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At least 901 records · Page 50Linked to original sources

USGS1988

Rapid dune changes associated with overwash processes on the deltaic coast of South Louisiana

The Caminada-Moreau barrier headland of South Louisiana is a low-profile beach and dune coastline that is transgressing rapidly over the surfaces of the abandoned Lafourche delta complex. With the passage of cold fronts (10–30 times per year) and hurricanes (once every 4 yrs), overwash events occur year round with varying degrees of frequency, intensity and geomorphological modification. This coastline consists of washover and dune surfaces that respond rapidly to overwash impact. The fine sand stored in washover deposits is easily reworked by aeolian processes into a variety of dune forms in the shore-zone that are vegetated rapidly. Geomorphological changes vary according to the position, ground elevation, and surface stability of the dunes. Independent factors are overwash surge elevations, beach gradient and the presence of pre-existing landforms. For ten years detailed surveys supplemented by aerial photographs and videotape surveys have recorded these changes. The analysis of these information sources provides insight into both the general evolution of this distinctive coastline and also the geomorphological interaction of dunes, beaches and washover deposits in different physiographic settings.

Marine Geology↗

USGS1997

Evidence for Milankovitch periodicities in Cenomanian-Turonian lithologic and geochemical cycles, western interior U.S.A.

The limestone/marlstone bedding couplets of the Bridge Creek Limestone Member, Cenomanian-Turonian Greenhorn Formation, were analyzed by applying spectral techniques to high-resolution lithologic and geochemical data from a core. The results suggest that the Bridge Creek contains a complex record of orbital cyclicity. The dominant signal appears to be obliquity, but signals corresponding to precession and eccentricity were also observed. The development of the bedding couplets is interpreted to have resulted from a combination of factors, including insolation-controlled changes in higher-latitude precipitation leading to dilution/redox cycles, and in lower-latitude evaporation, leading to changes in surface water conditions and productivity cycles in the calcareous plankton. The data interpreted to reflect redox cycles appear to be more strongly influenced by obliquity, and show a weak precessional signal. In contrast, trends in the carbonate record show the opposite response. The complex bedding pattern observed in the Bridge Creek Limestone is interpreted to result from the competing influences of different orbital cycles expressed through different pathways of the depositional system, and was also affected by changes in sedimentation rates related to relative sea level fluctuations, aperiodic dilution by volcanic ash, and changes in organic-matter production and redox conditions related to a global "oceanic anoxic event". These factors complicate cycle analysis in the lower part of the member but leave a relatively undisturbed record in the upper Bridge Creek Limestone.

Journal of Sedimentary Research↗

USGS2005

Significance of the precambrian basement and late Cretaceous thrust nappes on the location of tertiary ore deposits in the Oquirrh Mountains, Utah

