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At least 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources

USGS1992

Geochemical effects of deep-well injection of the Paradox Valley brine into Paleozoic carbonate rocks, Colorado, U.S.A.

Brine seepage into the Dolores River from ground water in Paradox Valley, Colorado constitutes a major source of salt to the Colorado River. Plants are enderway to remove this source of salt by drawing down the Paradox Valley brine (PVB) and forcibly injecting it into a deep disposal well (4.8 km). Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of deep-well injection of PVB. The results show that PVB is near saturation with anhydrite at 25°C, and that heating results in anhydrite precipitation. The amount and the rate at which anhydrite forms is temperature, pressure, and substrate dependent. Paradox Valley brine heated in the presence of Precambrian rocks from the drill core produces the same amount of anhydrite as PVB heated alone, but at a greatly accelerated rate. A 30% dilution of PVB with Dolores River water completely eliminates anhydrite precipitation when the fluid is heated with the Precambrian rocks. Interaction of PVB and Leadville Limestone is characterized by dolomitization of calcite by brine Mg which releases Ca to solution. This added Ca reacts with SO 4 to form increased amounts of anhydrite. A 20% dilution of PVB by Dolores River water has no effect on dolomitization and reduces the amount of anhydrite only slightly. A 65% dilution of PVB by Dolores River water still does not prevent dolomitization but does suppress anhydrite formation. Computer modeling of PVB by programs utilizing the Pitzer ion-interaction parameters is in general agreement with the experimental results. Ion-activity products calculated by both SOLMINEQ and PHRQPITZ are close to equilibrium with both anhydrite and dolomite whenever these phases are present experimentally, although the calculations over-estimate by a factor of 2 the degree of saturation. Some discrepancies in the calculated results between the two programs are due largely to differences in mineral solubility data.

Colorado↗

USGS2005

Tar yields from low-temperature carbonization of coal facies from the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA

Tar yields from low-temperature carbonization correlate with the amount of crypto-eugelinite in samples selected to represent petrographically distinct coal facies of the Wyodak-Anderson coal zone. Tar yields from Fischer Assay range from <1 to 11 wt.% on a dry basis and correspond ( r = 0.72) to crypto-eugelinite contents of the coal that range from 15 to 60 vol.%. Core and highwall samples were obtained from active surface mines in the Gillette field, Powder River Basin, Wyoming. Because the rank of the samples is essentially the same, differences in low-temperature carbonization yields are interpreted from compositional differences, particularly the crypto-eugelinite content. In the Wyodak-Anderson coal zone, crypto-eugelinite probably was derived from degraded humic matter which absorbed decomposition products from algae, fungi, bacteria, and liptinitic plant parts (materials possibly high in hydrogen). Previous modeling of the distribution of crypto-eugelinite in the discontinuous Wyodak-Anderson coal zone indicated that tar yields should be greater from coal composing the upper part and interior areas than from coal composing the lower parts and margins of the individual coal bodies. It is possible that hydrocarbon yields from natural coalification processes would be similar to yields obtained from laboratory pyrolysis. If so, the amount of crypto-eugelinite may also be an important characteristic when evaluating coal as source rock for migrated hydrocarbons.

Wyoming↗

USGS2002

An upwelling model for the Phosphoria sea: A Permian, ocean-margin sea in the northwest United States

The Permian Phosphoria Formation, a petroleum source rock and world-class phosphate deposit, was deposited in an epicratonic successor basin on the western margin of North America. We calculate the seawater circulation in the basin during deposition of the lower ore zone in the Meade Peak Member from the accumulation rates of carbonate fluorapatite and trace elements. The model gives the exchange rate of water between the Phosphoria sea and the open ocean to the west in terms of an upwelling rate (84 m yr-1) and residence time (4.2 yr) of seawater in the basin. These hydrographic properties supported a mean rate of primary productivity of 0.87 g m-2 d-1 of carbon in the uppermost few tens of meters of the water column (the photic zone) and denitrifying redox conditions in the bottom water (below approximately 150 m depth). High rain rates, onto the sea floor, of the organic matter that hosted the phosphate and several trace elements contributed to the accumulation of phosphorite, chert, and black shales and mudstones. Evaporation in the Goose Egg basin to the east of the Phosphoria basin ensured the import of surface seawater from the Phosphoria sea. Budgets of water, salt, phosphate, and oxygen, plus the minor accumulation of the biomarker gammacerane, show that exchange of water between the two basins was limited, possibly by the shallow carbonate platform that separated the two basins.

Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming↗

USGS2007

Coseismic and post-seismic signatures of the Sumatra 2004 December and 2005 March earthquakes in GRACE satellite gravity

The GRACE satellite mission has been measuring the Earth's gravity field and its temporal variations since 2002 April. Although these variations are mainly due to mass transfer within the geofluid envelops, they also result from mass displacements associated with phenomena including glacial isostatic adjustment and earthquakes. However, these last contributions are difficult to isolate because of the presence of noise and of geofluid signals, and because of GRACE's coarse spatial resolution (>400 km half-wavelength). In this paper, we show that a wavelet analysis on the sphere helps to retrieve earthquake signatures from GRACE geoid products. Using a wavelet analysis of GRACE geoids products, we show that the geoid variations caused by the 2004 December ( M w = 9.2) and 2005 March ( M w = 8.7) Sumatra earthquakes can be detected. At GRACE resolution, the 2004 December earthquake produced a strong coseismic decrease of the gravity field in the Andaman Sea, followed by relaxation in the area affected by both the Andaman 2004 and the Nias 2005 earthquakes. We find two characteristic timescales for the relaxation, with a fast variation occurring in the vicinity of the Central Andaman ridge. We discuss our coseismic observations in terms of density changes of crustal and upper-mantle rocks, and of the vertical displacements in the Andaman Sea. We interpret the post-seismic signal in terms of the viscoelastic response of the Earth's mantle. The transient component of the relaxation may indicate the presence of hot, viscous material beneath the active Central Andaman Basin.

Geophysical Journal International↗

USGS2017

Using mineral geochemistry to decipher slab, mantle, and crustal input in the generation of high-Mg andesites and basaltic andesites from the northern Cascade Arc

To better understand the role of slab melt in the petrogenesis of North Cascades magmas, this study focuses on petrogenesis of high-Mg lavas from the two northernmost active volcanoes in Washington. High-Mg andesites (HMA) and basaltic andesites (HMBA) in the Cascade Arc have high Mg# [molar Mg/(Mg+Fe 2+ )] relative to their SiO 2 contents, elevated Nd/Yb, and are Ni- and Cr-enriched. The rock units examined here include the Tarn Plateau HMBA (51.8–54.0 wt% SiO 2 , Mg# 68–70) and Glacier Creek HMA (58.3–58.7 wt% SiO 2 , Mg# 63–64) from the Mount Baker Volcanic Field, and the Lightning Creek HMBA (54.8–54.6 SiO 2 , Mg# 69–73) from Glacier Peak. This study combines major and trace element compositions of minerals and whole rocks to test several petrogenetic hypotheses and to determine which, if any, are applicable to North Cascades HMA and HMBA. In the Tarn Plateau HMBA, rare earth element (REE) equilibrium liquids calculated from clinopyroxene compositions have high Nd/Yb that positively correlates with Mg#. This correlation suggests an origin similar to that proposed for Aleutian adakites, where intermediate, high Nd/Yb slab-derived melts interact with the overlying mantle to become Mg-rich, and subsequently mix with low Nd/Yb, mantle-derived mafic magmas with lower Mg#. In the Glacier Creek HMA, elevated whole-rock MgO and SiO 2 contents resulted from accumulation of xenocrystic olivine and differentiation processes, respectively, but the cause of high Nd/Yb is less clear. However, high whole-rock Sr/P (fluid mobile/fluid immobile) values indicate a mantle source that was fluxed by an enriched, hydrous slab component, likely producing the observed high Nd/Yb REE signature. The Lightning Creek HMBA is a hybridized rock unit with at least three identifiable magmatic components, but only one of which has HMA characteristics. Cr and Mg contents in Cr-spinel and olivine pairs in this HMA component suggest that its source is a strongly depleted mantle, and high whole-rock Sr/P values indicate mantle melting that was induced through hydration, likely adding the component responsible for the observed high Nd/Yb REE pattern. The elevated SiO 2 contents (54.6 wt%) of the HMA component resulted from differentiation or high degrees of partial melting of ultramafic material through the addition of H 2 O. Therefore the Lightning Creek HMBA is interpreted to have originated from a refractory mantle source that underwent melting through interaction with an enriched slab component. Our results indicate that in addition to slab-derived fluids, slab-derived melts also have an important role in the production of HMA and HMBA in the north Cascade Arc.

