USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Test”

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

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,027 records · Page 57Linked to original sources
USGS2018

Pilot testing and protocol development of giant applesnail suppression at Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana—July–October 2017

This report provides an overview of the pilot study and description of the techniques developed for a future mitigation study of Pomacea maculata (giant applesnail) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (MNWR). Egg mass suppression is a potential strategy for the mitigation of the invasive giant applesnail. In previous studies at Langan Municipal Park in Mobile, Alabama (LMP), and National Park Service Jean Lafitte National Park-Barataria Unit, Louisiana (JLNP), we determined that spraying food-grade oil (coconut oil or Pam™ spray) on egg masses significantly reduced egg hatching. At JLNP we also developed methods to estimate snail population size. The purpose of this pilot study was to adapt techniques developed for previous studies to the circumstances of MNWR in preparation for a larger experiment whereby we will test the effectiveness of egg mass suppression as an applesnail mitigation tool. We selected four canals that will be used as treatment and control sites for the experiment (two each). We established that an efficient way to destroy egg masses is to knock them down with a high-velocity stream of water pumped directly from the canal. The traps used at JLNP had to be modified to accommodate the greater range of water-level fluctuation at MNWR. One of the three marking methods used at JLNP was selected for use at MNWR.

Louisiana↗
USGS2019

An experimental test of weed-suppressive bacteria effectiveness in rangelands in southwestern Idaho, 2016–18

Approaches and techniques for control of exotic annual grasses are a high priority in sagebrush-steppe and other rangelands. Strains of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pf) have been proposed to be selectively pathogenic to multiple species of exotic annual grasses with effects evident by the second year, and with no effect on native or desirable species including native bunchgrasses. However, scientifically defensible tests of the target and non-target/risk effects of these hypothetically weed-suppressive bacteria (WSB) strains in the field have been lacking in rangelands and other environments. We evaluated the effects of two strains of Pf WSB (D7 and MB906) sprayed on the surface in autumn 2016 at three sites in sagebrush steppe across southwestern Idaho that had cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum ), medusahead ( Taeniatherum caput-medusae ), and other exotic annual grasses. Treatments also were replicated within each site (n=3, 8.3×8.3 meter plots) and included evaluation of the WSB strains with and without herbicides (imazapic and rimsulfuron) and with or without discing to mix surface-spray of the WSB into deeper soils. By the second year following application (spring 2018), neither strain of WSB affected exotic annual grasses, perennial bunchgrasses, or total community cover, either with WSB alone or in combination with herbicides or discing. We conclude that neither the D7 nor MB906 strains of Pf WSB have a negative effect on exotic annuals at the sites we evaluated.

Idaho↗
USGS2023

Status of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2022—Testing and updating predictive models

The nesting biology and demography of spectacled eiders ( Somateria fischeri ) along the lower Kashunuk River on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, were studied from 1993 to 2002. This previous work demonstrated that the breeding population on the study area was declining, and demographic modeling predicted that the population would continue to decline from 2002 forward. The predicted decline was primarily because of lead shot in tundra wetlands in the area, exposure of nesting females to lead, resulting in low adult female survival. The model predicted that lead pellets already in wetlands would slowly settle beyond the foraging depth of eiders, and that, lead exposure rates would decline. The goal of this project was to test this prediction by revisiting the lower Kashunuk River study area in 2022 to (1) update previous datasets regarding demographic parameters and (2) validate (or refute) existing models relative to lead exposure rates and the effects of lead on population dynamics. In the summer of 2022, a total of 37 nests were found in a sub-area of the historical study area. Comparing to past efforts in this same sub-area, more nests were found than predicted but the proportion of nesting female spectacled eiders exposed to lead in 2022 (24.3 percent) was still similar to levels of exposure observed between 1994 and 2002 (28.5 percent). Thus, data from the 2022 survey suggests that the earlier decline in numbers of nesting spectacled eiders has reversed, but there has been little decrease in lead exposure over time.

