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At least 919 records · Page 51Linked to original sources
USGS2007

Burial history, thermal maturity, and oil and gas generation history of petroleum systems in the Wind River Basin Province, central Wyoming: Chapter 6 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas resources in the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

Burial history, thermal maturity, and timing of oil and gas generation were modeled for eight key source rock units at nine well locations throughout the Wind River Basin Province. Petroleum source rocks include the Permian Phosphoria Formation, the Cretaceous Mowry Shale, Cody Shale, and Mesaverde, Meeteetse, and Lance Formations, and the Tertiary (Paleocene) Fort Union Formation, including the Waltman Shale Member. Within the province boundary, the Phosphoria is thin and only locally rich in organic carbon. Phosphoria oil produced from reservoirs in the province is thought to have migrated from the Wyoming and Idaho thrust belt. Locations (wells) selected for burial history reconstructions include three in the deepest parts of the province (Adams OAB-17, Bighorn 1-5, and Coastal Owl Creek); three at intermediate depths (Hells Half Acre, Shell 33X-10, and West Poison Spider); and three at relatively shallow locations (Young Ranch, Amoco Unit 100, and Conoco-Coal Bank). The thermal maturity of source rocks is greatest in the deep northern and central parts of the province and decreases to the south and east toward the basin margins. The results of the modeling indicate that, in the deepest areas, (1) peak petroleum generation from Cretaceous rocks occurred from Late Cretaceous through middle Eocene time, and (2) onset of oil generation from the Waltman Shale Member occurred from late Eocene to early Miocene time. Based on modeling results, gas generation from the cracking of Phosphoria oil reservoired in the Park City Formation reached a peak in the late Paleocene/early Eocene (58 to 55 Ma) only in the deepest parts of the province. The Mowry Shale and Cody Shale (in the eastern half of the basin) contain a mix of Type-II and Type-III kerogens. Oil generation from predominantly Type-II source rocks of these units in the deepest parts of the province reached peak rates during the latest Cretaceous to early Eocene (65 to 55 Ma). Only in these areas of the basin did these units reach peak gas generation from the cracking of oil, which occurred in the early to middle Eocene (55 to 42 Ma). Gas-prone source rocks of the Mowry and Cody Shales (predominantly Type-III kerogen), and the Mesaverde, Meeteetse, Lance, and Fort Union Formations (Type –III kerogen) reached peak gas generation in the latest Cretaceous to late Eocene (67 to 38 Ma) in the deepest parts of the province. Gas generation from the Mesaverde source rocks started at all of the modeled locations but reached peak generation at only the deepest locations and at the Hells Half Acre location in the middle Paleocene to early Eocene (59 to 48 Ma). Also at the deepest locations, peak gas generation occurred from the late Paleocene to the early Eocene (57 to 49 Ma) for the Meeteetse Formation, and during the Eocene for the Lance Formation (55 to 48 Ma) and the Fort Union Formation (44 to 38 Ma). The Waltman Shale Member of the Fort Union Formation contains Type-II kerogen. The base of the Waltman reached a level of thermal maturity to generate oil only at the deep-basin locations (Adams OAB-17 and Bighorn 1-5 locations) in the middle Eocene to early Miocene (36 to 20 Ma).

Wyoming↗
USGS2015

Hydrogeology, groundwater levels, and generalized potentiometric-surface map of the Green River Basin lower Tertiary aquifer system, 2010–14, in the northern Green River structural basin

In cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, groundwater levels in wells located in the northern Green River Basin in Wyoming, an area of ongoing energy development, were measured by the U.S. Geological Survey from 2010 to 2014. The wells were completed in the uppermost aquifers of the Green River Basin lower Tertiary aquifer system, which is a complex regional aquifer system that provides water to most wells in the area. Except for near perennial streams, groundwater-level altitudes in most aquifers generally decreased with increasing depth, indicating a general downward potential for groundwater movement in the study area. Drilled depth of the wells was observed as a useful indicator of depth to groundwater such that deeper wells typically had a greater depth to groundwater. Comparison of a subset of wells included in this study that had historical groundwater levels that were measured during the 1960s and 1970s and again between 2012 and 2014 indicated that, overall, most of the wells showed a net decline in groundwater levels. The groundwater-level measurements were used to construct a generalized potentiometric-surface map of the Green River Basin lower Tertiary aquifer system. Groundwater-level altitudes measured in nonflowing and flowing wells used to construct the potentiometric-surface map ranged from 6,451 to 7,307 feet (excluding four unmeasured flowing wells used for contour construction purposes). The potentiometric-surface map indicates that groundwater in the study area generally moves from north to south, but this pattern of flow is altered locally by groundwater divides, groundwater discharge to the Green River, and possibly to a tributary river (Big Sandy River) and two reservoirs (Fontenelle and Big Sandy Reservoirs).

Wyoming↗
USGS2015

The quality of our Nation's waters: Water quality in the Mississippi embayment-Texas coastal uplands aquifer system and Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer, south-central United States, 1994-2008

About 8 million people rely on groundwater from the Mississippi embayment—Texas coastal uplands aquifer system for drinking water. The Mississippi River Valley alluvial aquifer also provides drinking water for domestic use in rural areas but is of primary importance to the region as a source of water for irrigation. Irrigation withdrawals from this aquifer are among the largest in the Nation and play a key role in the economy of the area, where annual crop sales total more than $7 billion. The reliance of the region on both aquifers for drinking water and irrigation highlights the importance of long-term management to sustain the availability and quality of these resources.

Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississipp↗
USGS2005

Drought allocations using the Systems Impact Assessment Model: Klamath River

Water supply and allocation scenarios for the Klamath River, Ore. and Calif., were evaluated using the Systems Impact Assessment Model (SIAM), a decision support system developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. SIAM is a set of models with a graphical user interface that simulates water supply and delivery in a managed river system, water quality, and fish production. Simulation results are presented for drought conditions, one aspect of Klamath River water operations. The Klamath River Basin has experienced critically dry conditions in 1992, 1994, and 2001. Drought simulations are useful to estimate the impacts of specific legal or institutional flow constraints. In addition, simulations help to identify potential adverse water quality consequences including evaluating the potential for reducing adverse temperature impacts on anadromous fish. In all drought simulations, water supply was insufficient to fully meet upstream and downstream targets for endangered species.

Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management↗
USGS2004

Simulation of ground-water flow in the Cedar River alluvial aquifer flow system, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

The Cedar River alluvial aquifer is the primary source of municipal water in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area. Since 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Cedar Rapids, has investigated the hydrogeology and water quality of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer. This report describes a detailed analysis of the ground-water flow system in the alluvial aquifer, particularly near well field areas. The ground-water flow system in the Cedar Rapids area consists of two main components, the unconsolidated Quaternary deposits and the underlying carbonate bedrock that has a variable fracture density. Quaternary deposits consist of eolian sand, loess, alluvium, and glacial till. Devonian and Silurian bedrock aquifers overlie the Maquoketa Shale (Formation) of Ordovician age, a regional confining unit. Ground-water and surface-water data were collected during the study to better define the hydrogeology of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer and Devonian and Silurian aquifers. Stream stage and discharge, ground-water levels, and estimates of aquifer hydraulic properties were used to develop a conceptual ground-water flow model and to construct and calibrate a model of the flow system. This model was used to quantify the movement of water between the various components of the aluvial aquifer flow system and provide an improved understanding of the hydrology of the alluvial aquifer. Ground-water flow was simulated for the Cedar River alluvial aquifer and the Devonian and Silurian aquifers using the three-dimensional finite-difference ground-water flow model MODFLOW. The model was discretized into 223 rows and 354 columns of cells. Areal cell sizes range from about 50 feet on a side near the Cedar River and the Cedar Rapids municipal wells to 1,500 feet on a side near the model boundaries and farthest away from the Cedar Rapids municipal well fields. The model is separated into five layers to account for the various hydrogeologic units in the model area. Model results indicate that the primary sources of inflow to the modeled area are infiltration from the Cedar River (53.0 percent) and regional flow in the glacial and bedrock materials (34.1 percent). The primary sources of outflow from the modeled area are discharge to the Cedar River (45.4 percent) and pumpage (44.8 percent). Current steady-state pumping rates have increased the flow of water from the Cedar River to the alluvial aquifer by 43.8 cubic feet per second. Steady-state and transient hypothetical pumpage scenarios were used to show the relation between changes in pumpage and changes in infiltration of water from the Cedar River. Results indicate that more than 99 percent of the water discharging from municipal wells infiltrates from the Cedar River, that the time required for induced river recharge to equilibrate with municipal pumpage may be 150 days or more, and that ground-water availability in the Cedar Rapids area will not be significantly affected by doubling current pumpage as long as there is sufficient flow in the Cedar River to provide recharge.

