with profound carbon isotope excursions and climate variability, implying a link with the global carbon budget. Comparatively few graphite deposits are associated with Pangea-forming orogens, attributed to less exhumation and/or denudation. High-temperature metasedimentary belts containing organic carbon-rich protoliths are most favorable for hosting orogenic flake graphite deposits, whereas sequences that also contain carbonate protoliths are favorable for orogenic graphite veins. Continent-scale orogenic belts may host both deposit types along with vanadium deposits. Use of a time-space mineral systems framework for graphite deposits can improve exploration models needed to ensure future supply of this critical mineral and provide insights into Earth’s long-term carbon cycle.

Mineralium Deposita↗
USGS1998

Water-quality assessment of the Ozark Plateaus study unit, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma — Nutrients, bacteria, organic carbon, and suspended sediment in surface water, 1993-95

Nutrient, bacteria, organic carbon, and suspended- sediment samples were collected from 1993-95 at 43 surface-water-quality sampling sites within the Ozark Plateaus National Water- Quality Assessment Program study unit. Most surface-water-quality sites have small or medium drainage basins, near-homogenous land uses (primarily agricultural or forest), and are located predominantly in the Springfield and Salem Plateaus. The water-quality data were analyzed using selected descriptive and statistical methods to determine factors affecting occurrence in streams in the study unit. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use increased in the Ozark Plateaus study unit for the period 1965-85, but the application rates are well below the national median. Fertilizer use differed substantially among the major river basins and physiographic areas in the study unit. Livestock and poultry waste is a major source of nutrient loading in parts of the study unit. The quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock and poultry wastes differed substantially among the river basins of the study unit's sampling network. Eighty six municipal sewage-treatment plants in the study unit have effluents of 0.5 million gallons per day or more (for the years 1985-91). Statistically significant differences existed in surface-water quality that can be attributed to land use, physiography, and drainage basin size. Dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total phosphorus, fecal coliform bacteria, and dissolved organic carbon concentrations generally were larger at sites associated with agricultural basins than at sites associated with forested basins. A large difference in dissolved nitrite plus nitrate concentrations occurred between streams draining basins with agricultural land use in the Springfield and Salem Plateaus. Streams draining both small and medium agricultural basins in the Springfield Plateau had much larger concentrations than their counterparts in the Salem Plateau. Drainage basin size was not a significant factor in affecting total phosphorus, fecal coliform bacteria, or dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Suspended-sediment concentrations generally were small and indicative of the clear water in streams in the Ozark Plateaus. A comparison of the dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform data collected at the fixed and synoptic sites indicates that generally the data for streams draining basins of similar physiography, land-use setting, and drainage basin size group together. Many of the variations are most likely the result of differences in percent agricultural land use between the sites being compared or are discharge related. The relation of dissolved nitrite plus nitrate, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform concentration to percent agricultural land use has a strong positive 2 Water-Quality Assessment-Nutrients, Bacteria, Organic Carbon, and Suspended Sediment in Surface Water, 1993-95 correlation, with percent agricultural land use accounting for between 42 and 60 percent of the variation in the observed concentrations.

Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗
USGS2025

Estimation of the accessible and useful resource base for electric-grade enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) resources of the Great Basin, USA

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a provisional assessment of the electric-grade geothermal resources associated with the low-permeability geologic formations of the Great Basin, USA, where resources are assumed to be accessible using enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) technologies (i.e., the engineering of sufficient permeability to facilitate efficient heat extraction). This assessment required estimation of the accessible resource base (electric-grade heat [>90ºC] at depths where drilling and stimulation are deemed achievable using current technology) and useful resource (heat that can be extracted from the accessible region). Electric-grade heat can be estimated from existing temperature models. The accessible resource base can be estimated as the electric-grade heat that exists at depths shallower than 6 km based on the limitations of current drilling and stimulation technologies, along with evidence for sustained natural fracture conductivity at depth. The useful part of the accessible heat can be estimated as the product of three efficiencies and factors: the heat extraction efficiency, the viable geology factor, and the reservoir spacing efficiency. The accessible and useful parts of the resource can be estimated in units of heat, or in units of electric power using an electrical conversion efficiency, which is a function of resource temperature. We also estimate the ranges for each of the efficiencies and describe the motivations behind the choice of best estimates used for the recent assessment. An analytic solution is provided for the useful resource above any depth (in units of electric power), where efficiency estimation assumes nearly steady heat extraction rates that cool reservoirs to 90ºC over 30 years of power generation.