Alaska↗
USGS2024

Water-level change from a multiple-well aquifer test in volcanic rocks, Umatilla Indian Reservation near Mission, northeastern Oregon, 2016

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), (1) estimated water-level change from a multiple-well aquifer test centered on CTUIR well number 422 and (2) evaluated hydraulic connections between the pumping and observation wells on the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Mission, northeastern Oregon to improve the understanding of aquifer characteristics and hydrologic flow boundaries. Water-level changes, or pumping responses, were determined by distinguishing the pumping signal from environmental fluctuations in groundwater levels using analytical water-level models. The pumping well produces water from basalt units from a depth of 450 to 1,057 feet below land surface and was intermittently pumped during February 1–April 18, 2016. Water-level responses to pumping were estimated in the pumping well and in seven observation wells within 4 miles (mi) of the pumping well. The observation wells are open to basalt and some observation wells are either separated from the pumping well by faults and other structural features, within structural zones, or adjacent to structural features. Pumping responses at the observation wells were classified as detected in two wells, ambiguous in one well, and not detected in four wells. Observation-well open-interval elevations overlapped with the pumping-well open interval in both wells with detected pumping responses. Observation wells with detections are 1.8 mi east of the pumping well and across a fault, and 1.4 mi south of the pumping well. The pumping response was classified as ambiguous in an observation well located 1.4 mi west of the pumping well, where the dip of the basalt unit steepens, and adjacent to the Agency syncline. Pumping responses were not detected in observation wells within 0.3 mi of the pumping well where observation-well open-interval elevations are above the top of the pumping well open interval. Analysis of pumping responses indicates (1) a more permeable zone of basalt is adjacent to the lower portion of the pumping-well open interval and extends eastward, (2) basalt adjacent to the upper portion of the pumping-well open-interval is less permeable than the lower portion or separated from the lower portion by a less permeable zone, and (or) (3) a less permeable zone limits vertical hydraulic connectivity between the pumping well and the overlying basalt.

Oregon↗
USGS1949

Results and description of test drilling in Argenta Swamp near Battle Mountain, Nevada

In June 1949, the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the State Engineer of Nevada, as part of the State-wide ground-water studies, drilled a test well on the flood plain of the Humboldt River about 4 miles northeast of Battle Mountain. This well was drilled for the purpose of obtaining information concerning the geologic and hydrologic character of the sediments underlying the flood plain, and the quality of the water in those sediments.

Nevada↗
USGS1967

Preliminary geologic section from Pahute Mesa, Nevada Test Site, to Enterprise, Utah

The 154-mile long geologic cross section trends nearly perpendicular to the structural grain of the Basin-Range province in Nevada, and in Utah extends eastward into the transition zone between the Basin-Range and Colorado Plateau provinces. The structure is characterized by complex thrust: faults, involving uppermost Precambrian to lower Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, and normal faults which cut: the thick sequence of Tertiary volcanic rocks as well as older rocks. Some of the normal faults are the result of caldera collapse. The principal normal faults trend northerly west: of Delamar, Nev., and form north-trending basins and ranges. Farther east the principal faults trend northwesterly, and form a moderately rugged highland rather than distinct basins and ranges. The uppermost Precambrian-Paleozoic strata thin markedly eastward across the region. The pre-Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks vary from 32,500 feet: in thickness at the Nevada Test: Site (Harley Barnes, E. N. Hinrichs, F. A. McKeown and P. P. Orkild, written commun., 1963) to 4,500 feet: in the Beaver Dam Mountains in western Utah (Cook, 1960). Thick Mesozoic deposits, similar to those of the Colorado Plateau, are present in western Utah, but are represented in eastern Nevada by only thin patches of Triassic rock.