Iowa↗
USGS1997

Concentrations and transport of atrazine in the Delaware River-Perry Lake system, northeast Kansas, July 1992 through September 1995

About 283,000 pounds of atrazine are applied annually in the 1,100-square-mile Delaware River basin. Of this amount, an annual average of 3,500 pounds runs off into Perry Lake, a public-water supply source and main reservoir in the basin. About 90 percent of the atrazine that runs off to streams occurs between May and July. However, annual average concentrations did not exceed the maximum contaminant level in water from any of 10 stream sites or the outflow of Perry Lake for either the 1993 or 1994 crop years.

Kansas↗
USGS1996

Concentrations and transport of atrazine in the Delaware River-Perry Lake system, northeast Kansas, July 1993 through September 1995

A study of the distribution and transport of atrazine in surface water in the 1,117 square-mile Delaware River Basin in northeast Kansas was conducted from July 1992 through September 1995. The purpose of this report is to present information to assess the present (1992-95) con ditions and possible future changes in the distri bution and magnitude of atrazine concentrations, loads, and yields spatially, temporally, and in rela tion to hydrologic conditions and land-use characteristics. A network of 11 stream-monitoring and sam-ple-collection sites was established within the basin. Stream-water samples were collected during a wide range of hydrologic conditions throughout the study. Nearly 5,000 samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for triazine herbicide concentrations. Daily mean triazine herbicide concentrations were calculated for all sampling sites and subsequently used to estimate daily mean atrazine concentrations with a linear-regression relation between ELISA-derived triazine concentrations and atrazine concentrations determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for 141 dual-analyzed surface-water samples. During May, June, and July, time-weighted, daily mean atrazine concentrations in streams in the Delaware River Basin commonly exceeded the value of the 3.0-μg/L (micrograms per liter) annual mean Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking-water supplies. Time-weighted, daily mean concentrations equal to or greater than 20 μg/L were not uncommon. However, most time-weighted, daily mean concentrations were less than 1.0 μg/L from August through April. The largest time-weighted, monthly mean atrazine concentrations occurred during May, June, and July. Most monthly mean concentrations between August and April were less than 0.50 μg/L. Large differences were documented in monthly mean concentrations within the basin. Sites receiving runoff from the northern and northeastern parts of the Delaware River Basin had the largest monthly and annual mean atrazine concentrations. Time-weighted, annual mean atrazine concen trations did not exceed the MCL in water from any sampling site for either the 1993 or 1994 crop years (April—March); however, concentrations were larger during 1994 than during 1993. Time- weighted, annual mean concentrations in water from among the 11 sampling sites during the 1993 crop year ranged from 0.27 to 1.5 μg/L and from 0.36 to 2.8 μg/L during the 1994 crop year. Fur thermore, concentrations in samples from the out- flow of Perry Lake were larger during the first 6 months of the 1995 crop year than during the previous year. Flow-weighted, annual mean atrazine concentrations were larger than time-weighted, annual mean concentrations in water from all sampling sites upstream of Perry Lake, and samples from several sites had concentrations that were substantially larger than the MCL. This difference explained why time-weighted, annual mean concentrations in the outflow of Perry Lake were larger than corresponding time-weighted concentrations in water from sampling sites upstream of Perry Lake. Flow-weighted, annual mean concentrations in water from among the 11 sampling sites during the 1993 crop year ranged from 1.0 to 4.4 and from 1.0 to 8.9 μg/L during the 1994 crop year. Statistically significant linear-regression equa tions were identified relating the percentage of subbasin in cropland to time- and flow-weighted, average annual mean atrazine concentrations. The relations indicate that time-weighted, average annual mean atrazine concentrations may not exceed the MCL in water from subbasins with at least about 70-percent cropland. However, flow- weighted, average annual mean atrazine concen trations may exceed the MCL when the percent- age of cropland is greater than about 40 percent. Approximately 90 percent of the annual atrazine load is transported from May through July. Atrazine loads and yields were larger during the 1993 crop year than during the 1994 crop year because of much greater runoff in 1993. Yields at sampling sites upstream of Perry Lake ranged from 2.4 to 17 lb/mi2 (pounds per square mile) during the 1993 crop year and from 0.29 to 4.4 lb/mi2 during the 1994 crop year. Loads and yields were largest at sampling sites receiving runoff from the northern and northeastern parts of the Delaware River Basin. A statistically significant linear-regression equation was identified relating percentage of subbasin in cropland to atrazine yields. About 283,000 lb (pounds) of atrazine are applied each year in the Delaware River Basin. Annual atrazine loads (5,200 and 2,000 lb), yields (4.7 and 1.8 lb/mi2), and transport ratios (1.8 and 0.7 percent) were estimated for the entire Delaware River Basin for the 1993 and 1994 crop years, respectively. Differences between the 1993 and 1994 crop years are the result of differences in rainfall amounds and subsequent runoff volumes.