American Mineralogist↗

USGS2020

Organic petrography of Leonardian (Wolfcamp A) mudrocks and carbonates, Midland Basin, Texas: The fate of oil-prone sedimentary organic matter in the oil window

To better understand evolution of oil-prone sedimentary organic matter to petroleum and expulsion from source rock, we evaluated organic petrographic features of Leonardian Wolfcamp A repetitive siliceous and calcareous mudrock and fine-grained carbonate lithofacies cycles occurring in the R. Ricker #1 core from Reagan County, Midland Basin, Texas. The objectives of the petrographic investigation were to estimate thermal maturity, identify organic matter types and abundances, and identify the presence or absence of migrated hydrocarbons in organic-lean carbonate layers. An integrated analytical program included geochemical screening [total organic carbon (TOC) content by LECO, programmed pyrolysis by hydrocarbon analyzer with kinetics (HAWK) including analysis of solvent-extracted samples], X-ray diffraction mineralogy, organic petrography, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) including correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) analyses of solid bitumen. The data indicate all samples are early to middle oil window thermal maturity with solid bitumen reflectance (BR o ) values of 0.55–0.86% and T max of 440–455 °C. Organic matter is predominantly solid bitumen (as identified by optical microscopy) in all lithofacies with minor contributions from inertinite. Solid bitumen abundance decreases from siliceous mudrock (TOC >3.0 wt%) to calcareous mudrock (TOC 1.0 to 3.0 wt%) to fine-grained carbonate (TOC <1.0 wt%) lithofacies. Interpretations of petrographic data suggest siliceous and calcareous mudrocks are source rock lithofacies and contain solid bitumen (with petroleum generation potential) that is residual (what remains) from conversion of an original Type II sedimentary organic matter. In turn, fine-grained carbonates are interpreted as reservoir lithofacies which contained little or no original oil-prone sedimentary organic matter and at present-day contain only a minor component of migrated solid petroleum sourced from adjacent siliceous and calcareous mudrock lithofacies. This work helps to document petroleum generation and migration processes, improve unconventional reservoir characterization and better define areas of oil window thermal maturity in an area critical to United States hydrocarbon production.

Texas↗

USGS1951

Notes on the manganese ores of Brazil

Brazil has been a small but consistent source of manganese ore for world markets during the last five decades. Production both for export and for domestic use is likely to increase. Deposits can be classified into syngenetic (the primary manganese sediments in iron formation at Urucum) and epigenetic. The epigenetic deposits can be further subdivided into four classes: (a) The Queluz or Morro da Mina type, in which the manganese oxide ore has been derived by weathering processes from a manganese silicate-carbonate-sulfide protore. (b) The Lagoa Grande type, enclosed in itabirite, in which lean man-ganiferous horizons in the metamorphosed iron formation have been leached and the manganese concentrated by weathering processes. (c) Deposits in slightly manganiferous rocks of various types in which the manganese has been concentrated by weathering processes. (d) Deposits in barren rocks into which manganese oxides have been introduced from unknown sources. It is probable that the Lagoa Grande type is closely related in ultimate origin to the Urucum type, although the regional metamorphism suffered by the former obscures relations. The Urucum deposits and two deposits of the Morro da Mina type have large reserves of export-grade ore. Many deposits of the Lagoa Grande type are known and the aggregate reserves are large, although their grade makes them more suitable for domestic than for export use. Deposits of the other two types are numerous but small, and their grade seems to consign most ore from these deposits to the domestic market. © 1951 Society of Economic Geologists, Inc.

Economic Geology↗

USGS1971

Classification of public lands valuable for geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources

The Organic Act of 1879 (43 U.S.C. 31) that established the U.S. Geological Survey provided, among other things, for the classification of the public lands and for the examination of the geological structure, mineral sources, and products of the national domain. In order to provide uniform executive action in classifying public lands, standards for determining which lands are valuable for mineral resources, for example, leasable mineral lands, or for other products are prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey. This report presents the classification standards for determining which Federal lands are classifiable as geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources lands under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (84 Star. 1566). The concept of a geothermal resources province is established for classification of lands for the purpose of retention in Federal ownership of rights to geothermal resources upon disposal of Federal lands. A geothermal resources province is defined as an area in which higher than normal temperatures are likely to occur with depth and in which there is a reasonable possibility of finding reservoir rocks that will yield steam or heated fluids to wells. The determination of a 'known geothermal resources area' is made after careful evaluation of the available geologic, geochemical, and geophysical data and any evidence derived from nearby discoveries, competitive interests, and other indicia. The initial classification required by the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 is presented.