Great Basin↗
USGS2025

USGS—An Unparalleled Scientific Asset

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers information critical to powering our economy, managing our natural resources, and keeping Americans safe and healthy. 1 Mapping the Nation $21B Geologic maps save users an estimated 15% in annual costs: a value of between $14B and $21B. $25.6B in annual value to users of imagery from Landsat satellites, which were codeveloped by NASA and the USGS and operated through their lifespans by the USGS. $13.5B in annual benefits is generated by the USGS's 3D Elevation Program. Securing America’s Energy Independence 44% USGS-identified undiscovered geothermal energy is equal to 44% of current U.S. electricity generation. 29.4B barrels of oil and 391.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in recoverable resources are available on U.S. public lands based on USGS assessments. Protecting Americans’ Health and Safety $424B in recent wildland fire damages highlight the need for USGS fire science, which supports efforts to protect communities and reduce risk. USGS earthquake, volcano, landslide, and coastal hazard monitoring and information save lives and minimize costs; for example, $2.8M can be saved because of USGS enhanced information about a Mauna Loa eruption. $4.5B is the estimated cost of annual flooding. Through a network of over 11,885 streamgages, the USGS supports public safety and enables forecasts, early warning systems, and management actions that protect lives and property. Supporting National Security $3.1B The USGS identified a $3.1B risk to the American economy if China restricts gallium imports. This is one example underscoring the importance of the USGS mapping critical minerals, investigating supply chains, and producing the Nation’s critical minerals list. Enhancing Our Lands and Waters $21B in estimated annual costs results from invasive species. The USGS’s invasive species research informs approaches used to reduce their effects on agriculture, water infrastructure, disease transmission, fisheries, and outdoor recreation. USGS innovations support early warnings for harmful algal blooms—over $2M in yearly benefits are provided to Kansas alone. $45B USGS science informs the management of big game (such as deer and elk). The big-game hunting industry contributes $45B to the U.S. economy. Fostering American Prosperity $4.1T Mineral commodities are necessary for the $4.1T in value added to the GDP by major industries that consume processed mineral materials and employ 1 million workers. Because of this, USGS data on mineral supply, demand, and trade are highly valued. 45,000 metric tons Rare earths power the growing technology economy, including cell phones, electric vehicles, and medical devices. For over 70 years, USGS work has supported the discovery of rare earth resources in California’s Mountain Pass area, which produced 45,000 metric tons of rare earth concentrates in 2024—over 11% of the global supply. Guarding American Food Security $70.2B USGS science informs early warning systems and management strategies to mitigate disease outbreaks in agriculture—critical research on highly pathogenic avian influenza, for example, helps safeguard the $70B value in poultry and egg production. $11.8B USGS groundwater tools are vital for agriculture; for example, in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, 65% of farming relies on groundwater to support its $11.8B annual industry. 1 Values throughout are given in billions (B), millions (M), and trillions (T) of U.S. dollars. GDP is “Gross Domestic Product.” Percentages are shown as %.

General Information Product↗
USGS2025

Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing of hydrologic processes—Diverse deployments and new applications by the U.S. Geological Survey

Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing instruments harness the temperature-dependent properties of glass to measure temperature continuously along optical fibers by using precise pulses of laser light. In the mid-2000s, this technology was refined for environmental monitoring purposes such as snowpack-air exchange, groundwater/surface-water exchange, and lake-water stratification. Fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing has revealed unprecedented details about preferential flow processes; however, the method is labor intensive and requires specific training, resulting in limited use by the broader water community. With the ongoing national implementation of the U.S. Geological Survey Next Generation Water Observing System, there has been renewed interest in harnessing the unique spatiotemporal monitoring capabilities of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing. This fact sheet briefly describes this technology, highlights uses by the U.S. Geological Survey, and discusses current applications and future opportunities.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2026

