USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Data Report”

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.

834 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
USGS2025

Groundwater response to managed aquifer recharge at the Southeast Houghton Artificial Recharge Project in Tucson, Arizona

Managed aquifer recharge is a widespread practice for storing water in the subsurface as groundwater. At a managed aquifer recharge facility in southern Arizona, groundwater-level and repeat microgravity data were collected to monitor aquifer response. These data were used to inform parameter identification for an unsaturated-zone flow model used to simulate the recharge process. The facility, the Southeast Houghton Artificial Recharge Project (SHARP), consists of 3 surface basins (about 27,600 square meters [6.8 acres] total surface area) where recycled water is distributed in recharge cycles lasting several months, with dry periods in between. During the study period, December 2020–December 2022, Tucson Water (the City of Tucson’s water utility) reported 6.56×10 6 cubic meters of water (5,320 acre-feet) recharged. Monitoring included groundwater-level observations at 3 monitoring wells and repeat microgravity measurements at as many as 22 locations (some stations were destroyed between surveys). Six gravity surveys were carried out using absolute- and relative-gravity meters. Large gravity increases, more than 250 microgals, were observed during the first repeat survey, 3.5 months after the start of recharge, but only in the immediate vicinity of the recharge basins. Data show that water moved downward to the water table, and storage changes in the unsaturated zone away from the facility were likely minimal. Gravity decreased at stations more than 1 kilometer from the facility, consistent with regional groundwater-level changes. Groundwater-level increases in wells adjacent to the recharge basins began 2 months after the second repeat gravity survey, and 5.5 months after recharge began. Unsaturated-zone flow modeling was carried out using software that simulates water movement and parameter estimation. Model calibration was carried out by minimizing an objective function calculated from the differences between simulated and observed groundwater levels, and between simulated and observed repeat microgravity data. Including repeat microgravity data in the objective function reduced the uncertainty in estimated parameter values for saturated hydraulic conductivity and saturated water content. Modeling indicated that the unsaturated zone between the recharge basins and the water table does not become saturated even after 685 days of simulated infiltration. This gradual wetting may account for increasing infiltration rates over time, as hydraulic conductivity increases with increasing water content. Unsaturated-zone water content decreased rapidly between recharge cycles. Model-simulated groundwater mounding extended about 1 kilometer from the center of SHARP after the 685-day period following the onset of recharge.

Arizona↗
USGS2026

Regional characterization of coal resources in the Gulf Coast Coal Region—In support of coal as a potential source for critical minerals and rare earth elements

There is increasing interest in extracting critical minerals (CM), including rare earth elements (REE), from coals in the United States to address the overreliance on imported REE. The Gulf Coast and the Fort Union regions are the two major lignite-bearing regions within the United States. Recent REE and CM studies of the lignite in these regions have indicated that the coals may be a viable source material for REE and CM extraction. To evaluate in-place coal as a potential source of REE and CM, the coal resources need to be quantified. This study presents the results of a regional analysis of Gulf Coast Coal Region lignite and bituminous coal resources that might be available as potential sources of REE and CM. The resource analysis used kriging methods to develop isopleth maps of cumulative coal thickness throughout the region using data from drill holes and measured mine and outcrop sections for a total of 31,181 data points. The estimated total remaining coal resource in the Gulf Coast Coal Region is about 83 billion metric tons in the upper 90 meters (approximately 300 feet) of the subsurface. The current estimate of remaining coal resources includes approximately 1.88 billion metric tons of coal that have been extracted in the region since 1983. Texas accounted for 39 percent (32 billion metric tons) of the remaining total resource, followed by Mississippi (24 percent, 20 billion metric tons ), Louisiana (14 percent, 12 billion metric tons), Tennessee (10 percent, 8.5 billion metric tons), and Arkansas (6 percent, 5.1 billion metric tons). Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Missouri each accounted for less than 5 percent of the total resource; Georgia had the smallest resource estimated at 7 million metric tons. Here we report the first known statewide lignite resource estimates for Georgia, Kentucky (820 million metric tons), and Missouri (1,800 million metric tons). A comparison of the results of this study with those of previous Gulf Coast Coal Region and Fort Union Coal Region resource studies is difficult because each study used different data sources, assessment methodologies, overburden depths, and qualifying coal thicknesses.

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Lou↗