Circular↗

USGS2021

Implementation plan for the southern Pacific Border and Sierra-Cascade Mountains provinces

Introduction The National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) is publishing a strategic plan titled Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s Authoritative Source for Modern Geologic Knowledge (Brock and others, in press). The plan provides a vision, mission, and goals for the program during the years 2020–2030, which are: Vision .—Create an integrated, three-dimensional, digital geologic map of the United States. Mission .—Characterize, interpret, and disseminate a national geologic framework model of the Earth through geologic mapping. Goal .—Focus on geologic mapping as a core function of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) within the long-term vision of adequately mapping the Nation’s geologic framework in three dimensions. In order to achieve the goals outlined in the strategic plan, the NCGMP has developed an implementation plan. This plan will guide the annual review of projects carried out by USGS staff (FEDMAP) described in the plan and the development of the annual FEDMAP prospectus that will ensure the effective application of the NCGMP strategy. This publication describes the implementation plan of the NCGMP strategy for the southern Pacific Border and Sierra-Cascade Mountains provinces, as defined by Fenneman (1917, 1928, and 1946). This implementation plan focuses on the geology of California and a sliver of Nevada surrounding Lake Tahoe. The southern Pacific Border and Sierra-Cascade Mountains provinces encompass the varied landscapes of the high Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley, and Coast Ranges in northern and central California and the Peninsular Ranges, Continental Borderland, Los Angeles Basin-San Gabriel-San Bernardino valleys, western and central Transverse Ranges, and northernmost Salton Trough in southern California. Societal demands create a need for earth-science data in each of these landscapes. The broader San Francisco Bay area, Central Valley, Los Angeles-San Gabriel-San Bernardino lowlands, and the coastal lowlands that border the Peninsular Ranges are densely populated (about 30 million people) areas at high risk of natural hazards. The mountains of the Sierra Nevada, Peninsular Ranges, and Transverse Ranges, and the coast all provide numerous recreational opportunities that attract visitors from around the world, whereas previously these ranges attracted people to mine their resources. The agricultural capacity of the Central Valley is a critical resource for the Nation that is increasingly water limited. The southern. Pacific Border and Sierra-Cascade Mountains provinces, at the edge of the North American continent, were profoundly influenced by subduction zone tectonics during the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic (ongoing in northernmost California) and subsequently by the inception, development, and present activity of the San Andreas transform margin system. Although the geology of this region is the poster child of fundamental conceptual models of subduction zone complexes, forearc basins, ophiolite obductions, magmatic arcs, and suspect terranes, as well as hosting one of Earth’s most notorious continental transform faults—the San Andreas Fault—important questions that have important societal consequences remain to be answered. Most of California’s population reside in these provinces and live within 30 miles of an active fault (according to www.earthquakeauthority.com ) yet new faults continue to be discovered, highlighting the importance of deformation off the main San Andreas Fault. Bedrock, surficial, and three-dimensional (3D) geologic maps depicting stratigraphic structure and depth to crystalline basement rocks provide critical context and information for understanding fault rupture, distributed deformation, fault connectivity, and history in addition to providing crucial data that enable forecasting of shaking amplitude and length from hypothetical earthquake scenarios. The tectonic evolution of California produced not only stunning mountains, with associated hazards from landslides and active volcanoes, but also fertile valleys that make California the top agricultural producer in the country in terms of cash receipts (according to www.ers.usda.gov/faqs ). These valleys lie atop large basins that not only store groundwater but, in many cases, host oil and gas fields, contributing to the fourth highest hydrocarbon production by State in the country in 2016 (according to https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/animated-chart-of-us-oil-production-by-state-1981-2017 ). Water is a key resource increasingly stressed by growing agricultural, industrial, and residential needs. Warmer and drier conditions have led to an increased reliance on extracting groundwater resources, whose availability and quality are dictated at the first order by the 3D spatial distribution of bedrock and Quaternary surficial deposits. Thus, assessment of this critical resource is inextricably tied to knowledge of the surficial and subsurface geologic structure and material types.