Deep subsurface organic-rich shale supports abundant, diverse, and novel fungi

As Earth’s principal reservoir of organic carbon and microbial biomass, the deep subsurface hosts microorganisms capable of mobilizing this once-sequestered carbon. Contrary to standard assumptions of eukaryotic scarcity, this study documents abundant fungal communities, ranging from 4.2 × 10 3 to 6.8 × 10 3 fungal cells mL −1 , across a methane-producing organic-rich shale 247–556 meters below the surface. Although fungal:bacterial cell ratios ranged from 1:7028 to 1:713, application of biomass conversion factors developed for oceanic systems yielded a median fungal:bacterial biomass ratio of 1:4.7. 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed bacterial and archaeal communities mirroring those found in well-characterized extremophilic, carbon-degrading environments, while sequencing of 18S rRNA gene and ITS rRNA spacer amplicons collectively identified a eukaryotic hotspot with 689 fungal OTUs across six phyla. The dominant fungal classes, Agaricomycetes and Dothideomycetes, are well-established degraders of recalcitrant carbon compounds at the surface, suggesting they may similarly contribute to organic matter degradation and ecosystem maintenance in the subsurface. Cultivation and isolation efforts yielded 205 fungal strains, including 13 candidate novel taxa, underscoring the deep subsurface as an underexplored eukaryotic habitat. Stable carbon isotopes indicate methane is predominantly generated via microbial conversion of the fossil carbon, while water isotopes suggest in situ geochemical conditions have been relatively stable since the Late Pleistocene, with subglacial recharge as a plausible mechanism for microbial introduction. Collectively, these findings suggest that fungi are underrecognized contributors to organic matter transformation and functional diversity in the deep biosphere, revealing a critical gap in our understanding of deep subsurface ecosystem processes.

Indiana, Michigan, Ohio↗
USGS2025

Conceptual and numerical groundwater flow model of the Iowa River alluvial aquifer near Tama County, Iowa, 1980 through 2022

The Iowa River alluvial aquifer is an important source of water on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama County, Iowa, which is land owned by the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa (commonly known as the Meskwaki Nation). The U.S. Geological Survey constructed a groundwater flow model, including a conceptual and numerical model, of the Iowa River alluvial aquifer and underlying hydrogeologic units near the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama County, Iowa, for the period of January 1980–August 2022 to estimate the fraction of water pumped from the Iowa River alluvial aquifer by Meskwaki Settlement wells that is derived from streamflow depletion in the Iowa River and its tributaries. Streamflow depletion is a reduction in streamflow caused by groundwater pumping and includes the interception by groundwater production wells of water that otherwise would have been discharged to streams (called “captured groundwater discharge”) and induced infiltration of streamflow to the production wells. Calibrated model runs were performed with no simulated pumping and simulated pumping only at Meskwaki Settlement wells, and the change in simulated flow rates between the groundwater system and streams for the two model runs represents the amount of streamflow depletion in the Iowa River and tributary streams resulting from pumping at the Meskwaki Settlement wells. Streamflow depletion in the Iowa River and its tributaries as a percentage of simulated pumping at the Meskwaki Settlement wells was calculated by dividing this difference by the total simulated pumping rate for the Meskwaki Settlement wells. The model results demonstrate that the mean monthly streamflow depletion, including induced infiltration and captured discharge, in the Iowa River and its tributary streams as a percentage of mean monthly pumping at the Meskwaki Settlement wells was 97.4 percent and ranged from 65.4 to 112 percent. Of the total streamflow depletion, mean monthly induced recharge was 20.9 percent and ranged from 4.9 to 37.2 percent. Mean monthly captured discharge was 76.5 percent and ranged from 57.1 to 97.1 percent. These results indicate that most of the water pumped from the Meskwaki Settlement wells is the result of streamflow depletion, in the form of both induced infiltration and captured discharge.

