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At least 1,477 records · Page 82Linked to original sources

USGS1994

National Water-Quality Assessment Program: the Northern New England Basins study unit

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior, began a full-scale National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program. The objectives of the NAWQA program are to describe the present and future water quality of large, representative parts of the United States's surface- and ground-water resources and to identify the primary natural and man-made factors that affect the quality of these resources. The final product of the program will be information that may be used by water-resource policy makers and managers at national, State, and local levels. The NAWQA program encompasses 60 study units. These units are delineated by hydrologic systems that include parts of most of the Nation's major river basins and aquifer systems. Study units range in size from 1,000 mi 2 (square miles) to more than 60,000 mi 2 and represent 60 to 70 percent of the Nation's water use and population served by public water supplies. The first group of 20 study-unit investigations began in 1991. A second group of 20 study-unit investigations began in 1994, which includes the Northern New England Basins study unit.

Maine;Massachusetts;New Hampshire↗

USGS1956

Uranium distribution in pseudowollastonite slag from a phosphorus furnace

Silicate slag from the Victor Chemical Company phosphorus furnace at Tarpon Springs, Fla., has been found to consist essentially of pseudowollastonite, α-CaSiO 3 . The first-formed crystals are euhedral laths which form a mesh making up most of the slag. As the slag continues to solidify, its composition changes slightly and more equant, subhedral crystals of pseudowollastonite are deposited within the framework of the earlier material. Finally, anherdral masses of fibrous, poorly crystallized material are deposited in the remaining pore spaces which are not always completely filled. Spherules of iron phosphide, Fe 2 P, occur very sparsely in the slag as inclusions from the immiscible iron phosphide melt. Uranium content increases in the later crystal products of the slag, and by heavy-liquid fractionation it has been possible to segregate partially the phases and to obtain a fourfold concentration of uranium in 5 percent of the material and a twofold concentration in 30 percent of the material. Nuclear-emulsion studies indicate that the last phases of the silicate slag are actually eight times as radioactive as the early phases. In addition, the iron phosphide spherules are comparably enriches in uranium.

Trace Elements Investigations↗

USGS2018

Biophysical assessment for indemnity selection of Federal Lands in Colorado

Information on the biophysical features of Federal lands identified as suitable for transfer to the State of Colorado was requested by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This information is intended for use in conducting an Environmental Assessment prior to the transfer of ownership (conveyance) to the State. The Colorado State Land Board filed a selective application to obtain public land and mineral estate in lieu of lands to which the State of Colorado was entitled but did not receive at the time of statehood. To address this legal obligation, 339 parcels of Federal lands (organized into 89 indemnity units [IUs]), currently under management by the BLM, have been identified as suitable for transfer to the State. The IUs include 23,130 acres of surface and mineral estate and 6,150 acres of mineral estate only. The specific land parcels to be transferred to the State will be finalized after an Environmental Assessment and other evaluations are completed. To provide the biophysical information necessary for conducting a future Environmental Assessment of the potential effects of the proposed land transfer, information on ecological communities, soil characteristics, and land use was summarized at three levels: (1) all of Colorado, (2) lands under the jurisdiction of the BLM, and (3) the 89 IUs. Information was also synthesized and summarized for 179 plant and animal species or subspecies of management concern to evaluate which species had the potential for occurrence on IUs. Datasets summarized for Colorado and for indemnity units and methodological details for all data summaries are provided in U.S. Geological Survey data releases available online at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7GT5MGV and https://doi.org/10.5066/F7C24VQ0 .

Colorado↗

USGS2019

Simulating demography, genetics, and spatially explicit processes to inform reintroduction of a threatened char

The success of species reintroductions can depend on a combination of environmental, demographic, and genetic factors. Although the importance of these factors in the success of reintroductions is well‐accepted, they are typically evaluated independently, which can miss important interactions. For species that persist in metapopulations, movement through and interaction with the landscape is predicted to be a vital component of persistence. Simulation‐based approaches are a promising technique for evaluating the independent and combined effects of these factors on the outcome of various reintroduction and associated management actions. We report results from a simulation study of bull trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ) reintroduction to three watersheds of the Pend Oreille River system in northeastern Washington State, USA. We used an individual‐based, spatially explicit simulation model to evaluate how reintroduction strategies, life history variation, and riverscape structure (e.g., network topology) interact to influence the demographic and genetic characteristics of reintroduced bull trout populations in three watersheds. Simulation scenarios included a range of initial genetic stocks (informed by empirical bull trout genetic data), variation in migratory tendency and life history, and two landscape connectivity alternatives representing a connected network (isolation‐by‐distance) and a fragmented network (isolation‐by‐barrier, using the known existing barriers). A novel feature of these simulations was the ability to consider the interaction of both demographic and genetic (i.e., demogenetic) factors in riverscapes with implicit asymmetric movement probabilities across the barriers. We found that connectivity (presence or absence of barriers) had the largest effect on demographic and genetic outcomes over 200 yr, with a greater effect than both initial genetic diversity and life history variation. We also identified regions of the study system in which bull trout populations persisted across a wide range of demographic, life history, and environmental connectivity parameters. Finally, we found no evidence that initial neutral genetic diversity influenced genetic diversity and structure after 200 yr; instead, genetic drift due to stray rate and population isolation dominated and erased any initial differences in genetic diversity. Our results highlight the utility of spatially explicit demogenetic approaches in exploring and understanding population dynamics—and their implications for management strategies—in fresh waters.