Nevada, Utah↗
USGS1968

Temperature data from exploratory boreholes at the Supplemental Test Site, central Nevada - interim report

In cooperation with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the U.S. Geological Survey is making precise temperature measurements in exploratory boreholes at the Supplemental Test Site, central Nevada. Together with thermal properties measurements made on the core, and additional temperature measurements in progress these data will he used to estimate geothermal flu: from the area. The purpose of this interim report is to make our preliminary temperature measurements available to other interested groups. The locations of the sites are shown on figure 1, and data pertinent to the state of disequilibrium at the time of measurement are tabulated in table 1. In the geothermal profiles (figs. 2 through 13) the temperature is given in decrees centigrade and the depth (Z) in meters.

Nevada↗
USGS1969

Geologic effects of the Greeley event, Nevada Test site

The intermediate yield Greeley event, in which a nuclear device was detonated at a depth of 3,990 feet in Pahute Mesa at the Nevada Test Site, caused fracturing in rocks and spalling of rock from cliffs as far as 3 and 8 miles, respectively, from the detonation point.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1973

Sampling and milling tests of chromite ore in the Hindubagh mining district, Quetta Division, Pakistan

Milling tests on chromite ores and analyses of cleaned chromite from the Hindubagh mining district show that gravity concentration methods can raise the grade of subcommercial ores to 48 percent Cr 2 0 3 or more. The Cr:Fe ratio in concentrates from the Nasai subdistrict, however, will be less than the conventional commercial standard of 3:1. A Cr:Fe ratio of 3:1 could be produced by blending low-grade and high-grade ores, but for the district as a whole, concentrates averaging 50-52 percent Cr 2 0 3 and 2.8:1 Cr:Fe ratio probably would yield the largest economic returns. Although not readily marketable now, ores and concentrates of this grade will be used increasingly in the near future.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1973

Records of selected water wells and test holes in the Oklahoma Panhandle

Since 1963 use of ground water for irrigation in the Oklahoma panhandle has increased greatly as illustrated by the rapid increase in the number of irrigation wells (fig. 1). Because of increased use of ground water, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, in 1966 began detailed study of the area's ground-water resources. As part of this study, physical data such as well depth, well yield, or water level was collected on approximately 1,500 water wells and test holes; these data are tabulated in this report. This information will be useful to those concerned with development of ground water in the panhandle. The locations of all known irrigation wells drilled before 1972 and selected domestic and stock wells in Beaver, Cimarron, and Texas Counties are shown in figures 2, 3, and 4, respectively. More wells are shown on the map than are listed in the table because for several hundred wells no information other than location is available. The generalized section of geologic formations briefly describes the character and water supply available from each unit.

Oklahoma↗
USGS1974

Digital modeling of radioactive and chemical waste transport in the Snake River plain aquifer at the National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho

Industrial and low-level radioactive liquid wastes at the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) in Idaho have been disposed to the Snake River Plain aquifer since 1952. Monitoring studies have indicated that tritium and chloride have dispersed over a 15-square mile (39-square kilometer) area of the aquifer in low but detectable concentrations and have only migrated as far as 5 miles (8 kilometers) downgradient from discharge points. The movement of cationic waste solutes, particularly 90 Sr and 137 Cs, has been significantly retarded due to sorption phenomena, principally ion exchange. 137 Cs has shown no detectable migration in the aquifer and 90 Sr has migrated only about 1.5 miles (2 kilometers) from the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) discharge well, and is detectable over an area of only 1.5 square miles ( 4 square kilometers) of the aquifer. Digital modeling techniques have been applied successfully to the analysis of the complex waste-transport system by utilizing numerical solution of the coupled equations of groundwater motion and mass transport. The model includes the effects of convective transport, flow divergence, two-dimensional hydraulic dispersion, radioactive decay, and reversible linear sorption. The hydraulic phase of the model uses the iterative, alternating direction, implicit finite-difference scheme to solve the groundwater flow equations, while the waste-transport phase uses a modified method of characteristics to solve the solute transport equations simulated by the model. The modeling results indicate that hydraulic dispersion (especially transverse) is a much more significant influence than previously suggested by earlier studies. The model has been used to estimate future waste migration patterns for varied assumed hydrological and waste conditions up through the year 2000. The hydraulic effects of recharge from the Big Lost River have an important (but not predominant) influence on the simulated future migration patterns. For the assumed conditions, the model indicates that detectable concentrations of waste chloride and tritium could move as much as 15 miles (24 kilometers) downgradient from the original discharge points by the year 2000. However, the model shows 90 Sr moving only 2 to 3 miles (3 to 5 kilometers) downgradient in the same time. The model may also be used to estimate the effects of the various future waste disposal practices and hydrologic conditions on subsequent migration of waste products.