Iowa↗
USGS2026

Stream sediment sources in Medicine Creek, northern Missouri and southern Iowa

This report presents the results of a cooperative study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Missouri Department of Natural Resources to quantify sediment transport source contributions in the Medicine Creek drainage basin. Understanding relative source contributions provides valuable information for selecting the conservation practices that may be most effective in reducing sediment and sediment-associated nutrient transport in the Medicine Creek drainage basin and similar areas of the Lower Grand River drainage basin. Sediment samples were collected from potential contributing areas (source samples) and from fluvial-transported samples (target samples). Source sample types included streambanks, row crop fields, and a combined pastures and forests category. Samples were analyzed for particle size and quantity of carbon, nitrogen, stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen, and 49 mineral elements as potential tracers. Results for the carbon stable isotope ratio of carbon-13/carbon-12 (δ 13 C) and concentrations of total carbon, total nitrogen, calcium, potassium, and copper were selected by discriminant function analysis as the best combination of multiple tracers to differentiate each source type. The discriminant function analysis poorly differentiated pastures and forests, so these source types were combined. The sources defined by the discriminant function analysis were then used in an unmixing model to apportion sources for each target sample. In the study area, transported sediment was predominantly bank sediment, with an overall average of 86.9 percent of suspended-sediment samples and depositional streambed samples attributed to bank material. Suspended-sediment samples from the mainstem of Medicine Creek were dominated by bank sediments (average of 95.8 percent), and depositional streambed samples from throughout the drainage basin had more variable source contributions with an average of 71.1 percent attributed to bank material. The relative importance of upland sources (row crop fields and the combined pastures and forests category) varied seasonally and with streamflow but was not related to land use or drainage basin size. Relative contributions from upland sources were greater in the summer through winter rather than spring and during lower streamflow, though this may be driven by the seasonality of streamflow. These results indicate management practices that reduce bank erosion could be effective strategies for managing the dominant source of sediment and sediment-associated phosphorus.

Iowa, Missouri↗
USGS2025

Mapping bedrock outcrops in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (California, USA) using machine learning

Accurate, high-resolution maps of bedrock outcrops can be valuable for applications such as models of land–atmosphere interactions, mineral assessments, ecosystem mapping, and hazard mapping. The increasing availability of high-resolution imagery can be coupled with machine learning techniques to improve regional bedrock outcrop maps. In the United States, the existing 30 m U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Cover Database (NLCD) tends to misestimate extents of barren land, which includes bedrock outcrops. This impacts many calculations beyond bedrock mapping, including soil carbon storage, hydrologic modeling, and erosion susceptibility. Here, we tested if a machine learning (ML) model could more accurately map exposed bedrock than NLCD across the entire Sierra Nevada Mountains (California, USA). The ML model was trained to identify pixels that are likely bedrock from 0.6 m imagery from the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP). First, we labeled exposed bedrock at twenty sites covering more than 83 km 2 (0.13%) of the Sierra Nevada region. These labels were then used to train and test the model, which gave 83% precision and 78% recall, with a 90% overall accuracy of correctly predicting bedrock. We used the trained model to map bedrock outcrops across the entire Sierra Nevada region and compared the ML map with the NLCD map. At the twenty labeled sites, we found the NLCD barren land class, even though it includes more than just bedrock outcrops, accounted for only 41% and 40% of mapped bedrock from our labels and ML predictions, respectively. This substantial difference illustrates that ML bedrock models can have a role in improving land-cover maps, like NLCD, for a range of science applications.

California↗
USGS2025

Nanometer-scale relationships between sedimentary organic matter molecular composition, fluorescence, cathodoluminescence, and reflectance: The importance of oxygen content at low thermal maturities

Molecular characterization of sedimentary organic matter (SOM), termed macerals, is a common goal when seeking to understand petroleum generation as well as other geologic processes in deep time. However, unambiguous measurement of discrete macerals is challenging due to the small size of organic particles in sedimentary rocks, the proximity of different organic matter types to one another, mineral-organic matter interactions, and maceral mixing that occurs during SOM isolation prior to ex situ analysis. The recent advent of infrared spectrometers capable of nanometer-scale resolution and the application of these technologies to geologic samples has enabled advances in rapid, in situ molecular characterization of SOM allowing for insights into paleoenvironmental processes, such as organic matter productivity and preservation, among others. Here we employ one such technology, optical photothermal infrared (OPTIR) spectroscopy, to map SOM functional group distributions at 500-nm resolution in a sample from the Lower Cretaceous Sunniland Limestone of the South Florida Basin. Examined fields of view include occurrences of amorphous organic matter (AOM), inertinite, micrinite, solid bitumen, telalginite, and vitrinite. OPTIR data from these macerals are compared against traditional organic petrographic data from the same organic grains including fluorescence intensity and white light reflectance as well as against cathodoluminescence response, an emerging organic petrographic approach. Maceral oxygen content (using carbonyl functional group abundance as a proxy) is observed to vary widely between maceral types but correlates strongly with fluorescence and cathodoluminescence intensity as well as against reflectance. These findings highlight the important role that oxygen content plays in determining the optical properties of SOM and further demonstrate the ability of OPTIR to discriminate subtle molecular differences between SOM types.