Washington↗

USGS2016

Quaternary geologic map of the Wolf Point 1° × 2° quadrangle, Montana and North Dakota

The Wolf Point quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km 2 (6,210 mi 2 ). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S.-Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Peerless Plateau and Flaxville Plain. The primary river is the Missouri River. The map units are surficial deposits and materials, not landforms. Deposits that comprise some constructional landforms (for example, ground-moraine deposits, end-moraine deposits, and stagnation-moraine deposits, all composed of till) are distinguished for purposes of reconstruction of glacial history. Surficial deposits and materials are assigned to 23 map units on the basis of genesis, age, lithology or composition, texture or particle size, and other physical, chemical, and engineering characteristics. It is not a map of soils that are recognized in pedology or agronomy. Rather, it is a generalized map of soils recognized in engineering geology, or of substrata or parent materials in which pedologic or agronomic soils are formed. Glaciotectonic (ice-thrust) structures and deposits are mapped separately, represented by a symbol. The surficial deposits are glacial, ice-contact, glaciofluvial, alluvial, lacustrine, eolian, colluvial, and mass-movement deposits. Till of late Wisconsin age is represented by three map units. Till of Illinoian age also is mapped. Till deposited during pre-Illinoian glaciations is not mapped, but is widespread in the subsurface. Linear ice-molded landforms (primarily drumlins), shown by symbol, indicate directions of ice flow during late Wisconsin and Illinoian glaciations. The Quaternary geologic map of the Wolf Point quadrangle, northeastern Montana and North Dakota, was prepared to provide a database for compilation of a Quaternary geologic map of the Regina 4° × 6° quadrangle, United States and Canada, at scale 1:1,000,000, for the U.S. Geological Survey Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States map series. This map was compiled from data from many sources, at several different map scales. That information was generalized and simplified, and then transferred to a base map at 1:250,000 scale to serve as the base for final reduction to 1:1,000,000, the nominal reading scale of maps in the Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States map series. This map is the generalized and simplified 1:250,000 scale compilation. Letter symbols for the map units are those used for the same units in the Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States map series. The map summarizes new, and selected published and unpublished, geologic information for public use and for use by Federal, State, and local governmental agencies for land use planning, including assessment of natural resources, natural hazards, recreation potential, and land use management. It also is a base from which a variety of maps relating to earth surface processes and Quaternary geologic history can be derived.

Montana, North Dakota↗

USGS2009

A water-leach procedure for estimating bioaccessibility of elements in soils from transects across the United States and Canada

An objective of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project is to provide relevant data concerning bioaccessible concentrations of elements in soil to government and other institutions undertaking environmental studies. A protocol was developed that employs a 1-g soil sample agitated overnight with 40 mL of reverse-osmosis de-ionized water for 20 h, and determination of 63 elements following three steps of centrifugation by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry the following day. Statistical summaries are presented for those 48 elements (Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Dy, Er, Eu, Fe, Ga, Gd, Ge, Hf, Ho, I, K, La, Li, Lu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Nd, Ni, P, Pb, Pr, Rb, Re, S, Sb, Si, Sm, Sn, Sr, Tb, Ti, Tl, Tm, U, V, W, Y, Yb, Zn, Zr, and pH) for which <20% of their data were reported as below the detection limit. The resulting data set contains analyses for 161 A-horizon soils collected along two transects, one along the 38th parallel across the USA and the other from northern Manitoba to the USA–Mexico border. The spatial distribution of three selected elements (Ca, Cu, and Pb) along the two transects is discussed in this paper both as absolute amounts liberated by the leach and expressed as a percentage of the total, or near-total, amounts determined for the elements. The Ca data reflect broad trends in soil parent materials, their weathering, and subsequent soil development. Calcium concentrations are generally found to be lower in the older soils of the eastern USA. The Cu data are higher in the eastern half of the USA, correlating with soil organic C, with which it is sequestered. The Pb data exhibit little regional variability due to natural sources, but are influenced by anthropogenic sources. Based on the Pb results, the percentage water-extractable data demonstrate promise as a tool for identifying anthropogenic components. The soil–water partition (distribution) coefficients, K d s (L/kg), were determined and their relevance to estimating bioaccessible amounts of elements to soil fauna and flora is discussed. Finally, a possible link between W concentrations in human urine and water-extractable W levels in Nevada soils is discussed.