The Oquirrh Mountains are located in north central Utah, in the easternmost part of the Basin and Range physiographic province, immediately south of the Great Salt Lake. The range consists of a northerly trending alignment of peaks 56 km long. Tooele and Rush Valleys flank the Oquirrh Mountains on the western side and Salt Lake and Cedar Valleys lie on the eastern side. The world class Bingham mine in the central part of the range hosts disseminated copper-bearing porphyry, skarn, base-and precious-metal vein and replacement ore deposits. The district includes the outlying Barneys Canyon disseminated-gold deposits. Disseminated gold in the Mercur mining district in the southern part of the range has become exhausted. The Ophir and Stockton base- and precious-metal mining districts in the range north of Mercur also are inactive. A geologic map of the range (Tooker and Roberts, 1998), available at a scale of 1:50,000, is a summation of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies. Information about the range and its mining areas is scattered. This report summarizes map locations, new stratigraphic and structural data, and reexamined data from an extensive published record. Unresolved controversial geological interpretations are considered, and, for the first time, the complete geological evidence provides a consistent regional basis for the location of the ore deposits in the range. The geological setting and the siting of mineral deposits in the Oquirrh Mountains began with the formation of a Precambrian craton. Exposures of folded Proterozoic basement rocks of the craton, in the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City, were accreted and folded onto an Archean crystalline rock terrane. The accretion suture lies along the north flank of the Uinta Mountains. The western part of the accreted block was offset to northern Utah along a north-trending fault lying approximately along the Wasatch Front (Nelson and others, 2002), thereby creating a prominant basement barrier or buttress east of the Salt Lake area. The accretion suture along the north flank of the Uinta Anticline overlaps an earlier Precambrian east-west mobile zone, the Uinta trend (Erickson, 1976, Bryant and Nichols, 1988 and John, 1989), which extends westward across western Utah and into Nevada. A trace of the trend underlies the middle part of the Oquirrh Mountains. Its structure is recognized by disrupted Paleozoic stratigraphic units and fold and fault evidence of thrust faulting, intermittent local uplift and erosion, the alignment of Tertiary intrusives and associated ore deposits. Geologic readjustments along the trend continued intermittently through the Paleozoic, Cenozoic, Tertiary, and the development of clastic deposits along the shores of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. Paleozoic sedimentary rocks were deposited on the craton platform shelf in westernmost Utah and eastern Nevada as the shelf subsided gradually and differentially. Debris was shed into two basins separated by the uplifted Uinta trend, the Oquirrh Basin on the south and Sublette Basin on the north. Sediments were derived from the craton to the east, the Antler orogenic zone on the west (Roberts, 1964), and locally from uplifted parts of the trend itself. Thick accumulations of clastic calcareous quartzite, shale, limestone, and dolomite of Lower and Upper Paleozoic ages are now exposed in the Oquirrh Mountains, the result of thrust faults. Evidence of decollement thrust faults in in the Wasatch Mountains during the Late Cretaceous Sevier orogeny, recognized by Baker and others (1949) and Crittenden (1961, is also recognized in the Oquirrh Mountains by Roberts and others (1965). During the late Cretaceous Sevier Orogeny, nappes were thrust sequentially along different paths from their western hinterland to the foreland. Five distinct nappes converged over the Uinta trend onto an uplifted west-plunging basement buttress east of the Oquirrh Mountains area: the Pass Canyon, Bingham,

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS1981

Seismic stratigraphic characteristics of upper Louisiana continental slope: an area east of Green Canyon

A high-resolution seismic reflection survey was conducted in a small area of the upper Louisiana Continental Slope known as Green Canyon Area. This area includes tracts 427, 428, 471, 472, 515, and 516, that will be offered for sale in March 1982 as part of Lease Sale 67. The sea floor of this region is, slightly hummocky and is underlain by salt diapirs that are mantled by early Tertiary shale. Most of the shale is overlain by younger Tertiary and Quaternary deposits, although locally some of the shale protrudes the sea floor. Because of proximity to older Mississippi River sources, the sediments are thick. The sediment cover shows an abundance of geologic phenomena such as horsts, grabens, growth faults, normal faults, and consolidation faults, zones with distinct and indistinct parallel reflections, semi-transparent zones, distorted zones, and angular unconformities. The major feature of this region is a N-S linear zone of uplifted and intruded sedimentary deposits formed due to diapiric intrusion. Small scale graben development over the crest of the structure can be attributed to extension and collapse. Large scale undulations of reflections well off the flanks of the uplifted structure suggest sediment creep and slumping. Dipping of parallel reflections show block faulting and tilting. Air gun (5 and 40 cubic inch) records reveal at least five major sequences that show masked onlap and slumping in their lower parts grading into more distinct parallel reflections in their upper parts. Such sequences can be related to local uplift and sea level changes. Minisparker records of this area show similar sequences but on a smaller scale. The distinct parallel reflections often onlap the diapir flanks. The highly reflective parts of these sequences may represent turbidite-type deposition, possibly at times of lower sea level. The acoustically more transparent parts of each sequence may represent deposits containing primarily hemipelagic and pelagic sediment. A complex ridge system is present along the west side of the area and distinct parallel reflections onlap onto this structure primarily from the east. Much of this deposition may be ascribed to sedimentation within a submarine canyon whose position is controlled by this ridge.