Idaho↗
USGS1974

Summary of tectonic and structural evidence for stress orientation at the Nevada Test Site

A tectonic synthesis of the NTS (Nevada Test Site) region, when combined with seismic data and a few stress and strain measurements, suggests a tentative model for stress orientation. This model proposes that the NTS is undergoing extension in a N. 50 ? W.-S. 50 ? E. direction coincident with the minimum principal stress direction. The model is supported by (1) a tectonic similarity between a belt of NTS Quaternary faulting and part of the Nevada-California seismic belt, for which northwest-southeast extension has been suggested; (2) historic northeast- trending natural- and explosion-produced fractures in the NTS; (3) the virtual absence in the NTS of northwest-trending Quaternary faults; (4) the character of north-trending faults and basin configuration in the Yucca Flat area, which suggest a component of right-lateral displacement and post-10 m.y. (million year) oblique separation of the sides of the north-trending depression; (5) seismic evidence suggesting a north- to northwest-trending tension axis; (6) strain measurements, which indicate episodes of northwest-southeast extension within a net northeast-southwest compression; (7) a stress estimate based on tectonic cracking that indicates near-surface northwest-southeast-directed tension, and two stress measurements indicating an excess (tectonic) maximum principal compressive stress in a northeast-southwest direction at depths of about 1,000 feet (305 m); and (8) enlargement of some drill holes in Yucca Flat in a northwest-southeast direction. It is inferred that the stress episode resulting in the formation of deep alluvium-filled trenches began somewhere between 10 and possibly less than 4 m.y. ago in the NTS and is currently active. In the Walker Lane of western Nevada, crystallization of plutons associated with Miocene volcanism may have increased the competency and thickness of the crust and its ability to propagate stress, thereby modulating the frequency (spacing) of basin-range faults.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Ground-water records for southeastern Oklahoma : Part 1, records of wells, test-holes, and springs

The U. S. Geological Survey has collected data on Oklahoma's ground-water resources since 1934. Most of these data were collected as part of specific ground-water studies conducted in cooperation with various Federal, State, and local agencies. Although a large amount of ground-water data have been published, they are scattered through a variety of reports and are not readily available on a regional basis. Furthermore, a considerable amount of data have never been published and can be obtained only from the files of the Geological Survey. The purpose of this report is to make available both published and unpublished records for approximately 1,780 wells, test-holes, and springs in 16 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. In addition, selected references to pertinent ground-water reports covering parts of the 16-county area are included for those requiring more specific information. The stratigraphic nomenclature and age determinations used in the report are those accepted by the Oklahoma Geological Survey and do not necessarily agree with those of the U.S. Geological Survey. Acknowledgment is extended to the many hundreds of individuals who have provided the data compiled in this report.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1976

Ground-water records for northeastern Oklahoma : Part 1, records of wells, test-holes, and springs

The U. S. Geological Survey has collected data on Oklahoma's ground-water resources since 1934. Most of these data were collected as part of specific ground-water studies conducted in cooperation with various Federal, State, and local agencies. Although a large amount of ground-water data have been published, they are scattered through a variety of reports and are not readily available on a regional basis. Furthermore, a considerable amount of data have never been published and can be obtained only from the files of the Geological Survey. The purpose of this report is to make available both published and unpublished records for approximately 3,360 wells, test-holes, and springs in 23 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. In addition, selected references to pertinent ground-water reports covering parts of the 23-county area are included for those requiring more specific information. The stratigraphic nomenclature and age determinations used in the report are those accepted by the Oklahoma Geological Survey and do not necessarily agree with those of the U.S. Geological Survey. Acknowledgment is extended to the many hundreds of individuals who have provided the data compiled in this report.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