Applied Geochemistry↗

USGS2024

Development and calibration of HEC–RAS hydraulic, temperature, and nutrient models for the Mohawk River, New York

In support of a preliminary analysis performed by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that found elevated nutrient levels along selected reaches of the Mohawk River, a one-dimensional, unsteady hydraulic and water-quality model (Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System Nutrient Simulation Module 1 [HEC–RAS NSM I]) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the 127-mile reach of the Mohawk River between Rome and Cohoes, New York. The model was designed to accurately simulate within-channel flow conditions for this highly regulated, control-structure dense river reach. The model was calibrated for the period of May through September 2016 using available streamflow, temperature, and water-quality data. Nitrogen, phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, and water column algae were balanced within the model; however, the nutrient model calibration was focused on phosphorus. The HEC–RAS hydraulic model simulated streamflow adequately at the calibration locations with observed and simulated daily flows demonstrating coefficient of determination ( r 2 ) values ranging from 0.91 to 0.97, mean absolute error ranging from 15–20 percent, and bias ranging from −7 to 16 percent. The water temperature model within HEC–RAS NSM I demonstrated remarkable ability to simulate water temperature: typical water temperature errors were less than 1.0 degree Celsius (°C). Simulated water temperature results closely tracked observed continuous water temperature data at three locations on the Mohawk River, with mean absolute error for the 2016 study period ranging from 0.87 to 0.90 °C, and a root mean square error of 1.00 to 1.07 °C. Performance criteria for the water-quality (nutrient) model were applied differently than the water temperature model because of the temporally coarse discrete samples collected for the project. The average difference between final simulated concentrations and observed concentrations of organic phosphorus for all sample locations was within 0.01 milligrams per liter (mg/L) and within 0.09 mg/L for orthophosphate using all locations except Rome, which was within 0.25 mg/L. The calibrated model was used to implement nine phosphorus reduction scenarios by applying reductions to wastewater treatment plant effluent concentrations within the model. Monthly mean differences were computed for five comparison locations. Scenario results were generally linear and predictable; scenarios implementing the highest reductions showed correspondingly larger differences in Mohawk River concentrations downstream from the wastewater treatment plants associated with those reductions. The largest monthly mean differences were realized from reduction scenario nine and ranged from −0.018 to −0.076 mg/L for organic phosphorus and from 0.001 to −0.138 mg/L for orthophosphate.

New York↗

USGS2002

Monitoring and analysis of combined sewer overflows, Riverside and Evanston, Illinois, 1997-99

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, collected and analyzed flow data in combined sewer systems in Riverside and Evanston, northeastern Illinois, from March 1997 to December 1999. Continuous 2- and 5-minute stage and velocity data were collected during surcharged and nonsurcharged conditions at 12 locations. Mass balances were calculated to determine the volume of water flowing through the tide-gate openings to the Des Plaines River and the North Shore Channel and to determine the volume of water flowing past the sluice gate to the deep tunnel. The sewer systems consist of circular pipes ranging in diameter from 0.83 feet to 10.0 feet, elliptical siphon pipes, ledges, and tide and sluice gates. Pipes were constructed of either brick and mortar or concrete, and ranged from having smooth surfaces to rough, pitted and crumbling surfaces. One pipe was noticeably affected by water infiltration from saturated ground. During data analysis, many assumptions were necessary because of the complexity of the flow data and sewer-system configurations. These assumptions included estimating the volume of water entering an interceptor sewer at the ''Gage Street pipe'' at Riverside, the effect of infiltration on the ''brick pipe'' at Riverside, and the minimum velocity required for the meter to make an accurate velocity determination. Other factors affecting the analysis of flow data included possible non-instrumented sources of inflow, and backwater conditions in some pipes, which could have caused error in the data analysis. Variations of these assumptions potentially could cause appreciable changes to the final massbalance calculations. Mass-balance analysis at Riverside indicated a total inflow volume into chamber 3 of approximately 721,000 cubic feet (ft3) during April 22-26, 1999. Outflow volume to the Des Plaines River at Riverside through the tide gate was approximately 132,000 ft3; outflow volume to the deep tunnel through the sluice gate was approximately 267,000 ft3. The mass-balance analysis at Evanston indicated a total inflow volume into chamber 3 of approximately 5,970,000 ft3 during April 21-26, 1999. The outflow volume to the North Shore Channel through the tide gates at Evanston was approximately 2,920,000 ft3; outflow volume to the deep tunnel through the sluice gates was approximately 3,050,000 ft3.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗

USGS2012

Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Kharnak-Kanjar mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter K in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the areas and (2) provide useful information to private investors who are considering investment in a particular area for development of its natural resources. The set of satellite-image mosaics provided in this Data Series (DS) is one such database. Although airborne digital color-infrared imagery was acquired for parts of Afghanistan in 2006, the image data have radiometric variations that preclude their use in creating a consistent image mosaic for geologic analysis. Consequently, image mosaics were created using ALOS (Advanced Land Observation Satellite; renamed Daichi) satellite images, whose radiometry has been well determined (Saunier, 2007a,b). This part of the DS consists of the locally enhanced ALOS image mosaics for the Kharnak-Kanjar mineral district, which has mercury deposits. ALOS was launched on January 24, 2006, and provides multispectral images from the AVNIR (Advanced Visible and Near-Infrared Radiometer) sensor in blue (420–500 nanometer, nm), green (520–600 nm), red (610–690 nm), and near-infrared (760–890 nm) wavelength bands with an 8-bit dynamic range and a 10-meter (m) ground resolution. The satellite also provides a panchromatic band image from the PRISM (Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping) sensor (520–770 nm) with the same dynamic range but a 2.5-m ground resolution. The image products in this DS incorporate copyrighted data provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (©JAXA,2007,2008,2010), but the image processing has altered the original pixel structure and all image values of the JAXA ALOS data, such that original image values cannot be recreated from this DS. As such, the DS products match JAXA criteria for value added products, which are not copyrighted, according to the ALOS end-user license agreement. The selection criteria for the satellite imagery used in our mosaics were images having (1) the highest solar-elevation angles (near summer solstice) and (2) the least cloud, cloud-shadow, and snow cover. The multispectral and panchromatic data were orthorectified with ALOS satellite ephemeris data, a process which is not as accurate as orthorectification using digital elevation models (DEMs); however, the ALOS processing center did not have a precise DEM. As a result, the multispectral and panchromatic image pairs were generally not well registered to the surface and not coregistered well enough to perform resolution enhancement on the multispectral data. For this particular area, PRISM image orthorectification was performed by the Alaska Satellite Facility, applying its photogrammetric software to PRISM stereo images with vertical control points obtained from the digital elevation database produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (Farr and others, 2007) and horizontal adjustments based on a controlled Landsat image base (Davis, 2006). The 10-m AVNIR multispectral imagery was then coregistered to the orthorectified PRISM images and individual multispectral and panchromatic images were mosaicked into single images of the entire area of interest. The image coregistration was facilitated using an automated control-point algorithm developed by the USGS that allows image coregistration to within one picture element. Before rectification, the multispectral and panchromatic images were converted to radiance values and then to relative-reflectance values using the methods described in Davis (2006). Mosaicking the multispectral or panchromatic images started with the image with the highest sun-elevation angle and the least atmospheric scattering, which was treated as the standard image. The band-reflectance values of all other multispectral or panchromatic images within the area were sequentially adjusted to that of the standard image by determining band-reflectance correspondence between overlapping images using linear least-squares analysis. The resolution of the multispectral image mosaic was then increased to that of the panchromatic image mosaic using the SPARKLE logic, which is described in Davis (2006). Each of the four-band images within the resolution-enhanced image mosaic was individually subjected to a local-area histogram stretch algorithm (described in Davis, 2007), which stretches each band's picture element based on the digital values of all picture elements within a 1,000-m radius. The final databases, which are provided in this DS, are three-band, color-composite images of the local-area-enhanced, natural-color data (the blue, green, and red wavelength bands) and color-infrared data (the green, red, and near-infrared wavelength bands). All image data were initially projected and maintained in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) map projection using the target area's local zone (41 for Kharnak-Kanjar) and the WGS84 datum. The final image mosaics were subdivided into eight overlapping tiles or quadrants because of the large size of the target area. The eight image tiles (or quadrants) for the Kharnak-Kanjar area are provided as embedded geotiff images, which can be read and used by most geographic information system (GIS) and image-processing software. The tiff world files (tfw) are provided, even though they are generally not needed for most software to read an embedded geotiff image. Within the Kharnak-Kanjar study area, three subareas were designated for detailed field investigations (that is, the Koh-e-Katif Passaband, Panjshah-Mullayan, and Sahebdad-Khanjar subareas); these subareas were extracted from the area's image mosaic and are provided as separate embedded geotiff images.