Louisiana Continental Slope↗

USGS2015

Conodonts, stratigraphy, and relative sea-level changes of the tribes hill formation (lower ordovician, east-central New York)

Tremadocian onlap is recorded by the Tribes Hill Formation. The formation is a lower Lower Ordovician (upper conodont Fauna B Interval(?)- Rossodus manitouensis Zone) depositional sequence that unconformably overlies the Upper Cambrian Little Falls Formation. Depositional environments and stratigraphy indicate that the Tribes Hill was deposited on a wave-, not tide-, dominated shelf and that a uniform, “layer-cake” stratigraphy is present. The deepening-shoaling sequence of the Tribes Hill includes the: 1) Sprakers Member (new; peritidal carbonate and overlying tempestite limestone and shale); 2) Van Wie Member (new; subtidal shale and limestone); 3) Wolf Hollow Member (revised; massive carbonates with thrombolitic cap); and 4) Canyon Road Member (new; glauconitic limestone and overlying evaporitic dolostone). The shoaling half-cycle of the Tribes Hill is older than a shoaling event in western Newfoundland, and suggests epeirogenic factors in earliest Ordovician sea-level change in east Laurentia. Conodont and trilobite biofacies track lithofacies, and Rossodus manitouensis Zone conodonts and Bellefontia Biofacies trilobites appear in the distal, middle Tribes Hill Formation. Twenty-four conodont species are illustrated. Ansella ? protoserrata new species, Iapetognathus sprakersi new species, Leukorhinion ambonodes new genus and species, and Laurentoscandodus new genus are described.

Journal of Paleontology↗

USGS2009

Compositions of modern dust and surface sediments in the Desert Southwest, United States

Modern dusts across southwestern United States deserts are compositionally similar to dust-rich Av soil horizons (depths of 0-0.5 cm and 1-4 cm at 35 sites) for common crustal elements but distinctly different for some trace elements. Chemical compositions and magnetic properties of the soil samples are similar among sites relative to dust sources, geographic areas, and lithologic substrates. Exceptions are Li, U, and W, enriched in Owens Valley, California, and Mg and Sr, enriched in soils formed on calcareous fan gravel in southeast Nevada. The Av horizons are dominated by dust and reflect limited mixing with substrate sediments. Modern dust samples are also similar across the region, except that Owens Valley dusts are higher in Mg, Ba, and Li and dusts both there and at sites to the north on volcanic substrates are higher in Sb and W. Thus, dust and Av horizons consist of contributions from many different sources that are well mixed before deposition. Modern dusts contain significantly greater amounts of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Sb than do Av horizons, which record dust additions over hundreds to thousands of years. These results suggest that modern dust compositions are influenced by anthropogenic sources and emissions from Owens (dry) Lake after its artificial desiccation in 1926. Both modern dusts and Av horizons are enriched in As, Ba, Cu, Li, Sb, Th, U, and W relative to average crustal composition, which we interpret to indicate that the geologic sources of dust in the southwestern United States are geochemically distinctive.

Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface↗

USGS2019

Organic geochemical investigation of far‐field tsunami deposits of the Kahana Valley, O'ahu, Hawai'i

Far‐field tsunami deposits observed in the Kahana Valley, O'ahu, Hawai'i (USA), were investigated for their organic‐geochemical content. During short high‐energy events, (tsunamis and storms) organic and chemical components are transported with sediment from marine to terrestrial areas. This study investigates the use of anthropogenic based organic geochemical compounds (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and organochlorides) as a means to identify tsunami deposits. Samples were processed by solid‐liquid extraction and analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. A total of 21 anthropogenic marker compounds were identified, of which 11 compounds were selected for detailed analysis. Although the tsunami deposits pre‐date industrial activity in Hawaii by several hundred years, distinct changes were found in the concentrations of anthropogenic marker compounds between sandy tsunami deposits and the surrounding mud/peat layers, which may help in identifying tsunami deposits within cores. As expected, low overall concentrations of anthropogenic markers and pollutants were observed due to the lack of industrial input‐sources and little anthropogenic environmental impact at the study site. This geochemical characterization of tsunami deposits shows that anthropogenic markers have significant potential as another high‐resolution, multi‐proxy method for identifying tsunamis in the sedimentary record.

Hawai'i↗

USGS2007

Outcrop descriptions and fossils from the Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation, Wind River Basin and adjacent areas, Wyoming: Chapter 11 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas resources in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