Kansas↗
USGS2001

Surface-geophysical characterization of ground-water systems of the Caloosahatchee River basin, southern Florida

The Caloosahatchee River Basin, located in southwestern Florida, includes about 1,200 square miles of land. The Caloosahatchee River receives water from Lake Okeechobee, runoff from the watershed, and seepage from the underlying ground-water systems; the river loses water through drainage to the Gulf of Mexico and withdrawals for public-water supply and agricultural and natural needs. Water-use demands in the Caloosahatchee River Basin have increased dramatically, and the Caloosahatchee could be further stressed if river water is used to accommodate restoration of the Everglades. Water managers and planners need to know how much water will be used within the river basin and how much water is contributed by Lake Okeechobee, runoff, and ground water. In this study, marine seismic-reflection and ground-penetrating radar techniques were used as a means to evaluate the potential for flow between the river and ground-water systems. Seven test coreholes were drilled to calibrate lithostratigraphic units, their stratal geometries, and estimated hydraulic conductivities to surface-geophysical profiles. A continuous marine seismic-reflection survey was conducted over the entire length of the Caloosahatchee River and extending into San Carlos Bay. Lithostratigraphic units that intersect the river bottom and their characteristic stratal geometries were identified. Results show that subhorizontal reflections assigned to the Tamiami Formation intersect the river bottom between Moore Haven and about 9 miles westward. Oblique and sigmoidal progradational reflections assigned to the upper Peace River Formation probably crop out at the floor of the river in the Ortona area between the western side of Lake Hicpochee and La Belle. These reflections image a regional-scale progradational deltaic depositional system containing quartz sands with low to moderate estimated hydraulic conductivities. In an approximate 6-mile length of the river between La Belle and Franklin Lock, deeper karstic collapse structures are postulated. These structures influence the geometries of parallel reflections that intersect the river channel. Here, reflections assigned to the Buckingham Limestone Member of the Tamiami Formation (a confining unit) and reflections assigned to the clastic zone of the sandstone aquifer likely crop out at the river bottom. Beneath these shallow reflections, relatively higher amplitude parallel reflections of the carbonate zone of the sandstone aquifer are well displayed in the seismic-reflection profiles. In San Carlos Bay, oblique progradational reflections assigned to the upper Peace River Formation are shown beneath the bay. Almost everywhere beneath the river, a diffuse ground-water flow system is in contact with the channel bottom. Ground-penetrating radar profiles of an area about 2 miles north of the depositional axis of the deltaic depositional system in the Ortona area show that progradational clinoforms imaged on seismic reflection profiles in the Caloosahatchee River are present within about 17 feet of the ground surface. Ground-penetrating radar profiles show southward dipping, oblique progradational reflections assigned to the upper Peace River Formation that are terminated at their tops by a toplapping or erosional discontinuity. These clinoformal reflections image clean quartz sand that is probably characterized by moderate hydraulic conductivity. This sand could be mapped using ground-penetrating radar methods.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2021