Farah;Ghor;Daykundi↗

USGS2000

Digital geologic map of the Coeur d'Alene 1:100,000 quadrangle, Idaho and Montana

Between 1961 and 1969, Alan Griggs and others conducted fieldwork to prepare a geologic map of the Spokane 1:250,000 map (Griggs, 1973). Their field observations were posted on paper copies of 15-minute quadrangle maps. In 1999, the USGS contracted with the Idaho Geological Survey to prepare a digital version of the Coeur d’Alene 1:100,000 quadrangle. To facilitate this work, the USGS obtained the field maps prepared by Griggs and others from the USGS Field Records Library in Denver, Colorado. The Idaho Geological Survey (IGS) digitized these maps and used them in their mapping program. The mapping focused on field checks to resolve problems in poorly known areas and in areas of disagreement between adjoining maps. The IGS is currently in the process of preparing a final digital spatial database for the Coeur d’Alene 1:100,000 quadrangle. However, there was immediate need for a digital version of the geologic map of the Coeur d’Alene 1:100,000 quadrangle and the data from the field sheets along with several other sources were assembled to produce this interim product. This interim product is the digital geologic map of the Coeur d’Alene 1:100,000 quadrangle, Idaho and Montana. It was compiled from the preliminary digital files prepared by the Idaho Geological, and supplemented by data from Griggs (1973) and from digital databases by Bookstrom and others (1999) and Derkey and others (1996). The resulting digital geologic map (GIS) database can be queried in many ways to produce a variety of geologic maps. Digital base map data files (topography, roads, towns, rivers and lakes, etc.) are not included: they may be obtained from a variety of commercial and government sources. This database is not meant to be used or displayed at any scale larger than 1:100,000 (e.g., 1:62,500 or 1:24,000). The digital geologic map graphics (of00-135_map.pdf) that are provided are representations of the digital database. The map area is located in north Idaho. This open-file report describes the geologic map units, the methods used to convert the geologic map data into a digital format, the ArcInfo GIS file structures and relationships, and explains how to download the digital files from the U.S. Geological Survey public access World Wide Web site on the Internet.

Idaho, Montana↗

USGS1914

Glaciers of Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park derives its name and much of its interest from the presence of many small glaciers. Very much of the grandeur of its wonderful Alpine scenery, the final sculpturing of the great mountain valleys and of the amphitheaters at their heads, and the production of the basins of its many beautiful lakes are due to the action of the more extended glaciers of the past. There are in the park about 90 small glaciers ranging in size from Blackfeet Glacier, with its 3 square miles of ice, down to masses but a few acres in extent yet exhibiting the characteristics of true glaciers. The most easily accessible of these from the beaten trails are the Blackfeet and Sperry Glaciers and the small glaciers at Iceberg Lake and at Ahern Pass. Some of the others can be reached by tourists who are willing to undergo the exertions of mountain climbing. Among these are Grinnell, Chaney, Shepard, Vulture, and Carter Glaciers, and one or two at Brown Pass. (See map facing page 17.) After examining these features one can easily picture to himself, as he looks down the valleys, the great rivers of ice which in ages past cascaded from the cliffs below the upper cirques, converged as tributaries from the many branch valleys, and united in great trunk glaciers. In imagination lie can see these great glaciers many hundreds of feet ill depth filling the great mountain volleys from side to side, and deploying thence upon the bordering plains. lie seems to see these mighty engines plucking away the rock ribs of the mountains, smoothing, grinding, and polishing the irregularities and sweeping away the debris to be spread on the plains below. These glaciers developed and extended three times and, after each development, the congealed masses melted away on the return of milder climatic conditions, until at length only the small cliff glaciers of the present day are left lurking in the protected recesses at the heads of the capacious valleys. Many of the rock-walled amphitheaters are no longer occupied by ice, but from all there issue streams fed by the melting snow or ice. These plunge over the cliffs in beautiful foaming cascades and rush on down the mountain gorges. The melting glaciers left many inclosed basins large and small, and in these the waters rest a while and mirror in their crystal depths the dark green of the surrounding forests, the rich colors of the rugged mountain walls, and the deep blue of the cloud-flecked sky. On again from lake to lake the waters flow and finally start down their long courses to the sea to merge at length with the chill waters of Hudson Bay, the balm t ides of the Gulf of Mexico, or the rolling billows of the Pacific. Compared in size with the great glaciers of Alaska the glaciers of Glacier National Park are insignificant. They are even surpassed in size by those of the Alps, of the Canadian Rockies, and of Mount Rainier, Washington. They are, however, thought small, among the best examples of this interesting type of phenomena now existing in the United States. They have also a splendid setting in magnificent Alpine scenery, unsurpassed in grandeur anywhere. Hidden away in the recesses of the mighty mountain ranges these rare and wonderful features form a climax to many of the interesting trips open to the tourist.