The Wind River Basin of central Wyoming trends west-northwest from near the community of Alcova to near the town of Dubois (fig. 1). On the perimeter of the basin, outcrops of the Frontier Formation were examined and described during the years 1972-1975. Invertebrate fossils were collected from those outcrops during the years 1972-1996, in places with the assistance of other earth scientists (see Acknowledgments). The Frontier Formation in the Wind River Basin, ranging in thickness from 650 to 1,000 ft thick, consists mainly of sandstone, siltstone, shale, and bentonite of early Late Cretaceous age. The Frontier conformably overlies the Mowry Shale and is conformably overlain by the Cody Shale. A basal unit of the Cody, a sequence of marine noncalcareous shale, is named the Sage Breaks Member. The Frontier consists of two or three members, separated by disconformities; in ascending order, the Belle Fourche, Emigrant Gap, and Wall Creek. At several localities, the Emigrant Gap Member is missing. The formation was deposited mainly in marine environments, although nonmarine beds are conspicuous in the western part of the basin. Strata of the Frontier record a succession of marine regressions and transgressions. Molluscan fossils from the marine beds were identified and related to the chronostratigraphic chart shown in figure 2. The absolute ages on the chart were determined and supplied by J.D. Obradovich (Cobban and others, 2006). In this region, the Belle Fourche is of Cenomanian age, the Emigrant Gap is of early middle Turonian age, and the Wall Creek is of late Turonian and early Coniacian ages. The main purpose of this report is to present biostratigraphic information from studies of the Frontier Formation in the Wind River Basin that could be useful for future stratigraphic investigations of the formation throughout Wyoming. Locations of outcrop sections and associated fossil collections are depicted on accompanying maps and aerial photographs. Graphic descriptions of strata in the outcrops and identifications of fossils from nearby localities also are presented. Those fossils named on the graphic sections commonly have the most restricted time-spans. Fossils collected near the outcrops studied are not always named on the enclosed graphic sections because (1) the specimens are less useful for dating the enclosing beds, (2) the specimens are duplicates, or (3) the specimens could not be related to specific strata in the sections. The names, locations, and members of the outcrop sections and the approximate ages of the constituent strata are summarized in table 1. The index maps used to show locations of outcrop sections and fossil collections are from scanned versions of U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps of various scales and were obtained from TerraServer®. The portion of each map used depended on the areal distribution of the localities involved. The named quadrangles used for locality descriptions, however, all refer to 7½-minute, 1:24,000-scale quadrangles (for example, “Alcova”). The aerial photographs also are from TerraServer®; http://www.terraserver.com/.

Wyoming↗

USGS2002

Slope evolution at the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland — Measuring the change from eroding bluffs to stable slopes

Despite a long history of geomorphic studies, it is difficult to ascertain the time required for slopes to change from near vertical exposures to relatively stable slopes due to inadequate age control. Actively eroding coastal bluffs along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay provide a key for understanding the centennial-scale development of stable slopes from eroding bluff faces. The Calvert Cliffs are composed of sandy silts, silty sands, and clayey silts of Miocene-age. Active wave erosion at the bluff toes encourages rapid sloughing from bluff faces and maintains slope angles of 70-80 degrees and relatively constant bluff-retreat rates. Naturally stabilized slopes are preserved as a fossil bluff line inland from a prograding cuspate foreland at Cove Point. The foreland is migrating southward at a rate of ca. 1.5 m/yr. As it moves south, it progressively protects bluffs from wave action as new beaches are deposited at their toes. Wave erosion is reinitiated at the northern end of the complex as the landform passes. An incremental record of slope change is preserved along the fossil bluff line. 14C dating of swales between beach ridges shows the complex to span 1700 years of progressive migration history. We hypothesized that slopes would change from steep, eroding faces to low-angle slopes covered with vegetation and sought to document the rate of change. Our team measured slope angles at intervals along the fossil bluff line and dated profiles by interpolating 14C ages of adjacent beach ridges. There was no progressive decrease in slope with age. All slopes along the fossil bluff line were 30-40 degrees with a mean of 35 degrees. Constancy in slope angle suggests that steep, actively eroding bluffs were quickly changed to stable slopes by landslides and slumping once they were protected. Given the accuracy of our age control, we conclude that the time required to attain a stable slope under natural processes is less than one century. This indicates that once toe erosion is ended (naturally or through engineering) slopes are reduced to 35-degrees over a period of decades and not centuries.