California, Nevada↗

USGS2010

Petrology and geochemistry of the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano: Chapter 15 in The 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska

Deposits from the 2006 eruption of Augustine Volcano, Alaska, record a complex history of magma mixing before and during the eruption. The eruption produced five major lithologies: low-silica andesite scoria (LSAS; 56.5 to 58.7 weight percent SiO 2 ), mostly during the initial explosive phase; high-silica andesite pumice (HSA; 62.2 to 63.3 weight percent SiO 2 ), prevalent during the continuous phase; dense low-silica andesite (DLSA; 56.4 to 59.3 weight percent SiO 2 ), predominantly during the late effusive phase; and dense intermediate andesite (DIA) and banded clasts, present throughout the eruption but most abundant in the continuous phase. The DIA and banded clasts have compositions that fall between and partially overlap the ranges noted above. All rock types are phenocryst-rich (36 to 44 volume percent), containing plagioclase, orthopyroxene, augite, Fe-Ti oxides, olivine, and rare amphibole, apatite, and anhydrite. Glasses from tephra and flow-deposit clasts range from 66 to nearly 80 weight percent SiO 2 and represent highly evolved melt relative to the bulk rock compositions. Fe-Ti oxides recorded f O2 ~2 log units above the Ni-NiO buffer and temperatures of 904±47°C and 838±14°C from LSAS and HSA samples, respectively, with the intermediate lithologies falling in the middle of these ranges. The dense low-silica andesite and scoria (collectively LSA) are compositionally nearly identical, and trace-element patterns show that the HSA is not the result of shallow crustal fractionation of the LSA. The petrological and geochemical data indicate that two-component magma mixing between the LSA and HSA caused the compositional spread in eruptive products. The phenocryst population in the LSA suggests that it represents a hybrid formed from the HSA and an unerupted, basaltic “replenishing” magma. On the basis of petrological and geophysical observations reported here and elsewhere in this volume, the HSA was stored as a crystal-rich mush with its top at ~5-km depth. An influx of basalt remobilized and partially mixed with a portion of the mush, forming the hybrid LSA. The lower viscosity LSA ascended towards the surface as a dike, erupting during the explosive phase in mid-January 2006. In late January, a large explosion produced the first significant volumes of HSA, followed by several days of rapid HSA effusion during the eruption’s continuous phase. After a three-week hiatus marked by elevated gas output, signifying an open system, degassed LSA erupted during the final, effusive phase. Consistency in eruptive styles and compositions suggests that the HSA magma body may have been similarly rejuvenated during the past several eruptions.

Alaska↗

USGS2012

Uranium-lead isotopic ages from the Sierra Nevada Batholith, California

This study provides new information on the timing and distribution of Mesozoic magmatic events in the Sierra Nevada batholithic complex chiefly between 36° and 37°N. latitude. U-Pb ages have been determined for 133 zircon and 7 sphene separates from 82 samples of granitoid rocks. Granitoid rocks in this area range in age from 217 to 80 m.y. Triassic intrusions are restricted to the east side of the batholith; Jurassic plutons occur south of the Triassic plutons east of the Sierra Nevada, as isolated masses within the Cretaceous batholith, and in the western foothills of the range; Cretaceous plutons form a continuous belt along the axis of the batholith and occur as isolated masses east of the Sierra Nevada. No granitic intrusions were emplaced for 37 m.y. east of the Sierra Nevada following the end of Jurassic plutonism. However, following emplacement of the eastern Jurassic granitoids, regional extension produced a fracture system at least 350 km long into which the dominantly mafic, calc-alkalic Independence dike swarm was intruded 148 m.y. ago. The dike fractures probably represents a period of regional crustal extension caused by a redistribution of the regional stress pattern accompanying the Nevadan orogeny. Intrusion of Cretaceous granitic plutons began in large volume about 120 m.y. ago in the western Sierra Nevada and migrated steadily eastward for 40 m.y. at a rate of 2.7 mm/y. This slow and constant migration indicates remarkably uniform conditions of subduction with perhaps downward migration of parent magma generation or a slight flattening of the subduction zone. Such steady conditions could be necessary for the production of large batholithic complexes such as the Sierra Nevada. The abrupt termination of plutonism 80 m.y. ago may have resulted from an increased rate of convergence of the American and eastern Pacific plates and dramatic flattening of the subduction zone. U-Pb ages of the Giant Forest-alaskite sequence in Sequoia National Park are all in the range 99±3 m.y., indicating a relatively short period of emplacement and cooling for this nested group of plutons. U-Pb ages of a mafic inclusion and its host granodiorite indicate that both were derived from a common source or that the mafic inclusion was totally equilibrated with the granodioritic magma. Comparison of isotopic ages determined by different methods such as zircon U-Pb, sphene U-Pb, hornblende K-Ar, and biotite K-Ar suggests that zircon U-Pb ages generally approximate the emplacement age of a pluton. However, some plutons probably contain inherited or entrained old zircons, and the zircons of some samples are disturbed by younger thermal and metamorphic events. The ages reported here are consistent with U-Pb age determinations previously made on granitic rocks to the north [Stern et al., 1981], The age distribution of granitic belts determined here is in general agreement with those established by K-Ar dating [Evernden and Kistler, 1970] but does not differentiate the five epochs of plutonism determined in their study.