Conceptual and numerical groundwater flow model of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer system with simulation of drought stress on groundwater availability near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for 2011 through 2013

Between July 2011 and February 2013, the City of Cedar Rapids observed water level declines in their horizontal collector wells approaching 11 meters. As a result, pumping from these production wells had to be halted, and questions were raised about the reliability of the alluvial aquifer under future drought conditions. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Cedar Rapids, completed a study to better understand the effects of drought stress on the Cedar River alluvial aquifer using a numerical groundwater flow model. Previously published groundwater flow models were combined with newly collected airborne, waterborne, down-hole, and land-based geophysical survey data and provided a detailed three-dimensional lithologic model of the Cedar River alluvial aquifer and surrounding area. An improved conceptual model for the groundwater flow system and a lithologic model were used to build and inform a numerical groundwater flow model capable of simulating water levels observed in the City of Cedar Rapids horizontal collector wells during the 2012 drought. Model performance was assessed primarily on the ability of the model to simulate water table elevation at six monitoring wells. Statistical tests were used to assess the numerical model during the calibration period, and results varied from satisfactory to unsatisfactory, likely because of stage changes in the Cedar River and production well withdrawal rates near monitoring wells. Simulated water levels during the 2012 drought indicated a depression near the horizontal collector wells, although simulated elevations at these locations and at monitoring wells were generally overestimated compared to measured values. The numerical groundwater flow model was modified to account for a decrease in seepage rate caused by low flow in the Cedar River and increased production. With seepage rate modification, model results improved; the simulated water table elevations were like those observed in horizontal collector and monitoring wells. Results demonstrated the ability of the model to simulate water levels observed in the horizontal collector wells during the 2012 drought when accounting for a decrease in infiltration from the Cedar River.

Iowa↗
USGS1990

Arsenopyrite in the bank deposits of the Whitewood Creek-Belle Fourche-Cheyenne River-Lake Oahe system, South Dakota, U.S.A.

Mining, milling, and processing wastes containing quantities of arsenopyrite were produced around Lead, South Dokata, from 1875 to 1977. Much of this material was discharged into Whitewood Creek, and from there portions of the waste were transported to the Belle Fourche River, thence to the Cheyenne River, and finally to the Missouri River. In 1958, the Missouri River was dammed at Pierre, forming Lake Oahe. Analyses of cores collected from the lake bottom showed the presence of arsenic-rich layers in the bed sediments; substantial portions of the arsenic are due to arsenopyrite in the 8-16 and 16-32 ??m size fractions of the sediments. In addition, suspended-sediment samples collected from the Cheyenne River above Lake Oahe contain detectable quantities of arsenopyrite in the 8-16 and 16-32 ??m fractions. Solid material collected from the banks and floodplains of the Belle Fourche River and Whitewood Creek contains reduced and oxidized phases. The reduced phases have arsenic maxima in the 16-32 and 32-63 ??m size ranges. These fractions also contribute the most arsenic to the samples; the major source being arsenopyrite. The oxidized segments have arsenic maxima in the < 2 and > 63 ??m size ranges. The < 2 ??m maxima are associated with widely disseminated, arsenic-bearing iron oxide coatings. However, the > 63 ??m fractions contribute the most arsenic to the oxidized samples. This arsenic, despite the oxidized nature of the samples, is associated with arsenopyrite coated with thin iron oxide rinds. It has been calculated that 80% of the arsenic in these deposits is associated with sulfides (in the form of arsenopyrite), while 20% is associated with iron oxides. The arsenopyrite found in the banks and floodplains of Whitewood Creek and the Belle Fourche River are the likely source of the arsenopyrite found in the suspended sediments of the Cheyenne River and in the bed sediment of Lake Oahe.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1987