Montana↗

USGS2012

Local-area-enhanced, 2.5-meter resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of the Haji-Gak mineral district in Afghanistan: Chapter C in Local-area-enhanced, high-resolution natural-color and color-infrared satellite-image mosaics of mineral districts in Afghanistan

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, prepared databases for mineral-resource target areas in Afghanistan. The purpose of the databases is to (1) provide useful data to ground-survey crews for use in performing detailed assessments of the areas and (2) provide useful information to private investors who are considering investment in a particular area for development of its natural resources. The set of satellite-image mosaics provided in this Data Series (DS) is one such database. Although airborne digital color-infrared imagery was acquired for parts of Afghanistan in 2006, the image data have radiometric variations that preclude their use in creating a consistent image mosaic for geologic analysis. Consequently, image mosaics were created using ALOS (Advanced Land Observation Satellite; renamed Daichi) satellite images, whose radiometry has been well determined (Saunier, 2007a,b). This part of the DS consists of the locally enhanced ALOS image mosaics for the Haji-Gak mineral district, which has iron ore deposits. ALOS was launched on January 24, 2006, and provides multispectral images from the AVNIR (Advanced Visible and Near-Infrared Radiometer) sensor in blue (420-500 nanometer, nm), green (520-600 nm), red (610-690 nm), and near-infrared (760-890 nm) wavelength bands with an 8-bit dynamic range and a 10-meter (m) ground resolution. The satellite also provides a panchromatic band image from the PRISM (Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping) sensor (520-770 nm) with the same dynamic range but a 2.5-m ground resolution. The image products in this DS incorporate copyrighted data provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ((c)JAXA,2006,2007), but the image processing has altered the original pixel structure and all image values of the JAXA ALOS data, such that original image values cannot be recreated from this DS. As such, the DS products match JAXA criteria for value added products, which are not copyrighted, according to the ALOS end-user license agreement. The selection criteria for the satellite imagery used in our mosaics were images having (1) the highest solar-elevation angles (near summer solstice) and (2) the least cloud, cloud-shadow, and snow cover. The multispectral and panchromatic data were orthorectified with ALOS satellite ephemeris data, a process which is not as accurate as orthorectification using digital elevation models (DEMs); however, the ALOS processing center did not have a precise DEM. As a result, the multispectral and panchromatic image pairs were generally not well registered to the surface and not coregistered well enough to perform resolution enhancement on the multispectral data. For this particular area, PRISM image orthorectification was performed by the Alaska Satellite Facility, applying its photogrammetric software to PRISM stereo images with vertical control points obtained from the digital elevation database produced by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (Farr and others, 2007) and horizontal adjustments based on a controlled Landsat image base (Davis, 2006). The 10-m AVNIR multispectral imagery was then co-registered to the orthorectified PRISM images and individual multispectral and panchromatic images were mosaicked into single images of the entire area of interest. The image-coregistration was facilitated using an automated control-point algorithm developed by the USGS that allows image coregistration to within one picture element. Before rectification, the multispectral and panchromatic images were converted to radiance values and then to relative-reflectance values using the methods described in Davis (2006). Mosaicking the multispectral or panchromatic images started with the image with the highest sun-elevation angle and the least atmospheric scattering, which was treated as the standard image. The band-reflectance values of all other multispectral or panchromatic images within the area were sequentially adjusted to that of the standard image by determining band-reflectance correspondence between overlapping images using linear least-squares analysis. The resolution of the multispectral image mosaic was then increased to that of the panchromatic image mosaic using the SPARKLE logic, which is described in Davis (2006). Each of the four-band images within the resolution-enhanced image mosaic was individually subjected to a local-area histogram stretch algorithm (described in Davis, 2007), which stretches each band's picture element based on the digital values of all picture elements within a 500-m radius. The final databases, which are provided in this DS, are three-band, color-composite images of the local-area-enhanced, natural-color data (the blue, green, and red wavelength bands) and color-infrared data (the green, red, and near-infrared wavelength bands). All image data were initially projected and maintained in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) map projection using the target area's local zone (42 for Haji-Gak) and the WGS84 datum. The final image mosaics were subdivided into three overlapping tiles or quadrants because of the large size of the target area. The three image tiles (or quadrants) for the Haji-Gak area are provided as embedded geotiff images, which can be read and used by most geographic information system (GIS) and image-processing software. The tiff world files (tfw) are provided, even though they are generally not needed for most software to read an embedded geotiff image. Within the Haji-Gak study area, three subareas were designated for detailed field investigations (that is, the Haji-Gak Prospect, Farenjal, and NE Haji-Gak subareas); these subareas were extracted from the area's image mosaic and are provided as separate embedded geotiff images.