California↗

USGS2008

Arsenic(III) fuels anoxygenic photosynthesis in hot spring biofilms from Mono Lake, California

Phylogenetic analysis indicates that microbial arsenic metabolism is ancient and probably extends back to the primordial Earth. In microbial biofilms growing on the rock surfaces of anoxic brine pools fed by hot springs containing arsenite and sulfide at high concentrations, we discovered light-dependent oxidation of arsenite [As(III)] to arsenate [As(V)] occurring under anoxic conditions. The communities were composed primarily of Ectothiorhodospira-like purple bacteria or Oscillatoria-like cyanobacteria. A pure culture of a photosynthetic bacterium grew as a photoautotroph when As(III) was used as the sole photosynthetic electron donor. The strain contained genes encoding a putative As(V) reductase but no detectable homologs of the As(III) oxidase genes of aerobic chemolithotrophs, suggesting a reverse functionality for the reductase. Production of As(V) by anoxygenic photosynthesis probably opened niches for primordial Earth's first As(V)-respiring prokaryotes.

Science↗

USGS2012

Duststones on Mars: Source, transport, deposition and erosion

Dust is an abundant material on Mars, and there is strong evidence that it is a contributor to the rock record as “duststone,” analogous in many ways to loess on Earth. Although a common suite of dust formation mechanisms has operated on the two planets, fundamental differences in environments and geologic histories have resulted in vastly different weighting functions, causing distinct depositional styles and erosional mechanisms. On Earth, dust is derived predominantly from glacial grinding and, in nonglacial environments, by other processes, such as volcanism, eolian abrasion, and fluvial comminution. Hydrological and biological processes convert dust accumulations to loess deposits. Active hydrology also acts to clean dust from the atmosphere and convert loess into soil or erode it entirely. On Mars, glacial production of dust has been minor, with most fine particles probably produced from ancient volcanic, impact, and fluvial processes. Dust is deposited under arid conditions in which aggregate growth and cementation are the stabilizing agents. Thick accumulations result in duststone.

SEPM Special Publication↗

USGS2014

Geologic map of the eastern quarter of the Flagstaff 30’ x 60’ quadrangle, Coconino County, northern Arizona

The eastern quarter of the Flagstaff 30′ x 60′ quadrangle includes eight USGS 1:24,000-scale quadrangles in Coconino County, northern Arizona (fig. 1, map sheet): Anderson Canyon, Babbitt Wash, Canyon Diablo, Grand Falls, Grand Falls SE, Grand Falls SW, Grand Falls NE, and Meteor Crater. The map is bounded by lat 35° to 35°30′ N. and long 111° to 111°15′ W. and is on the southern part of the Colorado Plateaus geologic province (herein Colorado Plateau). Elevations range from 4,320 ft (1,317 m) at the Little Colorado River in the northwest corner of the map area to about 6,832 ft (2,082 m) at the southwest corner of the map. This geologic map provides an updated geologic framework for the eastern quarter of the Flagstaff 30′ x 60′ quadrangle and is adjacent to two other recent geologic maps, the Cameron and Winslow 30′ x 60′ quadrangles (Billingsley and others, 2007, 2013). This geologic map is the product of a cooperative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Navajo Nation. It provides geologic information for resource management officials of the U.S. Forest Service, the Arizona Game and Fish Department, and the Navajo Nation Reservation (herein the Navajo Nation). Funding for the map was provided by the USGS geologic mapping program, Reston, Virginia. Field work on the Navajo Nation was conducted under a permit from the Navajo Nation Minerals Department. Any persons wishing to conduct geologic investigations on the Navajo Nation must first apply for, and receive, a permit from the Navajo Nation Minerals Department, P.O. Box 1910, Window Rock, Arizona 86515, telephone (928) 871-6587.