Solute geochemistry of the Snake River plain regional aquifer system, Idaho and eastern Oregon

Three geochemical methods were used to determine chemical reactions that control solute concentrations in the Snake River Plain regional aquifer system: (1) Calculation of a regional solute balance within the aquifer and of mineralogy in the aquifer framework to identify solute reactions, (2) comparison of thermodynamic mineral saturation indices with plausible solute reactions, and (3) comparison of stable-isotope ratios of the ground water with those in the aquifer framework. The geothermal ground-water system underlying the main aquifer system was examined by calculating thermodynamic mineral saturation indices, stable-isotope ratios of geothermal water, geothermometry, and radiocarbon dating. Water budgets, hydrologic arguments, and isotopic analyses for the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer system demonstrate that most, if not all, water is of local meteoric and not juvenile or formation origin. Solute-balance, isotopic, mineralogic, and thermodynamic arguments suggest that about 20 percent of the solutes are derived from reactions with rocks forming the aquifer framework. Solute reactions indicate that calcite and silica are precipitated in the aquifer. Mineralogic evidence and thermodynamic arguments suggest that olivine, pyroxene, pyrite, and anhydrite are being dissolved and plagioclase is being weathered. Large amounts of sodium and chloride, relative to their concentration in the igneous rock, are being removed from the aquifer. Release of fluids from inclusions in the igneous rocks, and initial flushing of grain boundaries and pores of detrital marine sediments in interbeds are believed to be the source of the sodium chloride. Identification and quantification of reactions controlling solute concentrations in ground water in the eastern plain indicate that the aquifer is not a large mixing vessel that simply stores and transmits water and solutes but is undergoing diagenesis and is both a source and sink for solutes. Evaluation of solute concentrations and stable-isotope ratios of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and sulfur along ground-water flowpaths that transect irrigated areas suggests that irrigation water may have altered solute concentrations and isotope ratios in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer system. The changes, however, have been small, owing to similarity of solute concentrations in applied irrigation water and in native ground water and rapid movement and large dispersivity of the aquifer. Reactions controlling solutes in the western Snake River basin are believed to be similar to those in the eastern basin but, because of different hydrologic conditions, a definitive analysis could not be made. The regional geothermal system that underlies the Snake River Plain contains total dissolved solids similar to those in the overlying Snake River Plain aquifer system but contains higher concentrations of sodium, bicarbonate, silica, fluoride, sulfate, chloride, arsenic, boron, and lithium, and lower concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and hydrogen. These solutes are believed to be derived from reactions similar to those in the Snake River Plain aquifer system, except that ion exchange may be a significant mechanism controlling solute concentrations in the geothermal system. Geothermometry calculations of selected ground-water samples from known geothermal areas throughout the basin suggest that the geothermal system is large in areal extent but has relatively low temperatures. Approximately half of the silica-quartz calculated water temperatures are greater than 90 degrees Celsius. Radiocarbon dating of geothermal water in the Salmon Falls and Bruneau-Grand View areas in the south-central part of the Snake River basin suggests that residence time of the geothermal water is about 17,700 years.