Maryland↗

USGS2018

Geologic map of the Weldona 7.5' quadrangle, Morgan County, Colorado

The Weldona 7.5′ quadrangle is located on the semiarid plains of northeastern Colorado, along the South Platte River corridor where the river has incised into Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale. The Pierre Shale is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with environmental changes from the Pleistocene to the present. The South Platte River, originating high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, has played a major role in shaping surficial geology in the map area, which is several tens of kilometers downstream from where headwater tributaries join the river. Recurrent glaciation (and deglaciation) of basin headwaters has affected river discharge and sediment supply far downstream, influencing deposition of alluvium and river incision in the Weldona quadrangle. During the Pleistocene the course of the river within the map area shifted progressively southward as it incised, and by late middle Pleistocene the river was south of its present position, cutting and filling deep paleochannels now covered by younger alluvium. The river shifted back to the north during the late Pleistocene. Kiowa and Bijou Creeks are unglaciated tributaries originating in the Colorado Piedmont east of the Front Range that also have played a major role in shaping surficial geology of the map area. Periodically during the late Pleistocene, major flood events on these tributaries deposited large volumes of sediment at their confluences, forming a broad, low-gradient fan of sidestream alluvium that could have occasionally dammed the river for short periods of time. Eolian sand deposits of the Sterling (north of river) and Fort Morgan (south of river) dune fields cover much of the quadrangle and record past episodes of sand mobilization during times of prolonged drought. With the onset of irrigation and damming during historical times, the South Platte River has changed from a broad, shallow, and sandy braided river with highly variable seasonal discharge to a much narrower, deeper river with braided-meandering transition morphology and more uniform discharge.

Colorado↗

USGS2018

Geologic map of the Fort Morgan 7.5' quadrangle, Morgan County, Colorado

The Fort Morgan 7.5′ quadrangle is located on the semiarid plains of northeastern Colorado, along the South Platte River corridor where the river has incised into Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale. The Pierre Shale is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with environmental changes from the late Pliocene to the present. The South Platte River, originating high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, has played a major role in shaping surficial geology in the map area, which is several tens of kilometers downstream from where headwater tributaries join the river. Recurrent glaciation (and deglaciation) of basin headwaters has affected river discharge and sediment supply far downstream, influencing deposition of alluvium and river incision in the Fort Morgan quadrangle. Distribution and characteristics of the alluvial deposits indicate that during the Pleistocene the course of the river within the map area shifted progressively southward as it incised, and by late middle Pleistocene the river was south of its present position, cutting and filling a deep paleochannel near the south edge of the quadrangle. The river shifted back to the north during the late Pleistocene. Kiowa and Bijou Creeks are unglaciated tributaries originating in the Colorado Piedmont east of the Front Range that also have played a major role in shaping surficial geology of the map area. Periodically during the late Pleistocene, major flood events on these tributaries deposited large volumes of sediment at and near their confluences, forming a broad, low-gradient fan composed of sidestream alluvium that could have occasionally dammed the river for short periods of time. Wildcat Creek, also originating on the Colorado Piedmont, and the small drainage of Cris Lee Draw dissect the map area north of the river. Eolian sand deposits of the Sterling (north of river) and Fort Morgan (south of river) dune fields cover much of the quadrangle and record past episodes of sand mobilization during times of prolonged drought. With the onset of irrigation and damming during historical times, the South Platte River has changed from a broad, shallow, and sandy braided river with highly variable seasonal discharge to a much narrower, deeper river with braided-meandering transition morphology and more uniform discharge.

Colorado↗

USGS2022

Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2021

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained primarily from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. As of water year 2021, the network consisted of 120 wells and piezometers at 54 locations. The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and Bernalillo County, measures water levels at the wells and piezometers in the network; this report, prepared in cooperation with the ABCWUA, presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at the sites through water year 2021 (October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021). Water-level data that were collected in previous water years from wells that were later discontinued were published in previous USGS reports.

New Mexico↗

USGS2019

Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2017

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained solely from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. The network currently (2017) consists of 122 wells and piezometers. (A piezometer is a specialized well open to a specific depth in the aquifer, often of small diameter and nested with other piezometers open to different depths.) The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA and the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, currently (2017) measures and reports water levels from the 122 wells and piezometers in the network; this report presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at those 122 sites through water years 2016 and 2017 (October 1, 2015, through September 30, 2017). Water levels that were collected from wells in previous water years were published in previous USGS reports.

New Mexico↗

USGS2019

Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2018

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained solely from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. As of 2018, the network consisted of 120 wells and piezometers. (A piezometer is a specialized well open to a specific depth in the aquifer, often of small diameter and nested with other piezometers open to different depths.) The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and Bernalillo County, measures water levels from the 120 wells and piezometers in the network; this report, prepared in cooperation with the ABCWUA, presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at those 120 sites through water year 2018 (October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018). Water levels that were collected from wells in previous water years were published in previous USGS reports.