Organic Geochemistry↗
USGS2025

The 3D National Topography Model Call for Action—Part 2: The Next Generation 3D Elevation Program

The three-dimensional (3D) National Topography Model initiative to integrate elevation and hydrography data includes the next generation of hydrography data from the 3D Hydrography Program and the next generation of elevation data from the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). The first-ever collection of light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the nation (IfSAR for Alaska) provides a critical baseline reference, and the addition of multiple repeat elevation mapping projects as part of the next generation of 3DEP would substantially expand analysis capabilities. As the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is closing in on our goal of complete coverage with 3DEP data available or in progress for 98.3 percent of the Nation at the end of fiscal year 2024, the USGS is already transitioning to the next generation of 3DEP. Based on the 3D Nation Study results and input from a broad range of stakeholders, the USGS National Geospatial Program has finalized a new design for 3DEP that provides increased lidar quality levels and refresh rates. The new program is designed with more flexibility to meet changing user needs and take advantage of improvements in mapping technologies. The program will aim to expand the level of interagency coordination for topobathymetric lidar acquisition for inland rivers. The next generation of 3DEP will also aim to emphasize research, including advancing program design, products, and services and engaging and leveraging the evolving 3D industry. Research goals also include becoming more flexible in meeting user needs and taking advantage of evolving remote-sensing technologies. The program also plans to move from focusing on producing standard products to producing a concept of a 3D Nation Ecosystem with a variety of inputs, products, and services.

Circular↗
USGS2026

Simulation of the impacts of spring diversions on streamflow in the Strawberry Creek watershed, San Bernardino County, California, using an integrated hydrological model

The Strawberry Creek watershed, in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, features a group of natural springs known as Arrowhead Springs that have been augmented with diversions in the form of sub-horizontal borings and tunnels. Understanding the effects of these structures on streamflow through groundwater capture is crucial for managing surface-water resources in this watershed. In this study, we constructed the Strawberry Creek integrated hydrological model to increase this understanding. The Strawberry Creek integrated hydrological model is an integrated surface runoff and groundwater model, GSFLOW to simulate surface runoff and infiltration and groundwater flow. The model has 263 rows and 176 columns in each of its three layers. The model area includes the Strawberry Creek and four adjacent watersheds. The precipitation-runoff modeling system was calibrated using two streamflow gaging stations, and the groundwater and surface-water flow model was calibrated to the reported spring diversion discharge and a sparse number of groundwater-level measurements. The Strawberry Creek integrated hydrological model was run with and without diversions active, and simulated streamflow was compared, indicating that in the headwaters of Strawberry Creek, about 35 percent of the diversion flow was captured from base flow.

California↗
USGS2026

Coastal barrier resilience and resistance: Analysis and metrics for characterizing coastal state

Barrier islands are shaped by a variety of short- and long-term environmental processes such as storms and relative sea-level rise. These islands, found along the estuarine-marine interface, provide ecosystem services including storm surge and wave attenuation, erosion protection to inland marshes, habitat for fish and wildlife, and recreation. Natural resource managers require actionable information on how barrier island resilience and resistance changes over time to understand how an island’s current state relates to past conditions and to inform restoration prioritization and implementation. The U.S. Geological Survey and The Water Institute collaborated on a study to develop indicators of resilience and resistance for barrier islands in Louisiana. Here, resilience captures island persistence on yearly to decadal time scales, and resistance captures persistence on event time scales of days to weeks. The indicators fall in two categories: Tier 1 Screening Metrics, that can be readily calculated from available data, are easily interpretable as an evaluation of barrier condition, and provide a high-level snapshot of overall barrier resilience and resistance; and Tier 2 Analysis Metrics, which are detailed metrics that required specialized analysis and interpretation and are more applicable to answering specific questions managers may have about barrier state. The research team derived Tier 1 resilience indicators from subaerial land and vegetation cover calculated from publicly available maps and products based on satellite imagery. By benchmarking the total land and vegetation extent against their respective historical maxima, this metric provides a snapshot of an island’s current state in the context of its long-term trajectory. The research team developed Tier 1 resistance indicators based on subaerial island configuration and water level recurrence as a proxy for evaluating island resistance to storms, which are the primary driver of short-term change. These Tier 1 metrics can be analyzed over time to provide a high-level assessment of how an island’s resistance decreases because of elevation loss or sea-level rise or increases due to restoration or natural recovery. The research team developed Tier 2 resilience and resistance indicators and associated analyses to provide detailed information for specific time periods or applications (e.g., wildlife management). These metrics include habitat coverage from high-resolution maps, which show composition changes over time to capture the evolving resilience of specific habitat types; high tide flooding analysis, which evaluate island area relative to specified flooding thresholds to characterize resistance in the short-term or, if analyzed over time, indicate changes in resilience; and hypsometric curve analysis, which allows managers to evaluate island area changes above their own elevation benchmarks of interest and similarly characterize resistance in the short-term or indicate changes in resilience if assessed over time. The research team calculated Tier 1 metrics of the barrier islands and headlands along the coast of Louisiana for the period of 1984 through 2021 and Tier 2 metrics for select times during that period depending on data available and quality. The results were captured in a report card for each barrier, which also includes an overview of the metrics and their interpretation; a restoration and storm history; and Tier 1 and Tier 2 metric analysis, including benchmarking against coastwide and regional values as well as to an island’s pre-restoration trajectory. These report cards provide a readily digestible synthesis of barrier condition and trajectory that coastal managers can use to support restoration prioritization and other decisions.