Summary of the geology and physical properties of the Climax Stock, Nevada Test Site

The Climax stock is a composite stock of Cretaceous age, composed of quartz monzonite and granodiorite, which intrudes sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic and Precambrian age. Tertiary rocks consisting of tuff, welded tuff, and breccia overlie the stock and sedimentary rocks. Hydrothermal alteration of the granodiorite and quartz monzonite is found mainly along the joints and is extensive, but the intensity of alteration varies from place to place. The surrounding sedimentary rocks (carbonates) have been metasomatically altered to tactite and marble as much as 1,500 feet (457 m) from contact with stock; the degree of metamorphism decreasing away from the intrusive. The major faults found in the vicinity of the Climax stock are the Tippinip fault, the Boundary fault, and the Yucca fault. In the stock three prominent joint sets and their average attitudes are N. 32? W., 22? NE.; N 64? W., vertical; and N 35? E., vertical. Two major tunnel complexes have been driven into the Climax stock?the Tiny Tot tunnel complex and Pile Driver-Hard Hat tunnel complex. In the Pile Driver-Hard Hat complex two underground nuclear tests have been conducted.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1979

Test data from the chloride-monitor well at Sun City Center, Hillsborough County, Florida

A test well drilled for Southwest Florida Water Management District at Sun City Center in Hillsborough County, will serve to monitor the interface between freshwater in the aquifer and the underlying chloride water. The sulfate content of the water in the aquifer at the well site exceeds 250 mg/L below a depth of about 700 feet. Wells for domestic and public supply in the area bottom at less than 500 feet and are separated from the sulfate water by about 100 feet of poorly-permeable limestone. The freshwater-chloride water interface is quite sharp and occurs at a depth of 1,410 feet. The chloride water is similar in composition to seawater but nearly twice as saline. (Woodard-USGS).

Open-File Report↗
USGS1977

Triaxial and consolidation testing of cores from the 1976 Atlantic Margin Coring Project of the United States Geological Survey

This report contains the results of triaxial and consolidation-compression testing on selected cores taken by the Atlantic Margin Coring Project, a 60-day expedition to obtain core samples by drilling beneath the Continental Shelf and Slope of the eastern United States. The coring took place in July, August and September, 1976 aboard the D/V GLOMAR CONCEPTION, and penetrated as much as 310 meters below the sea floor at 19 sites (Figure 1) along the continental margin from Georgia to Georges Bank off New England in water depth ranging from 20 to 300 meters.

Georgia to Georges Bank↗
USGS1979

Lithologic log, lithium content, and mineralogy of sediments penetrated in test boring drilled in Eureka Valley, Inyo County, California

A test boring was drilled in a playa in Eureka Valley, Calif., by the U.S. Geological Survey in the spring of 1978. Work was done under the terms of a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to evaluate the leasable mineral potential of various playas in the California Desert Planning area, as described in the environmental analysis (prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1978). The purpose of this report is to describe the occurrence and distribution of lithium in the basin sediments as part of a program to identify additional domestic resources of nonpegmatite lithium (Vine, 1978). Interest in this playa stems from the fact that Eureka Valley is located in a region where other lithium resources have been identified. Lithium is recovered from subsurface brines at Clayton Valley, Nev., to the north and at Searles Lake, Calif., to the south. Eureka Valley is a closed topographic basin that has an arid climate, it thus provides suitable conditions for the entrapment of a brine and subsequent concentration of lithium by evaporation. Development of new energy related uses for lithium in batteries for electric vehicle propulsion and for off-peak power storage by the utility industry (Chilenskas and others, 1977) may he aided by identification of a large domestic resource of lithium.

California↗