Bamyan;Parwan;Wardak↗

USGS2005

Monitoring the natural attenuation of petroleum in ground water at the former naval complex, Operable Unit A, Adak Island, Alaska, May and June 2003

During May and June 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey installed monitoring wells and collected data to characterize the effectiveness of natural attenuation processes for remediating petroleum-contaminated ground water at Operable Unit A of the former Naval complex on Adak Island, Alaska. In addition, the evidence for petroleum biodegradation in ground water was evaluated at selected petroleum sites, plans for future natural attenuation monitoring were suggested for the selected petroleum sites, and the natural attenuation monitoring strategy for the Downtown area of Adak Island was reviewed and refinements were suggested. U.S. Geological Survey personnel measured water levels and collected ground-water samples from about 100 temporary boreholes and 50 monitoring wells. Most samples were analyzed on-site for concentrations of selected petroleum compounds and natural attenuation parameters such as dissolved oxygen, ferrous iron, and carbon dioxide. The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the data on-site, selected new monitoring well locations, and installed, developed, and sampled 10 monitoring wells. The review and suggestions for the natural attenuation monitoring strategy focused on how to better achieve monitoring objectives specified in the Record of Decision for Adak Island petroleum sites. To achieve the monitoring objective of verifying that natural attenuation is occurring, the monitoring plans for each monitored natural attenuation site need to include sampling of at least one strategically placed well at the downgradient margin of the contaminant plume margin, preferably where contaminant concentrations are detectable but less than the cleanup level. Collection of natural attenuation parameter data and sampling background wells is no longer needed to achieve the monitoring objective of demonstrating the occurrence of natural attenuation. To achieve the objective of monitoring locations where chemical concentrations exceed specified cleanup levels, at least one natural attenuation well within or immediately downgradient from the contaminant source area at each site needs to be monitored. Achieving the Record of Decision-specified final monitoring objective of estimating the rate of natural attenuation to demonstrate achievement of cleanup levels within 75 years will be problematic. Demonstrating (predicting) achievement of cleanup levels within any timeframe in a technically defensible manner will be difficult to achieve using any type of short-term monitoring and evaluation, and will be particularly difficult to achieve through monitoring and evaluation of dissolved-phase petroleum only. Overall, natural attenuation processes appear to have greatly limited the extent of ground-water contamination at most sites investigated and have limited the risk that petroleum contaminants pose to downgradient receptors. Clarification or refinement of the monitoring objective to demonstrate cleanup within 75 years would be a reasonable prelude to developing a monitoring and data evaluation strategy to meet the objective.

Scientific Investigations Report↗

USGS2023

High-resolution InSAR reveals localized pre-eruptive deformation inside the crater of Agung Volcano, Indonesia

During a volcanic crisis, high-rate, localized deformation can indicate magma close to the surface, with important implications for eruption forecasting. However, only a few such examples have been reported, because frequent, dense monitoring is needed. High-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is capable of achieving <1 m spatial resolution and sub-weekly revisit times, but is under-used. Here we use high-resolution satellite SAR imagery from COSMO-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X, and Sentinel-1 to detect intra-crater uplift preceding the November 2017 onset of eruptive activity at Agung, Indonesia. Processing the SAR imagery with an up-to-date, accurate, high-resolution digital elevation model was crucial for preventing aliasing of the deformation signal and for accurate georeferencing. We show that >15 cm of line-of-sight shortening occurred over a 400-by-400 m area on the crater floor in September-October 2017, accompanying a deep seismic swarm and flank dyke intrusion. We attribute the deformation to the pressurization of a shallow (<200 m deep) hydrothermal system by the injection of magmatic gases and fluids. We also observe a second pulse of intra-crater deformation of 3–5 cm within 4 days to 11 hr prior to the first phreatomagmatic eruption, which is consistent with interaction between the hydrothermal system and the ascending magma. This phreatomagmatic eruption created the central pathway used during the final stages of magma ascent. Our observations have important implications for understanding unrest and eruption forecasting, and demonstrate the potential of monitoring with high-resolution SAR.

Agung Volcano, Bali↗

USGS2025

Does the Lost Jim lava flow (Alaska) really preserve evidence of interaction with permafrost?