New Mexico↗

USGS2020

Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2019

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained solely from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. As of 2019, the network consisted of 120 wells and piezometers. (A piezometer is a specialized well open to a specific depth in the aquifer, often of small diameter and nested with other piezometers screened at different depths.) The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and Bernalillo County, measures water levels from the 120 wells and piezometers in the network; this report, prepared in cooperation with the ABCWUA, presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at those 120 sites through water year 2019 (October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019). Water levels that were collected from those discontinued wells in previous water years were published in previous USGS reports.

New Mexico↗

USGS2021

Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2020

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained solely from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. As of 2020, the network consisted of 120 wells and piezometers. A piezometer is a specialized well open to a specific depth in the aquifer, often of small diameter and nested with other piezometers screened at different depths. The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and Bernalillo County, measures water levels from the wells and piezometers in the network; this report, prepared in cooperation with the ABCWUA, presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at the sites through water year 2020 (October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020). Water levels that were collected from discontinued wells in previous water years were published in previous USGS reports.

New Mexico↗

USGS2016

Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2015

The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained solely from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 may have resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. The network currently (2015) consists of 124 wells and piezometers. (A piezometer is a specialized well open to a specific depth in the aquifer, often of small diameter and nested with other piezometers open to different depths.) The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA, currently (2015) measures and reports water levels from the 124 wells and piezometers in the network; this report presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at those 124 sites through water year 2015 (October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015).

New Mexico↗

USGS2014

Geochemistry of magnetite from porphyry Cu and skarn deposits in the southwestern United States

A combination of petrographic observations, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and statistical data exploration was used in this study to determine compositional variations in hydrothermal and igneous magnetite from five porphyry Cu–Mo and skarn deposits in the southwestern United States, and igneous magnetite from the unmineralized, granodioritic Inner Zone Batholith, Japan. The most important overall discriminators for the minor and trace element chemistry of magnetite from the investigated porphyry and skarn deposits are Mg, Al, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Zn, and Ga—of these the elements with the highest variance for (I) igneous magnetite are Mg, Al, Ti, V, Mn, Zn, for (II) hydrothermal porphyry magnetite are Mg, Ti, V, Mn, Co, Zn, and for (III) hydrothermal skarn magnetite are Mg, Ti, Mn, Zn, and Ga. Nickel could only be detected at levels above the limit of reporting (LOR) in two igneous magnetites. Equally, Cr could only be detected in one igneous occurrence. Copper, As, Mo, Ag, Au, and Pb have been reported in magnetite by other authors but could not be detected at levels greater than their respective LORs in our samples. Comparison with the chemical signature of igneous magnetite from the barren Inner Zone Batholith, Japan, suggests that V, Mn, Co, and Ga concentrations are relatively depleted in magnetite from the porphyry and skarn deposits. Higher formation conditions in combination with distinct differences between melt and hydrothermal fluid compositions are reflected in Al, Ti, V, and Ga concentrations that are, on average, higher in igneous magnetite than in hydrothermal magnetite (including porphyry and skarn magnetite). Low Ti and V concentrations in combination with high Mn concentrations are characteristic features of magnetite from skarn deposits. High Mg concentrations (<1,000 ppm) are characteristic for magnetite from magnesian skarn and likely reflect extensive fluid/rock interaction. In porphyry deposits, hydrothermal magnetite from different vein types can be distinguished by varying Ti, V, Mn, and Zn contents. Titanium and V concentrations are highly variable among hydrothermal and igneous magnetites, but Ti concentrations above 3,560 ppm could only be detected in igneous magnetite, and V concentrations are on average lower in hydrothermal magnetite. The highest Ti concentrations are present in igneous magnetite from gabbro and monzonite. The lowest Ti concentrations were recorded in igneous magnetite from granodiorite and granodiorite breccia and largely overlap with Ti concentrations found in hydrothermal porphyry magnetite. Magnesium and Mn concentrations vary between magnetite from different skarn deposits but are generally greater than in hydrothermal magnetite from the porphyry deposits. High Mg, and low Ti and V concentrations characterize hydrothermal magnetite from magnesian skarn deposits and follow a trend that indicates that magnetite from skarn (calcic and magnesian) commonly has low Ti and V concentrations.

Arizona, New Mexico↗