Louisiana↗
USGS2025

Fiber-optic sensing for earthquake hazards research, monitoring and early warning

The use of fiber‐optic sensing systems in seismology has exploded in the past decade. Despite an ever‐growing library of ground‐breaking studies, questions remain about the potential of fiber‐optic sensing technologies as tools for advancing if not revolutionizing earthquake‐hazards‐related research, monitoring, and early warning systems. A working group convened to explore these topics; we comprehensively examined the application of fiber optics in various aspects of earthquake hazards, encompassing earthquake source processes, crustal imaging, data archiving, and technological challenges. There is great potential for fiber‐optic systems to advance earthquake monitoring and understanding, but to fully unlock their capabilities requires continued progress in key areas of research and development, including instrument testing and validation, increased dynamic range for applications focused on larger earthquakes, and continued improvement in subsurface and source imaging methods. A key current stumbling block results from the lack of clear data archiving requirements, and we propose an initial strategy that balances data volume requirements with preserving key data for a broad range of future studies. In addition, we demonstrate the potential for fiber‐optic sensing to impact monitoring efforts by documenting the data completeness in a number of long‐term experiments. Finally, we outline the features of a instrument testing facility that would enable progress toward reliable and standardized distributed acoustic sensing data. Overcoming these current obstacles would facilitate progress in fiber‐optic sensing and unlock its potential application to a broad range of earthquake hazard problems.

California, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2025

Simulation of the impacts of spring diversions on streamflow in the Strawberry Creek watershed, San Bernardino County, California, using an integrated hydrological model

The Strawberry Creek watershed, situated in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, features a group of natural springs known as Arrowhead Springs that have been augmented with diversions in the form of sub-horizontal borings and tunnels. Understanding the impact of these structures on streamflow through groundwater capture is crucial for managing surface-water resources in this watershed. In this study we constructed the Strawberry Creek integrated hydrological model (SCIHM) to increase this understanding. The SCIHM is an integrated surface runoff and groundwater model that uses the coupled groundwater and surface-water flow model (GSFLOW), which is based on the integration of the precipitation-runoff modeling system (PRMS) and the modular groundwater flow model commonly called MODFLOW, version MODFLOW-2005 software to simulate surface runoff and infiltration and groundwater flow. The model has three layers, 263 rows, and 176 columns. The model area includes the Strawberry Creek and four adjacent watersheds. The PRMS model was calibrated using two streamflow gaging stations and the GSFLOW model was calibrated to reported spring diversion discharge and a sparse number of groundwater-level measurements. The SCIHM was run with and without diversions active and simulated streamflow was compared, finding that in the headwaters of Strawberry Creek about 35 percent of the diversion flow was captured from base flow.

EarthArXiv↗
USGS2026

Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program decadal science strategy 2020–2030

Overview The decadal science strategy of the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) of the U.S. Geological Survey for 2020 to 2030 describes the CMHRP's vision and mission and the strategic framework needed to support key program goals: Conduct research and develop science-based tools that lead to safer, more productive coastal communities and improved stewardship of natural resources.

Circular↗