The basaltic Lost Jim lava flow, the youngest member of the Imuruk Lake volcanic field, Alaska, is reported to have interacted with underlying permafrost by thawing it and forming cavities into which the lava flow collapsed, forming pits and other depressions on the lava flow's surface. Our field observations contradict this hypothesis. The Lost Jim lava flow exhibits surface features typical of an inflated pāhoehoe flow, and we propose instead that most of the pits are unambiguously the result of flow inflation (i.e., lava-rise pits). These pits are found on elevated, relatively level surfaces, and their inner walls preserve features like rotated surface slabs and fine-scale flow banding on exposed crack surfaces, both of which are hallmarks of lava flow inflation. While collapse pits do exist on the Lost Jim lava flow, they are morphologically distinct and formed by crustal failure into drained lava tubes. Satellite images of the Lost Jim lava flow show similarities in the size and distribution of pits within other young pāhoehoe lava flows scattered across the globe. The small diameter of many of the pits (<10 m), compared to flow thickness (≥10 m), also argues against collapse—numerical modeling shows that the relatively high tensile strength of a coherent lava flow would have prevented its collapse into cavities similar in diameter to the lava flow's thickness. Finally, the pits are found scattered across the Lost Jim lava flow, including in locations where the lava flow rests directly on bedrock, which consists of older lava flows. Segregated ice lenses and soil expansion—necessary components for thermokarst formation when thawed—do not exist in such locations. Altogether, these factors show that the Lost Jim lava flow is an inflated lava flow, and permafrost played no significant role during or after its emplacement.

Alaska↗

USGS2019

Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams

Complex chemical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams but relatively little work has been done to characterize them and assess their potential effects in headwaterstreams. In 2014, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) sampled 54 Piedmont streams over ten weeks and measured 475 unique organic compounds using five analytical methods. Maximum and median exposure conditions were evaluated in relation to watershed characteristics and for potential biological effects using multiple lines of evidence. Results demonstrate that mixed-contaminant exposures are ubiquitous and varied in sampled headwater streams. Approximately 56% (264) of the 475 compounds were detected at least once across all sites. Cumulative maximum concentrations ranged 1,922–162,346 ng L −1 per site. Chemical occurrence significantly correlated to urban land use but was not related to presence/absence of wastewater treatment facility discharges. Designed bioactive chemicals represent about 2/3rd of chemicals detected, notably pharmaceuticals and pesticides, qualitative evidence for possible adverse biological effects. Comparative Toxicogenomics Database chemical-gene associations applied to maximum exposure conditions indicate >12,000 and 2,900 potential gene targets were predicted at least once across all sites for fish and invertebrates, respectively. Analysis of cumulative exposure-activity ratios provided additional evidence that, at a minimum, transient exposures with high probability of molecular effects to vertebrates were common. Finally, cumulative detections and concentrations correlated inversely with invertebrate metrics from in-stream surveys. The results demonstrate widespread instream exposure to extensive contaminant mixtures and compelling multiple lines of evidence for adverse effects on aquatic communities.

Science of the Total Environment↗

USGS1978

Preliminary hydrologic budget of the sand-and-gravel aquifer under unstressed conditions: with a section on water-quality monitoring, Pensacola, Florida

The sand-and-gravel aquifer is the only freshwater aquifer in southern Escambia County, Fla. Problems related to the development of the aquifer include sustained yield, contamination, and saltwater intrusion. A digital model was applied to the sand-and-gravel aquifer in central and southern Escambia County treating the aquifer 's 'main producing zone ' as a discrete, leaky, confined aquifer. Under conditions of no pumping, most values for the final-head matrix agreed with assumed values within 4 feet in the area of principal interest. Discharge per unit land area was 1.04 cubic feet per second per square mile, in close agreement with the base runoff streams maintained by the aquifer. Total natural aquifer discharge within the area of principal interest determined by the model was 159 million gallons per day. The applicability of the present non-unique calibration for predicting the effects of pumping is questionable; a multilayered model may be required. Effluent infiltrating from holding lagoons for spray irrigation at the Scenic Hills Sewage Plant may have affected the quality of local perched ground water in the sand-and-gravel aquifer. Observation wells drilled near areas of heavy pumping around Bayou Chico indicated no saltwater intrusion. (Woodard-USGS)

Florida↗

USGS2006

Dissemination of LANDFIRE Prototype Project data

The transfer of LANDFIRE data to users is the most important aspect of the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project (LANDFIRE Prototype Project). The creation of an accurate, consistent, nationwide data set provides the foundation for a successful project. The final step is to make the data readily available to the user community. User capabilities and needs vary widely. Many users require LANDFIRE data to solve day-to-day wildfire management problems such as planning fuel treatments or managing active wildfires. Others use LANDFIRE data to gather information over large geographic areas for strategic planning and analyses. The diversity of users and the variety of applications of LANDFIRE data present an interesting challenge: to develop a data dissemination system that is comprehensive, user-friendly, and flexible. The system must be functional across many levels of technology, ranging from powerful computing capability to support national-scale strategic planning to field-level tactical wildfire operations support. The system must be sustainable, dependable, affordable, and adaptable to various levels of and changes in technology.

General Technical Report↗