Arizona↗

USGS2025

Preliminary depth to basement modeling at Salton Sea, California

The San Andreas Fault – Imperial Fault (SAF-IF) transtensional step-over zone along the southern margin of the Salton Sea hosts substantial geothermal production and lithium brine resources. Recent volcanism at the Salton Buttes and active seismicity along the SAFIF fault system highlight active tectonic and magmatic processes that pose natural hazards and may impact energy and mineral production. Characterizing the subsurface architecture and extent of concealed alteration associated with this tectono-magmatic system enhances understanding of these active processes, associated hazards, and resources. We have compiled a gravity database, consisting of new and re-processed existing data, from which we have constructed a new isostatic residual gravity anomaly map of the Salton trough. We have used this new gravity dataset together with a compilation of publicly available borehole data to develop new depth to basement inversion models for the region. These depth to basement models help to constrain basin geometries, inform alteration mapping, and reveal variations in basement rocks. Due to the concealed nature of the complex tectonic framework at the Salton trough, it is necessary to utilize geophysical methods for subsurface characterization. These new depth to basement models are a first step toward constructing 2D and 3D geophysical and geologic models of the Imperial Valley and Salton Sea geothermal area. This analysis complements other geophysical initiatives, including magnetotelluric (MT) modeling (Tokmakoff et al., 2024), magnetic mapping (Glen and Earney, 2023, 2024) and potential field modeling, and seismic studies focused on hazard and resource investigations in the Imperial Valley.

California↗

USGS1952

Ground-water resources of Snohomish County, Washington

Snohomish County comprises an east-west strip, six townships wide, extending 60 miles from the eastern shore of Puget Sound to the drainage divide of the Cascade Mountains. Topographically, the eastern two-thirds of the county varies frown hills and low mountain spurs at the west to the continuous high, maturely carved mountains of the Cascade Range at the east. The western third of the county lies in the Puget Sound lowland section: it is made up largely of unconsolidated deposits, as contrasted with the hard rocks of the mountain section. High-level deposits of glacial debris in some places form a transitional ramp from the lowlands to the mountain topography; in other places the transition is abrupt. The principal rivers--the Snohomish, Skykomish, Stillaguamish, and Sauk--drain westward and northwestward to Puget Sound. The Puget Sound lowland, with its extensions up the river valleys, is economically the important part. of the county. Within that part., ground-water development is of particular importance. The climate is equable and dominantly oceanic, with an average of about 32 h. of rainfall annually, but with a pronounced dry season from June to September. A mean annual temperature of 52 F, a growing season of more than 200 days, and a variety of good soils form a setting in which supplemental irrigation can at least double the average crop production. Within the coastal lowland, plateau segments 200 to 600 ft or more in altitude are separated by flat-bottomed, alluviated river gorges. The river flats in some eases represent the surface of as much as 500 to 600 ft of glacial and alluvial deposits backfilled into canyonlike arms of the aneestral drainage system. The plateau segments are formed of the till-smoothed remnants of bedrock or the tabular segments of Pleistocene deposits. The Pleistocene deposits consist, above sea level, of about 200 ft of Admiralty clay and as much as 1,000 ft of deposits of the Vashon glaciation. The latter include as much as 300 ft of either clay or sand units of advance outwash, up to 150 ft of till, and variable thicknesses of outwash-terrace and train material. The Admiralty clay is composed largely of clayey materials without important quantities of ground water. Similar clayey sediments are known to continue downward for more than 1,000 ft below sea level. The sand unit and, to a lesser extent, the clay unit, are largely advance outwash of the Vashon glaciation. They are water bearing, and the position of their ground-water reservoirs--in flat-shaped bodies perched on the Admiralty clay beneath the plateau surfaces and slopes--makes them particularly susceptible to useful development. The till is a persistent ground-moraine deposit that mantles most of the area of the plateau segments and passes beneath much of the outwash and alluvium of the valleys. The till is a great vaster of precipitation; it. sheds off to the creeks much water that would otherwise recharge the ground-water reservoirs. A small amount of water percolates irregularly into and through the till or accumulates in the soil zones on top, where it is tapped by a great many 'hardpan' wells of small yield. Outwash terraces of gravels and sands, where they lie below the local water table, carry large quantities of ground water. The alluvial materials of the river valleys are good aquifers, but the water is iron bearing in many places and is saline in places in the lower parts of the Snohomish and Stillaguamish Valleys. At present, no good aquifers are known to exist in the bedrock formations. The metamorphic, granitic, and volcanic rocks of the mountainous parts of the county are largely nonpermeable. The Tertiary strata, which underlie the coastal lowland at depth and crop out about its inner margin, contain little or no water, and that which is present is usually of poor quality. The chemical quality of the ground waters is in general excellent. The iron- bearing water of the alluvial valleys is the princ