Idaho, Oregon↗
USGS2007

Chapter 3: Geologic Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources in the Phosphoria Total Petroleum System of the Wind River Basin Province, Wyoming

The Phosphoria Total Petroleum System (TPS) encompasses the entire Wind River Basin Province, an area of 4.7 million acres in central Wyoming. The source rocks most likely are black, organic-rich shales of the Meade Peak and Retort Phosphatic Shale Members of the Permian Phosphoria Formation located in the Wyoming and Idaho thrust belt to the west and southwest of the province. Petroleum was generated and expelled during Jurassic and Cretaceous time in westernmost Wyoming and is interpreted to have migrated into the province through carrier beds of the Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone where it was preserved in hypothesized regional stratigraphic traps in the Tensleep and Permian Park City Formation. Secondary migration occurred during the development of structural traps associated with the Laramide orogeny. The main reservoirs are in the Tensleep Sandstone and Park City Formation and minor reservoirs are in the Mississippian Madison Limestone, Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Amsden Formation, Triassic Chugwater Group, and Jurassic Nugget Sandstone and Sundance Formation. The traps are sealed by shale or evaporite beds of the Park City, Amsden, and Triassic Dinwoody Formations, Triassic Chugwater Group, and Jurassic Gypsum Spring Formation. A single conventional oil and gas assessment unit (AU), the Tensleep-Park City AU, was defined for the Phosphoria TPS. Both the AU and TPS cover the entire Wind River Basin Province. Oil is produced from 18 anticlinal fields, the last of which was discovered in 1957, and the possibility of discovering new structural oil accumulations is considered to be relatively low. Nonassociated gas is produced from only two fields, but may be underexplored in the province. The discovery of new gas is more promising, but will be from deep structures. The bulk of new oil and gas accumulations is dependent on the discovery of hypothesized stratigraphic traps in isolated carbonate reservoirs of the Park City Formation. Mean resource estimates for the Tensleep-Park City Conventional Oil and Gas AU total 18 million barrels of oil, 294 billion cubic feet of gas, and 5.9 million barrels of natural gas liquids.

Data Series↗
USGS2022

Annual summer submersed macrophyte standing stocks estimated from long-term monitoring data in the Upper Mississippi River

System-scale restoration efforts within the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge have included annual monitoring of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) since 1998 in four representative reaches spanning ∼ 440 river kilometers. We developed predictive models relating monitoring data (site-scale SAV abundance indices) to diver-harvested SAV biomass, used the models to back-estimate annual standing stock biomass between 1998 and 2018, and compared biomass estimates with previous abundance measures. We modeled two morphologically distinct groups of SAV with differing sampling efficiencies and estimated each separately: the first category included only wild celery Vallisneria americana, which has long, unbranched leaves and dominates lotic environments, while the second category included 17 branched morphology species (e.g., hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum and Canadian water weed Elodea canadensis ) and dominates lentic environments. Wild celery accounted for approximately half of total estimated total biomass in the four reaches, combined branched species accounted for half, and invasive species (Eurasian watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum and curly-leaf pondweed Potamogeton crispus ), a fraction of the branched species, accounted for < 1.5%. Site-scale SAV estimates ranged from 0 to 535 g·m −2 (dry mass). We observed increases in biomass in most areas between 1998 and 2009 and substantial increases (e.g., from < 10 g·m −2 to ∼ 125 g·m −2 ) in wild celery in extensive impounded areas between 2002 and 2007. Analyses also indicate a transitional period in 2007–2010 during which changes in biomass trajectories were evident in all reaches and included the start of a 9-y, ∼ 70% decrease in wild celery biomass in the southernmost impounded area. Biomass estimates provided new insights and illustrated scales of change that were not previously apparent using traditional metrics. The ability to estimate biomass from Long Term Resource Monitoring data improves conservation efforts through better understanding of changes in habitat and food resources for biota, improved goal setting for restoration projects and improved quantification of SAV-mediated structural effects such as anchoring of sediments and feedbacks with water quality.

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS2007

Estimates of Monthly Ground-Water Recharge to the Yakima River Basin Aquifer System, Washington, 1960-2001, for Current Land-Use and Land-Cover Conditions

Unique ID grid with a unique value per Hydrologic Response Unit (HRU) per basin in reference to the estimated ground-water recharge for current conditions in the Yakima Basin Aquifer System, (USGS report SIR 2007-5007). Total 78,144 unique values. This grid made it easy to provide estimates of monthly ground-water recharge for water years 1960-2001in an electronic format for water managers, planners, and hydrologists, that could be related back to a spatially referenced grid by the unique ID.

Open-File Report↗