Water Supply Paper↗

USGS1983

Accumulation of fossil fuels and metallic minerals in active and ancient rift lakes

A study of active and ancient rift systems around the world suggests that accumulations of fossil fuels and metallic minerals are related to the interactions of processes that form rift valleys with those that take place in and around rift lakes. The deposition of the precursors of petroleum, gas, oil shale, coal, phosphate, barite, Cu-Pb-Zn sulfides, and uranium begins with erosion of uplifted areas, and the consequent input of abundant nutrients and solute loads into swamps and tectonic lakes. Hot springs and volcanism add other nutrients and solutes. The resulting high biological productivity creates oxidized/reduced interfaces, and anoxic and H 2 S-rich bottom waters which preserves metal-bearing organic tissues and horizons. In the depositional phases, the fine-grained lake deposits are in contact with coarse-grained beach, delta, river, talus, and alluvial fan deposits. Earthquake-induced turbidites also are common coarse-grained deposits of rift lakes. Postdepositional processes in rifts include high heat flow and a resulting concentration of the organic and metallic components that were dispersed throughout the lakebeds. Postdepositional faulting brings organic- and metal-rich sourcebeds in contact with coarse-grained host and reservoir rocks. A suite of potentially economic deposits is therefore a characteristic of rift valleys.

Tectonophysics↗

USGS2015

Demersal fish distribution and habitat use within and near Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons, U.S. Middle Atlantic Slope

Numerous submarine canyons along the United States middle Atlantic continental margin support enhanced productivity, diverse and unique habitats, active fisheries, and are vulnerable to various anthropogenic disturbances. During two cruises (15 Aug–2 Oct 2012 and 30 Apr–27 May 2013), Baltimore and Norfolk canyons and nearby areas (including two cold seeps) were intensively surveyed to determine demersal fish distributions and habitat associations. Overall, 34 ROV dives (234–1612 m) resulted in 295 h of bottom video observations and numerous collections. These data were supplemented by 40, 30-min bottom trawl samples. Fish observations were assigned to five general habitat designations: 1) sand-mud (flat), 2) sloping sand-mud with burrows, 3) low profile gravel, rock, boulder, 4) high profile, canyon walls, rocks or ridges, and 5) seep-mixed hard and soft substrata, the later subdivided into seven habitats based on amounts of dead mussel and rock cover. The influence of corals, sponges and live mussels (seeps only) on fish distributions was also investigated. Both canyon areas supported abundant and diverse fish communities and exhibited a wide range of habitats, including extensive areas of deep-sea corals and sponges and two nearby methane seeps (380–430 m, 1455–1610 m). All methods combined yielded a total of 123 species of fishes, 12 of which are either new records for this region or have new range data. Depth was a major factor that separated the fish faunas into two zones with a boundary around 1400 m. Fishes defining the deeper zone included Lycodes sp.,Dicrolene introniger, Gaidropsaurus ensis, Hydrolagus affinis, Antimora rostrata, andAldrovandia sp. Fishes in the deep zone did not exhibit strong habitat affinities, despite the presence of a quite rugged, extensive methane seep. We propose that habitat specificity decreases with increasing depth. Fishes in the shallower zone, characterized by Laemonema sp., Phycis chesteri, Nezumia bairdii, Brosme brosme, and Helicolenus dactylopterus, exhibited a variety of habitat use patterns. In general, fish assemblages in the soft substrata areas (dominated by P. chesteri, N. bairdii, Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, Lophius americanus, Merluccius albidus) were different from those in more complex habitats (dominated by Laemonema spp., Hoplostethus spp., B. brosme,Benthocometes robustus, L. americanus, Dysommina rugosa). Although, when present, the dense coral and sponge cover did not statistically affect general fish assemblage patterns in hard bottom habitats, these sessile organisms markedly increased habitat complexity, and some fish species exhibited close association with them. Fish species compositions in the two canyons were not substantially different from the surrounding slopes. However, the diversity of habitats within both the canyons and seeps exerted an important influence on assemblage structure. At least for some species (e.g., B. brosme) canyon and seep environments may be a refuge from intensive bottom fishing activities. We frequently observed evidence of commercial and recreational fishing activity (lost gear on bottom and fishing boats in the area) throughout the canyons and some resulting habitat damage. Conservation measures for the unique and more vulnerable areas (seep and coral habitats) have recently been approved.

Baltimore Canyon, Norfolk Canyon↗